It's not as bad as this review would have you believe. It's not great, but I've played much worse shooters.
Aliens: Colonial Marines Review
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The Bad
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The dull, unattractive Aliens: Colonial Marines is a functional shooter, but little more.
One level, however, serves as the exception to the boredom, and it's telling that it's the only level in which you don't begin with a gun. You push forward carefully, occasionally forced to remain still lest you draw a xenomorph's attention with the sound of your sloshing. A creature--or several--might stride right up to you, stare you down, and then return to a resting state before you are safe to continue. Eventually you must weld doors shut behind you to escape a pursuing alien's clutches, which infuses the level with a sense of fear and uncertainty. It's a clever, menacing sequence that puts you on the defensive.
Yawning is contagious. How appropriate, then, that adding other players to the mix doesn't offer the needed explosive boost--it actually makes the experience less enjoyable. If you use the matchmaking option, online cooperative play requires four players to start the match. Only if you have buddies to invite--and only if you switch the networking type to "friends only"--can you limit your match to fewer. (The console versions also support split-screen co-op for two.) Your friends don't take the place of AI companions; instead, they are added to the roster, leading to ridiculously cramped exploration in four-player matches in which players and non-player characters fight for elbow room and try to shoot xenomorphs rather than the back of teammates' heads.
Even worse, many of these levels were clearly designed without co-op play in mind. The aforementioned stealth level--the game's most dramatic--is a sloppy mess devoid of tension when played by a full crew. For instance, should one player move too far ahead, the others teleport to him, potentially triggering nearby aliens to annihilate a defenseless teammate. Furthermore, having others join you destroys the narrative, making certain elements of it laughably nonsensical. Co-op feels thrown together without any regard for how it affects the game's challenge and flow.
The xenomorphs rarely get the time in the spotlight they deserve--they're just simple bullet fodder.
Competitive play finds more success, because the unpredictability of other players leads to occasional moments of tension. All four modes pit a team of marines against a team of aliens, though Escape is the standout among them. Here, four marines make their way through alien-infested territory from one mark to the next, hoping to escape the wrath of the acid-spitting, sharp-clawed opposition. As a marine, there's a sense of camaraderie missing from the campaign; you must have each other's back, protecting each other from the alien onslaught while you wait for elevators to descend and steel doors to open. As an alien, it's satisfying to slink toward the marines with your teammates and swipe your talons across their faces, hoping to down each squad member and thus bring their plans to a screeching halt.
Survivor mode hits similar notes, with four marines trying to simply stay alive for the allotted time before the xenomorph team can slaughter them. The other modes--Team Deathmatch and a capture-the-node variation called Extermination--are more mundane. No matter which mode you choose, however, you can't escape Colonial Marines' sloppier elements. You can skitter up walls and across ceilings as an alien, but there's no telling which surfaces you will stick to and which you won't. This can lead to awkward moments in which your plans falter because you have to mess with your positioning when you'd rather be messing up marines. Additionally, issues like screen stuttering when entering vents and when in spectator mode make online play feel unfinished.
The first two Alien films are steeped in mystery and anxiety, qualities all but absent in developer Gearbox's lackluster interpretation. Instead, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a shallow bit of science-fiction fluff with cheap production values and an indifferent attitude. It's forgettable enough to deem unnecessary, which is a grievous sin for a game in a universe brimming with so much potential.
By
Kevin VanOrd, Senior Editor
Kevin VanOrd is a lifelong RPG lover and violin player. When he isn't busy building PCs and composing symphonies, he watches American Dad reruns with his fat cat, Ollie.
1952 comments
I was considering the game for Wii U but now I see why Sega canceled it. I think the only thing that ever seemed interesting to me was the idea of playing an Alien. Ehh I won't lose any sleep but it is sad to see a solid franchise game fail so horribly.
What can I say about this game? I am a huge Aliens fan and here Gearbox and SEGA made what I call a true abomination. The is a bad, very bad FPS, the graphics, the gameplay, the plot, they are all aweful.
