Multiple personalities
The most attractive quality of the original Alien vs. Predator was the option to control one of three personalities; a marine, a Predator or an Alien. Where the first AVP omitted continuity within the three stories, AVP2 intermix each storyline together. This makes playing each character dynamic and fluid.
There are seven levels for each race, with each one more diverse from the next. The most entrancing scenario is (of course) the marine. Once you enter the complex, the storyline becomes deep and downright creepy. For those who love the Aliens movie-line, you will be in sensory overload. From the time you enter the research station on LV-1201, the fond memories of wetting your pants flood you into scary submission.
While there is no real "training" for the marine campaign, if you pick the Predator or Alien; it holds your hand until you are well into the game. This is a good thing, because I found that both were incredibly difficult to grasp. Starting off as a Predator, you hone your skills on stealth and the quick kill. The Alien race you begin as a worm like alien looking for a host. It takes a few levels to peak to your full killing potential. Choosing both a Predator and an Alien, was frustrating during the first few hours and you will leave you PC in fury of rage.
Shoot. Decapitate. Eat.
The campaigns for each race are short lived and can be easily completed in five hours. Multiply that times three, and there is a total of 15 hours for single player action. The concept is great, and recommend not starting off as a marine and save that one for last. I recommend starting off as a Predator, beat that, then choose the Alien race and finish the game off as a marine.
Controlling your chosen race should come second nature to those familiar with games such as Quake, Unreal and Goldeneye. Your basic movements can be customized to your liking, and each character has a set of "race specific" functions. The marine has a spotlight, movement indicator and can hack into the computer system when needed. A Predator can jump about 20 times higher than a human, has four different sensory views and can become "invisible" depending on the energy spent. Our favorite Alien race can.. well... Lets face it, if you are an Alien you are limited to your speed, agility and brute strength; not to mention you can see in the dark.
I'm quite the finicky critique when it comes to first person shooters, and if the engine behind the machine fails to impress me, the game will be used for skeet shooting. I was overly impressed with the liquidity in controls and functions. The game rolled by with Quake Arena responsiveness and the control of your character was second to none. While the marine was the easiest to control, the Alien was probably the most frustrating to control at first. The Alien has the ability to cling on any surface, and the perspectives became dizzying at times. Fox Interactive did try to ease this tension a bit by putting "arrows" for the Aliens on the sides of the screens; but they became all but useless and the effects were almost nauseating. Not only was controlling the little buggers difficult, avoiding confrontation until you were "grown" was nearly impossible. Luckily, the hard work pays off and ripping the heads off of unsuspecting soldiers was quite rewarding.
Mood me
If the game were judged solely on atmosphere, this would be the game of the century. Everything from visuals to audio, this has it all. As an Alien hiding in the shadows, you will hear constant chatter from meandering soldiers. I was so impressed to hear the dialect between humans that I sat there for 10 minutes just to see if they repeated themselves. Their conversations were realistic and sensitive to their surroundings. Peak your ugly head for them to see you, they will stop half breath and mutter: "Oh Jesus...".
As for ambient sounds, expect to feel nothing less than alien saliva dripping on your forehead. Starting off as a marine, pits you in an abandoned research facility. You enter the complex and the halls dim with red light, as you try and see past the busted steam pipes. In the background you hear the ripping of a colleagues head as it is tossed to the side. When you finally make it outside of the center, you hear the memorable "clicking" of a Predator as a marine simply "explodes" a hundred yards in front of you. Walking further you will hear the victorious roar of the species as a three-ton truck comes flying at you.
Sound effects from the movies have been incorporated into the game perfectly. Everything from the "chugging" of your rifle, to the hissing of an alien; this game has it all. The most chilling (to me) has to be the effects of a Predator. Exploring has never been so scary.
The amount of detail that has gone into the game is simply breathtaking, and will chill you to the core. Every ambient effect is here, from dynamic lighting effects, bump-mapping and ambient sound effects. The baseline graphics are decently done, but the other effects easily overshadow the shallowness of the blocky trees and bitmapped ground.
There is a sacrifice for these effects though. I'm running a 933mHz machine with 256 MB of RAM with a nice GeForce 2 card and nearly sucked my resources dry. As the action intensified, my system nearly drowned from the game. Those with less, might want to consider an upgrade before installing this nasty guy, for to maximize the games fun you don't want to be waiting around.
15 hours and counting down
The game can be beat easily within 15 hours. A major drawback since the lifespan is so miserably short. As with any newer FPS there is a multiplayer option. I found that online gaming was usually fun, but seriously over rated. The Alien race consistently dominated all levels of game play, for their brute strength and unmatched speed. Sure the marines have their firepower, but a hidden Alien (or Predator) is more than a match for what a marine can bring.
Team matches were fun, I admit, but choosing a side is limited to how well your team plays together. If you have a few great players assigned to either the Alien race or Predator race expect a slaughter. The better games I player consisted of a few good players as Marines and "normal" players assigned to the other two races. Still, you will find that people migrate to the Alien species for it is simple and devastating moves. The buzzword for the Alien "pounce" move is called "God Jump" by those playing online. This pounce is basically unstoppable, and the effect is almost always fatal for their victim.
Playing online was not a well-oiled machine however. The first time you connect, there is a sizable patch to apply and once in expect some serious lag. I usually play via GameSpy, and found matches to be "slippery" at best. Even with a super fast cable connection, I found the game halted mid fire and found myself stone dead the next minute. I expect a few more patches to clean up the shady online play, by somehow compensating the lag; similar to Quake Arena.
As the game stands right now, it isn't a "must have" for FPS hungry fans just yet. Not only is the online play quirky, there are minor bugs scattered throughout the single player game itself. Events didn't trigger according when I reached the specific target, I walked through a few walls magically, and even the AI seemed to think I was an invisible breeze. These things will be evidently corrected in upcoming patches, and the game seems unpolished because of this. I think within the next months, you will see patches pop up corrected these glitches and the popularity increase. However, if you are like myself, and play these games specifically for online play and want the edge; you have to get it now in order to become competitive.
And for you fans of the first in the series, fear not... AVP2 DOES have an in-game save.
