G'Day all, Rowan/LSWSjr here... posting for the first time since my previous experience on the forums left me kinda disheartened (see http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.400989-Me-Myself-and-I-A-thread-for-we-few-fans-of-ALIENS-Colonial-Marines?page=1).
Anywho with that specific thread in mind, I had the opportunity this Halloween to play through A:CM (PC) again from start to finish, along with catching up with some folks who still play the multiplayer, and decided to post a follow-up detailing some of my thoughts on the game now with Top 5 & Bottom 5 Lists.
Rowan/LSWSjr's ALIENS: Colonial Marines Top 5
1. The Customisable & Expanded USCM Arsenal
This is still something the makes this game stand apart from the other FPS titles in the franchise, although it may be the standard for most modern FPS games, it's the second after Monolith's AvP 2 to really expand of the tools of the USCM's trade. The variety of weapons and unlockable customisation options allow you to tailor two dual fire-mode weapons to suit your playstyle and opponents to great effect, and the ability to quickly swap them out from a radial menu helped with the two active weapon slots that plague modern shooters.
2. The Reusable Sentry Guns
This needs to be a feature of every ALIENS game, but sadly it's so far only been a limited feature of A:CM, AvP 2's Primal Hunt expansion and the RST AvP: Extinction. Still having these suckers in A:CM was still a heck of a lot of fun and a real help during some of the crescendo events.
3. The Stasis Interrupted DLC
The only real addition to the single player turned out to be fantastic, using its limited playtime to make me connect with the characters I took over and turned out to be far greater than the original campaign.
4. Mission 5: The Raven
This was one of the most tense levels I've experienced in a FPS outside of the VtM: Bloodlines or the Fear or Dead Space series. The irradiated 'Boiler' xenomorphs are equal parts hilariously silly looking and amazingly terrifying, depending on where and how you encounter them. The stalking hulk of a xenomorph who stalks you throughout the level is also able to get the adrenalin pumping through its multiple appearances? and then there's one Private FC Hudson (see below)
5. Bringing Hicks back from the dead
Yep, I'm still one of the fanboys who thinks this was a good idea, I hated seeing Hicks and Newt die in ALIEN 3 and despite Beihn's sleepwalking performance, which he ironically blames of 'everyone else's' lack of enthusiasm, it was ultimately great to see him alive and kicking again. Although, yes admittedly, for any fan playing the game, the mystery identity of the surviving marine was kind of a no-brainer and actually would have been better if it had turned out to be Hudson or Drake.
Honourable Mention. The Collectors Edition Figurine
Okay, it's not part of the game, but of all the CE figures I've seen from games over the last decade, this is one of the most epic and it proudly sits on my computer table for all to see.
Rowan/LSWSjr's ALIENS: Colonial Marines Bottom 5
1. Gearbox's Handling of the Game
The cause of all the hatred towards the game starts and ends here. We all know the various stories: that Gearbox was siphoning funds from A:CM to Borderlands 2; that Gearbox handed most of it to TimeGate to finish, with little time to do so; developing that horrible 'one size fits none' multiplatform code for all three releases (360, PS3 and PC) leading to breaks in the AI coding and having to put limits on the graphics; and many other complains. It's all too disappointing to consider. On the topic of the previews and ads, anyone who has ever whole-heartedly believed ads for any product, be it a game, food processor, singing toothbrush or anything else, should remember that the point's always been to get you to buy a product which can rarely live up to those expectations.
2. Keyes' Suicide
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, pointless, stupid storytelling. Keyes had the flight recorder, didn't bother to activate the grenade till it was too late and did so knowing it would only lead to the deaths of his fellow marines... stupid.
3. Sequel-baiting Ending
Like Rebellion's AvP 2010 before it, A:CM ends on a bizarre ending which leaves little idea of what was meant to follow. To be fair, AvP 2010's marine campaign at least gave some indication of where the story might go next, but with A:CM we get an ending which makes even Mass Effect 3's original endings seem more informative (though still not good by any stretch).
4. Context Sensitive Equipment
I still love the equipable motion tracker, limited Powerloader sections and of course, the sentry guns. Sure it was nice to be able to weld door shut, it still is a first for any FPS in the franchise, but its functionality was limited to the doors they wanted you to seal and unseal. As with the Powerloaders, I would have preferred to see more use throughout the course of play and the option to seal any door with the welder.
5. Hudson's Fate
For all my love of Mission 5: The Raven (see above), finding Hudson in the same level was one of the saddest moments of the game, second only to seeing the clutch of Facehugger eggs that a child had decorated with crayons.
