Post by Pissant Soldier on Jan 13, 2009 12:56:42 GMT -5
Anyone else looking forward to this? I just found out a whole load of new info about it and it sounds very good, I especially like the sound of the 'make a stand' feature.
More details that I found on the xbox forums,
Full Title
ALIENS: Colonial Marines
Release Date
Contrary to recent gaming news on Kotaku and ShackNews, the game is NOT cancelled. Gearbox President, Randy Pitchford’s official response to those news stories stated that "Aliens isn't canned,". The last and most recent official date we have heard from SEGA has the game marked for Q1 of 2009. But it is more likely to be a case of, its done when its done.
Formats
The game is being developed for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Game Engine
The developers are using the most recent version of the UE3 engine. Same one as Gear of War 2.
Is this a remake of the cancelled PS2 Aliens Colonial Marines game?
To answer that I’ll just quote what wieder said:
“The game isn't intentionally related to the previous game, but the title was absolutely perfect. It's not an association we're upset to have, as we all wish that game had been able to be finished because it showed promise. But yeah, any similarities are coincidences or just because they are good ideas for an Aliens game.”
Single Player Campaign
The games single player component will focus on the Colonial Marines from James Cameron‘s sequel, ALIENS. Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox software said:
"Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective,".
Cooperative Campaign
The game will feature 4 player drop in / out coop mode that can be played online with friends, or offline in two player split screen mode, or a combination of both. No word on whether the screen will be split horizontally or vertically. *Crosses fingers for the former.*
Online Multiplayer
The game will feature an online MP component, but no details have been released as of yet. Sega have said that details will be released later in 2008.
Story
The story is a collaboration between Gearbox and the writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle who most recently wrote for the Battlestar Galactica series. The game will be divided up into 'TV-style' episodes. GamePro said the campaign will be split up into three distinct acts rather than one long continuous story.
Story wise the game seems to pick-up directly after Alien 3, which is only a couple of weeks (at the most) after the events in ALIENS. The Gamer Informer magazine stated that details of what actually happened on LV-426 are unknown, only that the only remaining clue after the deaths of Ripley and the destruction of the Hadley’s Hope colony, is the Sulaco left adrift in space at the beginning of Alien 3.
Also mentioned in GI and PSW magazine previews is the Weyland-Yutani Corporation sub-plot from the movies. Apparently it will be woven into the main plot, with a behind the scenes conspiracy narrative in which they want to harness the alien as a biological weapon.
We have also heard from other previews and sources that we will finally get to learn more about the alien race known as the Space Jockey found long dead in the derelict spacecraft from the first movie.
Gameplay
It seems Gearbox intend to give us a broad range of experiences when it comes to gameplay as can be evidenced by the following gameplay aspects.
Squad Play - Aside from himself the player will have control over three other colonial marines making for a four man squad. The squad gameplay wont be as in depth as BIA or Rainbow Six: Vegas. And players will have to re-evaluate the standard squad based tactics. Positioning and firepower along with cooperation will take precedence over finding cover. There is also some contradictive information from PSW magazine that said "You’ll control a squad of six pumped-up marines". However the squad numbers could be like in Gearbox's other game BIA: Hells Highway, in which you control different sums of men dependent on the mission.
Driving - The game will apparently feature driving of some sort, but no details on what vehicle or how it will be implemented.
Solo Play - From time to time the player will find themselves completely alone against the xenomorph. This was talked about by Brian Martel in the GI video interview. He said it was important to capture the solo horror elements from the original film.
Make a Stand - The game will also feature 'Make a Stand' moments which will be like the alien assault on operations in the movie ALIENS. A classic siege moment, the player will receive information over his com-link that aliens are about to attack. The player will have a slim amount of time to secure the area by giving orders to his squad, like seal vent / door with welder, lock-down a hatch with the hacking kit, position and set-up sentry guns, booby-trap air vents and oxygen tanks with explosives, or push heavy objects like tables and cabinets in front of windows or other openings. Once time is up, the aliens will attack wave after wave coming from every un-secured opening and the squad must hold them off to survive.
Context Sensitive Orders
The control mechanic is context sensitive based similar to Brother in Arms or Rainbow Six: Vegas. We will be able to send marines to perform specialised tasks like sealing vents, hacking terminals and setting up sentry guns etc. In addition the player will be able to give basic move to, attack and follow commands. PSW mag said squad commands will be given with a combination of the D-pad and (X) button on PS3.
