What follows are my initial thoughts based on a 6 hour playthrough of the campaign... Because sometimes that's all one really needs.
So I finally got round to playing Aliens: Colonial Marines yesterday (on XB360). I played (and completed) the campaign (on Left 4 Dead inspired online co-op multi-player). It's alright. Certainly not as bad as reviewers make it out to be, although that's not to say that it isn't lacking, as the game is clearly a missed opportunity.
The campaign is short (about 6 hours long), and I (along with my fellow online marines) completed the game on "Ultimate Badass" difficulty. Because in case you didn't know, I AM a badass. Boo-ya!
To be honest, the game does seem rather rushed, unfinished, and is most certainly lacking in polish. I'm glad I (rented and) played it, but I do feel sympathy for anyone who decided to purchase A:CM at full price.
One thing that irked me was that none of the bits which Gearbox showed off during the game's pre-release demos ended up in the final product. This almost certainly accounts for some of the reasons as to why 'Alien' fans feel conned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZHA58-_2Eg
However, an even more glaring (and obvious) comparison is to be made with the game's pre-...