Aliens: Colonial Marines

[lilhasselhoffer]

Kotaku source:
http://kotaku.com/5986694/from-dream...s?popular=true

Escapist source:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...m_campaign=all


I'm missing where the information isn't justified. Gearbox got the license from Sega. They sat on the license, developing their own games. Sega presses for some return on their investment, after the RPG falls through (though there may still be hope). Gearbox can't spare development time, because they've got their in-house IP to work on. They farm the business out to another dev, thinking that the heavy lifting will be done while they focus on other projects. 9 months prior to release date they get back a game that might be release ready in 12 months. They rush to finish the project, cutting substantial corners.

Gearbox pushes the game out the door "on time." The game sells on the strength of the franchise, and reviewers are stifled until it's too late.

Disregarding the catty crap slung between companies, you've got two studios with completely different visions working on the project. Taking the most positive view, let's say both companies have a track record of releasing quality products (I know this may be difficult). The underpinnings weren't adequately defined, so there are two different sets of goals.


All of this would be reason for a functionally passable game, if nothing special. There were two factors that bring the media s##t cannons to bear; Gearbox was responsible for the similarly mediocre DNF and the sales figures were vastly inflated because people absolutely love the Aliens franchise (combined with a very promising trailer).



Is this as bad as it is being made out to be; no. It's a lot like Prometheus. If you removed the Aliens pedigree you'd have something generic, but decently playable. Unfortunately, they used name recognition for sales, and the media is using that to crucify Gearbox. The only response the could give, that won't earn them more rage, would be silence and a stream of free patches to fix some of the more egregious issues.

People say you are "in denial" because there are vocal defenders of this game. I think we can reasonably agree that the game has flaws. You've found ways to fix some of them on the PC, but what about the console? People without a gaming rig are playing a different game, which is what they are reviewing. Can you honestly say the vanilla game isn't a disappointment?



It is my intention to pick this game up with all the DLC, and the substantial official patching it needs, when it hits $5 in a Steam sale. I choose that number because games like The Binding of Isaac, Alien Breed, and Overlord are all under $5 and offer more fun with the same (or longer) campaigns. $60 for one game, or $60 for 12 games. I don't think this game can compete.

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by lilhasselhoffer

Kotaku source:
http://kotaku.com/5986694/from-dream...s?popular=true

Escapist source:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...m_campaign=all


I'm missing where the information isn't justified. Gearbox got the license from Sega. They sat on the license, developing their own games. Sega presses for some return on their investment, after the RPG falls through (though there may still be hope). Gearbox can't spare development time, because they've got their in-house IP to work on. They farm the business out to another dev, thinking that the heavy lifting will be done while they focus on other projects. 9 months prior to release date they get back a game that might be release ready in 12 months. They rush to finish the project, cutting substantial corners.

Gearbox pushes the game out the door "on time." The game sells on the strength of the franchise, and reviewers are stifled until it's too late.

Disregarding the catty crap slung between companies, you've got two studios with completely different visions working on the project. Taking the most positive view, let's say both companies have a track record of releasing quality products (I know this may be difficult). The underpinnings weren't adequately defined, so there are two different sets of goals.


All of this would be reason for a functionally passable game, if nothing special. There were two factors that bring the media s##t cannons to bear; Gearbox was responsible for the similarly mediocre DNF and the sales figures were vastly inflated because people absolutely love the Aliens franchise (combined with a very promising trailer).



Is this as bad as it is being made out to be; no. It's a lot like Prometheus. If you removed the Aliens pedigree you'd have something generic, but decently playable. Unfortunately, they used name recognition for sales, and the media is using that to crucify Gearbox. The only response the could give, that won't earn them more rage, would be silence and a stream of free patches to fix some of the more egregious issues.

People say you are "in denial" because there are vocal defenders of this game. I think we can reasonably agree that the game has flaws. You've found ways to fix some of them on the PC, but what about the console? People without a gaming rig are playing a different game, which is what they are reviewing. Can you honestly say the vanilla game isn't a disappointment?



It is my intention to pick this game up with all the DLC, and the substantial official patching it needs, when it hits $5 in a Steam sale. I choose that number because games like The Binding of Isaac, Alien Breed, and Overlord are all under $5 and offer more fun with the same (or longer) campaigns. $60 for one game, or $60 for 12 games. I don't think this game can compete.

I love Prometheus even without the "Aliens" edge to it. Very cool movie.

[cadaveca]

Originally Posted by lilhasselhoffer

It is my intention to pick this game up with all the DLC, and the substantial official patching it needs, when it hits $5 in a Steam sale. I choose that number because games like The Binding of Isaac, Alien Breed, and Overlord are all under $5 and offer more fun with the same (or longer) campaigns. $60 for one game, or $60 for 12 games. I don't think this game can compete.

I played the game start to finish without any game-stopping bugs or anything. I did play through it in co-op, and on the hardest difficulty. Having done so, It's really hard for me to agree with any of these reviews out, and it really makes me wonder if these reviewers actually played the game.


Or perhaps I was entertained, and that was enough for me.

[D007]

I have said it a million times and I will say it again.
We should not even begin to act like what they did was ok, or that we got the game they showed us.
We were lied to, plain and simple..

That being said, the game we did get, was actually worth playing.
But I do not consider it to be the game I was shown.
90 hours and counting of game time, says I got my 50 bucks worth and some.

I had a lot of fun and I will continue to play the game.

[cadaveca]

Originally Posted by D007

We were lied to, plain and simple..

Perhaps. But I tend to ignore pre-launch hype of any title. I mean really... of course they are trying to sell the game to you, and situations like this.. the disappointment...are why people hate salespeople in the first place.

