Aliens vs Predator – single-player hands-on

The mighty Predator’s game begins as a group of warriors descend to the planet to investigate the deaths of a pack of wet-behind-the-mandibles young Preds. The scene is set by a transmission showing one victim being latched onto by a facehugger – nicely setting up the inevitable appearance of a Predalien later on.

The game proper begins with a tutorial, necessarily so as the Predator controls are easily the most complicated of the three characters. Largely, combat is handled with wrist gauntlets - raise both of them to serve as a block that can set up counters. It’s a weighty, pugilistic system that again subverts the norms of first-person combat.

Left at that, the Predator’s game would be something of a slog. But in common with the Alien, the hunter is more vulnerable than his movie appearances would have us believe. As a result there’s a wealth of other techniques available that make for some nicely tactical gameplay.

At one point we’re charged with entering a heavily guarded human compound to retrieve the head of its commander. Simply wading in and slashing away quickly proves futile. Instead, we choose to approach things differently by enabling the cloaking device and leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Targeting an enemy allows you to record their voice and project it somewhere else in the compound. Curious humans will now be drawn toward the sound and become ripe for picking off with a well-timed lunge or a blast from your shoulder-mounted cannons.

Despite your character’s immense power, then, the real thrill comes from approaching things tactically. Herding a soldier like a dumb cow before tearing his head and spine out is much more satisfying than trading blows for bullets.

How does it play?
The close quarters combat feels weighty and is most reminiscent of Sega’s Condemned series. Add in the various tactical ploys at your disposal, however, and it becomes a much deeper experience that rewards experimentation over recklessness.

Any problems?
Jumping from one point to another is performed by holding down a button, sweeping the reticule over the screen and pressing another button. This is time-consuming and hardly makes for fluid escapes when pinned down by fire.

Best bit so far
Cutting down a Marine before tearing out his spine. The way the Pred strokes his trophy lovingly is particularly creepy.

The Marines

The immortal lines of doomed Marine Hudson in James Cameron’s Aliens plays on a loop in our heads as we run for our lives in the final scenes of the first Marine campaign mission: “Game over man, game over!” The darkness at our backs is teeming with deadly alien life and our hearts are hammering like pistons. To call the pace of this campaign relentless would be selling it very short.

As the first mission begins we find ourselves in the shoes of a rookie Marine injured and separated from his squad. Through his acerbic teammate Tequila he quickly learns that things on the surface are even worse than first thought. The compound is crawling with “Xenomorphs” and the body count is rising by the second.

So begins our trek through the industrial ghost-town that is the Weyland-Yutani compound. The lighting here could best be described as erratic and every leaping shadow is a potential threat. The first ten minutes or so is all the more intense for its subtlety. There are no encounters but the constant clicks from your motion sensor keep the adrenaline pumping.

In comparison, first contact is about as unsubtle as a sledgehammer to the nethers. Playing for cheap jump scares rather than creeping horror, the first Alien encounter is so signposted it might as well be preceded by giant neon lights. Thankfully things pick up again quickly as we realise that our heavy pistol is little match for the frighteningly fast creatures crawling about in the dark.

Even when equipped with an iconic pulse rifle things don’t let up. A later section in an infested nightclub is quite superb. Power temporarily restored, the music throbs as Aliens uncurl themselves from the ceiling. It’s intensely terrifying stuff that’s quickly followed by that breathless dash to safety mentioned above.

We say safety but even as theelevator doors close and we inject a stim pack to replenish our tattered health bar another telltale blip appears on the motion sensor… Gulp.

How does it play?
Imagine a first-person shooter combined with the scare tactics used by survival horror games and you’re pretty much there. The use of lighting, scarce ammo and a tension-building motion sensor all contribute to the constant feeling of dread.

Any problems?
The Marine campaign is the most polished looking at this stage but it’s also the one offering up the fewest new ideas. It could be that the shocks and scares are all that separates this from every other shooter – only extended hands-on time will confirm or dispute this.

Best bit so far
The lighting is excellent, particularly when you glimpse an Alien creeping down a wall at the periphery of your vision.

Dec 15, 2009