Aliens vs. Predator GC Eyes On

Following on from what we saw over at E3 earlier this year, SEGA have just recently revealed what we can expect from the second storyline campaign in Aliens vs. Predator. Initially we saw gameplay from the marines perspective, where you felt vulnerable and laden down with heavy equipment in a narrow, dimly lit corridor. Now here at GamesCom, we witnessed the game from the point of view from an alien, allowing you to become the hunter and stalk your victims.

SEGA have done an excellent job of getting the look and feel right to AvP. They have encapsulated the asethetics that we know from the movies, in particular Alien 3. Each environment (it's not just repetitive corridors either) is packed full of moody lighting causing every shadow to ooze a sense of fear and dread. Steam will pour out of vents making visibility difficult and that sense of claustophobia is perfectly recreated. But all of this changes from the alien's point of view. The darkness is now your friend, allowing you to stalk your prey and lurk in the shadows undetected.

This element of stealth is just as important as your devastating speed, razor sharp teeth and brutal claws because aliens are majorly disadvantaged in long-distance attacks. Against the firepower and range of those annoying marines, an alien can get pretty badly cut-up by just charging at them in full view. Instead players will be running along walls, climbing ceilings, zipping in and out of small vents and exploding out of the darkness to instantly take-down your prey before disappearing again into the black. Listening to the screams of fellow marines who have just found your victim is a satisfying experience too with their fear and confusion giving way to more easy targets.

In order to let the player do this, SEGA have spent a lot of time refining the controls. Firstly, although the original Alien vs. Predator game was a lot of fun, it was difficult to not feel a bit disorientated and possibly ill when playing as the alien. But with the improved technology and more complex level geometry in today's games – movement as the alien feels a lot more fluid and realistic. Aliens will treat each surface accurately, whether it is hanging on the edge of a stack of shelves looking down on marines in a huge warehouse or navigating over curved objects. Because aliens can race along almost any surface, the developers have included a rotating T-shape crosshair (pretty much the only thing on your HUD) that allows you to orientate yourself to the ground at all times. The alien also has a different out-look on life, with a stylish but non-obstrusive fish-bowl lens effect as well as sensory aids unique to the species. For starters, all prey is highlighted by a green glow that indicates where your targets are - even through walls. Being a creature of speed and agility, surfaces and targets become sharp and in focus as soon as you are close enough to jump to it – giving a truly “animal” feel to your gameplay. Latching onto a poor human is a very satisfyingly gory experience as well, allowing you to impale your victims on your barbed tail or use your second retractable mouth to pull out eye-balls with a sickening squelch. You will also get to see your prey up-close and personal too, with facial features showing surprise, horror and pain just seconds before you dispatch them. It's an incredible shift in pace from the marine campaign.



Story-wise, you are an alien so you are basically just causing panic and blood-shed all around you. However the developers have given you objectives that are greatly appreciated. Through-out the maps civillians, usually scientists or workers guarded by marines, are special targets that you have to hunt down but not kill. In order to benefit the hive and extend your species you must harvest these people by grabbing them and allowing a face-hugger to do it's nasty work. It's not as easy as it sounds because not only do you need to strategically work out the best way to get to them, if they spot you or a marine getting dragged away they will immediately leg it. Of course the resulting chase is extremely fun and mimics the scenes we saw towards the end of Alien 3. Even once you get to them you must be careful as your intended host would rather turn a gun on themselves than be captured alive. Instead a sense of forethought is required, possibly ripping out electricals to plunge the area into darkness; or taking out perimeter guards one by one to work your way closer amidst the confusion.



The gameplay we saw looked and sounded amazing. Even with the madness of the lights and other mixed sounds from the SEGA offices infiltrating our room. There is little question that playing this game in the dark with the sound cranked up is guaranteed to mess you up. Finally SEGA announced there will be a lot of attention toward multiplayer with 18 player available on release – including all three species (humans, aliens and predators) and with options to mix these up to suit. This game can't arrive quick enough for me.

NZGamer.com would like thank Activision, Capcom, Microsoft NZ, SCENZ, SEGA, THQ and Ubisoft for making this trip possible.

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