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Aliens: Colonial Marines is an upcoming tactical shooter set in the Aliens universe, developed by Gearbox Software and published by SEGA. The game is in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Publishers Sega initially set a 2009 release date, but was revised to the holiday season of 2008.

Overview

The game takes place just after the events of Alien³, involving a search and rescue team investigating the U.S.S. Sulaco (which has been abandoned and left floating in space), searching for Ellen Ripley, Corporal Dwayne Hicks, Private William Hudson, Private Jenette Vasquez, and the rest of the missing United States Colonial Marines. Other key areas include LV-426 and the Derelict alien shipwreck from the first Alien movie. The game's plot is being penned by Battlestar Galactica writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle.

Gameplay

The player controls four colonial marines, each with their own unique personality. Each marine is represented by a different class; one marine, for instance, mans the M56 Smart Gun as Pvt. Vasquez did in Aliens; the other primary weapons include the M240 flamethrower and the M41A pulse rifle. Each marine carries four weapons: their primary weapon, which they are defined by, their secondary weapon, grenades, and a sidearm. The player may brandish the sidearm while using the motion tracker. The player controls one marine at a time, and issues orders to the others using context-sensitive commands; the player may control any marine at any given time. The game will feature no HUD whatsoever.

Xenomorphs will seldom perform a frontal attack, choosing to use the ducts and flanking maneuvers, forcing the player to use tactical combat as opposed to typical first-person shooter "run and gun" tactics. At certain points during the game, the player will be required to bunker in a location and prepare for a xenomorph onslaught, using tactical positioning and turrets to ward off an attack.

The game will use quicktime events during cutscenes to dramatically illustrate the power and intensity of one-on-one xenomorph encounters. However, the conclusion of a given event is not scripted; a xenomorph may choose to attack or flee when confronted by more than one marine. Quicktime gameplay is also used when a facehugger latches onto a player, who must kill the creature before they are effectively incapacitated and "killed" by it.

Xenomorphs themselves will have subtle classes. The following classes are confirmed:

Facehugger: the eight legged parasite that attaches itself to the victims face and lays an embryo within the living host, and dying shortly afterwards

Warrior: typical of the attacking xenomorphs in Aliens

Scout: a faster, more stealthy xenomorph who spies on Marine activity

Drone: a new servant xenomorph who carries and positions eggs

Queen: a game boss

Multiplayer

The game will allow "jump in, jump out" co-op multiplayer on same machine and online play. No other multiplayer modes have been announced yet, but Game Informer noted that development team members discussed Quake II's "Gloom" mod as possible inspiration for competitive online play.

History and development

Aliens: Colonial Marines (2001)

Aliens: Colonial Marines was originally the title for a game planned for release on the PlayStation 2 in fall 2001, prior to being cancelled by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts for unknown reasons. The original version of the game was to be developed by Check Six Games. However, while both games share the same subject matter and setting, EA's canceled game is not related to this game. The original version of the game was to take place between the second and third films, when a rescue team of colonial marines and a salvage team go on a search-and-rescue mission for the missing United States Colonial Marines ship, Sulaco.

Sega

On December 11, 2006, Sega announced they had purchased the electronic rights to the Alien franchise from 20th Century Fox. A few days later on December 15, Gearbox Software and Sega announced that they were working on a completely new game set in the Aliens universe. In February 2008, Aliens: Colonial Marines was announced as the title of the game appearing on the cover of Game Informer magazine.

The development team took great pains to recreate the vehicles and settings of the Alien scenes, recreating the exterior and interior of the Sulaco and LV-426.

References

1. ^ SEGA Reveals Details Of Upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines Video Game. SEGA of America press release.
2. Aliens FPS, Red Faction 3 titled. GameSpot.com, February 14, 2008
3. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 47
4. Aliens: Colonial Marines in late 2008, 4-player co-op. Joystiq.com, February 21, 2008.
5. Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 49
6. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 51
7. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 53
8. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 54
9. Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 52
10. Game Informer March Cover Revealed. GameInformer.com, February 13, 2008.
11. Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 55
12. SEGA Hunts Down Alien, IGN UK
13. Game Informer March Cover Revealed. GameInformer.com, February 13, 2008.

External links

• Aliens: Colonial Marines at IGN
• Aliens: Colonial Marines at GameSpy
• Aliens: Colonial Marines at GameSpot

Cancelled PS2 game

• Aliens: Colonial Marines (2001) at IGN
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (2001) at GameSpy
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (2001) at GameSpot
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (2001) at AvPGalaxy.net

• 2008 video games
• Alien (franchise)
• Alien games
• Horror video games
• Tactical shooter video games
• Windows games
• Xbox 360 games
• Cancelled PlayStation 2 games
• PlayStation 3 games