Aliens versus Predator: thread (and my review)

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Berserker
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Aliens versus Predator: thread (and my review)

Post by Berserker »

I've been playing this game and holy crap, I love it!

I really can't understand why some reviewers are giving it mediocre ratings, but I'm playing it on the PC, so maybe that's the difference. The graphics are outstanding, the models and effects felt so accurate to the movies at times that my mind was blown (especially the Predator with his camouflage effects.) The aliens move so fluidly and with such determination I occasionally wondered if I was witnessing a scripted sequence, and not AI... almost every fight with the aliens added something new to the experience, from aliens hiding in walls, dropping down from the ceiling, leaping from wall to wall to avoid my shots, or creeping up from the dark.

When playing as the alien or predator, I actually felt like one of those creatures, and not just a reskinned human. As one of the extraterrestrials, it's almost a different game entirely, and I can see where that can be daunting to someone who can't adjust to change. In fact, I simply can't recommend AVP to anyone who is remotely bad at video games, because the challenge level can be unforgiving if you're not on top of your game. That's why I don't trust any reviewer who says the controls are bad. The controls are completely customizable; the problem is, there are more things you have to do than just "sprint, sight, shoot." As the Predator for example, you need split second reaction time switching between vision modes and focus mode, jumping to platforms, turning stealth on, switching up weapons with melee combat, etc. It's not just a run-and-gun, and anyone expecting this game to play like Halo is going to be crushed.

I will say that the storyline was better in AVP2, but AVP2's game engine was so poor that executing the storyline perfectly was physically impossible. By contrast, this game has an amazing engine, and the atmospheric experience of the game thankfully overshadows the rather bland and familiar script.

As for multiplayer, the AVP demo ruined everyone's expectations for the game more than anything. No one should base their expectations on the demo.

For one thing, you absolutely must play through the singleplayer campaigns to have any chance at multiplayer. The three races play so differently from eachother, that without extensive practice, you're going to be destroyed. And that was the designer's intention. For the Predator campaign, you start out as a young blood, and by the end of it, you're an elite, and that progression mirrors your own experience as a player. The singleplayer is more like a tutorial for multiplayer and can't be ignored.

For another thing, deathmatch is by far the worst mode you can play in the game. All the fun of multiplayer is in the addicting special game modes like Infestation and Predator Hunter. Those modes are unique to AVP, and they really pump the multiplayer experience full of atmosphere and charm. Trust me when I say, if you played the demo and it left a sour taste in your mouth, give the full game a chance.

I'll add one more thing. Aliens versus Predator is a 9/10 game only if you follow the following two rules:

1) You must be a fan of the franchise.
2) You must play it on PC and not console.

Otherwise, you might not be quite as impressed as I was.
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Re: Aliens versus Predator: thread (and my review)

Post by Aki »

I played it my room mate on the 360. He played through the Alien and PRedator campaigns as he wasn't interested in Marines. I played the Marine, since I happen to like Big Guns and was under the impression that as the team-centric race I'd have some marine buddies (who wouldn't die horribly in five minutes of meeting me). I was so very, very wrong. But, still, a fun experience.

Must back the whole "play on PC" thing. I had to play on Easy because my console-skills are so rusty that tracking and shooting the skittering of Aliens with damn near anything is impossible for joysticks. Maybe those more accustomed to it will do better, but for me it was hard to look everywhere (a requirement for marines).

Also, the Marine is easily the most hardcore of the three "protagonists." So many times I'd thought I'd found the last boss and won the campaign, only to find there was still more to go through. :lol:
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Re: Aliens versus Predator: thread (and my review)

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After several straight hours of murdering people in grisly, cold-blooded detail, I've decided that I'm completely desensitized to violence now.
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Re: Aliens versus Predator: thread (and my review)

Post by Wingman »

Berserker wrote:After several straight hours of murdering people in grisly, cold-blooded detail, I've decided that I'm completely desensitized to violence now.
Huzzah!
I'd like to play this, but not having my own tv, computer, or money kind of puts a damper on it.
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