Recently I got a chance to check out some of the multiplayer in the upcoming Alien vs. Predator title during a community event held at Astro Studios in San Francisco. The game’s set to release on February 16^th for the Xbox 360, PC and PS3 and was developed by Rebellion, the same company responsible for thee classics released in the 90s. The Alien universe, as well as Predator’s has a very hardcore fan base, something that I do not share the passion for. Even though I am not a diehard fan of either franchise, AVP’s multiplayer immediately sucked me in and I found myself actually enjoying something that had AVP in the title.

For those who are unfamiliar with Alien vs. Predator, it’s a brand new entry to the series that lets you experience the thrill of being an Alien, Predator or a Marine from a first-person perspective. Melee combat is obviously a big part of the game for both the Alien and Predator but for the Marine it’s all about range combat with the rifle. In most of the multiplayer modes I played, each featured the ability to have all three species fighting at the same time. With each species having their distinct abilities and weaknesses, I was shocked at how balanced the game is.

As the Alien players don’t have much at their disposal, the Alien has regenerating health, can move extremely fast, and can see in the dark or through walls. They can also walk on any surface, which you’ll need to take advantage of since Aliens can die pretty easily and have no ranged attack.

As a Predator you have a lot at your disposal. You have the very authentic-looking heat vision. You can even cloak yourself. In addition, there are different ranged weapons to pick up, such as like the plasma caster and the proximity mines. You have limited health but you do have health packs to use. Just like in the movies, the Predator can jump extremely high and can move to different levels quickly, but just like the Alien, the Predator is best at melee combat so you’ll have to be smart about when you attack.

The Marines are the most vulnerable off the three but have a ranged attack and a motion sensor. Many gamers will feel right at home with the Marine since it plays much like every other FPS out there. The Marine has the ability to use Stims (health packs) and can pick up various weapons around the map like shotguns, flamethrowers or sniper rifles. Using the motion sensor to keep enemies at a distance is the key for a Marine but if they do get close you can block a melee attack and counter with your own melee, similar to that of Left 4 Dead, then shoot the player. Some will think this doesn’t make any sense that a Marine can block any sort of attack from an Alien or Predator but this was a decision made for balancing reasons only and I have to say if you didn’t have the ability to do that the Marines would be useless in this game.

Controlling the Alien and Predator might take some time to get used to, at least on the 360 and PS3 versions. Melee attacks are done using the shoulder buttons and to block an attack you have to hold both down at the same time. The right bumper will initiate a light/quick attack and the left bumper is for heavy/long attack. It took me about an hour just to get used to the controls and I’m sure the best way to learn is playing the single player mode. Moving around the walls with the Alien is done with the right trigger and the left trigger can be used to lock on to enemies for a lunge move with the Alien or Predator.  As the Alien or Predator if you are coming up behind an enemy an on screen prompt will appear to perform an execution move, which usually involves a brutal, violent, bloody kill that even as the victim you can appreciate it. Like I was saying, it might take time to learn the controls but once you do you can’t imagine it any other way.

In terms of the multiplayer modes AVP features your normal set of Death Match modes but also includes some exciting ones that set it apart from the everyday shooter. Species Death Match, Predator Hunt and Infestation all offer a unique experience. Species Death Match pits a Marine, Alien and Predator team against each other. There’s nothing like seeing 3 Aliens gang up on a team of Marines or a team of Predator’s executing Aliens. Predator Hunt is a mode in which every player starts as a Marine and one is chosen at random to play as the Predator. You can only earn points if you kill a Marine as a Predator. So as a Marine you want to kill the Predator for your shot at becoming a Predator. The Infestation mode is similar to Predator Hunt where one player will be chosen at random to play as an Alien. As the Alien you must try to kill as many Marines as you can which turns them into an Alien. As Marines your goal is to stay together and fight off the Alien and to stay alive as long as possible. This mode is going to be very hit or miss. If the player chosen doesn’t know how to correctly play as an Alien, it will be too easy to fend off the Alien and can become a bit boring. Such was the case during the community event. However once one Marine dies everything quickly gets more and more chaotic and the game can quickly end. As much fun as I had when I was the Alien this mode can only be as fun as the skill level of the player controlling the Alien.

