LOWE gives us the LOWEdown...
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Reviewer: LOWE
Version reviewed - Xbox 360
Having been a fan of the original games, for me the next instalment of AvP was a long time coming. Essentially the idea is the same with the 3 species going hammer and tongs and knocking seven shades of stuff out of one another. I've finished both the Predator and Alien campaigns and whilst on the whole they're fairly short I feel that they're just about right. If they'd gone on for much longer the game play would have began to feel a little stale. I'm about a third of the way through the Marine campaign, but this is taking a little bit longer due to the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere the game creates.
There's nothing new in here for any FPS or AvP game fan other than a fresh lick of paint, but that said it's no bad thing. For the price its available at on the PC, I wouldn't expect any more. Some people complain about the visuals, but it's more than functional (some areas look fantastic) and on a fairly modest PC it runs very smoothly.
Long term playability will be firmly with the MP, though the matchmaking system leaves much to be desired. I know matchmaking is the 'en vogue' thing to do with PC games but it's not practical compared to a proper dedicated server. Supposedly there's a dedi on the way, but with limited functionality for the time being. The MP modes are all pretty good fun and the balancing isn't that bad. There are a few things that I wish were tweaked though...
Click for larger imageIn Predator Hunt mode a group of Marines find themselves stuck in a map with a Predator who is obviously looking for blood. The game randomly picks a player to start with who becomes the Predator. He is then given a time limit to hunt down and kill a Marine. This is my issue - the whole point of the Predator is that it stalks, taunts, freaks out and then dispatches its quarry. The Predator should not be forced to have to run into the middle of a group of Marines desperately trying to kill one. Most games I've played have had the Marines (rightly) grouping up in a nice wide open area letting rip with all kinds of weaponry at the slightest suggestion of movement.
Since the Predator spawns with no weaponry to start with the first few seconds are a rapid cloak, run to find a decent weapon the run to find something to kill. It's just not particularly fun - or as fun as it should be. Devs, for a perfect example of how this game mode should be have a look at 'The Hidden:Source'. I'm guessing it's done for balance and to give everyone a fair crack at being the Pred. Hopefully when the dedi arrives it will give us options to turn these kinds of things on and off.
All in all, it's a good no brainer shoot em up. For fans of the series it's worth buying regardless but for non fans have a rent first and see how you get on. Just remember it's all about the MP...
Score: 8/10.
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