From now on, every time some casual gaming type tells us that graphics aren't important and they can get by with blurry, indistinct visuals, we're going to point them in the direction of Aliens vs. Predator.
There have been Aliens games on past generations of consoles, but it's only in this first arrival on Xbox 360 that the lithe, glistening horror of Giger's creations can be adequately represented.
Developer Rebellion clearly knows the universe inside out, and has nailed the tone and style of the films - gritty, dirty sci-fi at its very best. AvP isn't the prettiest game, but it has moments of striking scale and subtle detail that make it one of the more atmospheric.
While early in the Marine campaign you'll be facing Aliens in industrial corridors, in the jungle you cross paths with the Predators who thrive in more open environments.
Similarly, these technologically advanced killers are pitch-perfect, and squaring up to one of them in a multi-levelled arena is as exhilarating as you'd expect.
While the narrative scenes impress, AvP excels at set-pieces that occur during the levels themselves - whether they are straightforward scares or cinematic action sequences, such as frantically holding off a wave of Aliens until an elevator arrives.
WEAKEST LINK
There's a reason we haven't mentioned the Alien or Predator campaigns yet - they're just not as good.
The Alien is by far the weakest of the three, simply because it's difficult to fashion a narrative around what is essentially an oversized, mindless insect.
That motivation that drives you through the Marine portion disappears, and it's just a case of offing Marines and Predators as messily as you can muster. There's also a certain clumsiness to it: you have to physically throw yourself at the enemy to kill them, which from a first-person perspective can be confusing, and often fatal if they sidestep your lunge.
The Predator campaign is somewhere between the two. There's a stronger storyline, and the inclusion of ranged weaponry gives you more in the way of options when approaching a collection of heavily armed Marines.
Of course, if you're being mobbed by Aliens, who aren't fooled by your fancy cloaking technology, you're still going to need to get your wristblades dirty. If anything, it's harder to stick the Aliens and come away unscathed than any of the other threats in the game.
Infestation sees all but one of the players begin as Marines, with the remaining player as the first Alien. From then on, every Marine killed comes back as an Alien, so what begins as a tense stand-off quickly becomes a massacre.
Then there's Predator Hunt, where the only way to score is to kill people as the Predator, and the only way to become the seven-foot tall scaly assassin is to kill the player who currently controls him.
AvP is a nerve-shredding rollercoaster of a game and fans of the films will be more than satisfied with the reverence with which Rebellion has built the world, characters and weaponry. However, we can't help but wonder if the traditional structure should have been abandoned for a lengthier stint as the Marine.
Nevertheless, AvP is well worth your time and, with the unique online offering as well, there's plenty to get your teeth, claws and wristblades into.
This is an abridged version of OXM's full review. To read that, pick up the magazine in stores - or head over to the official website.
Comments
19 comments so far...
Skill_Machine on 17 Feb '10 said:
This game looks so awesome and i cant wait for friday when my pre-ordered one arrives.
I really hate all those people who say that cause the demo looks bad and i doesnt work properly they are cancelling their pre-orders or not going to buy it anymore, First of all at the start of the demo it clearly says "This is based on pre-release code and does not reflect the quality of the final product" - basically that means that the graphics will be better on the real game and so will the gameplay, Secondly its not their fault the demo broke and they fixed it fast on pc and released a better demo on ps3 with better options.
Cant wait
blitzpoisonpunk on 17 Feb '10 said:
I've nearly finished with the marine and alien campaign and im on the 4th mission of the predator campaign, its an awesome game and playing as a marine is a pretty hardcore experience, and I appreciate what they've tried to do with the alien and predator story with the whole "raised in a lab and branded" for alien, but theres little to it, luckily despite the lack of detail in the alien and predator campaign being able to eat a hole in someones head and pull out a human spine more than makes up for it
MPH on 17 Feb '10 said:
It wasn't their fault the demo broke? I didn't know this. Have you got a link to this info just to satisfy my curiousity?
I've got the game pre-ordered too from Shopto... it's already in the post
The_KFD_Case on 17 Feb '10 said:
Hmm. I'm not sold and I'm glad I canceled my pre-order some time ago. Sounds like Rebellion did a better job than some of us had feared given some of their more recent outings (ex. "Shellshock 2" and "Rogue Warrior" ). Good for them, however requiring online registration to Steam is a deal breaker and thus I will not be buying this for the PC. I have no interest in playing a FPS game on my Xbox 360 when it's available for the PC and its superior controls (which brings us back to the Steam issue ad infinitum).
DevilsNeverCry on 17 Feb '10 said:
Totally agree with skill machine.
Game looks awesome and plays awesome (from the demo).
I expected the Alien/Pred campaign to be weak, since you get the most out of the Marine, however I think being the Predator and Alien will still be great fun!
Plus, MP is going to absolutely kick ass!
Roll on Friday!
ledickolas on 17 Feb '10 said:
Picking this up tonight. Can't bloody wait.
starsail on 17 Feb '10 said:
That's better CVG, as opposed to showing PC Zone's review, now I want to see the PS3's review ... not too fussy me lol
Good review, can't wait for the release
Moribundman on 17 Feb '10 said:
It's had a slew of s**tty to mediocre early reviews, although taking a look at Metacritic they have yet to update it with loads of more positive reviews that have been coming out over the last couple of days. It's crept up from five point something to 6.6 over the course of today...
Wasn't planning on getting it, but preordered on a whim the other day and it's on its way now. I'm actually looking forward to it having played it on the PS3 at Eurogamer Expo and had a bash at the Xbox demo...
