I like Aliens: Colonial Marines

[Andy of Comix Inc]

I was wondering the other day. Why do the AVP games work as Aliens games but Colonial Marines not? The whole point of Alien as a franchise, I always thought, was the idea that you are being stalked and surrounded and overwhelmed by otherworldy creatures you have very little understanding of and very little hope of overcoming. A game in the Alien universe would be more suited to a Slender-esque stalk-'em-up, not a squad-based first-person shooter where the Xenomorphs are assigned the role of cannon fodder. So why does AVP not suffer from that?

...the Predator.

In the AVP games, you have that stalked feeling, the idea of going up against insurmountable odds. Not from the Xenomorphs, but from the Predator. AVP Marines vs Xenos is as broken and unfaithful an Aliens experience as Colonial Marines, but the idea of that third party watching over you at all times, with its click-click-click and its triangular laser sight aimed at your balls... that fills in the gap. That's why Aliens games where you play as a marine, fighting waves of Xenomorphs, has worked before. And the removal of that element is arguably what makes Colonial Marines' flaws poke through.

 

[Terramax]

You like it?

Fine. I like The Room, Troll 2 and Yor, Hunter from the Future. Liking something bad is nothing to be ashamed of.

Well, you should be, on all accounts!!!

/jk

OT: yeah, I know what this guy is saying. Most of my favourite games of the last few years have been described as average (Tenchu Z, Shinobido 2), but doesn't stop me from getting fun out of em.

 

[Strazdas]

Some people actually liked Hitler. Doesn't mean these people are sane.

As much slack as hitler gets, he did raise some points that modern politics STILL use as a promotion of their campaign. Some people STILL like hitler. Not to mention that there are far worse alternatives.

Why do people feel the need to post a thread that's contrary to popular opinion?

Because people think their opinion is more important and like to argue.

 

[Duffeknol]

I was wondering the other day. Why do the AVP games work as Aliens games but Colonial Marines not? The whole point of Alien as a franchise, I always thought, was the idea that you are being stalked and surrounded and overwhelmed by otherworldy creatures you have very little understanding of and very little hope of overcoming. A game in the Alien universe would be more suited to a Slender-esque stalk-'em-up, not a squad-based first-person shooter where the Xenomorphs are assigned the role of cannon fodder. So why does AVP not suffer from that?

...the Predator.

In the AVP games, you have that stalked feeling, the idea of going up against insurmountable odds. Not from the Xenomorphs, but from the Predator. AVP Marines vs Xenos is as broken and unfaithful an Aliens experience as Colonial Marines, but the idea of that third party watching over you at all times, with its click-click-click and its triangular laser sight aimed at your balls... that fills in the gap. That's why Aliens games where you play as a marine, fighting waves of Xenomorphs, has worked before. And the removal of that element is arguably what makes Colonial Marines' flaws poke through.

I disagee, because in AVP (2010) the Xenomorphs are a lot better made. They actually stalk you, and don't just run straight at you. They slither away immediately when you spot them, only to sprint to a place where you can't see them and then jump right in your face. When they're caught in the open they constantly pounce from left to right so they're hard as hell to hit. Also when you're in a dark environment (like 80% of the game), the muzzle flashes from your guns blind you constantly, so you keep losing track of the Xeno the moment you start shooting at it. It feels like panicking. Also, even if you're just playing on medium, they're tough as nails to kill. You need at least half a clip to bring one down, and ammo is pretty limited (at least in the first few levels). You're completely screwed when all you've got left is your pistol. You actually feel vulnerable, you actually feel like the aliens are a real threat. Which they goddamn are, since they're the fucking XENOMORPHS, the universe's most dangerous creatures. AVP might've not been a great game, but at least it absolutely nailed that part.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

Just because you like something that doesn't make it good. By all means continue to like it, there are people out there that liked Brink and Too Human, there are people out there that like some of the most horrible movies and TV shows. Like it all you want. But it's still a shit game and it still needs to die.

 

[Iwata]

I like it too, dude. You're not alone.

