User Score
3.2 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 852 Ratings

User score distribution:

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  1. Mar 3, 2013
    10
    lol I see alot of people hates aliens, fail computers, bad graphic too. just get a new computer! it's just like borderlands 2. don't balme on the games and crappy.
  2. Feb 18, 2013
    10
    Co-op with friends and plenty, plenty of booze and this becomes a very enjoyable comedy experience!! Highly recommended! But only if you have friends and ample amounts of alcohol! Caution: do not try sober.
  3. Feb 14, 2013
    10
    The game is solid, the design is spot on and it is fun to play, especially in coop.

    So why is it that this game gets such horrid reviews? Sure, it does not have top notch state of the art graphics. Good for me, cause if it did I probably could not play it on my PC. It does not look bad, though. Sure the AI is not very bright, but to control shiny black critters that usually come straigh
    t at you it doesn't have to be. The most likely reason why this game is hated by so many people is because expectations were too high. Everyone wanted HIS personal perfect Aliens game and now everyone is mad that he just got a good game, instead of that.

    I guess many people also have not seen ALIENS for a LONG time. If you complain that the xenomorphs in this game are allegedly stupid, please watch the movie again and take a look how many of them get slaughtered by sentry guns. It does not get any dumber than getting killed by a stationary autocannon, wave after wave. The xenomorphs have always been rather stupid, but they are fast, fearless, strong, full of acid and individually they are cunning hunters. Being a cunning hunter just isn't any good if your prey has Pulse Rifles.

    So yeah, the game could have been better. It could also have been much worse. More easily than the other way around.
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  4. Feb 12, 2013
    10
    I don't know why there is so much hate surrounding this game....for what it is I had fun and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's just a simple scripted corridor shooter. If you wanted borderlands with aliens then yeah you'll be disappointed. I thought it was great!
  5. Feb 13, 2013
    10
    O jogo foi feito exatamente para quem fã da quadrilogia do filme Alien! O jogo tem gráficos excelentes e não fica pesado na máquina. Tem modo multiplayer coop e PvP. Quem fala que o jogo tem uma campanha sem sentido ou reclama por não ter servidor dedicado ou por qualquer outra coisa, não sabe o que está falando ou simplesmente está acostumado com jogos de outros gêneros e cai no erro de erro de ficar comparando um jogo com outro. Não comparem o Aliens Colonial Marines com outros jogos, os criadores do jogo fizeram um bom trabalho e estão de parabéns. Joguei toda a campanha em menos de 12 horas e não encontrei bugs, problemas ou defeitos durante o game. Vale a pena comprar. Mais uma vez, PARABÉNS AOS DESENVOLVEDORES!!! Expand
  6. Feb 12, 2013
    10
    Great, Great did I say Great GAME! Don't believe the retarded GameSpot review this game is amazing, yes there are a few textures in the game that don't look perfect but thats the only legitimate complaint and you don't grade a game just based on that. I am loving this game and the tension is has, it reminds me of the fear I felt while playing Dead Space 1 and 2 and the aliens are cool as They look great and the game-play is amazing while staying honest to the movies and the genre. I definitely recommend this game if you ever enjoyed any of the Aliens movies, or any of the Dead Space games. Expand
  7. Mar 30, 2013
    10
    came on you just have to love this game its great..... I think I have been lucky so far, as I have had no problems at all, keep up the good work and I cant wait for number 2
  8. Feb 19, 2013
    10
    An enjoyable game for fans of the earlier Alien movies (especially the 2nd one), and while graphics are not groundbreaking they are still good enough to give you that creepy feeling of being on LV-426, except for maybe a few textures here and there that could use some polishing, I am a little disappointed that they didn't use DX11 but I can live with that. I've played about 15 hours of the game and still haven't experienced any crash or freeze up, sometimes there can be a little lag when going through a door opening into another room but that is minor stuff that easily can be patched. While the single player part is enjoyable I have to say that the most fun in this game is without a doubt the co-op campaign. People complain a lot about the AI and sure they are no Einsteins but I have seen far worse in other games, and also I'm sure they can be patched to perform better as well Expand
  9. May 9, 2013
    10
    Aliens colonial marines on PC gets yet another big update and it looks like a legit directx11 game now with hi res graphics better AI shadows, fog,mist and dynamic lighting among other things.
    I am totally amazed how they turned it around, it looks so beautiful now,check it out.
  10. FPS
    Mar 30, 2013
    10
    After patch 4,8 gigas, the game become 75/100. Now the game is good (not graet, but is good).
    I.A. now are OK,no more bugs, atmosfere now is nice, shadom and light are dynamic, and movimentation was corrected.
  11. Feb 13, 2013
    10
    I do not know about you, but I liked the game, no need to evaluate the game on the schedule, or when she had to get out there, the plot is different, but of course a sort of a multiplayer, but it's not a problem, the cooperative is great, enjoyed it. Thank you very much for developers
  12. Feb 12, 2013
    10
    As a fan of the Aliens films, I was hoping for the best, but I got Colonial Marines. Not to to say this isn't a great game, I love it. Sure it has its faults, but those can be fixed with patches, such as the multilayer lag, and Campaign glitches. Obviously this series meant a lot to Gearbox, because if you actually look there are an insane amount references to the "Aliens" film. I look past the short comings this game has and see a game that, hopefully in future updates will get the TLC it needs. I give Aliens a 10 out of 10, for the effort Gearbox had put it, and for their ambitious goal they set for themselves they just quite missed. Not to mention, the Ultimate Bad-Ass difficulty adds a bit more to game play. Expand
  13. Feb 12, 2013
    10
    I don't get it, people are freaking out over graphics, and AI, and all that. It wasn't advertised to be graphically impressive, or insanely great AI. It was advertised to be an Aliens game and that's what it is. I mean if you want to have OP multilayer with Predators vs Aliens vs Marines, play AVP. If not, and you want a game that lets you have your dream of being a Colonial Marine on LV-426, then this is for you. Oh, and on the glitches and bugs, and other things, yes they'll probably be handled in updates. Then to fix the campaign, and multilayer it will probably be DLC, so if you can stick with it, grin and bear it, and all that jazz just a while longer you might just get those extra few things you were looking for in this game. Expand
  14. Feb 13, 2013
    10
    After playing A:CM for about 4 hours. I can honestly say that I enjoyed it. I like the game. Its rather fun. Not the best Aliens game, but they have all had flaws. The Graphics are not the best and the AI for both aliens and friendly npc is wonky most of the time. But I enjoyed the atmosphere created by the lighting, sounds. and the levels. I'm playing on "Ultimate Bad-Ass" difficulty so I have no HUD at all. I jumped into some 4 player coop and had a really good time. Lots of aliens from all directions, one player on the motion tracker calling out locations and distances. Felt like Hudson in the movie. "We got movement, Can't lock in..." Granted its not the game I think we were all hoping for. Nor does it live up to the hype or what Gearbox promised. But it was fun. Not worth $60, more of a $30 budget title I think. Play it in co-op with a bunch of serious adult gamers and you will have fun. Role-play it up and it will be a blast, especially in "Bad-Ass" mode. You will have to use team work and share the ammo and health. Adds more tension to the game. Expand
  15. Feb 12, 2013
    10
    The game is simply amazing, no idea why it get rated this bad, Not tested the multiplayer yet, however the campaign is simply an alien experience. If you are a fan of the saga you may appreciate it, if you are not, this may not be the game you are looking for, however. the fact that you can coop with your friends make the game simply better (for higher difficulties) IA may seems bugged sometimes for lower difficulty, on higher the aliens are simply relentless, as they are meant to be. the story is amazing btw, surely who ever say otherwise is a Alien: resurrection fan :P Expand
  16. Feb 13, 2013
    10
    I had mega low expectations for this game and so far Screw all the people who pick at every little thing. It is fun and i am gonna rate it a 100 just to offset all the scores it is getting. Like everyone says its a bit easy and its not scary enough just case there is too many lights. its a little easy so far so play on hard. BUT IT IS FUN it has satisfying physics and aliens popping with acid spraying. The campaign definitely brings me back into the classic movie and all the sounds are spot on. So far the multiplayer is surprisingly fun too, not quite as awesome as avp2 survivor mode but definitely comparable to left 4 dead 2. fun and crazy in its own way its just sad the online matches cant host more people. So yes i am glad i got it and if u like aliens half as much as i do i suggest you get it to. Expand
  17. Feb 13, 2013
    10
    ok i just arived to hopefully stop your about this game ...
    1. I didnt even played it because im a sick guy waiting for the dlc that is comming (if you guy's are blind then its not their fault ...)
    2. I played all AVP titles AND watched the movie's the worst i played was by far the multiplayer of the new AVP wich lagged but that was the fault of those stupid jerks at our Zensoring bu
    isness (im from germany THX YOU BASTARDS FOR ZENSORING ALL GAMES YOU COME ACROSS!)

    And now the real deal:
    I will play and like this game the way it is you simply forgot what a game is about not story not undyeing chars not even graphics its about fun. And what i saw (in playthroughs of this game at least) was quiet a fun Alien killing game wich has nothing to do with the movie's where a pulse rifle and its 99 shot magazin is just enogh to kill 2 or maybe 3 of the xenomorphs not to mention the sub spezies of them wich are in the game. If you want a 1 to 1 movie remake then mod it! thats what this game should be about: if you dont like something MAKE IT BETTER!

    I will play it and i will like it thats for shure but dont DARE YOU to write negative things about a game just released when your just stupid or the borredness hits you cause you dont have fun with games anymore! (this too is for the stupid so called BIG REVIEW SITES/MAGAZINS I HATE YOU BECAUSE ALL YOU CAN DO IS TOO! your humans and you put people in charge of games who dont even like them!)

    Thats all from me so far and i on grama or the right spelling you still can understand me if not it further prove's that there are many childs out there that dont deserve the title of GAMER!

