MCP: Aliens Versus Predator Returns!

[Russ Fischer]

http://chud.com/articles/articles/18121/1/MCP-ALIENS-VERSUS-PREDATOR-RETURNS/Page1.html

[Jeremy Jochman]

Man, there was some lovely atmosphere in those games. The marine was certainly the least interesting class to play, but there have been few games that can creep me out like hearing the soft click/incessant beeping of the motion tracker.

But the alien... making you run the course of the entire life-cycle was a wonderful touch, not to mention the incredible stealth kills you could get due to the lack of fall damage.

[Russ Fischer]

The alien in these games might be the only time anyone has got stealth FPS gameplay really, truly right.

[Dan]

I'd just caught this on another site. Excellent news, Rebellion's original game had a beautifully crafted engine, combined with some crazy atmosphere.

It just needed to be a tad more immersive.

[Splitfocus]

As an unabashed HUGE geek for everything that is Alien and(especially) Predator,I'm very much anticipating this already without any info whatsoever. Seriously,it will take something really really shitty for me to not be sold on this. I'm one of the few people that thoroughly enjoyed Predator: Concrete Jungle,if that gives an idea of how big a fanboy I am for this stuff.

I will say though,that I hope they go for 3rd person shooter instead of FPS. Not that I didn't love AvP 1 & 2,just that I think these are characters that are meant to be seen in the third person perspective.

Oh yeah... I liked the first AvP movie... *runs*

[stelios]

Motherfucking YES! Finally people have seen the light.

[Dan]

Alien Resurrection underwent a rebuild because of the lack of tension involved in 3rd person formats. You're aware of areas around you that no normal human would be aware of.

It could certainly work well for the Alien though - Rebellion used a wide angle-style screen to represent awareness in AvP1. I'd imagine 3rd person could certainly work for the Alien here. FPS for the other two though.

[Splitfocus]

Yeah sorry,I should've been more clear in that statement. I meant that I want the Alien and Predator portions of the game to play in 3rd person.

[Justin Clark]

Dear God,

I know we don't talk much...it's because I know you're busy....but if you would find it in your heart of hearts to ensure that not only is this new game good, but GETS PORTED TO A MOTHERFUCKING CONSOLE, that'd be really nifty.

Thanks.

[Martin Savage]

I think I missed AvP2, which I might have to play because it finally has a story arc, but fuck me if the 1st one wasn't one of the best FPS I ever played.

Also, anyone else remember the arcade sidescroller? God that one was also fun.

[Justin Clark]

The Capcom one? Loses points for being yet another Final Fight clone, but it was otherwise pretty good.

[Martin Savage]

That's the one. While it's a Final Fight clone, I guess it all came down to being copies of Double Dragons no matter what. It's one of those games that I wished would have ported to a console years ago.

[ZombieFever]

I loved the online co-op with the original AvP. Nothing could beat running through a gauntlet of aliens to reach a bunker and try make a evac with a team of Marines and Predators.

[ZombieFever]

It's one of those games that I wished would have ported to a console years ago.

Wasn't there a side-scrolling AvP for the SNES?

[Splitfocus]

Yeah but it kinda sucked. Loved the Arcade one with a passion,though.Lost tons & tons quarters to that fucking thing. Only other Arcade game that did that for me was Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

[Domingo]

I feel, I feel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZB0NjRqzc

It's finally happening... *tear*

[BruceL]

BadASS. I loved the first two games. Hopefully they will have a really modern engine.

[Splitfocus]

Hopefully they will have a really modern engine.

One that does not have "Unreal" in the title.

[ZombieFever]

One that does not have "Unreal" in the title.

Whats wrong with the Unreal engine?

[Splitfocus]

Nothing at all,in fact it's an amazing engine. It's just that it seems in the past 5 years,every fucking game has used it. And a lot of games have wound up looking far too similar,in my opinion. Plus there's quite a few very impressive engines out there like Dunia,Frosbite,Evolution,PhysX etc'.

[Jonathan]

I've played the AVP games for the PC so many times I've lost count. This would be great. I'll even overlook Sega's involvement I'm so overjoyed.

[Headless Fett]

I remember playing Capcom's ALIEN vs. PREDATOR game in the arcades back in '94. Going to town on a pack of Xenomorphs as a Hunter was (and still is) a ton of fun. As I was playing this great game I remembered that I read in Wizard! that they were talking about making a movie and at the time I thought how amazing that was going to be.

Flash forward ten years. Ugh.

[stelios]

What I loved most about these games was playing as a Predator against Marines. You could sneak up close to them and suddenly pop out of cloak and they'd let out this terrified scream. It still is one of the most empowering gameplay experiences I've ever had.

Plus the multiplayer was insane. Survivor mode on a LAN especially. It predated the current co-operative multiplayer modes that are so en vogue today by years.

[Jared Melton]

What I loved most about these games was playing as a Predator against Marines. You could sneak up close to them and suddenly pop out of cloak and they'd let out this terrified scream.
My favorite part was creeping up on scientists with the Alien. They'd start whimpering and crying and backing further and further away while curled into the fetal position as you crawl down the wall...

Then the jaws would appear on the top and bottom of the screen and it was CHOW TIME!

[Domingo]

I've said it a million times here before, I'll say it again one more time. AVP2 was my Halo. I can't imagine putting any less than 100 hours over two years into that game.

[Bitches Leave]

I couldn't finish the Marine part of these games. I was a complete nervous wreck when I played and I had to stop. Scared me 100 times more than any movie will ever do!

[stelios]

Oh yes, the Marine parts. Consisting mostly of running backwards while shooting blindly and trying not to fall off your chair at the faintest blip of the motion detector. Good times.

[Trevor]

Hooray. I'm still surprised at how great these games turned out.

Playing as the alien in multiplayer (especially in the sequel) is probably as much fun as I've ever had in any multiplayer game. The pounce mechanic in AVP2 is what I wish L4D's hunter pounce worked like.

[billylove]

Oh yes, the Marine parts. Consisting mostly of running backwards while shooting blindly and trying not to fall off your chair at the faintest blip of the motion detector. Good times.

I won a bet with my girlfriend at the time. She said I couldn't scare her with a game, she was wrong. She jumped out of the chair, and probably peed herself.

[Graham]

Does ANYONE remember the STORY from either AvP, or AvP2?


Neither do I...who needed it.

Are we going to branch to 'Predaliens' in this third incarnation?
Can't wait!


...is 'Colonial Marines' still on the horizon?

[Trevor]

Predaliens were all over AVP2. And yes, Colonial Marines (http://chud.com/articles/articles/17664/1/MCP-FINALLY-A-GAME-ABOUT-GRIZZLED-SPACE-MARINES/Page1.html) is still on the way, although I can't imagine how they'll make it fresh.

[billylove]

I don't know, just doesn't look promising that these will get funding to complete their respective projects.

http://boards.ign.com/aliens/b5402/176949394/p1/

[Alex Augustine]

And the Alien RPG has been canceled according to Kotaku.

[Dan]

Whats wrong with the Unreal engine?

People have misconceptions about all UE games handling like Unreal Tournament (see: Clunky). If it was good enough for Deus Ex, it's good enough for me.

Saying that, Rebellion made a fine home-grown engine first time around and i'd expect that now for what I think would make the best game. Cost will almost certainly prohibit that.

This could be amazing.

[Dan]

Does ANYONE remember the STORY from either AvP, or AvP2?


Neither do I...who needed it.

Are we going to branch to 'Predaliens' in this third incarnation?
Can't wait!


...is 'Colonial Marines' still on the horizon?

Predaliens were in the first AvP.

[Graham]

Predaliens were in the first AvP.