And to the people saying "just because you like it doesn't mean it's good", well... if I like it, then doesn't that mean I think it's good? Why would I like something I think is bad? If I like it, then it's good. To me. Even people who like bad movies may say they're bad because they're recognized as such by others, but to them it's good! Unless they watch it "ironically", like, say, Plan 9 From Outer Space, which isn't the case here.

Right?

 

[Professor Lupin Madblood]

rabble rabble rabble i don't understand the difference between subjective enjoyment and objective quality rabble rabble rabble

Liking a game does not make it good. Disliking it does not make it bad.

Gearbox shipping a product vastly inferior to what was allegedly showcased, full of bugs, and missing much of the intellectual commentary on machismo and the like that the movie Aliens had is bad, and no amount of enjoyment you derive from the game will ever change that.

Look, if you walked into a car dealership and bought a Cadillac, only to discover that it was a Cadillac body around the parts and chassis of a Pinto, you might enjoy the car, but that doesn't mean it is not both of poor quality and dishonest.

And to the people saying "just because you like it doesn't mean it's good", well... if I like it, then doesn't that mean I think it's good?

Same for you. Please don't tell me you're actually dumb enough to confuse thinking something is good/bad and something actually being good/bad.

 

[Fiad]

I'm of the same opinion you are. I preordered and got it on launch day. I have been having loads of fun with it.

 

[Legion]

I like it too, dude. You're not alone.

And to the people saying "just because you like it doesn't mean it's good", well... if I like it, then doesn't that mean I think it's good? Why would I like something I think is bad? If I like it, then it's good. To me. Even people who like bad movies may say they're bad because they're recognized as such by others, but to them it's good! Unless they watch it "ironically", like, say, Plan 9 From Outer Space, which isn't the case here.

Right?

Okay, I shall try and use an example, as it can be tricky to word.

You like Alien's Colonial Marines presumably for the good things you see in it. You are aware it has flaws but they do not stop you liking it, as the things you like stand out more, yes?

The game does have flaws, and a lot of them. So the game is bad because it has so many flaws. That does not stop you from enjoying the good parts, but it does stop it from being a good game, because things that are good do not tend to have many flaws.

Or to put it another way, a person still loving their abusive partner does not make that partner a good one. Because good people are not abusive to their partners. Yes, the person can look past those flaws, but that doesn't make the partner good.

 

[Iwata]

I like it too, dude. You're not alone.

And to the people saying "just because you like it doesn't mean it's good", well... if I like it, then doesn't that mean I think it's good? Why would I like something I think is bad? If I like it, then it's good. To me. Even people who like bad movies may say they're bad because they're recognized as such by others, but to them it's good! Unless they watch it "ironically", like, say, Plan 9 From Outer Space, which isn't the case here.

Right?

Okay, I shall try and use an example, as it can be tricky to word.

You like Alien's Colonial Marines presumably for the good things you see in it. You are aware it has flaws but they do not stop you liking it, as the things you like stand out more, yes?

The game does have flaws, and a lot of them. So the game is bad because it has so many flaws. That does not stop you from enjoying the good parts, but it does stop it from being a good game, because things that are good do not tend to have many flaws.

Or to put it another way, a person still loving their abusive partner does not make that partner a good one. Because good people are not abusive to their partners. Yes, the person can look past those flaws, but that doesn't make the partner good.

I realize that, I was being farcical.

To someone else, though, apparently that means I'm dumb. Oh well...

 

[Legion]

I like it too, dude. You're not alone.

And to the people saying "just because you like it doesn't mean it's good", well... if I like it, then doesn't that mean I think it's good? Why would I like something I think is bad? If I like it, then it's good. To me. Even people who like bad movies may say they're bad because they're recognized as such by others, but to them it's good! Unless they watch it "ironically", like, say, Plan 9 From Outer Space, which isn't the case here.

Right?

Okay, I shall try and use an example, as it can be tricky to word.

You like Alien's Colonial Marines presumably for the good things you see in it. You are aware it has flaws but they do not stop you liking it, as the things you like stand out more, yes?

The game does have flaws, and a lot of them. So the game is bad because it has so many flaws. That does not stop you from enjoying the good parts, but it does stop it from being a good game, because things that are good do not tend to have many flaws.

