Joystiq

Creative Assembly's untitled Alien project aimed at next-gen too

David Hinkle — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:00:00 EST

The Creative Assembly has revealed that its Aliens game, which has been known to be in production since last year, is expected to pounce on next-generation PlayBoxes, in addition to current systems. We'd like to imagine it's kinda like the scary little mouth hiding inside of the bigger, scarier mouth.

"The successful applicant will be working on a AAA multi-platform title on current and future generation consoles set in the Alien universe," the job listing for a programmer read. Now, we know what you're thinking: Wii U, right? Sure, let's not rule it out, but the wording specifically calls out experience in Xbox 360, PS3 and PC development.

You may best recognize The Creative Assembly from its work on Sega's Total War series of real-time strategy games.

Creative Assembly's untitled Alien project aimed at next-gen too originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Namco Bandai trademarks 'Alien Confidential'

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:30:00 EST

In addition to eternally retelling tales of swords and souls upon the stage of history, Namco Bandai may also be up to something a little more extraterrestrial. Siliconera has unearthed a trademark application for "Alien Confidential," filed by Namco Bandai on December 12 in North America and the EU.

We know literally zero things about what this project could entail, so we're going to do what we normally do in situations like this and speculate wildly: Alien Confidential will be an alternate universe "What if?" amalgamation of the Alien and L.A. Confidential timelines, produced by Ridley Scott, directed by Curtis Hanson, and running on the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations engine. You heard it here first!

Namco Bandai trademarks 'Alien Confidential' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another Alien title in the works, this time at The Creative Assembly

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 12 May 2011 11:34:00 EST

Many studios have tried and failed to make games with the iconic film series Alien at the center. The Creative Assembly, it seems, are the next to step up to the plate, announcing today that the UK-based RTS studio is working on an "action" Alien game. But unlike TCA's popular Total War series, the game is headed to consoles as well.

A message posted on the studio's website cursorily details the project, only saying, "New team. New console project. Alien IP." Rock, Paper, Shotgun happened to be at The Creative Assembly's offices when the game was announced (how fortuitous!), and learned that the title will be developed by the same crew who worked on Viking: Battle for Asgard.

Additionally, TCA will be growing the team dramatically, opening a "new 10,000 square foot studio" to accommodate as many as 200 workers.

Update: Sega provided Joystiq with this statement regarding the project: "We can confirm work is underway at Creative Assembly on an unannounced title in the Alien(s) universe and the Creative Assembly are looking for highly talented staff worldwide to help in the development process."

Another Alien title in the works, this time at The Creative Assembly originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 May 2011 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alien Hominid will be in PSN Castle Crashers

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:45:00 EST

Folks who played the 360 version of Castle Crashers got a nice little bonus if they happened to have another of The Behemoth's XBLA games on their hard drive: a playable character based on the protagonist from Alien Hominid. Unfortunately, that particular game isn't available on the PSN, leading some to fear he/she/it wouldn't reprise its cameo in the PSN version of Crashers.

That fear is unwarranted, friends -- a recent post on The Behemoth's blog confirms that the Alien will be an unlockable character in the upcoming port of Castle Crashers, though the requirements for unlocking it are unknown at this point. We're guessing it has something to do with the level where you kill a thousand of his brothers and sisters.

Alien Hominid will be in PSN Castle Crashers originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 May 2010 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aliens vs. Predator Hunter Edition to violently hug your face

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST

It's official -- the new trend for video game special editions is the inclusion of things to put right on your face. For Modern Warfare 2, it was the ever-practical night-vision goggles. For Halo 3, it was a Spartan helmet, which offered cranial protection to the small-of-head. The Aliens vs. Predator Hunter Edition, which was announced for Europe earlier this month but confirmed for a U.S. release earlier today, includes one of the franchise's "facehugger" aliens, which ... well, we bet it serves some utility as well.

For instance, say you've had a really large, luxurious beard for most of your life, then for circumstances beyond your control, you have to shave it. Your face will be so cold and lonely -- but not once it knows the fleshy embrace of the facehugger's unrelenting grasp. Oh, there's other stuff in the special edition too, such as a graphic novel, four extra multiplayer maps and a Weyland Yutani sleeve badge -- but can these bonuses comfort your recently shorn visage? No, they cannot. Check past the jump for the full image of the bundle.