"Praetorians"...yeah, I'd forgotten about them.
I mean more, as in 2; where you can actually facehug a predator, burst out and grow.
In fact looking back, whilst the alien life-cycle in 2 was fun, I think they could do more with it. There are obviously various stages between chestburster and warrior that we've never seen in the films (just due to increase-in-size issues)...unless you think that withered skin Harry Dean Stanton held up actually could contain a seven-foot killing machine.

[Dan]

The Praetorians were the bigger alien warriors, they featured too.

Predaliens were pink-ish if I remember rightly. Very tough, headshots weren't instant kill. They look nothing like the predaliens from the AvP film.

[Domingo]

In the sequel they had it nailed down. Pred aliens were tough, nasty bruisers. They could pounce, but it took a moment inbetween pounces like the L4D Hunter. To make up for this the Predalien could leap about a mile.

The Praetorians were tanks. Basically mini armored queens who ran around with no pounce just smacking dudes to death. I never liked to play them, always preffered a fast pouncing drone or runner.

Then of course with enough kills you'd molt into the god like Queen. That was dath to an art form for someone on a kill streak.

[TzuDohNihm]

Couldn't find an AvP movie thread on search:

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc263/jesusluvspegging/alienvspredator.jpg

[duke fleed]

Justin Clark, There were a few games that were clones of Final Fight, that I really liked, they were, The Punisher, Both Dungeons and Dragons titles, and Alien Vs Predator (you could even play as Dutch)

The only negative with arcade compilations is that games like Capcom's Punisher, D&D, Alien Vs Predator, Konami's X-Men, and many others get left out of them. I would love to see a new 2D Alien Vs Predator game. Yet, it is definitely not likely to happen.

[jmub]

Wait, wasn't Rebellion's last AVP game that shitty Psp Third person crap-O-rama? And their last next gen game was Shellshock 2... Combined with Sega, I'm gonna wait till I see a trailer before I get excited about this.

Much love for the other avp games whose alien campaigns are the only ones I bothered to finish.

[ryoken]

Count me in for the excitmente for this one...hell the secon AVP game was one of the first i played at night, lights out and using headphones; the opening marine level with all the fake scares was pure awesome.
Only one i never played in this series was the expansion pack for AVP2, "Primal Hunt"...anyone played it?

[ryoken]

I remember playing Capcom's ALIEN vs. PREDATOR game in the arcades back in '94. Going to town on a pack of Xenomorphs as a Hunter was (and still is) a ton of fun. As I was playing this great game I remembered that I read in Wizard! that they were talking about making a movie and at the time I thought how amazing that was going to be.

Flash forward ten years. Ugh.

Wait a second, Fett...Im pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Capcom's game was supposed to be a tie-in/adaptation for the then "in development" AVP movie, only that the project was far to slow in it's plunge down development hell, Capcom actually made the whole fucking game before the movie even had a script.
To this day I smell bullshit about that memory, but for my younger self, it all made sense (Im about to spoil the plot of an Arcade game, whats wrong with me?); the game had all the elements my friends and I wanted in an AVP movie that could work:
-Bad-Ass, visualy interesting Human characters (Come on, Dutch (or his great, great, great-grandson) with a machine gun arm and a japanese cyborg girl who fights Aliens with a katana?)
-Two different Predators (Hunter and Warrior...an even more obsessed avap friend was convinced that the Warrior was a "rookie" Predator, being Mentored by the "Hunter)
-Corporate/Militaristic genetic warfare experiment twist gives an excuse for more alien types (and the whole second Queen thing was a great "Aliens" homage).
-The fucking "riding" the apc sequence...anyone who played the game knows what im talking about.

Why Capcom (okay, license rights) hasnt ported that game to arcade/psn is a shame, dammit...online 4 player would be awesome.

[Chris Myers]

The alien in these games might be the only time anyone has got stealth FPS gameplay really, truly right.

Thief?

[Headless Fett]

Wait a second, Fett...Im pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Capcom's game was supposed to be a tie-in/adaptation for the then "in development" AVP movie, only that the project was far to slow in it's plunge down development hell, Capcom actually made the whole fucking game before the movie even had a script.
To this day I smell bullshit about that memory, but for my younger self, it all made sense (Im about to spoil the plot of an Arcade game, whats wrong with me?); the game had all the elements my friends and I wanted in an AVP movie that could work:
-Bad-Ass, visualy interesting Human characters (Come on, Dutch (or his great, great, great-grandson) with a machine gun arm and a japanese cyborg girl who fights Aliens with a katana?)
-Two different Predators (Hunter and Warrior...an even more obsessed avap friend was convinced that the Warrior was a "rookie" Predator, being Mentored by the "Hunter)
-Corporate/Militaristic genetic warfare experiment twist gives an excuse for more alien types (and the whole second Queen thing was a great "Aliens" homage).
-The fucking "riding" the apc sequence...anyone who played the game knows what im talking about.

Why Capcom (okay, license rights) hasnt ported that game to arcade/psn is a shame, dammit...online 4 player would be awesome.

II think that Capcom did a very admirable job putting together a game based on a then non-existent movie. To be fair though, they probably did a little research into Dark Horse's original ALIEN vs. PREDATOR miniseries as well.

Still, it's a shame that the licensing issue prevents this from ever seeing the light of day on PSN/Xbox Live. Truly a lost classic.

[ryoken]

II think that Capcom did a very admirable job putting together a game based on a then non-existent movie. To be fair though, they probably did a little research into Dark Horse's original ALIEN vs. PREDATOR miniseries as well.

Still, it's a shame that the licensing issue prevents this from ever seeing the light of day on PSN/Xbox Live. Truly a lost classic.

Damn right they did...its almost like AVP's tru potential is only understood by game developers.
And I'd pay 800 MS points in a heartbeat for this one on live, specially if it had 3-4 online multiplayer and voice chat...best experience in an arcade was when a friend yelled "The bitch's back!" at the last boss fight in the game)
Dammit, i miss arcade trash talk.

[Dan]

Wait, wasn't Rebellion's last AVP game that shitty Psp Third person crap-O-rama? And their last next gen game was Shellshock 2... Combined with Sega, I'm gonna wait till I see a trailer before I get excited about this.

Much love for the other avp games whose alien campaigns are the only ones I bothered to finish.

Rebellion's latest offerings have indeed been shocking, this is probably my bigger concern over the project - that whatever made the first AvP great, left Rebellion long ago.

I remember playing Capcom's ALIEN vs. PREDATOR game in the arcades back in '94. Going to town on a pack of Xenomorphs as a Hunter was (and still is) a ton of fun. As I was playing this great game I remembered that I read in Wizard! that they were talking about making a movie and at the time I thought how amazing that was going to be. Ugh.

I swear i've played this on an arcade machine in Cuba of all places. Wasn't it kinda like Streets of Rage?

[jmub]

Its the "Rare" syndrome. Everyone involved in making the original game unique pissed off years ago and whats left is company that makes games that are average at best.

Trailer me up. Then We'll talk.

[Trevor]

Images. (http://chud.com/articles/articles/19126/1/MCP-FIRST-LOOK-AT-ALIENS-VS-PREDATOR/Page1.html)

Anyone here able to get their hands on a PlayMania? I'm curious about the rest of the images in the article.

[Tati]

Yup, totally forgot about it. But ti does look great. Loved these games with passion. Can't wait to play as a predator again.

[Jared Melton]

Alien ftw, kiddies. Nothing quite like tail-striking from a dark corner a predator that thinks he's cloaked and invincible.

[Graham]

Yup, totally forgot about it. But ti does look great. Loved these games with passion. Can't wait to play as a predator again.

...or an Alien (DEFINITELY my FAVOURITE).
Strange that the weakest and least rewarding protagonist was always the human; and hell even THEY were better to play as, as opposed to 95% of the games out there.

