Aliens: colonial marines

Development

Aliens: Colonial Marines had a long and troubled development cycle, much like that of Duke Nukem: Forever, another high-profile Gearbox release from around the same time. A previous game under the Colonial Marines name was developed by Check Six Games and was to be published by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, but it was cancelled before it could hit shelves. A more traditional first-person shooter, it shared the same subject matter and setting as the Gearbox-developed game — it was to take place between the events of Aliens and Alien3, following a rescue team of Colonial Marines searching for the Sulaco. Despite the similarities in gameplay and story, however, Gearbox has stated that their game is unrelated to the Check Six version.

On December 11, 2006, SEGA had announced that they had purchased the electronic rights to the Alien franchise from 20th Century Fox. On December 15 of the same year, Gearbox Software and SEGA announced that they were working on a completely new game based on the franchise. A little over a year later in February of 2008, the game’s title was officially announced as Aliens: Colonial Marines and it was featured as the cover story of Game Informer magazine.

The development team took great pains to recreate the vehicles and settings of the films by using original set designs to recreate the exterior and interior of the Sulaco and LV-426. Concept artist Syd Mead, who had worked on Aliens, was hired to design areas of the Sulaco that did not appear in the film but would be used in the game.

A Shacknews article dated November 21, 2008, reported that Aliens: Colonial Marines game had been delayed, supposedly because of layoffs at Gearbox Software. However, Gearbox president Randy Pitchford continued to insist that development on the game continued. In a Kotaku article, SEGA had announced that their new Aliens vs. Predator game was to be released in early 2010 would be the first of the Aliens games to be released since aquiring the property, meaning that Aliens: Colonial Marines would come sometime afterwards.

At the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), Gearbox showed off five screenshots and stated that the game remained a priority for them.

In the beginning of June 2011, Gearbox unveiled a teaser trailer and officially announced that Colonial Marines would be presented at E3 2011 and that the game was expected to be released in spring of 2012. However, by January 2012, SEGA had announced that it had decided to delay the game yet again, pushing it to a fall 2012 release date. In addition, Gearbox Software also announced that they would be releasing a new trailer. On May 21, 2012, Gearbox Software had announced a February 12, 2013 launch for Aliens: Colonial Marines on PS3, 360 and PC with a Wii U release date announcement «at a later time». However, following the poor reception the game received, this port was ultimately cancelled.

Much of the game’s plot was written by re-imagined Battlestar Galactica writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. Gearbox has stated that they were invited to speak with Ridley Scott and view the script for his «Alien prequel» Prometheus, and several subtle references to Prometheus appear in Aliens: Colonial Marines. Ahead of release, it was rumoured that the prison colony on Fiorina «Fury» 161 would appear as a location in the game, although this was ultimately dropped from the campaign before the final release. The prison later appeared in the Movie Map Pack DLC for the game’s multiplayer, and also made an appearance (in several cutscenes) in the game’s singleplayer expansion, Stasis Interrupted.

History

«The marines train you like they want to kill you. And yeah, some don’t make it. They quit get injured, or they do something stupid and check out early. So, surviving means something. Means you’re a tough son of a bitch. Also means you’re representing something larger than yourself. The ones who came before you, the ones who’ll follow in your footsteps. And the ones you had to leave behind.«

―Alec Brand (from Aliens: Rescue)

The National Security Act of 2101 formally established the Colonial Marines and its structure. At its peak in 2165 during the Tientsin campaign, the USCM numbered over 240,000 Marines; by 2179 that number had dropped to 165,000, with a further 50,000 in reserve.

Shortly after the passage of the Colonial Protection Act in 2187, the Colonial Marines were renamed to the United Americas Colonial Marines (UACM). Additional to the name change, recruitment for the Corps was expanded from just North America to all other regions of the United Americas. Despite the name change, insignia and traditions from the previous organization carried over.

At some point in 2600 AD, Weyland-Yutani had bought the Colonial Marines, as the company had become vast and powerful to become a major politcal influence to rival an official government.

