User Score
3.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1246 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Jun 20, 2014
    7
    Playing this game for the first time, knowing the story behind it, after the hype and the fuss has been and gone, is an interesting experience indeed. Looking at it from a gamer's perspective, irrespective of the hype or the overwhelming negative reviews, a lot of the hate for this game just seems to be arbitrary - having played it, I now know what it's like, and to be frank it's not allPlaying this game for the first time, knowing the story behind it, after the hype and the fuss has been and gone, is an interesting experience indeed. Looking at it from a gamer's perspective, irrespective of the hype or the overwhelming negative reviews, a lot of the hate for this game just seems to be arbitrary - having played it, I now know what it's like, and to be frank it's not all that bad. It's not a AAA game, but it's far from being a BAD game - matter of fact, Gearbox did a pretty good job given the short time frame they had to fix it up. The controls are solid, the gameplay's relatively entertaining, the only thing that irritated me was a glitch that caused the game to relaunch every time I wanted to quit it. In all honesty, if it weren't for the hype, I reckon reviews for this game would've been mixed to positive. It isn't a bad game. It may not be the best, but it isn't bad by a long shot. If you've never played it, but heard of its infamy, maybe you should give it a try - you might be pleasantly surprised. Expand
  2. Apr 16, 2014
    1
    Mind numbingly bad frame rate, PS2 quality graphics, bad writting, horrible AI, lame story, fully linear gameplay, and beyond boring characters. Aliens: Colonial Marines is without a doubt one of the worst games of 2013 and quite possibly one of the worst so far in this decade.
  3. Mar 20, 2014
    1
    Its broken, down right unplayable alone, and it looks like it was made in 2007. My feelings for this game range from anger to sadness. Anger due to the fact that it was a flat out lie and sadness due to its potential as an awesome game turned trainwreck.
  4. Mar 25, 2014
    7
    i'll admit the campaign in this game was really bad, but have you played the multiplayer. i watched a lot of youtube reviews on this game and its all about the campaign, and they barely even mention multiplayer. The mulitiplayer on this game was insane fun, it was where the legit scary survivalness part of you kicked in because you had no idea where the xenos would come from, you had toi'll admit the campaign in this game was really bad, but have you played the multiplayer. i watched a lot of youtube reviews on this game and its all about the campaign, and they barely even mention multiplayer. The mulitiplayer on this game was insane fun, it was where the legit scary survivalness part of you kicked in because you had no idea where the xenos would come from, you had to use your motion tracker. but since this game bombed in reviews, it takes like 30 min. to find a game because nobody plays it anymore Expand
  5. Apr 12, 2014
    1
    This game is terrible. From the broken A.I. to the dozen glitches you'll encounter when you play this game (you probably don't want to), this game should be avoided at all costs.

    I chose to review this version of the game over the PS3 version even though I played both versions. I chose this version because the graphics should be improved on PC right? Wrong. The PS3 and PC versions look
    This game is terrible. From the broken A.I. to the dozen glitches you'll encounter when you play this game (you probably don't want to), this game should be avoided at all costs.

    I chose to review this version of the game over the PS3 version even though I played both versions. I chose this version because the graphics should be improved on PC right? Wrong. The PS3 and PC versions look ALMOST identical and that is something not be proud of.

    The graphics may not be the most important thing, but the same goes for the gameplay. The gameplay is terrible and like I said, has tons of glitches and a bad A.I. that sometimes blocks your way because it is running in circles.

    Obviously this game is unpolished and unfinished. I would give this a 0 on the spot, but this game went through development hell and switched studio after studio. I wouldn't bash Gearbox for taking the credit of this game, as they have released gems before such as Borderlands 1 and 2. SEGA rushed Gearbox to complete the rest of the game after the last studio quit.

