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2013/02/12 18:27:23
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
I've got nearly 3 hours in now. I'm still pretty sick so I can't play it for very long - the headphones make my ears hurt - but it's very underwhelming. If you're a super diehard Aliens fan you might enjoy it - I am, and the bar to me enjoying a game set in that universe is pretty low - but otherwise you should probably avoid it. Not awful like Duke Nukem Forever, but not especially good either.
lord_blackfang wrote: Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.
Flinty wrote: The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
2013/02/12 19:18:44
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
I just don't understand... how could they mess so bad after making it for 6 years and even delaying it once?
And just 5 hours long campaign?
It's AvP from 2010 all over again... why can't someone just make a badass game like Alien vs. Predator 2 again?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/02/12 19:19:06
The universe has many horrors yet to throw at us. This is not the end of our struggle. This is just the beginning of our crusade to save Humanity. Be faithful! Be strong! Be vigilant!
2013/02/12 20:05:28
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
The really sickening part about the game is not only the lack of effort that seems to have been put into it, but that a horde/survival game mode, which really should have been integral to the game as a "well duh" item, will probably get sold as DLC.
But my two cents of Aliens: Colonial Marines
Whoever wrote the script has never watched Aliens to the end. Voice acting and story are otherwise acceptable barring the massive plot wtf of why the Sulaco was dragged back to LV-426 in the first place. The game mechanics are solid enough, the campaign is fun for a once through but otherwise not very replayable. I will echo the words of another review and say the game is so average its disgusting. No real glaring flaws here, its just... not good. Someone who liked the most recent AVP game is likely to enjoy it, though its not as good as that game was. It actually reminds me greatly of Star Wars: Republic Commando in that all the elements of a great game are there but the developer just didn't do much of anything to make a great game and settled for one that could go on store shelves.
Remember this is from a freaking CoD fanboy, even he doesnt like it
Actually ignore everything I said and just watch this. It it so right, I can't even come up with a good analogy to throw in here to explain how right it is.
EDIT: The real tragedy here really is that after years of being mishandled, the Aliens franchise really might die here, baring the presumed sequels to Prometheus. The hoped for sequel to AVP at the least may well be put into development hell as a result of this game.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/02/12 20:45:43
LordofHats wrote: It actually reminds me greatly of Star Wars: Republic Commando in that all the elements of a great game are there but the developer just didn't do much of anything to make a great game and settled for one that could go on store shelves.
Republic Commando was a great game, the only bad thing about it being that SBD's were so tough.
And I agree with you on the last point, with the rumors I have seen today I will definitely play it being Alien fan and all.
And I actually liked Prometheus, it's a great movie ( even if some parts are quite stupid, but hey... not everything is perfect ) and I am waiting to see squeal to it as well.
But in this case when all ( and I mean all ) major game sites say that this game is bad and that only Aliens fans will enjoy I fell like I was beaten hard. But I will not assume anything until I play it for myself, witch will be in a few days.
Just one terrible note: this game is awful according to lot of people now, and we are talking abotu the same guys ( SEGA )who have licence for Dawn of War games.
You can start crying now.
The universe has many horrors yet to throw at us. This is not the end of our struggle. This is just the beginning of our crusade to save Humanity. Be faithful! Be strong! Be vigilant!
2013/02/12 21:18:02
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
I don't think it's SEGA solely. I'm also blaming Gearbox. honestly, maybe this should have been more obvious after what happened with Duke Nukum Forever. They didn't try. They just threw something workable together and pushed it out onto store shelves and made a killing.
Most of what I have played from Gearbox was Borderlands 1&2 which I have enjoyed.
Irritation at the punting of DLC to third parties, but still enjoy those games.
It is a pity the rest of what people are talking about from them is bad.
I remember when the original Duke Nukemcame out, so had no real thoughts that much good would come out of the reboot, regardless of who made it. I find it hard to hold it against them.
This though. . .AvP 1&2 were _phenomenal_ and messing up anything related to them irritates me. Does Prometheus count? /ponder
"It is not the bullet with your name on it that should worry you, it's the one labeled "To whom it may concern. . ."
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2013/02/12 21:35:35
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
Trondheim wrote: I know, but some people seemed to have the illusion that this game would be anything else than what it turned out to be.
The point of contention wasn't whether the game was going to suck or be the best thing ever, it was about judging books by their cover vs actually reading the book. Making a an educated guess is fine, having empirical knowledge is also good, but conflating the two is problematic.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/02/12 22:30:58
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
2013/02/12 22:32:58
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
Trondheim wrote: I know, but some people seemed to have the illusion that this game would be anything else than what it turned out to be.
The point of contention wasn't whether the game was going to suck or be the best thing ever, it was about judging books by their cover vs actually reading the book. Making a an educated guess is fine, having empirical knowledge is also good, but conflating the two is problematic.
To be honest, I called this with the first few gameplay videos that came out. Just look at the animation quality for isntance and stuff like that and it was quite obvious this wasn't going to amount to much.
