Those of you who took the E3 absence of Aliens: Colonial Marines to mean that Gearbox had naught to show for its FPS efforts have been proven utterly wrong. As indistinctly evidenced by some new (and brief) off-screen footage, the so-not-coming-out-in-2008 shocker is shaping up to be everything you could have hoped for:
It is a game.
It is presented in the first-person perspective.
You are equipped with a device that rapidly transports projectiles into snarling faces, often attached to slimy extraterrestrials.
The footage was captured by the folks behind The Jace Hall Show, who came over, man, came over to have a look at the game in the final moments of their season finale. You can view the episode after the break or, alternatively, see the edited clip at Shacknews.
Sega's E3 presence was among the weakest at last week's event, trumped only by the pitiful showing at Camp Belmont, a notion not helped by the absence of Gearbox-developed Aliens: Colonial Marines from either the show floor or Sega's own booth. Videogamer.com cornered Gearbox president Randy Pitchford about the missing shooter, a no-show he blamed squarely on Sega's marketing strategy, adding that "the game is in great shape. People are going to freak out when they see it."
By people, he obviously didn't mean Sega's own marketing VP Sean Ratcliffe, who told us that while the publisher was considering showing the game at E3, Sega didn't feel that it was quite ready for prime time. "I think it needs a little more time before we want to put it in front of the press," the exec told us. He added that more news regarding the status of Aliens: Colonial Marines will be announced sometime after E3, though we continue to hope that Sega will release game as planned in late 2008 and not nuke the site from orbit.
The second World War has fueled a nearly uncountable sea of video game titles, but while most have drawn inspiration from the same handful of historic events, none yet have captured the reality that was Joseph Stalin. But reality is boring, which is why we're much more interested in a new RTS by a trio of Russian devs (Wing Foundation, Dreamlore, and N-game) that takes an alternate history stab by pitting the Soviet leader's Red Army against an invasion from outer space. Wait...what?
The brilliantly titled Stalin Vs. Martians is billed as a simplified game designed "for anyone who just hates the strategy genre," with fun and action taking top billing over the kind of micromanagement that's normally the genre's calling card. Says the game's website: "The only resources you can find on the map are power-ups. They look like they should: like shiny rotating coins of bright colors." The devs even state that Stalin himself will be a playable unit in the later stages of the game, as he lumbers on the field as "a huge colossus, five times higher than any other creature. Just like it was in the real life." We can all look forward to driving the extra terrestrials out of Holy Mother Russia when the game ships for the PC this fall.
Sega has bumped up the Aliens: Colonial Marines street date to "late 2008," just a week after Game Informerrevealed the game name and cited a vague 2009 release. The publisher also provided details of the title's plot, an original, penned by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. As part of a United States Colonial Marine squad you and up to three additional friends will face a Nazi an Alien assault (yes, like we said, "original"). In co-op mode, players will have distinct roles to play in the completion of each mission -- we call flamethrower duty! The game also will include additional multiplayer modes not yet announced.
With Gearbox at the helm, expect an authentic recreation of the films' fictional world from pulse rifles to the now abandoned Sulaco spacecraft. Aliens: Colonial Marines is in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Our readers amaze us. In responding to our post about the "perfect" game enemy, reader Brad Lee diagnosed the ailment that afflicts game designers who insist on using the same old slobbering, ugly Zombie-Alien-Nazi enemies. Here's Brad's post, edited for brevity:
The problem is that games are still stuck in the 'Romantic' era. Too many video game developers look to romanticism for inspiration. (Romanticism was an artistic movement that emphasized exaggeration, emotion, nature, tradition, etc.) In Romanticism, an artist who wants to convey an emotion such as sadness uses dark colors. If he wants to convey evil, he makes the subject ugly. And so on.
Games use this art style simply because it's easier. There are a lot of costs to produce a video game -- graphics and game engine being the most expensive -- and I'm sure story and characters are probably a lower priority than other aspects of video games. Keep in mind that most games' stories are not produced by professional writers (or good writers anyway), so it is simply easier to use romanticism than try and craft a realistic story with [realistic] characters.
It is much easier to make a story about demons rampaging through the world (and only one guy -- you! -- can stop them) than to create a story about real people just struggling to do the right thing. Many game developers just don't know any better because they don't bother to take creative writing classes or to learn how to craft a good story. Many think they shouldn't have to [learn these things] simply because they are focused on the game and not the story or the characters.
Game developers are likely game developers because they love games, not because they love great stories. When those developers aren't working they are likely spending their time playing other games. If developers took some time to read [and analyze] good literature and watch classic movies we would probably have better stories and characters in our games. Until that happens, I'll be expecting to slaughter many more hordes of zombies, nazis, demons, and aliens in the years to come.
Any game designers out there care to post a rebuttal or confirmation? Are Brad's charges accurate? From where we sit, it seems he's nailed it.
Those of you who took the E3 absence of Aliens: Colonial Marines to mean that Gearbox had naught to show for its FPS efforts have been proven utterly wrong. As indistinctly evidenced by some new (and brief) off-screen footage, the so-not-coming-out-in-2008 shocker is shaping up to be everything you could have hoped for:
