Alien vs. Predator
Score: 90% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Fox Interactive Developer: Rebellion Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 8 Genre: First Person Shooter/ Action/ Online
Graphics & Sound: Initially with Alien vs. Predator, I was intrigued by the possibility of a game that could represent one of the world’s deadliest species encounters. I prayed to the silicon gods that this would not be another crummy makeover of Quake or Unreal. The modest intro screen appeared and my excitement potential fell short, so I then chose my species, which of course had to be the predator, and then BANG!!! I nearly cried at the sheer beauty of the accelerated graphics. The predator was a perfect translation of its big screen counterpart. The thermal vision, the disk trajectory, and even the ballistic and amputation damage of marine fodder was exact. I then tried the alien and the marine and found that the programmers certainly wasted no polygons to flaw. The graphics were all-around breathtaking. The sound and score were... well let’s just say they were right for offering a free pair of underwear with this game.
Gameplay: My next worry with AvP was gameplay. Could these graphics hold up to the stress of mouse-look? Of course, one must also take into consideration the power of his or her own video card. With the TNT2 chipset, AvP took the challenge, and to my amazement, did not fall to pixilated dust particles. The character movements were smooth and each character was truly bound to their physical framework. No marine was gonna take the same fall that my predator was able to withstand. And no single marine or predator was gonna out-fight an alien up close.
Difficulty: At its easiest level, Alien vs. Predator will kick the stuffing out of you. At a medium setting, you will be running for your pitiful life. And at the hardest level, the PC will be lapping up your entrails.
Game Mechanics: Alien vs. Predator itself is designed like the ultimate in rock, paper, scissors. Humans are the ultimate armored machine. They use motion trackers, heavy armor, and more ammunition than you can shake a stick at. Predators of course are the ultimate sniper. They are created to hit and run one opponent at a time. Most of their weapons are designed for one shot, one kill, and they receive no upgrades. Aliens are the ultimate in pack hunting and close combat. In groups, even the most experienced of marines will have trouble, and predators might as well not waste their energy trying to cloak from the armored wolves.
-Sabumnim, GameVortex Communications AKA Larry Callier
Minimum System Requirements: P166, 32MB Ram, 200MB hard drive, D3D compatible accelerator required   Test System: PII 300 or higher, 64MB Ram, 400MB hard drive, and 16MB D3D compatible accelerator or faster
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