Aliens vs Predator
VyperAus, 11-Mar-10 » Way back in 1995 a little known developer called Rebellion got their feet wet when they launched the original Aliens VS Predator game on the Atari Jaguar. The console was a flop but the game was an instant hit, in 1999 the original AVP was released on the PC and gave the gaming public what they wanted; Aliens, the Predator, Colonial Marines and lots and lots of BLOOD.
We’re All Going To Die
Ten years on and AVP has been remade, better graphics, more horsepower and even MORE blood which initially landed the game with a refusal of classification by the Australian Censors. However after a successful, and somewhat logical appeal, the game was given an MA15+ rating and hit the shelves.
Ping, Ping, Ping, Beep...
If you’ve seen the films you know the Colonial Marine is just the cannon fodder, wicked weapons for the Predator, sharp fangs to the Aliens (not to mention the tail or claws) whilst the marine has a dazzling array of guns and tricks that just delay the inevitable death. So how does this figure into the game?
The single player mode gives you 3 campaigns one for each of the ‘races’, Colonial Marines, Predator and Aliens. The Marine campaign plays out like a standard FPS game, with the motion tracker and a variety of weapons to deal with Predators and the Aliens. Pretty much standard fare, although the motion tracker really makes you hate playing as the marine as it cannot be turned down, disabled and you get the constant beeping every couple of seconds.
Playing as the Predator is surprisingly yet logically different here the use of stealth more than the ol’ pray and spray of the Colonial Marine. The Predator has the ability to jump massive distances, see in different light waves (read: vision) and also some pretty spectacular weaponry at his/her disposal.
The Alien campaign is a real change, the ability to walk on walls and ceilings really can disorientate the player and this means you don’t know which way is up or down. Like the Predator campaign stealth is a major game play factor, you don’t have the ranged weaponry the other two have but you do have speed which needs to be put to good use to close the distance so you can get the kill.
Speaking of kills, both the Predator and Alien campaigns have objectives whereby you have to perform ‘surgery’ on targets to complete. I won’t give it away but it certainly adds reason to the initial refusal of classification for this game.
Once upon a time...
The game allows you to play any part of the three campaigns as you wish, play a couple of missions as the Alien then move to the Predator for some hi-tech killing. This is a nice thought from the developers but the lack of linked campaigns (like the original game) is frustrating.
Come Get Some!
In the last few years it has become a more common trend to offer multiple “multiplayer” modes instead of the basic Deathmatch. AVP is no different, there are several modes to both entice and frustrate. Ranging from the standard Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes we now have the AVP flavoured Predator Hunt and Infestation as well and a return to ol’ favourite the Survivor Co-Op mode. After all playing with yourself can make you go blin.... get bored, playing with friends is more fun.
A nice touch is that the Deathmatch mode has been reworked with 3 different varieties. Standard deathmatch mode lets you choose your species and battle it out, mano-a-mano or is that mano-a-alien or even alien-a-alien. The Species deathmatch mode is similar to the team deathmatch, as each side is made up of a Marine, Alien and Predator and hunting down the same on the other side, and does make you wonder if they’ve doubled up on the modes without noticing. Finally we have the Mixed Species death match is your basic Team Death match, with each side being able to choose which characters they want to take into the battle. Three varieties of basically the same result: spawn then hunt.
Where is a tactical nuclear weapon when you need it
Now we come to the twists on the standard multiplayer with the new Predator Hunt and Infestation modes. These two modes play out a little bit like a king of the hill, with one player starting off as the Predator or Alien and they are the hunter whilst avoiding dying themselves as then they become the hunted.
In Predator hunt, the predator gets more points for slaying the marines, while if a marine manages to slay the Predator, then they become the Predator. The Infestation mode is much the same except, and this is a little confusing, one Alien starts hunting the marines and when a marine is killed that player becomes an Alien and joins the infestation.
“We're all gonna die man”
Survivor mode once more appears in AVP and gives four friends the opportunity to play as four marines in Co-Op mode against unending waves of Aliens all in very small, claustraphobicly tight levels. Wiping out waves of Aliens means points but the next wave will be stronger and tougher, this continues on until all Players are dead.
