Few movies have gathered such a cult following over the years as the Alien and Predator movies. Sitting down to watch Ridley Scott's original horror epic still has me on the edge of my seat, after 31 years the movie still has that effect on me and I'm sure on many others too. Likewise, Predator is one of those films you can watch countless times and never get tired of it. Some may say that these two films and their respective sequels are simply full of cheap thrills and mindless action sequences, however few can argue with the influence they have had on many science fiction titles created since.
In 1999 Rebellion released Aliens versus Predator for the PC and Mac, the game received critical acclaim. Finally Rebellion has released a sequel of sorts, Aliens vs. Predator for the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The big question is does it live up to the expectations?
Let me start by saying that I'm aware of the amount of criticism the game has been receiving from the press, I'm also aware that the game has not pleased everyone, no game ever will. Now that that is out of the way I can answer the above question with a resounding YES. I expected many things from AvP in its run up to release, I expected tense moments and cheap thrills when playing as Marine, check. I expected to feel like the ultimate bad ass killing machine when playing as the Predator, check and I expected to feel like a hunter, silently stalking my prey when playing as an Alien, again check. So, if the game gets all this right then why is there no love from the press? Well, search me. I can honestly say that i'm really not sure as to why there is so much hate being directed at the game...
The games dialogue isn't great. The storytelling is no J.R.R Tolkien epic, but who can honestly say they expected that from this game? If you did, you're following the wrong franchise. The marine campaign opens (predictably) with some trouble kicking off at an isolated research facility (owned by non other than Weyland-Yutani) on some backwater planet, the opening sequence sees the marines ship destroyed by a Predator vessel and you and your squad landing on the planets surface (Conveniently escaping via dropship moments before the Preds turn the marine ship into scrap metal). Your character, known only as 'The Rookie' is knocked out during the drop to the planets surface but regains consciousness and is guided via radio by a female marine known as Tequila. The campaign feels rather generic, but it is still an enjoyable experience, you will come across several different types of weapons ranging from your standard pistol and assault rifle to the more exotic flamethrower and the classic M56 Smart Gun.
As well as the range of weapons on offer you also have access to some handy tools, you have a flashlight from the off which is particularly useful for lighting up those dark areas and you also have flares which are great for when the flashlight just doesn't quite cut it. Your life bar is split into three 'sections' or 'bars' as a Marine, you can only regen lost bars by using stims, so for example if you take damage but manage not to lose a full bar then after a few seconds that bar will automatically regenerate (As long as you don't take any more damage) however, if you lose a full bar then the only way to get that bar back is by using a stim. Obviously if you lose all three health bars you die and have to restart from the last checkpoint.
The shooting mechanics are standard fair and feel solid enough, though some of the guns lack distinction (The pistol is quite unsatisfying and could have packed abit more of a punch for example) Each weapon also has a secondary action or fire mode, so with the pistol your alternative fire mode shoots three shots off in rapid succession & the assault rifle has a grenade launcher attached which can be fired using the secondary fire mode assuming you have the ammo of course. Experiment with each weapon you pick up and make good use of each guns secondary action.
The Predator campaign is arguably more exciting than the Marine campaign, I mean you play as a Predator for crying out loud! What more could you want? Without giving too much away as you progress through the Predators campaign you will get access to more weapons and towards the end you will feel like the ultimate killing machine. Don't assume that the Predator is to be scoffed at early on however, from the moment you step into 'ole Preds shoes you realise that this is the deadliest of the three playable species. Whereas Marines rely on their firepower and Aliens on their numbers and agility, the Predator simply relies on its abilities as a hunter. That isn't to say you don't have some useful tools at your disposal when playing as Pred, on the contrary you have some of the best tools in the game. The different vision modes work great and don't forget the coolest feature in the game, the cloaking ability! Later on when you pick up the throwing disc and shoulder cannon you become practically unstoppable.
The Predator also has the jump ability which works really well, holding down the shift key brings up a 3D circle which you can then move the mouse to aim, once you're satisfied with where you want to land simply hit the space bar to execute the jump. This may take some getting used to at first since the only visible indication of what surfaces you can and cannot jump to is the circular marker itself which will change and have an X over it when you're aiming at surfaces that you cannot land on. However after abit of practice you'll be pulling off Predator jumps on the fly, hopping from one surface to the next before executing one of the Preds fantastically satisfying finisher moves on an unsuspecting Marine.
The Predator certainly has its weaknesses however, your cloaking device will turn itself off when you touch water which means you'll have to be more cautious on the games 'wetter' levels, the cloaking isn't 100% either, just like in the movies if you get too close to a Marine they will see you even when cloaked due to the 'shimmer' effect, also when aiming with your throwing disc your red aiming beams will give away your position, so be careful.
The third playable species in the game is of course the Aliens, or Xenomorphs if you prefer. The Alien controls will certainly take some getting used to, but once you know how to handle them the Alien has possibly the most enjoyable campaign of the three (It was my personal favourite). You play a captured alien known as 6, kept in captivity by Weyland-Yutani. It's hard to put the Alien campaign into words so I'm not going to attempt too for fear of failing to do it justice, needless to say you'll get your Alien fix, crawling on walls and ceilings and in and out of vents, sneaking up on clueless Marines and performing executions that will have you giggling with glee. This is how Aliens should feel, this is the way Aliens were meant to be played. The transitioning between surfaces really feels alot more polished than it did in the PC demo, the camera doesn't seem to spin around so much or so fast, which means you'll rarely get disoriented after abit of practice. The dark is the Aliens best friend, your crosshair will change colour accordingly to let you know when you're in shadow and when you're lit up like a Christmas tree.
