Aliens vs. Predator

«Aliens vs. Predator, developed in 1999 by Rebellion Developments for PC, is an ambitious attempt to combine the universes of two iconic franchises - Alien and Predator. The game offers a unique experience, allowing players to complete three different campaigns: for Alien, Predator and Marine. This concept was one of the most interesting features of the game, offering different styles of play and approaches to missions, which set it apart from other shooters of the time.

Each of the three campaigns offers its own unique game mechanics so that the player can feel like a representative of each of the three worlds. The player who chose a Stranger received incredible speed, the ability to climb walls and use surprise attacks to fight enemies. The Predator campaign gave players the opportunity to use a diverse arsenal of high-tech weapons and devices, including invisibility and thermal vision. Finally, the Marine campaign offered a more traditional approach to first-person shooters, with an emphasis on firepower and the use of various types of weapons. It's fresh, really fresh.

However, despite the interesting idea, the implementation of the game was not perfect. One of the main problems of "Aliens vs. Predator" was her graphic. Even by the standards of 1999, the visual design looks outdated and "square". The textures turned out to be simple, the surroundings were monotonous, and the character models were angular. This significantly affected the perception of the game, making it visually less attractive and immersive. I remember the game for its dark locations, where sometimes I had to turn the screen illumination settings to the maximum, which also did not have a very good effect on the display. The graphics clearly turned out to be the weak link of this project.

Another difficulty was the passage of the game itself. Some levels were confusing, and often had to spend a lot of time searching for the right path. This aspect was especially noticeable in the campaign for Alien, where a large number of vertical surfaces and invisible walls could easily be confusing. The lack of a clear, let's say, tunnel progress often led to the fact that you had to get stuck in one place, not knowing where to move next. It was frustrating (obscenely) and could spoil the impression of the game (also obscenely).

In addition, the difficulty of the game sometimes seemed unreasonably high, especially in the campaign mode for the Marine. Enemies often appeared suddenly and in large numbers, which made the game extremely stressful and difficult. The inability to save at any time also added points to the total, which negated the impression of the game. I remember when I found out that I had a limited number of saves, I was upset once again (once again swearing). Getting used to more modern and less hardcore games had an effect.

In comparison with the subsequent sequels of the series, "Aliens vs. Predator" from 1999 looks like a more primitive and less polished project. Although the game has laid the groundwork for future sequels, it feels more experimental and raw. Nevertheless, it was significant for its time and offered a unique experience, combining elements of two popular franchises.

As a result, "Aliens vs. Predator" is a good but ambiguous project. The game offers an original concept with three different campaigns. However, the drawbacks in the graphics, the difficulty of navigating the levels and the general hardcore may disappoint some players. Despite its shortcomings, the project remains important in the history of the genre and the franchise, and may be of interest to fans of Alien and Predator, as well as those interested in the history of video games. After all, we must not forget that the toy was released before the diverse crossover films with Aliens and Predators in one frame fell down. And this made the game very interesting and in demand in 1999.

6 out of 10.

