Aliens Colonial Marines review, oh boy.... didnt expect such a LOW score

[PreZZ]

47 metascore... im speechless. This was my most wanted game this year, and I expected a AAA game from gearbox. Duke nukem still has an higher metascore than this. This is also bad news for wii U, because when its launched in march gamers will know its a POS game, and sales will be awful. Game companies will look at the sales data on wii U and wont bother porting their games to wii U (hello crysis and far cry). I know I will be picking this game when it hits the bargain bin because im a huge fan of Aliens franchise, but really didnt expect this. Also did you see the review from EGM??? they gave it a 9.0!! the reviewer must have been paid, for such a high scoring review when it gets an average of 47 from 27 critics.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8J8SzBhjqaQ

I have no words.

[IHatedSega]

Bayonette 2 is way more anticipated than this game. One game that isnt made by Nintendo isnt going to make people think the Wii U is dead 4 MONTHS AFTER LAUNCH! Besides, not all people who buy games look up reviews of them before they buy them.

People need to stop fucking saying this system is a goner, its not the Saturn for god sake. How long was it till Final Fantasy 7 came out on the PS1??? 2 years!

Just wait till the PS4 and 720 have DRM, then see how well the Wii U starts to sell.

[Greg2600]

20 years ago, we all used to cringe when licensed games were released. Probably never should have stopped, eh? Like Duke Nukem, how many developers went through this game? It's no wonder it might be a mess. There aren't that many Alien fans, and does this kind of game appeal to non-Alien diehards? Few of the previous entries Acclaim always seemed to make did not.

What does the Wii U have to do with it? The game was released on everything else as well, most definitely with the same bugs. No pun intended.

[The 1 2 P]

Duke nukem still has an higher metascore than this.

And that right there is beyond sad.


Also did you see the review from EGM??? they gave it a 9.0!! the reviewer must have been paid, for such a high scoring review when it gets an average of 47 from 27 critics.

Not all people think alike and thus the same is true for reviewers. While it's been well documented that some sites have purposely inflated review scores due to advertisement support in the past, I don't think thats the case in this situation. But I'm surprised that EGM is still even alive.

[LordsOfSkulls]

i knew they going to screw this game up and going to be bad moment i saw the title ;p

No one can make a decent Aliens Game....


Honestly they should just make it Horror Style like as it was Resident Evil 2 (back it was still more horror and some action)

[Daltone]

No one can make a decent Aliens Game....



Er... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_versus_Predator_(video_game)

[Leo_A]

I'm under the impression that Borderlands was good (I need to actually look at those two games someday since I don't have a clue even what genre they're in), but it's sad just how far downwards in general it seems Gearbox has gone in recent years.

I loved their two PC expansions for Half-Life, thought they did an excellent job porting Half-Life over to the PS2, and loved the Brothers in Arms trilogy. But since then all they've done is take the Brothers in Arms franchise in a horrible new direction, licensed it out to anyone willing to pay to slap the name on their latest mobile game, allowed the original two games to be shoddily ported over to the Wii, fulfilled expectations by Duke Nukem Forever living up to the low review scores most people expected, and now seemingly this after several years of development.

I have no interest in the franchise but really thought I'd eventually buy this just because it was a Gearbox first person shooter.

[kupomogli]

The unique weapon system, RPG level up system, and the co op is what makes Borderlands. If it didn't have any of that it'd be a pretty boring FPS.

[LordsOfSkulls]

Er... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_versus_Predator_(video_game)

;p let me rephrase that....

:p that ones is Aliens and Predator.... but making a Pure Aliens Game is what many people have problem with. Mostly because developers try to make it too much ACTION....

Heck if they made it Survival Horror focus more O.o i think we would have a decent shot....

Dead Space + Aliens = What you need.


Too many developers focus on too much on Action part and is what bores players cause their many FPS and alot of them are better made ;p people need to make some Unique aspect to a game to make it stand off from others.

[Mayhem]

Perhaps the only decent Aliens related game was the Electric Dreams (NOT Activision) release on the C64...?


I have no words.
I was passing that around on a few forums yesterday as I know the guy who produced it... evidently it's gotten even further audience since...!

