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ACMA place to present news and information on Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines game.
May 10 Gameplayer PreviewSpace Voyager found this preview on gameplayer.com
Here is a small snippet:-
Wow, sounds awesome! May 04 Xbox 360 Magazine PreviewIssue 35 of Xbox 360 magazine (UK) has a new preview of Aliens: Colonial Marines. No new scans or pictures we havent already seen, but here is the preview and Q&A with Brian Martel.
The Preview
Moan as much as you like about the vacuity and vanity of the Eighties, you can't get past the fact that it was artistically one of the most influential decades for media, particularly sci-fi. Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey set the bar for flashy future-set media, but it was the Eighties and its gritty realism that would come to set the aesthetics for visions of the future still to come, thanks mainly to one visionary Brit. Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and Alien created worlds that were not only plausible and familiar, but also filled with the unknown. James Cameron really took that to heart when making his sequel, Aliens, and there is now barely a single futuristic movie or videogame that doesn't give a nod to the Alien series. From Halo to Half-Life, there's a debt to the style, pacing, writing and design of the series that in its four films alone has managed to rake in $557 million at the worldwide box office. That's a lot for Gearbox to live up to. While some thought that Aliens vs Predator 2 showed some promise, there really hasn't been a pure Aliens game worthy of the title, and that puts a lot of pressure on Gearbox to pull something special out of its hat. Rather sensibly, Gearbox has made the decision to go back to the well and draw as much as it can directly from the movies. For a start, it has made the move of hiring a concept artist, Syd Mead, who worked on the original movies (as well as Blade Runner and Tron) and could faithfully expand upon the Alien universe in a way most others would struggle to achieve.
The opening of the game, taking place around the time of Alien 3 in the series timeline, will see you lead a squad of US Colonial Marines onto the USS Sulaco, to investigate the fate of the crew who all seem to have disappeared, leaving their cryo-chambers empty and the ship floating in space. While this would appear to be the perfect setting for an alien attack, it won't be the only location the game uses to tell its story as you visit brand new worlds. Gearbox clearly doesn't want to be stuck making a corridor shooter and has stressed the importance of varying level design to make the whole experience more diverse and enjoyable.
Back when we first heard about Sega picking up the rights to an Aliens game, we had some simple requests designed to make the game worthy of its name. Every one of these requests revolved around bringing key elements from the movie back in the game, and it seems that whether or not Gearbox paid attention to us directly, it is looking to fulfil our most important points. For example, the game will be completely ignoring the existence of Alien: Resurrection, a blight on the otherwise good name of the series, with events in the game taking place just after Ripley's pod was jettisoned into space at the end of Cameron's action opera. This neatly puts Sigourney Weaver's character out of the equation, with the actress seemingly avoiding adaptations of her former work (Ghostbusters won't be getting her, either). It also gives writers Bradley Thompson and Dave Webber a clean slate to work from. The Battlestar Calactica duo have seen their fortunes rise in recent years, and having the freedom to craft a new story, albeit in an established universe, could lead to some very promising results. It's not as if the Aliens world isn't rich enough to support stories beyond those that are depicted in the movies.
A big part of the story is in the iconography, the objects that are immediately recognisable from the films. Three things we felt were essential in bringing Aliens home were the power loader, the motion tracker and the pulse rifle, and once again Gearbox has seen fit to include all three. The pulse rifle, in particular, is essential, and the developer has gone to great lengths to make it as authentic as possible. Gearbox actually went back to the filmmakers to secure the original recordings used to create the pulse rifle's unique sound and had them remastered for the game — that's dedication to authenticity for you. The motion tracker was always likely to feature in the game, having so much potential as a gameplay device and already proven itself more than capable of building tension and atmosphere. The alien scouts will crawl through air ducts and up walls just as they did in the movies, and are not constrained by any human-based motion capture. These fully animated characters will behave in an entirely inhuman manner, so expect the unexpected, regardless of what the tracker is telling you. While the dark corridors of the Sulaco will be an ideal place to test out some of this, we're more interested to see how the open worlds of the game will take to the aliens and if this will affect things significantly.
