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Aliens vs. Predator
Gigazombie Cybermage
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Posts
The CPS2 AvP game by capcom is by far the best. But that's not what you meant. The SNES version is massively inferior, but that's also not what you meant.
Of the FPS variety, the Jaguar version is absolutely awful. I was so hyped for that game, and actually went to buy a jaguar specifically for that game back in 94, only to find toys r us had removed their stock. A decade later I finally picked it up and it was awful. No music, slow gameplay, maybe 10 fps max. It's not like doom - doom has genius level design - AvP on the jaguar is just big rooms filled with bad guys and nothing else. Avoid avoid avoid.
The PC remake is excellent. Absolutely excellent. It's sold on steam now as AvP Classic and it's everything the jaguar version wish it is.
AvP2 on the PC is alright, but not as good as the original PC AvP.
the new AvP by Sega splits a lot of people. I liked it - specifically the marine campaign. The marine campaign, to me, is what Doom 3 should have been. It's scary, tense, and a lot of fun. The Alien gameplay is my 2nd favorite, and surprisingly, the predator gameplay is the worst for me. It's needlessly complex at times and doesn't really feel all that rewarding. A lot of the ideas they had about how to play as the predator sound awesome on paper, but aren't a whole lot of fun when you're actually playing.
If I had to rank for all games:
AvP CPS2 > AvP Classic > AvP (new) > AvP2 > AvP SNES > AvP Jaguar
If anyone is ever thinking about picking up a jaguar, don't let AvP influence you. You'll be so let down. There are other good games on that system, but AvP is not one of them.
Edit: Oh, missed your sentence on AvP classic. Maybe I'll get that one. ;P
The first AvP was an incredibly scary game, and really captured the atmosphere and tension of the Alien movies. After a while, the beeping of the motion sensor was enough to shit your pants, which is why they packaged the game with a free pair of underwear. However, it was also incredibly hard and featured no real mid-mission save system until the Gold Edition. Even the acid blood, which sprayed for what seemed like tens of feet, could end your life if you weren't careful. The aliens respawned periodically throughout the map, so you were never safe. There also wasn't any real story. Or, there was a story, in the same way that early id games had stories. Which is to say, there wasn't any real story.
AvP 2 was kind of the opposite, in that it had a really solid story, with good narration during cutscenes. There were strong characters that you grew to recognize and connect with. However, the fear factor kinda left the game, because I didn't really feel scared at all while playing through the Marine campaign. The aliens seemed much less threatening and deadly, and their acid blood was basically a nonfactor this time around. The game's lighting with the new Lithtech engine seemed a lot brighter, which probably contributed to this. AvP 2 is probably the better overall game, judged by today's standards, but it definitely lost a lot of the intensity that made AvP so memorable.
If you're looking to get scared shitless, then play the first PC one. It's by far the scariest. If you're into a more well-rounded experience, then get AvP 2.
That's an excellent LP of AvP1 done by a fellow PAer.
There's something about the first-person perspective, Geiger's alien design, and Cameron's motion tracker sound that is just a trifecta of terror for me personally.
AvP1 (marine campaign) even with its outdated presentation still unnerves me to the point of nearly not being able to play it. I barely managed to beat the marine campaign, and never really bothered with the alien or predator campaigns.
AvP2 marine campaign also scared me pretty good, but I complete it as well. Also skipped the alien/pred missions entirely.
AvP reboot, never tried it.
Aliens: Colonial Marines... I loved the idea of this game a few years ago, but I think that window of opportunity is closed. The Aliens/AvP games never really lived up to the gameplay concepts I had (overblown) in my own head. The idea of some kind of dynamic fight/flight with a squad of marines welding doors shut and setting sentry guns. I think Aliens Infestation probably comes closer than anything before it, and while it's a solid Metroidvania game, the depth and replay value just isn't there.
Firstly, the game is very polished and looks nice, but adheres to a bland sense of direction in levels and narrative.
The most fresh and delightful aspect of the game is how each character has a melée ability. Each species can block a melée attack or exploit a strength or weakness with their approach. The Marine and Predator both have weapons unique and effective for the situation.
I would argue that the multiplayer component of the game is balanced equally for the individual species and is the most compelling reason I revisit the game.
Most online matches regrettably de-evolve into kill-fests. But you can still find games with fewer players and skilled species players who relish the melée cat & mouse pursuits.
...What?
Not only that, it's also weird when your Alien can assume a boxing stance and block attacks. Like, what kinda xenomorph would do that?
But I won't lie...
It's only because of the awesome first person kill animations. Shoving a your tail through a marines ass and out his mouth while turning him to face you like a puppet is as epic as it gets.
Image by Sharpwriter on deviantart.com
The marine declared Marquis of Fantailler rules.
This was my reaction to it as well. The game caught a lot of flack when it came out, but the marine and alien parts were actually pretty good. I didn't even finish the predator parts. Not sure if it had too many mechanics with the stealth and the jumping or if the game play just didn't work with the engine, but it was not fun.
Also a big fan of the arcade game...rumor had it for a while that the game was to coincide with an AvP movie, and the plot would have followed the video game to some extent. I'd pay money to see Arnold and a cyborg ninja team up with predators to take out an extermination threat.
The new one really did seem pretty silly, and it highlights what Andy Schatz is talking about when he mentions barrier to entry on 3d games. Trying to remember which key did what when the game suddenly switched from an FPS to a brawler/rock-paper-scissors simulator was ridiculous, from a design standpoint. I didn't have the patience for the multiplayer because of it, but the predator campaign in this one is pretty darn cool, if nothing else.
Ka-Chung!
Ka-Chung!
That level was fucking epic.
I've liked alot of the AvP games but ultimately I've come to the conclusion they'd be better as just Alien vs Marine games. The Predators add nothing.
Gotta say, as fun as that sounds, it feels like one of those times you should have remembered what Ripley said on the matter.
The "They're dead already" bit.
This may or may not be solely due to the ability to pin heads to walls via the speargun though
Levels seem a bit boring and well you can come through being swarmed by xenos by judicious use of the block/punch button
It doesn't seem to be that scary either