_CaNkER_ Offline

Just when I thought Prometheus was bad...

Several months ago I heard about the game 'Aliens: Colonial Marines'. The marketing gurus were doing their job getting people all excited and as a fan of the story line, I was damned near dribbling with anticipation.
As the months went by, the teasers and tidbits run by the advertisers, had me amped up and ready to rock!.

A week ago I bought the game.

Note to self; It's probably a hint when you buy a fairly recent game with a big red sticker saying "Only $28" and the other price sticker says "$79.36", on the discount/sale table.

The initial start of the game where the 'Sulaco' (Colonial marine ship in the movie Aliens 2 and the start of Alien 3) is found back orbiting the planet LV-426, by the rescue team mentioned in the movie Aliens 2, looked like a strange but positive begining to the story.
In the comic series Aliens Colonial Marines, there are humans who've eaten way too much alien queen royal jelly, and whilst looking bug-eyed/headed and not someone you'd want to see on an organ donor list, they can fly a ship.
Unfortunately the Colonial Marines story line only goes so far as a stolen name.

I'm used to seeing a storyline bastardised beyond recognition, and am happy to tolerate it because sometimes the newer version(s) are better.
Not in this case.

But the most unforgivable aspect of this game is that it's 10 years past its prime.
If this had come out on PS1 or PS2, then the lack-luster graphics would have been 'amazing' at the time. On a PS3 they just look half-arsed.
I honestly get the feeling it was intended to be released on an earlier platform but sidelined for several years before some ad-hoc "improvements". Everything about it from the graphics to the game play smack of dodgy, last minute work combined with sheer lack of thought or focus.

The sloppy control of weapons is bad enough without the pointless "upgrades". Can anyone explain why the targeting cross hairs wobble out of sync with the weapon?
The limited game space of locked/broken doors and inaccessable areas in general, smacks of Doom/Castle Wolfenstein versions 1. "You must follow this path and not deviate!". Exploreing is not encouraged or enabled.
The lack of capacity to 'save game' or start from a recent checkpoint becomes an issue when you begin a level with low health/armour, from the start, for the 15th-20th time.

Shoddy construction and implementation of a decent concept lets this game down severely. If it was a Hollywood movie, it'd go straight to DVD without ever seeing the inside of a cinema.

Long story short, if someone buys this for you as a gift, leave it in the plastic wrap and sell it immediately. It's not worth the effort of opening.