Since its release in 1986 there have been no shortage of
video games based on the film Aliens,
although one could certainly make the case that there have been a shortage of
good video games. Most of those games were released closer to the franchise's
heyday, so that in recent years the selection has been a little barren. Still,
the idea of another video game based on the Aliens
property with Aliens: Colonial Marines
finally nearing release isn't entirely welcome. Even if games based on Aliens haven't been the most successful,
the film has managed to permeate video games nonetheless, to the point that
making an Aliens game seems like a
retread, as if someone set out to make Videogame:
The Video Game. Right off the bat we are assured of a quasi-realistic
military shooter draped in a sci-fi aesthetic so often recycled it's become
part of the tapestry of generic. Zealous over-use of caution strips? Check.
Obligatory turret sequences? Check. Vaguely insectoid enemies that die easy and
rush in waves? Triple Check. Climactic showdown in mech suit? Par for the
course. At this point it's hard to think of an element, be it weapons,
vehicles, even one-liners, that was featured in Aliens that hasn't since been wholesale lifted and re-used in a
video game, Aliens related or not.
References:
Aliens. (1986)
Directed by James Cameron [Film]. Los Angeles, Calif.: 20th Century Fox.
Gearbox Software (2013). Aliens:
Colonial Marines [Video game]. Sega.
