Aliens: Colonial Marines

 PC
User Score
3.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1246 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 218 out of 1246
  2. Mixed: 224 out of 1246
  3. Negative: 804 out of 1246
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  1. murut87
    Feb 22, 2013
    4
    I think i should rate it at 4,a good point is how this game was released after being cancelled thats first one...Co-Op mode was fun,and the sound effects are really nostalgic,especially the Pulse Rifle and the ALIENS ,Multiplayer are amazing and last thing is the Environment of the game was cool.Ok,the bad point...the AI is stupidly bad,either Enemy or Ally...i don`t know but its broken inI think i should rate it at 4,a good point is how this game was released after being cancelled thats first one...Co-Op mode was fun,and the sound effects are really nostalgic,especially the Pulse Rifle and the ALIENS ,Multiplayer are amazing and last thing is the Environment of the game was cool.Ok,the bad point...the AI is stupidly bad,either Enemy or Ally...i don`t know but its broken in every possible way.If you try to play Soldier Level alone,Don`t.The graphics are low-detailed even on MAXED detail.The story,well its uninspiring and dissapointing at the end of the story.There are Aliens vs Predator 2010,and even better than this.This is 2013 game,its like game from 2007. If you tend to buy this game,just stay avoid this game.… Expand
  2. StanleyStinklip
    Feb 15, 2013
    4
    A disgrace to the Alien movies and an unfinished turd of a game. Screw you, Gearbox! This POS is barely worth $10, let alone $50. You've got some nerve trying to get garbage like this past us and I won't even GLANCE at a product with your name on it again.
  3. Necrotaur
    Feb 13, 2013
    4
    Single player wise, yeah, Colonial Marines is pretty bad. There's a lack of suspenseful atmosphere (except for one level), the AI is atrocious, acting is bad, and the storyline is worse. Hadley's Hope? Un-nuked, I guess. Whatever. Multiplayer is a better experience than single player, but suffers from some major issues. Marines level up from the campaign and multiplayer, while aliens canSingle player wise, yeah, Colonial Marines is pretty bad. There's a lack of suspenseful atmosphere (except for one level), the AI is atrocious, acting is bad, and the storyline is worse. Hadley's Hope? Un-nuked, I guess. Whatever. Multiplayer is a better experience than single player, but suffers from some major issues. Marines level up from the campaign and multiplayer, while aliens can only level up from multiplayer. This means that pretty much right out of the chute marine teams have a gigantic advantage over the alien team. 6 hours after launch I was running into marines between level 10 and 23 with fully upgraded weapons, and today all my matches have consisted of max level marines vs. level 1 to 7 aliens. Customization options are far more in depth for marines, with aliens being limited to 3 heads and some slightly differently colored skins. Finally, there are no dedicated servers, and if the host leaves before the match is over, you are kicked and lose all your progress. So, bottom line, multiplayer is the only way this game can redeem itself, but even that has a long way to go.… Expand
  4. JimCorbett
    Nov 6, 2013
    4
    Crapbox strikes again. many rumors surround the infamous development cycle this game went through. Outsourcing most of the work, stealing funds from this project and putting them into their other games, etc. But one thing is certain. Gearbox never cared at all about this game. It's a complete disaster from start to finish. The only redeeming quality about this game is that it takes placeCrapbox strikes again. many rumors surround the infamous development cycle this game went through. Outsourcing most of the work, stealing funds from this project and putting them into their other games, etc. But one thing is certain. Gearbox never cared at all about this game. It's a complete disaster from start to finish. The only redeeming quality about this game is that it takes place in the Aliens universe, which is awesome. Being a big Aliens fan, my review score is a bit higher than it normally would be if I didn't care about the license (probably a 2 or 3/10). Other than that, Aliens is a stale shooter which offers