With no less than six movies about the two out at the time, and at least one very strong hint towards them meeting, there was plenty of material for this. They certainly also implemented about as much of it as they could... in places, this is a veritable cornucopia of such. Fortunately, they not merely slap this together with a little of this and that... while not as well-crafted as the second, this game is great. It can be frustrating, in part due to the difficulty(and originally, you couldn't even save), which should also be noted isn't entirely even, either... each race does not have the same amount of trouble with their campaign, for example. There are glitches and the like, but not too many, and few that are major. One of its main detractor is really the lack of an overall story-line. It features all three species, and they're fairly well-rounded and equal. Some decisions made to make them so were not the best ones, however... the Predator can come off as something of a tank(not... quite what he's perceived as on the screen), and the Marine(poor guy must have *such* an inferiority complex, never mentioned in a title...) not only has to pick up any gun but the main one(including from one mission to the other) to use it, but several of the ones firing bullets seem to "lock up" sometimes(in both cases, presumably to keep them from becoming too powerful, maybe in particular due to the Alien, with his complete lack of ranged attack; this was improved upon in the sequel). Nevertheless, each is fun to play as, and will usually do a pretty darn reasonable job of emulating the experience of the films. The video-game isn't all that long... the initial task of figuring out where you have to go(this production, if anything, will test your spatial skills, as well as memory) and what to do to complete a given objective or level makes it last more, and a number of unlock-ables will have you going back and replaying. Each of the three will meet the other two, at more than one point in the course of playing. This is perhaps more challenging than atmospheric... not that much build-up is herein. On the other hand, it *is* intense... if this doesn't leave your nerves in shreds, they must be laced with adamantium. There is something of a randomizer within this... whether that's positive or not is really up to the individual players; but from one attempt to the other, the number, weaponry and placement of enemies(and for the last option, also items needed to progress further) may vary, if not every time, and not always that much. The sound isn't bad at all. I haven't said the last about the similarities to the silver screen stories... more or less(but not completely) every piece of the respective arsenals are here, with multiple additions, as well. If you enjoyed Aliens and/or either of the Predator flicks, especially the action(or, really, the horror, too, this actually works marvelously well as both, the genres are achieved well, here), this is good(not to say fantastic) news. A lot of the equipment and abilities are also there(and done nicely much of the time). Vision Modes, the Motion Tracker, Wall-Running and more. I'm afraid I can't claim that they had perfected the last-mentioned at this point... far too often, they seem to stick to stuff(painfully vulnerable, rather literally), and not even only when controlled by a player, which somewhat ruins the illusion and otherwise fine mood of this. At points, the goals and objectives could be more interesting, and stronger defined, but they had to work with two creatures whose goals and values are not made clear. Each side gets one intro/outro-cutscene(each), relatively well-done. You sadly sometimes have to engage in silly routines to make up for the shortcomings. Still, this is worth playing, even after its follow-up. The playing styles differ between the three, possibly best compared to RTS titles with three sides. AI is wildly mixed... and I can't help but feel that it's awful considerably and noticeably more than all that much towards the other end of the spectrum. One thing that simply has got to get described is Skirmish, or the multi-player's Co-op mode; it puts the other two other against an endless stream of Xenomorphs, all controlled by the AI(and the others all humans). This can be a recreation reaching absolutely indescribable heights, and can frequently last for extensive lengths of time, and sometimes ages remarkably well. The humor of this(whether or not it's misplaced is another subjective matter) lies almost exclusively in the bonus elements(the earlier mentioned extras that can be gained in this piece of electronic entertainment). There are bonus levels, earned through finishing the main portion(for each of the three, its missions earned when that... yeah, you get the drift... I hope...?), more of the set total available through the higher the setting you accomplish it on... and these aren't original ones, but more re-used, sometimes backwards, from the other two's collection of such(and let's just say that... some get more mobility than they had earlier, in them). And then there are Cheat Options. These seem to largely, or even altogether, perchance, be things that the creators just found by fiddling around with code and the like, and then put them in this way. They are... well, some are weird, more than one make things easier(mind you, you cannot use them first time), and they are more often than not... well, different, if not always anything else at all. Make sure to see the Target, when the statistics are displayed, if you want these... that's what you're aiming for, what will let you acquire them. Multi-player is sufficient(including the modes), and stable and well-supported. If you want an authentic experience within the fictitious universes, this can be terrific. I recommend this to any fan of either or both franchises, and/or any of the three characters. 7/10

This is one of those rare occasions where you can play the AVP game, and still enjoy it. In my opinion, it was kinda enjoyable, but the bad things is... it sucked for me.

Now, let me explain. The idea to create a new AVP game (even in 1999) was a good thing. The design in the game is good. When it comes to the final look of marines, aliens and predator. Of course, it was taken from the films, so basically, the design from the movies was well adapted into the game. Seriously, the developers did a good job of putting exterior and interior design, which is inspired by the films. The graphics, for 1999, were swell. To mention that Half-Life was released a year earlier, or so, you can clearly see that the graphics are pretty much the same. The sound effects were great and the music score - I think that was the best. A really high-voltage in action sequences with Predator and Marine, and very creepy and atmospheric with Alien. But, that is why I only give it 5 stars.

