Bursting Out.

Gearbox Threw A Huge Party To Celebrate Their Latest Game Release.

Turns out the Sci-Fi Expo (more on that later) wasn't the only nerd-scene party in town this weekend.

Locally based video game company Gearbox (Half-Life, Duke Nukem, Borderlands) took over the Granada Theater this past Friday night to celebrate the impending release of their newest video game this week. That new release, Aliens: Colonial Marines, is set in the Aliens film universe and let's you jump into the nightmarish scenarios dreamed up by the likes of Ridley Scott, James Cameron and David Fincher. Long story short: The first-person shooter has you leading a team of the infamous Colonial Marines into battle against the terrifying Xenomorphs.

Friday's celebration was the culmination of a long development cycle that allowed the hard working team and partners to go nuts. And, to help with the vibe, Gearbox brought in some famous friends to help them celebrate.

Mixmaster Mike, who you all know from his work with the Beastie Boys, kicked the night off. Later, EDM favorite Nero took over the decks.

And, as you can see from the photos, the place was packed — a nice sight, no doubt. It's good to see a local company thriving, especially with the state of the video game development scene in Austin in free fall of late.

The definite highlight of the night, though, was seeing a troop of Colonial Marines and a Xenomorph skulking through the crowd. There was a constant barrage of cell phone photography, and I can imagine drivers going up and down Greenville were wondering what was going on.

What they missed was a crazy party. Hell, it's always a party when there's an Alien and pulse rifles involved.