[D007]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

Perhaps. But I tend to ignore pre-launch hype of any title. I mean really... of course they are trying to sell the game to you, and situations like this.. the disappointment...are why people hate salespeople in the first place.

For sure.. I knew I knew it wouldn't be like the demo.. Most games vary from the demo a bit..
It's more like a rough draft..
But the demo seemed very actualized.. Was just odd..

If SDK comes out though and we can make our own survivor/escape maps. I am all over it..
Going to take all of hadleys hope and turn it into survivor/escape..

One giant escape/survivor map..lol..
I'd like to turn the entire campaign into MP versus as well, if I can..

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

I played the game start to finish without any game-stopping bugs or anything. I did play through it in co-op, and on the hardest difficulty. Having done so, It's really hard for me to agree with any of these reviews out, and it really makes me wonder if these reviewers actually played the game.


Or perhaps I was entertained, and that was enough for me.

Speaking of which we need to find all the weapons and easter eggs. We only got three from what I can remember.


EDIT: D007 can you post up some before and after screens of ACM with your tweaks?

[D007]

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Speaking of which we need to find all the weapons and easter eggs. We only got three from what I can remember.


EDIT: D007 can you post up some before and after screens of ACM with your tweaks?

Lol I really can't anymore..
The ones that I did take.. I took 40 of them..
I tried to upload to steam and steam errored out on all of them..
Good times..

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by D007

Lol I really can't anymore..
The ones that I did take.. I took 40 of them..
I tried to upload to steam and steam errored out on all of them..
Good times..

Mine errors also. However they are still on your HD man.

[xenocide]

Originally Posted by D007

Lol I really can't anymore..
The ones that I did take.. I took 40 of them..
I tried to upload to steam and steam errored out on all of them..
Good times..

Even though Steam has it built right in, good old Imgur tends to be more reliable.

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

I love Prometheus even without the "Aliens" edge to it. Very cool movie.

I loved Prometheus. Yes, it had some absurd moments, but it was still a really enjoyable movie. It was never actually marketed as an Alien prequel, but everyone made the connections and assumed it was, and I find those are the people that tend to be disappointed. I wish there was a better connection, but it's not like they aren't planning on doing a follow up.

[TheMailMan78]

Originally Posted by xenocide

Even though Steam has it built right in, good old Imgur tends to be more reliable.



I loved Prometheus. Yes, it had some absurd moments, but it was still a really enjoyable movie. It was never actually marketed as an Alien prequel, but everyone made the connections and assumed it was, and I find those are the people that tend to be disappointed. I wish there was a better connection, but it's not like they aren't planning on doing a follow up.

You know that movie was based off of heavy alien mythology? I don't mean "Aliens" the movie myth. But real hypothesis on the origin of man?

I'm not a believer in that stuff. I try and follow the Christian faith but that movie was based off of real theories. Check it out.

[D007]

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Mine errors also. However they are still on your HD man.

On it, but mixed with the other 300 or so pics I have taken in game. I have no idea which are which anymore..
Can check my steam topic titled "Downloadable ini tweaks".
So far everyone is happy with the results. I know I am.

That's the best I have right now.

[jagd]

It is selling very nice ,number one at UK charts http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/18/uk-c...nes-takes-top/ and also PS3/Xbox/ Pc versions selling nice according to this http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=514385

Players did not listen reviewers and/or franchise support

[lilhasselhoffer]

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

You know that movie was based off of heavy alien mythology? I don't mean "Aliens" the movie myth. But real hypothesis on the origin of man?

I'm not a believer in that stuff. I try and follow the Christian faith but that movie was based off of real theories. Check it out.

Please allow me to clarify. People were angry that Prometheus wasn't Aliens. I didn't think it would be. I wasn't happy with Prometheus, but it wasn't a bad movie. If it came out without being attached to Aliens it would have been better reviewed.

The same stands for this game. It has a bad story campaign, but so many shooters do. It picks up the slack with a decent multiplayer. This is forgiven in dozens of similar games. What people reviled was that Gearbox was attached, and it wasn't the Aliens game that was being sold by the demos.


Point 1) Gearbox. Their reputation was stained with Duke. It doesn't matter that Borderlands 1 and 2 were awesome. It doesn't matter that they have a track record of awesome. It doesn't matter that the heavy lifting was farmed out. Gearbox was under critical eyes, because of their previous uninspired flop.

Point 2) Don't deliver crap, when you've sold me on gold. Aliens is SCIFI horror. Geiger mad creepiness into a weapon, and put it into his designs. The gameplay "demo" offered this in a video game medium, and people were psyched. They forgot that the Aliens franchise has been on the decline for a couple of decades. They ignored 3, Resurrection, and the VS. series. They pretended the bad video games didn't outnumber the good games in their beloved franchise. After ignoring all of the signs, people still believed this game would deliver the same experience as the movies.
Instead, we get a half finished campaign, and a decent multiplayer suite. People reacted to this average game without balance. An average game would get average scores, but this "travesty" must be made an example. Every flaw was multiplied. Every flaw became a glaring failure. Never mind that the game was average, it had to be bad.


Do I think there's something fun here, yes. Do I think most reviewers were justifiably angry, no. Have I experienced some of the myriad issues (that will hopefully be fixed), yes. Do I still have Benny Hill music playing in my mind from running around my partners (who refused to kill the xenomorph running right in front of them), yep. Do I stand firm with the assertion that this game is surprisingly broken, yep!



Also, I was indicating that at the $60 price point this game is untennable. At the $20 point, we're in the right ballpark. At the $5 point, it's very easy to pickup.