A new Aliens TV series has landed! So, naturally, it's the perfect time to leave blast processing behind and storm the acid-ridden tunnels of Aliens: Colonial Marines! SEGA’s high-stakes licensed shooter promised Nostromo-level thrills and delivered one of the industry’s wildest behind-the-scenes sagas.

Join Graham and Scotty on Episode 9 of the SEGA Spirit Show as we unpack:

- The six-year development rollercoaster (Gearbox, TimeGate, Nerve, Demiurge)

- Marketing vs. reality: E3/PAX “in-engine” demos vs. the final build

- Rumours of Gearbox's misallocation of SEGA's money into Borderlands projects

- The infamous xenomorph AI and technical nightmare at launch

- A class-action lawsuit over “BS” screenshots and false advertising

Plus our Community News roundup:

- Mario Kart 64 Dreamcast homebrew port is released!

- New Master System shooter Razing Core (alpha demo)

- Star Fox 64 Dreamcast port update

- A SEGA LaserDisc emulation breakthrough

If you survived the bugs, glitches, and legal fallout, drop us a comment. What was your wildest ACM moment? Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for new episodes as soon as they land!

This is part 1 of our Aliens: Colonial Marines saga. In the next episode, we'll discuss how the game holds up now!

Zone select:

00:00 - Intro

01:36 - Pickups, Games we're playing, and Graham went to see a movie film at the local picture house cinema!

23:50 - SEGA Shuffle Quiz

Community News:

27:13 - Mario Kart 64 Dreamcast port is now playable! Graham played it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M993BIY59kc

31:54 - New Master System game, Razing Core alpha demo available

34:17 - Star Fox 64 Dreamcast port update!

36:24 - SEGA LaserDisc emulation takes major leap forward

Feature discussion: Aliens Colonial Marines - SEGA's Development Nightmare

41:57 - Intro to the discussion

44:23 - Our introduction to the game

46:40 - The development nightmare begins

50:11 - E3 & PAX East demo lies

53:00 - Gearbox's budget mismanagement speculation

55:07 - Scotty & Graham's early experiences with the PAX East demo

56:30 - Scotty's HAIR!

01:02:58 - Scotty's hands-on impressions from 2012. The game looked great!

01:04:38 - The class action lawsuit

01:06:04 - Development breakdown and outsourcing

01:14:25 - Scotty's footage of a current bug in the game

01:17:34 - Our original playthrough memories

01:21:56 - Impressions on the game in 2025

01:34:06 - We got mail!! Listener(s) questions!

01:54:22 - Wrap up and shout-outs

Super Sonic Sources:

Mario Kart 64 Dreamcast 50CC playthrough:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M993BIY59kc

Razing Core:

- @SEGAGuys

- https://badcomputer0.itch.io/razing-core-alpha-demo

Star Fox 64 Dreamcast port:

- @thesegaguru

LaserDisc Emulation:

- https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025/08/sega-laserdisc-emulation-has-just-taken-a-major-leap-forward

- @VideoGameEsoterica

Aliens: Colonial Marines discussion links:

- Scotty's hair at PAX East! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8veg6FXysbw

- SEGA Addicts preview: https://sega-addicts.com/2012/04/15/hands-on-aliens-colonial-marines-and-interview-with-acm-senior-producer-matt-powers/

- E3 2011 walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q86ds0kFE7Y

- Launch trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap-BR5sb4Oo

- Final gameplay footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17I9xYuCGdY

- Reveal vs reality: https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/14/did-aliens-colonial-marines-screenshots-lie-to-you

- Bugs & glitches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-FnyTakrr4

- Scotty's funny 2025 glitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_llbVFy_U