Continue reading Aliens vs. Predator Hunter Edition to violently hug your face

Aliens vs. Predator Hunter Edition to violently hug your face originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sigourney Weaver turned down Aliens game, interested in 'high-quality' Ghostbusters

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Action

In a recent interview with MTV News, Sigourney Weaver discussed her potential involvement in two upcoming ludological adaptations of hit 80s films in which she starred. Weaver claimed she turned down an offer to work on an Aliens title as she believed the digi-Ripley portrayed in-game was "not true to the character." She also explained that the resumé of the Aliens developer wasn't too impressive -- one of their past titles was a game "called 'Rednecks', where you shoot animals."

We, and, more notably, Sega (the publisher of the pair of Aliens titles about which the MTV reporter was inquiring) have absolutely no idea what she's talking about. However, her feelings towards Atari's recently acquired adaptation of Ghostbusters were crystal clear -- she's interested in joining the cast, but only if the title is "high-quality." Oh, and if Atari finally greenlights her idea for a video game based on her "hit" 2001 "comedy", Heartbreakers.

Sigourney Weaver turned down Aliens game, interested in 'high-quality' Ghostbusters originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Aliens: Colonial Marines' is title of Gearbox, Sega FPS

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

Not much more than a name to go with previous confirmation that Brothers in Arms creator Gearbox is developing an Alien FPS for Sega, as Game Informer announces "Aliens: Colonial Marines" as the cover story in it's new issue. The brief teaser copy confirms that the game will be squad-based, ostensibly following some of the development cues from Gearbox's previous projects. The title alludes to the second film, Aliens, and perhaps specifically to the 'United States Colonial Marines' who accompany Ripley when she returns to LV-426. It's unclear what, if any connection the game will have to that film or others within the series.

Sega's Alien license currently covers Colonial Marines and an Obsidian RPG. Aliens: Colonial Marines is slated for a 2009 release on PC and consoles.

'Aliens: Colonial Marines' is title of Gearbox, Sega FPS originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aliens vs Predator screenshots surface

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alien Vs Predator

The Magic Box recently stumbled upon new images of the upcoming PSP Aliens vs Predator game. It's coming from Rebellion, the same team behind the PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront. It's hard to discern the quality of the game's visuals from these shots, but it's clear that Rebellion has some kind of love affair with PSP.

Supposedly, the game will be ready for for a December release in North America. [Update: Direct-feed screenshots from Sierra have arrived. Check them out in our gallery. And yes, this game is a PSP exclusive. Press release with more details, after the break!]

Continue reading Aliens vs Predator screenshots surface

Aliens vs Predator screenshots surface originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Ubisoft VP helping develop Fox gaming brand

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Business

Adam Kline, former VP of business development at Ubisoft, is now the VP of new-media enterprises at 20th Century Fox. His new title is just a fancy way of saying he'll oversee video game projects and develop ways to make cash through e-commerce. He will oversee things like The Simpsons Game over at EA along with the Alien games over at Sega -- and probably a bunch of other Fox related titles we'll see in the near future.

So, with Kline's existence having previously been in the gaming space over at Ubisoft, we can hope he won't be the typical suit who'll keep the chain of bad video games based on movies going. We hope Kline just keeps a tight leash on the Alien games being developed by Sega. We need more quality Alien games like Alien vs. Predator and less ... well, almost everything else.

Former Ubisoft VP helping develop Fox gaming brand originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get your Boogie on, save it for posterity

Alisha Karabinus — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Video

Boogie just looks like good, clean dancin' fun and we're really excited about giving it a try, particularly after seeing this new video of ... well, video! Specifically, the video-making function in the forthcoming EA title. Looks very easy to use, and the results are pretty spiffy. Seems that impressions from the Nintendo Media Summit were on target -- Boogie is ready to get down. Now if only we could speed ahead to August!

Continue reading Get your Boogie on, save it for posterity

Get your Boogie on, save it for posterity originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Revolutionary: Alien Language

Mike Sylvester — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:55:00 EST

Filed under: Revolutionary

Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

In the coming weeks, I'll be detailing the process of writing a GlovePIE script, from concept, through testing, to completion. You will see that it's not so tough to get something running, and I hope you'll also get a better understanding of the mechanics of the hardware inside the Wii Remote and its accessories.

This time around, I'll be deconstructing the simplest of the GlovePIE scripts I've written to date, but also one of the most rewarding -- Alien Hominid.