BDUs (Battledress Utilities)

Standard USCM battledress utilities (BDUs) are two-piece, lightweight polycotton coveralls with pockets secured by silent fasteners. BDUs are issued in several different patters for deployments to temperate, desert and jungle zones. The disruptive pattern of the fabric is printed in at least three colors, dependant on the design, and the different high-temperature dyes used in the print process are each designed to absorb infrared radiation at different frequencies, effectively breaking up the wearers IR signature. The dyes’ IR properties break down after time, especially after repeated washing, and so uniform utilities have to be replaced on a regular basis.

Normal utility fatigues, shirts, caps etc. have no special thermal properties, although USCM issue body warmers, ponchos and arctic clothes are designed to a ‘blackbody’ standard that provides a complete thermal shield.

«One of the most important pieces of protection I was issued were my shades. They were BiMex polarised filters with a non-reflective surface, designed to protect against lasers and nuke flash. I wore them damn things all the time, man. Never once saw a nuke, but I saw too many guys get blinded by sniping lasers.«

―PFC Harry Harris, 2/2 Colonial Marine, 8 Eta Boötis III, Chinese Arm (from Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual, p. 27)

Boots

• Commercial Industrial Boots (steel toe protection) — (Logistics Duties)
• M3 Boots (leather upper)
• M7 Jungle Boots (breathable nylon and leather upper)
• M8A2 Thermal Line Arctic Boots

Trivia

• The weekly salary of a Marine is $500-760.
• While never officially stated, it seems likely that the USCM was inspired by the United States Marine Corps, which was formed in 1775 and has fought in dozens of conflicts, including World War II and the War on Terror. The US Marines specialize in force projection operations far from home bases, much like the USCM. However, while the US Marines rely on the United States Navy for their mobility, the USCM is apparently a combined force capable of self-contained mobility and combat operations.
• In reality, only Great Britain has ever fielded a professional military force known as Colonial Marines (officially titled the Corps of Colonial Marines), which it did twice — the first Corps served in the Caribbean from 1808 to 1810, while the second, more substantial Corps operated in America from 1814 to 1816. During the American Revolutionary War, a group of militiamen also operated under the title of American Colonial Marines, although it was an irregular unit.
• A Colonial Marine Corps appears in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series, which also featured Predator actor Bill Duke in a guest role in its second season.
• The actors playing the Colonial Marines in Aliens were required to read the Robert A. Heinlein novel Starship Troopers as part of their preparations prior to filming, and also took part in a training boot camp run by the SAS (Special Air Service), the UK’s elite special forces regiment, to help them effectively portray military combat personnel on screen.

Маркетинг и выпуск

Игра была представлена ​​на E3 2011 в Лос-Анджелесе.

Было подтверждено, что шутер от первого лица, основанный на вселенной Alien, находится в стадии подготовки вскоре после того, как Sega приобрела лицензию в декабре 2006 года. Colonial Marines была официально анонсирована Game Informer в мартовском выпуске 2008 года, где были изложены его предпосылка и предполагаемые особенности игрового процесса. раскрытый. Хотя игра носит то же название, что и отмененный проект PlayStation 2 2002 года от Electronic Arts и Fox Interactive, в котором были бы похожие сеттинг и тематика, игра совершенно не связана с ним. Изначально планировавшаяся к выпуску в 2009 году, Colonial Marines была отложена после того, как Gearbox уволила несколько сотрудников в ноябре 2008 года. Это заставило некоторых усомниться в том, была ли игра отменена или нет. В последующие годы было сделано несколько других анонсов, хотя Gearbox показала некоторые скриншоты на выставке Penny Arcade Expo 2010 года .

