Game News Sega and Obsidian Entertainment to work on Alien franchise

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Tags: Obsidian Entertainment

<a href=http://www.gamingtarget.com/>Gaming Target</a> has <a href=http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=6297>reports</a> of <a href=http://www.obsidianent.com/>Obsidian Entertainment</a> teaming up with Sega of America to develop a roleplaying game based in the Aliens franchise.
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Sega today announced they will be creating new games based on the Alien series of movies and that the first one will be released in 2009.
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Two games (a Role Playing Game and a First Person Shooter) are in the pipeline for unnamed "next-generation systems." While we don't know which systems the titles will appear on, we do know who's going to be doing the development work.
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In a slight goof, the copyright information at the bottom of Sega's Alien teaser page features the names Obsidian Entertainment and Gearbox Software. From here we can make a few educated guesses. Obsidian will no doubt be working on the RPG because of their experience with Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2. Meanwhile, Gearbox is best known for the Brothers in Arms series, but they've shown their Sci-Fi FPS metal before with the PC port of Halo and the PS2 port of Half-Life.
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You don't know what immersive roleplaying is until you've bursted through someone's chest.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.gamingtarget.com/">Gaming Target</A>

 

[Zomg]

Now that is a fresh license. Roadhouse not available?

 

[Texas Red]

*Loses hope for Obsidian*

Seriously, an Alien RPG? That is probably the lamest concept I have EVER heard. There is no other RPG I can currently think of that has a crapier setting. And OF COURSE its for the so called next generation consoles, although obviously they wont be next generation in 2009 and will be surpassed by PCs.

I hope Obsidian is working on something actually playable for the PC(other than NWN 2 expansions).

The. Most. Lame. Setting. EVAH!1!!!11

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

Since we all know how lax they are with the RPG tag these days, I don't suppose it's possible it'll be like System Shock, will it?
No, probably not.

 

[Twinfalls]

I wouldn't write this off so quickly. The first Alien is one of the few true great SF films, and the license offers plenty of scope for an RPG developer to flesh out its world in interesting ways. The setting offers a clinically serious dystopic future Earth, and creepy but dazzling Alien society for example. Since so much SF has become derivative of Alien and Bladerunner, it can be a real plus to be able to work with the original material, such as Giger's art design.

I hope Obsidian captures the atmosphere prevalent in Alien 1, as in scenes like when they approach that bizarre horse-shoe shaped hulk of a ship on the planet and find the gigantic fossilised alien astronomer inside. They should look at Ridley Scott's story-boards, some of which are extras on the Alien DVD, they've got a great 70s SF feel to them.

I also hope they aren't forced to focus on the whole lone woman/marine grunts gunning down stuff with flamethrowers thing. That'd be a recipe for boredom if its just all about traversing dank hallways cluttered with beasties.

 

[Zomg]

Pleaugh, no, no chance. For one thing, Giger has become a terrible visual cliche, and I'm completely sick of looking at those designs. The license has also been dragged through the muck with two or three movies in a row of pure shit, and the futurism feels terribly obsolete, with very little transhumanism. The signature plot hook - the remote Freemasons trying to get control of the aliens - is painfully dumb.

The chance of an Alien game getting funded without dipping into the action of Aliens is zilch, too.

I guess I can tortuously imagine something decent coming out of it, but they're gonna have to cook with meat gone gamey.

 

[Jim Kata]

Now that is a fresh license. Roadhouse not available?

 

[Twinfalls]

but they're gonna have to cook with meat gone gamey.

:D Quality puns always appreciated here.

I agree that the Giger look has become hackneyed, but there is a challenge there for Obsidian, as Giger is still genuinely good stuff at its core. That scene I was referring to, the 'space-jockey' in that bizarre ship, (the lead-up before the part where John Hurt gets impregnated when looking too long at the egg) - the scale and sheer other-worldliness of the design, that's what Obsidian should look at, not the endless corridors-with-ribbing stuff that has been done ad nauseum since. It's that fog-strewn planet with lots of weird shit potentially just out of view, and its 70s airbrushed SF feel which was more Ridley Scott than Giger.

 

[Whipporowill]

Hell, I'd rather see an Alien RPG than another Kotor - can't really see why everyone seems so against the idea? I mean, Obsidian not doing any more Bio handmedowns is a good thing as I see it...

... oh, and I'm someone who likes most of the alien films and alien games (even the c64 one!), I might add.

