Randy Pitchford: “I'll tell you this: We love Aliens. You guys know that. You guys did a cover story, you know how much we care about it. We're working our butts off on it. I think when it comes, people won't be disappointed, but right now it's really not up to us to talk about it.”

“I think Sega is really interested in everybody focusing on the AvP game they've got upcoming, so they're focusing all of their communication around that. And frankly, as an Aliens fan, I'm looking forward to that, too. We'll see when that comes,”.

 

Aliens its a dream. I cant remember how many times I watched ALIENS in college. Its action packed, its a shooter. You are a colonial marine fighting the xenos. Its classic, it’s the sequel we wished we got (it doesn't exist), but its in interactive form.

We are working on Aliens, its going very well. We had a really good publisher with Sega. We decided with Sega that we were going to pause the product. They had a couple of things going on with their company. Was beneficial for both of us, to say okay we are gonna hold this for a little bit and we were able to work on, specifically Borderlands. That actually helped this product.

 

Now that we are back on it, we are able to kinda get some fresh eyes, that maybe weren’t on the team before, to look at some of the gameplay, and things that we were doing before, some of the story elements and we’re able to kind of, ya know really look at it with a new vision. And what we're going to do with that product. Its not changing a lot, its a little bit of things improving. We have done some things to improve the engine in ways that we couldn’t do before. There’s learning's from Borderlands and some of our other products, we were able to really do something neat with the engine, so I’m excited about that, I think its going to be very specific to the look and feel of what people expect out of it.

Aliens is one of the murkier Sega topics. The company announced in 2006 that it would publish three games based on the famous chest-bursting movie monsters. Sega showed Aliens Vs. Predator at this event, demonstrating how games can play as a human marines or a Predator. Still under wraps is what playing like an Alien will be like. But this game wasn't expected to be the first Aliens game from Sega. That was going to be the Gearbox-developed Aliens: Colonial Marines shooter or the now-cancelled Obsidian-developed Aliens RPG.

 

"The Gearbox project was moving along," Hayes said, recalling when the decision was made to take Colonial Marines out of the lead position. The game wasn't as far along as Aliens Vs. Predator, which originally wasn't backed by Sega. It was being made by Rebellion for publisher Vivendi, until that support ceased following Vivendi's 2008 merger with Activision. "There was an opportunity for us to take that." Its development progress put Gearbox's game into the second slot, to be released "a good period after" AvP, according to Hayes. The RPG won't be third because "it just wasn't coming along to the plan that we thought."

 

Might the newly announced, Ridley Scott Alien prequel project be a source of Aliens inspiration for Sega? "We're quite excited about that and buzzing from the news of that," Hayes said. But of the third game, Hayes would only say, "We'd like to think we'll be doing a third project but at the moment we haven't confirmed what the third project will be."

GS: “And that was about Alien?”

RP: “Yeah, yeah. And that's crazy, right? I was sitting with Ridley Scott, and he pulls out this dusty old book that looks like it hasn't been moved for 15 years. He blows the dust of it, and he opens it, and inside are his personally hand-drawn sketches that were the original storyboards for Alien.”

 

GS: “Wow. That came out in 1979…”

RP: “Yeah! Then he goes through these things telling you what he was thinking. He tells you of the backstory behind some of these things that inspired us when we were younger. I kept thinking, "Holy crap, I can't believe I'm sitting here." It's one of those cool life moments. We were there because we wanted to do something awesome with this property he created that nobody was really doing anything with.”

"great things afoot".

 

"I know that there hasn't been much talk about what we're doing for awhile and that more details would be very juicy. Like so many people, I've been patient for years to finally be able to play this game and now that I'm actually involved in the creation of it I can tell you that it's extremely challenging to continue to be patient as it develops,"

 

"I want to tell all! But I can't. But I can say that we are working hard and that there are great things afoot and I know that when the time is right, Sega will be excited to share more details about the game. Until that time, I guess the only thing anyone can do is just keep pressuring Gearbox and Sega to spill more beans. Maybe one of us will eventually crack."

 

"I love Aliens and I love Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines. I am extremely committed to the game and I'm very confident in Sega's commitment to the Aliens brand and to our game.”

 

"I can imagine that there are a LOT of Aliens fans out there just like me that feel we've been waiting for our true Aliens game since we first saw the film and now that we know it's in development, we want it NOW!"