What will certainly give the game that little extra something is the seamless co-operative gameplay. With a choice of one of five marines to play as, you've got plenty of different roles you can potentially play throughout the game. Each marine has a skill, such as medic or technician, and can be used to perform specific tasks like welding doors closed against an alien attack or setting up gun turrets to protect your position. Four player co-op can be played online, as well as offline with split-screen, which is something quickly going out of fashion, but is more than welcome. Alien is, after all, a franchise that exists far beyond the sphere of gaming, and attracting our non-gaming friends to give this a try should be no problem at all. Of course, as good as your squad may be, the aliens are always going to break through eventually, and for that the game switches to quick-time events where you must either escape the clutches or be shredded like crispy duck. It's unclear whether or not your buddies will be able to save you in such scenarios but we would imagine there's a good chance they can.
Lest you get worried about the appearance of the marines in these shots, we should add that their final appearance has yet to be determined. There have been some vocal calls for character editing and even Live Vision camera compatibility, similar to Rainbow Six Vegas, to be included, and we would certainly echo those sentiments as they would add yet another interesting element to the co-op nature of the game. We also understand that a more confrontational form of multiplayer will be making its way into the game, and while the ability to play as an alien remains unofficial, we think it very likely. As a package, Aliens: Colonial Marines is shaping up very nicely and could well achieve the impossible by matching its source material for ingenuity and atmosphere. If nothing else, Gearbox is treating this IP with the utmost respect, building on the franchise's strengths in natural and promising ways. While currently being prepared for a late 2008 release, we wouldn't be surprised to see it slip into 2009 as originally planned, but that's no great shame as long as we end up with a fully polished and realised Aliens game.
The Q&A with Brian Martel
Gearbox Software's creative director Brian Martel tells us why Aliens was so important to his company and how its experience is making this adaptation something special
360: What inspired you to chase after the Aliens licence? Do you feel Gearbox is ideally placed to adapt this popular franchise? Brian Martel: There were several different reasons. For one thing, it's always been a dream of mine to work on an Alien game. When the movie first hit the screen — I must have been 17 or 18 — I went to see it the very first day and it really left an impression. I've had the movie and the whole design in my head ever since, and without meaning to, I actually compared it to all the titles I ever worked on or otherwise came into contact with. You see a bit of Alien in every game.Somehow, the development of Aliens: Colonial Marines is just the thing for Gearbox. We've often worked on external brands in the past, and always treated them like our own. That's why we want to make a really good Alien game. Plenty of developers have tried before, but with the technology available today, we can create truly believable characters, aliens and environments, which allows us to tell a very intense, intriguing story. 360: You guys are big Aliens fans, but there are even more out there who'll be upset if you don't get it right. Is that a pressure? BM: You know, it's always hard to keep everyone happy. At Gearbox, we have some of the greatest Alien fans right here. As long as we treat the brand sincerely and respectfully, that will reflect in the end result. I think when the players see the story and the game as a whole they will appreciate our efforts, so I'm not really worried. For example, I own several props from the movie, storyboards and probably every single Alien novel and 'making of book ever published. I really think all those hardcore Alien fans out there can rest easy: we are not going to disappoint you: a really awesome Alien game is what you'll get. 360: Have you worked closely at all with the original filmmakers?
BM: Not that closely! I mean, we are in contact with Fox, and they've provided a lot of material. We work closely with some of the special effects people at Amalgamated Dynamics, who did the special effects for Alien3, Alien: Resurrection and Alien vs Predator. We went and talked to them to get a better understanding of how the aliens work, and how they would design the aliens for a game. The writers' contributions were also essential in helping us create an experience that is as close to Hollywood as it gets. James Cameron hasn't been round for a chat yet, but hey, we'll keep knocking at his door. You never know...
