In the week leading up to E3, I was peppered with enough random "Aliens" gear to choke a xenomorph. But modded nerf guns and bloody doll heads aren't the same as seeing "Aliens: Colonial Marines" in action, which I had the chance to do just a few minutes ago.
Gearbox Software has been developing "Colonial Marines" for years now, but they finally took the wraps off the game at this year's E3. Randy Pitchford, the CEO of Gearbox, is referring to this game as the "true sequel to 'Aliens.'" He was quick to follow that statement up by showing his respect for "Alien 3," while saying that it's a very different movie than aliens. After all, it's just one alien against a group of untrained survivors. "Aliens" was about well-armed, well-trained soldiers killing hundreds and hundreds of aliens in a hail of bullets. And that's definitely the tone of "Aliens: Colonial Marines."
Although the demo started out quietly, with a small squad of marines investigating Hadley's Hope (the ravaged colony from "Aliens"), things quickly went south.
The classic "Aliens" motion sensor is back, with the hitch being that you have to shoulder your rifle while using it. In the demo, the familiar ping heralded certain doom, as the squad was assaulted from floor and ceiling vents by full-sized xenomorphs.
The rest of the demo became a fight for survival, as the squad raced away from the hordes, right into the face of a brand new varient of xenomorph: The Crusher. You know how that alien who invested the dog in "Alien 3" was pretty nasty? Well, imagine that dog was a rhino and you're half way there.
The race from The Crusher led the squad into an armory packed to the gills with pulse rifles and auto turrets. Unfortunately it was also a dead end. Where better to set up an fire-filled last stand with placed turrets and aliens pouring out of the walls? It was around this time that Randy showed off the 4-player, drop-in, drop-out co-op for the game, which runs through the entire campaign and doesn't require a checkpoint reload.
Things ended poorly, predictably, with the massive Alien queen bursting through a steel door, tossing a power lifter like it was a LEGO truck. Yeah, that's aliens for ya. Always ending on a downer.