Or to put it another way, a person still loving their abusive partner does not make that partner a good one. Because good people are not abusive to their partners. Yes, the person can look past those flaws, but that doesn't make the partner good.

I realize that, I was being farcical.

To someone else, though, apparently that means I'm dumb. Oh well...

Meh, the internet is not always easy to distinguish when it comes to that. I have said so many bizarre things said to me in full seriousness I tend to assume people are being so unless they make it painfully obvious.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

You know, considering that this is a licensed game, I kinda didn't expect for there to be so much backlash over it.

Now, I'm not saying all licensed games are bad, I friggen loved Batman: Arkham City. What I'm saying is from my experience, most licensed games that don't do very well seem to go under the radar in terms of coverage and discussion. No one really talked about that one Spiderman game involving his future counterpart on here from what I saw.

Not really sure why this one is so different. Was it because it's made by the same guys who released Duke Nukem Forever? The demo?

Maybe it's because I've never played any Aliens games, so maybe I'm in the dark on this one?

Alien games have usually been pretty good, but what marks this out is that it's been in and out of development for about 12 years now. And the game is nothing like what we were promised 10 years ago. I wouldn't blame Gearbox for the state of this game or Duke Nukem Forever; in both they mostly only did the work for the multiplayer.

 

[rob_simple]

Lastly, the idea that it doesn't feel like an Aliens game doesn't seem to hold. Let's think about what makes Aliens

Marines in a situation they don't have all the information about. Check.

Sorry, but as far as I can remember only one of the Alien films heavily features marines, and even that one focuses more on Ripley (whom I recall was only there in an advisory capacity) and her relationship with Newt.

Personally, I'd be more interested in an Aliens game done in a survival horror style where you have to make your way through a ship using hand made weapons (aerosol and a lighter, for example) to drive away a single alien that is constantly pursuing you and that actually makes use of how fucking creepy Giger's Xenomorphs actually are, instead of another really dark Space Marine romp where you mow down hundreds of the fuckers with a machine gun.

But then, the game I just described wouldn't sell the kind of units this over-hyped rubbish was designed to.

 

[TheRussian]

Some people actually liked Hitler. Doesn't mean these people are sane.

Wow, that didn't take long at all.

As for myself, I'm glad I have no investment whatsoever in the Aliens franchise, and therefore am free to not care about any game that does or does not live up to it's franchise.

 

[Preacher zer0]

I liked it.
But I played most of it in coop with a friend and we roleplayed the hell out of it, milked it for every step, motion tracker duty, the whole nine yards.

Played on UBA difficulty, found the xenos to be more of a threat (still not on par with AvP xenos though).

Ultimate Badass and coop make all the difference.

So yeah I enjoyed playing it, but I recognize it as still a very poor game.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

snip

That's what I love the most about AVP 2010 is when I'm the Marine against the Xenos in the campaign and the feeling of being helpless when suffering a lack of ammo and the low lighting flash light and a pistol.

That and the overall atmosphere blows ACM right out of the water.

Here's a side by side view of both AVP 2010 and Aliens Colonial Marines to show just how different it feels that a 2010 game can still outshine a poorly made 2013 one in almost every aspect from AI to story and to graphics.


TBH the OP is acting in the exact way Total Biscuit described as people who made a bad purchase decision and don't want to admit they felt burned and will in turn defend the game like they have stockholm syndrome, though I mean no ill will towards the OP but I do wish he'd realise that Randy lied to him and the rest of the world.

Speaking of AVP 2010 because I didn't buy ACM due to hearing and figuring all the lies Randy told us, I still own my copy of AVP and as such feel like playing it once more with the lights off and my headphone plugged in with the volume cranked up.

I'm also going to see if anyone is still playing the Multiplayer part of the game.

 

[Duffeknol]

I'm also going to see if anyone is still playing the Multiplayer part of the game.

They are. There's a constant supply of at least 3 - 4 (almost) full servers and a few half full ones.

Cause, you know, AVP 2010 actually does have dedicated servers