Aliens: Colonial Marines (PS3, 360, Wii U and..PC!?!?!?!?!?)

[dsheinem]

Noise, you mean you don't play it like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5WwV9YoW_U

perfect example. there are several stretches like that, too!

[noiseredux]

I'll have to watch the video later.

But you're right I haven't gotten to 'outside' yet. I'm in the sewers now, with a brief stint outside before that but there were no enemies in that stretch.

To reiterate once again, I think having relatively limited experience in the genre probably makes a big difference in how I see this game and how you do. Not to say that I'm completely green, having played Half-Life, Borderlands & Duke Forever as far as recent-ish FPS's go.

You might at least agree that it makes for a pretty fun and good n00b-friendly introduction to the genre though, right?

[dsheinem]

You might at least agree that it makes for a pretty fun and good n00b-friendly introduction to the genre though, right?

Too early to call, but I'm leaning towards "no" because an introduction to the genre should be a good game that makes people want to play others. I'd still say Half Life is a good introduction as any to the genre, since it is very fair, offers lots of mechanics seen in other titles, etc. Halo 1 isn't a bad choice, either, as an intro to the genre...

[noiseredux]

see Half-Life to me seems more advanced though. I mean if you're new to the genre (so learning controls and everything) then I feel like having something more linear like this is easy to handle. Half-Life is so open-ended and I was thankful I had a guide while playing it.

(Don't mis-read though, I loved Half-Life and plan to play 2 in the near future).

Halo... do you know I've never played a Halo game. I mean, other than some screen shots, I've never even seen a Halo game.

[dsheinem]

see Half-Life to me seems more advanced though. I mean if you're new to the genre (so learning controls and everything) then I feel like having something more linear like this is easy to handle. Half-Life is so open-ended and I was thankful I had a guide while playing it.

(Don't mis-read though, I loved Half-Life and plan to play 2 in the near future).

Halo... do you know I've never played a Halo game. I mean, other than some screen shots, I've never even seen a Halo game.

I have a spare copy of the first one (Xbox version) that's been stagnating on my list for a while. I'll send it your way. Look for it next week.

[noiseredux]

woah thanks dood!

[Ack]

Actually Half-Life is kind of middle-of-the-road. It's not nearly as open as some FPS games but offers a bit of wiggle room compared to the on-rails FPS we see today.

For an introductory PC FPS, I'd argue that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare actually fits the bill. It is fairly linear but offers the illusion of choice in places. The weapons are easy to understand, since they are all based on real world tools. And the game is generally easy or offers little backtracking if you get killed. There's less that is considered controversial, and the game will let you open the occasional door, which differentiates it from its successors.

Halo works well for consoles, I suppose. I've never really thought much about introductory FPS on consoles though.

[Xeogred]

Guess it'd be hard for me to say since it's the one genre I've consistently played on both over the years. Doom, Jedi Knight, Half-Life on PC, Goldeneye, Timesplitters, and Halo on the consoles. That's probably a bit how my progression went.

It's funny how complex Jedi Knight is to this day compared to everything. That game was definitely ahead of its time, perhaps even more advanced than Half-Life despite coming a bit before. I guess it's like what people say about Ultima Underworld vs Doom or something. It was a really hard game to figure out at the time, but it was probably worth it and trained me well heh. Some of the weirdest platforming in FPS's, actions that reflected what Jedi powers you'd unlock, dozens of tricky secrets in every level, tons of items and weapons that did a lot, etc.

[dsheinem]

Well, I finished it. Steam says 8.9 hours.

The second to last level I got this really weird bug where I lost all ambient sound, some enemies stood motionless, I skipped checkpoints automatically, etc. Seems like it may have been fun, otherwise. Crazy buggy, even compared to the rest of the game.

It's not a good game, not by a long shot. As it gets a bit more adventurous in the last few levels in terms of story and setting, it gets worse. noise, I hope you have what it takes to play through to the end, because there's some nice art direction and some interesting film tie-ins, but I think you will grow frustrated at points with the mechanics and level design of the game itself (e.g. where checkpoints are). And em, you are right - the last "battle" is super lame and almost comical, whereas it should have been tense and the best part.

In any case, I'm glad it was ultimately "free after rebate". Worth a playthrough for big fans of the series (especially the second film, Aliens) and to see what all the hubub is about, but otherwise skip it.

[Retrogamer0001]

Colonial Marines had so much potential too! When I first saw the trailer, I, like many unfortunate souls, was extremely excited - it looked so good. But then reality kicked in...and the rest is history