Aliens vs. Predator Review
By Gaetano Prestia
The Alien and Predator movie franchises are two of the most popular and successful sci-fi series’ ever. Their fusion of horror and action, as well as memorable heroes and villains, make for exceptionally good viewing. Their combination to make the incredibly appealing Aliens vs. Predator franchise has provided us with a wide range comic book series’, toys and games and unfortunately for the movie-going public, two very bad movies. The two Alien vs. Predator movies were so bad in fact, that everything that has come out of the franchise since has been met with unprecedented skepticism, including Rebellion’s latest cross-platform option for gamers in Aliens vs. Predator. While this latest offering in the wounded series offers a lengthy campaign and some original gameplay elements, it’s yet another bump in the round for the once cherished rivalry.
The appeal is definitely there with Aliens vs. Predator; there’s plenty of Aliens and there’s a stack of Predators. There’s also a whole bunch of vulnerable marine soldiers packing plenty of heat to take both of them down. You’d think that in this day and age the very concept of two of the most sinister, violent and terrifying antagonist in science-fiction history going up against marine soldiers with plenty of fire power would make for an amazing gaming experience. The truth is that yeah, Aliens vs. Predator has its moments. There will be times when playing this game when you’ll be on the edge of your seat, anticipating the next corner and readying yourself for what’s ahead. The thrill of both the Alien and Predator franchises is intact for the most part, but you will probably still feel like it’s missing something. What it comes down to is that the overall experience lacks that “wow” factor so many of us know the brand has the potential to offer.
There are three campaigns in Aliens vs. Predator; one as the Aliens, one as the Predators and one as the marines. The first two have an incredibly steep learning curve and are not easy to grasp first time round, so starting off with the FPS experience the marine campaign offers is wise so as to get used to the controls and environments. Fans of the Alien movies will notice small references, such as the sounds of weapons and tools. Unfortunately, that “coolness” factor is probably the only memorable thing about the entire campaign. You’ll have some fun, no doubt, but it’s just a simple and generic FPS experience. Nothing really stands out throughout the entire experience, which is kind of disappointing. They’ll be moments when you might forget you’re actually playing an Aliens vs. Predator game, which isn’t a good sign.
The marine campaign will introduce you to the melee options, which essentially make up the Alien and Predator campaigns. You’d be forgiven for thinking both would offer a far more original and exciting experience and in some instances they very much do. However, for the most part, the melee gameplay is pretty poor. Rebellion would have been better off making both campaigns third-person action as opposed to firs-person, as they have quite clearly missed the boat when it comes to offering a fun experience. Controlling an Alien should be a hell of a lot more memorable than what this game offers, and the Predator’s just don’t feel as deadly and intelligent as they should be. The wonky camera and lock-on systems don’t help much either.
However, things aren’t all bad. For one, the Aliens actually move as you expect them too (beyond the melee controls). They are blisteringly fast and can move up and down walls and along the ceiling. If you’re able to perfect the melee controls, you can be incredibly devastating as an Alien. When comparing both the Aliens and Predator, it’s evident that the former has been far more accurately portrayed on the movement front.
As for the Predator, the focus is stealth, no matter how violent or intelligent the being might be. If you know anything about the Predator, you’ll know that stealth is actually one of its key attributes, and that’s fine, but in a game like this, it just feels like the over-saturation and focus on it takes away a bit of the fun factor. There’ll be moments when you can attack at will and go crazy, but the Predator still feels unbalanced. This is only further evident through its one-hit-kill with the combo stick, which actually takes the combat overboard: it goes from one extreme to the other with no in-between.
If the FPS and melee mechanics had been smoothed out and mixed up, the single-player experience could have been far more memorable. Rebellion may have hit the nail on the head when it comes to how the actual campaigns play out (marines are hunted, Predators are hunting and Aliens fight for supremacy), but it’s ultimately the lacking gameplay that brings it down.
Thankfully, the multiplayer offering is quite superb. There is a four-player co-op mode across two maps, as well as six modes with six maps. The modes themselves are actually quite inventive and don’t stray too far away from the source material: you can play as an Alien with the aim of infecting humans, or play as a Predator and hunt them down. It can be tough finding a full 18-player game, but when you do, things can get pretty intense and really, really fun.
The Survival mode has you alongside three friends in a Hoard-like mode against a never-ending stream of Aliens. It’s great fun, but is limited to only two maps with the standard edition of the game.
There are some downsides in the multiplayer though. Firstly, you cannot upgrade your player’s skills. At all. The only rewards you get are skins, so that takes away a lot of the multiplayer's overall worth. Secondly, the game completely quits if the host quits. That is noticeably bad, especially if you’re kicking butt and then suddenly the game is over before you get to finish everyone off.
Aliens vs. Predator has a rather inconsistent graphical presentation. The marine campaign looks great as you move through poorly lit areas, and Rebellion have done a great job in creating tight and suspenseful spaces. But the Predator levels look terrible in some parts. It’s only when you take part in that campaign that you see the game in its full light, riddled with poor textures and a frame-rate that dips constantly down to 30 frames per second.
The presentation also takes a hit on the audio front. The sound effects are fantastic and very memorable to each franchise, but the voice acting is terrible. Lance Henriksen as Weyland is great, though.
The Final Verdict
Aliens vs. Predator could have been a great game. For however many positives it seems to have, it seems to have twice as many negatives. The single-player experience can be fun in some areas, but it lacks overall originality, especially in the marine campaign. The melee-focused and stealth-focused gameplay of the Alien and Predator campaigns respectively have too much of a steep learning curve, and beyond some nostalgic moments throughout the single-player experience that should please fans of both franchises, the experience is lacking. Thankfully, the multiplayer makes up for a lot of the game’s downfalls, offering a very enjoyable experience, although the lack of upgrading skills is a major letdown.
Gameplay
6.5
It could have been a lot better. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great, either. It’s just good in some parts and then dull in others. The multiplayer makes this worth trying.
Graphics
5.0
Impressive art designs.
Barely a pass. Besides the eerie sensation when playing the marine campaign, the overall package is lacking in the graphical department.
Sound
7.0
The voice acting is shocking, but the sound effects and soundtrack are both great.
Value
7.5
The single-player might be appealing to some, especially considering it has three separate campaigns. Then you have the multiplayer, which is fine, but lacks depth. If you can get beyond the at-times frustrating melee of the Aliens, you can get a lot of play-time out of this title.
Overall
6.7
A score between 6.7 and 7.2 can represent a title with an even number of good and bad things. It may do some things really well, but may also do other things really poorly. It may have one exceptionally fantastic aspect, but too many minor problems that affect the experience.