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Product Features

Genre
Action and Shooter
Publisher
Sega
Release Date
February 19, 2010
Available Platforms
PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3, XBox 360

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Aliens Vs Predator

The classic science-fiction title is back, developed by Rebellion, the first person game allows players to choose the role of the Predator, the Colonial Marine or the Alien, each having their own adventure to discover.

The game will feature a 3-way online multiplayer option, where each of the three character can be instructed battle it out for the title of deadliest species. You'll be taken on a journey, where you must fight to survive amongst the fierce and dangerous world of planet BG-386.

  • Paul Martin March 10, 2010 360
    ****

    Aliens Vs Predator is one of the biggest sci-fi titles of all time, most renowned from its counterpart comic book series, previous video game instalments and two abysmal appearances in the cinemas. The next chapter of the sci-fi shooter marks the return of developer Rebellion the company that brought you the original hit of Aliens Vs Predator on the Atari Jaguar system in 1994, followed after such a positive response with Aliens Vs Predator on PC in 1999. Rebellion then moved on from the franchise handing the next instalment over to Monolith Production who brought Aliens Vs Predator 2 to PC in 2001. Rebellion always stated that they would love to return to make a future instalment on the franchise, a return that Sega made possible. It's safe to say that due to Rebellions past success with the series the game has high expectations and many seem to think these expectations were not met when the release date came. I on the other hand voice an opinion stating this game will have you hooked and on the edge of your seat if you get to grips with the games learning curve. I would also like to clarify that a recent interview with a Rebellion representative states that for those who are not familiar with the series or original Alien and Predator films this game is not based on the Alien Vs Predator films. The representative added that the creative team felt that the series is best recognised for the outings Predator featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alien directed by Ridley Scott and Aliens directed by James Cameron and this Aliens Vs Predator game was focused around the foundations from where the series reputation was built.

    The story of the game is given in three different perspectives from the three different species. That's right this time round you are given the option to play as the Marine, Alien or Predator all with their unique campaign and play styles. Let's start by saying the story is the typical Humans discover ancient ruins, ruins is populated with Aliens and the ruins belong to the Predators. With that said you can automatically see the plot Rebellion have thrown at the gamer with the Aliens over populating the Colony therefore contact is lost, Humans send in the Marines that are pitted against near impossible odds and especially even more so when the Predator comes to diminish those that walk/crawl on the ancient burial grounds of its ancestors. All the campaigns are linked in some way, you don't really cross paths with the individual characters you play as, but there is links across the play throughs that leave traces that you will recognise whilst playing as another species.

    Let's start with the Marine gameplay. While playing as the Marines it's the struggle for survival storyline and out of the three campaigns the Marines Campaign is most certainly the strongest. This is mostly down to the fact the humans can interact via radio or in person therefore giving the gamer a stronger sense of a storyline. The gameplay is a typical First Person Shooter with all the accessories from the Alien films, just think along the lines of Pulse Rifles, Smart Guns and Flamethrowers and you're on the right track. You play as the Rookie of your squad, a silent role in the game, but none the less the game does deliver a first rate Shooter/Survival storyline and gameplay especially in early missions. As you venture through the Colony corridors which are almost identical to those seen in James Cameron's masterpiece 'Aliens' you will appreciate Rebellions attempt to bring the Aliens Vs Predator series back into the limelight. The controls are responsive and don't over complicate unlike some games. The only negative being throughout the Marine gameplay is the Sniper Rifle being the only weapon in the game that ventures into a scope or zoom function giving you a similar gamestyle as Left 4 Dead only instead of zombies, replace them with wall crawling Xenomorphs. The level design is very well done as previously mentioned in early levels with dark and claustrophobic type corridors the campaign is certainly in its element with Aliens venturing from vents, shafts and floors but as you progress you venture into Refinery's and Jungle environments that are a lot more open but provide a new thrill in many ways. Overall the Marine campaign is the longest and best storyline throughout the gameplay experiences and is certainly a challenge for those that wish to best it on difficulty Nightmare.

    The Alien campaign is the shortest out of all three. The story is easy to grasp, but it really isn't the highlight of playing with the wall crawling Xenomorph. You start off as a promising lab rat or Alien in this case known as Number 6, but it doesn't take you very long to find yourself venturing around the corridors causing mass panic as you try to free your Queen. I particularly enjoyed the totally different role from trying to survive the waves of Aliens as the Marine to actually becoming one. It certainly takes gameplay variety to a new level especially since not many games can provide even a small variety these days. The controls as the Alien are simple although comes with a learning curve. As you change surface it is easy to disorientate yourself due to the speed the Alien possesses, this really couldn't be helped in long term but after a few hours you start to get used to the speed and transition from different surfaces and will be jumping behind Marines for Trophy/Stealth kills in no time. These kills are easy to perform simply by pressing 'X' on the control while infront of an enemy while stunned or behind an enemy at any time. These kills are impressive and very gruesome too watch. There are several different animations to watch while performing this kind of kill. There is however a small problem as sometimes they can take a too long leaving you vulnerable and defenceless. Also you can't cancel or stop the animation after it has started even when getting attacked by other foes. It's incredibly fun, but at the same time can be incredibly frustrating meaning you have to carefully pick the position and time of the attack so you don't get killed in the process. The other ways you can dispose of enemies is by the normal melee attack via the Aliens claw or opt for a more powerful Tail Whip that on many occasions will leave you opponent vulnerable for a front Trophy Kill. These are simple to perform with the controls shoulder buttons and also give you the option to block for incoming Predator melee attacks. Overall the Alien is fun to play, but as stated really isn't the highlight of the game. Still it is a great feature to have and only adds to the longevity of the game.

