Aliens: Colonial Marines

The film Aliens is all about a crew of space marines trying to survive against packs of deadly extraterrestrials. There’s no climactic scene of total empowerment – survival is earned through blood and sacrifice. Escape mode in Aliens: Colonial Marines taps into the struggle to survive a gauntlet of Xenomorph attacks while moving from one end of the map to another. Think Left 4 Dead in outer space.

The map I played at PAX Prime 2012 looked a lot like LV-426 from Aliens. In Escape, a team of four space marines progress towards the end of the level while enduring waves of player-controlled Xenomorphs. We played as the marines. Like Left 4 Dead, sticking together is key. The aliens are quick and hardy, but not invincible. Getting pinned by one spells certain doom, but you can be saved easily by an attentive teammates’ rifle. Players can also cover their own backs with deployable auto-turrets.

I suited up with a trusty plasma rifle during my playthrough. The shooting mechanics are tight and fast. Looking down the sights and quickly lining up shots on xenomorphs feels good. It’s a good thing the shooting is as reliable as it is, because your reflexes are your most important weapon.

The goal of Escape for marines is to make it to the end of the map within 10 minutes. The Xeno’s only objective is to kill the marines before they do so. A variety of ranged and melee Xenomorphs will be playable, but Gearbox wasn’t allowing PAX attendees to play as the extraterrestrials at the show. It’s a simple concept, but it distills the essence and tension of Aliens into a single, highly replayable mode. Aliens: Colonial Marines hits 360, PS3, and PC on February 12, 2013.