360: Have you looked to try and implement some of the tactical gameplay from Brothers In Arms into Colonial Marines? BM: The tactical command system used in Brothers In Arms is very intuitive and easy to grasp. You just aim at something and give the order to either advance to a specific position, or open fire on an enemy. Aliens: Colonial Marines doesn't require that much complexity. There's no sense in outflanking in alien. Why make the game harder than it needs to be? Sometimes, you may want to be able to give orders to your team-mates; I felt that way in Halo. Basically, we treat the squad like a tool. If I want a door opened, then one of the marines will cut it open. If I want to know where my enemies are, my lieutenant will give me their positions. It feels like a real squad, but without the complexity and depth seen in Brothers In Arms. 360: Has it been hard to get the alien Al right? BM: Of course, players will want to see the aliens in the game act the same way as in the movie. So they want them to crawl along the walls and ceilings, and use objects in their environment, and they expect them to be clever. We learned from the movie that, for example, they are quite capable of cutting off the power supply. In the game, the aliens will often attack players and their team-mates head-on, but they will also set clever traps and attack from ambush. 360: Do you have any particular preference from the movies? Which one had the biggest impact on you? BM: I think I was most creeped out by the first movie, because I was young. But if you're asking which one I prefer to watch, Aliens is the one that I enjoy most. There's the great cast, and really cool action that just creates a fantastic atmosphere. However, the first Alien movie is the best, in my opinion, because it's the original. It's not as fast-paced as the second movie, but it's certainty the best of all four Alien movies. May 03 CVG Mini InterviewTheres a small interview over on Computer and Video Games. CVG interview Mike Gallo of Gearbox Software, Producer on the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines game.
Heres a small excerpt:-
Thanks to the G-Man over on AvPGalaxy for finding the interview. April 03 Everything We KnowHere are the things we have been able to confirm so far. Charlie Wiederhold, Associate Producer on Aliens: Colonial Marines said the design was iterative so all information presented here is subject to change during the course of the developement. But I will do my best to try and keep this list up to date whenever more information is released.
Full Title
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Release Date
Recently announced by Sega to be late 2008, but many other sources have said 2009. The original press release estimated late 2009. So I guess it could be anywhere between those time periods.
Formats
The game is being developed for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Game Engine
The developers are using the most recent version of the UE3 engine.
Is This A Remake?
Many fans have asked if this is a remake of the Aliens: Colonial Marines game that was going to appear on PS2, but was cancelled before release. To answer that I’ll just post what wieder said from the 3Drealms forums:- “The game isn't intentionally related to the previous game, but the title was absolutely perfect. It's not an association we're upset to have, as we all wish that game had been able to be finished because it showed promise. But yeah, any similarities are coincidences or just because they are good ideas for an Aliens game.” Story
The story is written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle (Correct Names) who most recently wrote for the remake of the Battlestar Galactica series and also worked on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.
It has been mentioned that we will be going up against an enemy faction (Speculated to be W-Y. Though wieder seems determined to throw doubt into our assumption) that want to harness the alien as a biological weapon. It has also been said that we will get to learn more about the dead alien race known as the Space Jockey.
Here is the plot set-up published in the GameInformer magazine:-
Single Player Campaign
The games single player component will focus on the Colonial Marines from James Cameron‘s sequel, Aliens. Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox software said "Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective,"
Adversarial Multiplayer
The game will feature an online MP component, but no details have been released as of yet. Sega have said that details will be released later in the year.
4 Player Coop
Jump in/out four player coop online and two player split screen. Or a combination of both. No word on whether the screen will be split horizontally or vertically *Crosses fingers for the former*
Squad Based
Players will control a colonial marine squad of up to four marines (including the player). Each marine will have a specific skill such as hacking, welding or explosives etc. The squad control / actions wont be as in depth as Rainbow Six: Vegas. And players will have to re-evaluate the standard squad shooter tactics. Positioning and firepower along with cooperation will take precedence over finding cover.
Playable Characters (Update: 04 / May / 08)
In coop mode their will be five playable marine characters to choose from. The number and types of playable character in the single player is unknown. However the four central marine characters are currently named Winter, Bella, O’Neal and Monday. It has been said that the player will switch between several characters during the course of the single player campaign and experience the story from several different points of view. It will also allow the player access to each marine characters specific weapons and gadgets. Apparently the marines wont die until their scripted deaths during the course of the game. It is unknown if the you fail a level when a marine dies. Female marines are also going to appear alongside their male counterparts
Context Sensitive Orders
You can issue commands to individual squad mates. The control mechanic is context sensitive based, with you able to send marines to perform specialised tasks like sealing vents with the welder, hacking open doors, setting up sentry guns and planting explosive booby traps on oxygen tanks etc. In addition the player will be able to give basic move to, attack and follow commands.
Quick-Time Events (10 / May / 08)
Quick-time Events, or as Gearbox would prefer to call them Close Encounters. The CE’s are tightly scripted events that appear at set points during the course of the game. Each encounter is viewed from first person view. During the course of these events subtle, but bright colours representing a corresponding control will flash at the edges of the screen. They will demand the player to press the corresponding control on the controller, which will play out mini sequences from the first person viewpoint of the player. PC controls will be designed separately to make the CE mechanic feel intuitive to use with M/K. The gameplayer preview said that the CE's WONT require super fast reflexes like QTE's in Tomb Raider or God of War, and that there will be multiple controls that perform the same action.
Acid Blood
Acid blood will mark the environment and hurt the players, but we don’t know the extent it will have on the surroundings yet. It could just be simple decals, burn marks etc.
Marine Arsenal
It has been said the game features a moderate arsenal. So far we know the game includes the following weapons:-
Load-Out
Each character can carry five items of equipment; four weapons and a single gadget. (As far as we know, it seems none of these items can be switched out). Additionally all marines wear body armour and are equipped with Halogen lamps. Here is what the marines carry:-
Gadgets
The following gadgets are confirmed so far:-
Locations (10 / May / 08)
Here is a list of locations we have heard about:-
Combat Environments
We will be experiencing both claustrophobic interior combat and less-restrictive outdoor conflicts.
Driving Segments
Its also been said that the game will feature driving segments. But no details on what vehicle or how they will be implemented.
Solo Segments
From time to time the player will find themselves completely alone against the xenomorph.
Make A Stand Sections (10 / May / 08)
The game will feature Make a Stand sections which will be like the alien assault on operations in Cameron's Aliens. A classic siege moment, the player will receive information over his com-link (Likely from his commanding officer) that multiple aliens are about to attack. The player will have a slim amount of time to secure the area by giving context sensitive orders to his squad, like seal vent / bulkhead, position and set-up sentry gun, booby trap oxygen tank with explosive etc. Once time is up, the aliens will then attack wave after wave coming from every un-secured opening and the squad must hold them off to survive. It was said in the gameplayer preview that the motion tracker comes into its own at times like this. With it equipped the player can determine which direction the aliens are going to come from.
Characters and Enemies
So far we have heard about a number of non-playable characters and enemies that will be appearing in the game. The developers have said that alternate xenomorph castes wont be anything stupid appearance wise. Instead any new alien types will mostly differentiate themselves with their behaviour and attack patterns. Here is a list of characters and enemies we know about so far:-
HUD
The heads-up display will be minimal with nothing but your FPV weapon model in hand. Still waiting to hear how health will be represented. But we do know that the pulse rifle has had an ammunition counter added to the left side as well as the right, so you can see it from your first person view point. In the GI article it also says you can tell how much ammo your squad mate has in his weapon, just by looking at the counter on his player view model weapon. That doesn’t sound accurate to me though.
Alien A.I. (10 / May / 08)
The developers have said the aliens will be smarter in this game, compared to older Alien titles. The aliens will use the air ducts to travel around and launch surprise attacks. They will hide in air ducts, pipes in the ceiling and the grating under the floor and wait for just the right moment to attack. The aliens will often attack players and their team-mates head-on, but they will also set clever traps and attack from ambush. The alien movement within the environment will be unpredictable making it difficult for the player to draw a bead on them as they move and attack.
Gore & Drool (04 / May / 08)
It has been said repeatedly that there will be plenty of blood and guts. Gearbox have also mentioed that they are implemeting alien drool using in game shaders.
Authenticity (04 / May / 08)
Gearbox are well known for their faithful recreation of the source material they are working from. For Aliens: CM the development team have access to all the original mixed and un-mixed sound recordings from Cameron's film. And they are busy remixing / recreating them through modern sound hardware/software. They also contacted Syd Mead who was a concept artist on the film. He went back and created new concepts pieces for the game, like designing the rest of the Sulaco for gamers to explore. They have even matched the film grain and colour tones to recreate the look of the films.
Animation (10 / May / 08)
The alien characters are being animated fully by hand, no human like motion capture. This is to make them appear more inhuman and less like a man in a suit. In the gameplayer preview it is said aliens move impressively. They are fast and agile and hop around the level, grabbing onto pillars and leaping back down to the ground to attack marines by whipping their tails and slashing with their claws. CVG Mini Preview For PCHere is a nice small preview of Aliens: Colonial Marines from computerandvideogames.com.
A quote from the article:-
I think we are unlikely to see the plot take the game to Earth mainly because it would break the canon of the last film too much, but the futuristic city sounds really tasty. Its also nice to know that there will be more ships to explore than just the Sulaco.