Marine Squad
GamePro magazine said the player will choose his squad from a pool of 12 characters, all with different personalities and skills such as hacking, welding, explosives etc. Although other previews have contradicted this by saying we will lead a six man squad. We do know the marines will each have a unique set of weapons and equipment and they will also have a psychological attribute which will effect how they react to the alien threat.
Quote from GamePro: "some are more likely to panic than others but may wield more powerful guns."
We also know that four of the characters are currently named Winter, Bella, Monday and Sergeant O’Neal, and that female marines will appear alongside their male counterparts.
Close Encounters
To you and me that's Quick-Time Events (QTE), but Gearbox prefer to call them 'Close Encounters' since they are taking a different approach to them with their game. It has been said that the QTE’s are tightly scripted events that appear at set points during the course of the game and play out from the players first person perspective. When a QTE occurs, it will replace the players standard control scheme with a prompt mechanic that flashes up bright, but subtle colours at the edges of the screen. They represent a corresponding control on the controller which the player must press to succeed at the mini-game. Pressing the correct seqeunce of corresponding buttons will play out the entirety of the first person view cinematic like experience.
According to the gameplayer preview, the QTE's won't require super fast reflexes like in other games (Tomb Raider: Legend, God of War, Resident Evil 4). And PC controls will be designed separately to make the QTE's feel intuitive to use with M/K.
Its been speculated that the QTEs will also be initiated when an alien moves into melee distance. And its been confirmed in one article that face huggers will also initiate a QTE if they land on your face. So at least some of these QTE's should be random rather than linear and always occurring in the same spot.
Load-Out
Each character can carry five items of equipment; four weapons and a single gadget. Additionally, it was mentioned in the Game Informer preview, that in general we wont be picking up / dropping or switching weapons. (Hopefully they just meant the aliens wont be dropping weapons and we can in fact have a choice over which guns and gadgets we get to use during a level). Here is what the marines carry:-
* Primary Weapon: Includes Pulse rifles and Smart Guns etc.
* Secondary Weapon: These weapons are personalised to the character like Hicks’ shotgun.
* Sidearm: A pistol for backup or use with a gadget in the off-hand, like a motion tracker.
* Grenade: Maybe for use with the pulse rifles grenade launcher? or maybe used as an ad-hoc hand grenade?
* Gadget: Motion tracker, medkit, welder etc.
Marine Arsenal
The game features a moderate arsenal and so far that includes the following:-
* M41A Pulse Rifle - Seen in screenshots.
* M240 Flame Thrower - Seen in screenshots.
* M56 Smart Gun - Mentioned in various previews.
* Shotun - Seen in screenshots. Unknown if it is the same model as Hicks Ithaca pump action.
* VP70 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Seen in screenshots.
* 1911 Pistol lookalike - (Jace Hall footage: a pistol is shown that looks like the M4A3 Semi-Auto from the CMTM).
* M40 HE Fragmentation Grenade - Used with the pulse rifles GL. Not known if it can be used as an ad-hoc hand thrown grenade yet.
* UA 571-C Remote Sentry Weapons System - Seen in screenshots.
* Explosive - Mentioned in previews.
* RPG - Mentioned in PSW. Maybe the M5 Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher from the CMTM?
Gadgets
The following gadgets are confirmed so far:-
* Motion Tracker - An actual in-game model that the player can equip in his off-hand. When equipped the player wont be able to use his primary weapon. But will be able to equip his pistol in his free hand.
* Medical Kit - This item can revive injured squad mates and neutralise acid burns. Your A.I. Squad can also use this item to revive the player.
* Hacking Kit - Is used for bypassing lock-downs on doors.
* Welder - Used for sealing air vents and doors. (No confirmation on whether it can be used to cut new entryways or doors open yet.)
Locations & Combat Environments
We will be experiencing both claustrophobic interior combat as well as less-restrictive outdoor conflicts. Here is a list of locations we have heard about so far:-
* Sulaco - This will be the opening mission according to GI.
* Alien Derelict - Mentioned in GI preview we will re-visit LV-426 and the crashed alien vessel.
* Cargo Ship - Talked about in CVG mini preview.
* Futuristic City - See the city concept art.
* Deep Space Mining Asteroid - Apparently it acts as a cover for a secret W-Y alien research facility.
* Shanty Mining Town - According to the gameplayer preview its on a barely terraformed sterile dark planet.
* Fiorina 'Fury' 161 Prison Facility - Mentioned in PSW magazine preview.
