Aliens: Colonial Marines



Aliens: Colonial Marines is an upcoming First-Person Shooter being developed by Gearbox Software, and set in the Alien universe.

The game is presented as the "true sequel" to the Aliens film. The player will step into the shoes of a United States Colonial Marine and investigate the circumstances behind what happened to Ellen Ripley and the survivors who escaped LV-426 by traveling through several locales from the film universe (including the U.S.S. Sulaco and the Hadley's Hope colony, among several others). Along the way, they'll discover an alien assault more intense and horrific than ever before. The game boasts classic Aliens weaponry ranging from pulse rifles to flamethrowers as well as new equipment and skills all within a squad-based combat system. It features a story driven single-player mode as well as a four player co-op mode allowing players to share the experience with three friends.

The game is set to be released across several platforms on February 12, 2013.

Tropes appearing in this work include:

 * Air Vent Passageway: How the Xenomorphs travel throughout Hadley's Hope, much like the films.
 * Anyone Can Die / Red Shirt: As evidenced by the E3 2011 demo, many generic Marines will meet their end at the hands of the Xenomorphs.
 * Artificial Limbs: A marine who appears to be in charge in the demo had an artificial leg.
 * A Space Marine Is You: Obviously.
 * Ceiling Cling
 * Continuity Nod: Much like other recent video game sequels to film franchises, Colonial Marines is essentially an excuse to revisit locations and set-pieces from Aliens. According to Gearbox, the game is a "love letter" to fans of the sequel, and that they had access to original production assets that were screen-used, which means that many elements of the film are namechecked and/or seen.
 * During Act 2, the player visits the Operations Deck (which has been partially destroyed due to the processor explosion). However, a table that displays a map of the facility is the only item that's still operational (and one of the Marines eyes it curiously) - it's the same map Hudson used to locate the signals of the missing colonists in the film.
 * Continuous Decompression: Used during the escape from - a dropship and the contents of the cargo bay are sucked out through a wall.
 * Crapsack World: LV-426 is in even worse shape since the events of Aliens. Thanks to the destruction of the atmospheric processor, the immediate area around the colony is littered with debris. probably won't help matters, either.
 * Enemy Detecting Radar: The Marines' motion detector.
 * Immune to Bullets: The Charger is apparently impervious to all small-arms fire.
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
 * Indy Hat Roll
 * The Juggernaut: A new Xenomorph type called "The Charger". Guess how it attacks.
 * Late to the Party: The game follows two platoons of Marines who come upon the aftermath of the events of the film (which, in turn, involved Ripley and another squad of Marines arriving at the aftermath of Hadley Hope's last stand).
 * Made of Iron: In the first gameplay walkthrough, the Marine player character survives a concussion from unknown circumstances, then shrugs off an Xenomorph attack that results in the Marine being thrown through a sheet of glass (while fighting the creature) and falling several meters to the ground. One of the accompanying Marines later comments on your improbable survival (right after you've outrun a Charger and slid underneath a closing door), noting "You're one tough son of a bitch!"
 * POV Sequel: At least one act of the game takes place on Hadley's Hope, making it the same plot as the second film (escape the planet while fighting off a horde of Xenomorphs), told from the perspective of the reinforcements that were called to assist the previous crew (of the Sulaco) who were there.
 * Ragnarok Proofing: Despite there being a thermonuclear explosion at the end of the film, a good deal of the colony's buildings and the technology therein have held up surprisingly well.
 * Retcon: Alien 3 began with the Sulaco two weeks out from LV-426 before it evacuated the cryopods. Colonial Marines retcons this by explaining that the Sulaco has been inexplicably circling LV-426 for several weeks. Whether or not there's a reason for this change remains to be seen.
 * Send in the Search Team: The player character is part of the rescue team mentioned by Ripley and Hudson in the film once they were declared overdue.
 * Sentry Gun: The sentries are now placeable weapons that can be used to repel Xenomorph attacks.
 * Surprisingly-Sudden Death: At several points, Marines are suddenly snatched and killed by the Xenomorphs.
 * Vertical Kidnapping: A preferred method of attack by the Xenomorphs.
 * Wall Crawl
 * Weld the Lock: Same as in the films, characters will often weld doors shut behind them in an attempt to hold off approaching Xenomorphs.