Aliens: Colonial Marines looks set to utilise the Wii U controller in a number of interesting ways...

One of the third party HD games Nintendo was proud to tout in its Wii U montage was Aliens: Colonial Marines. The grim, sci-fi first-person shooter based on the iconic Alien franchise is being developed by Gearbox Software and published by Sega.

Gearbox's Randy Pitchford spoke to Kotaku about some of the ways the team were implementing the special controller in the Wii U version of the game. One such trick is that the controller can become a "motion tracker". Just like in the films, players will have a terminal in their hands that will allow them to locate enemies and allies based on their in-game movement. The controller can be physically aimed around the room in order to find approaching enemies.

A second, rather more expected utilisation comes when the controller becomes a fully interactive map screen. A third feature is that the controller's screen will be used for a brief mini-game when you have hack doors.

Pitchford also said that the entire game can be streamed and played entirely on the controller without the need for a TV.

Officially, the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines is still in "prototype" stage (and the developer clearly wasn't ready to divulge any in-game media), but it's clear Gearbox are putting a lot into the game. Expect more info soon.