[retroguy]

47 metascore... im speechless. This was my most wanted game this year, and I expected a AAA game from gearbox. Duke nukem still has an higher metascore than this. This is also bad news for wii U, because when its launched in march gamers will know its a POS game, and sales will be awful. Game companies will look at the sales data on wii U and wont bother porting their games to wii U (hello crysis and far cry). I know I will be picking this game when it hits the bargain bin because im a huge fan of Aliens franchise, but really didnt expect this. Also did you see the review from EGM??? they gave it a 9.0!! the reviewer must have been paid, for such a high scoring review when it gets an average of 47 from 27 critics.

Oh yes, because we all know that reviews are the gospel and if you dare to disagree with popular opinion, you couldn't possibly feel that way legitimately. See, this is what pisses me off about the modern gaming scene, that attitude that if reviews say a game is awful it must be and many people won't even bother playing the game themselves to see if it's true. They just parrot the review scores as if they mean something and look down their noses at the folks who actually enjoy it. You know what I'm talking about. We've all encountered those kinds of snobs. This is exactly why gaming will never be taken seriously by the general public.

[Graham Mitchell]

I bought it for the pc last night, and it's a perfectly fine game. It's an fps that's no better or worse than metro 2033, which was a very highly regarded game.

A:cm uses a checkpoint system, and you can't save whenever you want like doom. The distance between checkpoints is pretty far, meaning, gasp, you have to play well in order to advance. As fans of old school games, we should be happy about that. A game that doesn't play itself? And it requires you to develop some skill? Who do they think they are? ;)

And it has moments of suspenseful tension mixed with loud, fast action. In fact, the opening scene where you're walking through the umbilical connecting to the sulaco is pretty awesome in a bioshock/dead space kind of way.

The only problem with the game is that it's just an fps. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's well made, and I'm enjoying it.

These reviews are written by kids who want everything to play like halo and assassins creed. Keep that in mind.

[LordsOfSkulls]

i am waiting for Monster Hunter Next month and the next Metro Light (been waiting for years)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I was passing that around on a few forums yesterday as I know the guy who produced it... evidently it's gotten even further audience since...!

You can tell him that if nothing good ever comes of this game, that clip will likely live in infamy. It's fucking brilliant.

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

Oh yes, because we all know that reviews are the gospel and if you dare to disagree with popular opinion, you couldn't possibly feel that way legitimately. See, this is what pisses me off about the modern gaming scene, that attitude that if reviews say a game is awful it must be and many people won't even bother playing the game themselves to see if it's true. They just parrot the review scores as if they mean something and look down their noses at the folks who actually enjoy it. You know what I'm talking about. We've all encountered those kinds of snobs. This is exactly why gaming will never be taken seriously by the general public.

Exactly! Also, if the OP really cared about the game he would buy it and support it now instead of waiting....that's part of the problem also.

[mailman187666]

I know some of you have been saying there is no good Alien games, but I enjoyed the old arcade Aliens game, and I also enjoy Alien Trilogy on the Saturn. I haven't played many more than those that I can remember.

[Graham Mitchell]

I know some of you have been saying there is no good Alien games, but I enjoyed the old arcade Aliens game, and I also enjoy Alien Trilogy on the Saturn. I haven't played many more than those that I can remember.

Konami aliens is awesome. I have the pcb. Also, alien 3 on the snes is fairly interesting. It's a metroid-Vania style games.

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

Oh yes, because we all know that reviews are the gospel and if you dare to disagree with popular opinion, you couldn't possibly feel that way legitimately. See, this is what pisses me off about the modern gaming scene, that attitude that if reviews say a game is awful it must be and many people won't even bother playing the game themselves to see if it's true. They just parrot the review scores as if they mean something and look down their noses at the folks who actually enjoy it. You know what I'm talking about. We've all encountered those kinds of snobs. This is exactly why gaming will never be taken seriously by the general public.

Exactly! Also, if the OP really cared about the game he would buy it and support it now instead of waiting....that's part of the problem also.

[Bojay1997]

Oh yes, because we all know that reviews are the gospel and if you dare to disagree with popular opinion, you couldn't possibly feel that way legitimately. See, this is what pisses me off about the modern gaming scene, that attitude that if reviews say a game is awful it must be and many people won't even bother playing the game themselves to see if it's true. They just parrot the review scores as if they mean something and look down their noses at the folks who actually enjoy it. You know what I'm talking about. We've all encountered those kinds of snobs. This is exactly why gaming will never be taken seriously by the general public.

This might be the dumbest argument I have seen posted here in a very long time. Games aren't free. Buying this particular game will set you back $60 plus tax in many areas. Because of that fact, many of us check reviews and check with fellow gamers who have actually played something before we drop that kind of cash. I guess you must be independently wealthy if you have the ability to buy every game that comes out. So, please tell us, how is Aliens Colonial Marines? What is great about it? Are there any problems with it?