Characters and Enemies
So far we have heard about a number of non-playable characters and enemies that will be appearing in the game. The developers have said that alternate xenomorph types wont be anything stupid appearance wise. Instead any new alien types will mostly differentiate themselves with their behaviour and attack patterns. Here is a list of characters and enemies we know about so far:-
* Androids - Suggested in PSM, but not whether they will be enemies, friendly or both.
* Human Opponents - Confirmed in GI magazine, but its still unclear who they will be (Weyland-Yutani?)
* Warrior - See screenshots. The classic ridged Cameron alien design seen in the second film. This alien will be the main one we encounter and it will often attack in numbers.
* Drone - Talked about in GI, this sub-species of alien appeared in Cameron’s original movie script. It wasn’t used in the film, but it was to be the worker caste, nursemaid and hive builder. GI said the devs are experimenting with this caste and its ability to transport eggs using a special carapace. (Not confirmed)
* Scout - In GI, the devs confirmed the smooth headed Giger design from the original film will appear in the game, and will be a much more sneaky solo hunter compared to the Warrior.
* Face Hugger - Seen in screenshots.
* Chest Burster - PSM said there will be exploding stomachs.
* Queen - Confirmed in GamesAbyss preview.
Animation
The alien characters are being animated fully by hand using NaturalMotion's middleware morpheme engine. No motion capture for the xeno's, this is to make them appear more inhuman and more alien like. In the gameplayer preview it was said aliens move impressively. They are fast and agile and hop around the level, grabbing onto pillars and leaping back down to the ground to attack marines by whipping their tails and slashing with their claws. David Carter, director of animation at Gearbox said:-
"NaturalMotion's morpheme is poised to make a huge impact on the animation pipelines at Gearbox Software. Gone are the days of building countless transition and tweening animations, morpheme takes care of it all, while placing the 'look' of AI behaviors complete in the hands of our animators."
Alien A.I.
The developers have said the aliens will be smarter in this game, compared to older Alien titles. The aliens will use the air ducts to travel around and launch surprise attacks. They will hide in air ducts, pipes in the ceiling and the grating under the floor and wait for just the right moment to attack. The aliens will often attack players and their team-mates head-on, but they will also set clever traps and attack from ambush. The alien movement within the environment will be unpredictable making it difficult for the player to draw a bead on them as they move and attack.
Heads-Up Display
The HUD will be minimal, with nothing but weapon model (complete with left side, built-in ammo counter) in hand and a small crosshair for targeting the enemy. Its unknown how other information like objectives and reserve ammo will be represented.
Aim Down the Sights
It appears that the weapons will have an 'ADTS' feature similar to BIA and COD4. Not completely sure if all the weapons have that feature since we have only seen the pistol aimed with iron sights in the Jace Hall footage, but if its anything like GBXs other games then all the weapons should have it. PSW magazine said that the action resembles Call of Duty with its aim down the scope targeting.
Health, Damage & Death
This hasn't been talked about very much yet. From previews, we do know that the game will have a recharging health system similar to Halo / COD4 etc. It was also said that the medic character will be able to treat acid burns and revive critically injured team mates. Apparently, the marines wont die until the plot deems it necessary later on in the game. However recently we have heard conflicting information from PSW magazine, that says if a marine does die then the player wont have access to that marines skills anymore. So there really isn’t much clarity as far as squad mate deaths are concerned.
Gore, Drool and Acid Blood
It has been said there will be plenty of blood and guts and if its anything like Gearbox’s other game BIA: Hells Highway then it will be more than enough. The devs have also mentioned that they are implementing alien drool using in game shaders, and that acid blood will mark the environment and hurt the players, but it wont corrode away the environment except for leaving burn marks etc. Though there will be static acid burned holes pre-built into the levels for aliens to emerge from.
Authenticity
Gearbox are well known for their faithful recreation of the source material they are working from as can be seen in their previous titles. For instance in ACM:-
* The Aliens: Colonial Marines development team have access to all the original mixed and un-mixed sound recordings from Cameron's film provided by Fox. The sound guys said they are busy remixing / recreating them through modern sound hardware/software.
* They have contacted Syd Mead who was a concept artist on the films, and are working with many other artists who also worked on the films. Syd Mead actually went back and created new concept pieces for the game, like designing the rest of the Sulaco for gamers to explore.
* The ACM team have accurately matched the film grain and colour tones to recreate the original look of the films.
* They have constructed an actual working pulse rifle, motion tracker and apparently their offices are filled with other aliens related props and toys.