entirely linear gameplay and uninteresting multiplayer. The story is confusing and nonsensical, the characters are completely forgettable and there is no reason to care for any of them. While the voice acting for some of the characters is actually quite good, the lip syncing is terrible. Graphics and effects and other sounds are well below par. The AI is among the worst I've ever seen. The list goes on and on. The only people that should even think about buying this game are fans of the Aliens franchise. Everyone else needs to stay far away. After three disaster games in a row (Duke Nuke, Borderlands 2, and now this), Crapbox has shown they have no ability whatsoever to make a good modern game. Stay away from this crap developer and anything that they happen to spawn.… Expand
  5. CrazyCactuaR
    Feb 12, 2013
    4
    Immense yourself in the world of Marines vs Aliens. Living in the Alien film genre this is most likely the only thing going for the game. A typical linear first person shooter with not much to offer other than a survival story line. The game features poor AI on both allies and enemies alike, weapons feel mediocre and not much use changing from the pulse rifle. Graphic detail of the game isImmense yourself in the world of Marines vs Aliens. Living in the Alien film genre this is most likely the only thing going for the game. A typical linear first person shooter with not much to offer other than a survival story line. The game features poor AI on both allies and enemies alike, weapons feel mediocre and not much use changing from the pulse rifle. Graphic detail of the game is pretty sub-par for its retail price. Easily finished from start to end in one sit through. For fans of the Alien films, its worth the play-through just to learn more of the lore and see some familiar faces but not for the retail price, wait for this title to hit the bargain bin which i can imagine it will soon be heading to.… Expand
  6. zarg556
    Nov 4, 2014
    4
    Pretty bad - AI = bad, story = bad, graphics = bad. Bit disappointing... Get Alien: Isolation if you want a true Alien(s) game. It could, however, be worse and is not too horrific to play - just really unpolished and rough around the edges.
  7. EddyHan
    Feb 14, 2013
    4
    If your an Aliens fan like me then AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS!!! The story is so pathetically put together that it doesn't even have an explanation that links this game to the movies. It's like no research went into making it in the first place! The characters are so uninteresting and their AI is incredibly DUMB. The aliens AI is so stupid that it basically runs at you straight past the dumbIf your an Aliens fan like me then AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS!!! The story is so pathetically put together that it doesn't even have an explanation that links this game to the movies. It's like no research went into making it in the first place! The characters are so uninteresting and their AI is incredibly DUMB. The aliens AI is so stupid that it basically runs at you straight past the dumb NPC who is closer! Aliens even get stuck doing what they 're good at, clinging to walls! The level design is appalling! It's like a CoD game where you keep pushig forward. The graphics are so, soo, sooo dated! Even the collisions aren't working, with aliens running right through NPCs and bullets impacting on, well nothing! Coop is a joke! Other players somehow mysteriously teleport in from nowhere and have no idea what they should be doing, except shooting. Multiplayer is probably the only thing that is good about this game, but even that is flawed. No dedicated servers, imbalanced matchmaking system and in the right hands an alien can be OP because they can see through walls! From Borderlands 2 to this? Gearbox, You need to shift up to 6th because this is unacceptable!!… Expand
  8. RiceMuncher
    Feb 16, 2013
    4
    "100% gameplay" demo shown in E3 expo was a lie. Look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z2qVebxlUo
    Other than that Poor AI, Jarring atmosphere and cliche story gives it a 4
  9. Zyromkiru
    Feb 15, 2013
    4
    Second review... campaign is complete crap.. multiplayer is fun at first but there isn't enough variety.. found out there were things not in the game that were suppose to be...