2013/02/12 22:35:12
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
Trondheim wrote: I know, but some people seemed to have the illusion that this game would be anything else than what it turned out to be.
The point of contention wasn't whether the game was going to suck or be the best thing ever, it was about judging books by their cover vs actually reading the book. Making a an educated guess is fine, having empirical knowledge is also good, but conflating the two is problematic.
To be fair the development hell from switching developers constantly and holding back reviews until release sounded like a good clue in to how sh*t-tastic this game probably is. I was looking forward to getting this too. What a shame it's just a disappointment. I suppose i'll just plan on buying some other games.
Maybe i should wait till this game hits bargain bin prices.
I already knew that game won't be top of the line, I just never assumed it will be THAT bad...
And to be honest I was hoping for awesome story ( to me as long as story is excellent the gameplay can be decent and graphic can be even from 2003 ), but according to reviews the story is also bad.
I was never disappointing when it comes to video games... I will never trust pre-launch gameplay ever again until I see reviews. Pre-order is also history for me now.
The only game series I trust it will turn out fine without checking is Dawn of War, because Relic plays by GW rules there.
The universe has many horrors yet to throw at us. This is not the end of our struggle. This is just the beginning of our crusade to save Humanity. Be faithful! Be strong! Be vigilant!
2013/02/12 23:02:42
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
... well, guess there goes 30 Euros - still gonna tackle the co-op on weekend. I admit I am a bit shocked in that I did not quite expect something like this from Gearbox. Lesson learned, I suppose.
Also, lol @ last 30 seconds of kenshin's video.
Thank the goddess I can at least download the English version of the game, the German localisation is just hideous.
2013/02/13 00:03:07
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
It was a real demo but it was only available to the press at E3 2011 (and the press right now is accusing Sega/Gearbox of fabricating the entire demo to deceive them into drumming up hype for the game). And to make it hurt more the demo has better graphics, and is apparently a better experience than the actual product.
EDIT: I will say this. Get three friends. Turn the difficulty to ULTIMATE BADASS and play. Some seriously funny gak happens when you have no cross hairs, full friendly fire, and aliens running and jumping around your friends. I've already incinerated one of my buds, gun down another in panic, and have been shot gunned to death because the alien got stuck on me. OH and we blasted one guys face full of bullets when he had a facehugger on him.
Automatically Appended Next Post: UPDATE: While it had previously been known that Time Gate Studios (maker of Section 8) was assisting Gearbox in developing Colonial Marines, it has apparently now been revealed that Time Gate made almost the entire game and Gearbox did nothing but put their logo on the box (and pretend to be the developer for the sake of boosting confidence). All Gearbox did was throw the Multiplayer together.
The majority of Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines was not actually built by Gearbox, a report suggests.
Comments from an ex-Gearbox developer dug up by Superannuation suggest that the majority of the game was outsourced to TimeGate Studios, developer of downloadable console shooter Section 8: Prejudice and various FEAR expansion packs.
"Hate to say it, but I wouldn't get your hopes up too high for Colonial Marines," the ex-dev wrote last year. "I used to work at Gearbox, and the development of that game has been a total train wreck, going on what, six years now?
"Gearbox isn't even making the game, except for the multiplayer. Primary development was outsourced to TimeGate Studios, which has a less than stellar past."
The author of the comments indicated that he was one of the founders of Texas start-up Armature Studio, who are known to be Mark Pacini, Todd Keller and Jack Mathews, although it's not clear exactly who was commenting.
Sega refused to comment on the matter when approached by Eurogamer.
News that TimeGate - and others - have contributed to the game is not new. But the explanation above appears to contradict comments from Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford, who previously told Gamasutra that 80 per cent of the work on the game had been done in-house.
Speaking to IGN yesterday, Pitchford stated that TimeGate had contributed 20-25 per cent of the game, while Nerve worked on maps for the game's multiplayer.
Shoot Many Robots developer Demiurge worked on a prototype of the game for nine months, before taking control of the Wii U version.
Eurogamer's appraisal of the finished product suggests that at the very least Aliens: Colonial Marines wasn't the product of Gearbox's best team.
"Colonial Marines aims low and it still misses the target, and that's almost entirely because of the wretched game engine," Dan Whitehead wrote in Eurogamer's just-published 3/10 Aliens: Colonial Marines review. "The game feels like it's constantly on the verge of collapsing completely, and one of the only positive things that can be said about it is that it never quite does."
"What little hope Colonial Marines offers comes from multiplayer," Dan continued. "Neither mode is spectacular, but they are where the game comes closest to earning the Aliens logo on the box."
Watch the opening to Aliens: Colonial Marines below and you'll be presented with the following credit reel:
Sega presents
With 20th Century Fox
A Gearbox Software production of
A TimeGate Studios
Demiurge Studios
Nerve Software
and Gearbox Software game.
TimeGate's official site is still displaying a hiring poster for work on Aliens: Colonial Marines. The studio may be working on the game's four DLC add-ons. Publisher Sega yesterday announced a season pass for the content, priced 2400 Microsoft Points/£19.99.