Posted by ikarop: How much time will you be doing xeno-critters? Is the ACM Gbx team already focused on the game or just part? Are you just finishing the game or redoing stuff?

 

grbxdesign (Lorin Wood, senior Concept Designer on ACM): Well, first off, I am a full-time designer in-house for the company. Been here since the end of last year, though I do contract work outside of the company in my off-hours. Not sure about the official logo on my profile. I logged in via iPod last night. I'll figure it out eventually.

 

Anyway, from our Game Informer article last year you may know we had Syd Mead and Craig Mullins do some broad-stroke design and visualization, which was pretty cool. Let your imagination run wild with that. Syd's focus was to design the rest of the interior of the Sulaco that wasn't seen in the film.

 

As far as our focus, we are obviously working first to get Borderlands done, so there are still a few people polishing that off, while a nice portion are focused on Aliens, myself included. Other than that, can't say much else...yet.

 

***

 

Posted by Sh0dan (Me): I know you said you would be answering more questions further on down the line, but I am dieing to know, which of the four ALIEN movies is your favourite?

 

grbxdesign: Well, coming from a film background I appreciate each Alien movie differently as well as each filmmaker who made them. I'm a huge Cameron fan, so obviously I love the second film, but Ridley Scott started this franchise and he's also a master filmmaker. I'm also an admirer of Fincher. Compound all of this with me being a very forgiving audience member and having an understanding of what it takes to make films like these, I have a different perspective than most and find it hard to favor one over the other. That is, unless it REALLY sucks. Like AVP, for example. At least I didn't pay for that one, but I did lose two hours of my life. The Vanilla Coke was good. See, I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy.

 

***

 

Posted by hells highway: So,after that there will be some new screens, info? So there is a little chance to see something for A:CM this year,yeah? And Borderlands is coming in "fall 2009" right?

 

grbxdesign: Can't say for sure. That's up to the powers-that-be.

 

Borderlands is definitely coming out before years end and after that it's up to Randy and Sega to decide when they want to announce any Aliens details. That a broad enough answer for ya?

 

***

 

Posted by Takhen: Since the beginning of the development did you do much stuff?

 

grbxdesign: Syd, Craig and some other artists were involved in the early bulk, blue-sky phase of designing this game. Gearbox needed someone with a visual style similar to Syd's at half the price. My dad is an industrial designer and I was raised on Syd's work, the project is Aliens, so it was an easy "yes" to jump on board.

My involvement, in film parlance, is more akin to a production designer. I get to dip my fingers into real conceptual design work on occasion, but for the most part, I am translating other ideas into something practical that the level designers can run with.

 

***

 

Posted by HudSon: I have a Q, how many guys are working on this title now..?

 

grbxdesign: Can't give an exact number of people working on the game right now (the details are confidential and I'm not in a position to divulge them publicly, sorry). Suffice it to say it's in full-swing. Things are being tweaked, fixed, upgraded, what-have-you as is the normal procedure of production.

 

I'll tell you that I'm designing a hallway for a certain spaceship. There, go crazy.

 

Keep up the excitement guys. It's a fun property and I hope you all are going to enjoy it!

 

***

 

Posted by Dwaine: Will there be a Nostromo class ship?

 

grbxdesign: Well, no Nostromo; this is Aliens and is set solidly in that timeframe and universe...57 years after the Nostromo blew up.

 

The details are still under wraps as far as the visual and experiential elements are concerned so I can't comment upon that at the moment.

 

***

 

Posted by Windebieste: After 8 years of modding 'AvP2', it's kinda getting old. We need a new 'ALIENS' game to frack around with. (Maybe REBELLiON's new  'AvP' will have tools released for it - it would be a pity if that game was moddable and 'A:CM' wasn't. I'd have to go and mod that game instead...) 

 

grbxdesign: As far as customization it's too early to say anything. I'm sure those conversations will happen when get further along. I'll keep you posted as that info is cool to disclose.

 

***

 

Posted by Takhen: Saying that looks like the game has a long way to be completed?

Posted by hells higway: Is the game looking better than the screenshots at this stage of developement?

 

grbxdesign: To answer both questions, we got sidetracked to help out on Borderlands. As it sits, the screenshots are still an accurate representation. At the moment.

 

***

 

Posted by Chris!(($$))!: So it is around 17 Days and we are the Rescue Team like Hicks said?

 

grbxdesign: I think Game Informer gave pretty good idea of the nature of the game. If it didn't, well, you'll just have to wait and see. :P 

 

***

 

Posted by Takhen: Are you working only on the Sulaco?