Frankly, I'm tired of all the snobs who constantly attack reviews as if they are all universally poorly written and irrelevant. The beauty of metacritic and the reason the industry puts so much weight into its scoring system is that it's a cross section of reviews. Gamers can quickly see the spread of scores and based on that have a good initial impression of the quality of a particular game. Is metacritic the be all end all of whether a game is good or not? Of course not, but in a marketplace where literally dozens of console games are being released each month, it helps to cut through the clutter and the publisher funded hype.

As for games being taken seriously, the gaming industry is a multi billion dollar industry and it has been taken seriously for a very long time. Some of the largest corporations in the world like Sony, Microsoft and Warner Bros. all have significant investments in gaming. Similarly, gaming has been a part of pop culture since the 1970s. Just because gamers and the general public don't sit around in smoking jackets with pipes in hand discussing the artistic merits of the latest FPS doesn't mean that it's not taken seriously as a cultural and economic force.

[Bojay1997]

Exactly! Also, if the OP really cared about the game he would buy it and support it now instead of waiting....that's part of the problem also.

Really? So we should just buy every game out there at full price whether it's good or not? I literally can't believe the stupidity being spewed in this thread.

[Daltone]

This might be the dumbest argument I have seen posted here in a very long time. Games aren't free. Buying this particular game will set you back $60 plus tax in many areas. Because of that fact, many of us check reviews and check with fellow gamers who have actually played something before we drop that kind of cash. I guess you must be independently wealthy if you have the ability to buy every game that comes out. So, please tell us, how is Aliens Colonial Marines? What is great about it? Are there any problems with it?

Frankly, I'm tired of all the snobs who constantly attack reviews as if they are all universally poorly written and irrelevant. The beauty of metacritic and the reason the industry puts so much weight into its scoring system is that it's a cross section of reviews. Gamers can quickly see the spread of scores and based on that have a good initial impression of the quality of a particular game. Is metacritic the be all end all of whether a game is good or not? Of course not, but in a marketplace where literally dozens of console games are being released each month, it helps to cut through the clutter and the publisher funded hype.

As for games being taken seriously, the gaming industry is a multi billion dollar industry and it has been taken seriously for a very long time. Some of the largest corporations in the world like Sony, Microsoft and Warner Bros. all have significant investments in gaming. Similarly, gaming has been a part of pop culture since the 1970s. Just because gamers and the general public don't sit around in smoking jackets with pipes in hand discussing the artistic merits of the latest FPS doesn't mean that it's not taken seriously as a cultural and economic force.

Yes.

That is all.

[retroguy]

Bojay, I don't know how Colonial Marines is because I haven't played it, but I'm not simply going to agree that it's a terrible game just because all the reviews say it is, as you seem to be doing. Don't be such a sheep. Think for yourself once in awhile. If a game looks interesting to me, I'll check out a Lets Play or other similar walkthrough to see if it's something I think I might enjoy. Why? Because LPers aren't being paid to do it as far as I know, so I would imagine that their perspective is closer to the average joe than any review would be and therefore more honest and less stuck-up. Remember, negativity sells. More often than not, professional reviewers of any media have a tendency to emphasize flaws in a work while downplaying or outright ignoring any good aspects. That's why I have a hard time taking them seriously as journalists.

[Bojay1997]

Bojay, I don't know how Colonial Marines is because I haven't played it, but I'm not simply going to agree that it's a terrible game just because all the reviews say it is, as you seem to be doing. Don't be such a sheep. Think for yourself once in awhile. If a game looks interesting to me, I'll check out a Lets Play or other similar walkthrough to see if it's something I think I might enjoy. Why? Because LPers aren't being paid to do it as far as I know, so I would imagine that their perspective is closer to the average joe than any review would be and therefore more honest and less stuck-up. Remember, negativity sells. More often than not, professional reviewers of any media have a tendency to emphasize flaws in a work while downplaying or outright ignoring any good aspects. That's why I have a hard time taking them seriously as journalists.

The only sheep here is you. Rather than applying logic or rational analysis, you are grouping all professional reviewers into a biased, industry paid category which doesn't apply to most of them in my experience. I believe reviewers have an obligation to point out flaws in a game, especially when they impact playability and fun.

