PAX East 2012: Gearbox Studios

Exciting things are coming from Gearbox Studios this year. I got the chance to play two blockbuster hits coming from the Texas based studio that should be hitting shelves this year. Aliens: Colonial Marines is being published by Sega, and is considered to be cannon in the Alien universe. The other title is the long awaited sequel to the very popular shooter Borderlands, Borderlands 2. I was very excited to see both games in action, and extremely happy to be able to play both multiplayer and single player in both titles.

The first game I was able to see was Aliens: Colonial Marines, complete with a walkthrough of the single player campaign from Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Studios. We begin the playthrough as Corporal Christopher Winter, who is attempting to find the whereabouts of a missing crew that has lost contact with the rest of the fleet. The connecting tunnel to the abandoned ship is suddenly slammed by a dead body falling from the ship above, and the glass begins to crack. Winter rushes into the ship and begins to see the true horror that has fallen on the deserted ship. The solider will meet with other Marines who are assisting in the efforts to retrieve other surviving soldiers. Blood is smeared all around the ship's floor and walls, and further investigations lead to several deceased Marines who were trapped and being held captive in what seems to be the breeding grounds of the Xeno.

As the protagonist cuts down the only surviving Marine, his commanding officer demands that they both return to the rest of the fleet. However, the Corporal refuses -- there are too many lives still at risk, and too many questions left unanswered. This is when the Xeno stumble upon their uninvited guest, and seem to take offense to stealing away their last survivor. Winters regroups with the remaining Marines, and faces a flood of Xeno coming from the walls, ceilings, and ventilation. Fortunately, our main character is able to find a smartgun that auto-targets each oncoming alien, dropping the enemy at their feet. The action is fast and frantic, with dozens of dead Xeno and Marines surrounding the survivors. The last sequence involves Corporal Winter rushing back to the waiting ship, only to have a Marine having his chest ripped open by an unwelcome Xeno guest. The Marine gives the infant alien a birthday present in the form of a grenade, and Winter then must climb up the collapsed tunnel in order to reach his destination. The word tense does not do the moment justice; it truly was an incredible scene.

So far, one very interesting aspect of the playthrough is just how amazing the game looks. The developer is using next generation technology that actually allows them to use lighting in real time. Pitchford explained that most developers, including Gearbox, will "pre-bake" lighting on the character models and environments as they develop the game. However, with this new rendering technology, Gearbox is able to use lighting to create a whole new look to the character animations and overall aesthetic of the game.

We were then able to play a multiplayer match with the development team, as our Marines would face off against the Xeno wall-crawlers. The multiplayer was very enjoyable, with multiple load outs available at the beginning with more that could be unlocked throughout the match. There is no radar available on the HUD, but the character is able to pull up a transmitter in game that will show if any enemies are nearby. Our Marines were laying out the offense and winning the match, until the Xeno unleashed a massive rhino-shaped Xeno that was created by Gearbox exclusively for the game. This monster laid waste to our team, and seemed almost impossible to destroy. The multiplayer was great, and I can see it being a very popular contender once it comes to consoles this year.

The second and final game that I saw today was Borderlands 2, complete with loud dubstep playing throughout the booth. It's so satisfying to see so many numbers popping off of enemies, which will never get old for me. Although I didn't play much Borderlands when it released, I still enjoyed the cooperative gameplay and the addictive nature of collecting all the guns that could possibly be found. Borderlands 2 brings all of that back to the sequel, with more polish and refined gameplay to bring back fans of the original, along with a few new player as well.

I played along with a fellow convention attendee as we took down massive beasts on the ground as well as in the sky. The ability to dual-wield was truly the best part of the entire playthrough, as I emptied full magazines out of my SMG from one arm, while dealing massive damage with a shotgun from the other. Thirty minutes was a short amount of time, and this September cannot come soon enough

Both of these titles made me very excited for the fall season of games, and showcased how Gearbox Studios are giving fans -- old and new -- something very special to look forward to. If this is any indication of what we can expect from PAX East 2012 this weekend, it should be a very busy weekend indeed.

Please make sure to keep up with the site as we cover the weekend's events, and follow me on twitter (@ahandshoe) for plenty of updates from the show floor. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go charge every electronic device I own.