Shooter franchises don't get much bigger than Aliens, and Gearbox know it. The developers are cramming in every moment of the much-loved 1986 movie they can fit, and studio head Randy Pitchford takes obvious pleasure in showing us just how complete their world is.
Our demo starts amid the ruins of the Hadley's Hope mining colony. All seems desolate until the motion tracker starts pinging seemingly anomalous readings - they're inside the room. Cue a frantic firefight which demonstrates that yes, they do come out of the goddamn walls.
"I've been stealing from this franchise my entire career," says Pitchford, beaming. "It's a dream to be able to actually work in the legitimate canon."
GIVE US A HUG
Gearbox is working with a closeness to the source that makes a chestburster seem standoffi sh. Pitchford prefers to muse out loud about how cool things would be than confirm actual details, but his nodding and winking makes clear that, if you can remember something from the film, it'll be here.
You'll see everything from that scorpion-esque dropship to Bishop's blood in the cargo bay to the vent where Gorman and Vasquez explode (Gorman always was an asshole). However, you aren't playing as Hicks, Hudson and squad.
You're going in as a secondary team, one Pitchford assures us will be every bit as quotable - a big boast indeed. To help, Gearbox is using the writers of the superb Battlestar Galactica reboot to script the game.
The plot is one step removed from Aliens. Weyland- Utani, demonstrating the sort of corporate foresight that made Lehman Brothers what it is today, discover the remains of the Sulaco where it was left at the start of Alien 3, and send another squad of marines to LV-426 - because hey, nothing could possibly go wrong.
It leaves room for updates, including 'a number' of new Xenomorphs. We only see one, a hulking specimen with a Queen-style headpiece who proves immune to the standard pulse rifle fire. Cue a frantic dash through the dark, rain-drenched ruins, before finding brief respite in a hangar. Here's where Gearbox shows off what should be their best feature - drop-in four-player campaign co-op.
The horde-style last stand firefights will be all the better for having friends on your team, although only non-player characters (controlled by AI) get to use the power loader. Boo. On the other hand, they get eaten when the big Alien smashes the hangar door open. Serves them right.
NEW AND IMPROVED
Cards on the table: the biggest problem with Aliens is that we've already had 25 years of games ripping it off, plus 25 years of watching the VHS/DVD/Blu-ray. That might be why all this action looks strangely unexciting.
We wonder if the aim is to tickle your fanboy gland so effectively you won't care - certainly Pitchford's enthusiasm for the movie is vast. And to be fair, the demo was designed for the braying bros of E3, and doesn't show the subtler survival horror elements or exploration. Even so, it won't be Brothers in Arms in space, says Pitchford - "You can't flank an Alien" - but you will be experiencing that teamwork and comradeship in the face of nearly unstoppable, nearly perfect killing machines.
Comments
22 comments so far...
photoboy on 20 Sep '11 said:
It's Weyland-Yutani.
I don't understand why Hadley's Hope is still there. Did Bishop not state that it would shortly become a cloud of vapour the size of Nebraska when the atmosphere processor exploded? Also, it's a pity this acknowledges the existence of Alien 3.
The_KFD_Case on 20 Sep '11 said:
Looks like it takes after "Aliens" (i.e. the second Alien(s) movie) which is a good thing in my opinion. The first movie seems positively dull and insipid in comparison if you watched the second movie first (as I did). Bring the firepower and it's "Game over man!"
freds1 on 20 Sep '11 said:
I enjoyed the first film, but I did watch that one first. Watching it after the second I can imagine it wouldn't be as enthralling, just like what I felt watching the third. Not bad but missing something. Guns probably. Strange direction to take after the success of the second but hey-ho.
Looking forward to the game anyways, could be the best of the lot. I hope.
DoomGuy84 on 20 Sep '11 said:
"That might be why all this action looks strangely unexciting."
YOU SECURE THAT SH*T PSM3!
rbt2 on 20 Sep '11 said:
If it turns out to be a tafd better than Aliens3 on snes then I'll be chuffed to f**k.
And no mistake, guvnah!
Sleepaphobic on 20 Sep '11 said:
Since I was a kid I always wanted one as a pet.
B_G_G on 20 Sep '11 said:
I genuinely do get ridiculously excited just about running around in the Alien universe
I will buy this and love it even if the game itself is a bog standard shooter.
Which it wont be, it'll be AWESOME.
I cannot wait to have THAT pulse rifle firing sound at the disposal of my left mouse button. The only slight issue is that I can really see the Wii U version with the motion scanner on the controller (c'mon. Of course it will be) being the best, tensest way to play. I don't know if I can wait that long.
silent moose on 21 Sep '11 said:
@The_KFD_Case
idiot values an action film over a masterpiece of atmosphere and tension dead space would be nothing without alien it basically stole its audio design which is what makes it so unsettling.
FlimFlam on 21 Sep '11 said:
Sorry KFD, but no. Just no.
Aliens is a great action film. One of my favourite movies. Alien is a true masterpiece though, exactly as Silent Moose said.
slick loose on 21 Sep '11 said:
So it's a mixture of Dead Space and Left 4 Dead? The problem, for me, is that games are not scary in multiplayer or even with AI team mates. And that's the only reason I would buy a game like this, to scare me s**t-less.
Still I look forward to the reviews and opinions of the everyone,when Left 4 Dead Space is finally released.
CrispyLog on 21 Sep '11 said:
It depends how soft you are. playing zombie mod for Counter-Strike used to make me scream like a little girl, and Left 4 Dead has done that a few time too.
ensabahnur on 21 Sep '11 said:
BLASPHEMER!!!
The_KFD_Case on 21 Sep '11 said:
And an even bigger idiot expects to have his/her opinion taken up under serious consideration in lieu of the other person's opinion after being called an idiot. Now, before someone pulls the "double standard" card here I'll happily point out that I don't much care whether you place any interest in this counter-response. See what just happened there? We lost any hope of a decent, meaningful conversation. Well done.
The_KFD_Case on 21 Sep '11 said:
Our opinions are going to have to differ on this count. The first one clearly demonstrated to me just how tame sci-fi thriller/horror expectations were in the years preceding Aliens (and other movies that released in the interim).
I am able to comprehend why you and Moose may think otherwise, yet I simply don't agree with the criteria presented by you.
The_KFD_Case on 21 Sep '11 said:
If thinking for myself and forming my own opinion makes me a blasphemer then by all means lay that title on me. This is one of the very same reasons I have little use for organized religion.
euanb123 on 21 Sep '11 said:
I think this game is in safe hands. Colonial Marines is the one that everyone was looking forward to, so let's hope it won't disappoint!
Off topic, @ KFD Case, I can completely understand how you feel like Aliens is the better film having watched it first. I do think however it's a bit unfair to compare the two films. There was only one way to make a sequel to Alien, but there is an argument to say they are both completely different films belonging in separate genres. A poor comparison is Halo / Halo Wars: games that share the same subject matter but presented in a different way. I love both of the first two Alien films and could never be drawn to say which one is my favourite.
MrPirtniw on 21 Sep '11 said:
Resurrection was the best anyway.
Pfffft. I kid, I kid.
slick loose on 21 Sep '11 said:
Alien Vs Predator: Requiem is/was the best...should of won Oscars or something!
The_KFD_Case on 21 Sep '11 said:
A salient point and fair enough, euanb123!
MrPirtniw on 21 Sep '11 said:
I bought twelvty copies!!!
iucidium on 22 Sep '11 said:
*puts on strobes*
thirdwatch on 22 Sep '11 said:
The guy makes a good point, Hadley's Hope should be a massive radioactive crater.