I recently discussed games getting the Hollywood treatment and how their quality and success is far from assured. This is equally true of ideas moving in the opposite direction. Many games have been made based on films, with equally mixed results. Often the compromises made in game development are in an effort to fit into the movie’s release schedule, producing a lacklustre game with the intention of capitalising on the movie marketing budget.
However, this is not always the case. Some movie concepts translate even better into the video games realm, especially when the source movie has long since been released. In the past, the Aliens franchise has been one such franchise. The blend of anticipation, dread and action that James Cameron added to Ridley Scott’s original “haunted house in space” sci-fi horror masterpiece lends itself perfectly to the video game genre. I have fond memories of my Father refusing to play the 1999 Aliens Versus Predator alone or with the lights off and another recollection of one of my friends screaming like a girl after being pounced on by a digital xenomorph at a LAN party.
This atmospheric new trailer showcasing the multiplayer “Survivor” mode in the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines by Gearbox Software certainly hits the right tone and promises to continue this anomalous history of great games based on movies. If the game plays as well as the video suggests, Aliens: Colonial Marines looks set to provide a pulse-quickening and faithful reconstruction of the perils faced by Ripley, Hicks, Hudson et al. If further evidence is required, take a look at the pre-order trailer below.
Aliens: Colonial Marines is slated for release on 12 February 2013, so get your best harsh language ready – we’re in the pipe, five by five.
