“First, if it moves, kill it. If it’s not moving, Kill it again. Second, you’ve each got more firepower than an army platoon. So use it, all of it. Third, you don’t die unless I give you a direct order.”
Ah, you have to love military bravado in video games.
That’s the speech delivered in an early trailer for Aliens: Colonial Marines, Sega’s long-awaited and highly anticipated shooter based that will debut Feb. 12 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as PC and Mac (a Wii U version is in the pipeline, the developer insists).
Well, a story-based trailer has surfaced in advance of the release and it certainly should get the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, not to mention causing your trigger finger to start feeling a little twitchy.
Check it out:
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The game will be considered canon in the Aliens universe, which isn’t surprising given the amount of movie cross-over on display. Cpl. Dwayne Hicks opens the trailer, informing a second crew of Colonial Marines bound for LV-426, the Xenomorph-infested planet featured in Canadian director James Cameron’s iconic film Aliens, that everyone in his unit is to be considered killed in action.
The limited edition swag you score for having pre-ordered the game includes Ripley’s flamethrower as an in-game weapon (that would be Sigourney Weaver’s character for those who are only peripheral fans of the movie), as well as a movie character pack that lets you play as one of Cpl. Hicks, Sgt. Apone, Pvt. Hudson and Pvt. Drake. Apone was the African-American bad ass in charge of the movie’s ill-fated squad, while Hudson was the squirrelly dude played by Bill Paxton and Drake was the tall, blonde-haired guy with the chiseled chin who sported one of the cool M56 Smartguns – the big cannons that Marines strap themselves into.
According to Sega, Colonial Marines (which is being produced by Gearbox Software, the studio responsible for some truly epic shooters, such as Half-Life, Borderlands, the PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved and Brothers in Arms) will be a first-person shooter that looks to capitalize on the claustrophobic atmosphere of the movies. So expect lots of wicked sound design, environments where there’s more shadow than light and some intense, jump-in-your-seat moments.
Weapons-wise, expect to kit out with the classic pulse rifles, flamethrowers and the beeping motion trackers.
The story-based campaign will feature up to four-player drop-in/drop-out co-op gameplay, as well as multiplayer modes for those who enjoy map-based twitch-fests against online opponents.
You will be able to access customized loadouts and upgrades, earning perks, weapons and new looks along the way.
So, get ready to saddle up, stay frosty and remember, no Marine gets left behind … assuming there’s anyone left.
For more information, see www.sega.com/alienscolonialmarines.