Bring it on!!

[D.S. Randlett]

...or an Alien (DEFINITELY my FAVOURITE).
Strange that the weakest and least rewarding protagonist was always the human; and hell even THEY were better to play as, as opposed to 95% of the games out there.

Bring it on!!

I actually thought that the human campaign was the most rewarding one for its effective atmosphere and scares. It was fun playing as the two monsters, but neither of those campaigns could match the sheer fun of being scared shitless that the marine campaigns provided.

[Jared Melton]

As you progress with the Marines, the big reward is that you get weapons that can royally fuck shit up.

The Predator has some quirky stuff and the combi stickspear is a lot of fun, but the smart gun is just way too fucking overpowered.

[Dan]

If we're talking AvP1 here - I remember the original smartgun doing less damage than the pulse rifle, and not being able to easily headshot Predaliens (who were tough as old boots).

The smartgun in co-operative was always great for just mowing down drones.

[stelios]

Predators rule, Aliens drool.

Marines just die.

I can't wait for this to come out. I had so much fun with the previous ones.

[Trevor]

I didn't mention it in the article, but if that image is in-game (and I don't see why it wouldn't be), the aliens look terrific.

[Splitfocus]

I sent the links to the magazine scans to Alex. But anyways here you go. There's 2 from Playmania and 1 from Nuts mag.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1578/avp1.jpg

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1597/avp2.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8519/avp1r.jpg

I can't fucking wait to see how this turns out! Those graphics look pretty damn impressive. One small detail I noticed,is that there seems to be a good sense of size when playing as the Predator,which was absent in the previous games. And I'm also loving the Alien design.

[Trevor]

These look great - thanks, Splitfocus. I'm fairly certain that we can't (and shouldn't) reproduce these images on the site, but it's fun to see.

I'm just glad they're not using the tired "blue steel" filter that Colonial Marines got stuck with.

[Dan]

Yeah, those are some great screenshots.

I'm still not letting it excite me until nearer release. I got a baaad feelin' about this.

[Splitfocus]

Yeah,looks much much better than Colonial Marines. Looks to me like they're using the Gears of War 2 version of Unreal Engine 3 - same as Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I'm going to see if I can find someone to translate the article.

[Splitfocus]

I'm still not letting it excite me until nearer release. I got a baaad feelin' about this

Come on! Save the pessimism till it's absolutely necessary. ;)

[Graham]

No WAY am I buying that as in-game footage.

[Splitfocus]

If you've seen any screencaps or videos of Batman: Arkham Asylum,you should definitely believe it.

[Tati]

That looks in game.
Remember that for screenshots usually they pump the resolution to impossible levels even if the FPS drop, they take a picture and that's it. Maybe it won't look as sharp as that, but it's In Game.

And... i could translate the article.. but it seems pointless. You know these previews like the back of your hand by now, it won't offer any important information. It's just praising and talking about the "story".

[Dan]

They're from scans, which is what gives a slight haze to most of the shots but they're in game - I did have to do a double-take, but the shot with the Predator's blades is a good giveaway.

Also, Rebellion's AvP character models were (at the time) the best out there.

[Domingo]

Oh my lord...

*Tear of happiness*

This is really happening isn't it fellas? Isn't it?!

[Dr Syn]

holy shit!

Those scans...

Yesssss, all over my face!

[rabigjb]

The cover story for the latest issue of OXM is also an exclusive preview of AvP3. So plenty of info there without the need for a translation.

This is looking pretty freakin cool to me. I only experienced AvP1 for the PC. I had a strong appreciation for each of the different campaigns, but I really loved the scares present when playing as a lowly marine.

[Splitfocus]

Amazing brand new scans!!

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4742/img0341ksa.jpg
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1307/img0351rsl.jpg
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1443/img0361jav.jpg
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/1411/img0371b.jpg
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6990/img0381q.jpg
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/7458/img0391.jpg

This game looks fucking spectacular! But more importantly,it seems like they're doing some great and interesting things with the gameplay. MUST HAVE IT NOW!!

[Splitfocus]

OXM scans!

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9914/oxm01.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8436/oxm02.jpg
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2849/oxm03.jpg
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/2372/oxm04.jpg
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4180/oxm05.jpg

Like I said on the first page,I'm a huge geek for everything that is Alien and Predator - so all of this is some serious sensory overload for me. That bit about how violent & graphic the action is, put a big smile on my face.

[Tati]

Hum, those are indeed quite great. I'll be needing a video card upgrade for my Pc...

[Dan]

Shit. That looks amazing.

[Splitfocus]

MUST HAVE IT NOW!!

Sorry,I just needed to say that again.

[Dan]

Release date?

[Splitfocus]

Both mags said November.

[Nabster]

This year is looking promising for wasting all my time playing video games. Its about time they ressurected this.

[Randolph Carter]

Hopefully it will be released on X-Box 360 because there's no way this game will work on my poor pc.

[Domingo]

Those screens look orgasmically good. I'll buy each version of this game, all the collectors editions they put out. I'll buy it.

[Hugh Manbeeng]

Oh my. I knew this was coming, but those screenshots are positively orgasmic. Balls to work, i'm gonna see if i can get AvP2 running on my laptop...

[Domingo]

You know what's awful? I was going to ask if the Chewers wanted to boot up some AVP2 multiplayer, but Sierra or whomever took the servers down!

[Hugh Manbeeng]

You know what's awful? I was going to ask if the Chewers wanted to boot up some AVP2 multiplayer, but Sierra or whomever took the servers down!

Booooooo!

Though, i couldn't find my copy of the game. Some swine has half-inched it.

[Alex Riviello]

Screens, teaser trailer, and new (and obvious) info- http://chud.com/articles/articles/19524/1/MCP-EVERYTHING-YOU-WANTED-TO-KNOW-ABOUT-ALIEN-VS-PREDATOR/Page1.html

[Rob]

That teaser was lame. But I'm still looking forward to this. The PC games were excellent.

[Domingo]

I love it.

[Martin Savage]

Me want. This just might be the game that makes me buy a new PC.

[Trevor]

Yep, that's one weak teaser. It's hard to get too excited about nothing but fonts.

[Alex Riviello]

Seriously. Especially when they had the screens ready. Just a clip of what led to that moment in that first screen would have been enough to make gamers spontaneously combust.

[Dan]

Seeing the briefest glimpse of the engine in action was enough teasing for me. Considering it's a teaser, i'm surprised we even saw that at all.

It's coming out this year, with MW:2. I'm content.

[Domingo]

What?

[Graham]

"Marine

The Marine’s story is an incredible fight against the odds, and the horrors lurking in the dark. Beset on all sides yet armed to the teeth, the Colonial Marine represents humanity’s last stand with the firepower to fight back.

Alien

As the Alien, players will discover what it’s like to be the most murderous and lethal creature in the universe, with the ability to traverse any surface with awesome agility in order to get close enough to unleash its deadly teeth and claws.

Predator

A master of the hunt, the Predator grants the player a suite of exotic weaponry and equipment with which to stalk its unknowing prey. Earn the greatest honour by ambushing prey up-close and butchering them for a gory trophy kill."

Well, THAT seems different ;)...(not that I'm complaining, but they could have broadened this a tad and gone into a few more specifics.)
Alex, any idea if this story will tie into either of the two previous games, or is it purely 'stand-alone'?

[Dan]

What?

AvP2 and Modern Warfare 2 are coming out at the same time?

[Domingo]

Where did you see the engine in action at all?!

EDIT: oh fuck, I missed the .5 seconds of actual action the first time through...

[Dan]

Ahh sorry - misunderstood.

Yeah, just seeing the briefest glimpses of the movement lets me know everything about this game, however it turns out, is going to keep me happy for quite some time.

