In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream...For Your Money Back. (Pt. 2)

The public flogging of Aliens: Colonial Marines will continue in earnest. We have only scratched the surface of how terrible it truly is, in order to convey this I am forced to compare it to its "competition" (though in the end Colonial Marines never really showed up to the fight). I know I shouldn't be surprised, hedging your bets on a licensed title is not something I'd recommend - but there was tangible proof of this game's potential. No need to pontificate further, let's see just how well Colonial Marines stacks up to another recent sci-fi horror title.

Now if you have played Dead Space 3 you know just how one sided this comparison is. For starters I cannot for the life of me actually remember the protagonist's  name from Colonial Marines - Isaac Clarke however, is a name I won't forget.

 

  

I purchased Dead Space 3 out of boredom. When I saw what I thought the franchise had turned into I decided I no longer wanted a part. The addition of co-op irked me - the feeling of being alone fighting Necromorphs in a pitch black hallway is hard to maintain with two people playing (atleast I thought).  When the game came out I ignored it for a while thinking that it was going the way of Resident Evil - stumbling clumsily into being an action movie.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Being the third title in any series (look at Aliens 3 after all) is often a burden too heavy for most titles to carry. Going up against a completely new IP from a great studio like Gearbox, I thought Colonial Marines would be the superior game - honestly. It didn't have to borrow from Aliens to be Aliens, it was Aliens. Boom, three in one sentence.

Dead Space however, was an idea recently formed and one that had obvious influences from such sci-fi hits as Aliens. Here lies its greatest strength however, Dead Space did not have to conform to anything, there were no limitations of where they could go with the game. They did not have to pay over-zealous fan service to their audience - and thus Dead Space evolved into a game that easily makes my top ten list - survival horror or not. 

Enough talk, let's see some action. I'll give Aliens the first punch. Feel free to watch as much as you want, you are not forced to endure all thirty three agonizing minutes. Oh, and uh if you happen to actually care, there may be a few minor spoilers as this is the third mission.

Hoo boy, wasn't that a blast? Everything about this game feels sterile - it is impossible for something to be emotionally effecting if it is impossible for it to connect with someone. Nothing about this game feels the way Aliens felt. The art style is a mess of multiple studios jamming together their finished products - it all feels so safe, so Nintendo 64.

Luckily the Aliens video game franchise knows how to take a punch. Once again, watch as much as you'd like - and beware possible spoilers for those wishing to play. There are a few moments when part of the development team talk about the game as well.

I told you that it wasn't a fair fight didn't I? Dead Space as a whole has done nothing but grow since the first in the series arrived on store shelves. All in all, I can't complain about any of these titles. This may only be my opinion, but I enjoyed each title as much if not more than the last - co-op and all.

The artists behind this franchise have done a masterful job at creating and maintaining atmosphere through three titles. Every corridor feels like it was hand crafted down to the smallest chip of paint. Everything pulls the player further into the experience, so much so that before you know it you'll find your heart rate rising to a fever pitch.

Long story short -

It wasn't a fair fight. When your game is put together by people who look like they actually care about what is being shipped you automatically win. I'm not saying the teams behind Colonial Marines were trying to make a bad game - I just get the feeling that their hearts, all three or four studio's worth, were simply not in it.

Oh yeah, and go play Dead Space. Start at the beginning if you have to, but I can't recommend it more.