It's odd that almost all the reviews say that one or two of the campaigns are weaker than the other(s) but depending on which review you read, people seem to disagree which is good and which is bad... TeamXbox reckon the Marine campaign is weaker than the other two!
gideonseer on 17 Feb '10 said:
So this isn't actually a CVG review, this is a cut n paste of another review, and a summarised one at that? Sorry, CVG, that's the height of laziness, what's the point of reading CVG if the review isn't yours? Game sounds good but honestly, write your own!
gideonseer on 18 Feb '10 said:
Curious...whatever happened to Colonial Marines? I remember seeing publicity screenshots for it ages ago and then very little afterwards? Did it evolve into present day Aliens vs Predator? Is it even the same company? In some ways I'd have preferred a straight marines versus aliens/predator game but that's just being picky.
ledickolas on 18 Feb '10 said:
Gearbox are helming Colonial Marines, if it still exists. That game was announced first but Alien vs Predator made progress in development quicker so they decided to back that horse. Depending on how well AvP does at retail will determine whether CM sees the light of day.
I got AvP yesterday... I'm enjoying it, but if you're not an AvP fan there really isn't much for you here. The graphics overall are nice but there are some sloppy effects like when you destroy eggs. The sound is great but the voice acting is sub par. The pacing does feel extremely rushed too. Second mission as a marine sees you in the hive facing the Matriach (queen) so it's definitely going to be a short game.
In terms of multiplayer, Survival mode has only two maps but is as tense as you could hope for. I had a quick dabble on Hunter mode and team deathmatch too and I liked what I played although I would definitely say that playing a new map as an alien first is a bewildering experience.
ledickolas on 18 Feb '10 said:
On the last level as the marine now. It may be short but it's one hell of a ride.
It is very old school. Very linear with boss battles but I'm really digging it.
I don't think shooting aliens in the face will ever get old.
8/10 if you're a devout xenomorph fan, 7/10 is fair if you don't care for the license.
Mr S0L0 D0L0 on 19 Feb '10 said:
I've been playing this game on the Nightmare difficulty and I have to say it's a brilliant game, death actually does come at a cost because there is no mid-level checkpoints, that creates extra tension. Best game I've played since Dead Space.
Mr S0L0 D0L0 on 19 Feb '10 said:
Shellshock 2 and Rogue Warrior were the creation of Rebellion Derby Ð previously the original Tomb Raider studio, Core Design. Whereas Aliens Vs Predator is made by Rebellion Oxford.
I'm very happy to say I prefer console controls to mouse and keyboard, for all the mouse and keyboards superiority I still find it easier to play with 2 sticks, 2 triggers and some buttons.
wuntuwuntu on 19 Feb '10 said:
"GAME OVER MAN....GAME OVER"
"WHY DON'T YOU PUT HER IN CHARGE!!!"
"SECURE THAT s**t HUDSON"
"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE IN THE REAL WORLD...YOU GIVE OUR POSITION AWAY ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL BLEED YOU...REAL QUITE"
"IF IT BLEEDS WE CAN KILL IT"
"I AIN'T GOT TIME TO BLEED"
Honestly... some of THE BEST movie moments have come from Aliens and Predator the films. Can't wait to get this!!
GlobalNightmare on 28 Feb '10 said:
I'm struggling to understand why most other reviews of this game have been so harsh. I really enjoyed the single player campaigns; I even loved the Alien's missions (The one on one Predator punch up was great). In fact, dare I say I enjoyed it more than the campaign in CODMW2. The multiplayer is a blast, although my only critisism is there needs to be a host migration system in place. AVP is different than most other FPS (or should I say FPBeat-em-ups?), it gives something different yet familiar, retro even.
I could review this game real quick; Do you like the movie Aliens? Do you like the Movie Predator? Yes? Buy this game then you mug. You'll love it.
deanmm on 11 Mar '10 said:
I agree with globalnightmare. Love this game. Think they got the atmosphere spot on. Actually loved the Alien campaign as it was so different to any other shooter. Magazine reviews have been fascinating as they can't seem to agree on which campaign is worst! I loved all three, think possibly the marine edges it as best due tio great atmosphere and genuine scares. Ignore all the negative reviews of this. It seems that most reviewers just prefer simple FPS and don't like anything different. Amazed at how many of them said how great the 'survival' mode is. What is the obsession with games magazines and this most boring of game modes? Stay in one place while emeies run towards you and you shoot them. Sound familiar? That's right... it's Space Invaders! Dull, dull, dull! Let's move on and try to make co-op modes more interesting with actual missions and progression. Rant over! Loved AvP
UnscathedGrunt on 26 Mar '10 said:
I finished all 3 campaigns within at least 7 hours then went back and played them on hard (not yet game enough for nightmare difficulty). On hard I found the Predatorr campaign the hardest as the marines see a slight movement from your camo and then your spotted. They were all short full paced stories that could have had more in them. The multiplayer I have not stopped playing since I finished the campaigns. Some of the best and most challenging to navigate maps to navigate as human or alien. The predator gets around a little too easy for my taste with his massive leaps, and they have purposedly made it so that to know wat your doin in multiplayer you have to have played the campaign.
Cryotek on 26 May '10 said:
I played the PC demo, I thought it sucked. The graphics are mediocre, and it sounds like it's just like the old PC game from 2000, which was meh. I can't see getting this, I'm not sure I'd play it if I got it free tbh.