Aliens Sequel Is Half Video Game, Half Movie

The new Aliens sequel was released today but you won’t be able to see it any movie theaters. Nope, this sequel will only be available on the small screen.

According to MSNBC, Aliens: Colonial Marines, is a video game from the company Gearbox Software. But this isn’t just a regular movie-related video game. Aliens: Colonial Marines is considered an official Aliens sequel by 20th Century Fox and is now part of the sci-fi movie’s canon.

John Mulkey, Design Director at Gearbox Software, said:

“Everybody at Gearbox wanted to do something in the Aliens universe, but we didn’t want to just kind of play around in it. We wanted to do something really meaningful.”

Mulkey said that the video game will tie together Aliens and Aliens 3 and will actually make the panned cinematic sequel a better movie.

Mulkey said:

“I don’t want to spoil anything, but as you’re playing through you’ll start to discover some really interesting twists on what you thought had occurred. There are some exciting things with the narrative and the characters that play upon events in both Aliens and Aliens 3… One of our goals is that — once you play our game — Aliens 3 will be a better movie.”

Aliens: Colonial Marines may build on the franchise’s story but according to game review from Forbes, Gearbox could have used a better screenwriter.

Forbes writes:

“The broader story arc could have used some tweaking. There are more explanations than answers, and one pivotal moment didn’t quite make sense to me. The ending wasn’t completely satisfying.”

PC World is even more vicious in their review:

“At no point does the story in Aliens: Colonial Marines feel connected to its namesake in any way, even when referencing direct events from the films. This game captures none of the tension or dread that permeates Cameron’s Aliens, which is doubly disappointing in light of how fiercely the Aliens franchise was brandished as a marketing ploy prior to release.”

Here’s the trailer for Aliens: Colonial Marines.

What do you think of the Aliens sequel?