Here's why it sucked. The controls. The controls are unbearable! When you, for example, run so fast (with all three campaigns), the entire situation of your character becomes uncontrollable. The enemies, sometimes jumps out so fast, so you collide with them first, before you open fire. On occasion, you can't even see who, or from where, is attacking you. Even when you are walking, you basically slip. Yep, the surface is pretty slippery. And when you are running... that's even more terrible. This is one reason to get your frustration high. The next is limited game saving. Why can't I save my game normally? I never found it normal to have limited saving slots. That makes the game intense, sure. But not in the gameplay or atmosphere, but rather in frustrating way that you have to count your saves. And all that while you are moving like a Road Runner on a slippery surface. The atmosphere was not that good. I mentioned that the design is good and well adapted, but when it comes to the switches and buttons, or maybe vent opening that you need to brake to proceed... there were moments when you just can't distinguish one from another. Especially in Alien missions. That was even more frustrating. The game has a lack of story, but I can understand it, in a way. And you can clearly see that the developers wanted to devout themselves to other stuff, but not in the story. It was an older game and maybe, they didn't have enough time, or resources to put a more complex story. The plot, or missions are given in marine (and Predator) missions from a computer screens where you can hear and see your superiors spewing commands and giving you guidance through level. Pretty solid idea, but in all three campaigns , those dudes on screen were such a bad actors, and with their weird accents, it just makes it more funnier.

At least I won't deny that game play is pretty cool with all three campaigns. You really feel like a Predator, or Alien... but not that much. Because sometimes melee attacks, or some of the weapons are bad, the targeting is bad with Predator, for example.

So, to conclude, the game has a lot frustrating moments, and it basically repels you. I remember the first time I tried to play it... I was instantly repelled. But, years later I decided to give it another shot and I beat it. But, I wasn't satisfied enough. So, if you are the fan of the games and movies, this is your thing. But I would rather recommend AVP 2 (2001) and AVP (2010).

Three personalities, three different views, three different ways to kill and to try staying alive. This game delivers excellently what it is about. I won't talk about graphics since I write this in 2018, but generally to sum it up:

There is very little scripted storyline around. You obtain the aim and you are left alone, on your own. This makes you feel lonely and adds strong atmosphere, in very different way for each species.

Predator is true hunter here and loneliness is a must, because each hunter has to prove it can do everything by himself. You start passing through marine base, first with distant kills and as your skills evolve, you will be proudly killing your prey as close as possible. Then you get to alien part and this is true test of survival. I remeber myself first running for my life scared and killed so many times in level 3 while ultimately finding myself waiting for tons of aliens to be killed with my wristblades. There are so many excellent waepons that has each different range and different power and will give you pleasure from killing in many different ways. Hunter is what you are and you wil find a lot of pleasure in this game. Although, you will definitely aim to become excellent wristblade user, because facing your enemy is the ultimate destiny of the predator. The only creature in the game I haven't killed with wristblades is the queen. Now I think... I haven't tried.

Marine is trying to stay alive and this makes him just the most scared out of three when being on his own. Alien as your main enemy is the nightmare but what Marine has is hell a lot of firepower. So many waepons that you can literally keep shooting and screaming and shooting and screaming. Well, watch for ammo... You will learn where to rest and stay and which places are death trap. Marine gets killed easily and the recipe here are your reflexes, knowledge of where to aim and what angles to cover, where to expect complications when to run, when to run and shoot, which place to pick as the best battle arena and the most important, watch what is behind you.

I have left the alien as the last one to describe. This is the last one I have passed and it gives you feeling of lonely animal saving its hive. The most intense is the terror you bring to those you meet. You'll fall in love with darkness, there were parts where I destroyed the lightning and killed in complete darkness, using sounds to terrorize my prey as much as I could, approaching it with final headbite. Do you remeber the scary moment from original alien movie, where nostromo captain is suprised by alien in ducts? This is what you can give your preys. You'll love to hide, you will love to bite, you will love to make terror, scare enemies with the sound of the alien presence and welcome them with darkness. Out of all alien games, this one is the best, never alien campaign was made that intense and interesting.

This is the best balanced AVP game I have ever played with all three characters feeling like "them". Classics which - I am afraid - will never be repeated, just like noone repeated what original Alien or original Predator movie was about. But this is exactly why the game is called exceptional, isn't it?

Obviously a lot of love and work went into this game, so it's not easy to diss it. Still, compare the gameplay of this FPS to any modern FPS and it'll leave you hollow.

A valiant effort, and honestly, kinda fun for a while. It'll be more fun for the roleplaying aspect than gaming.

It is crippled by an inflexible and cumbersome multiplayer system (you have to go to some third party gamer site) and probably limited in various ways by myopic gamer company exec's numbskull ideas (e.g. "Let's make it so you can't save your game! It'll add to the 'pain' of dying!")

If yer bound and determined to buy it, get the Gold Edition, or better yet, wait for the sequel, which should be coming out Real Soon Now.