[Splitfocus]

I want this game so fucking bad, I wanna have dirty sex with the thought of playing it!...

I agree with Bee?! about the teaser. Twas good enough for me. Graphics look phenomenal even with the brief glimpse.

[Sentinel Red]

The only game in the series I've played was the second one - I was pretty much wrecked by the end of the first level where the only 'alien' you see is a pipe and rubber hose that falls from the ceiling of some creepy basement I had been stumbling around. Suffice to say, by the time I'd gotten a few more levels in, running, screaming, panicking as I emptied my rifle in a true Hudson stylee, I called it quits as soon as I escaped and did the only sensible thing when presented with the rescue your pal from the hive scenario...

..said 'Fuck that', left her to it and uninstalled the game. I'm not a hero, man.

[ryoken]

Booooooo!

Though, i couldn't find my copy of the game. Some swine has half-inched it.

Actually, i believe there's a community server patch, found at http://www.lithfaq.com/forums/

Game is still payed and loved, people.

[Jacob Singer]

The only game in the series I've played was the second one - I was pretty much wrecked by the end of the first level where the only 'alien' you see is a pipe and rubber hose that falls from the ceiling of some creepy basement I had been stumbling around. Suffice to say, by the time I'd gotten a few more levels in, running, screaming, panicking as I emptied my rifle in a true Hudson stylee, I called it quits as soon as I escaped and did the only sensible thing when presented with the rescue your pal from the hive scenario...

..said 'Fuck that', left her to it and uninstalled the game. I'm not a hero, man.

I love this. I don't know what it is about the aliens as opposed to other instant-death-dealing creatures, but they just freak me the fuck out. If Dead Space had been occupied by Giger's xenomorphs as opposed to the whatever-the-hell-they-were, I'd never have made it to the end. Is it the audio, the sense of dread, some primal thing that taps into our leftover reptile instincts? I dunno, but them aliens is fucking scary. The marine sections are still the best part of those games, I don't care what anyone says.

[Domingo]

The ramp up to AVP2's Marine campaign was SO WELL DONE. The slow, slow build. The occasional swinging wire setting off your tracker. Spring loaded cats. The descent into the hive as the walls become more and more alien and bizarre. It really makes you admire the character of Ripley for when she goes back for Newt to consider that I was almost too scared to go back in a video game. What a bad ass.

[D.S. Randlett]

I love this. I don't know what it is about the aliens as opposed to other instant-death-dealing creatures, but they just freak me the fuck out. If Dead Space had been occupied by Giger's xenomorphs as opposed to the whatever-the-hell-they-were, I'd never have made it to the end. Is it the audio, the sense of dread, some primal thing that taps into our leftover reptile instincts? I dunno, but them aliens is fucking scary. The marine sections are still the best part of those games, I don't care what anyone says.

I think the reason Giger's Aliens are so effective is their simplicity. In something like Dead Space, there are all these complicated-looking body horror monsters, which look cool, but ultimately I don't think that we can really relate to having to deal with something like that. The Aliens are basically a cross between giant bugs and cougars. The sounds that they make that freak us out (roach-like skittering, ugh) closely resembles stuff that I think our minds are evolved to sound off alarm bells when we hear them in real life.

Dead Space (and most body horror) has the fear of disease going for it, which is why the monsters in THE THING and SLITHER (or hell, Charles Burns' BLACK HOLE, for that matter) work as well as they do, because we experience the disease element in the narrative. In a video game with those types of monsters, you usually only deal with the end result of whatever disease has been unleashed, so the scariest part of the monster is unseen in the story that you're experiencing, whereas the xenomorph is what it is all the time. Simple, but effective.

[Domingo]

I think the reason Dead Space only started out scary is because of the main baddies. Basically a slightly mutated body with two plant like stalks sticking out of the back has room to be incredibly disturbing, but how they move and the noises they make eventually just become pretty silly. They kind of shuffle one foot ahead of the other to slowly get to you...

They really should have studied something more interesting movement wise, like the way the raptors moved in Jurassic Park, just something more organic. Not to mention the screams just are unpleasant, but not scary. Maybe something a little more subtle, a little more Silent Hill to leave you wondering, what the hell is that?

[Dr Syn]

You know what i'd like for this game?

I'd like to see the predator have the ability to record other players' headset chatter and play it back while stalking them from the shadows.

that or just clips of 'anytime' 'child laughter' 'want some candy' etc.

[Domingo]

Dream kind of fufilled, you can lure marines in by mimicking human voices.

[neoolong]

How randomized is that going to be? Because if there's only a couple of samples, that's not going to work for very long once players recognize them.

[Dan]

For the more cunning of you, there is footage of this online. Have submitted it as a scoop in the meantime.

[Dr Syn]

For the more cunning of you, there is footage of this online. Have submitted it as a scoop in the meantime.


ah, I came here to post this, the spliced up footage from Gametrailers?

Looking good so far. MOAR!

[Dan]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/aliens-vs-predator-preview?page=1

Eurogamer Hands-on.

Sounds good, little vague though. Screenshots do look enticing.

[Alex Augustine]

How did multiplayer work with the previous AVP games? I'm curious about the logistics of 3 faction matchmaking and balancing.

[Tati]

Beautifully.

[Dan]

Predators are weak against Aliens. Aliens are weak against marines. Marines are weak against Predators.

However it works backward - Predators have a viewmode for spotting aliens, but it's nowhere near as good. The Aliens have the ability to hide out of a marine's field of view to compensate for their weakness to bullets. Their speed and jump distances dominate 'fleshier' targets. Marines have the weapons that can deal with the predator's cloak, but are generally more suited to being in numbers with a variety of guns at their disposal.

Generally though you'll find people who played as a predator would dominate if used correctly. Marines were most fun in co-op. Aliens are damned satisfying, but they're easily the toughest to play as.

[Dr Syn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GljJpco0VZI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fs1%2Ezetaboards%2Ecom%2FTFans%2F topic%2F1276705%2F59%2F&feature=player_embedded

Marine reveal Trailer. posted the youtube, because it eats less internets.

Those poor, poor space jar-heads

[ZombieFever]

The trailer is a bit to fast paced to set the classic Aliens tone. I get more of a action adrenaline feel then claustrophobia.

But from a gaming point, i love it. Gets every species feel across with it.

Predator stealth is nice but the alien agility is the most fun.

[duke fleed]

After seeing...Space Marines...be all they could be, I definitely will be picking up...Aliens Vs Predator. This seems like a sequel to...James Cameron's Aliens, with all the run n gun action. If this game is a hit, maybe Microsoft could make a light gun so that Aliens: Extermination could get a home release on the...Xbox 360.

[Lima Oscar Lima]

Best YouTube quote...

"I would hump this game!"

well...so would I.

[thalasi]

Aliens are damned satisfying, but they're easily the toughest to play as.
Thats no joke, Aliens were insanely difficult for me to ever get the hang of. They moved so quickly I would frequently be unsure if I was on a wall of ceiling. I could never seem to master the rapid changes in perspective so I died alot.

[CountZero]

I've never been prone to motion sickness in an FPS before the AVP games. Playing as the alien in single or multi though forced me to take breaks once an hour or so just to stabilize my inner ear.

It's something about the compressed field of vision coupled with the ability to run along pretty much any surface as the floor. Even thinking about it now makes me feel a bit queasy.

[Dan]

4-player co-op!