With that said, who's since played it post-'New' release and who still plays it on and off since launch?
Cheers
Rowan/LSWSjr
Anywho with that specific thread in mind, I had the opportunity this Halloween to play through A:CM (PC) again from start to finish, along with catching up with some folks who still play the multiplayer, and decided to post a follow-up detailing some of my thoughts on the game now with Top 5 & Bottom 5 Lists.
Rowan/LSWSjr's ALIENS: Colonial Marines Top 5
1. The Customisable & Expanded USCM Arsenal
This is still something the makes this game stand apart from the other FPS titles in the franchise, although it may be the standard for most modern FPS games, it's the second after Monolith's AvP 2 to really expand of the tools of the USCM's trade. The variety of weapons and unlockable customisation options allow you to tailor two dual fire-mode weapons to suit your playstyle and opponents to great effect, and the ability to quickly swap them out from a radial menu helped with the two active weapon slots that plague modern shooters.
2. The Reusable Sentry Guns
This needs to be a feature of every ALIENS game, but sadly it's so far only been a limited feature of A:CM, AvP 2's Primal Hunt expansion and the RST AvP: Extinction. Still having these suckers in A:CM was still a heck of a lot of fun and a real help during some of the crescendo events.
3. The Stasis Interrupted DLC
The only real addition to the single player turned out to be fantastic, using its limited playtime to make me connect with the characters I took over and turned out to be far greater than the original campaign.
4. Mission 5: The Raven
This was one of the most tense levels I've experienced in a FPS outside of the VtM: Bloodlines or the Fear or Dead Space series. The irradiated 'Boiler' xenomorphs are equal parts hilariously silly looking and amazingly terrifying, depending on where and how you encounter them. The stalking hulk of a xenomorph who stalks you throughout the level is also able to get the adrenalin pumping through its multiple appearances? and then there's one Private FC Hudson (see below)
5. Bringing Hicks back from the dead
Yep, I'm still one of the fanboys who thinks this was a good idea, I hated seeing Hicks and Newt die in ALIEN 3 and despite Beihn's sleepwalking performance, which he ironically blames of 'everyone else's' lack of enthusiasm, it was ultimately great to see him alive and kicking again. Although, yes admittedly, for any fan playing the game, the mystery identity of the surviving marine was kind of a no-brainer and actually would have been better if it had turned out to be Hudson or Drake.
Honourable Mention. The Collectors Edition Figurine
Okay, it's not part of the game, but of all the CE figures I've seen from games over the last decade, this is one of the most epic and it proudly sits on my computer table for all to see.
Rowan/LSWSjr's ALIENS: Colonial Marines Bottom 5
1. Gearbox's Handling of the Game
The cause of all the hatred towards the game starts and ends here. We all know the various stories: that Gearbox was siphoning funds from A:CM to Borderlands 2; that Gearbox handed most of it to TimeGate to finish, with little time to do so; developing that horrible 'one size fits none' multiplatform code for all three releases (360, PS3 and PC) leading to breaks in the AI coding and having to put limits on the graphics; and many other complains. It's all too disappointing to consider. On the topic of the previews and ads, anyone who has ever whole-heartedly believed ads for any product, be it a game, food processor, singing toothbrush or anything else, should remember that the point's always been to get you to buy a product which can rarely live up to those expectations.
2. Keyes' Suicide
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, pointless, stupid storytelling. Keyes had the flight recorder, didn't bother to activate the grenade till it was too late and did so knowing it would only lead to the deaths of his fellow marines... stupid.
3. Sequel-baiting Ending
Like Rebellion's AvP 2010 before it, A:CM ends on a bizarre ending which leaves little idea of what was meant to follow. To be fair, AvP 2010's marine campaign at least gave some indication of where the story might go next, but with A:CM we get an ending which makes even Mass Effect 3's original endings seem more informative (though still not good by any stretch).
4. Context Sensitive Equipment
I still love the equipable motion tracker, limited Powerloader sections and of course, the sentry guns. Sure it was nice to be able to weld door shut, it still is a first for any FPS in the franchise, but its functionality was limited to the doors they wanted you to seal and unseal. As with the Powerloaders, I would have preferred to see more use throughout the course of play and the option to seal any door with the welder.
5. Hudson's Fate
For all my love of Mission 5: The Raven (see above), finding Hudson in the same level was one of the saddest moments of the game, second only to seeing the clutch of Facehugger eggs that a child had decorated with crayons.
With that said, who's since played it post-'New' release and who still plays it on and off since launch?
Cheers
Rowan/LSWSjr