 

[Bradylama]

Giant ribbed penises penetrating giant ribbed vaginas is what Obsidian should be looking at.

Seriously, how do you even roleplay as anything other than lone rogue, jarhead, or corporate lackey?

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Seriously, how do you even roleplay as anything other than lone rogue, jarhead, or corporate lackey?

As an amnesiac Alien Queen who must hunt four powerful xenomorphs to find her true nature.

For all we know this might be an action RPG. It's SEGA after all.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

Well, at least Slof will be happy.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Not that I have much hope for the Alien RPG, but a System Shock-style Alien game that takes place on a spaceship would be very, very sweet.

 

[Volourn]

Why is this news on RPG Codex? We don't even know if it's for PC.

 

[Whipporowill]

Why is this news on RPG Codex? We don't even know if it's for PC.

I guess that's why it's news - idiot. It's a possible pc game from a developer that does console AND pc games. If it's console only, there will probably be a final newspost about it, since people are interested in what Obsidian might be up to after NWN2.

 

[Grandpa Gamer]

The extraordinary originality of the visual design of both Alien and Bladerunner has been diluted by endless copycats. At the time there really had never been anything like either one.
As for Giger’s visuals, they have never been done justice in any computer game. I’m not even sure it could be done. Giger might not be fully accepted by the ”elite” art crowd, but I consider him one of the most significant artists of the latter half of the 20th century. One of the few with an unike vision, dark as it may be.
As for an RPG by Obsidian set in the Alien universe, I’m all for it. The constraints of the setting can be nothing but a blessing. There is nothing better for creativity than a good straight-jacket.

 

[HanoverF]

Not that I have much hope for the Alien RPG, but a System Shock-style Alien game that takes place on a spaceship would be very, very sweet.

Sweet, but not a SLAMDUNK!!1

Expect KoTOR, with a friendly face hugger companion who OMG *shock* turns on you!

 

[Jason]

Why is this news on RPG Codex? We don't even know if it's for PC.

The publisher, best known for its "Sonic the Hedgehog" video game franchise, is developing multiple next-generation and PC video games set in the "Alien" universe, including a first-person shooter and a role-playing game, with the first product to ship in 2008.

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Now that's not exactly a 100% confirmation, but keep in mind that the AVP games have done pretty well on PCs.

 

[FrancoTAU]

Wow, i'm a cynical bastard and I'm actually pretty interested to see what they come up with. If I get a Aliens vs Predator 2 hybrid with System Shock 2 than I'd be thrilled. That sure as shit sounds better to me than any Diablo or Elder Scroll clone.

Hell, you even have the different stages of an Alien's development displayed in the movies. Gain skills and level from a little facehugger into a full alien.

Oh, and I'd rather play a Roadhouse or Cobra (with Sly Stallone) RPG than another D&D setting one.

 

[Oarfish]

A survival horror RPG set on a spaceship would be far too much to hope for. The colony during the alien attack dawn of the dead style before the arrival of the marines might be a good setting too. Plenty of good opportunities for role playing in a small community under pressure.

I'm betting on the clicking on hordes of aliens to kill them with your limitless ammunition and occasionally stopping to throw 30 grenades when things get a little tough though. Which is likely to loose me as a player about as quickly as NWN2 did after clicking on one 'thug' too many. If you are going to make a game so dependent on combat at least make it fun.

 

[FrancoTAU]

Yeah, basically if they announced Irrational Games were developing it than I'd splooge myself. It's Obsidian, so i'm taking a wait and see approach since I don't mind them and I dig the first 2 Alien movies.

 

[Texas Red]

I'm betting on the clicking on hordes of aliens to kill them with your limitless ammunition and occasionally stopping to throw 30 grenades when things get a little tough though.

Oh, but you will surely have these super powers due to alien blood as well.

 

[sheek]

A space sci-fi RPG with a dark, realistic feel - what I think Twinfalls liked about the first movie - would be good. I do not think that is how most people see Aliens. What they identify is the idiotic super-monster gore party.

Anyway design-wise the best they could do is a System Shock style thing, which is not RPG and shouldn't be discussed on this forum.

 

[TheGreatGodPan]

I'm disappointed that Volourn didn't use (one of) his signature phrase(s).

"Game over, man! Game over!"

 

[Grandpa Gamer]

With an Alien RPG, as with Fallout 3, the possibilities for utter disappointment are limitless.
But one can always hope :D