Game News Obsidian's Aliens: Crucible - concept art

[SuicideBunny]

Just the concept that a RPG could be made in the Aliens setting is a bit mindboggling - these things tend to kill you in less than 2 seconds. How is an RPG going to get that across? You encounter an Alien - you are dead.

First-person shooters, yes. A survival horror game, oh yeah.

yes. first person shooters where you kill hordes of aliens work so much better.

rpg isn't that difficult. you can still make aliens be teh uberkillaz and have skills that help with human interaction, usage of tech gadgets and medical gear, and so on.
rpg does not equal hack'n slash with xenomorphs as the standard enemy type.

Is that meant to be sarcastic? In the second Alien flick, the Queen had all the makings of a "boss" alien.

sarcasm? me? never!

 

[MetalCraze]

Except you are forgetting that this game was meant to be a shooter, and a console one. All design concepts are about how you blow the shit out of the aliens and LARP in between shooting episodes and none - about RPG parts. Or was it all they managed to do in 2 years? The real question is however which Bioware game they were ripping off this time?

 

[SuicideBunny]

you fail at reading comprehension.

 

[J.E. Sawyer]

But I'm mostly glad this project died because it was a console-only title labelled a RPG, based solely on the platform it was designed for.

It was announced as a PC/PS3/Xbox 360 title and was always developed as such.

 

[Angthoron]

Meh. Must've been cancelled as it couldn't compete with ME2's sex scenes. A shame.

Though I'm a bit curious as to the "RPG" aspect of it - looks like it might have been a sort of a dungeon crawler derivative. Also, the Behemoth alien looked a bit unusual for the setting, but who knows, maybe the native population has giant aggressive freaking bears on the list.

 

[Lockkaliber]

But I'm mostly glad this project died because it was a console-only title labelled a RPG, based solely on the platform it was designed for.

It was announced as a PC/PS3/Xbox 360 title and was always developed as such.

If the game ever gets revived, promise you'll tell us!

 

[Unkillable Cat]

But I'm mostly glad this project died because it was a console-only title labelled a RPG, based solely on the platform it was designed for.

It was announced as a PC/PS3/Xbox 360 title and was always developed as such.

Then I apologize for missing the PC part of the release schedule (I propably just forgot about it) but then the statement instead becomes a somewhat rhetorical question: Can you say that gameplay elements and design decisions of Aliens: Crucible were being made with the PC target audience in mind, or the console audience?

 

[Pablosdog]

Seriously, You can't judge the game with fucking CONCEPT art.


Yeah sure the alien design looks a little out of place, but how do we know for a fact that it would be purely hack and slash? one of the great things about the alien films(except 3 and 4) was it's characterization. Things like diplomacy could work if there were say, separate factions vying for control over the facility and/or different survival groups. There's still the matter of Waylend-Yutani corporation always wanting specimans and samples, and they could also function as a villian(and or as a potential ally)

Seriously, go back and watch the alien films(the good ones at that) In between all the killing, there was actually character interaction. (Hell in the first film, it was a slow build up)

So they made a few new alien models with some questionable designs. But still, if the game had a good story and good choice and consequence, would it have really mattered?

*Edit* Not that it really does matter in the long run, since the game was cancelled anyways, has there been any shots of the game in action or was it too early for even an alpha build?

 

[denizsi]

How come is this news now? Getting bored? There was a thread I posted a few months ago, full of concept art and eventually information on what the game would be like, posted by ex-obsidianites.

Summary: 3rd person tactical stealth bomber gameplay. Actually, they made it sound like they had a terrific concept going on which they`d eventually screw up and sega just prevented them doing the eventual screwing part with lame excuses.

Still, I wish they they made it.

 

[Trash]

Sad to see it gone. The entire premises of playing an rpg in the alien universe had my nerdy hopes up. Like some of the concept art and dislike some of the other stuff. Shame we'll never see this game.

Now I just hope the alien game by Gearbox is still in development. Gearbox shooters have been consistently fun and what I heard and saw looked like total win.

 

[MetalCraze]

If you'll find me at least a single RPG on XBox360 I won't say that this Obsidian shit was going to be a crappy shooter like Alpha Protocol and that further rape of Fallout franchise ever. It still would be shit though because Obsidian can't make good games, let alone RPGs.

