I'm not a very good person to review video/computer games.  I basically took a break from the whole mess for about 15 years.  For that same reason, I may be able to offer you a pretty fresh viewpoint on the whole thing.  I'm not going to give stars or tech specs or anything, but I can tell you the good and the bad in pretty simple terms.  More after the jump.

loading...

I wanted a hard copy of Aliens: Colonial Marines but I also want the preorder bonus of the "Ripley gun", so I had to wait for the whole mess to arrive by mail.  I got everything booted up and started rocking it this past Sunday and I'm worn out.   Like I said, I don't have much to compare it to, but that may be a good thing.

For fans of the Alien movies, you'll love the fact that the game picks up with a distress call video from Corporal Hicks from Alien 2 and even features the likeness and actor who played the 'synthetic' known as "Bishop" Lance Henrikson.  In that distress message Hicks says that there are two other survivors, a woman and a young girl (obviously referencing Ripley and Newt).  Supposedly the mission in this game takes place 15 months after the events of Alien 2.  So, there you go, the game fit's squarely into the Alien legend.

So what about game play?  The controls are responsive and the interface is first person (looking down the barrel of your weapon).  The setup is/was perfect for any old school first person shooter fan like myself.  This is straight out of Doom/Heretic/Duke Nukem or even Dead Space configuration. At this point I should mention that I'm playing on a PC which is a little tricky; there aren't many button commands but I'm still at the point where I hit the wrong button every now and then.  I can tell you that the button and mouse setup is spot on and very responsive.

Now, back to the game.  The environments are 360 and Aliens can come from under the walkways, above your head or even crawling sideways on the walls.  It is truly a please to blast the heck out of the Xenomorphs after seeing them in so many movies.  Now, if you'd like you can also play as a Xenomorph and munch on some Marines, but that's on you. There's also multiplayer and other options available, but I haven't got that fair yet.

On thing, prepare to die, a lot.  Even on easy, you will die a lot.  Each death takes you back to the prior checkpoint.  One upside though, you will earn points during the game and you get to decide what upgrades to "purchase" from more firepower to custom flame stocks.  You can also score "legacy" weapons like "Hick's Shotgun".

So from a lapsed gamer I can tell you one thing, I am very satisfied with this game, it literally is everything I hoped it would be.  Is it too much of a throwback after years of Call Of Duty and the like?  I guess that's your call.

I found a walk through of the first mission, this guy ends slightly ahead of where I am.  He cusses a lot too, but if you don't cuss when these Aliens come after you, then you're a better man than me

More From KFMX FM