I know there is a lot of backlash against ACM for a few reasons
1. The game demos that were shown were different from the finished game.
2. The game had a lot of bugs upon release.
3. The game doesn't 'feel' like Aliens
Now I understand these complaints and agree with the first two, but this is hardly enough to warrant the response both critics and consumers are giving.
First off, even games with release gameplay footage in their trailers are tailored to what the developers want you to see. World In Conflict was an RTS that showed cinematic views of their battles and claimed it was gameplay because it was rendered in real time with the games engine. I understand the feelings of betrayal, but this is hardly something new.
Secondly, the bugs on release. Yes the game needs polishing. No it isn't as smooth as Halo. But let's think about other games. Dead Island had a bug where you could get stuck walking up stairs. This happened during a primary quest. The only way past it was jumping down the stairs, completing that part of the quest, quitting and reloading your game so that you would start at the lifeguard station. Fallout New Vegas had a bug that deleted your save. Let that sink in for a moment. Fallout would delete your save. That game takes a much longer time to play through making the investment you lost much greater. Yet there wasn't so much backlash against that game. I'm not saying that the bugs aren't there, I'm just stating that the response is far more intense than the bugs deserve.
Lastly, the idea that it doesn't feel like an Aliens game doesn't seem to hold. Let's think about what makes Aliens
Marines in a situation they don't have all the information about. Check.
Evil corporation putting profit above morality. Check.
Defending against lots of Aliens( and more to come in the dlc). Check.
Tense searching of the darkness for enemies. Check (in multiplayer).
I agree, that there could have been more scares or scripted moments in the campaign to give more of a jumpy, fleeing for your life feel, and that some of the areas could have been done better, but consider that for a 4 player co-op experience, scripting becomes difficult and clunky at best. Sometimes players are left out, sometimes all players see the same cutscene. When that happens in Aliens it breaks the co-op experience.
Sure the game wasn't a 10/10 like everyone was hoping, but certainly it deserves better than "worst game ever" reviews. I played it on PC with 3 friends. It took us about 8 hours or so to complete the campaign, and the multiplayer is the best Aliens multiplayer that I've seen. This game is a shot at greatness that misses. But that doesn't mean it's bad. I feel like I've gotten my money's worth and then some, even though there are problems. I hope that in the next few months with DLC and patching that this game could be one to value in anyone's collection.
Plus it's and Aliens game. It's co-op. I for one support that even if it's bad because I want to see more of it.
1. The game demos that were shown were different from the finished game.
2. The game had a lot of bugs upon release.
3. The game doesn't 'feel' like Aliens
Now I understand these complaints and agree with the first two, but this is hardly enough to warrant the response both critics and consumers are giving.
First off, even games with release gameplay footage in their trailers are tailored to what the developers want you to see. World In Conflict was an RTS that showed cinematic views of their battles and claimed it was gameplay because it was rendered in real time with the games engine. I understand the feelings of betrayal, but this is hardly something new.
Secondly, the bugs on release. Yes the game needs polishing. No it isn't as smooth as Halo. But let's think about other games. Dead Island had a bug where you could get stuck walking up stairs. This happened during a primary quest. The only way past it was jumping down the stairs, completing that part of the quest, quitting and reloading your game so that you would start at the lifeguard station. Fallout New Vegas had a bug that deleted your save. Let that sink in for a moment. Fallout would delete your save. That game takes a much longer time to play through making the investment you lost much greater. Yet there wasn't so much backlash against that game. I'm not saying that the bugs aren't there, I'm just stating that the response is far more intense than the bugs deserve.
Lastly, the idea that it doesn't feel like an Aliens game doesn't seem to hold. Let's think about what makes Aliens
Marines in a situation they don't have all the information about. Check.
Evil corporation putting profit above morality. Check.
Defending against lots of Aliens( and more to come in the dlc). Check.
Tense searching of the darkness for enemies. Check (in multiplayer).
I agree, that there could have been more scares or scripted moments in the campaign to give more of a jumpy, fleeing for your life feel, and that some of the areas could have been done better, but consider that for a 4 player co-op experience, scripting becomes difficult and clunky at best. Sometimes players are left out, sometimes all players see the same cutscene. When that happens in Aliens it breaks the co-op experience.
Sure the game wasn't a 10/10 like everyone was hoping, but certainly it deserves better than "worst game ever" reviews. I played it on PC with 3 friends. It took us about 8 hours or so to complete the campaign, and the multiplayer is the best Aliens multiplayer that I've seen. This game is a shot at greatness that misses. But that doesn't mean it's bad. I feel like I've gotten my money's worth and then some, even though there are problems. I hope that in the next few months with DLC and patching that this game could be one to value in anyone's collection.
Plus it's and Aliens game. It's co-op. I for one support that even if it's bad because I want to see more of it.