На выставке Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 в Лос-Анджелесе, после подтверждения того, что Colonial Marines выйдет весной 2012 года, Gearbox представила тизер-трейлер и сообщила, что версия для Wii U находится в разработке. На мероприятии также была продемонстрирована демоверсия игрового процесса в реальном времени от представителя Gearbox. В январе 2012 года Sega объявила, что выпуск игры отложен до осени 2012 года, заявив, что компания не хочет «жертвовать творческим процессом только ради соблюдения ». В мае 2012 года игра была отложена в последний раз, когда Gearbox заявила, что Colonial Marines будет запущена для Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 и Xbox 360 12 февраля 2013 года, а версия для Wii U появится позже. За несколько месяцев до выхода игры было выпущено больше трейлеров и демоверсий.

Перед выпуском Colonial Marines критиковали за отсутствие игровых персонажей женского пола. Когда была сформирована петиция об изменении этого, Gearbox включила их как в кооперативный, так и в многопользовательский режимы. Помимо стандартного издания игры для покупки было доступно коллекционное издание . Коллекционное издание включало фигурку Powerloader, вдохновленную фильмом, досье Colonial Marines, параметры настройки персонажа, эксклюзивное многопользовательское оружие и игровой уровень дальности стрельбы. Игроки, оформившие предварительный заказ игры, также могли получить в качестве бонуса часть контента из коллекционного издания. Вскоре после выпуска игры Gearbox выпустила патч, в котором исправлены многочисленные ошибки кампании и многопользовательской игры, а также предложены различные визуальные улучшения. Версия для Wii U, которой занимался Демиург, была отменена в апреле 2013 года.

Загружаемый контент

Colonial Marines поддерживает дополнительный игровой контент в виде загружаемых пакетов контента . В период с марта по июль 2013 года для игры было выпущено четыре загружаемых пакета контента. Абонемент на эти пакеты можно приобрести перед началом игры была выпущена. Первый пакет, Bug Hunt , был выпущен 19 марта 2013 года и добавляет новый кооперативный режим, в котором до четырех игроков сражаются с все более многочисленными волнами ксеноморфов и враждебных солдат на трех новых картах. Игроки зарабатывают внутриигровые деньги, убивая противников, которые затем могут быть потрачены на различные варианты, такие как покупка боеприпасов или открытие новых областей карты, чтобы увеличить свои шансы на выживание. Второй пакет, Reconnaissance Pack , был выпущен 7 мая 2013 года и расширяет соревновательный многопользовательский режим игры с четырьмя картами и дополнительными возможностями настройки для персонажей Xenomorph, а третий пакет, Movie Map Pack , был выпущен 11 июня 2013 года. и добавляет четыре карты, установленные в локациях из первых трех фильмов об инопланетянах .

Четвертый и последний пакет, « Прерванный стазис» , был выпущен 23 июля 2013 года и добавляет новый режим кампании, который происходит перед кампанией базовой игры, исследуя, что случилось с Хиксом между пришельцами и пришельцем 3 . Кампания включает четыре «взаимосвязанных» миссии, в которых игроки должны играть за трех разных персонажей. Stasis Interrupted также добавляет игрокам несколько новых достижений , которые изначально просочились через список трофеев PlayStation 3 . Согласно отчету, и Демиург, и Нерв отвечали за разработку пакетов загружаемого контента для игры, но не было подтверждено, участвовали ли они в разработке Stasis Interrupted .

Publication History and Changed Plans

The ambitious series was originally intended to run for 12 issues, with the cover numbering on the early issues reflecting as much, but during production the final two issues were cancelled. Starting with issue 8, the numbering was altered to reflect the new run of 10 issues. The initial plan seems to have been to run the comic as a series of 3-issue arcs, each created by a different writer/artist team, but this arrangement soon deteriorated, with numerous creative team shifts later in the run and several mid-run delays. The somewhat sprawling story was also concluded and wrapped up relatively abruptly by a new creative team in the last two issues.

For issues 1-3, Colonial Marines was written by Chris Warner, pencilled by Tony Akins and inked by Paul Guinan. Iconic painted cover art was provided by artist Robert Mentor (with two of the covers focusing on Private Carmen Vasquez, sister of Jenette Vasquez from Aliens). Issue 1 was edited by Randy Stradley and Dan Thorsland, while issues 2-10 were edited solely by Thorsland.

