Gearbox' Aliens: Colonial Marines

[Llyranor]

Ballroom dancer.

[Zoma]

Some new bits of info here:

 

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/6830...liens_Game.html

 

Namely the story is written by Battle Star Galactica writers and its supposedly to be released in late 2008.

[Bos_hybrid]

I'm myself somewhat disappointed that Gearbox got the job. OpFor was certainly excellent, but all their other games were just "solid". Monolith on the other hand are masters in creating suspense, mood and diversity within the FPS context.

 

Agreed. But I think the reason Monolith didn't get the job was because they were too busy with Condemned 2 and the fear sequel, to release an Aliens game any time soon. Not that they were overlooked.

 

Disappointing that being an Alien in SP is not likely.

[Zoma]

A comment in the GB forum regarding of the context button feature in the Alien FPS game.

 

Ok, just take a look on this:

Similar in concept to the button-press minigames popularized by God of War, close encounters will differ in execution. For example, one close encounter we witnessed from a first-person perspective was the player character getting grabbed by an alien from above, and then dragged through a vertical ventilation shaft. After firing a few rounds from his pulse rifle, the marine briefly scared off the creature, then he began to kick out a nearby grate to escape. After getting halfway out, there was a tug at his leg, and he was pulled back inside the vent, frantically shooting and pleading for rescue.

"Close encounters are almost unlimited in their ability to let us do what we want to do," elaborates Schuler. "Aliens can interact with the world -- it isn't just a bunch of button presses until it's over. The alien could leap back onto a cabinet, or another one of your squadmates. He could leap back and through a duct and out of sight."

 

Since these sequences are intended to be a cinematic way to showcase the aliens and their tactics, it doesn't do much good if a big button prompt pops up in the middle of the screen. The marine's actions described in the ventilation shaft example are initiated by the player by responding to less intrusive instructions. A subtle flash of green on the right side of the screen tells you to move the analog stick in that directions, whereas one in the upper-left corner could be a prompt to pull the left trigger. By briefly abandoning the game's usual control scheme, close encounters make it possible for the team to create those one-of-a-kind combat situations that capture the flavor of the most iconic moments in Aliens

 

I really dont know what to think about this...How offen do you need to deal whit the "close encounters"?...the button secuence its always the same? What do they mean whit "Aliens can interact with the world -- it isn't just a bunch of button presses until it's over"?

 

What do you think about the Clouse Encounters system? Perhaps its too cinematic and less interactive...you know, "press X...then Y...then A, then...B...and you are alive" mmmm

 

Kind of wondering if that is even pullable or not in an FPS game.

[Gorth]

I can't really remember having seen an Alien flinch away from bullets and close infighting with them is usually 100% lethal in 0.2 seconds

[Musopticon?]

Yeah, I know. There are the players to be considered, however. It's a game, not an evisceration simulator.

[Azuvector]

While it looks fantastic and "It's about time!" and such, that close quarters system they mention doesn't sound very appealing. The description of it reminds me of certain railed Arcade shooters, where you have to hit a button at a certain time in order to avoid some random bit of danger that would otherwise mess you up.

Not exactly the most appealing concept to be seeing involved with Aliens, especially since it's typically an experience of annoyance and frustration as well as poor presentation...

But, who knows, it might actually be more interesting if they draw it out a bit or something, so it's kind've a struggle to break away from a bug, rather than just some idiotic hit/miss affair.

[Zoma]

I think it'll work more likely similar to Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels

 

Close to a Genestealer

http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/spac...ameShotId,9852/

 

Winning CQC with a Genestealer

http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/spac...ameShotId,9854/

 

When a Terminator goes CQC with a Genestealer, it changes into a sort of interactive melee mode where the player has to focus on parrying and striking at the Genestealer at the right time though it would risk being attacked from behind(Instant death) if too much time is taken to deal with the enemy.

 

So basing on this assumption for GB's Aliens, it would provide players a chance to protect themselves from the attack of the Facehugger by dodging its rape tentacles to the point until another player comes to help, or succeed in throwing off the Facehugger. The latter would result in risking being overwhelmed by the Xenomorphs due to the time lost or some HP lost from the struggle.

