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Aliens versus Predator

 
Games: Aliens Versus Predator
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Aliens Versus Predator
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Game Description

Aliens Versus Predator focuses on three separate species: the Colonial Marines, the Aliens and the Predators. Each species is playable and offers significantly different strengths, weapons, physical abilities and objectives. Players will also find that each species "sees" the world differently.

Aliens Versus Predator contains over 40 different environmental levels including spaceships, alien temples and underground caverns. Furthermore, all environments in the game can be deformed. A flamethrower will leave a thick black scorch on any surface you blast while the pulse rifle leaves holes in the walls. Throw a grenade in the water and watch the splash. Don't like that light? Shoot it out and plunge the corridor into inky black darkness.

For the multi-player enthusiast, Aliens Versus Predator offers ten multi-player modes including Species War, Co-Op, Deathmatch, Tag and more. In single-play mode, enemies stalk you from their randomized positions, sometimes fleeing to acquire more assistance or using all their racial assets to thwart you.

For your aural pleasure, the CD comes with a full complement of cinematic sounds and support for Creative Labs' Environmental Audio Extensions through the SoundBlaster Live! card.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Rebellion is the creation of brothers Jason Kingsley and Chris Kingsley. Originally they developed games for the Atari Jaguar and they first introduced Alien vs. Predator in October 1994, a first-person 3D shooter based on the two major movie licenses.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Walking down the hallway, you suppress a chill as you nervously adjust the grip on your weapon. A small bead of sweat trickles down the side of your face. Taking small cautious footsteps, you continue down the corridor, lit only by the flickering red hue of the emergency backup lights.

Beep.

A sound, reminiscent of a dozen people tapping fingernails on metal, echoes throughout the corridor. Behind, beside, above. Warily, you follow it with your gun. The bead of sweat becomes a river.

Beep. Beep.

The monitor picks it up -- a life form, approaching quickly. The arm sweeps a full 360, updating the creatures location. Your breathing becomes hasty. The fingernails become a nail gun on sheet metal; the torturous melody assails you from everywhere. Where is it?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

You retreat involuntarily until you feel the cool surface of the wall behind you. Your senses in overdrive, you wildly scan from side to side for the creature. Silence. For a moment, you think you're safe and begin to advance once more.

Beep.

Death comes from above, strong alien jaws closing around your head as you are raked by claws.

Game over, man.

It is by no means an exaggeration to hail this as a fantastic title for either the "uninitiated" in the Aliens or Predator universes (heck, I haven't even seen Predator yet) or die-hard fans. The mood is superb with the lighting and ambient sounds keeping you on edge. As a marine, you really do feel vulnerable and alone. As an Alien or the Predator, you are the ferocious hunter.

In Aliens versus Predator, you don't just play a Marine, Alien or Predator. You ARE a Marine, Alien or Predator. You must think like one to survive. One of the most alluring qualities of the game is the fact that you get to play all three races. Run headstrong into a group of Marines as an Alien and death will most definitely be swift. Stick to the vents and drop down on the hapless grunts and you're assured an easy kill. Hesitate as a Marine and that Alien is looking at a soldier sandwich. Waltz about in visible form as the Predator and rest assured you will be the prey in no time. It is this "racial" thinking that will keep you alive. If you're an Alien, why scurry along the floor when you can climb sheer walls? Each race must exploit its strengths and minimize weaknesses to survive.

Aliens Versus Predator is yet another contender among several Alien/Marine skirmish titles. While the Atari Jaguar boasted Aliens Versus Predator years ago as a title, Rebellion, maker of both Jaguar and PC versions, has evolved the Jaguar title into the great looking, edge-of-the-seat action available for the !PC. As well, Gamestorm's Aliens Online is a far cry from the experience you'll receive as a Marine or Alien in Aliens versus Predator.