    I just wish they would have kept the graphics and gameplay that we saw in the demo 2 years ago.
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  6. Apr 13, 2014
    5
    I really don't know why everyone is **** about this game. This game is pretty decent, sure it's just another COD clone but it's not a **** one. I didn't play the other aliens so I am not an angry fanboy. the shooting works alright and the graphics are not bad but the story is boring as hell. This game is not good and not bad, its not special.
  7. May 6, 2014
    2
    The biggest gaming let-down of this century. Fans waited seven years.. for this? I have lost faith in Gearbox as a company with the way they handled this release. There is no excuse for the patchwork story, buggy menus, and lack of dedicated multiplayer servers. Everything in this game feels low rent, as if it was an after-thought and that the game needed to be pushed out fromThe biggest gaming let-down of this century. Fans waited seven years.. for this? I have lost faith in Gearbox as a company with the way they handled this release. There is no excuse for the patchwork story, buggy menus, and lack of dedicated multiplayer servers. Everything in this game feels low rent, as if it was an after-thought and that the game needed to be pushed out from development hell. Avoid at all costs. Expand
  8. 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.
  9. Sep 23, 2014
    2
    One of the biggest gaming failures. Its story is a joke, the coop is a joke, the mp modes are the usual uninspired tdm call of duty garbage. Overall this game is a joke. Don't buy.
  10. Oct 3, 2014
    10
    It's sad but I think the sounds were the only thing i enjoyed about the whole game. The Aliens were difficult to track if you lost them especially the face huggers. 80's iconic symbols always seem to get ruined when created now, so sad so much more potential tech wise and I feel like I wasted $67 dollars
  11. Nov 2, 2014
    2
    Biggest let down of this decade, Alien Colonial Marines was promised to be a gritty shooter with survival horror elements but all it amounts to is another Call of Duty clone with awful AI. The Alien AI awful and is completely different to the game play shown before launch, with aliens spazing across the walls and charging toward the player and missing by miles. The story is lack luster andBiggest let down of this decade, Alien Colonial Marines was promised to be a gritty shooter with survival horror elements but all it amounts to is another Call of Duty clone with awful AI. The Alien AI awful and is completely different to the game play shown before launch, with aliens spazing across the walls and charging toward the player and missing by miles. The story is lack luster and was not used to the best effect. The gun play is fun but you end up fighting generic Waylon Yuntani merc's with no character. In the end the game amounts to lack luster game play, plot and AI. Warning do not pick this game up! Expand
  12. Jan 3, 2015
    7
    Decent. But not great. I can see why people are really upset with this game. It seems like a real waste of money for people who pre ordered it and got it day one. However, I don't think this is a bad game. It's a rushed and buggy game, but no I don't believe it's "bad". It's kinda like a fun little arcade shooter you can laugh at with your buddy's on a Saturday night after downing a coupleDecent. But not great. I can see why people are really upset with this game. It seems like a real waste of money for people who pre ordered it and got it day one. However, I don't think this is a bad game. It's a rushed and buggy game, but no I don't believe it's "bad". It's kinda like a fun little arcade shooter you can laugh at with your buddy's on a Saturday night after downing a couple of beers. I'll be honest I had a hell of a lot of fun playing this split screen with a couple of my friends one weekend. Gunplay is meh. Can be a little off at times. But one thing that stands out as horrendously bad is the power loader fight sequence and the constant screen tearing is absolutely god awful on the console version. I feel bad for people who got this for 60$ but I got it for 15$ and I think my money was well spent. If your a hard core aliens fan or just someone who wants to screw around with a cheap shooter that has fun multiplayer modes, get this. However I must say the dialogue and character models look and sound like poo poo. But damn the soundtrack is awesome. Not bad def recommend it. Expand
  13. Apr 4, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. real alien game !!!!!!! Very close to the alien universe very good !!!The reviews dont tell the truth about the game !!! Expand
  14. Apr 5, 2015
    10
    Very good action. I would give it 7, but the mood brings it up to 10. Playing this game brings back mamories from VHS and the "first" Aliens. I like some dialogue, not all but some pieces are great.
  15. Jan 10, 2021
    5
    Играл с другом в коопе.
    Игра совсем не приспособлена для кооператива. Видно, что его прикрутили чисто для галочки. Интерактива в сюжете мало, кооперации вообще нет - бегай да стреляй.
    Всё бы ничего, но бегать и стрелять как раз таки очень, очень скучно. Ни достойного сценария, ни достойной механики. К концу игры я уже еле-еле держался, хотелось уже добить игру и забыть про неё. По сети
    Играл с другом в коопе.
    Игра совсем не приспособлена для кооператива. Видно, что его прикрутили чисто для галочки. Интерактива в сюжете мало, кооперации вообще нет - бегай да стреляй.
    Всё бы ничего, но бегать и стрелять как раз таки очень, очень скучно. Ни достойного сценария, ни достойной механики. К концу игры я уже еле-еле держался, хотелось уже добить игру и забыть про неё.
    По сети никто не играет, сервера пустые. Но если собраться командой хотя бы из 4х человек, то будет вполне себе интересно. Даже, пожалуй, интереснее всей основной компании.
    На сюжетное длс меня не хватило, я уже очень устал к тому моменту от этой игры.
    Можете попробовать сыграть с друзьями, может, вам будет интересно. А играть одному всё же, я думаю, не стоит.
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  16. Aug 18, 2017
    3
    Virtual journey to the places of military glory Ellen Ripley, rather than a full-fledged action movie in the famous dark universe. Be sure to review the "Aliens" before you sit down for the game. Perhaps, at least so you will be interested in playing it.
  17. Mar 12, 2016
    7
    I first believed all the haters and left the game behind. But after watching Prometheus on TV I felt ready to play A:CM and it was a good decision.