    MFG: KOUTA SETO
    I WRITE THE WAY I ON THE NET NOT THE WAY I DO IN REAL LIVE CAUSE THIS ISNT REAL LIVE!
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  18. Feb 14, 2013
    10
    Despite all the hate surrounding this game, i believe most of it has been stirred up simply because people had 'extremely' high expectations. The graphics arn't that bad, there easily better than CoD (which gets 9/10 paid reviews). The single player AI however are quite bad although this can be fixed in a simple patch, but the multiplayer is where it shines. Once you've spent about 4hrs+ and unlocked some cool gear, the alien class is very to to play especially with friends! Don't listen to half the reviews, buy the game if you want something different and arn't phased about some 1st day release problems. Expand
  19. Feb 16, 2013
    10
    I read the reviews and when my pre-order arrived late on the 12th I hemmed hawed about just going to Best Buy to return, but I love ALIENS!!! So what the heck...well so far so good, played the first few missions, the environment looks real, the story isn't the worst I've seen in a video game and frankly complaints like 'there aren't enough weapons' sounds like an American rant...yes, yes, more weapons. Bottom line if you like the Aliens universe this should appeal to you. It's no Bioshock but it isn't Duke Nukem either. Expand
  20. Feb 26, 2013
    10
    I've been 50 hours in the game made the second walkthrough on ultimate badass and Ihave to admit that I love this game! Grafically there's a lot worse out there! Aliens Colonial Marines is pure badass Alien and Weyland-mercs shooting....I am looking forward to the DLCs and I hope the patches will get a lot of angry players to the game. It's really worth it. Big Cinema!
  21. Feb 26, 2013
    10
    This game is awesome graphics and game play is fantastic We are starting to go through it a 2nd time co-op because it was so fun the 1st time Best Aliens game ever Thanks Gearbox for your years of work, It's just like being in the movie!
  22. Mar 16, 2013
    10
    2 3-ей Alien Trilogy.
  23. May 4, 2013
    10
    The pc version is MILES better than the xbox version and the game can be pretty fun at times. so far the only problems I see can be fixed with patches or in the next 3 dlc packs
  24. Feb 20, 2013
    9
    Perhaps not a game for everyone as it seems, but I enjoy it a lot, I should add that I'm playing mostly in co-op mode with friends. The game runs smooth on my PC and I haven't encountered any major problems, the only thing I've noticed is some minor lag in certain parts of the game. If you're expecting something like COD or BF I think you might be disappointed with this game, but if you're into old school co-op shooters this game has many hours of fun to offer. Expand
  25. Feb 12, 2013
    9
    havent played the sp campaign much but the multiplayer has a lot of potential. MP just needs a little bit of tweaking on matchmaking and lag compensation. Host does have a distinct advantage in regards to hit boxes actually registering shots. overall the balance between aliens and marines is very good, neither class feels overpowered. Definitely more fun than black ops 2... not really saying much but what else are you gonna play? Expand
  26. Feb 13, 2013
    9
    Please give this game a chance. That being said, I am not blind to the issues that this game has OK! I love the franchise and have been waiting for this game for some time. They need to fix the multiplayer issues even though it's still extremely fun and different. By the way that is what really get's me here people are pissing and moaning because it has not got what makes other shooters great. GREAT! GOOD!. I yearn for the time when people don't want the same rehashed Call of Duty game every single year!!!!!!!!!! This game is different and a refreshing break from the normal shooters. Expand
  27. Feb 12, 2013
    9
    A diamond in the rough is exactly what this game is. I think the development cycle was far too long for it. It came out with too many hands in it's honey pot I think. A few patches and the game will be golden. On the other hand, this game was definitely made for fans of Aliens (the second movie in the franchise.). As fans know, Aliens was the action oriented movie out of the franchise, and focused heavily on Hicks and his marines, and a lot less on scare's and horror movie tropes as Alien, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection did. As such, in ASM you take the role of a marine in a squad and similar to the film, you shoot your way through dark and dimly lit areas where aliens and other things are creeping around every corner. The graphics are a mixed bag, the Aliens models look fantastic, where as the marines look quite dated. Textures in areas range from muddy to acceptable. Lighting effects are fantastic, and sound effects and music are stellar and way above par and fit with the Aliens theme PERFECTLY. I love the sound of my pulse rifle going off. The plot is dull in the first mission, but picks up quickly and steadily gets better and better as it goes. Multiplayer is truly where it's at with this one, tons of fun to be had through co-op and various player vs player modes which i can see being filled out even more with DLC in the future. As i said though the game is a DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, and is in need of a few good patches. Some animations in the game, especailly alien ones, seem janky and disorienting, i've seen aliens get stuck in terrain and obstacles, or face the wrong way at times. Other times they crawl across walls and ceilings to drop down on you from behind which is fantastic. All these issues can be easily fixed with a few patches. Though it is frustrating when the game has been in development for over 6 years and still has these issues. Though who knows how much development actually went on in those years? In the end, the game is fun. It's a love-note to fans of the movie and the series in general, and those of you who are big fans will take note of the lovingly re-created areas, sounds, weapons, and characters from those films. It is a must play for franchise fans. If you are expecting a super polished 200 million dollar budget title in the vein of Battlefield 3? You are going to be disappointed. If you enjoyed aliens, or enjoy varied and robust co op and multiplayer (Left 4 dead fans look within!) you will find a lot to enjoy here. Expand
  28. Feb 13, 2013
    9
    The people writing negative reviews for this game must be paid to write as negative as possible. The sound and music in this game are straight from the movies and the scenarios and environments are very well constructed and as detailed as possible to jive with the movie on which the game is based. In direct contrast to some of the other negative reviews, I have noticed no AI bugs and the game is very challenging on the very challenging difficulties, as it is meant to be. The aI for the Aliens in particular during the campaign is notable in that they are phenomenally good at flanking you based on where your field of vision is. The progression of unlocking weapons and upgrades ties directly into the multiplayer, meaning your experience with using them in the single player first transfers over right away. Expand
  29. Feb 13, 2013
    9
    I have been waiting for this game to come out for a long time and I have to say I am not disappointing one bit. I just wish there were armor upgrades instead of just weapon ones.
  30. Feb 16, 2013
    9
    PC Version. Graphics looks much much better than console version. Sometimes there are very nice lighting and shadows. Story is good, First time since 1986 we can play proper story in this franchise, Most of all I like multiplayer It is much better than AVP2010, it has nice dynamic and tension, many upgrades and other combination stuff, you can build your own soldier and xenomorph, and it is much better than Natural Selection 2 also, not boring( to me NS2 became boring very soon), it has nice graphics, many ways to play it, in the begining you must uprade your xenos to make them stronger, because they are rather weak on first level. Well if you are fan of Aliens and also wanna play better multiplayer than AVP2010 and Natural Selection 2. This is the game for you. Expand
  31. Feb 19, 2013
    9
    This game is great over steam 4 player co-op campaign DO NOT play this game solo.. it is 100% intended for co-op DO Turn up the difficulty Play hard, play in a group or go home.. fun story, graphics are a bit old but good enough for me for some reason people expected a doom stlye sneaker,, this is ALiens not ALien this is a Marine gun ho shootem up, not a sneaker atmopheric thriller ACTION! and lost of ammunition is the call of the day

    the weapons where pretty poor.. shotgun and pulse rifle is all you need
    this is wont win game of the year, but in a group.. Alot of fun
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  32. Mar 2, 2013
    9
    first i would like to say im an aliens fan so i might be bias. The campaign gives you a really good look at the scenes from the movie that fans will remember well even the hole in the ground where Hudson is captured (later found cocooned on the wall) is there so top marks for paying attention to the movie. that said the plot storyline is overall lacking and not convincing and the teammate AI is clunky they don't seem to do much at all. as for the feel of the game gave me a few good frights with aliens jumping out of the dark and facehuggers jumping from shelves's kept me on the edge of my seat. On to multiplayer player hosted servers are a pain but once you get a good group of players you can play for hours with out dropouts the push to talk option should be default on this would eliminate a lot of hassles players game sound coming through their mic. that lack of alien tutorial and single player campaign make for a frustrating first few rounds but once a few upgrades are unlocked i would go as far as to say one of the most fun multiplayer games i have played. having unlocked all the upgrades the multiplayer becomes much more intense the maps are ok some favor aliens and some marines but using the right tactics you can win with both marines and aliens. all in all im giving this game a 9 because it really did give the feel that i was in the movie and to be honest the other franchise fps haven't done any thing to better this as an experience. Expand
  33. Feb 17, 2013
    8
    As a huge fan of the movies I've waited years to play a game where I can run around on LV426 with my favourite characters. The campaign was fun, the whole game is basically Call of Duty meets Aliens, nothing mind blowing or eye watering but decent. (And unlike CoD the the price wasn't ÂŁ49.99) The multi player is great fun. I have no clue why this game is getting such a low rating, I found one haven't had any issues with bugs, crashes but I have seen the AI do some stupid stuff. However, I'm having a blast with it. I would probably give this game 10 out of 10 just for letting me live out my dream but that would be biased. So a solid 8 from me. Expand
  34. rps
    Feb 20, 2013
    8
    After playing the game 40 hours, and having played video games for many years, I have to conclude the professional reviewers were either being paid to trash this game by another publisher, expectations too high, or just burned out from their job of playing games all the time. From this day forward I will take anything they say with a grain of salt. I would have missed a really fun and very "Aliens" experience if I listened to them. As for the people who give it zero's etc., the days of pirating new titles is over, get used to it. If your a fan of Aliens, don't miss this game. Expand
  35. Feb 12, 2013
    8
    Ahhh, Aliens. The series that everyone around the world has heard about. There have been numerous games over the years based on the Aliens franchise and to this day, none of them have quite managed to hit that 'sweet spot'. Aliens: Colonial Marines attempts to fix this by plunging you into a world or terror and action, allegedly providing the (quoted from the back of the box), "ULTIMATE ALIENS FIRST PERSON SHOOTER". Although Aliens: Colonial Marines does not quite live up to this expectation, after all, buggy AI and annoying multiplayer glitches have swarmed their way into the game which will hopefully be addressed in a patch soon to come.

    Now with that out of the way, Aliens: Colonial Marines, on PC at least looks brilliant. Maybe not the best graphics you could possibly get today, but good, nevertheless. I feel that the game's main strengths come through the tension-riddled scary sequences, followed by the high-octane action sequences, both of which are incredibly well scripted and thought out. Your arsenal feels real both visually and through their sounds, adding to the dramatic feel of the game.

    Overall, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a superb game, especially on the PC. It incorporates the tension of the Aliens movies as well as their thrilling action sequences. This game is well worth your money because although not being a particularly original or 'new' kind of game, it is EXTREMELY fun to play! ***RECOMMENDED***

    Pros: Fun gameplay, excellent sounds/music and good level design
    Cons: Lousy AI and bugs (both alien form and glitches)
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  36. Feb 12, 2013
    8
    Don't believe the trolls, the game is good. I have been playing it for hours. It looks very nice. I play it on a 50" tv at max with a gtx 680..The co op is a lot of fun as well. i took HD screenshots in steam to disprove the lairs calling ti ugly.. Believe me, they are liars.. The co op and the multiplayer is fun. Gearbox is already on DAY 1 patching issues.. Who gives that kind of support? No one.. I am having a blast and if you don't buy it I feel sorry for ya.. Because you let troll cry babies ruing a good game for you. I don't trust meta critic anymore.. Their reviewers are mostly just trolls now a days it seems.. Crying constantly in every forum they can find as if it will save their life.. The game is good.. I like it.. Period.. Expand
  37. Feb 14, 2013
    8
    Pros: Graphics are fitting to the gameplay, Story line is well done and fitting in nicely with the movies story lines. Marines don't move at super speeds so its not a twitch shooter. Hardest setting makes it feel like movies. Running out of ammo and bugs coming out of the walls and you'll dead fast if your not watching your step.