For the second three-issue story arc, issues 4-6 were written by Kelley Puckett and pencilled by Allen Nunis, with painted covers by new cover artist Joe Phillips. Each of the three issues was inked by a different team — issue 4 was inked by Ande Parks and Terry Pallot, issue 5 was inked by John Del, while issue 6 was inked Bob Smith. The series was released monthly through to issue 5 in May , but this was followed by a three-month hiatus, with issue 6 not hitting shelves until August.

The stand-alone issue 7 was written and inked by Guinan and pencilled by Akins. It again featured cover art by Mentor, and came out in the following month of September 1993. It was followed by an another long break, this time lasting five months, that ended with the release of the next issue in February .

Issue 8 was written by Puckett, pencilled by John Nadeau, inked by Jim McDermott and again featured covert art by Phillips.

Finally, Issues 9-10 were created by the concluding creative team of writer Dan Jolley, penciller Nadeau and inker Jordi Ensign, with covers by Phillips. Issue 9 was released in April and issue 10 was released in July 1994.

Colorists for the series were somewhat more stable, with Matt Hollingsworth (#1-5), Pamela Rambo (#6-8) and Doug Jones (#9-10) handling the colors. The only constant member of the creative team was letterer Clem Robins.

Tactical Weapons

These include hand grenades and placed mines and are stored as part of the player’s inventory.

M40 HEDP Grenade

Main article: M40 HEDP Grenade

Composition B15 fragmentation grenade used in both the U1 Grenade Launcher attachment and as a hand-thrown time-delay explosive. In the latter role, the timed fuse can be «cooked» by holding the fire button.

U4 Firebomb

Main article: U4 Firebomb

A Napalm B-based incendiary explosive; creates lasting chemical fires that reach temperatures of 1200 degrees Celsius. Detonates on impact, it cannot be cooked. Can either be thrown or fired off by its specially designed grenade launcher attachment.

M20 Claymore Mine

Main article: M20 Claymore Mine

A laser-triggered directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine. Consists of an explosive charge embedded with ball bearings. Designed for area defense or to slow an enemy advance.

Ксеноморфы

Враг в игре представлен несколькими видами ксеноморфов:

Facehugger (Лицехват) — паразит, который атакует жертву, прикрепляясь к его лицу, чтобы отложить в теле зародыш Чужого.

Lurker (Скрытень) — действующие скрытно ксеноморфы, нападающие из укрытия. Подвид трутня.

Warrior (Воин) — ксеноморфы-воины, напоминают особей из второго фильма цикла. Пользуются численным превосходством.

Drone (Трутень) — трутень-ксеноморф из фильма Чужой.

Queen (Королева) — предводительница ксеноморфов и королева улья. Финальный босс игры.

Crusher (Крушитель) — ксеноморф больших размеров, сокрушающий все на своём пути. Развитая форма бегуна. Второй босс игры.

Spitter (Плевальщик) — ксеноморф, использующий кислоту как оружие дальнего боя.

Boiler (Кипящий) — ксеноморф-камикадзе. Слеп, но обладает чутким слухом. Подкрадывается к морпехам и взрывается.

Raven (Ворон) — большой и очень сильный ксеноморф-мутант, очень похожий на не полностью развившегося преторианца. Имеет мощную броню, стойкую к пулям, но уязвимую для крупнокалиберного оружия и удара руки — манипулятора автопогрузчика. Первый босс игры.

Legendary Weapons

Main article: Legendary Weapon

Legendary weapons are unique firearms based on weapons used by characters in Aliens, found hidden in specific locations throughout the game. Each has a unique trait and/or appearance, but they cannot be modified and use stock attachments. Most Legendary Weapons are added to the player’s inventory when discovered, with the exceptions of Frost’s Flamethrower and Vasquez’s Smartgun, which, as with other heavy weapons, are discarded after use.

