Aliens: Colonial Marines Review

Aliens: Colonial Marines has one of the most infamous reputations in modern gaming. Apparently it had been in development for 5 years, and when it finally came out it garnered MASSIVELY negative reviews. So disappointed were people that SEGA was actually sued for what was claimed to be "false advertisement." The company lost the lawsuit(!) and literally apologized for the product. How sad is that? Now you can buy the game for less than $10 on Amazon. Colonial Marines is definitely not a great game, especially in comparison with other similar titles. (Resistance: Fall of Man which came out seven years prior is a far superior experience.) Still it isn't absolutely terrible and actually pretty fun. It is however not the ideal Alien experience. (Hopefully Isolation will fulfill that.)

You and your friends against the deadliest killers in the galaxy. Another glorious day in the corps. Buckle up, soldier! Welcome to Aliens: Colonial Marines. Created by Gearbox, the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite developers of Borderlands and Brothers In Arms, this first-person shooter is steeped in the eerie, claustrophobic and terrifying atmosphere that made the Aliens films successful worldwide. You and your friends will become the most bad*** military outfit in the galaxy - the US Colonial Marines. It's down to you to not just survive but wipe out the Xeno infestation.

The back of the cover claims the game will have you "Fight the fear." The problem is that there's very little fear to be fought. For some odd reason the game almost always warns you ahead of time that there's danger coming. Using that takes away the horror element, which the movies are famous for. (Another reason why games like Resistance are better.) There are a couple of instances when the game doesn't warn you, and those are very well-done. It's a shame the rest ends up being pretty much just an arcade shoot em' up.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward. Over the course you gain access to quite a few different type of guns, an impressive selection. There's one level where you're on your own with no firearms. It's decently well-done, though could have benefited if the player was forced hide rather than simply walk past the Xenomorphs. What's most impressive about the game is the play time. There's 11 missions which might not seem like much, but each takes about 20 minutes, sometimes longer. We're looking at a 10 hour game, which is pretty solid. It's a shame the story isn't that interesting due to poorly developed characters...

The game has a few main characters, but sadly by the end I had a hard remembering almost any of their names. They are poorly developed and it's hard to feel sad when one gets destroyed by a Chestburster since they don't leave any kind of impact on the player. While the story isn't all that great, it has an impressive Alien Queen sequence. Now that was horrific watching her escape her prison and killing all the marines. Unfortunately the final boss fight against her is extremely disappointing. It's one of the worst final boss fights in recent history. You don't actually fight her, and it's over in under four minutes.

Overall, Colonial Marines is definitely disappointing as the next big Aliens experience. It has very little to no horror, and the story is disappointing due to massively underwhelming characters. For under $10 now however, you do get an impressively long campaign with plenty of fun to be had shooting Xenomorphs. For $60 upon release however, it's hard to find any good things to say about it.

2/5

Dinosaurs vs. Aliens Review

Ah, Dinosaurs vs. Aliens. If that's not the coolest title known to man, I don't know what is. I gotta admit that I was pretty hyped, I mean, two of my favorite creatures battling it out?! And no humans to wreck everything? This had potential to be the greatest graphic novel ever. Not to mention the fact that a movie is going to be coming, which could also be one of the greatest movies ever made. But I'm here to talk about the graphic novel written by Grant Morrison. The book had been getting some pretty good hype, back on Free Comic Book Day they had released a short preview of it. Astounding art and it looked like the story was going to be more deep than what you were expecting. In fact, despite the cheesy 60's title, (I love it, but I'm sure the rest of the world would disapprove of such a Syfy-like title) the story is the book's strongest aspect. Dinosaurs vs. Aliens is a masterpiece, with its only flaw being the length, it doesn't justify $20.

Check out the official description from Dynamite and Liquid Comics:

From the minds of acclaimed filmmaker, Barry Sonnenfeld (director of the, “Men In Black” Films) and superstar graphic novel creator, Grant Morrison (Batman, The Invisibles, Action Comics, 18 Days), comes "Dinosaurs Vs. Aliens," from Liquid Comics. The story focuses on a secret world war battle that was never recorded in our history books. When an alien invasion attacks Earth in the age of the dinosaurs, our planet's only saviors are the savage prehistoric beasts which are much more intelligent than humanity has ever imagined.

Alright, let's get that one negative out of the way. The book is $20, which is the average price for a graphic novel. However, you're going to be surprised that it doesn't 'end.' There's going to be a part two. That was really disappointing, you get really into the story, and once you find out that this is just Volume One, you're left feeling a little unsatisfied. It feels like you're buying half a book, it should be at most $15. Graphic novels are usually self contained into one volume, not a continuation like this, with no word on Volume 2 yet. Now, don't think the actual story we're getting isn't good, it's fantastic.


I like the analogy of the whole 'Manifest Destiny' that's portrayed here. The dinosaurs are the Native Americans while the aliens represent the Americans. So this isn't just some mindless Vs. thing that you'll find Saturday nights on the Syfy channel, this story has a lot of heart. I love dinosaurs, so seeing them as a focus is interesting. Of course, it could be difficult story wise I admit for monsters to be the central focus without humans in the picture. This isn't the case here, the dinosaurs hold their own. As you can see by reading the description, these aren't the mindless beasts we're used to seeing in films. They're intellgent creatures, have tribes, and work together. Such emotion is portrayed even though they don't speak at all. It takes a true writer to able to pull off somethiong like that. Let's not count out the alien angle here. They're technically the 'villains.' However, they aren't mindless or just invading for the heck of it. Unlike the aliens we see in today's films, (Ahem to Cowboys and Aliens, Battle: Los Angeles, and Skyline) we're given insight into these extraterrestrials. (It is told mainly from their perspective after all.) Like the dinos, they are a compelling focus, the writing is top notch as we have inside scoop about why they're here. 


The art is an extremely high point of the book. It's done by Mukesh Singh, who I gotta say matches up to Jim Lee's amazing work over at Justice League. The landscapes look incredible, and the splash page with two of the dinos looking at a looming UFO in the sky is awe inspiring. While the book isn't over-the-top and in your face, it remains fast-paced but calm at the same time. The book has a calming atmosphere, inviting you into a world without humans. The dinosaur skirmishes were appropriately brutal and how can one not smile at a T-Rex taking down an alien robot with its jaw? The very smart writing through thought boxes really carry the story.


Overall, Dinosaurs vs. Aliens might just be the greatest graphic novel I have ever read. It is unfortunate that I cannot give it a perfect rating becuse of the price drawback. It should have been one standalone book. Not many people are talking about it, so I fear for Volume Two. If it doesn't get made, we're left with part one of a masterpiece. Dinosaurs vs. Aliens does the impossible and manages to be a compelling story just with the title creatures. It's dinosaurs and aliens with amazing art and smart writing. What more can one want?


9/10.