Aliens Versus Predator

"Purley epic, even nearly 10 years later"

I'm pretty sure everyone reading this review is familiar with both "The Predator" and "Alien" Franchise. Both started off as blockbuster movies, both in their own separate universe. Sometime later, the game was produced, bringing in both monstrosities to battle. And for a little fun, the humans got thrown right in the middle of the fight. This is where Alien Versus Predator began.

Graphics: 7/10

Alright, probably a weaker point in the game. The graphics are not that fantastic. I know ten years ago it was, but now its just bleh. The character animations and graphics are the only real strong point. The FMV into's and outro's are extremely well detailed for the era for when this game was released. The level designs are somewhat grainy however.

Music: 7/10

Funny thing is, the only real music track throughout the whole game is Menu Screen BGM. Other than that, there's not much else in terms of music around here.

Controls: 8/10

Like nearly any other computer game, the controls are completely customizable. Use a Joypad if you prefer (why you would use one is beyond me). Moving and aiming is simple, as with shooting. Left click is normal fire, right click is alternate by default. You know, the standard FPS on a computer controls. If you've played any other PC games, then you should be perfect on the controls.

Gameplay: 10/10

RIGHT HERE!!! The shining point in Alien Versus Predator. You want blood? You want screaming? You wanna tear $%#@ up? Look no further. Fox Interactive gave us the lovely selection of three different races to play as, each with their own individual levels. The Predator, Alien, or Colonel Marine. The three have their own pro's and cons. The Predator has 5 different weapons (two are gained later in the game, one is a Self-Heal kit). The first is his signature Wristblade, and believe me, this little bad boy is a god among all other melee weapons. The second is a Speargun which is a good sniper, and the Shoulder Cannon for blasting away your enemies. The Pistol and Disc are obtained after the second level. The Predator is in my opinion the most ruthless of all three races. Your defense is ridiculous. He can take damage like no other. The Predator also has four different visions to use, each with their own benefit. The first is normal, which is... well... normal. Second is Thermal, a blue vision that displays heat signatures in a rainbow texture. Only Humans will show up to this. The third vision is a red vision that displays any Alien lifeforms in silver. Finally, the fourth vision is a light vision. The area will brighten up, and The Predator will be displayed in a gold texture. This is the brightest and clearest vision, however, enemies will not stand out, making the the real setback here.

Next, the Alien. The Alien doesn't have any guns or whatnot. Instead (like the instruction booklet could not say any better) you ARE the weapon. As the Alien, you have two different attacks. First by left clicking you slash furiously. Any unfortunate human standing in your way will be in shreds in less than a split second by this. The second attack is a tail swipe. By pressing right click, the Alien whips his tail, a slower but much stronger attack than slashing. When you're playing as the Alien, its much better to be cunning than aggressive. The Alien can climb on any wall or ceiling in the game. You have no limits to where you wanna go, adding much more detail to your stealth. However, if you feel the need, you can always charge up right in front of a helpless civilian and chomp their head clean off of their body.


The Colonel Marine is the race I prefer to play the least as. Yes, I know, you get a MASSIVE inventory of weapons, but that's really all he has going. Your defense is downright awful. A single Alien will rape you in 2 seconds if you let your guard down for a second. Not only that, it can also get pretty scary. Every mission is you versus a massive amount of Aliens. They can attack you from anywhere, crawl out from anywhere, and kill you without you even blinking. The Predator is easier in its own way, but can still murder you just quickly. The Marine comes equipped with night vision, but using this will disable your radar. While in normal vision, your radar becomes active. Any other lifeforms nearby will cause the radar to beep (which this is almost constantly). You have flares to light up the surrounding area also.

I'm really not the best reviewer, but overall, this game is completely solid. The system requirements are ridiculously low, its cheap, and will keep you busy for a while. Don't have any other games to play? Then buy Alien Versus Predator.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/08

Game Release: Aliens Versus Predator (US, 04/30/99)