Hudson’s Pulse Rifle

Main article: Hudson’s Pulse Rifle

Based on the M41A Pulse Rifle carried by Private Hudson in Aliens. Features a full 99-round magazine (downloaded to 95 rounds). Also features increased stopping power and a skull design on the magazine well, but is limited to four-round burst fire.

Hicks’ Shotgun

Main article: Hicks’ Shotgun

A legendary variant of the Armat M37A2 based on the Ithaca Model 37 carried by Corporal Hicks. Features a pakerized finish with wooden foregrip, and acid damage around the barrel. Also has the words «NO FATE» carved into the top of the receiver. Unlike the M37A2 however, it does not have any alternate fire shells (high explosive or flechette) in addition to standard buckshot.

Frost’s Flamethrower

Main article: Frost’s Flamethrower

Based on the M240 Incinerator Unit carried by Private Frost. Has the word «FROSTBITE» scrawled on the side. However, performance-wise it is no different to the standard M240.

Vasquez’s Smartgun

Main article: Vasquez’s Smartgun

Based on the M56 Smartgun carried by Private Vasquez. Has the word «ADIOS» painted on the side and Vasquez’s red bandanna tied around the forward hand grip. However, performance-wise it is no different to the standard M56.

Vasquez’s Pistol

Main article: Vasquez’s Pistol

A legendary variant of the ARMAT M4A3 Service Pistol based on the Smith & Wesson Model 39 carried by Private Vasquez. It has pearl grips, increased stopping power and increased rate of fire.

Gorman’s Pistol

Main article: Gorman’s Pistol

A legendary variant of the 88 Mod 4 Combat Pistol based on the VP70 carried by Lieutenant Gorman. Finished in black and with increased damage compared to the standard pistol.

Plot

17 weeks after the events of Aliens, a full battalion of Colonial Marines travels to LV-426 aboard the USS Sephora in response to a distress call sent by Corporal Dwayne Hicks. Upon arrival, the Sephora docks with the USS Sulaco, now mysteriously in orbit around LV-426 despite last being sighted above Fiorina 161, and sends Marines aboard to investigate. A massive Xenomorph infestation is discovered inside the ship and several Marines are killed in the initial onslaught. While investigating the ship, Corporal Winter, Private O’Neal and Private Bella Clarison discover Weyland-Yutani PMCs are now in command of the Sulaco and have been breeding Xenomorphs on board for study.

The hostile corporate mercenaries attack the Sephora using the Sulaco’s weaponry and both ships are destroyed after the Sephora retaliates. Winter, O’Neal, Bella, their commander Captain Cruz, Sephora android Bishop and pilot Lieutenant Reid escape aboard Reid’s dropship and head down to LV-426, where they take shelter in the ruins of the Hadley’s Hope colony, now almost completely destroyed after the detonation of its Atmosphere Processing Plant. Cruz orders all remaining Colonial Marine survivors to gather at the colony, in the hope of holding out until a rescue arrives. While investigating the ruins of the colony, Winter discovers Xenomorphs that only react to sound and movement and attack by suicidally exploding, as well as the corpse of Sulaco Marine Private Hudson.

With their position as secure as they can hope to make it, the Marines learn that Weyland-Yutani are in possession of a high-value prisoner, apparently a survivor from the Sulaco. Thus Cruz orders Winter to travel to the nearby research facility that the company has set up around the derelict ship on the planet, so that he might recover a manifest that identifies the individual. Learning that Bella is impregnated with a Chestburster, Winter and O’Neal accept the mission in the hopes that they can find a way to save her at the facility. However, upon arrival, a Weyland-Yutani medical officer explains to them that Bella’s life cannot be saved since, even if the embryo is successfully extracted, the creature’s invasive placenta is cancerous and will kill her anyway. Bella dies when the Chestburster hatches as she says goodbye to Winter and O’Neal.