On the multiplayer front, the main news is that there'll be 18-player, cross-species battles on all formats. There'll also be pure-blood modes where members of the same species are pitted against one another. Finally, there'll be four-player co-op, in which a quartet of marines will stand off against waves of encroaching aliens in a survival mode similar to Gears of War 2's Horde.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/avp-details-on-show-at-gamescom

[ryoken]

AVP Creators to Australia: Go to hell! (http://kotaku.com/5418963/rebellion-refuses-to-sanitise-avp-for-australian-release)

""Rebellion is disappointed that its upcoming title Aliens vs. Predator has been banned in Australia. However, as we understand the law in that country the authorities had no choice as we agree strongly that our game is not suitable for game players who are not adults."

Rebellion's problem is the same that many Australian games and gamers are forced to deal with - the fact that while films can carry R18+ and X18+ ratings, labeling them as adults only, video games can not. This has caused many developers over the years to modify titles, including Bethesda, which altered the drug references in Fallout 3 to suit Australian censors. Rebellion, true to its name, refuses to make changes.

"The content of AVP is based on some of the most innovative and iconic horror movies, and as such we wanted to create a title that was true to the source material. It is for adults, and it is bloody and frightening, that was our intent. We will not be releasing a sanitised or cut down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices."

[jmub]

Bah, I'll just import a region free copy. That's if the game is any good.
Rogue Warrior, Rebellions newest game is getting high scores of 1.5 and above!
Waiting for a demo before I get excited about this.

[Alex Riviello]

Henriksen's a go- http://chud.com/articles/articles/21780/1/MCP-LANCE-HENRIKSEN-TO-REPRISE-BISHOP-IN-AVP-GAME/Page1.html

[ryoken]

Aces...and voice alone whould give good ol Lance enough sex for a lifetime.

[Princess Kate]

Any word on the Colonial Marines game? That's the one I'm most excited about. The ORIGINAL Space Marines! Predator is a franchise I never liked, so I'd prefer an ALIEN only adventure. I was kind of hoping Bishop would turn up in CM, not AVP: Next Gen

[Jonathan]

Isn't Colonial Marines dead?

All this talk of Lance Henrikson getting laid has helped me conjure an image of him giving the types of pussy speech from From Dusk till Dawn and for that I thank you Alex.

Incidentally I hope this game is good. Many happy memories of the first two. Was that RTS (Extinction? Maybe that was what it was called?) for the original XBox any good?

[ryoken]

Isn't Colonial Marines dead?

All this talk of Lance Henrikson getting laid has helped me conjure an image of him giving the types of pussy speech from From Dusk till Dawn and for that I thank you Alex.

Incidentally I hope this game is good. Many happy memories of the first two. Was that RTS (Extinction? Maybe that was what it was called?) for the original XBox any good?

Nope, it was mediocre at best, venom at worst.

[Jonathan]

Nope, it was mediocre at best, venom at worst.

Figured.

[Princess Kate]

Isn't Colonial Marines dead?

All this talk of Lance Henrikson getting laid has helped me conjure an image of him giving the types of pussy speech from From Dusk till Dawn and for that I thank you Alex.

Incidentally I hope this game is good. Many happy memories of the first two. Was that RTS (Extinction? Maybe that was what it was called?) for the original XBox any good?

Is it?

I'd heard that was the rumor, but then Gearbox came out and said "no, it's going to just be after AVP"


Has that changed?

PS, While Lance H. the actor is cool, he did play a robot with ejaculate for blood. That might lead to dating problems later in life;)

[Graham]

Anyone here ever play 1995's 'Aliens: A Comic Book Adventure'?

A beautiful game to look at (for the time)....an absolute cunt to play.

[Dan]

Colonial Marines is on the backburner, but not scrapped as-of-yet. It's actually looking surprisingly decent from the little that has turned up.

[Dr Syn]

Anyone here ever play 1995's 'Aliens: A Comic Book Adventure'?

A beautiful game to look at (for the time)....an absolute cunt to play.


I wish I had, I remember reading through a walk through in a PC magazine back in the 90s.

I had hoped that the cancelled Aliens RPG would have filled that void for me, but alas.

[Egg]

So these are the same people that just shat out Rogue Warrior? There goes any interest I had in this game.

[Alex Augustine]

Pretty awesome trailer featuring Henriksen.
http://kotaku.com/5432184/weyland+yutani-building-better-bloodier-worlds

[Dr Syn]

Pretty awesome trailer featuring Henriksen.
http://kotaku.com/5432184/weyland+yutani-building-better-bloodier-worlds



daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaymn.

I really... really this game works out to be excellent.


If not.... i'm gonna cry.

[Splitfocus]

So these are the same people that just shat out Rogue Warrior? There goes any interest I had in this game.

No.Same studio, different team. The team developing AvP has only been working on AvP for the past 3 years or so.

Very positive hands-on preview of the single player up at IGN - http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/105/1057316p1.html.

[ryoken]

aaaand Dante's Inferno just got off my list for February; this and Bioshock 2 got first day purchase all over them.

[Randolph Carter]

PS, While Lance H. the actor is cool, he did play a robot with ejaculate for blood. That might lead to dating problems later in life;)
Its a surprise that Lance Henriksen didnt wind up doing bukkake films.
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/3088/aliensbishop.jpg (http://img695.imageshack.us/i/aliensbishop.jpg/)

[LeRolls]

Definitely looking forward to this one. If there's one thing that Rebellion knows it's AVP.

[Alex Riviello]

New trailers- http://chud.com/articles/articles/22232/1/MCP-REMEMBER-YOUR-ALIENS-VS-PREDATOR-HERITAGE/Page1.html

[Tati]

It's looking better and better. Can't wait for some early reviews.

[Joe]

Can't wait for this game. Was reading about the "wave after wave of Aliens" co-op mode the other day. Sounds so awesome and I love any game that gives special attention to co-op.

[Jonathan]

The Predator bits in that Killmoves trailer look great. I always felt that was a downside of AVP2, the animations for removing heads or doing anything with a person's head were very choppy. You just swung your claws and the head either just popped off or disappeared. Looking forward to something a little bit more animated and naturally a bit more gory.

[Graham]

Alex, when you say 'remake', you don't mean they're lifting the same story from the original game yet improving everything else, do you?

I thought this was a fresh take with a new story...(and I'm sure it is so I'll 'hush ma mouth').

[LeRolls]

New trailer is pretty badass! Seems to be a lot of OMFG moments in this game.

[Jeremy Jochman]

Gamespot has the first lengthy in-game clips (from multiplayer) that I've seen. The Alien (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/aliensvspredatorworkingtitle/video/6248153/aliens-vs-predator--alien-gameplay-movie) doesn't seem to employ the nauseating blurry vision this time, which still only reduces the chance I'll barf by 10%. The Predator (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/aliensvspredatorworkingtitle/video/6248150/aliens-vs-predator--predator-gameplay-movie?hd=1) is pretty straight-forward, but I wish they would have shown more than the wrist blades. Love that surprise kill at the end! As for the Marine (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/aliensvspredatorworkingtitle/video/6248149/aliens-vs-predator--space-marine-gameplay-movie?hd=1), I'm already having panic attacks.

I'm usually a campaign-only player, but multi on this one looks to be a hell of a lot of fun.

[Graham]

Any 'PC-only' players worried that all the currently released media is only for consoles?
I have to admit, it gives me pause...

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

Got the last issue of the Dark Horse Predator mini-series, and the back of it had an advertisement for the new Aliens Vs. Predator movie. Had forgotten that it's coming out in a few weeks. Day before my birthday no less. I'll surely be picking it up.

[BruceL]

The new trailer looks great. I loved the first two games. Love the first two movies, like the next two, and thought the first AvP movie was... ok.

But watching the trailer, I started to get this creeping feeling related to the fact that we have been looking at the exact same elements for over twenty years with nothing new added.

Pulse rifles, aliens and facehuggers and eggs, flamethrowers and the pump shotgun, the predator cloak effect and the wrist blades, and on and on. Has there even been one single interesting thing added to this franchise since 1987?