Continue reading Revolutionary: Alien Language

Revolutionary: Alien Language originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Warm Up: Enter initials

JC Fletcher — Mon, 14 May 2007 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Virtual Console, Wii Warm Up

Dude, so we were playing some Alien Crush, and we killed the bonus stage with the dragons over and over again. We totally scored like five billion points and it was so AWESOME that we had to call everyone we knew and tell them about it.

Okay, we're embellishing a bit. When we say we "totally scored like five billion points," we mean that we "continue to be awful at Alien Crush despite playing and loving it for eighteen years." But without our humble admission, you'd have no reason to doubt us! And that leads into our discussion.

Simply put, we want leaderboards. We aren't going to get online play in VC games any time soon (or ever,) so we'll ask for the next best thing. We want to be able to see the high scores for games that, you know, have scores. We don't need prizes or anything. We'd be motivated enough by the idea that we could put our three-letter tag (mine: JC!) at the top of a nationwide or worldwide list if we were any good, which we aren't.

Are high score leaderboards worth doing? Do you see value in friendly competition like this? Or did you always flip right past the high score page in old gaming magazines? Perhaps most importantly, what are your high score initials?

Wii Warm Up: Enter initials originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 May 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gearbox to develop Sega's Alien FPS

James Ransom-Wiley — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:50:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters

Sega has revealed that Brothers in Arms creator Gearbox will develop its Alien FPS. The announcement comes padded with a lil' promise, as Sega has declared the shooter "will retain the atmospheric look and feel of the original films" -- we'll interpret this line to be a reference to Alien and Aliens, not the additional sequels (and certainly not AVP).

With the game not scheduled for release until 2009, neither Sega or Gearbox is saying much else. Should we assume, given Gearbox's history, that this Alien FPS will be squad-based, with a touch of strategy?

See also:
Alien games to burst out of Sega's chest
Obsidian to helm Aliens RPG for Sega

Gearbox to develop Sega's Alien FPS originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview: Sega plans big for movie-IP games

Zack Stern — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 03:25:00 EST

Filed under: Business

GameDaily interviews Scott Steinberg, Sega's VP of Entertainment Marketing, about established IP and its importance to games. With Sega licensing Alien IP, will we see the company shift to games based on movies?

Stenberg says that while Sega will continue to create original games, it sees how important licenses are to other companies; movie tie-ins sell. Sega won't describe the intended balance between its licensed IP titles and original content; Steinberg only says that other publishers release about half of each, letting us speculate that Sega will follow that trend.

Basing a game on a movie or TV show is a difficult proposition, unless a publisher is just trying to shovel a quick cash-in onto the shelves. The mediums are inherently different; we hope that Sega plans games based around an IP universe instead of trying to shoehorn a movie plot into a videogame.

Interview: Sega plans big for movie-IP games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Dec 2006 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obsidian to helm Aliens RPG for Sega

Ross Miller — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:55:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs

Sega is bleeding acid, slowly, with each drop another hint of where it will take its new Aliens license. The first major announcement is of an Aliens RPG, currently under development by Obsidian Entertainment (Neverwinter Nights 2, KOTOR 2).

Although officially unveiled today, the Aliens RPG is likely the mysterious project announced in March by Sega and Obsidian, which has been in development under the name Project Georgia. The game is scheduled to be released for PC and ~~next-~~ new-gen consoles. We're hoping to see fleshed-out Aliens lore and, much in the way Oblivion handles vampirism, the "chance" to become a Xenomorph.

IGN notes that Sega will announce the developer for its Aliens First-Person Shooter on Friday. If Sega aims to milk the franchise for all its worth, we're hoping to also see real-time strategy games, MMOs, kart racers, text-based adventures, and party games forthcoming.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Obsidian to helm Aliens RPG for Sega originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega bringing Alien Syndrome to the Wii

David Hinkle — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: News

Sega, who you may know is responsible for those games starring that Sonic fellow, has announced a new game for the Wii. Alien Syndrome, a fast-paced RPG set in a sci-fi universe, is to offer a single-player campaign, as well as a co-op multiplayer mode allowing up to four players to take part in the game's single-player campaign.

No screenshots for the game have been released, as well as concept art, but we do know that the game stars Aileen Harding, Earth Command Trooper. As she traverses through several battlefields - including infected space ships and aline planets - utilizing 20 different weapons and a variety of different abilities.

Sega bringing Alien Syndrome to the Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VC Monday: Plus Four!

