Aliens vs. Predator Hands-on
First play of the multiplayer and this time it's war.
UK, October 26, 2009 - A colonial marine stranded in an alien jungle scans the tree-tops, looking for the trademark blur of the camouflaged Predator that's stalking him down. There's movement in the distance, but it's not what he was expecting – one of the trees seems to have come alive, a black shadow slithering across it. Putting the movement down to a mere trick of the light, he continues looking skywards, waiting for the Predator to strike. Big mistake, as behind him a Xenomorph pounces, driving its tail through his abdomen for an instant-kill strike.
We've had moments like this described to us in our various other early looks at SEGA's Aliens vs. Predator, but while it has impressed at every stage we've seen it at, we've kept quietly cautious about Rebellion's return to a universe they helped found with a series of games it has struggled to match since. Having finally got our hands on Aliens vs. Predator, all reservations are out of the window – this is shaping up to be a riotously fun game, and one that does its source material justice in a way that the recent spin-offs could only dream of.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/103/1038881/aliens-vs-predator-20091026061308440-000.jpg)
It's moments like this that could make this game one of 2010's most exhilirating.
It helps that this iteration of Aliens vs. Predator takes only the most iconic of the films as its inspiration, jettisoning the wayward later films in the Alien franchise, wisely choosing to sidestep the Predator sequel (so that Gary Busey cameo you've been praying for is looking unlikely) and almost completely ignoring this century's cinematic abominations.
Set some 30 years after Alien 3, the location – the abandoned colony world of BG-386 that's pimpled with ruins and temples – may be a nod towards the first crossover film, but everywhere else it's the classic iconography that wins through. The Colonial Marines come toting their classic arsenal, the Aliens come in their 1986 flavour, sporting the same design that made them the stars of James Cameron's film, and the Predator is as reliably lethal as ever.
A three species set-up means that effectively this is three games in one. The Marines serve up the gung-ho shooter portion of the game, though their vulnerability against both the Alien and Predator ensure that it's often more Silent Hill than Halo, with more than a touch of survival horror as they nervously check their corners. The Alien and Predator offer two different takes on stealth, the Predator a disciple of the Sam Fisher school of skulking in shadows, empowered as he is by a wealth of gadgetry, while the Alien relies on senses alone – but their agility and versatility means they're more than the measure of their adversaries.
While all three get their own separate single player campaigns, in multiplayer they come together in a battle royale - and it's here that we get our first hands-on with the game. It's a brave ploy from both SEGA and Rebellion, as any blemishes with the game that could be smoothed out by the stage management of the solo game are likely to be more pronounced when eight newcomers get to grips with the numerous mechanics at play. Thankfully it's no issue, with Aliens vs. Predator repeatedly exceeding our expectations during our brief fling with it.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/103/1038881/aliens-vs-predator-20091026061304518-000.jpg)
Three way face-off at its very best.
Multiplayer comes in seven flavours for up to 18 players, with old familiars such as deathmatch joined by fresh takes informed by the game's unique premise. Four-player co-op Skirmish returns from the 1999 PC version, a mode that Rebellion is keen to point out was an early forerunner to the likes of Gears of War 2's Horde. Unfortunately it's not ready to break cover just yet, though with its strong heritage we expect it to be one of the cornerstones of the multiplayer – after all, who isn't desperately excited to be part of a squad of Colonial Marines, pulse rife in hand and facing down impossible numbers of Aliens?
Playing traditional deathmatch allows us to get a handle on each of the individual species, and naturally our first port of call is the Marine. His primary firearm is, quite naturally, the M41A Pulse Rifle, which makes all the right noises and will set the hearts of Aliens fans (or in other words, any male man between the age of 18 and 40) aflutter. It's bolstered by a pistol which while lacking on firepower boasts infinite ammo, and other iconic weapons are available as pick-ups throughout the map. For this first play-test it was just the shotgun that was present but expect the flamethrower to make an appearance further down the line.
