Eurogamer Expo: Hands on with Aliens: Colonial Marines
Words by: Richard Berry | Posted: 7 months ago | Filed under: Eurogamer 2012, Previews.
I was particularly excited to finally get my hands on Aliens: Colonial Marines, I’d seen the trailers, experienced the motivational presentation from Randy Pitchford in Seattle and now, finally it was my turn. Unfortunately the 4 player coop modes weren’t available to play today but what we were treated to was the Marines vs Aliens Deathmatch on two maps.
It looks monstrous, the Aliens are relentless and were expertly controlled by SEGA’s QA team. The Aliens themselves look horrid, in a good way, they move in such a way that you feel uneasy as they jump at you and you’ll shudder when they hiss or scuttle past you. Guns don’t just pack a punch but they sound incredible like they have been lifted straight out of the films. Your rifle is going to be your new best friend – not just for seeing off the waves of Xenomorphs but the gun sounds cut through the fear that builds as you creep about the levels in search of your foe.
Of the two levels that were on display I much preferred the interior one, the shadows and lights play tricks on you giving the Aliens an edge – one they certainly didn’t need – it also created a far greater sense of unease and dread compared to the outside level which felt rather lonely, mainly because you often spawned away from your teammates which kind of defeats the point of having a colonial marine squad.
I really enjoyed running about with my gun raised and my motion tracker out, that sound is chilling, iconic and oh so satisfying to hear, as is the iconic pulse rifle.
The look, sound and feel of this game seems to be pitched just right, it feels like it should – torn straight out of the film. Fans will certainly walk away happy and the lacklustre games that tarnished this great franchise will be forgotten. Quiet simply Aliens: Colonial Marines is awesome.
About Richard Berry
Rich co-owns Xboxer360.com alongside Dave and in his spare time he plays games such as Halo, CoD and Battlefield. His all time favourite franchise is Assassin's Creed, other than that he tends to chase Dave around with a stick to get him to do stuff.
