Reviewed: February 12, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Sierra Entertainment

Developer
Monolith

Released: October 30, 2001
Genre: FPS
Players: 16
ESRB: Mature

10
10
10
10
10.0

System Requirements

Back in 1999 Fox and Rebellion brought us Aliens vs. Predator; a nice little FPS game that let you play as either of your two favorite aliens or even the Marine. Up until this point there had only been a few lackluster attempts at an Alien game, including an amazing Quake mod that was quickly squashed by the Fox legal department back in the mid-90’s. The Predator had appeared briefly on the ill-fated Atari Jaguar and arguable was the only decent game for that system.

Fox has now teamed up with Monolith and using their new Lithtech 2.5 (No One Lives Forever) engine have created Aliens vs. Predator 2; a game that is easily one of the best sequels of all time and arguably one of the best games of 2000.

It takes several things to make a good game and even more to make a great game. You need to have the three basics; a good story, good graphics, and great gameplay. The designers definitely cover these areas as well as tossing in a good dose of atmosphere and pure terror.

One of the biggest complaints of the first Aliens vs. Predator game was the fact that even though you could play the game as any of the three species, their stories were self-contained, giving you the feeling that you were playing three small games. AvP2 continues the tradition of multi-species gameplay, only this time the three stories are cleverly intertwined giving you one epic storyline told through three very unique perspectives.

As you play each character you will visit many of the same locations, only through a very different viewpoint. A good example is while playing as the Marine you will inadvertently flip a switch that releases a Predator from cryogenic suspension. While playing as the Predator you will be “that Predator” the Marine freed in the previous scenario. While the game allows you to play these characters in any order, the story is best revealed when played from the order they appear in the menu, or Marine, Predator, and Alien.

The overall story follows a plot similar to that of the movie, Aliens. The “corporation” has lost contact with their outpost on LV-1201. Our Colonial Marines are sent to investigate only to find the outpost abandoned. Unbeknownst to them, the Predators are also lurking around the planet on alien safari. They don’t seem to have a problem hunting humans either, and the clash of these three species unfolds in an epic story full of intrigue, suspense, horror, and even a military conspiracy.

Aliens vs. Predator 2 plays just like every other FPS game you have probably played, only this one will scare the crap out of you. The designers have done an excellent job of conveying a true sense of suspense and terror through the use of graphics, sound, and level design. You may find yourself going through large sections of a level, or even entire levels themselves without a single encounter. This only serves to fuel your fear of what you can't see.

Many areas are dark, if not downright pitch black. You have a shoulder lamp that illuminates a small circular area ahead of you as well as flares that you can throw to light up the dark corners. These usually only serve to create flickering shadows that are scarier than the darkness itself. You will also obtain an Image Intensifier (fancy name for night vision) that converts any available light into eerie shades of green. This device drains your rechargeable battery rapidly, so use it wisely.

And let’s not forget our faithful friend, the motion tracker; that rifle-like device that detects any motion within a certain radius of your person and indicates it on the small monitor. The unmistakable clicking that increases in frequency will send a shiver down your spine as you stand in a dark passage or even out in the wide open as dozens of white dots converge on your position.

Empty levels can be just as terrifying as a hallway filled with bloodthirsty aliens bearing down on you. As you sneak through dark powerless passages lit with a single beam of emergency lighting, shrouded in the mist of a broken steam pipe you may hear the unmistakable clicking noise of the Predator. You may even see the triangular pattern of his laser-targeting sight moving across the floor trying to lock onto you.

Aliens aren’t as subtle. They attack in force and in sheer numbers, popping out of air ducts, bursting through doors, or uncoiling their camouflaged forms from walls and ceilings. Your only defense is sheer firepower and quick reflexes. While there are a few puzzles thrown into the mix, these are basically the “find the lever/switch to open the door” type.

The marine storyline will take you on a terrifying quest beginning at the abandoned outpost and into the mountains where the Research Pods are located. These are giant cylinders suspended from a complex grid attached to the canyon walls, giving the scientists and other workers inside a false sense of security. Your quest ultimately leads to the underground alien hive and nest of the Queen herself.

Predator

It’s hunting season on LV-1201 and you and a few buds have dropped in to add a few trophies to your collection of alien skulls and spinal columns. It seems the military is aware of your presence, and while you are hunting aliens a taskforce of marines are hunting you. The taskforce is working for the scientists in the Research Pods, and the storyline that unfolds later in the game is quite original and even shocking.

After a few dozen human kills and a major battle with a large adult alien in a lake a few of your Predator friends are captured by the marines. It’s up to you to rescue them and foil the evil plans of the scientists and the marines.

The Predator, like the Alien, is a killing machine. Initially, you start with few items and are surprisingly vulnerable. After a few levels, you will have acquired most of your gear from fellow hunters and then the fun starts. The Predator has a large assortment of weapons to choose from, as well as some other cool toys.

Your Medicomp device allows you to heal as often as you like, but it will drain half of your power reserves in the process. It also causes you to scream, alerting nearby enemies to your location. Many of the Predator’s weapons and other toys are energy-based and draw from a unified power source. Once you have acquired the Energy Sift device you can restore your energy at anytime. There is also a cloaking device that slowly drains your energy. While this device is great for sneaking around, it is usually deactivated when firing any weapons other than your spear gun.

