The promotion for the Aliens vs Predator game has been in hyper drive over the last month or so, and deservedly so. They have released some of the better gameplay trailers I’ve seen in quite a while, helping get gamers into some bit of frenzy for the game. But does it deliver?
Firstly the game’s campaign is broken into 3 separate sections covering the Marine’s, the Predators and the Aliens. It’s nice to be able to play through with each of these options, and with these characters being so different, it’s not as though you are playing a slight variation of one or the other. Starting off, you’d best pick the Marine campaign, this is your standard fair FPS, but to really heighten the drama and sense of horror it predominately takes place is dark corridors where the only light source is your flashlight. Add to this your radar of the area giving a beep every few seconds and alerting you to the presence of enemies, your sure to soon have a racing heart, the reason why? Well, you know there’s something out there, but you just can’t see the bugger, and more often than not your first glimpse of it will be when it attacks. This sense of tension is great throughout, as the Marine you are the most underpowered of the three, and it’s great to have that sense of vulnerability.
Whereas the Marine mission is a standard affair, the Alien and the Predator missions take some getting used to. As I mentioned above, you’re not just playing a variation of the Marine you are playing a whole new character, so a whole new control scheme. Both races use predominately melee attacks and some of their finishing moves are great, be it ripping someone’s head off with the spine still attached, or in fact eating that same head.
The Predator is a stealth fighter, using his cloaking and distraction abilities are very satisfying, and exploding an enemy with your shoulder laser is sure to put a smile on your face. The Alien campaign is based all about speed, and it is amazing how quick this thing can go. So much so, I actually felt motion sickness a few times as the Alien jumped from the floor to the ceiling through a vent and back down again, it’s just blinding quick. Thankfully, the game keeps up with it and I didn’t see any screen tearing or slowdown.
What makes both the Predator and Alien campaigns so good is how authentic they are when compared to the movies, the sound is spot on and the visuals are pretty exact. This is as good a representation of an Alien or Predator that you’re likely going to see. But unfortunately being so true to the source material comes at a cost, the learning curve for using these guys is steep, really steep. The tutorial seemed to just rush you through the process and kick you out into the action. Every now and then you gain a new ability and you get a prompt on screen on how to use it. But if you forget, there’s no in game menu going to tell you how to do it again. But stick with it, and you will get the pay off, stealth infiltrating a Marine barracks and hear them screaming with fear as you take them out one by one is one of the better gameplay experiences I’ve had, sometimes it’s good to be the bad guy.
Along with the game’s campaign is the now expected Multiplayer, and again we can choose to play as any of the three species. You have the Free For All mode which has 18 players running around like headless chickens (literally sometimes). You also have a Survival, a horde style mode which is always enjoyable to play with friends. Along with the Infestation and Predator Hunt modes available there is a nice selection of games available to help the multiplayer last after the campaign has been finished.
Aliens Vs Predator has some great standout moments, and with Rebellion adding all three species as playable characters in both the campaign and the multiplayer makes a nice addition. The learning curve is pretty steep for the Predator and Alien, but it’s certainly worth the effort. And it’s also one of the first games in a while that I got a sense of fear from. If you’re looking to try something different to the cookie cutter FPS, Aliens Vs Predator could be very well be for you.