There is also a survival mode in which gamers will play as a Marine and fight off against an endless wave of Aliens. With each wave you’ll start to see tougher Aliens and I suggest this mode be played with friendly fire off. We only got to play two survival levels one set in a ruins type of area and another set in a space ship hallway. Both provide a great challenge and a lot of excitement, especially when you have to watch the ceilings and the doors behind you.

Although I liked these modes I had the most fun playing a Free for All Death Match mode. This is because there was a good balance between the amount of Marines, Aliens and Predators in the match. When you have all three species fighting against each other you really have change the way you play with your class. Especially with the brutal execution style kills from the Predator and Alien you’ll have to make the decision whether the enjoyment of ripping someone’s spine out of their body is worth being vulnerable to attack during the execution. As a Marine I was able to take advantage of anyone who chose to go for the more stylized attack rather than the quicker melee kills. But I had to deal with other Marine’s shooting me from a distance while fending off melee attacks from a Predator or Alien. As an Alien you have to be smart about when to get off the walls and attack, jumping into an area with too many players and you might only get one kill rather than just waiting in an area and picking them off one by one. The Predator I think has a slight advantage in this mode being able to cloak and jump to multiple levels quickly and unlike the Alien you can jump into a bunch of enemies and use your range or melee attack to kill everyone.

One of the biggest challenges when creating a multiplayer game is with map design and with AVP it might be an even bigger challenge. Each map needs to be able to allow each class to take advantage of their strengths. One way Rebellion was able to do this was creating an authentic atmosphere. Most maps are dark allowing the Predator and Alien to move around without easily being detected. From the maps I played each has multiple levels giving the Predator an easy exit but also allowing Marine’s to distance themselves from them. One map in particular actually changed in real time, creating different levels with the ground shifting like elevators or creating stairs where once was a big wall. Though the maps have multiple levels, almost all of them we played were small. The decision to do this was probably to because of the emphasis on melee combat. What the smaller maps also provide can be best described as creepy. The sounds of the Predator or Alien bouncing off the walls will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat. There was only one map I played were I felt one species had an advantage over another, for the most part all the maps gave each species an equal opportunity to use their strengths.

There were some things that worried me about the multiplayer. One thing that can hurt the experience is if players don’t keep a balance of species in matches. If most people just want to play as only a Predator or Alien or as just Marines, I don’t know if the game will be as enjoyable. Some have made note of the visuals which aren’t great by any means but it’s not bad enough to ruin my experience. The framerate was smooth so if the graphics take a hit in exchange for better gameplay I’m all for it. Another thing that people might not like is there didn’t seem to be a rank or anything to work towards. You’ll be earning XP for each kill or objective completed; however it only unlocks multiplayer skins, which there are a lot of. Still I would have liked at least a rank or something other than skins to work towards. Domination also seemed like a less fleshed out mode compared to other modes. Domination works just like the Call of Duty mode in which players have to capture certain flags and hold them to gain points. Aliens seem to have the advantage being able to move across the map quickly. It also didn’t last that long and for the most part it was hard to hold down one particular flag.

Overall I was surprised by how enjoying the multiplayer was. These days we see too many games with poorly thrown together multiplayer that was an afterthought. AVP’s multiplayer could be the strongest part of the game. Although there are only 7 maps that ship with the game you can purchase the Collectors’ Edition, which will include four extra maps that won’t be available to the general public until a month after release, and they will most likely come with a $10 price tag. What really impressed me was how balanced every class is, not really giving a huge advantage to any one class. The atmosphere created was also a nice surprise, giving players a true sense of horror in a multiplayer mode. I think any AVP fan is going to love what Rebellion has done with multiplayer. The controls might take some time to get used to on the 360 and PS3, but once you get the hang of it AVP offers gamers an experience unlike any other game.

Keep checking back at Spawn Kill for a full review of the final product in the near future.

Tags: Alien vs. Predator, AVP, Rebellion, Sega

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 3:42 pm and is filed under PC, PlayStation 3, Previews, Xbox 360. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.