I recommend this title to fans of both the movies and the first-person shooter genre. Aliens versus Predator is essentially three games in one. Personally, I found the Alien aspect to be my favorite. The Alien has a very wide view and can easily scan a large room, climb the walls and drop down on prey from above. The versatility of the Alien is exceptional as it can cling to any surface, destroy enemies with a swipe of claw or tail or with a gigantic (life-restoring) chomp. The one major downfall of the Alien is its complete lack of defense. More than once, a nondescript single marine with an automatic weapon destroyed me in seconds.

The Marine and Predator both have the "toys" that power gamers will love, especially the Predator with his "heat vision," sniper zoom option and cloaking device. In multi-player matches, the Predator seems to be the popular choice, mostly for his exceptional defense and stunning offense. I, being a fast-twitch gamer, still choose the Alien and run circles around either Marine or Predator opponents.

Some may consider the game saving feature to be Aliens versus Predator's biggest downfall. I can definitely empathize and agree with players who were frustrated with not being able to save when they want. I spoke with Chris Miller, Associate Producer of Aliens versus Predator, and was told the main reason for the lack of a save feature was randomization. Miller went on to explain that in the game, all the creatures are randomly placed throughout the level. If players were to save and then reload, the element of suspense that is so instrumental in creating that "hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your neck" feeling would cease to exist. However, I think if players want to keep it random and unpredictable, they are welcome to save between levels as per the developer's plans. The response to the lack of a save feature was so negative that Fox Interactive will be releasing a patch in the very near future at www.foxinteractive.com/.

The bottom line? While Aliens versus Predator offers an immersive (and sometimes nerve-wracking) experience, it is altogether too short a game in the single player version and does not offer any exceptional ground breaking features. Mind you, it is still a fantastic title worth your money -- it's just not a step forward in the evolution of first person shooters.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

The no-save during the level feature left me seriously disappointed. I enjoyed playing the Alien aspect and when, after 35 minutes in the same level, I was gunned down suddenly and had to begin again, I just exited the game and left frustrated. Otherwise, the game redeemed itself with the immersive environment.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Fantastic, immersive graphics! The Predator's heat view and the different ways the various species see the same environment are impressive. The dynamic lighting really helped the graphics be as great as they are.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Unfortunately, despite the decent sound effects, I was left frustrated with a crackling sound on my Monster Sound MX300 that I was unable to get rid of.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

The lack of a save-game feature really cut down on my willingness to play the game again. After getting through some levels, I was glad I'd never ever have to do it again. Not sure if I'd want to.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

Fantastic manuals! Very informative! In fact, the game box was packed with all sorts of information. Online documentation is lacking and the web site is mostly just an advertisement.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Production Credits