* And best of all, Gearbox's Brian Martel (Executive Vice President) even got the chance to sit down with Ridley Scott (the original Alien films director), and discuss the whole back story of where he thinks the Alien came from and the species known as the Space Jockey.
More details that I found on the xbox forums,
Full Title
ALIENS: Colonial Marines
Release Date
Contrary to recent gaming news on Kotaku and ShackNews, the game is NOT cancelled. Gearbox President, Randy Pitchford’s official response to those news stories stated that "Aliens isn't canned,". The last and most recent official date we have heard from SEGA has the game marked for Q1 of 2009. But it is more likely to be a case of, its done when its done.
Formats
The game is being developed for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Game Engine
The developers are using the most recent version of the UE3 engine. Same one as Gear of War 2.
Is this a remake of the cancelled PS2 Aliens Colonial Marines game?
To answer that I’ll just quote what wieder said:
“The game isn't intentionally related to the previous game, but the title was absolutely perfect. It's not an association we're upset to have, as we all wish that game had been able to be finished because it showed promise. But yeah, any similarities are coincidences or just because they are good ideas for an Aliens game.”
Single Player Campaign
The games single player component will focus on the Colonial Marines from James Cameron‘s sequel, ALIENS. Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox software said:
"Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective,".
Cooperative Campaign
The game will feature 4 player drop in / out coop mode that can be played online with friends, or offline in two player split screen mode, or a combination of both. No word on whether the screen will be split horizontally or vertically. *Crosses fingers for the former.*
Online Multiplayer
The game will feature an online MP component, but no details have been released as of yet. Sega have said that details will be released later in 2008.
Story
The story is a collaboration between Gearbox and the writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle who most recently wrote for the Battlestar Galactica series. The game will be divided up into 'TV-style' episodes. GamePro said the campaign will be split up into three distinct acts rather than one long continuous story.
Story wise the game seems to pick-up directly after Alien 3, which is only a couple of weeks (at the most) after the events in ALIENS. The Gamer Informer magazine stated that details of what actually happened on LV-426 are unknown, only that the only remaining clue after the deaths of Ripley and the destruction of the Hadley’s Hope colony, is the Sulaco left adrift in space at the beginning of Alien 3.
Also mentioned in GI and PSW magazine previews is the Weyland-Yutani Corporation sub-plot from the movies. Apparently it will be woven into the main plot, with a behind the scenes conspiracy narrative in which they want to harness the alien as a biological weapon.
We have also heard from other previews and sources that we will finally get to learn more about the alien race known as the Space Jockey found long dead in the derelict spacecraft from the first movie.
Gameplay
It seems Gearbox intend to give us a broad range of experiences when it comes to gameplay as can be evidenced by the following gameplay aspects.
Squad Play - Aside from himself the player will have control over three other colonial marines making for a four man squad. The squad gameplay wont be as in depth as BIA or Rainbow Six: Vegas. And players will have to re-evaluate the standard squad based tactics. Positioning and firepower along with cooperation will take precedence over finding cover. There is also some contradictive information from PSW magazine that said "You’ll control a squad of six pumped-up marines". However the squad numbers could be like in Gearbox's other game BIA: Hells Highway, in which you control different sums of men dependent on the mission.
Driving - The game will apparently feature driving of some sort, but no details on what vehicle or how it will be implemented.
Solo Play - From time to time the player will find themselves completely alone against the xenomorph. This was talked about by Brian Martel in the GI video interview. He said it was important to capture the solo horror elements from the original film.
Make a Stand - The game will also feature 'Make a Stand' moments which will be like the alien assault on operations in the movie ALIENS. A classic siege moment, the player will receive information over his com-link that aliens are about to attack. The player will have a slim amount of time to secure the area by giving orders to his squad, like seal vent / door with welder, lock-down a hatch with the hacking kit, position and set-up sentry guns, booby-trap air vents and oxygen tanks with explosives, or push heavy objects like tables and cabinets in front of windows or other openings. Once time is up, the aliens will attack wave after wave coming from every un-secured opening and the squad must hold them off to survive.
Context Sensitive Orders
The control mechanic is context sensitive based similar to Brother in Arms or Rainbow Six: Vegas. We will be able to send marines to perform specialised tasks like sealing vents, hacking terminals and setting up sentry guns etc. In addition the player will be able to give basic move to, attack and follow commands. PSW mag said squad commands will be given with a combination of the D-pad and (X) button on PS3.
Marine Squad
GamePro magazine said the player will choose his squad from a pool of 12 characters, all with different personalities and skills such as hacking, welding, explosives etc. Although other previews have contradicted this by saying we will lead a six man squad. We do know the marines will each have a unique set of weapons and equipment and they will also have a psychological attribute which will effect how they react to the alien threat.