    Cons: Multiplayer is a little weak due to no AI aliens
    to help swarm the marines...It would be something nice to see if added... Deathmatch and cap the flag modes are dull.... Seen a few bugs with the AI friendly/foes yet I've seen this in games such as Skyrim and so on... With a few patches should be good.. Is this game worth your time Yes if you like Aliens... Far better than the AVP games Expand
  38. Feb 12, 2013
    8
    I wasn't sure what to expect with this game before release, I pre-ordered it, which is something that I rarely do, and desperately hoped that it wasn't ass. Usually I will wait for the game to be released, have a look at the general consensus of online opinion, and then buy the game if I feel it's worth it. But I'm glad I didn't wait, because my opinion of this game is very different from the consensus so far and in hindsight it would have been a shame to miss out on it. Graphically, the game is solid, if a little dated at times. There is some evidence of console-porting in that the items that matter (guns, creatures, characters) are highly detailed and look pretty damn good, but many incidental environmental textures, such as certain switches, signs, monitors are quite low-res, presumably to save memory usage. At first I was a little disappointed but it stopped bothering me very quickly as the overall atmosphere, look and feel of the game drew my attention. I hope that perhaps there will be a high-res pack for PC users released as there was for Crysis 2 and Skyrim, but even if there isn't, it still looks pretty awesome. The sound design is simply amazing, weapon and creature sounds, music, and almost everything else that you can think of is taken straight from the films, and serves to completely immerse the player in the world. The sound of a battle of Xenos vs. pulse rifle-wielding marines really got my heart racing many times. While the story leaves a bit to be desired, I didn't find that a hinderance to my enjoyment. The game was rather well paced, with moments of high-tension interspersed with action setpieces at complimentary intervals. I was constantly excited to see where we were going next, what locations we would discover, and frankly, I didn't want the game to end. Complimenting this are some spectacular moments, e.g. a space battle between two FTL ships, your first sight of Hadley's Hope as rain pelts you sideways and debris falls from the sky, the eerie silence of the ruined corridors when you first set foot inside the colony, and the enormous interior of the derelict ship. Lastly, the voice acting is full of emotion and truthfulness (the only exception I felt was, surprisingly, one of the original film's actors, who sounded rather dead a lot of the time). I found all this was enough to keep me eagerly moving through my 6-hour completion time of the campaign. Now if you are inclined to complain about the length of the campaign, I ask you to think of any of the modern CoD games, which all can be completed in 6 hours or less. I'm not implying that this is a virtue, but merely offering a comparison. For example, Modern Warfare 3 was repetitive, entirely derivative of its predecessors, and poorly paced with an overemphasis on mindnumbing and relentless action, and yet it gets 80% across the board and this gets 40%? Ridiculous. One more thing I'd like to mention is the MP. The MP aspect of the game is equally as rewarding as the single player campaign. It pits Aliens vs. Marines in alternating teams, in a number of nuanced, and varied locations. At first I felt that the teams were unbalanced, as I began as a Xenomorph and had trouble competing with a skilled group of marines hiding in a corner. But after a short while I came to see how deep and rewarding the combat system was Xenos must be cunning, finding ways to surprise Marines and force them to respawn whereupon they can be tracked down and taken on 1-on-1, while Marines must work together and cover each other, blocking each possible method of infiltration. The variety of Xeno classes allows varied tactical opportunities for the skilled player. Similarly, a strong sense of team-work and one eye on the motion-tracker is invaluable to a Marine. There are bugs, tow be sure the wall-climbing is not quite perfect, and my game locked up when I used the Lurker's pounce ability, but I have no doubt that a simple patch will fix that right up. All in all, I am loving this game. I can only imagine that the nay-sayers are playing on console, or held immense expectations. I however, found it to be as entertaining, and more immersive than I had anticipated, and the MP is truly enjoyable and compelling. Expand
  39. Feb 13, 2013
    8
    OK. so I've played the first 3 or 4 missions of Aliens: Colonial Marines and I love it!!! The enemy A.I. can sometimes be a bit thick and I've seen some small glitches that maybe a brand new game should not have. The Aliens in multiplayer are extremely hard to use and will need a lot of practice before I can get more than 2 kills. The marines are awesome and have access to full customization. The weapons sound like they are straight from the movie and you can play as Hudson, Hicks, Apone and Drake, who all have the original voice talent from the movie. I think it's awesome and anyone who loves the Alien franchise would be able to overlook the odd glitch and the odd dodgy choice of cover by the A.I.. I think it was well worth the money. I am a big fan of Aliens and to be able to explore locations from the movie is awesome. Don't listen to these negative reviews, It's brilliant. Expand
  40. Feb 12, 2013
    8
    I'm the sort of Aliens fan that corrects the quotes of other Aliens fans. If you're after "the latest game" whose graphics have 13% more zing than your last latest game, your review will probably use harsh language. If you want another glorious day in the Corps, you came to the right place. You don't have to be an AvP marine on some dumbassed mining planet or a forest anymore, you get to step onto the Sulaco and creep through the remains of Hadley's Hope.

    The writing does a good job of making the pieces fit (eg why the Sulaco is back over LV-426), but opts for an in media res approach instead of building the tension. I expected to stumble out of cryo and into a training tutorial (hell, I even hoped for cornbread), but instead you get a quick cutscene and find yourself at the airlock with your pulse rifle and shotgun. Your first xeno is a scant five minutes away, and I wasn't sure if your marine knew what they were beforehand or not.

    The biggest complaints I heard have been (with my response):
    1) Graphics not up to par: Yeah, I guess if picking over graphics is your thing. If you've been fighting xenos since Aliens Doom, they're fine. Around the level of the last AvP.
    2) Squad AI is bad: They take cover, flank and they don't hang around waiting for you to take the lead. Haven't had a problem with them getting stuck or anything.
    3) Guns are inaccurate: No, actually they feel more real. Play ArmA sometime.
    4) Alien AI is bad: Yes, the one you are shooting at is running right at you. But y'know how right after that you fought another one point blank? Well, it wasn't. And I love how they sometimes stop and hiss.
    5) It's too easy: If only they developed some kind of game mechanism where you could make it more difficult...

    All in all, a fun romp. Doesn't live up to the "canonical sequel" tag. But honestly, how could it?
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  41. Feb 12, 2013
    8
    I guess people needs to be less fan-boys. Yes this game isn't the same as previous games, it's more like action game. Graphics are good, really not bad. So I don't get some people saying that graphics are outdated. AI? I don't know... I didn't encountered stupid AI, but I'm playing on bad ass difficulty, so maybe there's no time for them to act stupid, because they kill me in one or two hits. This game is not bad and it didn't disappointed me. Expand
  42. Feb 13, 2013
    8
    Oh my, I don't understand wave of hate for this game. The single-player campaign is mediocre I guess, if you playing on ultimate badass mode it's pretty hard, and tense, but I've expected more. And there are bugs, lots of them, poor graphics, AI, clipping issue and so on, nothing game breaking though.
    For SP I would give 6/10. But here comes the meat which is MULTIPLAYER!
    Hell yeah, mul
    ti is GREAT! It's one of very few games that requires actually thinking and strategy! When you rush marines up front you will die! Fast. Maybe that is the reason for many raged cod-kids for their 0/10 reviews, because they can't win in this game. But there are also flaws in MP like lack of dedicated servers and no host migration. So for awesome MP I'm rating this game as 8/10! Since day 1 GBX is patching this game, so there's hope for bugs being ironed out soon!
    PS: Hunting in pack as aliens for piss-scared marines is badass!
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  43. Feb 13, 2013
    8
    Thoroughly enjoyed this game and can imagine myself playing it for a few months to come.
    Take this game on its own merit and ignore a few flaws and you're bound to get dragged into the atmosphere of the game.
    But truthfully was any title going to live up to the mighty aliens movie? this could have been the best game ever released but a combination of a long waiting time and being part of
    one of the most successful movie franchises ever, this game was never going to start any fires no matter who developed it. Expand
  44. Feb 14, 2013
    8
    I realize a lot of people are pissed about the long development and the over-hyping from the publishers, but as a serious fan of the films, I found A:CM enjoyable and worthwhile. I pre-paid my $50 and I don't feel like I've been ripped off, especially since I started diving into the multiplayer modes, which I already know I'm going to spend WAY too much time with. Some specifics:

    PROS
    : It's fun! I enjoyed the hell out of the SP campaign, warts and all. Yeah, it's a bit short, but the challenges, some of which are really difficult, and the hidden items (dog tags, legendary weapons, audio logs) give it replay value. I'll probably give it another go on the hardest difficulty. A few of the sections are truly difficult, and I like that there's no quicksave/quickload option it makes the sequences a lot more suspenseful than other shooters where you can save every 5 seconds. Several of the sequences were downright nerve-wracking, such as the alien zombies that respond to sound, and the final battle with the Queen. I've only spent a few hours with the MP modes but I can already tell I'm going to become obsessed with leveling up my profiles. Playing as the xenomorphs is unexpectedly fun and rewarding once you get the hang of it. CONS: SP campaign story is pretty freaking silly. I've seen these movies hundreds of times (literally) and the attempt to connect ALIENS and ALIEN 3 while keeping Hicks alive is beyond ludicrous (his "explanation" of who was in his ejected cryotube on the EEV is a howler for the ages). Having Hicks in this story is totally unnecessary fan service. I love that you run across Hudson's corpse at one point, and I even like the legendary weapons and the dog tags that are spread everywhere (even though they're found in locations that the movie characters could have never been in). They work in references to all the movies even PROMETHEUS, which doesn't make a shred of sense, obviously, but I appreciated the effort. Overall, though, it's the setting you play for and on my PC with everything maxed out the locations looked great. Some tearing here and there, but the aliens are very detailed. The AI is not great, but not the worst I've ever seen either. I DEFINITELY wouldn't describe it as "broken" as so many others had. The cut-scenes are not very good, however. The dialogue/acting is fine (well, okay, the dialogue is often pretty awful) but the facial detail/animation is really bad and looks unfinished. And the scenes appear to be rendered in 720p, or maybe even lower.

    In closing, maybe this should have had more polish it before it shipped, but it is nowhere close the trainwreck everyone is complaining about. Taken out of context of the ridiculous hype, it's a solid, fun shooter that any fan of the films is likely to enjoy for many, many hours.
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  45. Feb 14, 2013
    8
    If you look at this game entirely by itself it is quite solid. I don't get all the yelling. It is neither "crap" nor garbage but rather solid. The graphics are not top notch but good enough (especially if you don't have a state-of-the-art PC but instead a machine from 2-3 years ago). Running Around with a buddy in coop and shooting Xenos is quite fun and the sounds are accurate to the movie. The music fits the atmosphere well. The Levels closely resemble the look and feel of "Aliens". If you expect a slow "horror-survival" type of game you will probably be disappointed but if you want a solid shooter with a working coop mode in the very cool Aliens setting then I say it is probably worth the about 30 euros I paid for it. The game everyone somehow expected or wanted it to be would be a straight 9-10... what we got is a 7-8ish. Expand
  46. Feb 16, 2013
    8
    Cannot understand horrible reviews all over the place 2-3 h into the campaign and a couple of missions done on coop multiplayer. so far had a good time with the game.
    Biggest issue for me is the alien animation movement. but seriously: this game does well by it*s standards. Atmosphere is decent and gameplay solid. Aliens without cheesy story? not happened once for any of the movies. bef
    ore hating this game take a good look at what happened to the franchise in the last 15 years this game is one of the 2 good things happening out there.

    Take a look for yourself and if the 2nd Aliens installment was giving you anything you cannot be completely wrong here.
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  47. Feb 23, 2013
    8
    Obviously not everyone's cup of tea, however I was surprised how fun this game was, I mean I read the reviews and didn't expect much but I bought it just because I a a huge fan of the movies. I was expecting something not so good but I ended up with a very fun game, especially if you co-op with some buddies. I can honestly say that this game is way underrated, I mean just look at COD black ops 2 which is a horrible game, possibly the worst fps I ever played and it gets what? like 80 metascore? please give me a break, that game deserves nothing over 50 and I would say ACM deserves about 70 from an objective point of view. Expand
  48. Mar 31, 2013
    8
    This game doesn't deserve the flak it is getting from reviewers and gamers alike. This game is a niche product that might have had a few pieces that didn't make it to the final product and released with some bugs, but for what it IS, it works very well. The story is not its strong suit but the story in Aliens and the Aliens IP was never that strong, this story continues where Aliens left off and it does it very well. It explains things properly and leaves us hanging at the end just when it seems like we are about to get info on what really happened there, baiting a sequel. JUST LIKE THEY DID IN THE MOVIES. The gameplay is solid and the graphics are decent enough, though no game should be judged on the graphics alone. Certainly some of the higher end visuals were removed in place of what we have now, but paying attention to the demos, they did say work in progress, so what you saw was not to be expected in the final build, buying on that assumption is just plain bad consumerism. Multiplayer is where this game shines and the modes available are all fun to play, the matchmaking may be the worst part about it but once in game, the maps are well made and the action is satisfying. The customization options in this game allow us to make our Marines look and feel the way we want, including our weapon loadouts that don't just use the typical weapons but have additional weapons that fit very well into the universe. Overall, I believe through patching and DLC, this game will easily be one of the best Aliens game in recent history and will be the primary Aliens multiplayer game.

    Beware of the rabid masses who feel betrayed by this title, they will do and say anything to dissuade buyers away from this title based on assumptions and half truths. This is a game you will have to see for yourself that it does not deserve the bad press that it has received.
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  49. Feb 12, 2013
    7
    Ok for a start this game has terrible AI and its very much noticed on Mission 2 the most(1 mission out of 11). The games Graphics are Fine..Omg the amount of people moaning about the damn graphics its sending me crazy.(GFX are about the same as COD on the PC).