The two Marines recover the manifest they were sent to find and rescue the prisoner, revealed to be Corporal Hicks, who explains that Weyland-Yutani intercepted and boarded the Sulaco prior to its arrival at Fiorina 161. A fire in the hypersleep bay subsequently caused Ripley, Newt and Lance Bishop to be jettisoned from the ship in an EEV, along with the body of an unidentified man who was subsequently mistaken for the Corporal when he died in the crash landing on Fiorina 161; Hicks himself was actually captured by Weyland-Yutani personnel and subjected to torture during interrogation, overseen by Michael Weyland in an attempt to learn more about the Xenomorphs’ origins and to gain control of the Sulaco’s weapon systems.

From Hicks, the Sephora Marines learn that an FTL-capable ship is docked at the research facility, representing the last chance for the survivors to escape the moon. After gathering the remaining Sephora personnel and fighting off a Xenomorph attack on the colony, Captain Cruz orders an all-out assault on the Weyland-Yutani complex in the hopes of capturing the FTL vessel. Winter and Hicks spearhead the advance, but the ship leaves before they can reach it. In a last desperate attempt, Cruz pilots a dropship up to the escaping vessel and crashes into its hangar bay. Within, Winter is confronted by the Xenomorph Queen, and he attempts to eject her using a cargo launching system, but fails when she climbs back aboard. Cruz sacrifices himself by launching the crippled dropship directly into the Queen, propelling both out into the upper atmosphere of LV-426 and to their deaths.

Winter, O’Neal, Reid, Bishop and Hicks find and confront Michael Weyland, but Hicks deduces he is merely an android double left behind as a decoy and summarily executes him. In search of useful intelligence, Bishop connects to the destroyed android’s CPU and states that he has «everything», setting the stage for further confrontation between the Colonial Marines and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

References

1. «Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U Gets Cancelled». GamingUnion.net (2013-04-06). Retrieved on 2013-04-06.
2. Thomas Whitehead (05 Apr 2013). «Aliens: Colonial Marines Cancelled on Wii U». Nintendo Life. Retrieved on 2013-04-7.
3. ‘Aliens: Colonial Marines’ Actor Michael Biehn Says Working On The Game ‘Wasn’t Fun At All’ (forbes.com)
4. Michael Biehn: voicing Hicks in Aliens Colonial Marines «wasn’t fun at all» | PC Gamer
5. Michael Biehn: Working on Colonial Marines ‘wasn’t fun at all’ | Engadget
6. Lara, James (March 22, 2013). «Aliens: Colonial Marines Bug Hunt DLC Review». MP1st. OPNetwork. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
7. http://web.archive.org/web/20130215102942/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277125/?

Gameplay

Colonial Marines is a sci-fi/action first-person shooter which puts the player in the role of a United States Colonial Marine like those seen in the film Aliens, and as such the player has access to iconic weapons from the movie such as the flamethrower, Pulse Rifle, Smartgun and robot sentry turrets. In addition to these, many new weapons are added, and many of the game’s firearms can be customized through the addition of underbarrel attachments, optics, extended magazines, fire mode modifications, alternate ammunition types and paint jobs. Players are also able to use a welding torch to seal doors as in Aliens, and can also equip a motion tracker to detect unseen enemies, although doing either will leave the player unable to use their weapon simultaneously.

Initially it was announced that Aliens: Colonial Marines would employ squad-based gameplay, allowing the player to issues orders to AI controlled Marine allies using context-sensitive commands. However, Gearbox Software later revealed that this feature was dropped to make gameplay more accessible. It was also reported that the game would have no traditional HUD to provide onscreen information, leaving players dependant on the ammo counter on their Pulse Rifle and their motion tracker to keep track of situational factors. A HUD was ultimately present in the released version of the game, although it is removed on the hardest campaign/Bug Hunt difficulty setting (Ultimate Badass), though some of the important HUD elements (objectives and contextual actions, for example) remain.