    As a whole it's still not worth $50, more like $15
  10. FireDagger12
    Apr 11, 2013
    4
    Broken AI. It doesnt have the good atmosphere or the suspense.... Really what a let down!! and like the other reviewers said the Graphics are outdated, animation and blood/acid effects are very poor, sounds effects are very nice but what we have here strikes me as overall unfinished, unpolished, rushed, underdone.
  11. Haajib
    Feb 12, 2013
    4
    This game is not recommended, its a bad PC port for starters, the singelplayer story is neither good nor bad, The AI is broken and not at all challenging, They introduced a expensive DLC pass with content cut from the game, that they expect us to pay for. The multiplayer has some potential, but its not worth it, considering you pay a full price for a game that you finish the singerplayerThis game is not recommended, its a bad PC port for starters, the singelplayer story is neither good nor bad, The AI is broken and not at all challenging, They introduced a expensive DLC pass with content cut from the game, that they expect us to pay for. The multiplayer has some potential, but its not worth it, considering you pay a full price for a game that you finish the singerplayer in less than 10 hours, and a multiplayer thats hardly worth it as a alone light in the darkness.… Expand
  12. SoManyGoblins
    Jun 20, 2013
    4
    This is a painfully average game, the Aliens franchise deserved a whole lot better than this half-assed thing. The graphics are functional, nothing otherworldly, but bear in mind that this is more accurate after the 4GB patch, but an important gotcha, they look nothing, and I mean NOTHING like what they show on the demo footage, it's a ripoff and a trick to get you to buy something thatThis is a painfully average game, the Aliens franchise deserved a whole lot better than this half-assed thing. The graphics are functional, nothing otherworldly, but bear in mind that this is more accurate after the 4GB patch, but an important gotcha, they look nothing, and I mean NOTHING like what they show on the demo footage, it's a ripoff and a trick to get you to buy something that it's not what you're seeing. The storyline is frankly the stupidest and most damaging thing I've seen inflicted on this series, there is a plot hole so freaking huge that the mystery character that appears just says "too long to explain", that's it, that's the explaination for shamelessly raping the movie Aliens.
    There is a pointless cameo of Hadley's Hope, just fan service, which granted, could have been nice, but is so underwhelming that I wish I hadn't played that part, I love the move Aliens so much that playing through that and getting so disappointed was damaging to the soul of a hardcore fan such as me; it's surprising how little damage a thermonuclear explosion caused on the main colony complex.
    The characters are forgettable, honestly I remember more, and had way more fun with the main characters from Aliens vs Predator 2 (great game, btw).
    The action is fast paced, but the enemy AI is the stupidest thing I've seen in a while, these are the most charming, most tame Aliens I've ever seen, they really do their best not to hurt you, adorable! You see hints of good ideas, like sometimes you see them hiding in the shadows, and they fail at leaping at you, or attempting to attack after you shoot them, painfully easy.
    The multiplayer is horrible and boring, I haven't seen an Aliens game with xenomorphs so stiff to move! The marines are far more suited for combat than the aliens.
    Avoid this game if you're an Aliens fan (though if you're one, you'll probably make the same mistake I did and not heed to advice     … Expand
  13. foulplay
    Feb 13, 2013
    4
    Terrible 2005 era graphics, underwhelming audio, bad dialogue, bugged, uninspiring, unpolished and barely any atmosphere. A review embargo until release day got me wondering what was wrong, and now I know. This is the first game in years where I have true buyers remorse. I want my pre-order money back.
  14. tayfuntuna
    Nov 25, 2013
    4
    I can't help but feel sad about Alien fans, who paid the full retail price to play this title. I paid $5 and I feel like that was a waste of money, as I didn't even have the desire to finish it... Library Delete Local Content.... Done. Now I feel better.
  15. McFungus
    Feb 13, 2013
    4
    It is important to remember when placing a numerical score on a game that, naturally, it must sit below better offerings in the entertainment spectrum. But it should be rated better then the crud this product out shines. In that regar, remember the movie Last Action Hero?
    That movie Sucked! This game is way better then that movie. It isn't good, but it's better then that crap.
  16. Tulipunahapero
    May 6, 2013
    4
    I watched trailers and gameplay videos and they looked amazing. What happened to this game? Did demo and final version switch places and final version is in a landfill?
  17. Bjsfreaked
    Feb 23, 2013
    4
    I am a huge aliens fan, especially with the demo being shown which looked amazing, that alone made me want to get this but sadly you don't get anything that the demo shown sadly. The quality of the textures especially in some places like the truck in the 3rd level was dumbass designing 101. For gearbox to present themselves with this product is so bad and with the devs blaming each otherI am a huge aliens fan, especially with the demo being shown which looked amazing, that alone made me want to get this but sadly you don't get anything that the demo shown sadly. The quality of the textures especially in some places like the truck in the 3rd level was dumbass designing 101. For gearbox to present themselves with this product is so bad and with the devs blaming each other doesn't help the franchise and IP. The AI is terrible and sadly the only time personally, I find a good AI is in ultimate badass which is the highest level. If you do play at a lower difficulty, prepare for bad AI and the characters stories and how they act are the worse and don't even expect good facial or quality character models.