    I have have played upto Mission 6 and i'm super enjoying it for sure i can not see what the problem is. The multiplayer is truly
    fun (team Death-match and survivor). Marines play completely fine to me but the Aliens are very clunky BUT after a few hours you do start to get a hang of it (upgrades help alot with speed and power)

    What im tryin to say is i cant see what the problem is with this game apart from Bad AI and OK graphics and a 7hour Single player. The reviews have been well to harsh i say. My score 6.8/10
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  50. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    Yes, this game is arguably underwhelming from the expectations that everybody had set for it but then, what did you expect? The game has spent 7 years in development accumulating hype from a fan-base in what I call the Duke Nukem Effect. The game spent a good portion of it's development indefinitely postponed, and when it came to fixing it up, there really hadn't been 7 years of development put into it. Maybe two at most.

    However, this doesn't mean it's a bad game. Sure, the AI is a little dumb and the graphics are mediocre, but then games with similarly poor graphics never really receive the abuse that this has. Campaign wise, yes, the story is... way off for an Aliens game, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable if you forget the game's relation to its source material.

    There are also loads of little references to the film that are nice for fans, and the atmosphere is quite well done the lighting in this is excellent, as is the fact that you can see your own feet and shadow really adds to the immersion.

    A:CM is not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but if they can sort out the AI, it'll at least be respectable. It deserves more than it got, but less than the game should've achieved.
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  51. Feb 12, 2013
    7
    Is Aliens: CE a great game? Not even kinda. However, if you were to ask me if it were a bad game...well then the answer is no, not really. In my opinion, the honest truth is that Aliens: CE is just an average game with an Aliens brand, and perhaps that's why it's being trashed. So lets examine the game's faults right away. First and foremost, the graphics are mediocre to downright bad. I've run the game on max settings and I'd be a colossal liar if I said it compared to the other 2013 titles. The dated look instantly made me think of Duke Nukem Forever. Up second is the AI, which isn't too bright either. Under the most ideal circumstances, there was one or two times where the Aliens made a maneuver that I didn't expect, but sadly the majority seemed content to just rush you from different angles. Granted, I myself could get past these issues fairly easily, but what really keeps me from loving Aliens: CE is the single-player campaign, which considering its title as a true canonical sequel, should be one of the most important aspects. Instead, single-player quickly becomes a shooting gallery of great set-pieces brought down by average fight sequences. Furthermore, the campaign is just too easy for any terror or tension to really emerge. I myself played on the Hardened difficulty, where the enemy could three-shot-kill-me, as it should be, but the dull AI and never ending discharge of bullets wrecks the atmosphere. That said, the campaign isn't a total miss, there are plenty of homages and tributes to the film, as well as some decent setpieces, but ultimately the atmosphere these things are trying to create just never really happens. Finally, several technical bugs have been reported in the game, though I myself have not run into any of these, it certainly isn't doing the game any favors.

    And yet, Aliens: CE isn't a total loss, which is why I'm so reluctant to be complacent with a 4.5 average score. As said before, the environments and game entities have some tender love and care, and are accurate recreations of the sets from the films. At times the game is absolutely brimming with fan service, such as collecting weaponry used by the cast of the Aliens movie, or scouring the game for secrets and achievements named after movie events. All the iconic weaponry handles well enough (minus the half-baked cover system), and some of the action sequences started to make me feel like a bad-ass. Multiplayer, assuming it doesn't die in the next few weeks, was actually quite a satisfying experience and is where the game really shines. A good variety of modes, a solid mix of weapons, and some great tactics that only emerge when humans are at the wheel instead of AI's gives a pleasant glimpse into what the game should have been. In the rounds I played it was enjoyable to see xeno players find ways to lure and trick opponents, while marine players would develop strategies for staying safe and well protected. The multiplayer is also packed with customization options to fine-tune your playstyle with gun accessories, perks, armors, and plenty of cosmetics for both humans and aliens.

    After six years in development, its understandably depressing that your patience has been rewarded with rather unremarkable sci-fi horror corridor shooter that sometimes grasps for greatness, and oftentimes falls flat on its face. And yet despite all the flaws, there's just enough gory, acidic goodness in the game to give me hope that an amazing aliens video game is not quite as impossible as it might seem.
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  52. Feb 12, 2013
    7
    Is it GOTY material? no.. is it better than Farcry 3? no.. is it a decent satisfying game experience set in the ALIENS universe? yes.

    The hate-fest is silly and doesn't reflect reality at all. its a 7/10 game, no less and no more.
  53. Feb 14, 2013
    7
    I don't need to write a review on Aliens: Colonial Marines, as all that needs to be said has been said, but I wanted to rant about an experience I had with the game, and I'm not even done with it yet. I really tried to look past all of the bad reviews and just experience the single player campaign for myself. Honestly I have been actually enjoying the game. I did find a few flaws with it: Like my two AI buddies being able to run right through each other. Aliens can also occupy the exact same space as well. I'm not sure why they didn't allow for colliders on the 3D entities. Also, the music sometimes would work, and other times it wouldn't work. I would have these firefights, that seemed kind of bland, and I would notice that no music was going on. Then I would get killed, and when the scene restarted, there would be music there. That is the equivalent of going through a haunted house, and one of the animatronics breaking down during the ride. I guess my biggest gripe is that the game appeared not to have been tested before release. Expand
  54. Feb 19, 2013
    7
    Though Aliens: Colonial Marines is getting a huge amount of bad reviews, it’s not an extremely bad game. Some of you may be thinking the whole point of the game was to kill a bunch of Xenomorphs and defeat the Queen, but it’s a little more than that. It may be lacking graphically, which sadly a lot of games are nowadays, and the story may be short, but it has some great points of nostalgialgia.

    Yes, you have the Xenomorphs and the queen and every other iconic creature from the Alien movies, such as Facehuggers, but Xenomorphs aren’t the only threat in this game. There is also the Weyland Utani, and actually, the Weyland Utani play a huge role in the game, as well as adding some variety to the gameplay so that you’re not just fighting through hordes of Xenos. Easter Eggs, like Hicks’ shotgun, are sprinkled throughout the campaign and add a great deal of nostalgia, which I found to be quite entertaining. Sadly though, the story seems to end abruptly and seems unfinished, and considering the game was delayed that’s horrifyingly surprising.

    The gameplay is fast paced, with occasional tasks taking a little longer than most, e.g. the dreaded “fetch quests”. AI are horribly programmed, with teammates blowing up explosive barrels every once in a while and setting you back to the last checkpoint, and checkpoints aren’t very abundant. Oh, and enemy AI can shoot through walls, which is super fun! (If you couldn’t tell, that was sarcasm.) Also, I played the game on Normal difficulty and the enemies proved to be semi-difficult at times, so I’d imagine they’re pretty hard on the highest difficulty. The multiplayer is also pretty fun, especially playing as the Xenos, they have some pretty cool abilities. You can also level up and customize your weapons and loadouts in multiplayer which allows for some variety. The multiplayer includes 4 modes: TDM, Extermination, Escape and Survivor which can be played on 9 maps.

    “They’re coming outta the goddamn walls.” Hudson

    The games models, textures and animations are way behind the times. The cinematics are about 5 years behind and don’t seem to sync up very well, nor do they transition smoothly. While the rest of the game pretty much looks like it should have come out in 2008, oh wait, that’s when they announced the delay the first time… Although, I’d say the lighting is quite nice, and with the brightness turned down it’s a little startling when you’re pounced on by an unexpected Xeno.

    Ahh, the sound effects, they’re awesome. The sound of the pulse rifle has got to be one of my favorite sound effects in any game and the Xeno hiss is up there with the Predator click as one of the scariest sounds of all time. The rest of the sounds though weren’t very memorable, there’s nothing really special about them. The dialog was a bit weak especially outside of the cutscenes. But I did find the stories that Audio Logs tell to be interesting, especially the one about Newt’s family.

    “They mostly come at night… mostly.” Newt

    This game has little to no replay value when it comes to campaign, but multiplayer can be played for a while. With tons of leveling and customizing to do, the multiplayer rivals that of current games, especially the garbage that is MW3.

    So, with a seemingly unfinished story, not so cutting-edge graphics by any means, and a laughably easy last mission it doesn’t have much of a chance. But, for a fan of the Alien franchise, this is one of the more authentic games out there. The multiplayer redeems the game itself by offering a Left 4 Dead-like experience, with Marines vs. Xenomorphs. And, the nostalgia was enough to make me buy the game. Overall, it was a fun game, but nothing amazing.

    Game over, man!
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  55. Feb 23, 2013
    7
    After playing you, the feeling is rare. 1) The best of the game is the sound. Guns sound like in the movie. I think it's the best atmosphere achieved (not the visuals is lousy, I got better with the sweet nothing). 2) Graphics cuestinables the time. Safan. 3) AI-sas-tro-za. The worst part of the game. 4) good gameplay and good story (although everything is open to criticism) 5) Final open (and bad?) Which gives the possibility to Gearbox to patch everything bad in this 1st part.
    6) It could have been a great game, but it's like a diamond in the rough. I miss polishing asperities (which people no longer banking). When will they understand? It would have been better to wait 6 months and now be putting a 9
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  56. Feb 21, 2013
    7
    I'd been looking forward to this game for quite a while and my initial reaction to single player was massive disappointment. The AI of both enemies and friendlies leaves a lot to be desired. I'd often lose my AI team mates, or they'd get stuck or even more annoying frequently walk in the way. The team mate damage was pitiful but it's a common thing when you play single player shooters, you are supposed to be the one doing the killing. The single player levels are repetitive, aim down sights is actually fairly inaccurate and the graphics weren't at the quality they were represented in 'gameplay demos'. The story and characters were also lacking in depth, nothing really drew me into the aliens universe.

    All that being said the multiplayer gameplay really shines. I enjoyed all game modes and despite a few problems in the days after release with matchup delays in AU I found it a really enjoyable experience and made the pre-order cost worth the money I paid ($35 AU on GMG).

    Overall the game is ok, but all of the real aliens feel of the game for me came from the multiplayer. At the time of writing there are still a few glitches with character voices which can be mostly overlooked, often the marines call out when they are dead or just use sound bytes that aren't relevant to the activity.
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  57. Feb 12, 2013
    7
    The campaign doesn't have the most cinematic quality nor does it's story seem genuinely riveting. It suffers from poor facial animations and has some low rez graphics but it is still a lovingly crafted Aliens game which is telling in it's set design, accurate to the movies and it's enemy AI and animation. NPCs are underdeveloped but this still has some of the best Alien animation, AI and avatars I've seen in any official game from the franchise. The bravado of the marines may seem distasteful or unrelated to the franchise at first but for real die-hard fans of the movie it's quite humorous and almost self-referential. The guns in this game are well crafted, compared to previous AVP outings, and feature the original sounds as well as a ton of customization.

    The multiplayer looks promising, being based on asymmetrical games Like L4D and allows you the opportunity to play as a Xeno in 3rd person.
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  58. Feb 12, 2013
    7
    This game is not bad i see that is better on the pc because the pc versions do not have problems whit graphic.The gameplay is ok you will get scared sometimes and if you play it on a harder difficulty the game gets harder and better.My biggest issue is the stupid friendly AI it is just stupid it lets the xenos kill you without helping but they still help sometimes.The game does not deserve 1 and 4 it deserves a 7 or a 6.6 out of 10 if you do not like aliens you will not like this game a lot but if you like aliens and you have friends that have time to play co-op whit you than thee game gets better.My final verdict is a 7/10 Expand
  59. Feb 20, 2013
    7
    I love this game, it worth every penny I spent. Seriously people, it's not that bad. Let's look at the problem people are talking about: Graphic Sucks Alright, I can related to this, the graphic is very poor, textures has really low resolution, and no “Real” anti-aliasing options make things looks jaggy at times. But to say it's horrible? I'm sure you guys hasn't played FEAR 3 b 3 before, it's graphic is way worst than ACM, it's story is uninspired and makes no sense at all, but it scores 7.5 on gamespot, really? If we apply the standard people enforce on ACM, every game needs to have Crysis level graphics and big-shot writer script to be call a decent game. But since it's obviously we don't judge a game by it's graphics, than why does ACM gets so much more hate for this?


