Join part of a United States Colonial Marine squad and prepare to face an Aliens assault more intense and horrific than ever before. Packing classic Aliens weaponry ranging from pulse rifles to flamethrowers as well as brand-new equipment and skills all within a squad-based combat system, players become an elite United States Colonial Marine. Players must battle against menacing alien hordes in levels that include the stark interiors of the abandoned Sulaco and unique environments created specifically for the game...

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a first person shooter (FPS) set in the Aliens universe. For fans of the movies there's plenty to enjoy here: from the atmospheric environments to the beautiful sounds that will be familiar from films. From the spooky sounds of the tracking device (I never understood why the noise on the tracker got louder the closer the aliens got to you - like that won't give your position away much) to the rapid fire of the pulse rifles.

The biggest problem with the game is that it feels under developed. There are some truly impressive aspects but these are overshadowed by the rather dated mechanics - not to mention the rather odd flickering that seems to occur when you move around in some areas.

On the positive side this is about the most atmospheric game you'll play featuring some of artist H. R. Giger's most famous creations. Granted not the best game, but certainly the most atmospheric. However this gets a little too old a little too quickly. There's only so many times you can wander around a Giger-esque environment being attacked by wave after wave of identical xenomorphs. There is a story that everything hangs on, but it's not overly exciting. As you progress through the levels you do encounter different xenomorphs, as well as enemy human ground troops, but to be honest there's very little variety here.

One of the interesting elements is the collectibles you find around the gaming environment. These include audio recordings (which give you a deeper understanding of the story); dogtags; and collectable weapons that have been wielded by various characters from the Alien universe.

You can play the game through in single-player campaign mode, or with up to three friends in a co-op, in which each player assumes the persona of a United States Colonial Marine and have a distinct role to play in the completion of every mission.

It was also interesting to see that the developers include a nod to the original Alien movie with a brief appearance by the Space Jockey. And look out for Newt (Aliens) doll head that is hiding in plain sight.

So, not a truly awful game, but also not one that is worth £40. Give it six months and if you can pick it up for under £20 you'll enjoy a couple of days of Alien blasting.

6

Darren Rea