The mask that you wear allows for several vision modes. The Thermal vision (blue) enhances objects by their heat emissions and works great for targeting humans. The Electromagnetic mode (red) is very effective for targeting Aliens, while the PredTech (white) mode is a standard night vision mode allowing you to see in extremely dark situations. Many of your weapons will lock-on to their targets when using the appropriate vision mode.

AvP2 is designed to get you feeling quite powerful and downright invulnerable while playing as the Predator, but make no mistake about it – the later missions are quite difficult and a swarm of Aliens versus a lone Predator is force to be reckoned with.

Alien

Last, but certainly not least is our loveable slimy friend that consists of nothing but teeth, claws and a devastating tail. Of course, this is after you are all grown up. The third installment of the game has you starting off as a frail face hugger, hatching from an egg that has fallen out of a cargo container. Your first goal is to find a solitary human and impregnate him. Once you have chewed your way through your host’s rib cage (literally) you must then feed on small creatures while avoiding human contact. Once you have achieved adult size and status the fun really starts.

The Alien is perhaps the easiest of the three characters to play. You don’t have to worry about energy, items, or ammo. Your powerful jaws, claws and tail are your only weapons and you regain your health by dismembering and eating your victims. It’s all quite graphic and even disturbing. You can literally tear your prey limb from limb, blood splashing everywhere. If you are fortunate enough to target your prey just right a pair of jaws will appear on the screen. Attacking at this moment will decapitate your victim. You can also use your tail attack to stun your prey.

Aliens can’t activate doors or hack computer consoles (although they can smash them), so you are forced into the complex network of air ducts and underground tunnels for most of your adventure. You do have a navigation vision mode that illuminates dark areas allowing you to find your way in total darkness. Your default vision is a hunting mode that casts a colorful aura around your prey. Humans glow blue, Predators green, and other Aliens are highlighted in a red tint. Synthetic soldiers will appear as human form with no aura. These can be difficult to spot, are very deadly, and offer no healing since you can’t eat them.

The Alien is easily the fastest creature in the game. It is able to leap amazing distances and if you target your prey and pounce you will dismember them entirely in a single lunge. As a face hugger and a full grown adult, you have the ability to stick to walls and ceilings giving you unprecedented freedom of movement. You can literally walk on the ceiling and drop down on unsuspecting victims. Naturally, the designers have worked in several level design puzzles that require this unique ability.

Much of the complex story is revealed while playing as the Alien. Skulking through vents and dark passages gives you plenty of opportunities to eavesdrop on the scientists and military personnel as they discuss their diobolical plans.

The lighting is excellent. Since most of the game is very dark the designers have made good use of real-time lighting effects such as flickering flares, orange glows from fires, and the strobe-like flashing of broken fluorescent lighting.

The models are simply amazing. The APC, drop ship, Marine carrier, and other craft all look like they were lifted straight from the movies. The creatures and humans are all perfectly modeled with amazing details like moving eyes, lips, and even eyebrow movement to express subtle emotions.

While not especially suited to rendering outdoor environments, the Lithtech engine does a remarkable job of reconstruction the alien landscape of LV-1201. If I had to nitpick any one graphic detail it would be the funky looking trees that appear to be more of a coral formation than plant life.

The recommended system specs are bit conservative. Lithtech is a Direct3D engine and thus demands some major computing power. I played the first level of each character on a P3-700 with a GeForce 2 card then set the game aside until I had my new Athalon 1.4GHz with a Ti500 GeForce 3 card. Now the game cruises along at silky-smooth frame rates at 1280x1024x32bit color with full details.

Other sound effects are equally as perfect. Everyone knows what a Colonial Marine pulse rifle sounds like, and the suspenseful tick...tick...tick of the motion tracker is sure to make the hair on your neck stand at attention. The whine of the drop ship as it swoops in for the rescue, or the rat-a-tat-tat of the remote gun turrets will all bring back fond memories of the movies and new terrifying memories after you survive this adventure. Play this game in a dark room with surround sound and you are guaranteed to freak yourself out.

You can easily expect 30-50 hours of terrifying solo gameplay. Unfortunately, many of the encounters are scripted or triggered by location flags. This eliminates the suspense and terror of any future replays in the solo mode.

Aliens vs. Predator 2 offers six multiplayer modes to let you continue the action long after you have completed the story mode. These include your traditional Deathmatch modes as well as Hunt and Survivor modes where you either try to kill everyone else or be the last man/creature standing. There is also an Overrun team mode where any two races can battle for supremacy as well as an Evac mode where two teams race for an evacuation zone while the other players try to kill them before they get there.

The varied and unique abilities of each of the species offer unlimited challenges and multiplayer potential. While the Predator may seem the likely victor in any combat situation, the agile Aliens or cunning Marine also present their own unique styles of combat.

The amazing visuals, sounds, and unique challenges of mastering the abilities of three species all combine to make what is easily one of the best and most terrifying FPS games of all time.