    Although this is negatives, there are some positives Drop in, Drop out works, Some of the levels were enjoyable especially the 5th one in but the main positive is the Modding community actually modding so fast to allow it to look better than what it is. Sadly the devs have been so unresponsive, the modders came in and actually made it look better which is a positive which is why i feel bad for console who can't get these mods....

    The story which i won't go into strongly is badly written, badly executed and not good especially within many of the levels.... however there are the occasional good point throughout but its not at all AAA.

    However it isn't the best, it is enjoyable to a point and playing a lot of games its not the worst... sadly that still goes to Orion: Dino Crisis and WarZ but sadly this game doesn't show the IP and Gearbox in a good way at all... and i feel bad for sega for allowing gearbox to design this Crap.

    Shame on you gearbox!
    Shame on you Randy Pitchford!    … Expand
  18. AtotheFrame
    Feb 12, 2013
    4
    Quite frankly not good enough.

    This feels more like a mod or total conversion than a game of it's own. Graphics are dated, animation and blood/acid effects are very poor, sounds effects are very nice but what we have here strikes me as overall unfinished, unpolished, rushed, underdone. You would have to love James Cameron's film A LOT for this title to be salvageable, and I do, and it isn't.
  19. Mofo010
    Feb 12, 2013
    4
    If you compare the final game to the gameplay they showed at E3 im almost convinced that this is just plain robbery ."Some called Duke Nukem Forever the worst FPS ever. That angered me and I wanted to prove them wrong." Gearbox CEO on why they made Aliens
  20. FruitCakeHD
    Mar 14, 2013
    4
    A game that is not that good in overall. I have played at my friend's PS3 and the graphics were even worse that on PC. My deal is, why on earth is the DEMO look even nicer than the original game? Who would pay 49.99 USD for a game that looks like a 2003 one?
    As for the gameplay, it just sucks due to the amount of details not added in the original game from the demo. Weird storyline in    A game that is not that good in overall. I have played at my friend's PS3 and the graphics were even worse that on PC. My deal is, why on earth is the DEMO look even nicer than the original game? Who would pay 49.99 USD for a game that looks like a 2003 one?
    As for the gameplay, it just sucks due to the amount of details not added in the original game from the demo. Weird storyline in overall. All thanks to their ridiculous management by handing the game to a infamous company.    … Expand
  21. Shobhit550
    Feb 19, 2013
    4
    Unless they redo all the AI and Fix the terrible story-line, i cant see this as being worth 40 dollars. I strongly urge you to wait and see if the price goes down to at least 20-30$, and even then not go out of your way to buy it.A huge disappointment to all of the aliens fans.
  22. Duskspark
    Apr 26, 2013
    4
    When I first heard of the bad reviews in Aliens: Colonial Marines, that's when I actually started watching Aliens the movies. I wasn't even born at the time the movies got released and I never had much interest in that, but since I've been a gamer since I was a kid, I wanted to like Colonial Marines. I watched the movies, to get up to date with the story, and I loved it. The atmosphere,When I first heard of the bad reviews in Aliens: Colonial Marines, that's when I actually started watching Aliens the movies. I wasn't even born at the time the movies got released and I never had much interest in that, but since I've been a gamer since I was a kid, I wanted to like Colonial Marines. I watched the movies, to get up to date with the story, and I loved it. The atmosphere, the sound, the special effect (by the times standards) were amazing. And that is exactly everything what Colonial Marines missed. There is no atmosphere as the Xenomorphs just come running towards you in stead of lurking in the shadows, the sounddesign is sooo poorly done it barely makes me care about anything that is happening, and the graphics are mediocre at its very best. I decided to give it a 4/10 because this game actually made me watch the movies and made me love them. It could have been an okay 6/10 title if they would have released it as an indie game.… Expand
  23. Mothman13
    Mar 16, 2013
    4
    This game is below average, no question about it. One has to wonder how to mess up a aliens game, but somehow it happened in this case. The action is boring and repetitive, the aliens are not threatening or scary, the story makes no sense and the characters are uninspired. Not mention bugs and lack polish. The game feels rushed. It manages to surprise at parts with good lighting andThis game is below average, no question about it. One has to wonder how to mess up a aliens game, but somehow it happened in this case. The action is boring and repetitive, the aliens are not threatening or scary, the story makes no sense and the characters are uninspired. Not mention bugs and lack polish. The game feels rushed. It manages to surprise at parts with good lighting and interesting locations from the movie. I would give this game a 3 but as a fan of the aliens franchise I bumped it up to 4. Huge disappointment.… Expand
  24. Curreri
    Apr 7, 2013
    4
    This is a waste of money and (Alien) license: the game fails to recreate the athmosphere of the series.
    Even if the overall gameplay is not too bad, AI of the game seems not good and the graphics disappointing.
  25. MasteRR
    May 4, 2013
    4
    Aliens: Colonial Marines is not a great game under any criteria.

