'Aliens: Colonial Marines' Gameplay Trailer Chestbursts Out of Gearbox

Aug 23, 2011 by Ben Kendrick

Aliens Colonial Marines Gameplay Trailer

Gearbox Software has been on a PR roller coaster the last few months – after a mostly negative critical response to their Duke Nukem Forever contributions followed by plenty of positive buzz for their upcoming return to Pandora with Borderlands 2. Add to that plenty of suspicious gamers who are afraid to get excited about Aliens: Colonial Marines, a new Aliens game, after being let-down one (or more) too many times. While not developed by Gearbox, there’s no question that Aliens vs. Predator sounded enjoyable on-paper but was actually a dizzying mess on-screen (read our Aliens vs. Predator review) – leaving another negative mark on the franchise reputation.

As a result, despite presenting some intriguing Aliens: Colonial Marines details, as well as fun nods to the overarching canon in the announcement trailer, some fans remain unconvinced that the fan-favorite studio will be able to break the Aliens first person shooter curse. However, these fans have probably not yet seen the latest trailer for the game – which presents an intense, and exciting, look at the upcoming title’s gameplay.

Gearbox Software CCO, Brian Martel, recently went on-record to discuss the studio’s upcoming franchise tie-in – offering up some tantalizing details, including new unseen Xenomorph types (the possibilities sound endless) as well as a solid story that takes place after the events of Alien 3 but utilize the “Marines in an over-run facility” ambiance of James Cameron’s Aliens.

That said, nothing quite lives up to seeing the game in motion – check out the Aliens: Colonial Marines Gameplay Trailer below:

Loads of familiar content from the Alien universe is featured in the trailer: Humanoid Xenomorphs, M41A Pulse Rifles, exosuit cargo-loaders, and an Alien queen, to name just a few. As we previously saw in the Colonial Marines screenshots, graphically the title looks great, with supreme lighting effects as well as fluid character animations (especially considering some of the on-screen characters are non-human), and immersive scripted events.

But, even more impressive, is the game’s ability to capture the tension as well as dark and damp aesthetic of the films. Some set-pieces are familiar, guarding a closed door while a teammate attempts to cut through is a pretty standard gameplay mechanic – but, paired with the Alien franchise, could be pretty terrifying in context.

Aliens Colonial Marines Gameplay Xenomorphs

We’ll have to wait to see if the actual gameplay and shooting can measure-up to the aesthetic – but there’s no doubt that every bit of Aliens: Colonial Marines info makes our hearts go pitter-patter – of course that might just be an incubating chestburster we’re feeling.

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Aliens: Colonial Marines will be releasing Spring 2012 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC – just ahead of Ridley Scott’s Alien tie-in film, Prometheus.