It felt like this day would never come, but Aliens: Colonial Marines is just hours away from being released. The new chapter in the Alien series from Gearbox Software gives players the chance to jump into the boots of a space marine, and solve the mystery of the USS Sulaco and LV-426 (around which the plot of Aliens was based) for good.
Previous trailers showed that players - as Cpl. Christopher Winter - will get to board the USS Sulaco, with everything spiraling out of control from there. But if anyone still has doubts that Colonial Marines will feel like an extension of the series’ trademark space marines, the extended ‘Contact’ trailer should prove it.
While the newest trailer is an extended version of the cinematic one released over a year ago, the slow-motion carnage isn’t any less effective, and reiterates that Colonial Marines is a game made by fans, for fans. Much has been made of Gearbox’s attempts at keeping the aliens feeling “authentic,” and there’s no denying that the environments and scenarios depicted in the extended trailer feel like they’ve been pulled directly from the movie.
Granted, the source material may be allowing the developers to take things to entirely new levels of ‘dudebro-ing,’ but these are the space marines that science-fiction and video games looked to for inspiration. A little bit of bravado should be expected. The gameplay is what counts, and from that standpoint, Aliens: Colonial Marines has shown enough promise to garner more attention than its delayed development may imply.
Of course, as much fun as it will be to fight Xenomorphs with AI allies, the multiplayer is where plenty of Aliens fans are looking to relive the action and frenzied tension of the film with friends. Gearbox has cooked up entirely new forms of Xenomorphs for the mode (making sure the new classes complement the existing fiction), each with unique abilities sure to put even the most veteran squads to the test.
Take a look at the Boiler, Spitter, and Crusher in action, as well as the perks that come with each in the new ‘Tactical Multiplayer’ trailer:
The multiplayer options will be increased with the first Colonial Marines DLC content, entitled ‘Bug Hunt.’ The new mode pits players against waves of enemies (of increasing difficulty, obviously) in one of three environments inspired by the films. How that differs from the existing ‘Survivor’ mode shipping with the game remains to be seen.
The DLC is priced at $14.99 so far, but is available free to anyone who pre-ordered or purchases their copy of the game from Walmart. The DLC is also included as one of the four expansions awarded to players who purchase the increasingly-popular Season Pass. The $29.99 pass grants access to the singleplayer and multiplayer expansions being developed over the coming year, with ‘Bug Hunt’ set for a March 2013. No word yet on the singleplayer offerings.
Have you already pre-ordered your copy of Aliens: Colonial Marines? If not, are you waiting to see how well the game is received, or are the campaign and multiplayer features just not enough to interest you? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Aliens: Colonial Marines releases February 12th, 2013, for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC.
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