Gearbox, meanwhile, is still pumping out excellent Borderlands 2 DLC on a regular basis.
This message was edited 6 times. Last update was at 2013/02/13 02:14:21
LordofHats wrote: EDIT: I will say this. Get three friends. Turn the difficulty to ULTIMATE BADASS and play. Some seriously funny gak happens when you have no cross hairs, full friendly fire, and aliens running and jumping around your friends. I've already incinerated one of my buds, gun down another in panic, and have been shot gunned to death because the alien got stuck on me. OH and we blasted one guys face full of bullets when he had a facehugger on him.
That sounds like the way the game should have been normally.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
2013/02/13 03:11:26
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
LordofHats wrote: EDIT: I will say this. Get three friends. Turn the difficulty to ULTIMATE BADASS and play. Some seriously funny gak happens when you have no cross hairs, full friendly fire, and aliens running and jumping around your friends. I've already incinerated one of my buds, gun down another in panic, and have been shot gunned to death because the alien got stuck on me. OH and we blasted one guys face full of bullets when he had a facehugger on him.
That sounds like the way the game should have been normally.
What are you implying? That the game should play like an Aliens movie?
2013/02/13 03:21:49
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
LordofHats wrote:UPDATE: While it had previously been known that Time Gate Studios (maker of Section 8) was assisting Gearbox in developing Colonial Marines, it has apparently now been revealed that Time Gate made almost the entire game and Gearbox did nothing but put their logo on the box (and pretend to be the developer for the sake of boosting confidence).
I could imagine that such PR shenanigans are going to bite them in the ass later on.
It probably was Sega's call, but ... sheesh. Premiere lesson in "how to dismantle a brand".
2013/02/13 04:06:44
Subject: Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
Well damn if this isn't turning into a fiasco. Best wait and buy the game after they slash the price a few times. I'll have to see, my interest has sharply waned after the brutal raking over the coals this game has suffered today! I mean, wow, rare to see so many negative reviews.
I love Aliens, but I'm not gonna pay 50 bucks for a game that is crap.
2013/02/13 14:19:36
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
I think I'm about halfway through it now, maybe a bit more - 5 hours.
I haven't seen as many glitched animations as you'd be led to believe from these reviews, though I did see 2 or 3.
The textures are below average on the PC, but nowhere near as awful as they apparently are on the console.
Those weird-walking ones are working as intended, I guess they're supposed to be diseased or something? They're the exploding ones.
The Sharp Rifle is a lot of fun if you're fighting humans.
Spoiler:
I found Hudson's body! No sign of Burke, Apone, etc yet though.
The sound and music is quite good; excellent even.
It was very cool moving through areas from the movie, such as the hangar where Bishop got torn, seeing the ripped up floor plates from where Newt was hiding, etc, as well as the area in the Medlab where Burke tried to impregnate Ripley and Newt.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/02/13 16:31:10
lord_blackfang wrote: Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.
Flinty wrote: The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
2013/02/13 20:09:16
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
I played about two hours tonight and found it strangely compelling. Yes it is buggy and for a die hard PC head it is a blatant console port but its quite dam fun. The gfx are very pleasantly surprising-the engineering core us excellent, sound is solid although it could be better and the AI enemies arent as dumb as the reviews make out imho.
Yes there are bugs, you're AI budddies are woeful and the checkpoint system is tedious but so far I wouldnt slate it as much as some of the reviews I've seen. Funnily enough if you dont judge it as an Aliens franchise game and more a shooter in space it ticks along pretty well.
However time will tell.
In short its not aweful, just not great either and a waste of a great franchise name.
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2013/02/13 20:27:21
Subject: Re:Colonial Mairnes, who is looking forward to them?
The textures are below average on the PC, but nowhere near as awful as they apparently are on the console.
It actually makes an abundant amount of sense. If you've played Section 8, you've been treated to some truly awful textures. They quite frankly are not only bad at making textures, but very lazy and there are several super wonky textures apparent throughout the game. It also explains the less than stellar gun play and game animations.
Section 8: Prejudice was a worthwhile buy because it cost $15, which is honestly about what they'd have to bring A:CM down to to make me think it's appropriately priced.
Those weird-walking ones are working as intended, I guess they're supposed to be diseased or something? They're the exploding ones.
I think the intention was that that area was a xenomorph graveyard, thpse blind exploding ones being the final stage in a xenomorph's life. I think...
As Soladrin already said, I think everyone suspected that this would be an underwhelming game. The initial videos for it looked very dated.
The ratings are much lower than I expected. I did not expect it to just bomb and get 4.5-5.5/10 pretty much across the board. You've really got to feth a game up to have anything under a 65/100.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/02/13 20:39:51
It should be noted that the game supports LAN play. A step in the right direction, sadly the game itself is pretty much what other people are saying. If you REALLY like aliens, it will be decent enough to jump into. If you don't, then probably worth skipping over.
The feel of the game is wrong, and it's a bit too much like CoD.
Still, I'll buy it when it's on sale for the multiplayer potential.
“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”