Aliens vs. Predator – The MMOMFG Review

Aliens vs. Predator

With roots in two entirely separate science fiction IPs spawned decades ago, the life cycle of the Aliens vs. Predator IP has been riddled with cross-platform twists and turns. Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror flick kicked off the Alien series, while the Predator franchise started with John McTiernan’s 1987 action title. A Dark Horse comic series in the late 80s converged the two fictions and with them two cult followings. A video game was on shelves by ’99 and Hollywood caught on with AvP films in ’04 and ’07.

With such a lengthy history, you’d think a 2010 AvP video game would have much to live up to.  The truth of the matter is that much of that history is made up of camp, hole-ridden plotlines, and just-for-the-sake-of-it levels of gore. This month’s Alien vs. Predator FPS lives up to this not-very-high standard, and here’s how.

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What’s Good

Turn the lights back on – The Colonial Marine experience in Aliens vs. Predator is enjoyably scary. A genuinely frightening atmosphere seems easily created by Rebellion, whether your marine is fighting his way through a bug hole crawling with aliens or combing the dark halls of a marine base.

Where the wild parties are – The multiplayer component of AvP is truly the title’s biggest draw. This shooter does multiplayer right, with creative and interesting modes like Predator Hunt and Infestation. Species Deathmatch and Survivor are games that simply can’t be missed.

Aliens was the best movie anyways – The Colonial Marine campaign feels like you’re playing through a video game version of Aliens, James Cameron’s epic sequel to the original Alien movie. Starting with the sounds of firing a Pulse Rifle and the beeping radar, certain key elements are represented exactly as they are in the flick. Aliens is one of my favorite movies of all time, and AvP’s human campaign reminded me of that with every step.

You’re crazy, but I like that – AvP’s controls are complicated, and include a bit of a learning curve. But I’ll be damned, I really dig ‘em. While most shooters pit players with similar or identical abilities against each other, AvP is far from it. The far-ranging differences between Marines, Xenos, and Predators calls for a more complicated system of attacks, blocks, and counters. Some have bashed this systems, but I’m down with it.

Ooh, a spine? I’ll take that – The sheer death-dealing power of the Xenomorphs and the Predators is ridiculous. Whether you’re a Predator distracting a marine away from his patrol so you can blow him to pieces with your shoulder cannon or an alien sneaking up on a straggler and kindly sticking your tail through his eye socket, killing marines can be addicting.

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What’s Bad

I knew a girl this shallow once – Don’t expect a very deep experience from AvP. None of the single player campaigns for the three races include much meaningful narrative value. On top of that, both the Alien and Predator campaigns are entirely too short. This shows how the game’s creators weren’t looking to spin a new tale in the AvP universe as much as they were trying to re-create the experiences of the movies in video game form.

This is fun, but give me a real reason – The fact that the Alien and Predator campaigns are practically void of narrative motivation is a real bummer for me. I thrive off a good story and was really looking forward to a the non-Marine perspective. These other races are true killers, but they are empty characters in the end.

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Worth Remembering

For me, a good round of Survivor or Species Deathmatch with two to three friends can’t be beat. Not many multiplayer FPS experiences beat standing shoulder to shoulder with your friends mowing down an incoming wave of aliens.

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Worth Forgetting

Where’s Bill Paxton? The Marine campaign had me reminiscing on Aliens so much I expected Bill Paxton to pop up and drop a “Game over, man!” every time I died. But he didn’t. And a glorious opportunity at relevant comic relief was wasted.

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In AvP I have found an addictive and fun shooter with core elements delivering a shallow, yet nostalgic, single player experience alongside a robust multiplayer mode. In the end, I’ve had a ton of fun playing through the title and will continue to do so. Perhaps that’s all that should count. Regardless, this franchise has a cult following, and a big part of me thinks that following should feel satisfied with this latest addition to the AvP canon. I think it stands up to the level of quality demanded by the franchise…because those demands aren’t too high. AvP the game may feel a bit empty in the end, but didn’t the AvP movies feel the same way?

*This title was purchased for review on the XBox 360 console. All images are property of SEGA

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