The Predator's a more complex beast, sporting swathes of technology that can initially be overwhelming. Cloaking technology is present and correct, as is his assorted and deadly arsenal. Discs can be flung across rooms, ricocheting around and proving lethal in the right hands – which, it seems, aren't ours just yet, as we only managed to fling them harmlessly in the air. Mines add another layer of attack, but it's the laser that proves most useful, requiring a lock-on with the classic three dot laser sight and unleashing a shot that's fatal if it connects.
Such an arsenal could prove overwhelming, so in the name of fairplay the Predator has a few handicaps. Weapons are only available as pick-ups (though for the purpose of our demonstration we were given the full load-out from the off), and each has to be charged by recharge points that are sparingly scattered around the map.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/103/1038881/aliens-vs-predator-20091026061312299-000.jpg)
The Marine's health is boosted by Stim-packs dotted around the maps.
He's also much more nimble than his human prey, with the ability to jump from point to point with ease. Acrobatics are enabled by a Focus Mode that's available across both extra-terrestrial species – hold down the left trigger and the HUD will helpfully highlight where it's possible to jump to. It's the perfect way to set up one of the stealth executions that's also exclusive to the alien classes – sneak behind someone and you're just one button away from an easy kill. The Predator's got another close-combat kill in keeping with his profession, with trophy kills enabled by confronting someone face-on, leaving the player more vulnerable to attack as they eviscerate the enemy but wonderfully compounding the humiliation of those on the receiving end.
We've saved the best for last, though. The Alien is, to our surprise, the most enjoyable of the three classes to play as, its ability to cling to every surface providing an experience that's far removed from the first-person norm. Crawling from ceiling to floor more than compensates for the lack of ranged weapons, and playing as the Alien requires a more primal kind of stealth. Such an approach is helped by the Alien's heightened senses – stand still for a short time and it's possible to see traces of rival players through walls.
Indeed, if anything the Alien is overpowered – playing as either the Marine or Predator during a vanilla deathmatch resulted in a kill shower, and on several occasions we were being snacked upon mere seconds after re-spawning. The feel of each species has been nailed impeccably – more so, in fact, than we dared dream after first laying eyes on the game – but the balancing, it seems, is still something that's up in the air.
There's every reason to believe it will be balanced by the game's release as already Aliens vs. Predator is showing some solid ways to intertwine the three classes, as evidenced in its melee system. Both the Alien and Predator have access to light and heavy attacks, as well as a block, while the Marine has only a light attack and a block to his name – though it's hard to complain when he's wielding a pulse rifle and shotgun combination. Each attack interacts with others in the time-honoured rock paper shotgun fashion – heavy attacks can be parried by light attacks, a flying leap attack countered by a simple block. It means that, in this respect at least, it's a level playing field.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/103/1038881/aliens-vs-predator-20091026061310049-000.jpg)
AvP gets the most important detail right - that Pulse Rifle sounds sublime.
Potential problems with the balancing are answered in other ways, with bespoke modes for each of the species. The aforementioned skirmish mode is accompanied by the Predator's Pyramid Maps – which was sadly unplayable in the version we saw and only present in a brief trailer, but appears to be an intriguing-looking puzzle mode that puts scorpion-face through a constantly shifting temple, his progress reliant on reflexes and a reconfiguring reticule on his HUD. It's looking like a nice antidote to the kill-heavy focus of the other modes on show, though we're still not 100% sure how the finished article will play out.
Predator Hunt is a mode we are afforded hands-on with, and it's another intelligent repurposing of the core content. A team of Marines goes up against a single player-controlled Predator, and the premise is simple, with anyone who manages to bag the hunter able to take his place and commence their own killing spree from the shadows.
Any doubts we do have over the game are easily overcome by how well this disparate package is coming together. The level of polish might fall short of what you'd expect from a top-tier game – murky textures and jittering character models means this is unlikely to be the measure of a Halo or Modern Warfare – but misgivings are drowned out by the sound of pulse rifle fire, the thrill of leaping from tree to tree when fully cloaked or the joy of slithering down a wall and impaling a Marine with your tail. In fact, those to-kill-for assets have been handled with a level of care that's comparable to the deft touch Rocksteady a few months back. Next year's Arkham Asylum? It's looking ever more likely.
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