Jason Wishnov — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:05:00 EST

Filed under: News

Nintendo promised something like ten a month, but at this rate, we'll be seeing sixteen. Nintendo dropped yet another four vintage goodies on us at noon EST today, and here are the pickings:

Ice Hockey (NES) - a much-loved hockey sim that, unfortunately, is beginning to show its age. Where is the ever-revered NHL '94 for SNES?
Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis) - If Jack Thompson had been as retarded in 1993 as he is now, he'd certainly have gone after this game. Much-lauded for its frenetic and gleeful gut-ripping gameplay, GH is considered one of Sega's best games. Check this 2-D shooter out.
Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Sega Genesis) - some beans are falling, or something, and you have to match them...whatever. We got Columns last week, didn't we?
Alien Crush (TG-16) - a rather odd pinball-sim involving scary aliens with a multitude of eyes. If you're into the pinball scene, go for it, if not, settle for some extraterrestrial orange soda. (Zing!)

We still, of course, anxiously await the previous announced Toe Jam and Earl. We wantsssss it!

VC Monday: Plus Four! originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alien games to burst out of Sega's chest

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:50:00 EST

Filed under: First Person Shooters, RPGs

A despicable creature gnawing at your insides, slowly growing in size and voracity until it shoves its hideous head right through your rib cage and causes splintery bone to pierce your flesh.

So, a lot like playing the new Sonic the Hedgehog, then. Indeed, a more appropriate company than Sega could not be found for a recent deal struck by Fox Licensing with regards to their lucrative Alien film franchise. The new agreement, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter, allows Sega to develop multiple games for new generation consoles and PCs. With a first-person shooter and a role-playing game already under development, an elaborate and somewhat sinister music-and-rhythm title can't be far behind.

Mike Gallo, senior producer of the Alien series at Sega, promises that the developers will go out of their way to "tie the games into the films in unique ways." He also says they'll look at source materials and the films for inspiration, which is nice. The first title is due in 2008 -- that's when Sega will be "taking licensing to the next level," it says here.

[Via Pro-G | Image credit: "That's saying a mouthful" -- VG Cats]

See also: Firefly returns as MMORPG

Alien games to burst out of Sega's chest originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zombies, Aliens, or Nazis? Designing the perfect game enemy.

Vladimir Cole — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 10:36:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Action, Adventure, Fighting, Meta (about Joystiq)

The net's full of debate about the perfect game protagonist (ninjas, pirates, or robots?) but too little real debate about what makes the perfect in-game enemy.

In comments on yesterday's post about upcoming Xbox 360 (Japan) zombie stomper Oneechanbara, Joystiq reader Gimbal posited that risen corpses may well be the ideal enemy: "Zombies, like Nazis, are the perfect enemy for video games." Zatso? What makes a perfect enemy anyway?

The perfect enemy is:

Ugly: the perfect enemy generates involuntary revulsion on the part of the beholder. Examples: Alien, Klingons, Predator, zombies, headcrabs, trolls, orcs, snakes.
Inherently dangerous: It's in the enemy's nature to damage humans or the human way of life. If the enemy is to live, humans must suffer. Whether driven by pure malice, the need for a warm, wet place to lay eggs, or mere appetite for brainsss, the enemy's existence must be predicated on human destruction.
Foreign: the perfect enemy cannot share the same values as the protagonist. Whether that means the enemy believes that Democracy is wrong (and Communism right) or the believes that humans are tasty: foreign values allow all sorts of wonderful misunderstanding and conflict. The enemy should not speak our own language.
Sentient: the perfect enemy is smart enough to maliciously plan your death. The Atlantic ocean, for instance, is inherently dangerous, but tends to be at the mercy of winds and doesn't appear to be plotting against us all.
Politically appropriate: the perfect enemy is culturally and politically acceptible to hate and destroy. In ages past, the perfect enemy might have been the Visigoths, Muslims (remember the Crusades?), people with different skin color, whatever. Nowadays, it's generally more politically correct for the enemy to be inhuman. Zombies and aliens make great enemies precisely because it's hard for America's religious extremists to object to ostensibly wholesome themes such as "protect the human race from Martian invaders!" or "Defend your homeland from unholy swarms of undead!"
Difficult but not impossible to eliminate: The perfect enemy needs to be vulnerable (else there's no hope, and no way to win the game), but not so vulnerable that the enemy doesn't pose a credible threat.

Is this definition sufficiently inclusive? Any examples of enemies that fall outside of the requirements?

Zombies, Aliens, or Nazis? Designing the perfect game enemy. originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Sep 2006 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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