    AI is stupid, no challenge unless play the hardest difficulty

    I finished the game on Soldier difficulty, I don't even know where is this opinion coming from, the AI is fine in my opinion. Yes sometimes your AI teammates get stuck on some places, but it's not like it never happened to other games before, and for me it only happens 1~2 times so it didn't bothers me at all. Enemy Xenomorph are fairly intelligent, I heard people are complaining about “They only charge at you, they don't flank you or anything.” I have to say from my own experience, the xenos can move very fast and surround you very quickly if you don't have a good aim, also they pounce at you from a distance sometimes, makes you have to keep pressing E to survive, I say they are fairly challenging. Don't forget the Xenos outnumbering the player by a huge percentage, if they all play hide and seek and being very smart, marines won't have a chance! You wouldn't have a game here.


    Story makes no sense, bad ending.

    I partially agree with this, the game could use a better story, the ending is a bit abrupt yes, but understandable.(sort of) But even though, I don't think the story is THAT bad, not bad enough to warrant all the hate it got anyway.


    Ultimately, I think it comes down to the mindset you got when you play the game. If you got all hyped up by the PR, then you probably going to be very disappointed. But when I play this game I walk into it with one simple mindset

    ”Kill Xenomorph with Pulse Rifle and Smartgun, visit Sulaco and LV-426, experience the scenes from the movie ”

    And I got everything I was paying for, so for me, this game rocks, as for people who expected more than this, unless RIDLEY SCOTT and JAMES CAMERON themselves are working on this project, you are expecting too much from Gearbox.
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  60. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    The trouble I find with a game like this is everyone has such high expectations and only seems to like to pick out the bad bits, completely forgetting the rest.
    It's an Aliens game, its going to be limited in what it can do without destroying it's own universe (you may think all the AVP films and games did that, but lets forget those never happened), throw in that any high budget game is
    nearly always made for the console then ported to the PC and you have another issue, technology limitations. So why expect something that it never will be?

    Starting with the good:
    - You got to be a fan of the film, not the franchise, just the film. I mean the sort of fan that will watch it a few times a year and can recite most of the quotes. If you're not then you'll probably just think of it as a generic shooter. Which I am!
    - Sounds and music are great, it really does sound like a pulse rifle and motion tracker, and lets face it you'll pretty much just be using those the whole game.
    - Some nice touches re-creating the Aliens scenery, finding the med bay, the room where Burke let a facehugger loose on Ripley and Newt, and even the trike you see at the beginning of the directors cut.
    - First time around it's great to shoot up a load of Aliens, hordes of them and even the single hunters that hide and wait for you. Can get old fast with the AI Marines with you though.
    - Fun coop on Ultimate Badass mode, provided you haven't played the single player yet. "You go first", "No YOU go first"

    The no so impressive side:
    - Buggy AI, seems to get stuck sometimes and teleport in front of you. Not sure what that's about but there has been worse around. Give it a rest.
    - Can't use the motion tracker to find enemies in the next room until you open the door and get attacked. Maybe they're just not moving, it is a 'motion' tracker and not a 'stationary' tracker after all.
    - Fight too many humans, a little was fine but bleh, it's called Aliens so should have lots of them!
    - Checkpoints seem to make things behind you disappear, leaving no reason to watch your six.

    Non-Issues, things people whine about because they can:
    - Graphics look a bit flat, but it doesn't struggle. The Sulaco and Hadleys Hope wasnt exactly build with textured wallpaper.
    - Story and Voice acting. It's not the best but it's about as annoying as being forced to cut your toenails once in a while. It's minimal and you just deal with it.
    - Marines get a boost in multiplayer just by playing the campaign making being an alien rather difficult to begin with.

    That's all, now please stop whining.
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  61. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    After laying multiplayer some more and get some more control of the alien im adding 3 points to this game review it will even go to an 8 if most problems will be adressed and when there will be new (usefull) content.
    At first it was horrible now its just a game that just lacks love from the developers.
    Alien controlls still are clunky but manageable.
    Campaign is quite the generic walk d
    own a hallway and shoot stuff but gets you special guns.
    AI is just silly voice acting could be good only its to repetetive and should change during the campaign levels.
    Graphics are okay its not bad and it isnt marvelous either.
    server browsing should be added it is one of the things that keeps multiplayer alive.
    Servers should be able to migrate host to counter abrupt game endings and need to search a new game again.
    marine weapons feel alright altough a little overpowered in escape mode (my opinion).
    weird friendly fire system no damage from bullets but explosions do so it should be changed to on or off.

    Overall fun to play online, campaign could be fun on hardest dificulty.
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  62. Feb 12, 2013
    7
    Pretty solid if you're a fan of the series. It's basically just a fan service game layered over a mediocre cover shooter. But it's not that bad, and it has Steamworks integration, co-op, and some novel multiplayer modes. I wouldn't drop $50 on it, but it's easily worth $20 or so.

    Pros:
    Sound is dead on for rifles, xenos, etc. Voice acting is good.
    Environment/atmosphere. They really c
    aptured the visuals from Aliens 2.
    Steamwork integration party system.
    FoV slider unlike many ports brought to PC.

    Cons:
    Limited graphical options, relatively poor quality for a 2013 release.
    Occasional animation bugs.
    Extremely stupid AI (both friendly and hostile)
    Most exciting moments are scripted.
    Very easy even on hardest difficulty. ("Ultimate Badass" is about where normal should have been.)
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  63. Feb 14, 2013
    7
    Bottom line I've had a ton of fun with this game, as it has always been a fantasy of mine to be in the boots of a colonial marine out on another bug hunt. I just cannot see how this game is dinged for things such as poor textures, sub par AI, and an unimaginative story. What I mean to say is there needs to be some kind of standard here, you can apply these very same criticisms to MW3 and BO2, yet Colonial Marines is viewed as a blight on the industry. Maybe my standards have softened after ME3, but I've found entertainment and value in this game. Perhaps I just enjoy shooting aliens for a change as opposed to people with different skin colors and implied bad intentions. In conclusion this doesn't reinvent the wheel, more or less just spitting acid on it, making for a bumpy yet very authentic ride.
    Recommended after a steam discount.
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  64. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    So this is my first time ever writing a review for something.....ever. I've been a gamer ever since the NES came out. (sheesh..I feel lold). I am also a big movie buff and remember seeing Alien and Aliens when I was younger and it scared me to death! It also was one of the best forms of story telling I have ever seen in horror movies. So, for me as a gamer mixing the too is HUGE! I've played all the major titles like Gears of War, God of War, Mario Bros, etc, etc. So in this review I want to talk to the people I feel this will appeal to. Is the game worth $60....no....it is not...I payed that and it is not. Also a heads up to those of you getting the Collector's Edition...the "statute" is smaller than the game case...so I downgraded...I was hoping for something more along the lines of the Marcus statue I own from Gears of War 3. I did not get the game that was advertised....doesn't match the screen shots...or hype that we were promised....but....we did get pieces of that promised expierence...and that has been enough for me. The graphics are 1st gen 360 (Turok) and there is a lot of screen tearing in single player...but....the sound is amazing....and took me right back to the days of hiding behind the couch in fear of seeing what the aliens were going to do to people. But...back to the game....I've enjoyed this game....ENJOYED!...not like Call of Duty...Battlefield.....Gears of War......but as an Aliens game.....Yes...you do play through the same levels as the movie....and people complain....Are you telling me that you are a fan and have no interest of seeing those same scenes in PLAYABLE FORM!!! Come on! When I was a kid I dreamed of going down those corriders and shooting those aliens with every gun, gernade, and friend I have ever seen in Aliens, and here...you finally get to do it!!! This is a game for Aliens fans looking for more aliens.....not Aliens fans looking for Halo 4, Call of Duty, and Battlefield, but fans who loved the material. Yes the graphics bothered me at first....esp. when I saw there was screen tearing in the start menu...bluh...but I have become engrossed in this franchise and if you want a really "creepy, scary" version of the game the play AVP from 2010...I thought it was more edgy...but if you wanna scream "let's rock" and shootem up with a friend...DO IT!!!! I thought the story was good...not great...but not bad....but it functions! and I think pretty well. The sound....the sound is Great!!!....From the pulse rifle...to the motion tracker...its great! And for the people complaining about having so many weapons....apprently you didn't see the movies...they were LOADED!!! They had all these toys! Yea...you can't carry that many in real life...but at least you can say...oh yea....this is a smart gun moment!...too bad I can only do that on level 2....nope...now you can do it whenever....Now for multiplayer...I hated it....at first....its starting to grow on me.....and yes...the camera and controls suck for the aliens....but once you invest some time into them....it got better....and the marines were always fun to play as....but everyone will find their mode in it.....so....overall this is what I have to say rating this game....

    Graphics- 6
    Sound- 10
    Gameplay- 7
    Replay- 7

    One review on here summed it up.....some people are gonna love it....some people are gonna hate it! But only review if you've played it.....I'm pretty sure a lot of the negative reviews are from those who haven't even played the game...but if you have and felt this way....then it wasn't meant for you....its generic....and outdated....but it still captures something for me that I found in the films. Curiosity and the fun that comes from the Alien universe....I play games because they are fun....its how they are supposed to be! And just for the record....these reviews you "fans" put out that people read....are the reason the game industry is failing...when investors see these numbers and comments....they make big decisions based on these....I don't want any developers to go under....cause its less product for us!! They don't play the games....and when they see this....adios developers...publishers...etc....so take that into account before you go trashing a game...especially if its one you haven't played or don't like cause its the "other guy"......if anyone reads this...thanks for your time....hope you have a great one!
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  65. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    GOOD -Up to 4 player co-op -Xeno 3rd person perspective -Interesting multi-player modes -level up system for xenos -Customization of your guns BAD -Graphics are a bit rough -Alien AI is sketchy -More action less atmosphere in single player -Overall Polish -No dedicated servers? -It lets you carry too many weapons -Limited online functions (eg cannot search a game by ping) Matchmaking only
    -No real feeling of terror in single player, multi player can make you fear the aliens though playing as a marine.
    I don't think any parts of it are terrible (pc version) but there are plenty of things which could be improved. Which is why it was panned so bad I think, it being Alien franchise it has a lot to live up to. It being in development for 6 years is a joke really.
    I would describe the game as a pick up and play decent budget game.
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  66. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    I'll try to be short and sweet with my review. I'll start by saying that this is a game that will not win any GOTY awards, however it's not nearly the train wreck that some people have made it out to be. Also I've heard alot of complaints on how easy the game is. Set the difficulty at hardened or greater and you should get a good challenge.

    Audio 9
    Overall the game has great audio,
    well done and authentic sounds from the movies .

    Graphics- 7
    I'd say that the graphics on this game are average to good for this console generation, that being said on PC, it would be nice to really be able to max everything, although the PC graphics are better than the console versions.

