One of my favorite scenes in Aliens is when Lt. Gorman attempts to guide his marines through the abandoned space colony on LV-426. Inevitably, his inexperience is his downfall, because he cracks under the pressure as the aliens rip his two squads to shreds, but it's a classic scene, one that Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Konami are emulating in their upcoming survival horror adventure, Lifeline.

The year is 2029. The time is Christmas Eve. Humans have FINALLY begun to chill in space. Earth's first space hotel has opened, and its guests are the wealthy, diplomats and other somewhat important people. However, they're soon slaughtered by aliens. You, the operator, are safe and sound, trapped within the hotel's security control room, but it appears the aliens missed one, a waitress named Rio. Utilizing the USB headset, you have to guide Rio to safety by instructing her on certain tasks that need to be completed. It may be opening a door, checking items on a table or blasting the dangerous creatures that hide in the darkness. You'll also help her solve puzzles and open doors. You're her only hope for survival, that lifeline on the other end, and she's praying you'll always be there.

Whenever you need to talk to Rio, you press the Circle button, say your peace and let go, and she'll (in theory) do whatever you told her. The technology enables her to recognize over 5,000 words and 100,000 phrases. This ensures that the experience is unique and accessible for each player because objects may be known by different words to different people.

Visually, Lifeline looks pretty sharp. The environments are a mixture of fancy hotel pomp and circumstance mixed with the sterile and claustrophobic locales that so often frequent sci-fi movies/videogames. Rio is well detailed and I've seen her wearing different outfits, but as to why or how she changes I've yet to figure out. The monsters look pretty cool as well as disgusting, and should only add to what looks to be an intense experience.

I have two concerns with Lifeline. Whether it'll sell isn't one of them, because it's questionable whether casual audiences will be able to invest the time and the patience to play a game that's combat is more disembodied than most traditional turn-based RPGs. What I'm really worried about is the quality of the technology and whether the game can hold my interest long enough for me to see its end. If I'm going to issue commands to someone, I want them to understand what I'm saying. When I used to play Seaman on the Dreamcast, he misinterpreted phrases on numerous occasions. For example, if I asked him if he was hungry, he'd reply, "No, I'm not hot." While this was ok because I was having a conversation with a talking fish that wasn't going anywhere, frantically issuing commands to someone who's about to be devoured by several aliens is a whole other matter. I want to know that if Rio dies, it was my fault. If I say run and Rio does anything but, I'm going to have a big problem.

Lastly, I'm skeptical as to whether the game's concept will remain fresh throughout the entire experience. I can only stay locked in a control room for so long without wanting to bust a cap in a slimy alien's face. Am I really going to sit for hours and instruct this girl where to go? That scene in Aliens is a classic moment, but it's a short one. I don't want Lifeline to be short, but I also don't want it to drag on for 15 hours either.

Lifeline's one of the most original games to come out in ages but the concept's a hard sell. I can already hear casual gamers asking, "So, you don't actually kill anything?" and/or "You never leave the room? Ever?" It's unfortunate that the game may be doomed before it actually releases, but as one of those gamers who enjoy niche titles, I'll have my preorder ticket in hand when Lifeline releases this March.