Like Left 4 Dead or Call of Duty which have excellent Survivor modes the implementation in AVP really seems less polished and as though rushed, I’d even go as far as to say it feels like something we’d receive for Beta testing. The small maps whilst adding to the AVP ‘universe’ aren’t as enjoyable. With little to no room to move, and a very limited choice in weaponry, and a lighting scheme that makes you feel like you are Stevie Wonder, survivor mode isn’t likely to hold your attention for long.
One of the best things about the Original AVP (now called Aliens vs. Preactor Classic 2000, and available on Steam) was the Horde mode where you had a large map, lots of weapons and you could fend off wave after wave of Aliens without the restrictions that the new AVP limits you too. This could have been a great mode but is let down by the implementation and polish. Hopefully a patch or two in the future will improve this mode.
The lack of dedicated servers also hinders the multiplayer aspect of this game, as it is using the peer to peer connection system. Dedicated servers were talked about in pre – release but unfortunately have yet to be seen, in any patches released to date. There are rumours abounding about possible dedicated servers being released but as yet and so far into a game, these rumours have to be taken with a grain of salt.
What’s that over there? Did you hear that?
Aliens Vs Predator has always had a unique and rich atmosphere not just visually but audibly too. The films use dark organic colours to create an environment that is both feels claustrophobic and frightening as well as other worldly. This has transferred over to the game fantastically but it isn’t without issues.
Walking down a dark corridor as a marine you can’t see much ahead so you are very much reliant on your scanner to give you a hint of what is around you. You can see the wall next to you, your flashlight brightens some of what you are looking at but not enough that you can’t help but feel you’re trapped in the corridor. Combined with the directional audio you’ll find yourself jumping at the sound of a pipe hissing or a nearby door opening as you walk past it. And when an alien does appear you’ll find yourself reaching for the pause key and making a very fast dash to the toilet.
The other environments are all different but are just as visually and audibly stunning , picking your way through lush jungle vegetation as the Predator on the hunt and stalking your prey or scurrying through the twisting and close corridors, listening for footsteps getting closer, as you lie in wait as the Alien for an unwary and ignorant marine to walk within range.
There are problems though, the graphics, whilst very good are not as good as they really should be especially considering the horsepower the modern PC has at its disposal. Textures for some objects, walls and even some for the characters appear bland and almost like they were rushed.
Lighting is also a major issue, sure an Alien Vs Predator game needs to be dark, the future is dark, the environments are dark but not this dark. Doom 3 had issues when it came out from the darkness of its maps and how the flashlight was hardly lightening anything, that was six years ago you’d have thought that Rebellion would have taken note of those issues and not repeated them. Alas they haven’t and a lot of the problems from other games that use dark, low light environments have once more been repeated here. The torch the player gets as a Marine is woeful, really it is like someone went to the local $2 shop and bought a 50c torch and batteries that could not light the bottom of a grocery bag, in-game the torch hardly emits enough light on the wall you see in front of you let alone the lighting the corridor you’re walking down. Either the Colonial Marines of the time have retinal implants that didn’t make the game or the quality control guy at the torch factory was blind.
The sound on the other hand has lived up to expectations and at times exceeding this, the sound really helps in creating the right atmosphere in the game.
Ambient noises, pipes emitting steam, or your boots on the steel walkways are reproduced in perfect clarity but also the silence. There is something really unnerving about silence in this game and whilst you’d like it would be easy to do silence AvP takes it a step further and made me break out in sweat when I was hearing nothing at all.
The only really negative thing about the sound would be the pinging of the scanner, which you can’t turn off, and NEVER, EVER STOPS, it quickly will get under your skin and you can’t not play this game without sound. Voice acting is excellent but there appears to be a lot of repetition of the marine’s comments, and you can only take the same comments over and over and over so many times.
Objective Complete
As the lights come back to normal, and you return to the comfort of your operating system, you can’t help to feel that your thirst has been left unquenched. The different styles of each race and the abilities they have, will keep you entertained for a while, but not as long as you would like.
Multiplayer feels like it has been added as an afterthought, it is still too basic and underdeveloped compared to the Single Player experience. Whilst patches and updates will, hopefully, improve on this and when you factor in the announced downloadable content things are starting to look better. Although it has yet to be confirmed whether or not there will be a control added to turn off the constantly pinging motion detector.