    This Game is for all the people who were scared to much by Alien: Isolation. If you want revenge for all the scares in A:I this game is what you need. It's a straight forward Wey-Yu PMC and Alien slasher with good but not great graphics.
    I first believed all the haters and left the game behind. But after watching Prometheus on TV I felt ready to play A:CM and it was a good decision.

    This Game is for all the people who were scared to much by Alien: Isolation. If you want revenge for all the scares in A:I this game is what you need. It's a straight forward Wey-Yu PMC and Alien slasher with good but not great graphics. The Complete Edition is fully patched and I never encountered any bugs or glitches. There are many references to the movies, fan service is guaranteed.

    As any good but not great game I rate it 7/10.
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  18. Jun 22, 2016
    7
    This game really isn't as bad as it was made out to be, though I probably wouldn't recommend it to most people. Granted, I hear it's had about ten gigs worth of patches since it released, and it looked and ran fine for me, so complaints of "hurr durr it looks like an original Xbox game" are no longer valid (the "infinite relaunch" bug aside) I can't speak for the differences between the E3This game really isn't as bad as it was made out to be, though I probably wouldn't recommend it to most people. Granted, I hear it's had about ten gigs worth of patches since it released, and it looked and ran fine for me, so complaints of "hurr durr it looks like an original Xbox game" are no longer valid (the "infinite relaunch" bug aside) I can't speak for the differences between the E3 demo and the game, either, there's obviously no excuse for outright lying to consumers and to Sega regarding who was getting paid for what, but I won't go further into that here. Suffice to say I don't like Gearbox as much as I like "their" games.

    My experience with ACM is that its very similar to another maligned Gearbox title, Duke Nukem Forever, in that it was delayed for a considerable amount of time, could not possibly live up to the hype, and when it finally released, it was judged to be largely out of date. The third is partly true, in that it plays much like a 2000s-era shooter: You have sectional health that only regenerates the current segment, there are armor pickups, and you can carry every gun in the game: though you can only equip two long guns, a pistol and one grenade type at given time, and must use a radial menu to switch your equipped weapons.