Unlike yourself, I have actually read many of the negative and positive reviews the game received over the past few days and I found most of the reviews to be actually very balanced with even some of the very negative ones making positive remarks about certain aspects of the game. The fact that other gamers who actually own and have played the game are echoing many of the criticisms is even stronger support for the idea that there is something to the bad reviews. Having said all that, I'm sure there are some people who will enjoy the game just like there are people that enjoy every critically and user panned game, movie, TV series, etc.... That doesn't mean they are wrong or that the reviewers and wrong, but like I said earlier, I don't have unlimited time or financial resources and there are so many great games, movies, television series, books and every other form of entertainment out there that I'm not gonna waste it on something like this game that is expensive and unlikely to keep me entertained.

[kupomogli]

Also, alien 3 on the snes is fairly interesting. It's a metroid-Vania style games.

I was going to mention this. Alien 3 is a great game. There's also Aliens Infestation that I haven't played yet but looks pretty good.

Alien 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOQhzwDoJA4


Oh yes, because we all know that reviews are the gospel and if you dare to disagree with popular opinion, you couldn't possibly feel that way legitimately. See, this is what pisses me off about the modern gaming scene, that attitude that if reviews say a game is awful it must be and many people won't even bother playing the game themselves to see if it's true. They just parrot the review scores as if they mean something and look down their noses at the folks who actually enjoy it. You know what I'm talking about. We've all encountered those kinds of snobs. This is exactly why gaming will never be taken seriously by the general public.

I agree with Retroguy on both accounts. While if I find out something I'm interested in has really bad review scores I'll end up waiting for the game to hit $20 or less before I purchase it, but just because it gets unanimous praise or unanimous hate, doesn't mean the game is good or bad. Some highly rated games like Assassin's Creed 3 get hated by a majority of players while some poorly rated titles get praised by a majority of players.

The gaming community is pretty bad about this. People hear a game sucks, maybe from a certain developer, etc, and they go around stating the game sucks, rating the game on Metacritic, Gamefaqs,low scores, etc. Dead Space 3 recently came out and apparently it's getting large amounts of hate on two fronts. First, it's developed by EA, and second, there's changes to it. Despite the ability to have co op, new weapon system, etc, the game is still very much like the other two Dead Space games. The new Devil May Cry gets bashed as being a crappy game because of its differences. Same with Lords of Shadow. Not just bashed though, just constant posts about how the games suck even though the people haven't played them. Metacritic scores raped by users who jump on there and give it a 1/10. The damage to these games have already been done with people jumping on the hate train and spreading rumors that the games are bad.

[Graham Mitchell]

I was going to mention this. Alien 3 is a great game. There's also Aliens Infestation that I haven't played yet but looks pretty good.

Alien 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOQhzwDoJA4

Aliens infestation is cool, but the ending was a bit weak. I'm not sure I did everything correctly, though, and it may have multiple endings like symphony of the night. I need to throw it in again.

But for an ambient action/exploration game it's pretty solid.

Back on topic though, both bojay and retro guy ave valid points. Reviews do indicate where games have problems, but I've also really enjoyed many games that received lackluster ratings. I thought Alice:madness returns was pretty cool, and the syndicate reboot deserves much more credit than it got. It's better than the new deus ex, anyway. I also would've given deadly premonition a 10.

But that's me, that's my taste. I think everybody's experience with games is subjective to some degree, and you may miss something really cool if you avoid everything that got a bad review.

[eskobar]

That doesn't mean they are wrong or that the reviewers and wrong, but like I said earlier, I don't have unlimited time or financial resources and there are so many great games, movies, television series, books and every other form of entertainment out there that I'm not gonna waste it on something like this game that is expensive and unlikely to keep me entertained.

Not only that ... most of us have been consumers since quite a few years, or 25 years in my case, and I have learned to read between the lines written in some very negative or very positive reviews.

When almost all the press agrees on something, you have to wonder why and the best thing to do before spending 59.99 usd on a crappy game, you better read a website o check if one of your trusted reviewers have written about it.

[wingzrow]

So I never even knew this game existed, so I'm not angry like everyone else, but I just saw this video and now I know what you all must be feeling right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z2qVebxlUo&feature=youtu.be

The question they ask is this; what happened? My only guess is that they designed it on PC, realized they had to downscale it severely for consoles, and then made the PC version a port of the console version. what else would account for such a large drop in quality?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

...I literally can't believe the stupidity being spewed in this thread.

