Sega has released the system requirements for the PC version of upcoming shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines. The specs, among other things reveal that you'll need to have Steam installed to run the game.

After you've installed the game, you'll need to authenticate your copy through Steam. You'll only have to do this once. No doubt some of you are opposed to DRM in any form but at least you don't need a persistent Internet connection.

The full specs are below, courtesy of AVPGalaxy:

Minimum Specs: Operating System: Windows XP SP3. Processor: 2 GHz Intel Dual Core Processor. RAM: 2GB RAM (XP),2GB RAM (Vista). HD: 20GB free hard disk space. Optical Drive: DVD. Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible. Video Card:NVIDIA GeForce 8500/ATI Radeon HD 2600 (256 minimum).

Recommended Specs: Operating System: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Windows 7. Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Quad CoreProcessor. RAM: 2GB RAM. HD: 20GB free hard disk space. Optical Drive: DVD. Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible. VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce GTX560/ATI Radeon HD 5850 (512 minimum).

Other Requirements: Initial installation requires one-time internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, DirectX 9, Microsoft .NET 4 Framework, Visual C++ Redistributable 2005, Visual C++ Redistributable 2008, Visual C++ Redistributable 2010, and AMD CPU Drivers (XP Only/AMD Only).

Additionally, AVPGalaxy revealed that Marines will be available for pre-purchase through Steam. With select titles, Steam sometimes offers a 10% discount on pre-purchases. We'll see if they offer the same sort of deal for this game.

Colonial Marines is set after the events of the film Aliens. A contingent of Marines is sent to LV-426 to find Ellen Ripley and her team. What they find is a full-blown xenomorph infestation. The marines will have to fight these creatures throughout locations seen in the film, such as the U.S.S. Sulaco and Hadley's Hope.