Of course, the game is still a day 1 purchase, heh.

[Dan]

Any 'PC-only' players worried that all the currently released media is only for consoles?
I have to admit, it gives me pause...

The price of the PC version in the UK seems to reflect how little they're concerned with that market.

[Graham]

The price of the PC version in the UK seems to reflect how little they're concerned with that market.

WOW, 17.73 pounds on Amazon?
They're either supremely confident or they're pulling a fast-one.
Looks like I'm DEFINITELY waiting for reviews.

[Dan]

That's even cheaper than when I last checked. It's probably being designed for consoles so the PC version may well be getting very little in the way of attention.

Or could be completely wrong. I'm definitely renting this day one.

[El Gray]

Hmm... sorry to hear concern over the PC version. I was gifted a pre-order via STEAM recently, so it's all mine on the 14th. Looking forward to destroying some creatures! Who else in here will be playing it via PC?

[Jacob Singer]

I'll be getting the pc flavor for sure, for LAN games at home with friends.

[Trevor]

Same here, provided the news is positive.

[Graham]

Got the last issue of the Dark Horse Predator mini-series, and the back of it had an advertisement for the new Aliens Vs. Predator movie. Had forgotten that it's coming out in a few weeks. Day before my birthday no less. I'll surely be picking it up.

Please don't joke about a NEW AvP movie...

[Alex Riviello]

Multiplayer modes detailed- http://chud.com/articles/articles/22360/1/MCP-ALIENS-VS-PREDATOR-MULTIPLAYER-MODES-DETAILED/Page1.html

[LeRolls]

I keep getting more and more excited about this game.

[Trevor]

Predator hunt sounds cool.

No Alien lifecycle multiplayer this time? Facehugging, chest-bursting, and eventually evolving into the queen was my favorite part of AVP2's multiplayer.

[HBarr]

When did I miss that there was going to be 3 separate 1st player campaigns? I thought it would be one campaign just done from 3 separate perspectives. Wow. No wonder it took so long to develop.

[Alex Riviello]

Infestation trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZscVvFF4XA

Going to be playing this today! Article as soon as I can get one up.

[Spike Marshall]

Looking forward to the Demo tomorrow. Shame it's only Multiplayer but as least it lets you play as all three species. It's a shame there's no single player demo, because really with a game like AvP the biggest thing, for me, about it is the tension and atmosphere of single player.

[Trevor]

That looks really fun.

Is it just me, or do the models and textures look pretty bad in these recent videos?

[Brad Millette]

Yeah, I've remained pretty unimpressed by the visuals.

I'm still pretty leery of AVP, given Rebellion's track record lately.

[Spike Marshall]

Sniper Elite and Dredd vs. Death give me hope that Rebellion can pull this out of the bag, but the stuff they've been making recently has been so boring it's hard to hold out hope.

[LeRolls]

I also think the graphics are pretty weak but at least they seem to be paying attention to the MP which is probably where the real value of the game will be since the campaign mode is supposedly quite short despite having three species to play as.

[Dan]

The original AvP wasn't exactly attractive either. It was just the atmosphere and surprisingly satisfying ability to decapitate and maim your enemies.

Sniper Elite was pretty hideous to look at. They're just fun games.

Saying that, the recent videos have made me temper my expectations a little. It'll all come down to the multiplayer which sounds like it'll be yet another balancing nightmare. Especially the Predator.

[Eyeball Kid]

I have fond memories of Survivor mode from the first AVP. That's the mode I'm most pumped for here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1I-km4P9Yg&feature=related

[Dan]

Yeah the co-op from the original was blinding. Especially that little bunker at the end of one level out in the open. There'd always be one new guy who'd lock himself in only to find the roof could collapse and much hilarity would ensue as the predaliens swarmed inside.

Saying that though, it was never really that scary. That video looks pretty terrifying and fingers crossed there's plenty of accidental friendly fire and acid blood spray!

[Eyeball Kid]

Oh god, the bunker level! I hope we get a remake of that or something similar.

[Alex Riviello]

Predator has much more of a melee fighter feel to him than I expected. Saw the tutorial level and some of a marine in Survivor mode. I like what I see so far, but hope it doesn't get repetitive. Noticed a lot of the same death animations and saw the same finishing move three times in about five minutes, so...

[HBarr]

Kill the messenger!!! Don't be dashing our hopes sir.

[Dan]

Making the Predator more of a melee fighter's gotta be their attempt at stopping people just sitting up in the trees using the speargun and shoulder cannon until everyone's dead.

Repetition's something these guys know very well. I'm pretty sure the latter half of the marine campaign had you only killing 3 different kinds of enemies.

[Brad Millette]

Well, at least they understand the deep underpinnings of the Aliens franchise, then.

[Dan]

They did "drab grey corridor" better than anyone else at the time too.

[Alex Riviello]

Hey I liked what I saw! The multiplayer's going to be kickass too, that's for sure.

That demo is official confirmed for tomorrow, too, so we'll all be able to try it out.

[Tati]

Man is everybody turning against every game coming out this week or what?
Dante's Inferno, Bioshock 2 and AVP are getting cold treatments all of the sudden.
Did Mass Effect 2 affect you so much ?

[Dan]

It can't be worse than the PSP Predator game.

[Brad Millette]

Dante's Inferno has been getting shit for months, Bioshock 2 just doesn't look very interesting, and this is coming from a developer that last set the world aflutter with ROGUE WARRIOR.

Not exactly a bumper crop.

[Dr Syn]

excellent news on the multiplayer demo coming this week.

Anytime

[HBarr]

Plus Brad hates fun.

[Dan]

No really, Rogue Warrior was shit.

I'm really looking forward to this, but I think tempering expectations might be sensible.

[Brad Millette]

No way I'm totally hip and with it.

I'm not even saying this is gonna be bad or anything, just I haven't seen anything particularly exciting from it yet. Plus I'm not really that into Aliens or Predators and I think the Colonial Marines are boring.

[Spike Marshall]

I actually want AvP to be bad now just because Alex likes it. Will have to see what the Demo is like.

[Tati]

Hahaha just when we thought you couldn't get cuntier.

[Alex Riviello]

Blame the aspergers.

[Dan]

I dont remember you two having a feud. Is this like the opposite of what's going on with Trevor and Overlord?

[HBarr]

The same really. Spike just hides his affection with the anger.

[Jackson]

well, this is all very disappointing indeed. I guess it gives me more time to finish my GOW collection play through........

[Dan]

What's disappointing? It sounds like the best Alien Versus Predator game we've had in years.

[Jake]

Did Mass Effect 2 affect you so much ?

Mass Affect 2 :(

[biff]

Demo tomorrow! Cannot wait for this, and hope to see some of you online!

[Jacob Singer]

PC demo is getting really slagged just about everywhere. 360 seems to be faring better.

[Graham]

Goddam!!

[Trejo]

So they actually managed to overpower the aliens this time around. I must have got insta-killed about 20 times in one round, any time I walked anywhere I'd get the little *grabbed from behind, head chomped* animation. Doesn't help that the pulse rifle is a real piece of shit.

Predators surprisingly easy to take down provided they don't leap at you and use their claws which pretty much stun you long enough for them to finish the job.

[billylove]

I was watch a stream of some guy playing the marine. He did some kind of block breaker move on the aliens and kicked their asses. However, I think it was still a no-win kill if an alien got the marine from behind.

[Trejo]

I don't know why they made the demo deathmatch instead of species deathmatch; can't even hang out on the ceiling and try to learn your alien controls/wait for passing marines without getting insta-killed from behind by the other aliens running around.