    Some other complaints about the game are valid: It suffers from some weak writing in parts, the AI on the whole is pretty damn stupid, and the combat has almost no variety: You're either fighting the xenomorphs or Weyland-Yutani mercs (or both at once) and both have limited attacks and tactics. It does get a bit stale. Also, Michael Beihn's reprisal of Hicks sounded pretty phoned in, though that could just have been his age. There's also a persistent problem with your AI teammates. While they can't die no matter how many times their dumb asses get shot, their bullets seem to do little to no damage to enemies, as if they were just background decoration and you are expected to shoot every ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ thing. The fact that the pause menu tracks your kills and assists attests to this. I got somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-90 kills per level and assists in the single digits. Even the HALO marines could ♥♥♥♥ing kill a few Covenant before they were overwhelmed.

    However, what redeemed the game for me was the commnitment to recreating the look and feel of Aliens. According to the few positive reviews I read, ACM should only be played if you are a serious Aliens fan, and in that respect, I was not disappointed. The music is spot on, as is the environment designs, considering they hired the concept artist from the film to help design the levels. The weapons look and sound accurate, most notably the "xerox machine" sound that the pulse rifles make. Also, the fact that they bothered to get Beihn, along with Lance Henriksen, really helped the immersion, though I continue to disapprove of the use of celebrity voice actors. Perhaps if they hadn't gotten said actors, more money could have gone into the development of the game, the same way CoD could be, y'know, good, if they didn't have Gary Oldman and Ed Harris and ♥♥♥♥ing Ice Cube and ♥♥♥♥.

    Suffice it to say, if i had payed more then $3.74 for this game, I might have been a bit ♥♥♥♥♥♥ off. But I knew what I was getting into and I stayed away from this game for a long time, until it was offered for a more appropriate price. If you like Aliens or singleplayer FPSs as much as I do, you could do much worse then ACM, as long as games like Chaser or Pariah exist. However, you might be better off checking out the 2011 game Aliens: Infestation on the DS, which is ultimately a superior title to this one.
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  19. Sep 26, 2016
    3
    I'm just writing at least 150 characters because I wanted to save this review in a more convenient way to look back at scores that I had given stuff as a user.
  20. Jun 18, 2022
    3
    Очень скучная игра, которая стала жертвой собственной рекламной компании. Абсолютный проходняк.
  21. May 10, 2018
    6
    У этой игры только три проблемы
    Тезисно
    - Графоуни, который смешон в 2013 году. Году релиза 8 поколения консолей. - Сюжет, состоящий из фансервиса. Этого мало, слишком мало. - Обещания и жирная ложь от журналистов, которые полностью дискредитировали себя и разработчика. 7/10 Почему ее нужно купить и почему я ее рекомендую? Все потому, что купить ее нужно и можно без ощущения
    У этой игры только три проблемы
    Тезисно
    - Графоуни, который смешон в 2013 году. Году релиза 8 поколения консолей.
    - Сюжет, состоящий из фансервиса. Этого мало, слишком мало.
    - Обещания и жирная ложь от журналистов, которые полностью дискредитировали себя и разработчика.
    7/10
    Почему ее нужно купить и почему я ее рекомендую?
    Все потому, что купить ее нужно и можно без ощущения украденных денег только поклонникам серии Чужой.
    Остальным мессиво из ксеноморфов покажется сюрреализмом и никакого другого нарратива, кроме шанса почувствовать себя в шкуре космопехов из 2 части киновселенной Чужих здесь нет.
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  22. 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.
  23. Jul 2, 2019
    6
    This game is so bad.the AI of the aliens is atrocious, and it also has a bad plot, the only thing that saves this game is the multiplayer.
  24. Jul 8, 2020
    5
    Игра кончено вышла очень проблемной, но как фанат всего что связано с Чужими и Хищниками, я конечно поттоплю за игру. Она конечно выглядит хуже своего предшественника AVP2010, но в ней тоже есть свои плюсы, один их которых это грубо говоря продолжение фильма "Чужие" то есть второй части, а так же спин-офф к 4 части фильма. В игре вроде бы есть все, но в тот же момент есть нектороые моментыИгра кончено вышла очень проблемной, но как фанат всего что связано с Чужими и Хищниками, я конечно поттоплю за игру. Она конечно выглядит хуже своего предшественника AVP2010, но в ней тоже есть свои плюсы, один их которых это грубо говоря продолжение фильма "Чужие" то есть второй части, а так же спин-офф к 4 части фильма. В игре вроде бы есть все, но в тот же момент есть нектороые моменты которые иногда вызывают не понимания.
    Ну и самая большая проблема, это Ачивки, это вроде бы и рак индустрии, но все равно приятно иногда их выполнять, но так как игра мультиплеерная, то и естественно ачивки есть которые нужно делать в благодаря этому самому мультиплееру, что может быть трудно в 2020 году, так как официально сервера игры не работают. Вообщем те же грабли что и с AVP2010 где 10 ачивок из 50 мультиплеерные :(
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  25. Apr 16, 2020
    1
    Как оказалось, игру можно починить поправив код игры в блокноте! Это просто гениально.
  26. Feb 11, 2020
    5
    Its not as bad as people say. For me it was still a lot of fun and its not that long. But still yea terrible story and AI. If I counted the false advertising it would be lower score but as a game on its own its 5/10 for a fan of Aliens if you are not its a **** game.
  27. Mar 31, 2020
    4
    A lot of technical problems, poor graphics, broken mechanics, glitches everywhere and not even the story manages to save the game from all these problems.
  28. May 18, 2020
    7
    The game is a solid action first person shooter. The campaign is fun and definitely worth playing if you're a aliens fan.
  29. Jun 20, 2020
    10
    I will give 10/10, because this game manages to be good, despite all problems. Gear Box, someday, will pay for what the have done. With reshade this game is enjoyable.
  30. Aug 2, 2020
    0
    still a joke in 2020. Advertisements pics on steam are not showing in-game pics. Its same with the preview videos b4 release.