    The game is set in the same universe and location like the original movies, LV-426, a planet which actually isn't a planet, it's a moon, bigger than average ones. The story is set after the events from the original 1986 movie Aliens. In the game you revisit the iconic locations from the original 2 movies, but in a    Aliens: Colonial Marines is not a great game under any criteria.

    The game is set in the same universe and location like the original movies, LV-426, a planet which actually isn't a planet, it's a moon, bigger than average ones.

    The story is set after the events from the original 1986 movie Aliens. In the game you revisit the iconic locations from the original 2 movies, but in a different way.

    The plot is a very simple one, which relatively lacks of originality. You assume the role of a a Colonial Marine called Christopher Winter, and your mission is to check an SOS left by Dwayne Hicks, one of the main characters in the Aliens movie.

    From here it's obvious what's next, you find that the place is infested and you must later fight to survive. Very simplistic.

    However, even so, the game's chaotic development leaves his mark. The best citation can be ,,The game sounds like Aliens, looks like Aliens, but unfortunately, it doesn't play like Aliens., IGN. This citation captures exactly how the game is, the level design isn't really horrible, but is not ground-breaking like other games from today's standards.

    The graphics are as simple as possible, with simple shadows, banal lightning effects and banal textures.

    Beyond the graphic design, the story also draws criticism, it lacks of consistency and it takes only @5-6 or 9(on harder/hardest difficulty) to be completed, so is quite short.

    Also the story is very chaotic at some parts, like progressing with no sense during the levels, basically just ,,Shoot the bad guys in this room, then continue playing,, .

    And also many people(including I at some points) is like a sort of Call of Duty: Weyland Yutani, and I partially agree here, for me is a sort of a Sci-Fi Counter-Strike. Is centered more on shooting humans than aliens, and more on combat than the story itself.

    Again, the story doesn't make much sense at many parts, especially when you find that Bishop and Hicks have survived, but rather than make light, it makes you even more confusing. It's reveal that Hicks was captured and interrogated but nothing more abut how he's been captured. Same with Bishop, where is nothing revealed about how it survived.

    In game play and value terms the game is mediocre, is based on one of the best sci-fi horror-thriller movies ever made, but the game is a shame. It captures the alien in banal encounters many times, and the tension suffers.

    Is also insufficient in value term, we we're promised a far better game in both story and design in the trailers and E3 demos, but the final product is lower in quality and a lot different, and doesn't stand up at the price as well, seriously, it isn't worth 50$, I'd say 15-20$, but not more.

    I also greatly dislike the patches, because they fix things that we're not supposed to be there. Improved the AI to be more aggressive and responsive, added many effects and some graphically redesigned places? Fixed some circumstances in where the aliens could've used erratic animations? This all are bugs and glitches which must have never been in a game, doesn't matter this or other and improvements that must have never be cut. It wasn't able to run on consoles? Then where we've seen the game running in some game plays? This is just a lie, haven't we all seen Crysis? It has ridiculous requirements, but somehow it looks and runs well on consoles, and also has a good replay value and design.

    Also the iconic weapons are only used a ridiculous amount of time, only max. 10min. to use the Smart Gun and no more ammo to be found for it? Really?

    The characters aren't really well developed as well, you can't describe many marine's personality.