The Single player will appeal to fans and gamers alike, while the Multiplayer, tends to be avoided like the plague, except by the diehard fans. The game needs extensive work but with time and teaks and additional work from the developers to improve on the MP experience the AVP name will live on into the future
nGRating: 6 out of 10
We’re All Going To Die
Ten years on and AVP has been remade, better graphics, more horsepower and even MORE blood which initially landed the game with a refusal of classification by the Australian Censors. However after a successful, and somewhat logical appeal, the game was given an MA15+ rating and hit the shelves.
Ping, Ping, Ping, Beep...
If you’ve seen the films you know the Colonial Marine is just the cannon fodder, wicked weapons for the Predator, sharp fangs to the Aliens (not to mention the tail or claws) whilst the marine has a dazzling array of guns and tricks that just delay the inevitable death. So how does this figure into the game?
The single player mode gives you 3 campaigns one for each of the ‘races’, Colonial Marines, Predator and Aliens. The Marine campaign plays out like a standard FPS game, with the motion tracker and a variety of weapons to deal with Predators and the Aliens. Pretty much standard fare, although the motion tracker really makes you hate playing as the marine as it cannot be turned down, disabled and you get the constant beeping every couple of seconds.
Playing as the Predator is surprisingly yet logically different here the use of stealth more than the ol’ pray and spray of the Colonial Marine. The Predator has the ability to jump massive distances, see in different light waves (read: vision) and also some pretty spectacular weaponry at his/her disposal.
The Alien campaign is a real change, the ability to walk on walls and ceilings really can disorientate the player and this means you don’t know which way is up or down. Like the Predator campaign stealth is a major game play factor, you don’t have the ranged weaponry the other two have but you do have speed which needs to be put to good use to close the distance so you can get the kill.
Speaking of kills, both the Predator and Alien campaigns have objectives whereby you have to perform ‘surgery’ on targets to complete. I won’t give it away but it certainly adds reason to the initial refusal of classification for this game.
Once upon a time...
The game allows you to play any part of the three campaigns as you wish, play a couple of missions as the Alien then move to the Predator for some hi-tech killing. This is a nice thought from the developers but the lack of linked campaigns (like the original game) is frustrating.
Come Get Some!
In the last few years it has become a more common trend to offer multiple “multiplayer” modes instead of the basic Deathmatch. AVP is no different, there are several modes to both entice and frustrate. Ranging from the standard Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes we now have the AVP flavoured Predator Hunt and Infestation as well and a return to ol’ favourite the Survivor Co-Op mode. After all playing with yourself can make you go blin.... get bored, playing with friends is more fun.
A nice touch is that the Deathmatch mode has been reworked with 3 different varieties. Standard deathmatch mode lets you choose your species and battle it out, mano-a-mano or is that mano-a-alien or even alien-a-alien. The Species deathmatch mode is similar to the team deathmatch, as each side is made up of a Marine, Alien and Predator and hunting down the same on the other side, and does make you wonder if they’ve doubled up on the modes without noticing. Finally we have the Mixed Species death match is your basic Team Death match, with each side being able to choose which characters they want to take into the battle. Three varieties of basically the same result: spawn then hunt.
Where is a tactical nuclear weapon when you need it
Now we come to the twists on the standard multiplayer with the new Predator Hunt and Infestation modes. These two modes play out a little bit like a king of the hill, with one player starting off as the Predator or Alien and they are the hunter whilst avoiding dying themselves as then they become the hunted.
In Predator hunt, the predator gets more points for slaying the marines, while if a marine manages to slay the Predator, then they become the Predator. The Infestation mode is much the same except, and this is a little confusing, one Alien starts hunting the marines and when a marine is killed that player becomes an Alien and joins the infestation.
“We're all gonna die man”
Survivor mode once more appears in AVP and gives four friends the opportunity to play as four marines in Co-Op mode against unending waves of Aliens all in very small, claustraphobicly tight levels. Wiping out waves of Aliens means points but the next wave will be stronger and tougher, this continues on until all Players are dead.
Like Left 4 Dead or Call of Duty which have excellent Survivor modes the implementation in AVP really seems less polished and as though rushed, I’d even go as far as to say it feels like something we’d receive for Beta testing. The small maps whilst adding to the AVP ‘universe’ aren’t as enjoyable. With little to no room to move, and a very limited choice in weaponry, and a lighting scheme that makes you feel like you are Stevie Wonder, survivor mode isn’t likely to hold your attention for long.
