It hasn’t been an easy few years for fans of Aliens: Colonial Marines, with constant stretches of development silence and less-than-promising details. But just as things were looking to be back on track yet another delay has been announced by the developers at Gearbox Software. The reasons are the best they could be given the situation, and to convince fans that the franchise is being given the attention it deserves a new cinematic trailer has been released. If you like your Colonial Marines kicking alien butt in super-slow-motion, you are in luck.

It would be too easy to look at this project with nothing more than skepticism, since games that take the better part of a decade to become reality are usually stalled for a reason. Gearbox has maintained that the team is willing to do whatever’s necessary to deliver the game fans have been hoping for, even if that means expanding on existing fiction.

While hardcore Aliens fans may prefer that they leave well enough alone, fans of gaming know that movies often don’t turn into the best play experiences. Getting creative with the enemy types and plot may be a necessity, but fans of the franchise should be happy to know that there are plenty of nods to the film within the Collector’s Edition.

That same commitment to the world of the film is on full display in the newest trailer, and serious fans may be surprised at just how closely the style and environments have been modeled after their Hollywood counterparts. It seems every science-fiction shooter these days demands an orchestral, slow-motion shootout…you won’t hear us complaining:

It’s nice to see the old acidic blood, stealthy Xenomorphs and the Queen herself in action once more, even if the overly-stylized trailer doesn’t exactly match the tone of James Cameron’s film. Not to worry though, since the gameplay footage we’ve seen places far more emphasis on gunfights and bravado than somber drama.

Those paying particularly close attention may have noticed that the game’s release date -previously announced for Spring 2012 - has been pushed to the Fall. While naysayers will immediately cite the delay as yet another hint that the development is cursed, Gearbox explained to CVG that a great game is more important than a deadline:

It’s hard to argue that a game shouldn’t be rushed if it means a lesser result, and at this point fans are used to waiting. Considering Gearbox’s last magic trick was bringing the dead back to life with Duke Nukem Forever - to a less than stellar reception - we can’t blame them for taking their time. Everyone wants this game to be a success, but a bit more time will be needed to see if that’s the case.

“We don’t want to sacrifice the creative process just for the sake of following a blue print. We prefer to have the creative discovery shape that blue print because our goal is to make a great game, and we are prioritizing this goal over the previously targeted date.”

Aliens: Colonial Marines is now expected in the Fall of 2012 for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and later on the Wii U.

-

Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: CVG