    one of the the worst games ever imo.
  31. Jan 12, 2021
    7
    Good game if your playing it just for the campaing mode its an alright campaign game but the online mode is a bit meh and the servers are dead the campaing can be played with 2 people i dont see why people dont like the game the ai is not very good but its a fun game not worth for £24.99 on steam though about £10 max i would pay for it.
  32. Jul 16, 2021
    6
    come on its not as bad as People say it is it was disepointing for sure but not sonic boom levels of bad it has bad ai and kind of mind less gun game but i thing it can be a fun time with friends if you play local or online multiplayer and that is why i kinda like this game
  33. Sep 2, 2021
    10
    The game is not as bad as many people think. In 2020, a bug was found in the code due to which the Xenomorphs behaved like idiots. Things are much better now. The animation of the characters is certainly not very good, but the picture is generally good. I advise you to give this game a try.
  34. Oct 21, 2021
    10
    If you're a real "Aliens (1986)" fan you have to play this game.
    The atmosphere is great and it offers a lot of set pieces from the original movie mixed with fast action gameplay. It's simply amazing. Best Alien Movie games for me: "Alien Isolation" & "Aliens Colonial Marines"
  35. Feb 10, 2022
    9
    My favorite video game people hate because I love the gameplay and the AI is so bad that I love it a lot and I updated to windows 11 it runs at 120 FPS a second and I love the story of the game I have never Watch the aliens movies and I should watch them someday before i get old I know I lot of people hate this game because if it’s bad ai and bad graphics I agree with it the graphics doMy favorite video game people hate because I love the gameplay and the AI is so bad that I love it a lot and I updated to windows 11 it runs at 120 FPS a second and I love the story of the game I have never Watch the aliens movies and I should watch them someday before i get old I know I lot of people hate this game because if it’s bad ai and bad graphics I agree with it the graphics do suck on the game from 2013 and the graphics on look it from a 2006 or 2007 and I it is a very hard game because it is my first time playing it and I highly recommend it if you had not played it because it have a amazing story and characters and the gameplay is amazing in the game but not the ai and graphics are not the best but at the end of the day it is a great aliens game Expand
  36. Feb 5, 2022
    10
    Those who love the game and movies may like it, like me, you can find better
    if your computer is good, install the mod it makes the graphics good
  37. Mar 7, 2022
    8
    I played it for the first time now in 2022, and honestly for a game from 2013, it's also a pretty good graphic art and if you're a fan of aliens, the franchise of this game is absolutely brilliant contributing to the continuation of the movies! The story is great!
  38. May 18, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES was already going to be the best shooting game of all time, but in the end this game went wrong. Why doesn't everyone like it? the good and the bad: 1) atrocious AI; especially aliens. They just make a straight line for you.
    2) Dated graphics; unlike what was seen in the demos.
    3) The first level was great with a great atmosphere and development. It stops there, on the first level.
    4) "EPIC" boss battle.
