Aliens: Colonial Marines "More crafted" Than Left 4 Dead

When a new game’s announced it’s always difficult to get a sense of how it’s eventually going to work. Inevitable comparisons are almost always made and in some cases they turn out to be true. Games that look like they’re a bit like Gears Of War, generally end up being a bit like Gears Of War. But, it’s not always the best way to describe a new a game and when one comes along as promising as Gearbox’s Aliens: Colonial Marines, to compare it to Valve’s excellent Left 4 Dead may ultimately do it a disservice, despite its obvious awesomeness.

Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford, always ready to voice his opinions has been quick to dispel the assumption that Aliens: Colonial Marines is anything like Left 4 Dead so we put the question to him…

Some have described the core gameplay experience in Colonial Marines as akin to Left 4 Dead with Aliens, how true is this statement and what genre should players be bracing themselves for?

Randy Pitchford: I think parts of it feel a little like that, but Left 4 Dead was very dependent upon the game system. There wasn’t any real story telling or character development or anything at all to do in Left 4 Dead other than to run to the exit and not die along the way. Aliens: Colonial Marines is a much more crafted and cinematic experience. It also has a deeper meta-game where there is some value to gaining experience and growing the capability of your character over time. So Left 4 Dead is a great thing to think about when considering how it works as both a single player and co-operative game where you’re playing against hordes of fearless, death-dealing enemies. But it’s not really a good example when you think about a crafted, narrative experience or when you think about how meta-game growth can make playing your favourite missions again really fun and compelling.