Quote from GamePro: "some are more likely to panic than others but may wield more powerful guns."
We also know that four of the characters are currently named Winter, Bella, Monday and Sergeant O’Neal, and that female marines will appear alongside their male counterparts.
Close Encounters
To you and me that's Quick-Time Events (QTE), but Gearbox prefer to call them 'Close Encounters' since they are taking a different approach to them with their game. It has been said that the QTE’s are tightly scripted events that appear at set points during the course of the game and play out from the players first person perspective. When a QTE occurs, it will replace the players standard control scheme with a prompt mechanic that flashes up bright, but subtle colours at the edges of the screen. They represent a corresponding control on the controller which the player must press to succeed at the mini-game. Pressing the correct seqeunce of corresponding buttons will play out the entirety of the first person view cinematic like experience.
According to the gameplayer preview, the QTE's won't require super fast reflexes like in other games (Tomb Raider: Legend, God of War, Resident Evil 4). And PC controls will be designed separately to make the QTE's feel intuitive to use with M/K.
Its been speculated that the QTEs will also be initiated when an alien moves into melee distance. And its been confirmed in one article that face huggers will also initiate a QTE if they land on your face. So at least some of these QTE's should be random rather than linear and always occurring in the same spot.
Load-Out
Each character can carry five items of equipment; four weapons and a single gadget. Additionally, it was mentioned in the Game Informer preview, that in general we wont be picking up / dropping or switching weapons. (Hopefully they just meant the aliens wont be dropping weapons and we can in fact have a choice over which guns and gadgets we get to use during a level). Here is what the marines carry:-
* Primary Weapon: Includes Pulse rifles and Smart Guns etc.
* Secondary Weapon: These weapons are personalised to the character like Hicks’ shotgun.
* Sidearm: A pistol for backup or use with a gadget in the off-hand, like a motion tracker.
* Grenade: Maybe for use with the pulse rifles grenade launcher? or maybe used as an ad-hoc hand grenade?
* Gadget: Motion tracker, medkit, welder etc.
Marine Arsenal
The game features a moderate arsenal and so far that includes the following:-
* M41A Pulse Rifle - Seen in screenshots.
* M240 Flame Thrower - Seen in screenshots.
* M56 Smart Gun - Mentioned in various previews.
* Shotun - Seen in screenshots. Unknown if it is the same model as Hicks Ithaca pump action.
* VP70 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Seen in screenshots.
* 1911 Pistol lookalike - (Jace Hall footage: a pistol is shown that looks like the M4A3 Semi-Auto from the CMTM).
* M40 HE Fragmentation Grenade - Used with the pulse rifles GL. Not known if it can be used as an ad-hoc hand thrown grenade yet.
* UA 571-C Remote Sentry Weapons System - Seen in screenshots.
* Explosive - Mentioned in previews.
* RPG - Mentioned in PSW. Maybe the M5 Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher from the CMTM?
Gadgets
The following gadgets are confirmed so far:-
* Motion Tracker - An actual in-game model that the player can equip in his off-hand. When equipped the player wont be able to use his primary weapon. But will be able to equip his pistol in his free hand.
* Medical Kit - This item can revive injured squad mates and neutralise acid burns. Your A.I. Squad can also use this item to revive the player.
* Hacking Kit - Is used for bypassing lock-downs on doors.
* Welder - Used for sealing air vents and doors. (No confirmation on whether it can be used to cut new entryways or doors open yet.)
Locations & Combat Environments
We will be experiencing both claustrophobic interior combat as well as less-restrictive outdoor conflicts. Here is a list of locations we have heard about so far:-
* Sulaco - This will be the opening mission according to GI.
* Alien Derelict - Mentioned in GI preview we will re-visit LV-426 and the crashed alien vessel.
* Cargo Ship - Talked about in CVG mini preview.
* Futuristic City - See the city concept art.
* Deep Space Mining Asteroid - Apparently it acts as a cover for a secret W-Y alien research facility.
* Shanty Mining Town - According to the gameplayer preview its on a barely terraformed sterile dark planet.
* Fiorina 'Fury' 161 Prison Facility - Mentioned in PSW magazine preview.
Characters and Enemies
So far we have heard about a number of non-playable characters and enemies that will be appearing in the game. The developers have said that alternate xenomorph types wont be anything stupid appearance wise. Instead any new alien types will mostly differentiate themselves with their behaviour and attack patterns. Here is a list of characters and enemies we know about so far:-
* Androids - Suggested in PSM, but not whether they will be enemies, friendly or both.