FOX INTERACTIVE Producer: David Stalker; Associate Producer: Chris Miller; Music Composition: Rich Ragsdale; Sound Effects: Jered C. Miller; Voice Talent (Male Colonial Marine): Michael Blanchard ; Voice Talent (Voice of Mother): Becky Kneubuhl; QA Manager: Mike Schneider; QA Lead: Aaron Blean; QA: Seth Roth, Ken Anderson, Eric Asevo, Pete Cesario, Ryan Dowling, Michael Dunn, Tim Hall, Rod Jung, Igor Krinitskiy, Red Magpantay, Paul Pawlicki, Harish Rao, Tim Ramage, Nick Stecher, Sweet Billy, Jeff Tatman, Tim Tran, Sung Yoo; Special Thanks: Mike Arkin, Alan Adler, Priscilla Bourbonnais, Mark Dawson, Simon Etchells, Ellen Gameral, Andrea Griffiths, Michele Macklis, Scott D. Marcus, Paul Provenzano, Jon Richmond, Jamie Samson, Dave Shaw, Brian Thomas, Melissa Totten; To The Folks That Made the Movies: James Cameron, H.R. Giger, Elliott Goldenthal, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, John McTiernan, Ridley Scott, Stan Winston; REBELLION DEVELOPMENTS, LTD.; Creative Director: Jason Kingsley; Technical Director: Chris Kingsley; Producer & Lead Artist: Alastair Halsby; Engine Code & Lead Programmer: Kevin Lea; Network Code-Tools: Richard Rice; AI Programmer: Chris Fox; Programming (Sound): Dave Wall; Programming (Tools): Jake Hotson; Programming (AI): Alex Thompson; Art Design: Julian Breddy, Ed Cookson, Al Halsby, Tim Jones; Additional Art: Ken Turner. Matthew Riordan, Adam Comiskey, Kevin Lea; Male Voice Talent: Julian Breddy, Ken Turner, Dominic Jeffrey; Female Voice Talent: April Chung, Nadia Cocklin; Lead Animators & Character Design: Ken Turner; Additional Animation: Adam Comiskey; Character Art: Al Halsby, Tim Jones, Julian Breddy; Sound: Ed Cookson; Additional Sound: Tim Jones, Will Davies, Al Halsby; Thanks To: Jessica Sharp, Patrick Dickinson, George Launchbury, Roxby Hartley, Jake Hempson, John Bryden, Andy Nixon, Shelagh Lewins, Luke Harman, Dan Mitchell, Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, Sophie Mobbs, Bernard H. Wood, Ian Tuttle, Paul Topping; MONDO MEDIA Art Director: Marco Bertoldo; Producer: Liz Stuart; Senior Producer: Vivian Barad; 3D Artists: Brittnell Anderson, Robert Jeffery, Kelley Lamsens, Jeanne Littooy, Manuel Marquez, Art Matsuura; Storyboard Artist: Rhode Montijo; ADDITIONAL CREDITS Live Action Video (FMVs) Director: Chris Miller; Cast: Shannon Black, Craig Kirkwood Jr., Aaron Jean Mendelson; Camera, Lighting and Sound: TM Productions; More Folks Who Supplied Equipment: Tim Goodwin
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
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Wikipedia: Aliens versus Predator (video game)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
This is about the computer game, for other video games, see List of Alien and Predator games
Aliens versus Predator
Windows cover
Developer(s) Rebellion Developments
Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment, Fox Interactive
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Game Boy Advance (cancelled)[1]
Release date(s) 1999
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: M (Mature)
USK: Not free for minors
OFLC: MA15+
Media 1 CD-ROM + 1 CD-Audio
System requirements 200 MHz CPU, 32 MB RAM, DirectX 6.0, 64 MB available hard disk space, Windows 98
Input methods Keyboard, mouse

Aliens versus Predator is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Sierra On-Line, Inc. for PC and Apple Macintosh computers in 1999. It is based on the Alien and Predator media franchises and the crossover Alien vs. Predator franchise.[1] It was unofficially ported to Linux in 2001 and Xbox in 2009, following Rebellion's public release of the game's source code. A sequel, Aliens versus Predator 2, was developed by Monolith Productions and released by Sierra in 2001.

Contents

Gameplay

Like the 1994 Alien vs Predator game for the Atari Jaguar, Aliens versus Predator offers three separate campaigns, each playable as a separate species: Alien, Predator, or human Colonial Marine.[2] Each player character has different objectives, abilities, and weapons. The single-player campaign presents the player with a conventional series of levels to progress through that are designed around the abilities of each character.

As the Colonial Marine the player uses a number of weapons to combat Aliens and Predators. The marine wears armor for protection and uses an image intensifier and flares to improve visibility in dark areas.

When playing as the Predator the player uses a variety of weapons from the Predator films such as wrist blades, a throwing disc, and shoulder-mounted energy weapons. The Predator is the most durable of the three player characters and can survive falls from greater heights than the human. The player can use a cloaking device to become invisible and several different modes of vision to detect enemies, including an infrared vision mode and a mode sensitive to electrical systems.

As an Alien the player can explore most of the game's environments freely, even climbing across walls and ceilings. The Alien has no weapons, however, using its claws, tail, and jaws to attack enemies. The screen is distorted into a fisheye lens effect to reflect the Alien's field of view. The player can also use a form of echolocation in dark areas and can detect pheromones to discern human or Predator enemies. The Alien can drop from any height without injury and is the fastest of the three player characters.