 

IMO, its better than AvP and AvP2 where the Facehuggers would be an instant kill for players that might ignite frustration to certain player base. This at least provides an opportunity to survive the onslaught or even, promote teamwork to help each other out in such brink to death struggles.

 

Perhaps another most recent example to be used could be Call of Duty 4's dog attack.

Edited February 25, 2008 by Zoma

[Pop]

The dogs in CoD4, like the facehuggers in the AvP games, were pretty sparsely used. You really only had problems with the dogs if you were stupid, and the facehugger parts were the most ****ing tense parts of the incredibly tense AvP(1) marine game.

[Tale]

It's a game, not an evisceration simulator.

Shatter all my hopes, why don't you?

[Zoma]

and the facehugger parts were the most ****ing tense parts of the incredibly tense AvP(1) marine game.

 

Keep in mind its also a console game, so its unlikely to be identical facehugger as AvP1. Avp1 Facehugger = Fast, deadly, one hit kill. Qutie impossible to aim with a console controller huh unless you make it crawl like a turtle.

 

So pretty much its going to be a CoD4 kind of dog enemy.

[Atom523]

and the facehugger parts were the most ****ing tense parts of the incredibly tense AvP(1) marine game.

 

Keep in mind its also a console game, so its unlikely to be identical facehugger as AvP1. Avp1 Facehugger = Fast, deadly, one hit kill. Qutie impossible to aim with a console controller huh unless you make it crawl like a turtle.

 

So pretty much its going to be a CoD4 kind of dog enemy.

 

Not saying they should use this but it could be a timed button press like in Resident Evil 4. It had plenty of moments of you react fast or you die in one hit, heck at once point there was a section where you had to do around 6 of those carefully times button presses in a row and even if you miss one you die. Just because it is on a console doesn't mean that the player can't make fast reactions. This is only one example, i am sure they could do justice to AVP1 when it came to face huggers. If they actually do it well that is yet to be seen.

[Nick_i_am]

He never said anything about lacking fast reactions, he was talking about it being hard to aim.

 

And yeah, he was already talking about 'quicktime events' as you describe.

[Zoma]

Especially the target of a facehugger is five times smaller than the fastest hostile target in RE4, which are the dogs if I am not mistaken.

[Pop]

Heaven forbid something be difficult.

[Tale]

Heaven forbid something be difficult.

Kind of a needlessly thoughtless dismissal, don't you think?

 

And I don't mean thoughtless as lacking empathy, either.

Edited February 26, 2008 by Tale

[GreasyDogMeat]

Of all the scary jump moments in games, nothing has ever made me spasm/jump/freak as much as the first time a face hugger got me in AvP 1. The scream it made was straight out of the first Alien movie, and I had the volume loud.

[Atom523]

Especially the target of a facehugger is five times smaller than the fastest hostile target in RE4, which are the dogs if I am not mistaken.

 

Well the controls are quite different when it comes to an FPS and third person like RE. Aiming in Resident Evil is far slower then in most FPS game so i don't think consoles will have the problem when it comes to tracking small fast moving targets.

 

Of all the scary jump moments in games, nothing has ever made me spasm/jump/freak as much as the first time a face hugger got me in AvP 1. The scream it made was straight out of the first Alien movie, and I had the volume loud.

 

I had the same reaction the first time a Facehugger got me. AVP 1 was an amazing game and i do hope that this one takes some ideas from it.

Edited February 27, 2008 by Atom523

[funcroc]

17 official screenshots?

 

if true, awesome.

 

[Zoma]

Looks real enough. Yuuuuuuummmmmmm.

 

Now, Obsidian, you don't want to be the 'late' other half are you?

 

Say it after us: "SHOW ME THE MONEY!"

Edited March 2, 2008 by Zoma

[Xard]

Meh, facehugger's vagina looked ok enough, but otherwise not very impressive graphix. Still ok

[Xard]

oh god, I just realized facehuggers are futas

 

please, somebody, shoot me in the eye

[Nick_i_am]

I'm going to kill you.

[thepixiesrock]

Now, now, just because he's annoying doesn't mean you should do anything violent.

[funcroc]

Aliens: Colonial Marines on Jace Hall Show

 

a very short gameplay footage of Aliens: Colonial Marines (about 5m 40s). looks sweet.

Edited August 28, 2008 by funcroc