Thanks to arnolder from the Gearbox forums for the find.  April 02 Forums Rundown 02 I have been doing some more stalking over at 3Drealms.com. Charlie Wiederhold (Associate Producer on A:CM) has been replying to a lot of fan posts over there. So here is what he had to say:-Commando Nukem Posted: “Aliens Colonial Marines. Hell yeah. In case anyone has forgotten what Aliens : Colonial Marines USED to look like, heres the E3 footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIeLGifENbI
Is that title just a rip or is there a particular similarity between the two games?”
Wieder Answered: “Oh and to answer your first question: The game isn't intentionally related to the previous game, but the title was absolutely perfect. It's not an association we're upset to have, as we all wish that game had been able to be finished because it showed promise. But yeah, any similarities are coincidences or just because they are good ideas for an Aliens game.”
Kalki Posted: “It does need to be darker and more shadowy with flickering and strobing lights. Like the AvP games. Never seen an alien exposed like that. They usually blend in. Then again, I'm only judging from banner size images and perhaps limited environments or maybe the xenomorph AI simply forgot to hit the lights first.”
Wieder: “Muzzle flash is 90% of the light hitting the xeno in the shots.”
avatar_58 Posted: “Well see the way I see it - it's just silly. Redoing the same scene over and over until you manage to get it right? Who thought this was a good idea? If they do it properly like grab a guy, use QTE to force him down, If you fail he goes free - then it's okay. When they do it like Tomb Raider or Jericho and force to review the same cutscene over and over until I get the combo....I just get irritated.
Even worse is for PC games. "BUTTON 10!". Excuse me? Where is....*dead*. Oh thats right button 10 requires me to press in my analog stick. How about next time you tell me that or stop using obscure buttons that aren't even used in the gameplay? Better yet - when the action is something like a rotation of the stick and you don't even realize it until the event ends.”
Wieder: “We don't like the bad examples you've given either. We very much want them to feel natural... just like strafing and shooting... and don't want you to do a "repeat until you figure it out just for the sake of extending gameplay" stuff. And even worse... don't want the "surprise the buttons are random and have no meaning to what's going on in the game so you couldn't possibly figure them out hahahaha... look how mean we are to the player!!".
The point is to have fun and experience something that you can't experience from any other entertainment medium. We've been staring down the "This better not suck and make people who otherwise like the game put it down" gun barrel from the start.
And yeah, PC is given it's own consideration. The foundational principle is to not *ever* have a player need to do a button hunt.”
Daveman Posted: “The guy holding the flamethrower in the picture you linked is standing really awkwardly. Hopefully it's just a badly-timed screengrab and not an indication of the quality of the animations.”
Wieder: “Please don't remind me. Work in progress!”
mysteryperfecta Posted: “The screens posted here look really good (the screens linked to won't load for me). However, I'm not a fan of the name of this game. Colonial Marines? Colonial? Don't like it. Not that it has any bearing on the actual game, but still, my two cents.”
Wieder: “Well... Colonial Marines is what they are called in the movie. We can't really call them anything else, and this game is *all* about experiencing first hand what it's like to be a Colonial Marine in the Aliens universe. From what the squad dynamics are like (personalities and combat) to what using the weapons is like to what encountering Xenomorphs is like.
We did kick around using the squad designation, and a whole host of other stuff... but ultimately it was the only name that really fit perfectly.
Now if we do a sequel... then we've got naming problems.
Or when you read "Colonial" does it evoke images of 17th and 18th century British Rule?”
Fjallraven Posted: “Am I the only one who think that weapons who are as square as that one, look ugly? I want more smooth edges. I personaly don't like that gun very much.”
Wieder: “The screen position for the first person Pulse Rifle isn't good in those shots. It doesn't show it well, and does make it just look like a big blob. To compare... the weapons in the marines hands are the same as what you are holding, so you can see just how much detail you are losing. We've been working on that exact aspect recently.
RE: The Xeno Skin Tone: Concerns are understood. Will wait until you're seeing them in motion with them moving in and out of different lighting styles to see how people react to them. Just like how the props look one way in the movie in motion vs under brighter lighting... game characters if used correctly do the same thing.