Players in the game earn experience points by killing enemies, accomplishing objectives and completing levels, and these points carry across both single- and multiplayer modes. As players accrue points and rank up they will unlock «commendations» that can be used to purchase upgrades for weapons in singleplayer, as well as unlock weapon upgrades and player customization options, both visual and gameplay-affecting, in multiplayer. The game also includes a raft of specific challenges that can be completed, both in singleplayer and multiplayer, for additional experience points and customization options. The experience point systems extends to the game’s Xenomorph class, although this is only available in multiplayer.

The primary enemies of the game are the Xenomorphs from the first two films, which include the Facehugger, the Drone and Queen from Aliens. It was also stated that the Runner Xenomorph from Alien3 would appear, but this ultimately turned out to be untrue; it is likely the Runner was cut during the game’s troubled development cycle. The game also features never before seen Xenomorph types created by Gearbox Software. The specifics of these new alien types were kept a secret prior to release, with the exception of the Crusher, which was revealed in the E3 2011 walkthrough demo. Along with being able to traverse different surfaces from any angle, Gearbox and SEGA have also stated that the Aliens’ AI will use the environment to set up sneak attacks and group tactics to overwhelm the player. Not all enemies will be aliens as players will find themselves also fighting human enemies in the form of Weyland-Yutani PMCs, both in standard-issue Grunt and Elite and heavy Brute as well as Engineer soldiers.

It had been stated that with the Wii U integration players would have been able to use the new controller to act as a motion tracker, but the Wii U version of the game was cancelled.

Collector’s Edition

As well as various standard editions, a deluxe Collector’s Edition of the game was also made available, containing both bonus items available to the player in-game and exclusive physical memorabilia. This edition came packaged in a «Xeno Hive» cardboard box. The exclusive in-game content was later made available separately as DLC, but the physical items remain exclusive to the Collector’s Edition.

The exclusive items packaged with the Collectors’ Edition include:

• A Power Loader figure depicting a Marine fighting a Xenomorph Drone
• A USS Sephora blueprint
• A USS Sephora mission briefing printout
• A USCM graduation certificate
• A USCM recruitment card
• An LV-426 reconnaissance photograph
• Two iron-on USCM badges

Uniform

Private First Class William L. Hudson in his combat gear.

The Multi-Cam Combat Fatigue Uniform, commonly referred to as Utilities or Cammies by the Marines who wear them, is a three-piece uniform consisting of (from head to toe):

• Multi-Cam Cover, or hat with Eagle, Globe and Anchor affixed in the front above the bill
• Multi-Cam Blouse with reflective nametapes above the left and right breast pockets
• Multi-Cam trousers with six pockets

This uniform is one of two fatigues, or work uniforms worn by Colonial Marines. This uniform is worn during combat manoeuvres or field time, or on deployments where combat is supposed to be imminent. Several identifying patches and badges can be worn on this uniform depending on rank, location and Standard Operating Procedure of the Marines assigned command.

Essential improvements[edit]

Heavy Weapons

Unlike standard weapons, these are not added to player’s inventory when collected and must be discarded after use. Switching weapons will also discard them. Furthermore, they cannot be reloaded or modified. In multiplayer, these weapons spawn at designated locations in the maps, sometimes only after a certain amount of time has elapsed in the match. Also, should a heavy weapon somehow be carried until the end of the level, it will be removed regardless.

M56 Smartgun

Main article: M56 Smartgun

A powerful machine gun with auto-aim and target tracking capabilities. It carries 600 rounds inside the drum before discarding. A rapid-firing weapon capable of perforating targets with ease.

M240 Incinerator Unit

Main article: M240 Incinerator Unit

A flamethrower that is capable of producing a lethal burst of intense flame, devastating against organic targets but potentially hazardous to the user in close quarters. It carries atleast 250 units of fuel inside the drum before discarding. It is notably the only weapon that allows use with the Motion Tracker as other heavy weapons are incapable of doing such action.

M5 RPG Launcher

Main article: M5 RPG

A four-shot rocket launcher with integrated scope, although the design of the RPG in the game is greatly different from the one described in the Technical Manual. Very effective against soft targets and capable of damaging hardened structures.