    5) This is related to the second point; there is absolutely no sense of fear or "feeling". Flip the switch, run and shoot, flip the switch, run and shoot.
    6) Terrible AI
    7) Terrible Story
    8) Single player and multiplayer with many bugs
    9) There are no dedicated servers, so hosts are constantly leaving
    10) Terrible alien pathfinding when creeping in MP, stuck, etc.
    Expand
  39. Feb 4, 2023
    0
    Aliens: Colonial Marines is a "Ripe Stinker" indeed. The camera is all over the place. The controls are a mess. AI is badly implemented. The environments are cartoon like so they do not feel real. The lighting is not dim or atmospheric it is instead badly lit. The tools are worthless and the gun play is unsatisfying.
  40. Jul 19, 2020
    10
    It’s a fun FPS and it does actually have a decent story. And the best part of the game is smack dab in the middle, anyone who said that the aliens had “no ferocity” clearly played on easy and blasted though it in no time flat. Titanfall 2 was an amazing game and had a great story even though it was just a big cliché fest, aliens isn’t to far from it. Seriously if you actually read thisIt’s a fun FPS and it does actually have a decent story. And the best part of the game is smack dab in the middle, anyone who said that the aliens had “no ferocity” clearly played on easy and blasted though it in no time flat. Titanfall 2 was an amazing game and had a great story even though it was just a big cliché fest, aliens isn’t to far from it. Seriously if you actually read this review pick up the game and try it. You can have a blast on your own or pick up a few friends and play together (it’ll be fun trust me). I know on steam you can only get the bundle but it’s worth it! I mean come on, it’s $30 and black ops 2 is still $60! (On steam only). Look I know that I’m some random guy saying it’s good but if you trust me and play it you could just like it. Expand
  41. Aug 14, 2022
    10
    Great game, it's bad that there is no continuation, it would be interesting to see further developments. All DLCs are great too.
  42. Mar 5, 2023
    10
    this game is bad asf but meanwhile good man i dunno i like that one (aı is terrible ash)
  43. Aug 30, 2023
    2
    why all aliens (include vs predators) games are boring and always in bad gameplay ?
  44. Apr 21, 2023
    5
    Absolute failure, absolute DNF. You cannot impose teammates with airsoft weapons on a player - and sell this "hardcore" product.
    At the same time, it is obvious that other high-profile projects have received solutions from here.
    Gameplay: combat mechanics [very uneven] 6/10 combat logic: consolish coop garbage atmosphere [infinite pistol ammo, yeah] 6/10 Gameplay as immersive
    Absolute failure, absolute DNF. You cannot impose teammates with airsoft weapons on a player - and sell this "hardcore" product.
    At the same time, it is obvious that other high-profile projects have received solutions from here.

    Gameplay:
    combat mechanics [very uneven] 6/10
    combat logic: consolish coop garbage
    atmosphere [infinite pistol ammo, yeah] 6/10
    Gameplay as immersive horror (some of Raven only) 4/10

    Story 4/10

    Graphics 7/10

    Sounds & music 5/10

    .
    And to this day, Opposing Force is the only good thing Gearbox has ever made.
    Expand
Metascore
45

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 40
  2. 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]