Initially this feels like a restrictive shooter, wrist blades your only means of attack. The Alien Campaign is very one-note. You get the sense that nobody really knew what to do with these things in the way of narrative, modernized controls and abilities. You just sort of wander around and haphazardly kill people if you want to. Most of the time I just ran through vents until the level ended. Wall-climbing is finicky and clunky, with transitions controlled by holding the right trigger. You frequently get caught in the environment either literally or from the spazzed camera. Combat mechanics boil down to a heavy tail and light claw attack with a lock-on pounce your life preserver. You can stalk and stealth kill a target, but the animation takes so long their partner will most likely kill you. Your best bet is to simply jump on Marines and swing away with your gimpy claws. Abilities are soporific from the womb to the tomb and there is no development or even a sense of total control over this creature crashing from floor to ceiling. Climbing through vents simply does not match a frenzied "Game Over, man" mantra, or meticulous dissection with various Predator technology, and the necessity of melee combat makes the quickest species the most boring. All the campaigns force an incessant urge to run towards the exit and away from danger. Singleplayer is over quickly on the one hand because of the breakneck pace, and the other because there just simply is not a whole lot to do. Sometime Rebellion shoehorns in silly platforming for the sake of variety along with flipping switches and hunting for power nodes. Needed Variety: more guns, more enemies.
There is plenty to see and hear though. Androids bleed white, Aliens squeal, Predators growl and pulse rifles scream. The structurally bland levels have great textures, like the Alien hive's slick, goo-covered walls. Character animation is wooden but the models are varied enough that I only saw a repeat once or twice during the intimate closeness of stealth kills. The grotesqueness of ripping off skulls is appropriate given the executioner. Scientist's wide-eyed terror as a face-hugger latches onto their skull is extremely entertaining and I would have loved to see more of this interaction. Squadmates panicking or performing simultaneous kills with Alien teammates. AvP takes itself a little too seriously, so the enthusiasm of niche fans in multiplayer is a great alternative. Multiplayer gives familiar modes a licensed inspiration. Predator Hunt features one player as the Predator against a squad of Marines. While this gives an idea of just how powerful the Predator is, Hunt is balanced with superior Marine numbers. Swarm Mode switches the balance of power from Marine to Alien as more players are killed and respawn as Xenomorphs. Yet the last Marine standing still has a trove of weapons to stave off the Xenomorphs.
Ultimately a good player can win no matter what he faces, and I never felt cheated or overmatched. While singleplayer does its best to reminisce over the movies, multiplayer creates your own myths. It's wonderful to play through and re-remember your favorite scenes and moments. Classic FPS mechanics like a cluttered HUD, terrible navigation, and numerous bugs are inserted into a modernized mode. Small match sizes and sparse combat create a longevity issue. Rebellion is all about options. They combine three different campaigns, flexible combat mechanics, and several multiplayer modes into one package. Most successful is the balnce level once you get the hang of Xenomorphs. While AvP can't touch current FPS' large-scale thrills, its cramped multiplayer is still very fun. But Rebellion has jammed packed years of franchise history into one game and their biggest flaw is the reliance on the license. It combines the Predator's film mythology with the fisticuffs of the Arcade side-scrollers rooted in obvious setpieces. Rather than make one mechanic work really well, create a convincing level design, or draw from this huge pool of culture to create a substantial world, Rebellion has opted for orthodox weapons and sterile enemies for the sake of fan-service. Aliens vs Predator is a string of recognized images and elbow-jabs asking, "Remember this?" An average shooter with the source material done well.