    Story-4
    Well, they tried, unfortunately trying doesn't guarantee success. With some professional writers and a bit more thought and time they could have made a very compelling story, but they didn't

    Replayability-9
    Ok, so the single player campaign isn't the best, and if this were a single player only game, that would warrant a 3 out of 10. But there is also a multiplayer element to this game that I find very entertaining and addictive(although the marines seem a bit more overpowered than the aliens, but it could be because my alien toon is low level. If they continue to develop multiplayer maps and features, then this game could turn out rather well. Let's be honest, no one is buying COD black ops for the single player, and if they did, they would be pretty disappointed. I would compare aliens CM to COD Black ops in that respect. Sure the single player is mediocre at best, but the multiplayer can pick up the slack.
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  67. Feb 13, 2013
    7
    In my honest opinion:
    I so far have only played the single player campaign, and I liked it. I enjoyed the game play, and I found myself immersed in nostalgia. Even though the AI was horribly clunky, Marine NPCs were getting caught on the smallest of objects, they would occasionally disappear and reappear and at times they felt like a waste of space who couldn't aim to save their lives, th
    is is because they're an NPC, in a shooter. They're not there to do the work for you, they're there to provide minimum backup while you show the world what and ultimate badass really is. Even the Alien AI wasn't all that hot, however basic warriors still didn't make a sound. They still used ambush tactics, would come through vents, grates on the ground, etc. They did as they were supposed to. Even though certain mechanics such as; taking cover, moving over cover, squad commands, and a few other small things could have been added, as a whole. The game was not too bad. The storyline was short, however you have to remember that this is a FPS that doesn't have a direct roleplaying interaction. Linear FPS games are meant to be short. You're not supposed to spend days upon days working your way through the story as if you were playing an RPG like Skyrim. Short, precise plot points telling you were to go, what to do. After all you're a God damn Marine. If you found the game play of the main story wasn't scary enough, turn down the brightness and increase the difficulty. Play in the dark. Use headphones instead of speakers. Don't sit in a room with the light on, don't have your brightness up so that you have perfect night vision, make it so that all you can hear are your own footsteps down a hallway with the small 'blip' sounds from your motion tracker.

    But you know... Let's just verbally destroy a game a couple of days after its release. You know, on-release bugs make a game and all.
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  68. Feb 14, 2013
    7
    Sure, the game isn't breaking new ground, and it would have benefited from a tactical shooter approach rather than a straight FPS, but it's still enjoyable, particularly if you're a fan of the source material. Multiplayer modes are quite fun if played with friends and other fans, and headphones with surround sound make a big difference in atmosphere. It could certainly use some polish, but unlike many higher-rated games, the story is at least more engaging. Expectations were very high with the game, so it's no wonder it's getting trashed. Setting up friends-only games was a breeze, and we had no trouble with drop-in/drop outs. Our friendly AI were pretty helpful, actually, and the aliens were persistent and varied in their attack vectors, though the Weyland Yutani troops were a little too quick to leave cover in search of a better angle. Other than that....

    We've been enjoying it. That's my two cents.
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  69. Feb 14, 2013
    7
    Si bien el juego se ve antiguo, es un gran juego.. la campaña dura solamente 6 horas, pero tiene mucha rejugabilidad por el sistema de lvl y desbloqueos de armas/mejoras. La IA es absurdamente tonta, pero jugando en coop es donde el juego brilla y se hace realmente divertido.
    las texturas son similares a las que tiene el juego Rage de ID Software, de cerca son horribles, pero mirando des
    sde cierta distancia la ambientacion es muy bien lograda.
    El juego podria ser mejor? si
    pero lo compensa con un modo multiplayer que cuando funciona, es realmente divertido.
    mi puntaje es un 7, y si hubiera tenido mejores graficas el puntaje seria mayor.
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  70. Feb 15, 2013
    7
    It has some glaring issues that could be repaired in future patches. From a single player perspective, the writing is sub-standard although supposed to be canon and there are portions of voice acting where the NPC's sound as if they don't care for the script. Even still, with a multiplayer group, and the highest difficulty settings some fun may still be had by a few gamers. I wouldn't recommend it for someone solely wishing to play single-player mode, as it has no new game or replay value. Expand
  71. Feb 16, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall, this was a fun game. In fact, I'm going to play it a second time on a harder difficulty because I enjoyed it so much. I do have a few "issues" with the game though... Firstly the default PC controls are poorly assigned... Push "V" for melee combat... seriously!? Melee is meant to be quick and swift, I had to constantly look down at my keyboard to find the "V" key when an alien pounced on me. Also, making "F" key the alternate fire key... seriously!? I feel like the mouse should handle all the weapon controls. Primary fire is left click, secondary fire can be right-click, or middle-click. Not pushing "F" on the keyboard... That's like having to reach down and push a button on your Hip to make your gun launch a grenade. Just doesn't make sense... So anyways, I reassigned it so that left-click was primary-fire, middle-click was alt-fire, right click was melee-attack, "F" was flashlight. The game was much better from that point on.

    The next thing I noticed was a somewhat buggy AI... From time to time, I would see enemies running into walls or not moving at all while I shoot them. The "co-op" AI was also somewhat dumb, just standing getting shot in many cases... But I can look past some of it... Being a developer myself, I understand that building a good AI is super difficult.

    Lastly, the end Boss battle... SPOILER ALERT... The end boss battle was LAME! You run around, push 5 buttons, and its over... Never using any weapons... Seriously? All these weapons i've been upgrading, and customizing, and I dont get to use any of them for the final battle? Not even a couple times? Nope... You literally run around a room, avoiding the queen, while you push 5 buttons, that eventually eject her from the ship... Pretty lame... You dont even get to use the Power Loader suit. In fact, you only get to use the Power Loader suit ONCE in the entire game... Why go through all the effort to have the Power Loader when you only use it once... and its a crappy battle when you do use it... I feel like they could have done more with the Power Loader and the Final Battle. At least involved using your weapons somehow.
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  72. Feb 18, 2013
    7
    Most of these reviews are garbage because 90% have no clue what actually happened. I've played them from day one even after the graphic fixes this game is by far underrated
  73. Mar 11, 2013
    7
    Many of you should be ashamed for black balling this game so horribly. I've had many hours of entertaining game play out of it. and half of you never even picked it up and feel you can review it. 47 hours of enjoyment this game has given me. try and get that at your local bar for 50 bucks.
  74. Mar 13, 2013
    7
    The overall reviews for this game are unfair. It's not ground breaking, and it feels rushed. But the environments are true to the Aliens series and the game is still fun. The campaign is far too short, but that is the case with every FPS game since MW:2 hit the market. It's worth playing if you're a fan of the original Aliens movie, or if you want to burn some time, though I would say this game belongs in the $29 to $39 range.

    The unlocks add an interesting twist, and the weapon mods a little flavor, but I would have preferred more story and less CoD.
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  75. Feb 12, 2013
    6
    Oh how I wanted to love this game. The campaign for the most part is a soulless, standard FPS with wildly inaccurate guns which make trying to kill mercenaries in cover a chore. The low res textures make the game look dated, attempts are generating atmosphere are a bit hit and miss, the dialogue is nothing special, and the multi-player is a guilty pleasure, but I got to the point where all I wanted to do was play the xenomorphs and got bored whenever I was forced to play as the marines. Leaping around the arenas and crawling across ceilings and walls is mighty good fun, but often the game can't understand exactly what you're doing due to the complex nature of the terrain and your character will start doing donuts a wall or something. At least I managed to pick it up fairly cheap. Meh. Expand
  76. Feb 12, 2013
    6
    There are so many problems with this game that it's not even funny. The story is so bad it's good, there are parts of the levels that are so unpolished it's embarrassing and there's too much time shooting other humans rather than hunting bugs. As a single player game, it's a dead loss. If you stop to examine it, it's really stupid on many levels.

    BUT

    If you want an Aliens game, as a
    Marine, no Predators around, you and your mates shooting aliens for about seven hours, it's okay. I mean it's not brilliant but it's a fun, reasonably challenging cooperative shooter and there aren't many of those around for the PC. I enjoyed the coop campaign in ACM more than I enjoyed my first play-through of Left 4 Dead or the Syndicate coop missions and it had a much smoother process to set it up than the latter.

    It's a long way from polished but I think it offers something that is all too rare on PC, a solid coop first person shooter experience. I got seven hours out of it, which isn't much for a full price game, but they were seven good hours, so I don't think it's that bad. Wouldn't recommend getting it except on sale though really. But just to reiterate, it's only saving feature is the coop, it does that well enough to be worth a dip into a bargain bin.
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  77. Feb 13, 2013
    6
    The short version is that IT'S NOT THAT BAD!

    Main problems are it's too simplistic and lacks polish. But it's no worse than all the others games based on this franchise. There is enjoyment to be had here, but no more so than with your latest Cowadooty game. I'd give this mid-60's rather than mid-40's. It really doesn't deserve the slating it's taken, although it can mostly blame itself
    for raising expectations so much at E3. Expand
  78. Feb 15, 2013
    6
    i gave it a six out of ten, basically i enjoyed the game, it wasn't until it was pointed out that the game was nothing like what the demo promised i felt cheated a little, but hoping the devs can do something to keep supporting the franchis with animation,Ai and texture upgrades, and hopefully do what Bioware did with ME3 and release some "extended version" DLC cutscenes to better explain the storyline. I hope gearbox, and Randy don't abandon this franchise, it CAN BE MADE RIGHT you can start by releasing a HD texture pack and a lighting overhaul Expand
  79. Feb 13, 2013
    6
    The so called "Professional Reviewers" Are FAR to harsh with this game. Okay Granted it has its flaws (The AI is Wonky in Single Player) Yet the campaign is still rich and engaging within the Aliens Universe. Its a Blast to walk around famous scenes from the movie with a Pal or two and Blast some Xenos into next week. Multiplayer IS fun and refreshing from other games out there (This one isn't some COD rip off Thank god!). People need to give this game a break, and give it credit where credit is due, not just look at its flaws and say its terrible. Unfortunately since I don't get paid to write articles about "How my opinion is better than everyone else's" This truthful review will be buried by hate and not see the light of day. At least I don't have my head up my ass... Expand
  80. Feb 13, 2013
    6
    First off I enjoyed this game to a point, there are however some glaring problems that just should not have made it through to the final product. AI dropping off completely, this happens all the time. A team member will randomly just stand around doing nothing; enemies will walk straight past them as they stare off blankly into space. Aliens will find a spot to zone out and wait for you to shoot them. This can be a problem if you are required to kill everything in some points of the game to progress onwards, it did not happen to me but if it does happen it will be game breaking.

    Textures, there are so many bad textures, Gearbox are terrible for this, optimisation is no excuse on a PC version of a game. In 2013 I should not be looking at textures in a game that aren’t even up to par with the original Alien vs. Predator. That is where my complaints end, I didn’t notice any kill streaks or such garbage during my play through, the story had decent pacing and some decent elements and a few good twists to the Alien creature itself that made for some good reference material when thinking back to the movies. There are a few eye roll moments and some small plot holes, that don’t have much of a negative impact on the plot. It is a big fan service, and people who aren’t diehard fans of the franchise will be left feeling a bit ripped off.

    The gun play was quite good, the sound assets were brilliant, there could however be a bit more kick to the rifles, all they do is spread. The old pulse rifle needs to have a bit of jump to it and the fact that the grenade launcher by default is the “f” key makes for some frustrating moments as being used to other games that the use key is f will get you killed in a close quarters situation, like trying to open a door. It’s an easy rebinding, but still a pain that it was not really well thought out.
    Overall I give AcM a 6/10, it definitely needs work. Hopefully the modding community will get on top of a texture pack, and Gearbox will patch the godforsaken AI. It’s not going to be for everyone, and I can understand the disappointment in it, saying to go in without expectations for the canonical sequel to one of the best sci-fi movies ever made is stupid, I would say that diehard fans should check it out when at the very least a decent patch comes out. Shame on you Gearbox, you can do so much better.
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  81. Mar 15, 2013
    6
    SEGA have made a terrible presentation again. Was not that bad nor good. Good dialogue but terrible missions. Being this game on the human scale it would be Alienated, waste of $70
  82. Feb 12, 2013
    6
    I totally LOVE the Alien movies, and I think this game will recive a open heart from us. For the rest of you guys that Isn´t that in to the movies, I´m sure you will find a hard time with it. Sure, they got some stuff they could have tweeked here and there, bit I´m enjoying it, and that´s what counts.
  83. Feb 12, 2013
    6
    let's start off by saying that I've actually played through the entire campaign and spend several hours in multilayer. having said that, here's my honest opinion.