There's not much more can be said about the Alien, it has to be experienced it's simply that much fun to play.
Before I talk about multiplayer special mention has to be given to the games visuals which have been receiving some heavy criticism, anyone who knocks the visuals in this game must have eye problems, it's the only explanation. The textures are really high quality, sure there are some 'muddy' textures here and there, but overall the game is great to look at. Animations are great, whether using a stim to heal yourself as a Marine or performing the Predators jump ability you'll find little to complain about as the animations are fluid and really well done. The character models are superb and the Aliens look as terrifying as they did 31 years ago, if not more so. Some of the gun models are abit of a letdown but I honestly think that is because we're spoilt by games like Call of Duty rather than any real fault on AvP's part. So overall the graphics are great, and bare in mind I'm running it in DX9 mode with some of the graphics options turned down a little, so I can only imagine how fantastic the game must look running in DX11 with all the settings on high.
The games sound is also really well done, I turned the music off early on in the game which really adds to the tension when playing as Marine, the movement monitor sounds just as it should, and when you actually get movement nearby and the monitor starts going crazy you'll be on the edge of your seat. I can't comment on the music as as I say I turned it off but if it matches the high quality of the graphics and sound effects then I'm sure it fits perfectly.
All three campaigns contain hidden 'collectables'. The most impressive are the audio diaries (Of which there are 67) in the Marine campaign, each Audio diary has a short recording of different characters which you can access through the inventory and listen to at anytime, they add to the overall storyline of the game. The Predators have hidden trophies (Of which there are 45) which can be collected throughout the campaign and the Aliens have hidden containers (of which there are 50).
So onto the Multiplayer, which will be the legs of the title since the campaigns don't really have a great deal of replay value (Unless you're after the collectibles). The game has ranks, with 40 being the highest rank or level. As you rank up you'll unlock new skins for each species which provides something to aim for, however once you hit level 40 and have all the skins there's nothing else to work towards which is abit of a shame, no prestige mode or reset button here ala Modern Warfare. Nevertheless, the gameplay is so fun that you don't need to have something to aim for, you'll simply want to play the game for the gameplay, which is how games should be! There are 7 multiplayer maps to play on (An additional 4 were available as pre-order bonuses from select retailers) as well as 7 game modes:
Death Match - Pretty self explanatory, deathmatch is a free-for-all.
Infestation - All players except one start as a Marine, the odd one out starts as an Alien and is tasked with hunting down the Marines, when a Marine is killed they then become an Alien.
Mixed Species Death Match - Two teams made up of all three species battle it out for kills, either playing towards a set score or against the clock.
Survivor - Survivor is obviously a survival game mode, upto four players step into the shoes of the Marines and face off against waves of Aliens which increase in number with each wave.
Predator Hunt - Similar to Infestation, one player takes on the role of the Predator, the other players take on the roles of Marines, the Predator's objective is simple, kill the Marines.
Species Death Match - An Alien team, a Marine team and a Predator team battle it out aiming for a set score or racing against the clock.
Domination - Very similar to the Modern Warfare game mode of the same name, two teams battle for control points on the map, the more control points a team holds the more points they get.
The multiplayer has one or two balance issues but overall Rebellion have done a really good job of nailing the balance. The Marines' weapons mow Aliens and Predators down in a heart beat making them a dangerous foe. Aliens have the advantage of being able to use just about any surface, they can also see through walls allowing them to sneak up behind enemies and execute a finishing move. Predators have the cloak ability and the two vision modes (Thermal and Alien vision) they're particularly deadly in melee combat and have a range of weapons they can pick up.
The diversity of each species and the differences in play style leads to an exciting, deep and rewarding multiplayer experience. In team modes Marines will want to huddle together, covering their flanks and using their motion sensors to great effect, Aliens may strike as a team or split up so as not to cramp each others style and Predators are deadly whether working individually or as a team. Ultimately each species has strengths and weaknesses, Predators can pick up powerful weapons such as the shoulder cannon, but firing it uses energy which can then be recharged at energy terminals placed throughout each map. Aliens can temporarily disable these energy terminals cutting off the Predators energy supply. Aliens are vulnerable when in the light so they can smash lights bathing them in darkness, however Alien players should remember that Marines have flashlights and can pick up flares. Marines have access to a range of powerful weapons and should never be underestimated.
Due to the difference in gameplay for each Species each match is unpredictable and exciting, whilst the multiplayer doesn't have as many incentives or unlockables as some First Person Shooters out there, it offers a unique and addictive gameplay experience that will keep you coming back for more.
Closing Comments
Aliens vs. Predator does get a few things wrong, the PC version doesn't have dedicated server support out of the box, though a patch is due out any day now. There are some minor balance issues online and sound and graphical glitches have been reported by players, though again most of these are due to be patched at the time of writing. The three campaigns certainly aren't the most original and some of the gameplay mechanics could have used just a little extra polish. However, if you can look past these minor problems you'll find a diamond in the rough with Rebellions newest AvP title, and rest assured that this game is everything the AvP movies should have been.
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