James Cameron's 1986 film, Aliens is arguably the greatest science fiction film ever made. Not only does it best its predecessor, Alien (a matter of opinion worth discussing), but it launched a plethora of spin-offs. To say it is one of Hollywood's greatest achievements is an enormous understatement, which is why it is of the utmost importance that Sega handles the license with care. Its 2009 project, Aliens: Colonial Marines, will infect the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC, and the publisher hopes to recreate the film's unrivaled intensity with a squad based first person shooter.

Aliens is an over the top sci-fi blast fest in which you play as a colonial marine sent, along with three other marines, to investigate the Sulaco, the military ship from the film. As you may recall, Alien 3 begins with the Sulaco (due to an at the time unexplainable fire) ejecting Ripley, Hicks and Newt. From that point on, the film transitions to Ripley (Newt and Hicks die), leaving the audience to wonder what became of the ship. In a unique twist, Colonial Marines solves the mystery. You soon discover the aliens and must fight your way off the doomed vessel, working with your squad to push the creatures back, whether that involves laying down suppressing fire or running like hell.

Thus far, Aliens seems like a dream come true. Not only can fans find out what happened to the Sulaco, but they can experience the tension and fear that comes from being stuck on an infested spaceship, using the same technology from the film (pulse rifle, smart gun), including the ominous motion tracker, which will come in handy for knowing when a large mass of aliens is on its way. It's also in great hands, thanks to developer Gearbox Software, best known for the popular World War II series, Brothers in Arms. Gearbox seems to have lots of plans in store for this game, including the ability to play four-person co-op online, which should hopefully be an amazing experience. Just the thought of teaming up with three fellow space marines and communicating via headset, all the while wave after wave of aliens attempts wipe us out gives us chills. It's one of the ultimate movie/video game fantasies.

Being that the game is a ways from its release, details are scarce. What we do know is each marine will have a signature ability and possibly a weapon, and it is therefore in your best interests to watch each other's backs. With that said, you probably don't want to lose the player carrying the smart gun, since that's a much more powerful weapon than the pulse rifle, the pulse rifle's grenade launcher attachment not withstanding. In addition, one of you may have the ability to seal doors with a blowtorch, and that'll come in useful for keeping the aliens out, though as we know from the film, they'll find a way in. It's because of this that you'll always need to stay frosty and alert, as it seems like the monsters can come from anywhere.

Actually, there's a host of questions about this game, most of which have to do with its size and enemy behavior. We just don't know how big Aliens is. It could be a large environment with nonlinear missions or a linear game that pushes you along while sacrificing your freedom. We'd prefer the former, since the concept of problem solving in order to escape is a lot more attractive than moving from point A to point B. But that raises issues. If someone dies, can you pick up his or her weapon? If you seal the doors, can you theoretically halt the aliens' progress, or will they always pop up from the floor, ceiling or window? Until Sega shows us the game, these questions remain a mystery.

Furthermore, we're very interested in the aliens and how they operate. Obviously, an alien doesn't have a wide range of attacks, other than its sharp tail, inner mouth and hands. In order to keep them from getting old, Gearbox will not only have to perfectly capture the creature design and movement, but also use the environment as an entity. There's all sorts of psychological cards Gearbox can play, from random noises to a motion tracker suddenly bleeping and then going silent.

In addition, and this worries us most of all, Colonial Marines needs to be as authentic to the series as possible. For example, in the film, the motion tracker bleeps once when it picks up movement, then bleeps more frequently and at a faster pace the closer things get. Those faster bleeps are key to building tension, as well as displaying a large mass of aliens on the tracker's screen. Acclaim screwed this up in its PSOne video game, Alien Trilogy, electing to use the first bleep no matter how close the object. We'd hate to see history repeat itself.

Then there are the weapons. Alien Trilogy got them wrong, with the pulse rifle and smart gun making different noises than in the movie. On the positive side, the Aliens Vs. Predator PC games got them right. Bottom line, we need a pulse rifle to look and operate like a pulse rifle, and that includes watching its ammo counter deplete.

As gamers, we usually hate delays, but we're more than willing to wait for Aliens: Colonial Marines. It is tantamount that Sega and Gearbox take all the time that is necessary to make this a triple A game of the year product. We have plenty of concerns, especially with Gearbox, which currently has this game, a new Brothers in Arms and Borderlands on its plate. We can't say when we'll see the game, but you should expect tons of acid-splattering coverage.

Related Links

Aliens: Colonial Marines Xbox 360 Game Guide

Aliens: Colonial Marines PS3 Game Guide

Aliens: Colonial Marines PC Game Guide