    The game looks like an Alien movie, the amount of details spend in the environments is great, and you'll recognize a lot from the alien movies, but the graphics themselves are actually not up to par with recent games. if this
    game would have come out 2-3 years ago, it's graphics would have been good, now, not so great.
    The music, voice acting, sfx sounds are all good though annoying at times, beep beep beep ).
    The story feels like a decent alien story, nothing to over the top, and actually believable if you know the franchise. it tries to fill some gaps between movies and does a decent but not great job of doing so. in comparison to recent fps games coming out this was one of the better stories.

    but this is where most of the praise ends.
    The guns feel to strong most of the time I would heavily advice you to play on harder or impossible difficulty the aliens while decently strong please note that this is written after a harder play-through

    now the game play, this is where the game doesn't hold up to expectations. there's some scare moment, but far to little for an alien game. it's not uncommon to slaughter a lot of them for as long as you have ammo. while ammo isn't infinite there's definitely enough around to play out the game with 3-4 different guns only. and there's about 12 of them depending on how you count aliens leap but rarely hits, when they attack they stand still for a moment, allowing an easy melee to stun/stop them or just blast them into heaven(?). the game feels easy and you feel like a super soldier half of the time. and while there's plenty of variety in your weapons, the aliens lack strategy and diversity.

    the human characters seem to lack all facial expressions except for eyes and mouth movement, aliens move sporadically between you and your ally(s) and often only target 1 at a time. and it's not uncommon to see an alien forget you after it walks past you.

    missions and area's are diverse enough that they won't bore you through the campaign. but instead of feeling like the ultimate deadly enemy humans not included they feel rather simple and dumb.

    you carry all your unlocked weapons with you, and you can select 2 main, a side-gun(pistol) and a grenade at a time, and you can swap between them in real time by opening up the real time weapon menu.
    you gain levels as you kill aliens which grant you unlocks to upgrade your weapons and load-out. you have an armor which you have to replenish by finding armor pieces, and a health bar which is put into 3 parts. and you generate a bar as long as it isn't fully replenished.
    I actually like these systems, the game feels more like an older fps where you have to be careful with your health and armor then the modern day shooters where you regenerate your arm every 30 seconds.

    for the multilayer you keep the weapons/unlocks that you build up in single player, unfortunately there's no alien single-player, so your heavily behind in as alien as you start in MP. aliens feel underpowered, and lag is a huge issue all auto matching, expect half your matches to be to bad to play still it has it's fun moment, and if you do get a good kill it feels rewarding enough to keep going.

    the game has a lot of potential, and it's unfortunately that gearbox did as much perfectly right, as that there lacking in parts. it also definitely needs some balance issues for pc. i can only hope they can fix this with some patches/dlc.



    so, IN CONCLUSION.
    good atmosphere, but mediocre shooter with some decent alien mechanics. stands out above most modern mediocre fps due to a decent story and some more old-school mechanics.
    if your an alien fan, try to buy it at a discount. if your just an average fps player, i don't advice you to buy this.
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  84. Feb 12, 2013
    6
    After 1,5 hours of playing i can say that this game is sadly not a horror game I was really hopped for a great horror/shooter. They made the shooter part well, but not the horror part. The story is so typical, a ship send out a distress signal, marines roll in much of the squad gets killed in the first few minutes and only you remain to save everyone ass. The graphics are fine, not to shiny not to rusty. The gameplay is just a go from A to B and meanwhile kill Xenos. Expand
  85. Feb 16, 2013
    6
    Aliens: Colonial Marines is a bit of a mixed bag, First off the campaign is just horrible and i found myself when playing on Hardened difficulty, i could just run through some of the levels. But some of the fan service throughout the campaign is pretty cool especially for Aliens fans such as myself. Finally the Multiplayer i found was surprisingly good. Being able to run around as xenomorphs is absolute fun. Overall, Aliens: Colonial Marines is an average game and didn't really live up to the hype 6/10 Expand
  86. Feb 16, 2013
    6
    I looked forward to this game for quite a long time. As cliche as it is, I was a huge fan of Aliens since I was a kid, and I've always thought it would be great to have a quality game set in the universe in which you get to assume the role of a Colonial Marine. Anyways, this game really does nothing for the Aliens universe. The story has a lot of flaws. If this weren't hyped a canonical sequel to a movie I held so dear, I probably wouldn't care. I didn't care at all about any of the AvP stories, I just enjoyed the games for their multiplayer game play. But again, this game was advertized and hyped as being some awesome canonical sequel but falls completely flat...

    The fact that the USCM and Weyland-Yutani Corporation "go to war" is ridiculous, as the company essentially owns the Marine Corp (as well as everything else in the galaxy) in the first place. I guess they just needed an excuse to have you shooting at other people alongside the aliens. The campaign took me only roughly 6-8 hours to complete on "Hardened" difficulty, and had one of the worst endings I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing in a video game. So much for the epic canonical sequel...

    The multiplayer on the other hand, is pretty fun. If you really like the idea of running around shooting Giger aliens and/or hunting marines (without predators of course), then you'll probably enjoy that aspect of the game. Despite its entertainment value, it does need some work as sometimes the aliens feel very clunky despite their speed, strength, and maneuverability. Furthermore, it also seems like an alien can charge directly at you, and manage to kill you somehow despite the fact that you've been spraying it with an automatic weapon for its entire charge. Then again, maybe I just suck at the game ;)

    All in all, I'd give the single player a 5/10. It's story, AI, and boss fights are absolute garbage (IN MY OPINION), BUT they do recreate with an intense attention to detail many of the areas from the Aliens films. The operations center is pretty much in the exact same shape the marines from the movie left it in. The floor panel that Hudson was pulled through can be seen exactly where it happened in the movie. The smart gun ammo counters are still reading "00" and "04," the exact amount of ammo remaining in them from the director's cut of the film. The ventilation shaft the survivors escaped through can be found with the vent lying next to the wall. Although I did notice after watching the E3 demo that although in the demo the door that had been sealed and subsequently breached by the aliens was busted open, in the released product the door was still sealed shut, even though aliens had bashed through it in the film. This is an absolutely trivial detail, however, and certainly does not detract from the game in any way. They also recreated the derelict space craft from the first movie nicely, allowing the player to encounter the space jockey (engineer) in its seat with its chest burst open. Finally, I definitely think they did a great job of recreating the sound effects of the weapons from the film. The pulse rifle also had a truly authentic feel as it actually...pulsed...unlike the weapon's portrayal in AvP and previous Aliens titles.

    Multiplayer, since AI does not control the aliens, is significantly better. I'd give it a 7/10. It's entertaining, and if you like the Aliens universe it will only add to the fun. Hopefully they add new game types, new maps, and various tweaks without charging for all of it...but that probably won't happen.

    I am disappointed overall because I expected more from the title, but I think most reviews are extremely harsh and tend to ignore any and all of the good aspects of the game. That, or they acknowledge them but still give the game a 1/10.
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  87. Feb 22, 2013
    6
    I was really excited for this game, it was in development for quite a while but the end product wasn't the best outcome. The AI is TERRIBLE espically your teamate AI's they always seem to get in your way. The fact that a lot of the missions involve you fighting other humans was also a HUGE let down. I mean a little bit of human skirmishes would have been alright but the amount of missions that you fight them is ridiculus, The game is pretty fun Co-op wise. P.S The boss battle takes like 2 minutes to beat. Expand
  88. Feb 13, 2013
    5
    I was a bit skeptical when i saw all harsh reviews, but then i played a the game, its true that the graphics are dated, but that's not the straw that broke the camel's back (straws in this case), it doesn't feel like an aliens game, or a horror movie for that matter, the Xenos come at you in plain sight, and you have more than enough ammo to gun them down, the game suffers from broken AI, quirky animations, forgettable characters, You'll find yourself stepping right through some debris, and chunks of alien organic materials found on the ground while walking around like its not there, i haven't tried the multiplayer yet, so i have no opinion on that. if you're a fan of movies, you might tolerate some of the inconveniences that i've mentioned, or you'll just rate it harshly out of bitter disappointment like all the 1's and 2's found on here, as a for me i feel like i flushed my money down the toilet. Expand
  89. Feb 14, 2013
    5
    Generally a disappointment, the Aliens atmosphere is there with the sound and lighting effects but the AI is really poor and this really effects the gun play. The weapons are good, each has a role to play and the customization is pretty good allowing you to change the guns to fit your play style.

    Overall its worth a rental or if you can pick it up cheaply but I doubt many people would b
    e happy paying the full retail price for this game. Expand
  90. Feb 14, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After playing for a few hours I've already kind of lost interest in the game entirely. I was really excited for this game because I loved the original movies, but this game is pretty disappointing. The visuals are rather outdated, which isn't a deal breaker for me at all, but some of the textures in this game are laughably low resolution. One think I really noticed was how the characters look slightly cartoonish. It almost reminds me of the Jurassic Park video game by Telltale; in regards to the visual style the characters are given. It isn't as pronounced as Telltale's style, but it's still noticeable. The game doesn't have much of a budget for poly count. A lot of models rely almost entirely on textures for intricate details (and do it poorly). Levels tend to have block syndrome as well. As far as the environment art goes, they nailed the old Aliens look pretty well.

    The pacing of the story is awkward at times. Missions and cut scenes tend to start and end abruptly. There was one point in the game where I was on the bridge of a space ship and my crew and I watch helplessly as our ship explodes. We stand perfectly still, unaffected by the blast. Then the mission ends suddenly and at the start of the next mission, we're all lying on the floor of the bridge as if the blast had violently shaken the ship we were on, knocking us all off our feet. Very awkward moment. It's not a HUGE deal, but it's amazing how they overlooked this. There's more of it throughout the campaign. There's even a few glaring issues with the core gameplay. Some sites on weapons don't seem centered. Hit detection also seems off at times, especially around cover. If an enemy is behind cover but you can still see a little bit of their body sticking out, it's nearly impossible to hit them. But whenever you take cover, you frequently get hit by random bullets every few seconds. To top it all off, AI is pretty wonky in this game. Your companions CONSTANTLY walk in front of you as you're firing. I blew myself up at least 6 times because one of my allies walked in front of me RIGHT when I decided to fire a shell from my under-barrel grenade launcher. Very frustrating to say the least. This game had a lot of potential and you can even see it when playing, but it just falls completely flat on its face.
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  91. Feb 12, 2013
    5
    It's sad when a beloved franchises gets the "EA" treatment. I might be embellishing a bit, but it's understandable since i used to be a fan. The game is, for lack of a better word, "MEH". I didn't get to play much since i did so at a friend's house, but what i did get to play kind of left me wanting. What the hell was i playing? It certainly didn't feel like an "Aliens" game. Somewhat Clunky and Heavily scripted, the purpose of which, i'm guessing, is inspiring suspense, but it doesn't really matter because it fails to do so in any other way except for those moments of eerie silence when you're walking alone And those are nothing new. Outside of excluding the Predators as a playable race, and adding some menial reward mechanisms you see in EVERY OTHER FPS out there, i don't see how this can be viewed as anything other than a dumbed-down AVP3 clone. The optimization itself seems to be horrendous, as the already non-stellar gameplay suffered almost omnipresent lag spikes. IN SINGLE PLAYER. How the hell does that happen? This might be a huge issue with paying customers, since some of them coughed up quite a sum by pre-ordering. One other thing that seems to follow every game of late like the plague, is the over-dramatization of already "dramatic" events. I don't understand what the issue is there, and why does it happen so often, but it sucks to see marines acting as if this is some Aliens soap opera. How, in their right mind, would anyone take this game seriously after that fact is beyond me. I should have known, after seeing Randy Pitchford's smug little face on the trailers, that this game is going to bomb. The AI is pathetic. I've seen better enemy reactions in Wolfenstein. I give it a 5 out of sheer devotion to the franchise, nothing else. If this was any other generic fps, it wouldn't even sell at the bargain bin. My advice is, play something else. Until it gets a couple of well-deserved patches, you should forget that this "thing" even exists. Expand
  92. Feb 26, 2013
    5
    This is the first time I have beaten a $50 dollar game in less than 20 hours. Even though the game is relatively easy (even for old guys like me), I still found it to be entertaining. My biggest critiques are: (1) too much down time between fights, even though cut scenes didn't interfere too much. (2) rather dim graphics (3) number of radio calls from the normally absentee players who always seem to be waiting for the protagonist to show up (4) highly forgettable plot; I can't even remember the hero's name. Expand
  93. LMW
    Feb 12, 2013
    5
    Played it for 3 hours in 4 people coop mode on Ultimate Badass. 6 11 missions accomplished. What can I say? What I like:

    - 4 people coop makes game a lot better. While not perfect, you have sort of cooperation and tactic while killing stuff.
    - Sounds and music are not bad at all. Weapons, well-timed music and big booms are all there.
    - Weapons. While there are basically 3 categories
    (rifles, shotguns and pistols), all of them have their own style and feel.

