Aliens vs. Predator (PS3) Review

Posted by Joshua Richey on 03.15.2010

Whoever wins...we lose.



Game: Aliens vs. Predator
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-16
Genre: Action/FPS
Rated: M for Mature

I never had the pleasure of owning a Jaguar; few did. Is pleasure the right word to use there? Yeah, let’s go with pleasure. Despite not owning a Jaguar, one of my favorite things that I would do as a little kid would be to go down to the local Media Play and play games on their ginormous entertainment hub. They had a giant wall of TV’s; kind of like something you would see in movies like Blank Check. I remember very vividly the first time I went there and saw Aliens vs. Predator for the first time. It was 1994 and I’m not sure what blew my mind more: the Jaguar controller and its 38 buttons or the game itself. I had never seen anything quite like Rebellion’s Alien vs. Predator before in my life. The graphics were far superior to anything that I’d ever seen on the console, and the fact that you could play as an Alien, Predator or Marine was just badass.

It’s been nearly 16 years since that game was released, and now Rebellion is back with Aliens vs. Predator.


Your move, sir
I’ll admit that I wasn’t jumping for joy when I was assigned to review Aliens vs. Predator for the Playstation 3. I’d heard what many of my peers had already said about it. Their reviews of it ranged from average at best to god awful. I tried my best to go into it with low expectations and a clear mind. I expected it to be shit, but I quickly saw that this wasn’t the game that I expected it to be.

Look, Aliens vs. Predator isn’t Killzone 2 or Modern Warfare. I don’t think that anybody expected it to be. If you pop this disc into your console and expect it to blow away those games in the visual and multiplayer areas, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you go into with a realistic outlook, there is a lot of fun to be had with this game.

For fans of the Aliens and Predator franchises, this game is for you. It is worthy tribute to the finer parts of those franchises. Rebellion does a great job at capturing the mood and the setting of each of the three parties that you’ll get to play as. What’s also so impressive is that each of the three characters offers up completely different gameplay styles. They’re not just re-mapped versions of one another. Playing as the marine is more of a Doom-like survival horror experience. All of your enemies are more powerful than you are, and flares become your best friend. The Alien offers up a completely different experience. You’ll use a combination of speed and stealth to hunt down your prey. Then there’s the Predator; the strongest character in the game, and the developers did a great job at making you feel like just that. He too uses stealth, but he’s got the weapons and brute strength that will have you thirsting for close quarters combat.

The story in Aliens vs. Predator isn’t great, but it’s effective. Surely players know not to expect a Final Fantasy XIII-like epic here. Instead the developers needed an excuse to get all three of these parties in the same spot. They do that well enough for you to buy it. Believe me; it’s no worse than the plots that you find in the two Aliens vs. Predator films. You’ll experience the same story no matter who you play as; you’ll just see it through three different perspectives. An event will happen while you’re playing as the marine and you’ll not think much of it. Then the same event will happen as you’re playing with the Predator and it’ll take on a much greater meaning. Even though the story isn’t all that captivating, it’s cool to see how they’re all woven in with one another.

The graphics in AVP aren’t the best that you’ll ever see, but they’re not awful either. The character models and environments are detailed and well done, but what’s more important is that Rebellion was able to capture atmosphere from the films. It feels like an Alien vs. Predator game should feel like. Walking through the damp, dark tunnels during the Alien levels will give you chills just like the movies did. The jungle levels where you square off with the Predator too capture the mood of the films. The mood is only perfected by the awesome sounds that you’ll find in the game. The films are infamous for the Alien shrieks and Predator clicky-sounds. You find those in the game and it really helps complete the experience.


When all else fails, kill it with fire.
If there’s one complaint that I have with the single-player campaigns, it’s that there are certain parts of the game where the developers put a lot of effort into making these tense situations that make your heart race. There’s a part very early in the marine campaign where I was about to meet my first Alien. The power’s out and all I’ve got is a pistol and some flares. Your motion monitor starts going crazy and you know that it’s coming. I honestly had to pause the game, turn on the light, and build up the courage to continue forward. The encounter happens, pants were shat, but after that, fighting the Aliens becomes no big deal. You’ll have no problem running into a room and fighting a plethora of them. Even fighting the Queen seems like a cheapened experience. The same can be said for when you encounter the Predator for the first time. You start to see his glowing blood throughout the level and you think “oh shit!” But when it comes time to throw down fisticuffs, it’s no biggie and doesn’t feel special. I’m not saying that they’re not fun, I’m just saying I wish those moments weren’t so far and few in between.

Then we have the multiplayer. Now you’ll not find anything here that you’ve not already seen, but what you do find is quite enjoyable. There’s absolutely no words to describe how cool it is to jump into a world full of marines, aliens and predators all killing one another. The auto-aim is a little too friendly for my tastes, but considering how quick and elusive the Aliens are; it’s definitely needed at times. You’ll no doubt have a lot of fun with the multiplayer in AVP.


This never gets old.
The 411
In the end, Aliens vs. Predator is a solid game with its fair share of problems. For fans of the franchise, you’ll be able to look over the blemishes and find a game that you’ll be playing for months. For those that aren’t into the Aliens vs. Predator franchise, well, what the hell is wrong with you? Good or bad, I think we can all agree on one thing: This is the greatest game ever made where you can pull a guy’s spine out while he screams for mercy.

Pros
- Different gameplay experiences for each of the three playable characters.
- Ripping people’s spines out always makes for a pleasant afternoon.
- Multiplayer maps full of Marines, Aliens and Predators.
- Lance Henriksen playing Weyland
- Captures the look and feel of the (good) films.

Cons
- Repetitious level layouts.
- Too few ‘HOLY CRAP!’ moments
- Controlling the Alien will cause motion sickness
- Enemy A.I. is frustratingly bad at times
- Sometimes doesn’t feel as epic as it should

Graphics	8.0	You're not going to be wowed by any means, but the graphics are pretty solid.
Gameplay	7.0	Control scheme is pretty vanilla and slightly dated.
Sound	8.5	Includes the legendary sound effects from the films.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	You will complete the campaigns rather quickly. If you're a fan of the multiplayer, you'll get a lot more hours of it. If not, you'll never touch it again.
Fun Factor	8.0	Playing as the Predator is extremely fun. Playing as the Alien makes you extremely dizzy.
Overall	7.9   [ Good ]

Screenshots
All 9 Aliens Vs. Predator Screenshots