Story

The storylines of the three player characters are independent of one another. As an Alien the player must defend the Alien hive from human marines, then stow away on an evacuating spacecraft and reach the marines' ship, the Ferarco. When the Ferarco's self-destruct system is activated, the player must reach the escape shuttle, which takes them to Gateway Station. Here the player explores the station and battles more marines, reaching a ship departing for Earth. Before boarding the ship the player battles two Predators, after which the Alien enters the Earth-bound shuttle.

When playing as the Colonial Marine, the player begins at a research station on LV-426 built to study the derelict spacecraft where the Nostromo crew first encountered the Alien eggs in the film Alien (1979). Aliens attack and the player must fight their way through the research facility, the derelict ship, and an adjoining colony. Next the player explores the atmosphere processing station and shuts down its cooling valves in order to cause an explosion which will wipe out the Aliens. The player character escapes in a dropship and travels to Odobenus Station in orbit above the planetoid, where they battle more Aliens, Predators, facehuggers, and cybernetically-enhanced Aliens until reaching the spaceship Tyrargo. Aboard the ship the player battles more enemies including an Alien/Predator hybrid and "praetorian" Aliens. The player then battles an Alien queen, defeating it by expelling it through the airlock.

The Predator character's storyline visits three different planets, beginning with the player hunting marines in order to recover a captured Predator ship and its occupant from a human military base. Aliens are accidentally released in the base and the player discovers that the humans have created an Alien/Predator hybrid by implanting the captured Predator with an Alien embryo. The player defeats the hybrid, triggers the facility's self-destruct mechanism, and escapes in the Predator ship. The player next visits Fiorina "Fury" 161, the prison planet that is the setting of Alien 3 (1992), where more Aliens and marines are battled. Finally the player visits a marine-controlled Alien habitat, battling cybernetically-enhanced Aliens, "praetorian" Aliens, and finally the Alien queen.

Additional features

Several bonus levels allow each player character access to portions of the missions of the other characters. To allow the marine and Predator characters to traverse through the areas of the Alien missions, the player is supplied with a jet pack for the marine and a grappling hook for the Predator.

A number of other unlockable game modes are hidden throughout the game. These include "supergore mode" in which much more blood is emitted from wounds, "pigsticker mode" in which the Predator's speargun has a much higher rate of fire, "John Woo mode" in which the in-game action slows down when there is more on-screen activity, and "sniper munch mode" in which the Alien can perform its jaw attack from any distance.

Gold Edition

A "Gold Edition" of Aliens versus Predator was released in 2000. This edition adds two new weapons, a savegame feature, some more stages for multi-player, though the number of stages in Single Player campaigns remains the same as the original game. It also includes sixteen multiplayer maps, the "Millennium Add-on Pack", and a strategy guide.[citation needed]

Reception

The game was very well received by critics. The game received an "impressive" 8 out of 10 on IGN, being praised for allowing you to play three different characters, each with a unique game-play element, and for being "fun and terrifying at the same time".[2] GamePro reviewed the game 4 out of 5, citing the lack of a save feature as a major flaw, but praising the "splendid graphics, perfect sound effects, multiple vision modes, and ambiance" and citing it as "the most frightening game since Half-Life".[3]. The Adrenaline Vault gave the game 4 out of 5, citing the lack of depth in the story as a major flaw but praising the immersive atmosphere describing a moment of being attacked by a facehugger in the game as being "in these moments...the greatest game I had ever played".[1] Inside Mac Games website gave the game another 8 star rating.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Laprad, David (1999-06-09). "Aliens vs. Predator Review". AVault. http://www.avault.com/reviews/pc/aliens-vs-predator/. Retrieved 2008-10-23. 
  2. ^ a b Blevins, Tal (1999-06-11). "Aliens vs. Predator Review". IGN. http://pc.ign.com/articles/153/153952p1.html. Retrieved 2008-10-23. 
  3. ^ Strauch, Joel (2000-11-24). "Aliens vs. Predator Review". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/648/aliens-vs-predator/. Retrieved 2008-10-23. 
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