Example: The combat shot... imagine it in action... the muzzle flash is only going to lighten the Xeno up in flashes, otherwise he's very dark and only glints being picked up by the softer environmental light.
Or the one from first person in the vents... notice the lighting level changes through the vent... where the xeno would be going in and out of dark and light.
Or the one where you are peering down on your squad mate... where they swing in quickly and are gone with your buddy in no time (if that's what happens in that scene... who knows!!!
There are lots of other factors that go into picking the right color balance (gameplay, different light levels throughout the whole game, accuracy, etc)... but we definitely have heard and understand the concerns about the coloring. The fact that *that's* the only sort of things people are really bringing up makes us so happy... couldn't ask for anything better.
We knew Close Encounters were going to be a tough sell from the start and the most controversial aspect of the pitch... and no matter what Xeno style or color you pick everyone has a different favorite. That's what different versions are there for.
As for all the exceptionally positive and supportive comments... nothing but huge thanks for that. It means a lot for everyone on the team to read it. Gives us that much more drive to meet the expectations and play the game with you now.
On a personal note it's nice to finally get to show you guys some stuff that myself and the other guys have been working on after so long of a black out.”
Commando Nukem Posted: “This may be a dumb question but... Are these things we're talking about like this? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv73h8fOwec.
That scene really pissed me off. I figure they wont be a big deal as long as its not so A = live, B = death. Its just too damn frustrating to have to redo and redo and redo the same sequence over and over again because one keeps dying.
Wieder: “Not a dumb question at all. That's one version of QTE that people think we're doing and that's very much NOT what we're doing. People also try to imagine it like God of War and while that's closer than Resident Evil 4's... it's still not what we're doing.
People have also tried to compare it to Jericho, and the only thing we *really* share with those is that we stay in first person like they did, but it's still not an accurate comparison.
There really is not a game that has taken the approach we're taking. But I'm not in a position to get into specifics. Just know that we really do understand why people are going "We hate QTE!"... we actually dislike having the Close Encounters called Quick Time Events purely because of the connotation it has in people's minds. But... that's the way the world works and it's up to us to turn that tide as we get closer to release.”
Well thats it for rundown number 02
-Sh0dan signing off April 01 Forums Rundown 01 I've been doing a lot of internet stalking lately. Following the games associate producer around various forums on the internet. Beware Charlie I am watching you.  I figured why let all that good stalking go to waste. May as well post what Mr Wiederhold has to say about the game when asked about it by the fans. So here is the first forums rundown, which I may or may not update infrequently.
So lets get to it. Over on the AvPGalaxy boards:-
Ccoletta86 Posted: “ok so we got 4 marines to play with but can i ask why they left out the female marines?, im sure they could of made it work as many great games feature women(resident evil series ect)”
(Charlie) Wieder Responded: “Female marines are an important aspect of Aliens (females are an important aspect of the entire series in fact). We would be doing a disservice to the franchise by not having them.”
My Opinion: I would like to add that one of the squad characters names mentioned is Bella. Sounds very feminine to me.
Weasel Posted: “Maybe even a very minor predator reference? I mean, Predator: CJ had a portion in it with aliens, do you think that they might throw in some little hidden predator references?”
Wieder: “This game is 100% Aliens and Colonial Marine goodness.”
My Opinion: Woot!
The Necronoir Posted: “Before the old incarnation of Aliens: Colonial Marines was cancelled years ago much emphasis was placed on the fact that the single-player campaign would be taking place between Aliens and Alien 3, beginning on the Sulaco and bridging the gap between the two movies as the USCMC sent in a squad to figure out what happened to LV-426 and the previous team. With this latest batch of screenshots it looks like this might actually be a resurrection of that original concept.
Wieder: “Promise... new game from scratch. The only relationship between the two is the name was just perfect for both titles, and we both wanted to explore the Sulaco after the events of Aliens/Alien 3. But that's due to it being a really great idea and not due to any intentional revival of the original project.
It's not an association we're upset to have since it's a game that we wish we could have played! But we certainly expect this one to replace the older one in people's minds (and search engines!) soon.” gameoverman Posted: “Just wondering will you be able to choose your squad members from the start or are they pre-selected? I would definitely like it if it were like Ghost Recon and you had a bunch of people with different weapons/stats to choose from.”
