Aliens vs Predator: the demo

[Winteragent]

Ok, if you haven't downloaded it and given this a try, I highly recommend it. I was a fan of the movies and it's down right amazing how much the game developers stayed true to the subject matter. Some of us GuGers and some of my non GuG friends got together and played for a while last night and we had a blast.

The graphics are good, and the sound effects are just great right down to the motion detector's beeping for the space marine or the sound that is made when you enter into the vision mode for the predator. The action is fast paced and hectic as you survive and hunt your enemies.

At first I thought that the game was unbalanced in favor of the Predator, but the more that I played it, I realized that it actually was wonderfully balanced right down to the different species abilities.

The developers were faithful in translating each species for the purpose of this game. Each have their strengths and their weaknesses.

The space marine at first glance is vastly overmatched when compared to the predator or alien. He's weak in melee, not very fast and can only jump short distances. The marine also can't see in the dark unless he has the flashlight on and that just makes it easier for the big gruesomes to find him.The learningcurve is a bit higher because of this, plus grouped with the fact that you have to hipfire most weapons and the guns become a spray and pray deal that most players will have trouble with at first. In fact most players with the space marine will become "fresh meat" or a trophy on the the predator's wall.

But he has a couple of things going for him. He has access to a wide assortment of weapons (unfortunately in the demo you have to find them), grenades, flame-throwers, and a sniper rifle. Various weapons have secondary fire that makes them all the more useful as well. The marine also has a motion detector just like in the movies complete with that beeping that can make you feel like you're surrounded, but it is quite useful. He's also tougher than he looks and while you may not win a toe to toe with a predator, it might give you enough room to shotgun your enemy in the face. In the right hands, the space marine can be a force to be reckoned with.

Then you have the predator. What can be said other than the fact that it's the frikkin' predator. He's big, mean, quite agile, and quick. He can smack anybody around since he has big claws on his forearms, making him a formidable melee fighter. That's not all the predator has going for him though. The predator can cloak himself, become all but invisible, and since he is a hunter and there are three species to prey on, his vision modes help him to track his prey. He also has access to a wide array of weapons just like the marine, ranging from a harpoon, glaive, or shoulder mounted laser. He's also got a fast sprint and can jump long distances which helps him get out of trouble.

Drawbacks to the predator are that the cloak isn't perfect, you can see the light bending around him and the more he moves the more of the predator you'll see. Also anytime you use his laser sight, it will give away the position of an invisible predator. His vision mode although useful, and a really cool aspect of the predator experience has a drawback as well. The first vision mode allows you to see humans hidden in the dark or even other predators who may be cloaked and waiting for you. The second allows him to see the aliens, but no one else. Of course you probably see the drawback to this as concentrating on one group of enemies will set you up to fall victim to the other group. Also, while the weapons the predator has are really cool and potentially game breaking, you don't start with them like the marine, you have to look for them scattered throughout the map.

Lastly you have the xenomorph (the alien if you aren't familiar). At first the alien can be disconcerting as the ability to climb walls and ceilings might give your sense of vertigo a workout. But the alien does have advantages in the fact it can go anywhere. Sitting on a ceiling and watching the unsuspecting enemy walk underneath, only to drop behind and decimate you foe can be satisfying. You don't have to worry about picking up weapons either as all the alien needs are its claws, tail, and mouth. It also has a great advantage to its vision as you can see your enemies through walls, floors and ceilings. It's hard to sneak up on an alien and no one can hide from the xenomorph. It's probably the fastest moving of the species as well as it can outrun any of them, plus projectile weapons. And the fact that can move on walls and ceilings make escape easy if you find yourself in a pickle. It can regenerate health as well without the need of finding health packs like the predator and marine has to.

