Bringing Bishop back would be trite if Gearbox wasn't delicate about why he existed within this new story. Remember, Ellen Ripley's android went with her after his gruesome encounter at the end of Aliens. But he's synthetic, one model in a large line of manufactured men. Naturally, there's a synthetic attached to every Colonial Marine Corps group. So of course he'll join players as they explore the remains of The Sulaco, Hadley's Hope, and The Derelict.
If all this sounds like gibberish, well, it might be time to catch up on the Alien films. Gearbox is crafting an independent story with twists and turns to keep newcomers on their uncertain toes, but the significance of its characters, locations, and events relies on know-how that's well worth acquiring.
"We tried to find a new direction, something that had not been seen in an Aliens movie before," says Colonial Marines writer Mikey Neuman. "I would actually say we bring more character drama to the table than any of the movies."
This is most evident in Bella, one of Colonial Marines' new cast members. "When we meet her, she's pulling a dead face-hugger off [her head]," Neuman explains. Newcomers are "finding out along with her" what it means to have a sore throat in Aliens. Fans have a crystal-clear understanding of her situation from the start. They're the players who will feel paranoid whenever Bella is around; they know the alien egg gestating in her stomach is going to kill her.
Knowing "she could pop at any minute" is the dramatic effect driving her story. "For lack of a better term she's terminal upon meeting her," says Neuman "and you hope you can do something to help her." Each major character in Colonial Marines -- Bella, Lt. Cruz, O'Neal, and the player character Winter -- received this kind of treatment. Some of them are connected and share histories. Others are archetypes built to defy cliche. Exploring people with interesting character traits is what attaches the audience to characters, after all. This doesn't bode well for players in the long run.
"There's some stuff in this game where, even recording it, I'm like, 'this is really dark.' We go to some dramatic places that I think is gonna be sort of new for this franchise," Neuman explains, "because not everyone makes it out of this game. Who does and doesn't may surprise you."
Neuman isn't just a rabid Aliens nerd, although he, along with many Gearbox employees, owns that shared obsession. He has a thorough understanding of what makes the film tick, how it hits certain beats, and why people still love it.
"With Aliens, God bless it's little heart, it's so ****ing weird. I love it. It's a badass action movie, but it's so quirky and strange and unexplainable," Neuman says. Capturing "the small interactions between characters that are just a little bit off" is crucial for Neuman to retain consistency from James Cameron's film to his studio's game. Writing around the source material not only helps him achieve that, but "is the best part" about writing an Aliens story.
The man's kitchen table houses no fewer than four different Aliens scripts for his regular reference. He studies their details meticulously, and admires oddball exchanges between the original cast. When he brings up Aliens' "look into my eye" scene, he's practically shouting when asking, "what does that have to do with anything?"
Gearbox clearly wants players to have comparable experiences when watching Aliens and playing Colonial Marines. The first-person perspective is as important to combat as it is the narrative. "95% of our storytelling is told in the levels. I don't want cutscenes, I don't want bull****," Neuman says. "I want fighting and driving the story just like the movie did."
Gearbox went out of its way to create something authentic. Brian Martel, who co-founded the studio, met with Ridley Scott to pour over the original storyboards from Alien. His team also hired Syd Mead, the concept artist who originally worked on Aliens, to expand on some of his most famous locations. At a visual level, Colonial Marines' simulates James Cameron's favorite film stock from 1986, and levels were built as exact replicas of the original sets.
Interestingly enough, James Cameron wasn't involved in Colonial Marines. A Gearbox rep told IGN "he's a busy guy."
Even without the original director's input, Gearbox has created something that's as convincing as it is exciting. The strength of Aliens' allure will be lost on those who aren't the hardcore fans the developer really aims to impress. This property is in great hands with Neuman, Pitchford, and everyone else at Gearbox. Even if it manages to fail as an action game, Colonial Marines should be an Aliens experience worthy of the name.