Wieder: “As is mentioned in the article, the single player/co-op game is very story oriented. If you've read about who the writers are then you know just how important the story is to us. So given the priorities customized members of the squad isn't really a viable option... at least not with the elements contained within the story.
Just like how in the movies everything about the marine defined their role in the story, that's the same goal with our characters. The Drake/Vasquez relationship isn't the same if one is a pulse rifle wielding medic and the other is a smart gunner with an antique shotgun. Even Hicks' shotgun as his secondary weapon is a part of who he is and plays a role in the story.
Though... notice that the article says "generally" you won't be switching weapons.”
My Opinion: Still not sure what to make of this. Not a big fan of only certain weapons and items being switchable, but I do understand where the devs are coming from, since they really are trying to define who the characters are. I am definitely not a fan of no weapons being switchable, but I guess we will have to wait until further information is released before we can really complain.
vehtam Posted: “what's with 6-legged facehuggers?”
Wieder: There are 8 legs. The jumping shot just obscures them. The one coming out of the egg shows all 8 legs a little bit better, though still a little obscured.
Xhan Posted: “There's a large shot of marines in tandem, a view one (pulse rifle) while the others cover a marine welding the door. All the marines are the same model at this point. It look very much like ops, and there's a DooM ]I[ style gigantic blood smear on the floor.”
Wieder: “Actually that shot should have the motion tracker in view, not pulse rifle?
Amusingly enough... in that shot all three marines *are* different (you can just barely see the facial hair on one guy). For any characters we don't have 100% complete yet we're using a standard model, so it's a mix and match right now. Easy to see how GI would get it a little mixed up, especially since everyone's back is to you in that shot.”
Well that’s it for now guys, I gots me some more forums to stalk.
-Sh0dan signing off. Free A:CM Article DownloadI found a new article on Aliens: CM. A website called gamerzines.com has a downloadable PDF article on the Gearbox game. There’s absolutely nothing new in the article if you have already read the GI article and Playstation magazine. But for the peeps that haven’t, it can bring you up to date on current information. One thing of note at the end of the article, is that it states the game is 60% complete. Whether this is accurate or not is anyones guess. Though it sounds about right to me.
March 12 GamesRadarIt seems games radar has a small piece on A:CM. Again mostly talking about stuff we already know about. But they did have this to say:
Quote:
March 11 A:CM in Official Playstation MagazineIt seems the Official Playstation Magazine has some more info on Gearboxes Aliens: Colonial Marines game. I found some scans on the web, nothing new screen shot wise, but there are some nice renders of the APC and Dropship. I added them to the gallery. You can view and download them here. If you want to save the large image version use the download control in the panel on the right. March 03 New ScreenshotsI was a bit unsure about putting these up since they seem to be leaked screenshots, so any problems PM me. Half of them where used in the GI article, but there are also eight new shots not seen yet. Thanks to funcroc for the link to Xbox360-Universe where the images where first seen. You can find the images in the new gallery I put up. February 25 Game Informer ScansHere are some images from the GI article I found on the web.
Not the best quality image wise, but you can read the text.
Smaller, cleaner images can be found over at AvPGalaxy. February 21 Aliens: Colonial Marines coming in 2008funcroc over on the Gearbox forums, just pointed out that Sega have announced a release date.ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES VIDEO GAME DETAILS REVEALED
February 17 Brian Martel and Randy Pitchford on Aliens: CMWell I have watched the Randy Pitchford and Brian Martel videos. Below I describe in my own words what Brian and Randy talked about.
The vids describe how GBX made a list of dream projects they would love to work on, Blade Runner, Hellboy etc, Aliens topped the list, and during a meeting with Sega the Aliens licence came up. They hinted that they would be interested and talked about the original film makers and agreed on the best type of game. GBX began researching the films, books etc, while Sega acquired the licence. Brian then describes his love for the original two films and remarks that Cameron’s contribution is the granddaddy of all military / sci-fi games, and that its important to get back to that. He goes on to say how with next gen technology they can do the game justice, they can really make the aliens look scary and settings freaky. Also that the characters are an integral part that have been forgotten about by many, and that in their game they really want to push the characters so that they matter to the player. He also describes how more recent contributions to the franchise have done the series disfavour in that respect.
