aliens-colonial-marines posts

We at Big Download, and the game industry at large, are always interested in seeing what Wired magazine will put into their annual Vaporware list. However, we have been greatly disappointed with the games and game related products that Wired has picked to be on the list in the past few years.

This year's list included StarCraft II at number one which we certainly agree with. However it also included the third episode of Penny Arcade Adventures which we think is a little unfair since two episodes were released last year. And putting Black Mesa, a Half-Life 2 mod that's been in development for several years, is very unfair since the folks behind it are doing it for fun, not for profit or even a deadline.

The truth is there are a lot of high profile games and game-related hardware projects that certainly fit the term "Vaporware" far better than Wired's article. We've decided to give our own Vaporware awards to put the spotlight on those games that were promised at one point for release in 2009 but have not only missed that deadline but have dropped off the the grid in terms of recent publicity and/or any firm new release dates (in StarCraft II's favor, its developer/publisher Blizzard has shown the game as playable at recent events like BlizzCon). We've picked 11 candidates for the award and also given a special mention to a game that, while it didn't have a 2009 release date, should have been out by now as well.

Click on the image above to continue reading Big Download's 2009 PC Game Vaporware Awards

Gearbox Software's upcoming FPS Aliens: Colonial Marines seemed to be being treated as a bastard stepchild by its publisher Sega. Once high on their list of future games, the title took a back seat when they announced a new Rebellion-made Aliens Vs Predator title. Now G4TV has an update, or rather lack of one, on Aliens: Colonial Marines from Sega president and COO Mike Hayes.

Hayes himself doesn't seem to know what to do with the title saying, "What I would say is it's unlikely that we'd launch anything within six months [after Aliens vs. Predator], but probably nine months, eight to 12 months possibly. Though we literally are looking at that at the moment and a lot of is going to depend, as well, on how successful AvP is . . " Aliens Vs Predator is due out in the (very crowded) first quarter of 2010. We suspect that if it sells well, Aliens: Colonial Marines would be released sooner rather than later. Oh, and despite Sega canceling that Aliens RPG game they still have plans for some kind of third game based on the Aliens franchise.

With the official announcement of Sega's cancellation of the Aliens RPG title, many have wondered about the fate of Aliens: Colonial Marines, the long-in-development first person shooter from developer Gearbox Software. Computer and Video Games got a chance to chat with Gearbox's always open head man Randy Pitchford for an update.

Despite rumors for months that the game has been put on hold, Pitchford stated, "I love Aliens and I love Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines. I am extremely committed to the game and I'm very confident in Sega's commitment to the Aliens brand and to our game." However it looks like we will still have to wait a bit more before any more new info on the game comes out.

Gearbox Software remains very busy as the Dallas-based game developer is working on finishing up Borderlands for release this fall and Aliens: Colonial Marines . . . someday. However the company has also got more than one game under development that they have not yet announced and one of them may (or may not) be called War Hero.

Gearbox was discovered to have trandmarked four different variations of that title and according to what Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford told Shacknews the title War Hero represents "a bit about our interests in the development of another original intellectual property." However that's all we are getting from the company right now as Pitchford stated, "we're certainly not ready to talk about it publicly at the moment." In fact it's so far out that War Hero isn't one of the three mystery games Gearbox has posted on their official site.

Earlier this year rumors hit the Internet that Sega had decided to put two game projects based on the Aliens movie franchise on hold in favor of a new Aliens Vs Predator title. Now comes word that both games are still in production but question remain about one of them.

Kotaku reports that Gearbox Software is still working on their FPS Aliens: Colonial Marines. However the title, which was first announced three years ago, won't be released in 2009. Meanwhile while our sister site Joystiq is reporting that the other Aliens title, under the code name Aliens RPG, is still in development according to Sega questions remain as to whether the game's announced developer, Obsidian Entertainment, is still working on the project.

Yesterday Sega announced plans to fast track a new Aliens Vs Predator game from developer Rebellion for an early 2010 release. At the time Sega said that to accommodate the new game they have "strategically updated the release of the other upcoming Aliens titles." Now rumors have surfaced that may show Sega has some odd definitions of the term "strategically updated".