Hard to believe these are the same guys who made Borderlands!
this game sucks and the same 3 copies we stocked on day 1 are still on the shelf gathering dust and dead moths
2 Like With all the bad reveiws about this game i decided to rent it first. And so glad i did this game was so bad after 30mins i turned it off and handed it back in:-( I had high hopes for this being goty but man was i wrong, After all the delays and this is the crap they give us i felt like i was playing a ps2 game! hell i have played better ps 2 games than this piece of S***. But on the bright side just got the new TR game and its amazing so at least 1 of the games i have waited for turns out to be exactly as they said it would be:-)
@dougiewolf thanks for this - I had some hopes about this game but now i'm sure to stay away from it
@karnage27 Sorry the 2000 Alien Resurrection on the PS One wasn't that bad at all. The 2001 PC Aliens vs Predator 2 was pretty amazing. So not all Aliens games are rubbish.
1 Like @karnage27 Have you ever played Aliens vs Predator 2 (2001) on the PC? Or the recent AVP game from a few years ago? They were pretty great.
1 Like I'm gutted. I thought the game as okay at best. I posted a non-threatening comment on twitter saying to Randy that what the company did in the next two weeks was very important for the company brand perception and all I got was blocked! Not the way to treat someone who has purchased your product since their inception!!! I was a huge advocate of this firm and its products but f*** that now.
@Nimbil I actually disagree. Resi 6 was too poor for me, worst of the series. Aliens has a crappy campaign (but if you're a fan of the movies there is plenty of good stuff for you) but its the multiplayer online that is actually really good fun. Its different from all your CODS etc and its a good thing. Its a bit like Left 4 Dead.
@el_mariarchi_01 @Nimbil I also disagree. I wasn't pouring a lot of hope into this game, so when it came out, and was terrible it wasn't anything surprising. Resi 6 was so fucking horrendous.
Gearbox sucks, just look at what they did to Duke Nukem Forever, it didnt take long for it to end up in the bargin bin @ 5$.
1 Like is sad to hear from fans and game-spot giving a negative comment and low rated on this game. I would still give it a try first, but from the look of the preview. There is definitely many ways to improve to make this game less dull.
4 Like i say we take off, and nuke the entire game from orbit. It's the only way to be sure
I bet if this had the TLC and financial backing of a "Gears of War" or "Halo", this coulda been way better. yeah?
i decided to bye it but when i see this dgree i men 4.5 .... i have change my mind ... i just dispoenteded
Sorry to hear this - I've played and enjoyed all the AvP shooters and was hoping this would be an updated version of those games, which were all loads of fun. Guess I'll give this one a miss.
I repeat my old post... Is very unfair this review... Maybe... Grahps are not the best, but if you play this game you cant deny that is so fun!! I liked a lot. =)
Many people say: " Is too short!" cmon!!! do you want a short game? play any game of Call of Duty!!! thats a short Game
I'm sad to see this score so poorly, ever since AVP years ago on PC I have been looking forward to a new Aliens title that is actually worth buying. It got alot of hype too, so im a tad shocked?
Campaign was a big let down. The Vs Multiplayer is good but needs to be larger then 4 vs 4 or 5 vs 5 plus as a noob I flogged everyone which was a first for me. 16 vs 16 would make it real interesting
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/6832-A-LIE-ns-Colonial-Marines
After watching this, and reading this article, I've lost a LOT of respect for Gearbox. I was really looking forward to this game. : (
1 Like If your as big a fan as I am, you most likely will enjoy the game. I myself am having fun with it, issues and all.
GameSpot, would you mind giving at least a cursory mention to the other systems in multi-platform releases? This is just lazy.
Folks, don't buy into all the bad press. Yes, the game is no wonder or mindblower, but it's certainly not the P.O.S. it's being billed as. There's definitely some issues with it, not the least of which is the sub-par graphics, but the true measure of any game is 'how much fun are you having with it?'. And I have to say, I'm having quite a good bit of fun with it. Once you get past the learning curve of being an alien, the MP is quite enjoyable and almost addictive, and the story (while not Hollywood quality), is certainly passable enough and, if you're a fan of the canon, interesting enough to hold your attention. IMHO......