Meh. Must've been cancelled as it couldn't compete with ME2's sex scenes. A shame.

No worries! Alpha Protocol will have 4 sex scenes in a single playthrough unlike ME2

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

So games are basically devolving into hentai rape games? Thanks, Bioware.

 

[DreadMessiah]

More like thanks consumers. Fucking idiot. At least the sex scenes provide me with humor. I am looking forward to the Aliens vs Predator game and the one Trashman mentioned. I agree with the sodomightygoingtohelldrugy.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

So the bad dialogue, stereotypical characters and piss poor gameplay doesn't provide you with humor? Heh... and you claim i'm the idiot.

 

[J.E. Sawyer]

Then I apologize for missing the PC part of the release schedule (I propably just forgot about it) but then the statement instead becomes a somewhat rhetorical question: Can you say that gameplay elements and design decisions of Aliens: Crucible were being made with the PC target audience in mind, or the console audience?

Honestly, when working on any multi-platform title, I make more concessions based on interface differences (both GUI and controller) than presumptions about market differences between the different platforms. At least, that's been my experience. There haven't been any cases where I thought of some intricate mechanic I really liked and then went, "Oh man, those mouth-breather 360 players won't get this." Usually if I think of an interface or mechanic that's fundamentally bad on one platform, it doesn't work on other platforms either.

As far as actual dialogue/game content style and amount, I make no distinction between different platform markets. But romances? Come on, guys. I think I've made it clear before that I think romances are generally terrible in RPGs and I think they would have been particularly inappropriate in an Aliens setting.

 

[Zomg]

I started off thinking this would eat dicks but then I realized I wanted to play an '80s corporate dystopia "man is the real monster" asshole that didn't fuck up by the end of the story and get his karmic comeuppance. Was that gonna be possible?

 

[DreadMessiah]

As in addition too idiot.

 

[denizsi]

[quand I think they would have been particularly inappropriate in an Aliens setting.

I was going to make fun of this based on Ripley letting the doctor bang her, then my mind wandered off to what kind of psychological factors and emotions are involved in romance during times of crisis and survival

 

[Gragt]

[quand I think they would have been particularly inappropriate in an Aliens setting.

I was going to make fun of this based on Ripley letting the doctor bang her, then my mind wandered off to what kind of psychological factors and emotions are involved in romance during times of crisis and survival

It didn't go very far and though the guy had potential to be developped, he got killed very fast. Sex was also more of a mean for Ripley to dodge Clemens' question than a meaningful step in the development of their relationship, though she probably got some good time out of it.

There is actually some budding relationship between Ripley and Hicks in Aliens, where you can see them connect at different points of the story. The scene where they exchange their first names, just before Ripley goes after Newt is a very small touch that actually adds a lot to both characters. If there was to be any kind of romance in the Aliens game, it should have done that way. No Bioware crap like: "with you by my side, I know I can do everything because your loving love for me makes me stronger, love!".

 

[DreadMessiah]

Maybe Ripley was simply horny? Dang not sex! Sex is bad kidz. Violence solves nothing. Stay in school.

 

[denizsi]

Gragt, while you are spot on, put up your sarcasm detectors the next time.

 

[Gragt]

Is this one of those "Gragt fails his sarcasm check vs DC 27 and rolls 2d6 of shame" situation?

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Maybe Ripley was simply horny? Dang not sex! Sex is bad kidz. Violence solves nothing. Stay in school.

If Ridley Scott didn't cut out anything, which I doubt, as Alien has more dicks and cunts than I Saw Mommy Eating Santa Claus (oh man Giger!), Ripley didn't get it on with anybody for at least 57 years and then some.

This game should have been made, man. It might have been the very first Aliens game that might have been on to something more sophisticated than frying a horde of bugs and their momma. Ever since Aliens online and Aliens (NOT the US gold game), that is. What do you mean they pulled the plug? How could they pull the plug, man? They're corporate scum!

 

[GarfunkeL]

There wasn't any romantical stuff in Alien, then there was that budding compatriots thing in Aliens which never got off the ground (except in facfictions), the thing in Alien3 was just about using sex as means to an end. Alien:Resurrection had the classic "love dooms you" scene and that's about it, I guess.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Well there's this too, if that counts. :D