    The Predator campaign is a mixture of both Alien and Marine. With not being able to walk on walls, but jump long distances and yet still have ability to strike from long distance with the gadgets you have at your disposal it's no doubt the Predator is the ultimate badass. I really enjoyed the Predator campaign. It does have more story compared to the Alien, but not as much as the Marine again this is because the communication. The story is given in the Predators alien language and translates into subtitles throughout the game, which isn't bad but sometimes when things are heating up its always hard to concentrate on the subtitles on what they have say. The Predator has all his gadgets and gizmos from the films the Plasma Cannon, Battle Disc and Cloak are by far most useful with the Spear being deadly if you can hit a moving target. The only issue I did have was the fact you didn't have the ability to fight with your Spear, but only throw it. The Predators controls are a lot more complex than both Marine and Alien although he does have a lot more abilities. The Predator also comes with his own set of Trophy Kill animations, a nice touch from Rebellion allowing you to rip out the Marines spine and admire it much like he does in the films. This however can again be frustrating with the same problem as the Alien with the animations taking too long and could result in a cheap death because of it. The length of the campaign is longer than the Aliens, but not the Marines and it does involve a lot of stealth leaving the gameplay hold true to the films and comics. Overall a great addition to the game and add more variation in gameplay.

    The Graphics are probably the most negative area of the game. They aren't really bad, they just aren't up to scratch with current generation games in similar genres like the Bioshock series. Rebellion are to be giving some credit with attention to detail, but it deserves a little more polish to make it stand out amongst others and not just another game.

    The Audio in the game is brilliant. Voice acting's is impressive with the return of Lance Henriksen who featured as Bishop in the film 'Aliens'. Henriksen voices eccentric mad man Karl Bishop Weyland and provides a first class performance. The sound effects are also impressive holding true to the films with everything sounding the way it should from the Pulse Rifle burst and Predator clicking to the screeching scream from a dying or exploding Alien. It's almost like Rebellion went into the films and removed the audio providing a great authenticity feel. The music is ok nothing special, it could provide more dramatic and gloomy elements when things are quiet to provide tension although your motion sensor as the Marine provides this element just fine, which was perhaps Rebellions intention. Overall the game provides impressive audio throughout providing a more authentic feeling to the game.

    The Multiplayer aspect of the game is really fun, however it's only online. It's a shame that Rebellion didn't try and add any split screen co op to the game. If you do have online access however then it provides even more variety on top the three campaigns. Rebellion supplied long time fan favourite Survivor where up to four Marines have to hold out against waves of Aliens, as you progress each wave increases in difficulty. Other modes include Species Death match which is unique in many ways pitting a team of each species against each other in a three way brawl. Death match is included although not recommended as a lot of kills are from Trophy/Stealth Kills and you can be sure that another player will kill you before you finish the animation unless the game has few players and in that case you may catch a lucky break. Infestation seems to be providing a great experience as all starts calm with only one player selected at random to be the Alien. As the Alien kills those players will then turn into an Alien until there one Marine left. This game mode provides great tension especially if you see more than one Alien pouring into a room towards you as the sole survivor. The game has a few extra modes to keep you busy including Mixed Species Team Death match and Domination. The online also includes a levelling system, which rewards the gamer with new characters to play as online. I found myself pouring many hours into the game to unlock new characters as it is very addictive. The only negative would be the amount of time it takes to find a match as it seems to be very random, sometimes it could be seconds and other times it could take minutes. Overall I was nothing short of impressed with the online multiplayer, it's different and unique. The different species are very well balanced and it provides great fun especially amongst friends.

    Overall Alien Vs Predator has a huge variety of gameplay to get your money's worth. Any fan of either series would be at home and most likely enjoy everything about the game as long as they get past the games learning curve. There are a few negatives in the game that could have used more polished most noticeably with the graphics leaving the game feeling somewhat a little incomplete. The harder difficulty Nightmare is what it says on the tin, you don't even know what a challenge is until you try the difficulty on the Marine campaign, no checkpoints is just one of the many hurdles you will face. If you have the money buy it, if not rent it, but don't let bad opinions put you off the game as I really thinks it's the kind of game you love or hate and there's no middle ground. Overall in my opinion I recommend the purchase especially for any fans in the series, its unique gameplay and variety offer you what most games can't deliver these days. 8.4/10

  • rocket March 06, 2010 360
    ****

    I bought this game partly 'cos i love the films, but mainly because of the previews/trailers I'd seen.

    Having played it for a while I just got fed up of squinting at the screen. At set up it asks you to create the optimum picture for the gameplay, trying to set it up I couldn't get it bright enough and on playing I could see very little. If I'd known it was this dark gameplay, then I wouldn't have parted with £38 in the first place!

    Not the hardest of games from what I've played but a big letdown none the less, it was a tossup between this and Mass Effect 2 and now I'm regretting it.