Can Rebellion breathe new life into the AvP franchise?
Aliens vs. Predator is the latest in the AVP franchise and it’s been a while since the last game, has the series gone stale or is there still room for these rivals to tear each other apart? Well, this iteration sits somewhere in the middle…
AVP lets you control 3 species; the Colonial Marine, the Predator and the Alien who each have their own campaign. The Marine handles like a standard FPS, while the Predator handles like a melee fighter like the combat mechanic of Condemned, but the Alien can traverse any surface with a lot of agility and can add a layer of stealth as you hunt your prey.
The Marine’s story is an incredible fight against the odds, and the horrors lurking in the dark. Beset on all sides yet armed to the teeth, the Colonial Marine represents humanity’s last stand with the firepower to fight back.
As the Alien, players will discover what it’s like to be the most murderous and lethal creature in the universe, with the ability to traverse any surface with awesome agility in order to get close enough to unleash its deadly teeth and claws.
A master of the hunt, the Predator grants the player a suite of exotic weaponry and equipment with which to stalk its unknowing prey. Earn the greatest honour by ambushing prey up-close and butchering them for a gory trophy kill.
There are a number of gameplay issues that hold back the game. For example, the controls for the Alien are a mess and it ends up being too fast for you to manoeuvre, also climbing walls can be awkward. The Marine’s campaign has a dark atmosphere but the action never quite matches it, so in the end the best campaign has to be the Predator’s. Although to be honest, it seems like each campaign felt more like an afterthought and there wasn’t as big a focus on that than the multiplayer component.
Multiplayer seems to be the strong point of this version of AVP. It is interesting to see these 3 species go head-to-head online and it is enjoyable, but it’s hardly groundbreaking stuff…which might disappoint long-time fans of the series wanting something new. Online can have a great lifespan, but it depends on how long your attention span is, because everything becomes familiar quickly and repetitiveness kicks in.
Fans of the films will enjoy the detail done to the universe of both Alien and Predator, which stays true but adds some new content that they will enjoy. I don’t think they will enjoy the fact that the campaigns are far too short and sadly, very forgettable…even if it does have Lance Henriksen reprising his role as Bishop. Visually, the game is a mixed bag…character models of the Alien and Predator are damn impressive, but the rest of the game looks distinctively average.
The Verdict
Aliens vs. Predator is a good game, it just doesn’t set the world on fire like it should have. I had high hopes for it and sadly they were quashed by 3 forgettable and awkward campaigns, clunky controls for the Alien and a multiplayer that although great, becomes repetitive quickly.