But don't be fooled the alien has weaknesses. While you don't have to bother yourself looking for weapons, the alien always has the same tools at its disposal and there is no way to upgrade them as of this demo. The saving grace of full transition can be tough to get used to as well and it seems that it doesn't always want you to go up that wall, so getting stuck trying to climb might get you killed more often than not. And if you get motion sickness, the alien is definitely not the species you want to play with. Lastly for all of it's pluses, probably the biggest detriment to the alien is that it falls in the middle of toughness, taking slightly more damage than the marine and at times even less, so it makes the alien a stealth and quick strike creature to play with, you can go toe to toe with predator, but you are better served to hit and run.

Another great feature is that there are fatalities in the game, that if you can catch your enemies unawares, you can push the X button to perform one of many gruesome dismemberments ranging from pulling the head and spine out of a marine with a predator to plunging the alien's spiky tail through a predator. Those are just examples there are a lot and sometimes it's species specific as to what you can do. These fatalities can be game breaking as it is almost always an instant kill unless you can time your block and it has great range to pull it off. Again there is a drawback, because while you are performing one of these kills, you are incapacitated and another enemy or enemies can get some free shots on you before you can get back into the fight.

I don't know if there are more to the game and whether the finished product will have new mechanics as there are supposed to be a large number of game types all the demo showcased was deathmatch (free-for-all). But it felt like a finished product and I can't imagine what other kind of polish the developers can put into it. It'll be a lot fun to play and what type of xp system it will use is still unclear in my mind, whether it'll be like Halo's xp system or Call of Duty's persistant rankings. I can tell you that there will be number of characters within the different species to choose from, probably with different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. It is a game that I eagerly am looking forward to after playing the demo.

Also, a piece of advice, don't get disheartened if you play it the first time and it doesn't go well for you, try it again until you find a species you like.

[Bud Man 01]

Very nice write up Winter.

I played the demo also last night. Played a few rounds as all 3 species. The marine was by far the creepiest to play. I felt like "bait" the whole time. The alien transitions was disorientating for me. I could never tell down from up alot of times. Predator was my favorite.

Overall, I am still on the fence on whether or not to purchase this or not. I wanna see if the MP will have AI bots to fill open slots. There were times last night i waited 10 minutes to get in a room. I guess it waits to fill the room with 8 people?? Dont know.

[Winteragent]

I never really waited longer than a couple of minutes for a match. I have read on other gaming sites where players were saying that they couldn't even connect to a match. So I don't know if this was lack of players online at the time, a problem with the player's connection, or a problem with the server.

One thing I noticed as well, that I didn't note earlier is that it seems that depending on the species you play with, it also depends on how bright or dark the game is. I also forgot to note that playing with alien, also allows you bust the lights out in the rooms, making it even darker than before especially for the marine.

The only thing that worries me is it may be one of those games that is solid and fun to play but for whatever reason, may not garner enough of a fan base to keep an online community going. If you have ever played Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood , then you have an idea of what I'm talking about.

[Crazed Catfish]

IMO game is meant to be rented. There doesn't look like much replayability from the demo, but it is hard to determine currently.

[Bud Man 01]

Originally Posted by Winteragent

The only thing that worries me is it may be one of those games that is solid and fun to play but for whatever reason, may not garner enough of a fan base to keep an online community going. If you have ever played Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood , then you have an idea of what I'm talking about.

Couldn't agree with you more Winter. You are spot on. CoJ BiB was a great game IMO with a very well done MP. The problem was/is the lack of an online community to play MP matches. When it first hit, it was no problem to find a game. After a few weeks, there was hardly anyone playing it online.

Seems like if it's not a AAA title, games die pretty quickly, which is unfortunate.

[Winteragent]

Unfortunately, if a game is geared for the multiplayer, you're not going to get much more out of it than a solid one or two playthroughs. Case in point, I loved MW2, but if I had bought it just for the single player, then I would've greatly wasted my money. Without the multiplayer, MW2 is just a rental.

Which with my internet problems and no XBox live at the moment, I have an expensive coaster.