Please note a huge amount of bugs/glitches/issues have already been patched. That doesn't mean the game is suddenly amazing but it helps
Seveizz, you're an idiot lol. The comments listed as Kevin's Bio are intended to be comically irrelevant and in response to your commentary on FPS's; most audiences demand a lot more these days from a game than this nonsense.
Bought the game, hated the game, wished i'd seen the review sooner.
disappointing.... god knows what sega mustve paid for the alien license and didnt have enough in the budget to make a worthwhile game (drawing conclusions from limited info is my thing)....forget this.... get vanquish.... awesome game by sega... you can probably pick it up for like $1
3 Like Again no fucking PS3 review. You assholes. You XboxSpot faggs.. Aghh come on it's really that hard to play it on ps3 too and see if there is a difference. You can also find worse things so that you can enjoy it, like you did with DMC and gave to ps3 version 7.5 instead of 8. So that you can bitchslap us and enjoy your fucking Xbox, This isn't fair, really.
@delakpanlaa Hey and cool about being homophobic. Nothing says "I'm awesome!" like making a homophobic comment because a game for your console wasn't reviewed. Grow up.
2 Like Its been reviewed by other outlets for the PS3. Like many other multi-plats, its worse over fewer total scores but mostly that's nitpicking or performance issues. This game is just bad dude...40s/50s metascore = BAD, doesn't matter what platform we're talking about. Do you think the superior graphical capability of the PS3 (of which few multi-plat devs take advantage of even today) is going to somehow make the game worth it? PC has the best visuals you can get out of the game it still looks like crap.
The reason that most multi-plat reviews are done on the Xbox 360 is because its generally been the lead platform for development this gen. Most multi-plats on the PS3 are ports and are likely to be worse or on par with the 360 version. Seldom are they better, especially in overall performance.
Your example of DmC was to prove what...that GameSpot hates the PS3? First of all that's idiotic, second of all there's a reason for the score differential on that particular game. Most of the time, the 360/PS3 versions score exactly the same.
What's the difference with DmC? See this article:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-dmc-face-off
People that have forgotten more about gaming tech most gamers will ever know have presented evidence that the 360 has the better version. To sum it up...360 has smoother fps, better shadows, and far less screen tearing compared to higher res artwork favoring the PS3. The game is better on the 360, that's why it got a higher score...and what's the big deal, it was a half a point difference...
Your rage is misdirected and hard to justify. Like I said, most multi-plats get the same score on 360 and PS3. Its safe to assume this game looks and plays the same on the PS3 as it does on the 360 and if it doesn't, its likely to be worse. Even if it is slightly better (seldom the case, as I also spoke on earlier) that doesn't make the game anymore desirable for the general gamer than it appears in this and most other mainstream reviews, because we're talking about a game that currently holds a metascore in the 40s.
1 Like This is a shame. I had really high hopes for this game, being a long time fan of the aliens series. It almost seemed impossible to make this a shitty game, so well done in that regard I suppose gearbox. It takes talent to screw up this bad.
I love how momentum was building for the game. 2 years ago I thought this game was going to be the bomb. Look now...look now
5 Like I found this video comparison from the demo and actual game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lGXDM3LGnk&feature=player_embedded
@Chupacabra3332 Those british still bitter they got their heads handed to him during the revolutionary war. Funny how they rigged the video by using the crappy PC version and even changing the settings even worse.
petitions.......sign this,stop with bullshits...this time to stop deceiving us with trailers and game demos...if the games are not ready, do not sell
How do you change weapons on its anyone, I'v had the same shotgun and assault rifle since the start and i'm now on mission 7? lol
1 Like @LukeWesty you hold down the Y button which brings up a wheel for you to change different weapons.
@LukeWesty On PC, Press B to bring up the Weapon Select menu. Select the weapon type you want to modify (Primary, Secondary, Grenade or Side Arm), and then select the weapon you want in that slot. :)
I'm on PS3, I'll figure it out I wasn't sure if you was just fixed with those 2 weps u start with. lol
@LukeWesty @MorganRoe On 360 you hold down Y to navigate through weapons, so I imagine on the PS3 version you have to hold triangle.
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Aliens: Colonial Marines
Not Following
- Publisher(s): Sega
- Developer(s): Gearbox Software
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
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