Aliens vs. Predator Review

Aliens vs. Predator 2: Primal Hunt was the last time I dived into the world of aggressive human-munching aliens and vicious predators and I can honestly say I did not enjoy it too much. As for the older games, AvP and AvP 2, they were great fun and stood as one of the better shooters on the market at the time. British development team Rebellion and SEGA worked to bring the franchise to current generation gaming platforms. The game is already available for purchase. But before you dash off to buy yourself a copy, you want to know if the game brings back the old AvP spark.

Story wise, there's not much to explain here. As always, you experience the solo mode from three perspectives. As a wet-behind-the-ears draftee, the United States Marine Corps hurls you onto a planet where you'll essentially represent humanity's last line of defense (tough luck, chum). You'll watch your squad-mates disappear one by one, regardless of their combat expertise. Playing as the Predator means you'll be stalking from the shadows or from high above, creating ambushes and performing powerful execution moves. Once they outsmart and destroyed their pray, the Predators collect the bones of their enemies as trophies. Finally, being one of the Aliens allows you to aggressively take out foes with fast and cunning melee moves. If they're not slicing and dicing their victims, the Aliens harvest them to ensure the continuation of their venomous race.

Who's the sharpest kid on the block?

This is not my kind of party.

Similarly to its predecessors, Rebellion's Aliens vs. Predator marks three distinct game types. The Marine experience revolves around pure old-fashioned survival and making sure all the hideous, grotesque alien abominations are kept at bay. However, as soon as they begin to close in on you, it's possible to pull off a handy defense move, followed by a well-timed counter attack. The problem is that this system doesn't always work as smoothly as it ought to. The clunky melee combat gameplay mechanics come into view when you are left to deal with more than one foe. The game arbitrarily alerts you when you should press the 'LB' and 'RB' on the controller to perform a defense move. As a result, you often end up pressing the aforementioned buttons randomly and without a clear idea of what the hell you're doing. The same thing goes for the Predator's and Xenomorph's melee attacks.

If we disregard the slightly flawed combat, the Marine campaign could've made a half-way decent survival-horror segment. Of course, there's more than enough ammo and health packs scattered throughout the area, which effectively kills off any survival-horror feel, if there ever was one. So, should you be after this particular brand of horror, look elsewhere.

The Alien campaign puts you under the skin of Xenomorph test number 6. Your goal is to escape the research facility, taking out as many humans as you can and at the same time helping the hive take over as quickly as possible. The gameplay here is a combination of fast-paced melee combat and careful stealth-based maneuvers. The alien has the ability to walk across any surface and is extremely fast. In fact, most gamers may find it exceedingly difficult to position themselves adequately before taking out enemies. In other words, the gameplay is frantic, so it takes some getting used to. Taking out several opponents at once usually requires you to survey the area with caution and, hopefully, take out all the light sources in the vicinity - the shadows are a great ally. This adds to the tactical aspect of gameplay and makes most of the segments in the game quite challenging.

If stealth gameplay is the type of fun you're looking for, the Predator scenario is the right choice. The deadly Predator has several unique advantages that give him a special edge, such as the shoulder-mounted plasma cannon and three different view modes, each suited for a particular type of enemy. What's more, 'focus jumping' allows the Predator to reach high spots, which are normally inaccessible to other species in the game. Combining all these abilities makes the Predator one of the most interesting races to control.