According to unnamed sources from our sister site Joystiq, Obsidian Entertainment's long-in-development Aliens RPG project has now been canceled with about 20 Obsidian team members laid off as a result. The layoffs have also affected for Obsidian's other Sega published game, the upcoming spy-themed Alpha Protocol. These team reductions could be cause for concern about Obsidian's future existence, according to Joystiq's sources.

The same story claims that Gearbox Software's FPS Aliens: Colonial Marines had its funding cut a while ago. Several months ago Gearbox head Randy Pitchford tried to head off rumors that the game was in fact canceled but this new development may mean the game is still in development trouble. Sega and Gearbox have not yet commented on these rumors while an Obsidian spokesperson would not comment to Joystiq about the reports.

Sega is apparently rethinking their Aliens game release strategies. In 2006 they announced plans to release an Aliens FPS from developer Gearbox Software and an Aliens RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. Aside from a cover article last year in Game Informer magazine about the Gearbox title (since titled Aliens: Colonial Marines) little has been revealed about either title.

Now it looks like Sega has decided to make some changes in their schedule in favor of a new entry in the Aliens Vs. Predator franchise. The newly announced game, due in early 2010, will be developed by UK based Rebellion who created the acclaimed 1999 AvP FPS title for the PC. No other info on the game, including platforms, have been released. In their press release announcing the game, Sega said they have "strategically updated the release of the other upcoming Aliens titles." That most likely means those two other Aliens games won't be coming out until after Aliens Vs Predator.

[Via Joystiq]

Sega would seem to be very busy in the first half of this year. They already have two RTS games from The Creative Assembly (Empire: Total War and Stormrise) due for release this March. Now MCV reports that two major Unreal Engine 3 based titles from Sega are due sometime in "the first quarter"

That time period may refer to the calendar year but it's much more likely that the term refers to Sega's first fiscal quarter of the year (April-June). MCV reports they plan to release Gearbox Software's movie based shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines in that time period. Also due for release that quarter is Alpha Protocol, the super-spy action-RPG from developer Obsidian Entertainment. A few months ago rumors about Aliens: Colonial Marines being put "on hold" were quickly snuffed by Gearbox head Randy Pitchford. Currently Gamestop's retail web site shows a June 1 release date for that game and a June 15 release for Alpha Protocol.

Christmas is now over and we are now just a few days away from the start of 2009. As with the beginning of any new year there is a feeling of excitement of what the next 365 days will bring. For the PC game industry the new year is already looking very bright with a ton of highly anticipated game titles due to be released in the next 12 months.

Big Download has looked into our crystal ball (ok, it's actually a Bioshock bobble head doll) for all of the games we hope to be playing in 2009. The result is a multi-part preview we will be running in the last days before 2008 is over with that will give you some idea of what to expect. Keep in mind that our preview is not meant to be totally comphensive as there are a number of games our there that have yet to be announced. Also, release dates for games can and do change so many of the titles in our feature might not make 2009 (in fact we have put in some games that we know won't be released this year)

We even have some exclusive new screenshots to some of the games we are featuring in our preview article. One such shot is above from the upcoming Raven Software-id Software-Activision shooter Wolfenstein. For our first part of our 2009 PC game preview we take a look at a number of upcoming action and first person shooter titles. Stay tuned on Saturday as we will preview even more action games in the works.

Update: The second part of our action-FPS preview is now live

Click on the image above to continue reading our 2009 PC game preview on action and FPS titles

Three time Academy Award nominated actress Sigourney Weaver doesn't seem to have a problem about doing voice roles for games based on her characters. But she clearly doesn't want to do them just for the paycheck either. MTV Multiplayer has some quotes from Weaver about her (non) involvement with the upcoming games based on two of her most famous films; Ghostbusters and Aliens (she one one of her Oscar nods for the latter performance).

Weaver said at one point she was approached to voice her character of Ellen Ripley in an Aliens game (not the ones currently under development and to be published by Sega). However when she saw the actual game proposal she didn't care for it, saying "Well you have Ripley killing aliens but also sick people and other marines! And every other word out of my mouth was a curse word. I'm not a nun or anything, but I said, 'This is not true to the character.'"

And the Ghostbusters game from Atari that has involvement with most of the main cast but not Weaver? She stated, "I don't think they even asked me to be a part of the [new] 'Ghostbusters' one. If they did I don't remember it and maybe I was just busy."