* Human Opponents - Confirmed in GI magazine, but its still unclear who they will be (Weyland-Yutani?)
* Warrior - See screenshots. The classic ridged Cameron alien design seen in the second film. This alien will be the main one we encounter and it will often attack in numbers.
* Drone - Talked about in GI, this sub-species of alien appeared in Cameron’s original movie script. It wasn’t used in the film, but it was to be the worker caste, nursemaid and hive builder. GI said the devs are experimenting with this caste and its ability to transport eggs using a special carapace. (Not confirmed)
* Scout - In GI, the devs confirmed the smooth headed Giger design from the original film will appear in the game, and will be a much more sneaky solo hunter compared to the Warrior.
* Face Hugger - Seen in screenshots.
* Chest Burster - PSM said there will be exploding stomachs.
* Queen - Confirmed in GamesAbyss preview.
Animation
The alien characters are being animated fully by hand using NaturalMotion's middleware morpheme engine. No motion capture for the xeno's, this is to make them appear more inhuman and more alien like. In the gameplayer preview it was said aliens move impressively. They are fast and agile and hop around the level, grabbing onto pillars and leaping back down to the ground to attack marines by whipping their tails and slashing with their claws. David Carter, director of animation at Gearbox said:-
"NaturalMotion's morpheme is poised to make a huge impact on the animation pipelines at Gearbox Software. Gone are the days of building countless transition and tweening animations, morpheme takes care of it all, while placing the 'look' of AI behaviors complete in the hands of our animators."
Alien A.I.
The developers have said the aliens will be smarter in this game, compared to older Alien titles. The aliens will use the air ducts to travel around and launch surprise attacks. They will hide in air ducts, pipes in the ceiling and the grating under the floor and wait for just the right moment to attack. The aliens will often attack players and their team-mates head-on, but they will also set clever traps and attack from ambush. The alien movement within the environment will be unpredictable making it difficult for the player to draw a bead on them as they move and attack.
Heads-Up Display
The HUD will be minimal, with nothing but weapon model (complete with left side, built-in ammo counter) in hand and a small crosshair for targeting the enemy. Its unknown how other information like objectives and reserve ammo will be represented.
Aim Down the Sights
It appears that the weapons will have an 'ADTS' feature similar to BIA and COD4. Not completely sure if all the weapons have that feature since we have only seen the pistol aimed with iron sights in the Jace Hall footage, but if its anything like GBXs other games then all the weapons should have it. PSW magazine said that the action resembles Call of Duty with its aim down the scope targeting.
Health, Damage & Death
This hasn't been talked about very much yet. From previews, we do know that the game will have a recharging health system similar to Halo / COD4 etc. It was also said that the medic character will be able to treat acid burns and revive critically injured team mates. Apparently, the marines wont die until the plot deems it necessary later on in the game. However recently we have heard conflicting information from PSW magazine, that says if a marine does die then the player wont have access to that marines skills anymore. So there really isn’t much clarity as far as squad mate deaths are concerned.
Gore, Drool and Acid Blood
It has been said there will be plenty of blood and guts and if its anything like Gearbox’s other game BIA: Hells Highway then it will be more than enough. The devs have also mentioned that they are implementing alien drool using in game shaders, and that acid blood will mark the environment and hurt the players, but it wont corrode away the environment except for leaving burn marks etc. Though there will be static acid burned holes pre-built into the levels for aliens to emerge from.
Authenticity
Gearbox are well known for their faithful recreation of the source material they are working from as can be seen in their previous titles. For instance in ACM:-
* The Aliens: Colonial Marines development team have access to all the original mixed and un-mixed sound recordings from Cameron's film provided by Fox. The sound guys said they are busy remixing / recreating them through modern sound hardware/software.
* They have contacted Syd Mead who was a concept artist on the films, and are working with many other artists who also worked on the films. Syd Mead actually went back and created new concept pieces for the game, like designing the rest of the Sulaco for gamers to explore.
* The ACM team have accurately matched the film grain and colour tones to recreate the original look of the films.
* They have constructed an actual working pulse rifle, motion tracker and apparently their offices are filled with other aliens related props and toys.
* And best of all, Gearbox's Brian Martel (Executive Vice President) even got the chance to sit down with Ridley Scott (the original Alien films director), and discuss the whole back story of where he thinks the Alien came from and the species known as the Space Jockey.