Lot of that going on lately.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I saw some reports that Gearbox proper didn't make this, they farmed it out to another developer. Anyone have any insight on that?

Gearbox's games aren't exactly bug-free, in my experience. Still, nothing was as bad as that video in the first post (... well, maybe the floating and stuck enemies I saw in 2.)

[eskobar]

I saw some reports that Gearbox proper didn't make this, they farmed it out to another developer. Anyone have any insight on that?

Gearbox's games aren't exactly bug-free, in my experience. Still, nothing was as bad as that video in the first post (... well, maybe the floating and stuck enemies I saw in 2.)


That's true, they outsourced; check this out:

http://t.co/la7K4pg2

[The 1 2 P]

Duke nukem still has an higher metascore than this.

"Game over man, game over". What, someone had to say it.

[Collector_Gaming]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8J8SzBhjqaQ

I have no words.

This instantly reminds me of THIS!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZUVeMtYXc

[LordsOfSkulls]

This instantly reminds me of THIS!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZUVeMtYXc

ha that made me laugh X)

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

So I never even knew this game existed, so I'm not angry like everyone else, but I just saw this video and now I know what you all must be feeling right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z2qVebxlUo&feature=youtu.be

The question they ask is this; what happened? My only guess is that they designed it on PC, realized they had to downscale it severely for consoles, and then made the PC version a port of the console version. what else would account for such a large drop in quality?

To see grown adult men react to a video game that way bothers me.

[Bojay1997]

To see grown adult men react to a video game that way bothers me.

What are you even talking about? I watched this video after you posted expecting some outrageous and immature video. Instead, I ended up watching a very rational and well done comparison of what was shown as the demo and what the same area ended up looking like in the final game. It bothers you that grown adult men can use logic and reason to expose the fact that the demo was a fraud and the final game was of much lower graphical quality?

[Graham Mitchell]

I spent more time with the game tonight. Still don't see what the problem is. It's thoroughly enjoyable. I have a feeling a lot of the changes you're seeing in that video were done to make the game darker. It's very dark in parts, which makes it disorienting, but in a good way.

There are parts that have some really nice lighting effects despite what the video shows.

The pacing is good too. Intense action is interspersed with quieter exploration segments. That's when you can really appreciate the environment.

I really don't get why this game is getting so much heat.

[Sysop]

After playing the game, I think I might go back to playing Duke Nukem Forever.

[YoshiM]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun ripped it apart: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/02/12/wot-i-think-aliens-colonial-marines-single-player/#more-142095

When my time frees up after Saturday (6 weeks of near every night play practice and then shows-no time for nothin') I might look at this closer. I find Duke Nukem Forever to be an average but entertaining romp so who knows?

[pseudonym]

This instantly reminds me of THIS!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZUVeMtYXc

That's the joke.

Anyway, I was watching a friend play this game yesterday, it doesn't look that bad.

[RARusk]

http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/image/952

[danawhitaker]

And now, some more fun from Aliens Colonial Marinesville:

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/02/15/aliens-cm-bug.aspx

[M.Buster2184]

I would love to play a good Aliens game, unfortunately it seems I'll have to continue waiting. Is this game absolutely terrible? Probably not, but it doesn't look so great, so I most likely won't be getting it. Oh well.

[Graham Mitchell]

I would love to play a good Aliens game, unfortunately it seems I'll have to continue waiting. Is this game absolutely terrible? Probably not, but it doesn't look so great, so I most likely won't be getting it. Oh well.

On the pc it's perfectly fine. I think the problems people are having are with the console ports.

[Mister_Pal]

No it's not. It's just as big of a piece of crap on the PC as it is on any other system it was released on.

[Greg2600]

Yes, Destructoid's Jim Sterling reviewed the PC version and gave it 2.5 of 10, and said console versions were far worse. Adam Sessler gave it 2 out of 5, which is really bad coming from him.

I think the consensus is that this is little more than an Aliens mod/skin thrown on top of a FPS engine.

http://revision3.com/destructoid/ps4-controller-leaked-photos

Destructoid reported that people are upset also because what was advertised at E3 is NOT what they released. Also, rumors SEGA is furious with Gearbox.

[RetroBot]

i guess no one can make the perfect Alien game. was looking forward to this one...again disappointed :(

[kedawa]

Aliens Extermination seems ok.

