E3 2011: Aliens: Colonial Marines is alive! Out 'spring 2012'

By Andy Robinson for computerandvideogames.com

After what seems like forever, Sega's finally "re-announced" Gearbox FPS Aliens: Colonial Marines for release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in spring 2012.

A long-awaited new look at the game will be presented at Sega's E3 booth next week in Los Angeles, the publisher's confirmed.

The last time we saw Colonial Marines was via magazine previews in early 2008, followed by a promise to CVG from Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford last year that the game was still alive.

Colonial Marines is set to feature "authentic environments" from the famous sci-fi movie series, including the surface of LV-426 and Hadley's Hope, Sega says in the new announcement. Weapons inspired by the film series are also promised, and Sega says it will provide "an exhilarating and engaging new chapter in the Aliens universe."

The publisher details: "Aliens: Colonial Marines begins with an ostensibly abandoned ship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, recovered in orbit around LV-426.

"Players lead a group of highly trained United States Colonial Marines as they board the deserted craft to uncover the fate of the crew. They will have to fight to survive unspeakable horrors and their own anxieties as they chase down the truth behind a galaxy-spanning deception that places humanity at the mercy of the most murderous and deadly species in the universe."

"To Gearbox Software and its peers throughout the industry, Aliens is one of the most influential science fiction properties of all time," said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software.

"Aliens: Colonial Marines, designed as an interactive successor to the landmark films from Twentieth Century Fox, is a dream project about which our studio is deeply committed and passionate."