Game over man! Game over!
STORY: There is no “basic” storyline in AvP. There are three factions (marines, aliens, predators), each with seven missions, and a small briefing for each (text only). Other than that, there is no “real” reason for the clash between the species. No *real* characters, no *real* story, nada.
GRAPHICS:
The graphics are simple in resolution, and not very detailed, but once again, the zoom-out feature saves the day, giving us a much more beautiful view. The animation is satisfactory, although the aliens move in a more human way than usual. There is plenty of environmental detail, such as blood, alien “ooze” (it actually has a role in this game) flames, etc.
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS:
The music is inspired by the movies, although I don’t think it’s as good as the one in the AvP shooters. The sound effects are pure source material, with the aliens and the predators having their trademark snarls and hisses, as well as the marines having their trademark weaponry sounds.
GAMEPLAY:
I loved it. Each faction plays in a different way, whether it is credits acquirement, unit creation, battle tactics, etc. Aliens must kidnap their victims and knock them off with facehuggers, predators must claim their enemies’ skulls as trophies, marines must build air-stations, etc. Aliens rely on speed, numbers and surprise. Predators rely on weaponry and armor. Marines rely entirely on firepower. The are many units for every faction, whether it is a flamethrower armored marine, a facehugger-carrier “transport” alien, a predator nicknamed “hydra” because of his multi-layered arsenal, etc. Every faction is a joy to play and control, although I think I enjoyed the Aliens the most.
Surprisingly, the Xbox controller works very well in this game, having options such as forming a group, fast-travelling on the map, applying various commands to your units, etc. It’s as good as it can be for a “no-mouse” interface.
The game’s difficulty is just fine, with only one mission in the Alien campaign forcing me to play the game in easy mode (the one with the rival Queen).
OVERALL:
Alien Vs Predator is an excellent RTS, with its only flaws being its relatively small number of missions, as well as the lack of a “true” story mode. I consider it a must-buy for every RTS gamer who is a fan of the franchise. For everybody else, I suggest to rent it first.