Not a mega-hit, but better than both AvP movies combined...
1 Player / Online Multiplayer
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Concept: (7) Three separate campaigns played out as an alien test subject, predator, and colonial marine suvivor round out the story behind AvP. The head of the Weyland corporation has his teams of researchers working to 'teach' xenomorphs to follow commands and be controllable weapons. It is during this time a predator ship assaults the station housing these dangerous creatures and it soon becomes a free-for-all between the deadliest species in the universe.
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Graphics: (8) Great lighting effects nail the very same creepy atmosphere that the 'alien' movies have brought us to know. The abandoned colonies and dense jungles look wonderful, while the temple areas are fairly drab and much too similar. Characters are very detailed, boasting some impressive texture/particle effects- such as the slimy look of the aliens exoskeleton. The animation however, is average at best. You will see aliens doing the same exact motions right next to eachother as they pursue you and often humans will be frozen, staring off into space when not having a que to act out. True this is more of an AI problem but it results in the characters overall look suffering. A big plus is the addition of close combat effects, such as when the hit of a powerful predator knocks you to the floor, an alien grabs you for a lethal takedown or a grenade exploding nearby causes you to dive and roll is exciting and adds a new level to feeling like you're in the game.
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Sound: (9) Not much to complain about in the sound department. Voice acting by an original actor from the 'aliens' movie and all the original sound effects that were also taken straight from the films. Every single snarl, scream and weapon sounds exactly like it should... except for the marine's 'smart gun'. Why they decided to use what sounds like an M60 for a distant future machine gun (when it already had an awsome sound to it) when EVERY other noise in the game is spot on confounds me.
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Control: (7) Traditional FPS controls are easy to figure out, and only suffer from the fact that since you will be playing 3 separate races throughout the game- as well as multiplayer, each time you switch characters, your control scheme changes as well. While not terribly confusing, it can be frustrating in the heat of battle to forget momentarily which controls you are using. For example the LB for both the alien and predator are heavy melee attacks but for the marine, it causes you to toss a flare. RT fires the marines equipped gun, uses the predators items, and for the alien- does nothing.
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Gameplay: (5) A huge hit is taken by AvP here, the three 3-5 hour long campaigns feel largely the same due to the identical series of events being viewed by the different characters separately. You will only see a small handful of locations and areas to explore before the campaign is over and you notice that you have been to all these places 3 different times now. Each species plays and feels different and it is these differences that ultimately makes or breaks this game for you. The marine is the typical first person shooter fanfare with a huge arsenal of weapons that spray some serious lead. Preators rely on cloaking to get up close and personal- and when thats not an option they can use several hi-tech hunting tools such as a razor sharp throwing disc that returns to the thrower or a target-locking shoulder mounted plasma cannon. Aliens are by far the hardest species to play as. They have NO ranged combat, having instead to use their ability to see in complete darkness and a rather disorienting wall climbing skill to surprise their prey. Multiplayer is easily the selling point of AvP and should be taken note of. It takes awhile to get used to the unique melee/shooter combat, and while it certainly isn't for everyone, most will find it to be a total blast. Sadly, the stealth instant-kills that the aliens and predators can deliver will quickly infuriate casual gamers and may cause some to write off AvP before it is given a proper chance. The fast paced, teamwork oriented gameplay is fun and unlike most other games of the genre but is not without its faults. Again, lack of content rears its head in the form of there being only 5 maps to play on (unless you bought the $100 special edition in which case you will have 7). AvP doesn't quite live up to it's predecessors as-is but might have if it were given a few more months to develop.