In the last part he talks about how both Scott and Cameron’s films where very different but each had unique elements that made them successful, and that they wanted to recapture the same elements from both those films. He says you have to have those moments where the player is separated from his squad, and that if the player was always with them the threat level wouldn’t be high enough, that there should be moments when there is one alien stalking you alone and other moments when there is multiple aliens coming at you in volume.
In Randy’s vid, he mostly talks about the forming of Gearbox and their passion for game making. Its a good watch, but too much to type here, so I’ll just pick out the bits that are important to us Alien fans.
One thing he mentions, that I am not entirely certain on is using original designers for the films. He says that they don’t necessarily have to do all the work themselves when the guys that did the art for the original films can get involved. He says, Aliens is currently transitioning from a pre-production phase to production, but hasn’t reached alpha stage yet. And describes how all their different projects are at different levels of production and that, that helps them balance the talent around between the different projects. Towards the end of the interview Randy says they will definitely want to keep up their relationship with Sega, but also further on down the line their could be a possibility of doing something with Fox, and that creatively he would love to spend a lot more time within the Aliens franchise.
Thanks goes to Takhen for providing a download to the vids.Password: EllenRipleyXenomorph
Any problems with me linking these, PM me and they will be removed. 4 Player Coop?I noticed this over on Gamestop.com
Charlie also responded to a comment made by Parker on coop, on his Gaming is Stupid Blog. Saying that Game Informer has started to release some info on multiplayer also.
I think that pretty much confirms there will be some coop play. February 16 In Game Screen Shots?Here are some pics from the Game Informer website.
Charlie W, associate producer on Aliens: Colonial Marines directed Gearbox forum users to the GI website and remarked we might spot something interesting in the top-bar banner. Indeed there was, what looked like extremely cropped screen shots of the game, along with a montage of the GI cover, and a small pic of the pulse rifle model.
I have resized the images for closer scrutiny. Though bear in mind that the resize has reduced the quality significantly.
 Banner Image 01
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 The developers have confirmed that the above images are indeed in game screen shots from the game.
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On the GI website, it is mentioned that Gearbox actually built a working real-life M41A Pulse Rifle. Wow, that’s some serious dedication to authenticity. Below is the image of the game version of the M41A Pulse Rifle. If you look closely on the carry handle, it looks like the rifle has been given a forward sight. The rifles in the film (as far as I can tell) did not have any sights apart from the groove in the carry handle. Could this mean the game will have an aim down the sights feature?
Also, note that they have also placed the ammo counter on both the right and left side of the weapon. Again not how it was in the film, since I assume Cameron had the counter on the right side, specifically so the audience could see the counter deplete when fired by the actors. However since we are seeing the weapon from the opposite side it makes much more sense to have it on the left.
 A nice close up shot of the underside of the face hugger can be seen in the montage below.
 Sega of America on Aliens: CMSharky posted this over on the Gearbox forums. Quoting SegaDawg, a Sega of America admin staff member.
First Real Game NewsI decided to create a news category and start keeping track of all the new info on Gearbox’s new Aliens game. So Ill start off with the first I heard about the game.
Back in December 2006 Sega announced that they had acquired the rights to make two new Aliens games based on the original films for next gen systems. One would be a role playing game made by Obsidian Entertainment, and the other would be a first person shooter developed by Gearbox Software. Both are slated for release sometime in 2009, and will be published in conjunction by Sega and 20th Century Fox.
Then in June 2007 more information was released. Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford was interviewed by Gamereactor. It was said that Gearbox’s Aliens game would be based on James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi / horror /military themed Aliens. The sequel to Ridley Scott’s original Alien.
Randy’s Quote: "Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective," He also stated in reference to Obsidians Aliens RPG: "There's people on our production team that share things with them,". He also mentioned that the games would be going in totally different directions.
Now fast forward to February 2008. Finally we have some real news and a full title for the game. Game Informer has the first world wide look at Gearbox’s new game titled Aliens: Colonial Marines.
Alien Control Scheme Idea A possible Xbox 360 control scheme for xenomorphs.  Secrete Infestation While facing an infestable surface, holding this button in would cause the alien to secrete infestation. Brood Behaviour Press and hold to access pop-up brood behaviour menu wheel. Allows the player to assign behaviours to individual aliens within the brood. Again similar to ME. Behaviours:-
Physical Actions Similar to the marine physical actions button. This would also be context sensitive with different actions being available dependent on the player location and situation.
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