Aliens vs Predator (AvP) Multiplayer Preview: Alien
Since 1989, the Alien vs. Predator franchise has brought with it great interest. This was realised in video game form in 1999, when Rebellion Developments launched a successful PC and MAC game based on it. Now they're having another go, with the latest title being set for launch in Q1 2010 on PS3, PC and Xbox 360.
AvP is first person shooter with 3 playable characters; Alien, Predator and Human Marine. GamingUnion.net recently had the opportunity to play a multiplayer death match against other players during which, we were able to gain some insight into how the game plays, and how it looks visually. This preview will specifically take a look at the game from the perspective of the Alien.
As expected, the Alien character has no shooting weapons. However, it does possess increased speed, which creates for unique tactics due to the sheer manoeuvrability. This means that players are able to move up walls and hang onto ceilings - perfect for creating a trap for an unsuspecting opponent.
When the opportunity presents itself the Alien can approach others with great speed before jumping and locking onto a foe. Within the jungle/ruins multiplayer level, the Alien has many points through which it can approach other players for a good attack. It really encourages players to experience the game in a different way, as running straight into combat is seldom advised.
To counter the lack of ranged combat, the Alien has simple close range attacks which are dealt by its hands and tail. Because of the speed advantage the Alien possesses, it can perform a run and jump grapple on other characters. While this works exceedingly well on Marines, the Predator is quite good at resisting and can actually counter this particular move. To level the playing field somewhat, Aliens can actually see through the invisibilty shield created by the predator character due to their sonar abilities. Against a Marine, it's also an interesting tussle. They can generally hold of Aliens from afar, but close range combat is a very one-sided affair.
The game looks good as far as graphics are concerned. Even when walking through darkened areas, the game still looked quite crisp, meaning it was pretty easy to spot enemies. This is shown well particularly when playing in the dark trying to find enemies. The different visual modes for finding them, such as using night vision and infra-red, help to demonstrate this well.
The fact that the player again has the oppotunity to play 3 different campaigns gives great variety to the game in terms of playability. The mulitplayer mode is also mixed up quite well due the abilities of each character. Aliens Vs. Predator looks set to be a great addition to the existing line up of AvP games on PC, as well as the PS3 and Xbox 360 range.
