Aliens Versus Predator

"AVP{ Gold} Good first edition with room for improvement!"

WOW! if you enjoy any of the films this is a must check out, especially since it's dirt cheap now. A great idea that just fell a little short, but their is hope for many future installments. The story is very sketchy but follows a loose plot of linked missions and the very occasional cut scene.
Let's get to the review

Gameplay/control 6/10

well most of the time the controls are serviceable for the missions however especially when your the marine things can get jerky. For example there will be many aliens surrounding you however when you strafe there doesn't seem to be enough room. Sometimes while strafing I got stuck on some things in the level. So the overall character control can be tweaked as well as the collision detection problems. The alien also takes some time to get used too, not the worst overall but not the best control either.

Graphics 7/10
Not bad for 99 , some decent character models and very nice level design and graphics. The environments are definitely close to the films that this game is based on. I think the levels are the best part of the game especially towards the end, also the boss models are nice and the cg is passable.

Multi player 6/10
The multi player has something's going for it it's more innovative then most FPS's. and the levels aren't bad as well same quality as the single player mission's. However the unbalanced gameplay drops the fun, If you are a predator or alien you can rip through the competition but it seems as the marine is just left out of contention, it just seems unequal, so sometimes this can be frustrating if you hope to play as the marine, so be warned.

Sound/Music 7/10

If it wasn't for the music this would have gotten a lower score. The music is vary reminiscent of the films and is very well done most of the effects are done well. However not all of them are well done,the fire sound is annoying as it is absurd, and the braking of glass will have you covering your ears, it sounds like braking light bulbs, and some of the dialog and alien effects are kind of weak overall. However some sound effects and the music save the game in this department.Like the weapon and motion tracker noises.

Plot/Story 5/10
This could have been done way better, there doesn't seem to be anything concrete. However the last few levels are really well done. however the ending is nothing short of disappointing for all three characters. Oh well I only hope they get better as more of them are released.

Difficulty

It ranges from Easy/Hard!!! directors cut is brutal.

Aprox length
Well this game took me a long time I beat it with all 3 characters on every difficulty level and then beat the bonus levels it all probably took me at least 30 hours without online play. Warning the director's cut is very difficult.

Overallfun 8/10

Even with it's growing pains, this game is a lot of fun and even more fun for people who like Aliens and the Predator, The movie like atmosphere keeps you going to see what will eventually happen next. the online is passable for a first title but I hope it will improve. I also hope the stories tie together better. But this is an enjoyable FPS with a twist at a very low price, so how can one go wrong After all it is Aliens vs Predator. If your a fan of the films or just interesting FPS Give it a try you won't be disappointed if you have patients that is.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/04