20 minutes and I'm pretty much done with AvP online.. I don't think this game will be a purchase after all.

[LeRolls]

I don't know why they made the demo deathmatch instead of species deathmatch; can't even hang out on the ceiling and try to learn your alien controls/wait for passing marines without getting insta-killed from behind by the other aliens running around.

20 minutes and I'm pretty much done with AvP online.. I don't think this game will be a purchase after all.

Yeah, same here. I've kind of lost interest with MP for this game which is too bad. Guess I'll be spending my money on some other game.

[ZombieFever]

Downloaded this for both the PC and 360. Both times I spent more time searching for a match than actually playing. Basically all this consists of is just stalking someone so you can one hit them from behind. Just hopefully another player isn't doing the same to you.

Its unfortunate that this is the first taste of the game that we get. I would have preferred no demo at all.

[Dr Syn]

Well, after 4 games of various results. I'm rather digging this.

Sure it was just straight up Deathmatch (of which I have no desire to play in the full version), but I got a handle of the mechanics for all 3 species.

Teamed up with a fellow marine as we got stalked by a alien (I hope the motion tracker shows your team, for extra paranoia)

The Predator is alright, and the alien is sublime.

[Alex Riviello]

Impressions from the event, and multiplayer- http://chud.com/articles/articles/22397/1/CHUD-CHECKS-OUT-SEGA039S-ALIENS-VS-PREDATOR/Page1.html

[Spike Marshall]

The one good thing the horrible Demo did was free up my purchasing schedule for the next few months. Without having to buy that I can take a risk on Just Cause 2 and BioShock 2.

[Dan]

Downloading it now just to confirm my suspicions, but I gotta bad feelin' about this...

[Alex Riviello]

You know, I feel like you gotta give this demo a longer try. They really dropped the ball on this by choosing this mode- there's no time to get used to the controls and how everything plays before being thrown right in there. I'm especially liking how jumpy playing as the marine makes me- once you realize that an enemy can kill you instantly it makes you take things at a slower pace, watching your corners and living and dying by the motion tracker. I've played probably about ten matches now and am starting to really dig it.

[Spike Marshall]

I just don't like Aliens enough to invest the time in something which feels so unwieldy. If the single player campaign is interesting it's worth a rental, but I can't imagine this not getting mind numbingly tedious as a Multiplayer experience.

[Trevor]

That was awful.

[sexymollusk]

This is a lot of fun once you get used to the controls. Especially if you're an Alien/Predator fan.

[Trevor]

I couldn't bear the controls. Maybe the full game is different, but having to execute what's in essence a QTE to kill a target as an alien is excruciating.

[Alex Riviello]

QTE? Let's not get silly- it's a single button press. And you can do pretty well with your claws, as well. Nevermind how much better it gets when you get used to crawling on walls and jumping from floor to ceiling to sneak around people. Did you try the other species?

[Dan]

Mmm the name Trevor is synonymous with QTE.

[Dan]

Obligatory PS3 bug: Matchmaking doesn't work at all.

[Spike Marshall]

It kind of doesn't work on the 360 either. I had to wait ten minutes each time I wanted to try a match.

Also is it me or are the PC Controls kind of terrible, ended up dicking around with the demo on my friends PC, I suck with WASD anyways but the controls felt wonky and a little 'light'.

I'm sure all you 'Predator and Alien' fans will love it and it's great that a game has been made to tailor to the niche audience that likes Aliens and Predators,

[Trevor]

Sorry, but when you're restricted to killing a foe when the little "push X to kill foe" sign pops onto your hud, it's officially a QTE.

It took me ten minutes to find a game, and the only one I found allowed me to play as an Alien. Maybe this is restricted to the alien playthrough, and maybe it's purely a demo thing, but the demo is really unimpressive.

[Alex Riviello]

It is a bad idea for a demo (remember when Bionic Commando did that same shit?), but I don't see how you could dismiss it without at least trying all the different species. They all play very differently. Give it a shot, I think you'll see there's more to offer than it first appears.

But your definition of QTEs amuses me, seriously. Does that mean when you jump from cover in Gears of War it's a QTE? Or when you hit a switch or initiate a conversation in Mass Effect- that's a QTE?

niche audience that likes Aliens and Predators,

lolz.

[Spike Marshall]

lolz.

Yeah. That was kind of the joke I was making in regards to the person saying it was for Alien and Predator fans. Am I seriously gonna have to start typing 'HAH HAH HAH' or LOL or using :p

[Alex Riviello]

Possibly. We've grown to know you as such a prick that everything you say comes off as cuntish.

[Spike Marshall]

Well I am a cunt, so that's a natural reaction.

[Dr Syn]

Had a game of 4 Marines and 4 Aliens on the demo last night, everyone teamed up with their respective species.

Shit just felt so right.

[Alex Riviello]

Yeah I really can't wait to hunt down the other teams as a specific species. This every man for himself nonsense will hardly get played. It's like playing that mode in MW2- fun enough for a quick match, but we all know the team games are where the meat is.

[Spike Marshall]

Don't get me wrong, whatever animosity I might have for Alex doesn't mean that I actually want the game to fail. I'm glad so many of you like it, it's just not for me and I didn't want to come across as making some dontEATnachos style grand statement on the objective quality of the game. It's just something that I personally can't get into. I'm also 100% sure the game is going find an audience and be at least average and probably quite good.

[ZombieFever]

I'm willing to give this game a chance with the single player. I'm only hoping the character models are a bit higher during the single player.

Multi-player though. From what they have given us, Is completely worthless. The level they gave us and the team set ups are just terrible.

No doubt that they are banking on so many fond memories of the classic. But from what they showed us doesn't cater to that.

TBH. I just want an equivalent of that canyon/gauntlet level of the original.

[Alex Augustine]

I could only get to play as the alien. The controls feel sloppy. I can't tell if my little alien claws are hurting the other player or just scratching at the air.

[Trevor]

But your definition of QTEs amuses me, seriously. Does that mean when you jump from cover in Gears of War it's a QTE? Or when you hit a switch or initiate a conversation in Mass Effect- that's a QTE?


I know I've harped the things to death on the boards, but here's my definition of QTE, as far as in-game mechanics are concerned:

The way I see it, there's an interface layer between me and the game, which is, in the 360's case, the controller. Any in-game prompt that makes me feel like I'm "pushing a button" adds an additional layer between me and the game. It's anti-immersion, for lack of a better term.

[Kyler]

I downloaded the Multiplayer Demo on PS3. I guess no one is playing because i just sit endlessly at the 'Searching for games" screen

[Alex Riviello]

I know I've harped the things to death on the boards, but here's my definition of QTE, as far as in-game mechanics are concerned:

The way I see it, there's an interface layer between me and the game, which is, in the 360's case, the controller. Any in-game prompt that makes me feel like I'm "pushing a button" adds an additional layer between me and the game. It's anti-immersion, for lack of a better term.

But that's just simply not what a QTE is at all. Shenmue, Dragon's Lair, God of War- when you're watching a cutscene and hitting buttons as dictated on screen to advance- that's a QTE. When a symbol of a button pops up saying that you're able to interact with an object or character in the game- that's a whole other thing. It's a way of simplifying the gameplay; the difference between having to hunt down switches on the walls in the original Aliens Vs Predator and having them pointed out for you when you're near them in the remake.

Damn near every game uses those indicators now, because it's easier than having to run around hitting the "Interact" button nonstop. No one says "Boy I sure hated those QTEs in Dragon Age when I would pick up loot." or "Damn those annoying QTEs in Arkham Asylum that made me hit buttons to choke criminals!" That's just ridiculous. Most games benefit from knowing when there is something nearby that you can interact with, and this one's no different. How many other games put up a prompt when you can perform a stealth kill of some sort? Do you have problems with them too? Hate the game for what it is, at least, not some arbitrary definition.

