Predator

• Release Date: 1987
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Platform Shooter
• Similar Games: RoboCop (Nintendo Entertainment System), RoboCop (Arcade), RoboCop (Game Boy), RoboCop (Commodore 64/128), RoboCop (Atari ST)

Game Description

Playing the part of Major Dutch Schaefer you have been recruited by the CIA to go to Central America and help a squad of other recruits to free hostages who are being held by guerilla fighters. Once you arrive in Central America it becomes apparent that another force is at work, one that skins humans and takes their skulls.

Predator does not begin at the same point as the movie. When the game begins, your squad has already been eliminated by the Predator and it is now stalking you. There are a total of 30 screens to make your way through all while confronting the Predator, avoiding its sniper shots, and fending off guerilla fighters. Only one main weapon can be carried at a time; available weapons include rifles, machine guns, and flamethrowers.

Review: Overall

Predator the movie primarily consisted of a two-man battle but in order to make a game of it more enemies needed to be added. Although the main enemy is the Predator, you will primarily be battling guerilla fighters.

Each screen moves at your own pace although there is a time limit. To complete a level players need to proceed all the way to the right. Players can also move up and down along the main path. Enemies pop out of the ground, from behind trees, and in windows of small buildings. Some of them, mainly those behind trees, can be difficult to hit. However, you do not need to take out every enemy in order to advance. The primary objective is survival, not kill everything in your path.

While the game is your typical side-scrolling action game it does add originality in the form of the Predator. At various times cross-hairs will begin moving across the screen attempting to pick you off. When the triangle cross-hair appears the whole screen will change colors acting as if you are watching yourself through the eyes of the Predator, a creature with heat sensitive vision. This is a great feature, it brings the appeal of the movie to the game. One thing that would have been nice is if the Predator would also eliminate guerilla fighters, unfortunately it ignores them.

Being able to carry more than one weapon at a time would have been useful too as running out of ammunition can seal your fate. Punching and kicking your way to the next weapon just won't cut it when everyone else has guns. Weapons and cache boxes are laying around so finding a new weapon or more ammunition does not take too long.

Controls consist of the basics. Shooting and tossing grenades is simple enough. Punching and kicking only occurs when a player is not holding a weapon. One perplexing design choice is having separate controls for punching with your left hand and punching with your right hand. Neither does more damage than the other so there is no reason to use one hand over the other.

Graphics are not crisp but they look good for this game. Since the action takes place in a jungle all of the screens look basically the same. When the action switches to the Predator's vision the screen becomes darker and a sound effect sets the mood. The sound effect is a low humming noise similar to that of the movie.

Overall Predator is a standard action game that makes good use of its movie license. The game also keeps track of the high scores even after being turned off.

Review: Enjoyment

The action is repetitive but you will keep playing in anticipation of being able to destroy the Predator.

Review: Graphics

Projects the feeling of being in a jungle.

Review: Sound

Could use some better gunfire and explosion effects.

Review: Replay Value

Fun for a while, no reason to keep playing once you win the game.

Review: Documentation

Too short. They could have included some things about the movie but they didn't.

Production Credits