 

grbxdesign: I'm covering the whole spectrum of the game: the Sulaco, which is a major setting, to some other familiar environments. Don't ask what they because I can't say at the moment.

 

***

 

Posted by Tonks: Can you comment at all on how the xeno's are looking? movement, attacking, all out crap your pants scariness? A very general or vague summary would suffice!

 

grbxdesign: The Xenos look really good. Improving their animation.

 

***

  

Posted by JayHy17: Do you think we will see something new about Aliens: Colonial Marines before Aliens vs Predator gets released?

 

ennui (Allison B, Community Manager): It's not known to me right now either when we'll start talking again. As soon as we have anything, we'll let you know.

 

***

Quote: "4. Marine Tough

 

The marines that you'll be using throughout the game aren't just random, cookie cutter soldiers. They all have their own unique skills and personalities and react to different situations just like a real soldier would. Out of the 12 you can comprise your team of four; some are more likely to panic than other but may wield more powerful guns."

Quote: "In the incredibly short video a camera pans away from a clutch of Alien eggs as a voice, obviously the voice of a Marine talks in the background. One of the eggs breaks open unleashing a young Alien and you can hear the marine say: "Wait a minute there's movement, looks to be some kind of bug or something..."

Sega promised to have the game at their booth during this year's E3."

 

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: “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.”

 

***

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.”

 

***

 

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.”

 

***

 

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.”

 

***

 

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.”

 

***

ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES VIDEO GAME DETAILS REVEALED

 

First-Person Shooter Based on Popular Motion Picture Franchise Coming to Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3, and PC in Late 2008

 

LONDON AND SAN FRANCISCO (February 21st, 2008) - SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA of America, Inc. today revealed details of the highly anticipated squad-based first-person shooter video game, Aliens: Colonial Marines (tm). Licensed through an exclusive agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and developed by Gearbox Software, the game will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC in late 2008.

 

In Aliens: Colonial Marines, players are part of a United States Colonial Marine squad and must prepare to face an alien assault more intense and horrific than ever before. Driven by a compelling and original story penned by renowned writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle Aliens: Colonial Marines will retain the atmospheric look and feel of the original films while leveraging next-generation technology to create an entirely new interactive Aliens experience. Packing classic Aliens weaponry ranging from pulse rifles to flamethrowers as well as brand-new equipment and skills all within a squad-based combat system, players will become an elite United States Colonial Marine. Featuring claustrophobic environments, a brooding soundtrack, and a multitude of surprises and shocks, players will battle against menacing alien hordes in strikingly detailed levels that include the stark interiors of the abandoned Sulaco and unique environments created specifically for the game.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will feature a story driven single-player mode and an all-new four player co-op mode allowing players to share the chilling experience with three friends. In co-op mode, each player will assume the persona of a Colonial Marine and have a distinct role to play in the completion of every mission. Additionally, more multiplayer modes will be revealed later in the year that will complete the Aliens video game experience. Since its 1979 debut, Alien and its three sequels have grossed more than $557 million worldwide, garnering numerous awards, including two Academy Awards®.

Quote: When I think of the Alien films, one of the things that always comes to mind is the creepiness I felt in the scene (in the original Alien, I think) where the troops are tracking an alien with a little radar meter, and it beeps faster the closer the alien gets, and pretty soon it's beeping super fast because the thing should be right on top of them, but they can't find it -- because the alien literally IS right on top of them, above them in the air shaft.

 

That, to me, was great suspense. That's part of what this new Aliens game is going to be about; it's not just going to be fighting and killing the aliens, it's also going to be recreating the claustrophobic feelings of fear and horror as you are trapped in a small space with a terrifying lethal adversary (or adversaries).

 

Forget about AVP -- this game is all about the original movies. It's not shipping for about a year, but I've seen some test CGI and animatics, and I'm already pumped for it!

 

-SegaDawg

 

Quote: Gearbox Software knows a thing or two about soldiering—its Brothers in Arms games have even been used to recreate key World War II battles on the History Channel. With those kind of qualifications, it seems like they’d be the perfect developer to tackle a game about Marines. Make that United States Colonial Marines. You got it—Aliens: Colonial Marines is invading consoles and PCs in 2009. We have a world-exclusive first look at the squad-based FPS, which aims to recapture the tension and desperation of the earlier films. Check out the first-ever screens of the game in action.