One of the best things about the Original AVP (now called Aliens vs. Preactor Classic 2000, and available on Steam) was the Horde mode where you had a large map, lots of weapons and you could fend off wave after wave of Aliens without the restrictions that the new AVP limits you too. This could have been a great mode but is let down by the implementation and polish. Hopefully a patch or two in the future will improve this mode.
The lack of dedicated servers also hinders the multiplayer aspect of this game, as it is using the peer to peer connection system. Dedicated servers were talked about in pre – release but unfortunately have yet to be seen, in any patches released to date. There are rumours abounding about possible dedicated servers being released but as yet and so far into a game, these rumours have to be taken with a grain of salt.
What’s that over there? Did you hear that?
Aliens Vs Predator has always had a unique and rich atmosphere not just visually but audibly too. The films use dark organic colours to create an environment that is both feels claustrophobic and frightening as well as other worldly. This has transferred over to the game fantastically but it isn’t without issues.
Walking down a dark corridor as a marine you can’t see much ahead so you are very much reliant on your scanner to give you a hint of what is around you. You can see the wall next to you, your flashlight brightens some of what you are looking at but not enough that you can’t help but feel you’re trapped in the corridor. Combined with the directional audio you’ll find yourself jumping at the sound of a pipe hissing or a nearby door opening as you walk past it. And when an alien does appear you’ll find yourself reaching for the pause key and making a very fast dash to the toilet.
The other environments are all different but are just as visually and audibly stunning , picking your way through lush jungle vegetation as the Predator on the hunt and stalking your prey or scurrying through the twisting and close corridors, listening for footsteps getting closer, as you lie in wait as the Alien for an unwary and ignorant marine to walk within range.
There are problems though, the graphics, whilst very good are not as good as they really should be especially considering the horsepower the modern PC has at its disposal. Textures for some objects, walls and even some for the characters appear bland and almost like they were rushed.
Lighting is also a major issue, sure an Alien Vs Predator game needs to be dark, the future is dark, the environments are dark but not this dark. Doom 3 had issues when it came out from the darkness of its maps and how the flashlight was hardly lightening anything, that was six years ago you’d have thought that Rebellion would have taken note of those issues and not repeated them. Alas they haven’t and a lot of the problems from other games that use dark, low light environments have once more been repeated here. The torch the player gets as a Marine is woeful, really it is like someone went to the local $2 shop and bought a 50c torch and batteries that could not light the bottom of a grocery bag, in-game the torch hardly emits enough light on the wall you see in front of you let alone the lighting the corridor you’re walking down. Either the Colonial Marines of the time have retinal implants that didn’t make the game or the quality control guy at the torch factory was blind.
The sound on the other hand has lived up to expectations and at times exceeding this, the sound really helps in creating the right atmosphere in the game.
Ambient noises, pipes emitting steam, or your boots on the steel walkways are reproduced in perfect clarity but also the silence. There is something really unnerving about silence in this game and whilst you’d like it would be easy to do silence AvP takes it a step further and made me break out in sweat when I was hearing nothing at all.
The only really negative thing about the sound would be the pinging of the scanner, which you can’t turn off, and NEVER, EVER STOPS, it quickly will get under your skin and you can’t not play this game without sound. Voice acting is excellent but there appears to be a lot of repetition of the marine’s comments, and you can only take the same comments over and over and over so many times.
Objective Complete
As the lights come back to normal, and you return to the comfort of your operating system, you can’t help to feel that your thirst has been left unquenched. The different styles of each race and the abilities they have, will keep you entertained for a while, but not as long as you would like.
Multiplayer feels like it has been added as an afterthought, it is still too basic and underdeveloped compared to the Single Player experience. Whilst patches and updates will, hopefully, improve on this and when you factor in the announced downloadable content things are starting to look better. Although it has yet to be confirmed whether or not there will be a control added to turn off the constantly pinging motion detector.
The Single player will appeal to fans and gamers alike, while the Multiplayer, tends to be avoided like the plague, except by the diehard fans. The game needs extensive work but with time and teaks and additional work from the developers to improve on the MP experience the AVP name will live on into the future
nGRating: 6 out of 10
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| Category: | Game Reviews |
| Posted: | 11-Mar-10 11:59:04 am |
| Author: | VyperAus |