    The development was very chaotic, and why put others work on your dream? TimeGate Studios for single player and Nerve Software for multilayer? Why? You said it was your dream and you love the franchise.

    The coop as well isn't really awesome included, you can play in the campaign with up to 3 more friends, which I find really cool, despite it doesn't feature additional objectives and locations.

    In visuals and performance, the console versions were terribly optimized, by having many visual glitches
    , and unbelievable low resolution textures, cut shaders and several bad effects.

    This were the bad parts, but there somehow are some good ones. The weapons sound, look and behave exactly like in the movies, the game has a very well made sewer level where you have no guns and you must escape from the explosive aliens. That's aliens! Very exciting and tensioned.

    The first DLC and the multiplayer are well made, despite the multiplayer doesn't feature a lot of maps, but they offer lot of fun and are having a great value.

    Excluding the coop flaws, is Drop-In Drop-Out so you don't have to restart a level of some annoying things.

    So in the end, A:CM has some good stuff inside, but too many problems, however there are 3 more DLCs so who knows, maybe Gearbox is preparing a surprise for us.    … Expand
  26. TailGunnner
    Aug 13, 2013
    4
    The game sposed to be a alien game... but the game hasn't got almost anything about aliens... They took the alien lisence and make it a call of duty rip off. The game had worked for 3 years on this game and thats what they sucseeded so far? The only part I like was those alien focus part... you don't even need to shoot anything whole game exept at the final boss you can just run the WHOLEThe game sposed to be a alien game... but the game hasn't got almost anything about aliens... They took the alien lisence and make it a call of duty rip off. The game had worked for 3 years on this game and thats what they sucseeded so far? The only part I like was those alien focus part... you don't even need to shoot anything whole game exept at the final boss you can just run the WHOLE LEVEL while you are playing on recuit. and even in exterame mod it doesn't changes a lot...… Expand
  27. Frast2013X
    Aug 2, 2013
    4
    Długie powstawanie gier często(nie zawsze!) nie wpływa pozytywnie na ich jakość. Taki przykładem jest właśnie Aliens: Colonial Marines który zapowiadał się ciekawie a po wyjściu na światło dzienne został zniszczony przez recenzentów że musiał szybko wracać pod ziemię. Fatalna grafika, kiepska grywalność, bugi, niedopracowanie gry, głupie AI, nudne pomysły, nie wykorzystany potencjał toDługie powstawanie gier często(nie zawsze!) nie wpływa pozytywnie na ich jakość. Taki przykładem jest właśnie Aliens: Colonial Marines który zapowiadał się ciekawie a po wyjściu na światło dzienne został zniszczony przez recenzentów że musiał szybko wracać pod ziemię. Fatalna grafika, kiepska grywalność, bugi, niedopracowanie gry, głupie AI, nudne pomysły, nie wykorzystany potencjał to jedynie połowa z wad które można wstawić temu wybrykowi. Twórcom udało się chodź odrobinę uratować sytuację robiąc chociaż po części nawet(tylko nawet!) ciekawy klimat, który i tak został strasznie nie wykorzystany. Nawet jak dla fana kosmicznej serii o Obcych to tytuł który powinno się omijać z daleka. Moja ocena 4/10… Expand
  28. Tomle1202
    Jan 20, 2016
    4
    If a xenomorph plays this game, it will try to suicide by laying eggs in its mouth then choke to death. The best part? The thing you have just read makes more sense than Aliens: Colonial Marines.
  29. MindlessMe
    May 8, 2016
    4
    After all the years of waiting we finally get an Aliens game that looks potentially awesome. The games storyline is even supposed to pick up where the Aliens movie left off, which is a really nice area to fill in some details. After Ripley leaves the planet in Aliens we never really get to see what happens so it will be really cool to finally find out, right? If the game had not been soAfter all the years of waiting we finally get an Aliens game that looks potentially awesome. The games storyline is even supposed to pick up where the Aliens movie left off, which is a really nice area to fill in some details. After Ripley leaves the planet in Aliens we never really get to see what happens so it will be really cool to finally find out, right? If the game had not been so half-assed then I would say yes, however it was definitely a half-assed attempt at an Aliens game.
