Aliens: Colonial Marines
PS3, Xbox 360, PC Sega
Rating out of 5: **
It's fair to say that the Alien franchise has had a tough time of late. The series was pushed to breaking point by countless ill-judged cinematic spin-offs - and let's not even mention Prometheus.
The theory behind this reincarnation was that by taking us back to Hadley's Hope - the ill-fated colony of James Cameron's Aliens - the series might be returned to its former glories.
Alas, that's far from the case. Gearbox Software has delivered an Aliens sequel, of sorts, that's missing everything that made Cameron's creation one of the finest action films ever.
By liberally throwing xenomorphs - drained of their malevolent intelligence - against us, they become mere cannon fodder.
It's an issue solved during online play, if only because here other players will assume responsibility for their movement, but even so, and despite the full glory of the franchise's spine-tingling effects, Colonial Marines barely sputters into life. - The Independent