In space, no one can hear you mutter, "Six years for this?!"
At least the sound survives unscathed. While most of the voice acting is forgettable (save for those actors from the original Aliens), the music is spot on in terms of building some good tension, and the hum of your motion tracker is very true to the real thing.
Where Aliens: Colonial Marines manages to save some face is with its multiplayer, which was handled in full by Gearbox. While we would've liked to see some more maps offered (only five are on the disc, with more coming via DLC), the Grunts vs. Aliens approach is novel, and works to a certain degree. There are four modes to choose from, though traditional deathmatch and Escape, where you complete objectives, are your best bets. On the Marines side, you've got plenty of firepower to your advantage, and keep in good communication with your team. The Aliens have their share of attributes, with three types to choose from (including a huge bull type) and can see heat signatures in third-person. Multiplayer is good fun, especially for fans of the film, and the fact you can carry over your single player campaign experience into it is a bonus.
I've seen a lot of reviews go off on Aliens: Colonial Marines. It has been a game that's been six years in the making, and has the name of the studio behind the brilliant Borderlands games on the package. But here's the thing. There have been worse licensed games out there. Aliens has the essence of the film nearly nailed down to a science; and its multiplayer is real surprise, avoiding the "tacked-on" feeling that most games have with theirs.