[Brad Millette]

I'm pressing X... to make Alex and Trevor hug.

[Trevor]

Oh, Alex knows I cherish him.

Playing as an alien in the demo, when you sneak up on a human, it's Push X to Trigger Death Cutscene. The X icon flashes when you're in range, and triggers a non-interactive movie. If that isn't a QTE, then it's still just as immersion-killing as the QTEs in SWTFU or any of the God of War clones.

With RPGs, it's different. You're working from a totally different framework than an action game, as RPGs are usually populated with inventories, level up menus, and power select screens. That presentation layer can be just as important as the "walking around and fighting" parts, so embedding it into the gameplay isn't a distraction.

If QTEs work for some people, more power to them. But they are jerks.

[Kyler]

So i finally got into a match and tried out Marine. I got repeatedly raped by the 7 other players who were all Aliens.

[Alex Riviello]

Oh, Alex knows I cherish him.

Playing as an alien in the demo, when you sneak up on a human, it's Push X to Trigger Death Cutscene. The X icon flashes when you're in range, and triggers a non-interactive movie. If that isn't a QTE, then it's still just as immersion-killing as the QTEs in SWTFU or any of the God of War clones.

With RPGs, it's different. You're working from a totally different framework than an action game, as RPGs are usually populated with inventories, level up menus, and power select screens. That presentation layer can be just as important as the "walking around and fighting" parts, so embedding it into the gameplay isn't a distraction.

If QTEs work for some people, more power to them. But they are jerks.

Hahaha. You're too much. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I'm not the biggest fan of the finishing moves or the length of them, but the one thing it does is open you up to attacks yourself, as you're vulnerable in the middle of the animation. So it is a gameplay decision- go for the quick kill and maybe die yourself, or just start brawling. I've been finding it easier to charge up a heavy attack as the alien and catch a guy off guard, allowing you to do a followup attack and finish your prey off, then quickly run back into the darkness before anyone else can pinpoint you.

I'm pressing X... to make Alex and Trevor hug.

Really hope you guys don't think I'm taking this all too seriously- we're talking about video games, after all, and I love bullshitting and arguing with you folks. And maybe it's the whiskey talking but I love even that aspy brain of Spike's, no matter how socially inept and wrong he usually is.

[Dr Syn]

I just ganked some marine in the eye with my Tail stinger with the x button (usually I just do the light and heavy strike buttons)

good times.

[Brad Millette]

Really hope you guys don't think I'm taking this all too seriously- we're talking about video games, after all, and I love bullshitting and arguing with you folks. And maybe it's the whiskey talking but I love even that aspy brain of Spike's, no matter how socially inept and wrong he usually is.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

why are they not hugging i think my button is broken : (

[The Rain Dog]

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

why are they not hugging i think my button is broken : (

Don't worry Brad it worked, here...

http://achievements.schrankmonster.de/Achievement.aspx?text=10G%20-%20True%20Bromance

[BruceL]

I'm amazed at how fucked the usability of this demo is.

* no way to spawn an empty room to get used to the controls, movement, items. This is especially an issue with three different races, all with their own thing. I wonder how many people spawned into levels, got assraped ten times in the first half-minute while flailing around, then quit and vowed never to buy this game.

* Duplicate key bindings. If you come in and put in a key binding that by default is assigned elsewhere, you have to manually go hunt down and remove the duplicate. Which you can't just delete; you have to assign it to *something*. WHAT THE FUCK CENTURY IS THIS??

* Confuzzling match options. Why am I sitting here with two other players, forced to wait for five more players to join? Where is the browser letting me select player count/game type/ping? How do I select a different ra... oh, game started.

I actually like the gfx and had fun the two times I was able to actually get in and figure out what I was doing. But this demo is a mess.

[Trevor]

I'm really surprised they bothered releasing this demo.

[Alex Augustine]

They need to whip together a marine demo promptly.

[HBarr]

It comes out on the 17th. I doubt there will be another demo. Really curious why Sega put this demo out. Seems to me to be failed marketing, since most everyone I've talked has been underwhelmed. Unless of course this demo is representative of the actual game. If so, ouch. Are developers not caring about demos anymore?

[Timo]

I downloaded the Multiplayer Demo on PS3. I guess no one is playing because i just sit endlessly at the 'Searching for games" screen
I had the same thing on PS3. On pc I managed to get to games after they patched the demo. I had big hopes for this game, but this demo is pretty underwhelming.

[D.T.]

Not that it matters, but chalk another one up for giving the demo a fair shake, and being thoroughly unimpressed. The controls are really weak, the instant takedowns rob the demo of any tension, and I just shot a Xenomorph in the face three times at near point-blank, and it still got a grab/kill off on me, so fuck that.

[Dan]

If the hit detection is fucked, this isn't even worth a rental. The aliens shouldn't be bullet-absorbing machines.

Do bits of them still fly off when hit or has even that been toned down? I can't tell because I still cant get into a game.

[Jackson]

This demo fucking sucks. On nearly every level.

[Trevor]

Early reviews are saying it's abysmal. Too bad.

I might bargain bin this for the marine campaign, but probably not.

[Headless Fett]

So the AvP curse continues. Damn.

[sexymollusk]

We'll see. There's only one early review out, from Game Informer.

[Dan]

Lower your expectations. There's no need to have false hope for this game unless you've pre-ordered it.

[Nexus-7]

I dig the demo, but that may be in part to them nailing most of the sound effects so damn well. I'm saddened by how poor it looks, and the enemies exploding when they die is pretty lazy(works for the alien though). This is a game that surely wouldn't be hurt by dead bodies laying everywhere.

[Dan]

Ahhh it's awful.

[Hugh Manbeeng]

Despite being a bit rubbish, I keep playing it...

[Alex Riviello]

Man oh man, what a boring campaign.

[Jeremy Jochman]

Which? All of them? That Marine campaign should be everything *but* boring. I was completely willing to overlook the dismal reception of the MP demo, but hearing the campaign sucks is a huge letdown.

[Alex Riviello]

The Marine, so far. It's one of those linear FPSes where you have a person in your ear directing you where to go, what switches to push, what to do at every step of the way. There's hardly anything to interact with and when there is you're expressly told to do such. It even makes you perform horrible cliches like carrying around giant batteries to power up doors, for god's sake.

It made me jump a few times but there's no real suspense, no buildup whatsoever. The very first level, for example, takes place in a location in daylight, where you get attacked every time you go inside a dark building. It's all Doom 3 jumpscares but without the crippling atmosphere and darkness that made you dread to advance in that (very fun) game.

They even managed to make the alien queen encounter lackluster.

Also- it feels like they took every line from the films and repeated them. Heard "bughunt", "game over", "You want some of this?" and countless others so far.

Incredibly disappointed, and I'm sure most of you will be horrified to know that the multiplayer's much more fun.

[Princess Kate]

Alex,

Is ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES still coming, eventually? It sounds like they stuck all the stuff from aliens into the "marine campaign", and I'm worried that might signal they don't intend to make the other game.

If this game fails to sell, will that make A:CM less likely?

[Jeremy Jochman]

They even managed to make the alien queen encounter lackluster.
...
Incredibly disappointed, and I'm sure most of you will be horrified to know that the multiplayer's much more fun.

Boo! The last thing I need to buy is another game good for multi-only. This bums me out to no end, especially since AvP was going to be the first game that I was about to pre-order in quite some time. Yeah, there's seldom reason to pre-order anything, but excitement nearly got the best of me.

[Isildur's Bangs]

Boo! The last thing I need to buy is another game good for multi-only.
Ya but, if it's anything like the demo it's not even good for that. :(