Aliens: Colonial Marines
About the Game
Aliens: Colonial Marines is a first-person shooter based on the Aliens franchise and a sequel to the 1986 film Aliens , the second film in the series. The events take place directly after those of the film. You take control of the United States Colonial Marine Christopher Winter who is part of a search and rescue team that has to investigate the space ship U.S.S. Sulaco and what remains of Hadley’s Hope to find out what has happened to Ellen Ripley, Dwayne Hicks and the rest of the team that was sent to Acheron (LV-426), a fictional location as one of the three moons of Calpamos, located in the Zeta II Reticuli system.
Gameplay & Core Systems
The single-player campaign consists of eleven missions. At its core, the gameplay is centered around shooting opponents and sometimes items in the environment require interaction to open doors and such to progress. Some of the included weapons are a pulse rifle, shotgun, pistol, RPG, flamethrower and smartgun. There is no limitation on the amount of weapons that can be carried at a single moment. There is a motion tracker to scan movement in areas 180 degrees in front of the character.
Standout Features
- Sentry turrets can be set up to defend specific areas.
- Ammo and armour upgrades can be picked up along the way.
- In additional there is an leveling/experience system unified for both single-player and multiplayer where the earned points can be used to unlock new attachments and aesthetic enhancements for weapons and the main character.
- There are a few stealth segments where all weapons are removed and no sound can be made while walking through a large amount of aliens.
- There are also new types, such as a boiler that can explode and a crusher.
- There is a squad of AI-controlled team mates who assist.
- Opponents include famous xenomorph aliens from the first three films, such as the chestburster, drone, facehugger, queen, warrior and runner.
- Certain levels include encounters with human soldiers from the Weyland-Yutani corporation with a different interest in the colony.
Modes & Ways to Play
Multiplayer is available as a cooperative campaign for two (split-screen) or four (online) players. Competitive multiplayer modes include Escape, Extermination, Survivor and Team Deathmatch. In both modes both sides (humans and aliens) are controlled by human players.
Player support includes Internet, Same/Split-Screen, Co-Op, and Team.
Presentation & Atmosphere
A flashlight is used to illuminate dark environments and a welder is available to cut open doors. Playing as xenomorphs, there is a large emphasis on using the environment to travel along walls, ceilings and through vents for unexpected attacks.
Display support includes Progressive Scan (480p), HDTV 720p, HDTV 1080i, and HDTV 1080p. Audio support includes Dolby Digital 5.1.