[Daltone]

You know what? I enjoyed Duke Nukem Forever. It's was like Frankenstein's monster - with various bits of the game older and more ragged than others. Ok, I played it on a PC and got it for about £5 which helped. When Aliens CM drops to around a fiver I may give it a go just to try and guess at what could have been. It is starting to seem like Borderlands was just a happy accident (considering that they completely overhaulded the graphics at the 11th hour I can think of no better explanation - something must have been wrong and they gambled).

[kedawa]

I think Gearbox just didn't care about this game.

[Namnuta]

On the pc it's perfectly fine. I think the problems people are having are with the console ports.

LMAO.

This game is bad on all systems. I have the Pc version and its no better than any other. Low textures, bad animation etc.

I am a self admitted Aliens franchise Fanboy. I tried so hard to like this game. But its really bad. Feels like a budget title.

I don't know how anyone could think this is good.

[wingzrow]

The worst thing that was brought to my attention was how much money SEGA lost investing in this game. Money that could have been used to localize Yakuza 5, valkyria chronicles 3, etc. I bet this was the entire reason anarchy reigns was pushed back 8 months for america. If you think about it, this single game ruined like 5 other games, and even pushed back stuff like the sonic all stars racing DLC.

[Greg2600]

I think Gearbox just didn't care about this game.

They get an F on this one. Embarrassing failure.

[kupomogli]

The worst thing that was brought to my attention was how much money SEGA lost investing in this game. Money that could have been used to localize Yakuza 5, valkyria chronicles 3, etc. I bet this was the entire reason anarchy reigns was pushed back 8 months for america. If you think about it, this single game ruined like 5 other games, and even pushed back stuff like the sonic all stars racing DLC.

Yeah. This game was announced in 2008 with a 2009 release but because Gearbox didn't start on it and asked for an extension Sega delayed it. According to one person who worked there, they didn't start working on the game until 2012 during the time they were working on Borderlands 2, outsourced to another company. Not only did Sega lose out on money they could have used during that time frame for other things, they lost out on future Aliens games that could have been released in 2010-2012 if this game had released on time. Even if this game sucked back in 2009, Sega still would have been able to put out another one. Maybe better, maybe not.

Sega really got screwed. They should file a lawsuit. Gearbox accepted the contract so they had an obligation. Instead of pushing Aliens back, they should have pushed their own projects back. The original Borderlands, Duke Nukem Forever which they acquired, and Borderlands 2.


We've recently been chatting with a developer who -- as you might have guessed -- wishes to remain anonymous. Under this condition, he agreed to let us publish the things he's witnessed personally and learned from fellow project members in the time he spent working on Colonial Marines.

Our man was involved with the game only briefly, between 2007 and 2008, but in just that short time he had some interesting reading for us. If his words are indeed to be believed, they further fuel the suggestion that Colonial Marines was increasingly sidelined for more "important" projects.

"Gearbox was taking people off the project to put them on Borderlands 1," he says of his time on the job. "This was before the big art style change happened on Borderlands. Our team was getting smaller by the month, making it very difficult to get the game made. Ironically several of the team members were ex-3D Realms people who were saying [paraphrasing] 'Finally, we're going to Gearbox to make Aliens, and we're going to ship a fucking game!' Hah."

According to our man with the inside track, it was later learned that SEGA actually canceled Colonial Marines, deciding to cut its losses after such a long development cycle.

"At some point in 2008, SEGA temporarily pulled the plug on the game," he said. "They caught wind of Gearbox shifting resources (despite still collecting milestone checks as if the team were full size) and lying to SEGA AND 2K about the number of people working on each project. This led to the round of layoffs at Gearbox in late 2008."

The developer confirms he later spoke with people attached to the project at the beginning of 2012, and learned they actually didn't expect the game to ship in February, given its current state. It would appear staff on the game knew the thing was a bust, and were prepared for a fresh delay. Obviously, that never happened, and now we're here.

Naturally, and like so much about this situation, information was provided on the hush-hush and cannot be taken as factual evidence of any wrongdoing on anybody's part. It is, however, yet another perplexing piece of the puzzle, one reflective of other things we've been hearing over the past week. Meanwhile, as SEGA and Gearbox both maintain a poker face, these whispered words are really all we have to go on.

http://www.destructoid.com/developer-gearbox-lied-to-sega-2k-over-colonial-marines-245986.phtml

[Daltone]

The fallout seems to be better than the game!

[RARusk]

The fallout seems to be better than the game!

Didn't Bishop say something along the lines of a "mushroom cloud the size of Nebraska"? I'm getting that vibe here.