    Well I guess we will just dive into the gameplay and figure out what we enjoyed out of it. After playing through the game I have to say I did actually enjoy the environments quite a bit. From the opening scenes to the end of the game they definitely hit the overall atmosphere and feel of LV-426 perfectly. I actually really enjoyed being able to “set foot” on the planet and explore a piece of iconic history with a character. Now if everything else had been as good then it would have been a perfect experience. When looking at things like the AI you can really tell it was rushed though and never got the time it deserved. While playing through the story-line the AI companions just seemed like puppets on a stick reacting to things around them. There were countless times during firefights when my companions would be downed because they would attack aliens far away from them instead of the ones wailing on them point blank. In small fights this isn’t so much of an issue because the player can contend with them, but in larger battles it was a serious pain in the ass. The Alien AI was also absolutely terrible from what I witnessed. Even after all the patching that was done by Gearbox after release the Aliens still just traveled from point A to point B, then attacked. There wasn’t really any variation to the attacks, no tactics, nothing surprising. It really depressed me because the movies showed us such a cunning enemy, and the game delivers an obvious robot following a preset path. It wouldn’t be so bad if this was 1995 but we have seen better AI in games in the last 10 years.
    Now with the gameplay pretty botched you would think they used this time on the story-line to give us a great experience. Oh man how I wish that was the case. In all the time playing the game I just felt the story was scattered, if not almost completely absent. We know that we are another team responding to the issues plaguing the first team, but they don’t really give you a purpose beyond that. You don’t care about the characters you’re with or really get a lot of info on why you are doing what you are, other than the simple go here and do this command. The lack of attachment to the characters really irritated me because that is a basic element in any storytelling. When you are attached to those around you it makes protecting them much more important, and in the event that something happens to them it has a profound effect on the player. Yet all that was completely absent here.
    Since there is not a lot more you can say about the story of the game we will go ahead and move on to the graphics. The visuals in the game are also part of a fairly heated debate since the demo footage seemed to be better looking than the actual released version. Now since release Gearbox did add a massive 4 plus gigabyte patch that made the visuals in the game better but it’s still hard for gamers not to feel cheated in the beginning. The bad thing is that even after the massive patch Aliens: CM still looks rather dated for a game that has released in the last 5 years. Now I am usually not one to rag on graphics but when you don’t have a storyline to make up for it then it’s difficult not to be hard on a game. Something else that really bothered me is the amount of frame lag I got while playing the game on PC. I could understand having this if I was playing the game on a low end PC but that’s just not the case. I am not sure if this happened on consoles as well but I would be interested to see if it did. It’s just disappointing to see a game with this much potential being kicked to the curb in the graphics department.
    I can say that the one place I did see real quality was in the sound effects. I know that they were most likely ripped directly from the movie, but all the sounds had a great presence in the game. It’s always nice to be hit with nostalgia when playing a game based of something so beloved. With the sound effects being as good as they were you would not expect the dialog to be as jacked up as it was. There were a few times that the character’s mouths and dialog didn’t match. It seriously took me back to the days of old school Godzilla movies.
    All in all, this game is worth playing as a rental or in the discount rack but as for buying it at full price, just don’t. Gearbox was given the keys to a Lamborghini with this IP and they somehow modified it into a rusted down Pinto. The concept and potential was so great, and yet in the end the finished product just didn't deliver.    … Expand
  30. Taylord99
    Aug 12, 2018
    4
    Aliens: Colonial Marines is a game that has a few really clever concepts and ideas, but overall fails as a whole. With linear level design, clunky controls, poor A.I., and a sub-par story, this game's shortcomings overshadow its positives.
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Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
37
#37 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
45

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 40
  3. Negative: 23 out of 40
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 10, 2013
    60
    Judging by the result, Gearbox could not handle the tremendous success of Borderlands 2. On the other hand, there’s this erroneous notion that franchises can exploit their name and are justified to produce mediocre titles for ever. Those two facts were enough to condemn Aliens: Colonial Marines. While it’s true that the console version is even worse, the competition in the PC shooter genre, is relentless. [April 2013]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    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]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    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]
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