    What I didn't like:

    - Story. Story is meaningless. It doesn't make you care about key figures. Who was that guy over the radio? Who cares, let's move, aliens won't kill themselves.
    - Aliens and enemy soldiers AI. Well, nothing much to say here they are just plain stupid. The only way they can attack you is by jumping straight at you. Oh, they can also just stand and watch you killing them (or just running around waving their claws). And yes, they die A LOT. Packs and packs run at you and you just shoot them in the face. No challenge. Easy as that.
    - Level design is lackluster. Corridors over corridors, watered with boring cut-scenes, where developers try to make you care about characters around you. Nothing spectacular here, at least so far.
    - Almost no challenge. Yes, we died several times during these 6 missions only because we were running straight ahead almost all the time, shooting stuff without any problems (I did check our difficulty level twice I still can't believe it is so easy to play on the Ultimate Badass), but nothing really challenging. Aliens die in a matter of seconds, almost without any effort from our part.

    As it was said before, game feels like another generic FPS. There is nothing special about this title whatsoever. Is it fun? If you play it not alone maybe, but I can't imagine playing it myself all alone (I did finish 2 missions alone, by the way). And yes, graphic is not that terrible. Of course it is quite outdated, but not that bad as many people state. While not at Far Cry or Crysis level, it doesn't make you puke either.

    Overall, 5.5 (maybe 6.0) out of 10 for me.
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  94. Feb 12, 2013
    5
    Enjoying myself fully after 3-4 missions in the cinematic single player part of this game. Not as scary as the earlier AvP games but a solid SP experience. So far my only real complaint is the scripted pauses where the tracker is not accessible. The unlocks and leveling feels well integrated and solid and adds more game within the game.

    Good: gfx, sound, control
    Not as good: Scripted,
    interrupting pauses, tracker feels a bit scripted Expand
  95. Mar 24, 2013
    5
    Aliens: Colonial Marines is a sign of what the gaming industry has degraded to: pure utter Not only does this so-called 'sequel' to Aliens takes a big piece of dump on the Alien film canon, it also demonstrates how deceitful the industry can be and how easily it is for gamers to fall for its web of lies. Not only does A:CM not have any of the graphical power seen in the 2011 E3 demo nor the interesting level designs, the entire game is essentially half broken. Enemy AI is ludicrously dumb and glitchy, the friendly AI is almost broken with some of the worst pathfinding Ive seen in literally years. The plot itself starts off well and actually has some interesting aspects to it throughout the middle but after a few levels, it just falls to pieces, as if they ran out of time and had to add in a horrible, poor-executed climax and conclusion. For fans of the franchise, you will be hooked by its generic xeno-killing gameplay but this excitement only lasts as long as your love for using the Pulse Rifle. There's a wide range of weapons but in all honesty, you'll probably only use 2-3 of them. Thankfully, the Smart-Gun and Pulse Rifles have been well designed and executed with their familiar sounds and impact (though the recoil for the Pulse Rifle is a big ridiculous). Another positive is the inclusion of legendary guns from the second film including Vasquez's Smartgun, Hudon's Pulse Rifle, Norman's Pistol etc. The NPC's you meet are generic as hell and have the worst lines (though the voice-acting is solid). The game cutscenes are poorly rendered and overall, the engine has a 2005 look with excessive lighting and poor textures. Multiplayer-wise, it holds up well but ultimately, compared Natural Selection 2, its inferior. Co-op just feels tacted on and is fun for a few levels for at the end of the day, its probably one of the worst implemented with player warping and a lack of Co-op features. Aliens: Colonial Marines is a total letdown and my biggest disappointment of a game since Mass Effect 3 last year. They have recently released a new patch that does enhance the AI and graphics as well as a solid Bug Hunt DLC but all in all its like adding extra icing and fresh seasoning to a chocolate cake gone bad: too little, too late. Unless you're a big Aliens nut like myself, than avoid A:CM at all costs. Its Game Over all right. Game Over. Expand
  96. Feb 17, 2013
    5
    Thus far i've put around 7 hours into this game and like many others i'm very disappointed. I don't think it deserves all of the 1s and zeros it has here but it is definitely not worth the 50 dollars I spent. Imo this is at best a 30 dollar title IF you're a diehard fan of the franchise. The AI is obviously its biggest flaw, some human enemies will literally stand there indefinitely while I stare at them and the xenos don't do a whole lot other than charge directly at you or in the case of the spitters come to a dead stop while spitting long enough for you to kill them without any challenge. The graphics aren't as bad as some people are saying, they are just dated. They would stand out in 2009 probably. On the plus side I think it has some of the best sound effects in recent memory, at least with a 7.1 headset on. I also actually like the story as well as the pacing although I wish they'd have added more areas where you can't fire or rely on your weapons. This game isn't worth $50 and it may be Gearbox's lowest point thus far, but it doesn't deserve a 1 or 0, I think that is just spite and some people default to those scores automatically without thinking about it or in some cases without even playing the game they are reviewing. Expand
  97. Feb 16, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A game that had a lot of potential, but ended up terribly. Blame the casual players! This game was supposed to be an awesome survival experience, but to make the game more accessible to a larger public, the incompetent directors of Sega and Gearbox decided to make it a Call of Duty clone. You don't even need to use the motion tracker one single moment on the entire campaign even on the hardest difficulty, because no enemy will ever spawn behind you. But if you can go through the festival of bugs, and the awful ending, you will able to enjoy a somewhat fun shooter with an actually good soundtrack. Expand
  98. Feb 12, 2013
    5
    Well this is a game i have been waiting for a long time. And, truth be told, it's not great. First of all, the grafics are "ok" on the pc version. Not great, but ok. But they are not the problem with this game. First, the campaign is just bad. From the first 10 minutes into the game, it felt really wrong. If this is suppose, to be a direct and legit sequel to aliens, well... It sucks. The characters are all forgetable. I cared for none of them. NONE. They are a generic copy and paste from old school action game characters with no personality. If you liked Hudson, Hicks Vasq, drake, ect... None of the marines in this game come even close to them. You just DON'T CARE!!! The story was meh, the missions on the Sulaco were forgetable, but it gets better once you get to Hadley's hope. And the ending is just terrible. The campain is just 5 hours long give or take. Now... some of you might not care about the story. You just want the atmosphere and tensions from the movie right? Did gearbox pull it off? Well... To be fair, sound is good, music is accurate and yes Hadley's hope is very detailed and looks very accurate to the movie. But here is the thing where GBX messed up... And it's no small issue. The ALIENS... My god... the Aliens! They walk and move around like retards, they don't scare you, they just pop at you in (badly)scripted events. Think it stops there? I am just getting started... The AI is... It's..... I can't describe it. But Half-life 1 had a better AI then this piece of crap. Yes. HL 1, a game that came out YEARS ago, did better. ALIENS ARE RETARDS in this game. And don't think that they get smarter at higher difficulty setting... They don't, they just hit you harder. Like the motion tracker? don't bother using it! Aliens just pop in front you and try to give you a hug. What happened to the most feared monster in the galaxy? They just run at you like retarded zombies. I never felt ANY tension during the campain. (Well, except the stealth level, the only good moment in the campain). The AI is by far the kiss of death of this game. This migh just be a zombie game, it wouldn't make any difference. Co-op is a welcome addition and will definitly spice-up the experience. Provided that you set the difficulty level up, as the game dosen't scale according to the number of players in co-op. Multiplayer is probably the only enjoyable part of this game. Escape mode is fun to play as a marine as FINALLY you are facing Xenos with BRAINS. The motion tracker is usefull again. So yes it's fun and i can see myself playing it for some time... BUT........ playing as a xeno is... HORRIBLE! Wall climbing is by far the worst in ANY alien game i have seen so far. IT'S USELESS! You can't aim properly and perform attacks while you are on the wall. This is THE important part of being an alien, BEING ABLE TO ATTACK FROM ANY ANGLE!!!!! Why choose to make a 3rd person view to avoid people getting sick while wall climbing if wall climbing is broken in the first place? Screw the multiple alien races, an alien that can't climb on the wall properly is a dead alien. In short, they got the alien COMPLETLY wrong. Both in the Campain (Bad AI) and the multiplayer (Wall climbing+ attack is not much of an option). I used to have a lot of trust in gearbox games. But Duke Nukem forever, and now THIS! You have the greatest franchise of all TIME to toy with and this is what you DO with it? I swear, GBX needs to pull itself together. Expand
  99. Feb 12, 2013
    5
    I would rate the first part of the game below average, That part is set on a space ship, and this is where you encounter human enemies besides aliens. The main problem of the game is the DUMB AI. This ruins the fight with human enemies, but ultimately ruins every part of the game where you are teamed up with human npcs. Team mates get stuck frequently, they are left behind, stay in front of you at the wrong times (basically they are useless and annoying...I would rather go alone, than with a marine that is not good for anything...). The second part is set on LV-426 (Aliens took place here). I would rate this part of A:CM average, with some better than average parts. It was fun to encounter the sets of Aliens (especially if you love the universe of the movies). Here the game focuses on the aliens. There is also a mission where you need to rely on stealth (it was a highlight of the game, with creepy lighting and sounds). There are some tense moment in the game, but I never felt scared (There were some intense moments, but I felt the game is lacking tension). The movement of the enemies felt clunchy. This is probably due to the small and closed spaces where most encounters with aliens took place. Many time they are spawned behind the player or just running around. Weapon customisation was a nice addition. The story is average, while characters are very "two dimensional" (with many cheesy dialogues....). Overall the game felt like a generic shooter, set in the Aliens universe, which would deserve a better game than Aliens: Colonial Marines. Expand
  100. Feb 18, 2013
    5
    An average FPS, all the fun is due to the fact that you can enjoy the nice working radar and the good old pulse rifle.
    If you close your eyes you will feel like you're really into one of the Alien movies, but when reopening them you will be really disappointed by the stupid A.I., the poor storytelling and the bad presentation.
    Gameplay would be fun if not affected by all those bugs, the
    enemies act like they're animals, the strategy that you expect from the creatures just does not exist in this game, the human enemies will randomly leave covering position and your fellow soldiers are more a pain in the ass than an aid (the worst thing is that most of the issues could be corrected by a proper debug phase).
    Graphics are 6.5/10, but the use of lights and shadows is light years far from the 1977 masterpiece and some of textures are so much low res for a 2013 game.
    Sound is good in complex, but some audio effects are missing and the music is simply trivial.
    The weapons upgrade system is nice and the unlockable add-ons are well distributed.
    In conclusion, if you are an Alien fan that can close one eye (or two), you will enjoy shooting some xenomorphs.
    Otherwise just run away without looking back.
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Metascore

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 39 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 39
  2. Negative: 23 out of 39
  1. Mar 15, 2013
    68
    I dared to hope, but was given a game so dull and average, that is an actual achievement itself. [March 2013]
  2. Mar 12, 2013
    60
    Not as bad as the wost Aliens games, yet it's also not in the same league as the very best, leaving ACM to meandering in the space system of mediocrity. [Apr 2013, p.69]
  3. Mar 7, 2013
    50
    A lot of potential with disappointing execution. [March 2013, p.86]