Extraterrestrial Homesick Blues (Aliens Versus Predator (PC))

Member Name: MykReeve

Product:	Aliens Versus Predator (PC)
Date:	13/11/00 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very well presented, great graphics, good sound, a fantastic idea

Disadvantages: Not very involving, uninspired missions, monotonous "skirmish" option, limited lastability, disappointing multiplayer options

Aliens Versus Predator was a game that was a long time in development. Suspiciously long. The result is a remarkably average game. I have the Gold Edition of the game, which comes on two discs, oddly only one of which that the game has ever actually asked me for, which begs the question of what comes on the second disc. Well, in case you're curious, it's a CD Audio disc carrying atmospheric "music" to accompany your game play – though it seems odd that the game never tells you this, or recommends that its insertion before play. The first disc contains the game data which, after installation, you need never insert into your CD-ROM drive again.

There are three styles of game play available in the game. The first, is the Single Player mission-based style, this consists of five or six missions for each of the three species; Alien, Predator and Colonial Marine. The second option is the Multiplayer style, which allows game play for several people over a local network, or via modem. However, there is not an option for Internet play – modem play requires one user to host a game, which is then contacted by phone by another gamer. This seems like something of a wasted opportunity, given how good the multiplayer Internet options are in games like the Quake series and Half-Life. The third option for game play is the Skirmish option. In this mode, you select to be either a Predator or a Marine, and you must kill as many Aliens, Predaliens and Praetorians as you can in a fixed period of time. Options allow you to choose which location you want the skirmish to take place in, what weapons you want to be available, and how long you want the skirmish to last.

The actual game play really is wholly unremarkable, really adding spectacularly little to the basic first-person perspective adventure games – most Single Player missions consist of pressing buttons to open doors, and breaking electronic equipment. However, the most interesti
ng aspect of game play, are the differences between the three species that you can choose to be.

Aliens move far more rapidly than Marines and Predators, and can climb up walls and across ceilings. The controls for this are actually surprisingly easy to master, and this is definitely one of the most intriguing aspects of game play as an Alien. Capitalising on this, Alien Single Player missions generally involve tunnels and ventilation ducts. The Alien doesn't carry any weapons however, so is only really good at short-range combat, using its jaws, claws and tail. This means that in order to defeat opponents effectively, the Alien has to adopt a rush-in, attack, and run away combat technique – very different from the Marines and Predators! The Alien also has the option to use two different vision modes, changed between by pressing a key; Hunting Vision is the default vision mode for the alien, and views things from a "fish-eye" perspective. Navigation Vision, makes everything look like a black and white photo negative, and is very useful for travelling through poorly lit areas.

Marines move the slowest of the three species, however, they are equipped with the most powerful weaponry. Also, the Marine has a motion detector (similar to the ones seen in the Alien films) in the corner of the screen at all times, which is very useful for spotting imminent attacks. Marines aren't able to see as far in dark areas as the other species though, and have to use flares to illuminate areas, or use an image intensifier (similar to night vision goggles). However, the image intensifier and the motion detector can't be used simultaneously! Marine weaponry, the availability of which varies from mission to mission, includes pulse rifle, smart gun, flamethrower, grenade launchers, and minigun. Marines are best equipped for mid-range combat, rather than long- or short-range.

Predators are the most resilient of the three species, howev
er this resilience is dependent on the availability of energy, which the Predator uses to power its weaponry, to cloak, and to heal itself. Energy does slowly build up, if it isn't being used for anything. The Predator's ability to cloak is particularly useful for creeping around levels, however it does use up energy very quickly (not that you'd think that to watch the film…!). The Predator is equipped with a vast repertoire of weaponry, some of which is only available in certain missions. The wristblade is always available, and permits effective short-range combat. The speargun is an excellent long-range sniping weapon, but its ammunition is strictly limited. The plasmacaster, the Predator's shoulder cannon, can be used to produce different powers of shots by holding down the fire button for different lengths of time. It also homes in on targets. However, use of the shoulder cannon rapidly uses up the Predator's supply of energy. Other weapons include the pistol and the disc. The medicomp allows the Predator to recover all of its energy by using a large amount of energy. Probably the most interesting feature of Predator game play is the variety of vision modes it offers – the four vision modes are Normal Mode (very similar to normal Marine vision), Human Mode (blue, with humans appearing as heat signatures), Alien Mode (red, with Aliens appearing in stark white relief), and Predator Mode (green, with other Predators clearly visible, and the Predator disc weapon showing up in stark relief, making it easier to retrieve). The Predator is best equipped for long-range combat.

These differences between the species explain what makes the game so interesting. The three species have such different characteristics and abilities that style of game play is different, however, Single Player missions are generally disappointingly uninspiring, making little of the diverse features of game play that the three species' differences offer.
Once the missions are complete, the Skirmish option adds very little to game play – it gets very repetitive very quickly, and so you probably won't want to play it for more than a few minutes of aimless Alien bashing once in a while. On top of this, the Multiplayer option isn’t as good as it could have been, and overall is something of a disappointment – unless you happen to own two machines capable of connection via TCP/IP or serial cable.

Also, in my experience, the control system for the Predator seems somewhat clumsy, with the character having far too much inertia – a light tap to the forward key is enough to propel the Predator a surprisingly long way forward. Needless to say, this is very frustrating when you're trying to negotiate your way along some precarious walkways…! Fortunately, the Alien and Marine control systems seem to be far more responsive.

The Gold Edition comes with five bonus levels for each species, which are only accessible once you have completed all of the conventional Single Player missions. Locations from these other levels can be used in the Skirmish option, but this barely adds much to the game play. The Gold Edition also comes with the Prima Offical Strategy guide to the game, so if you like your games spoilt, and normally buy Prima guides to spoil them for you, you can save yourself £12.99. To be fair to the guide, though, there were a couple of points in the Alien missions that I wasn’t sure where to go next – and the guide prevented me becoming completely frustrated.

Overall, the game seems to have made too little of what is, fundamentally, a superb idea for a game. The differences between the species do provide some interesting diversity in game play, but unfortunately, the experience isn't anything like as involving as most recent first person perspective adventure games, and play soon becomes disappointingly monotonous. Nonetheless, it is very nicel
y presented, and there are three levels of difficulty, so (if you have the time and inclination) you could spend a long time playing through the missions.

Summary: