The bad
The killmoves
We already know that the killmoves are an excellent addition to the game. The issue, however, lies in the convenience of executing one of these moves.
As previously stated, executing requires the player to press the “E” key once within melee range of an opposing player. Regardless of the player’s health, they’re going down. The simplicity of the killmove leads to an unreasonably high frequency in multiplayer sessions.
It’s not uncommon to see a killmove train form, where a third player waits behind a player currently in the process of a killmove, just waiting to execute the next in line. If a player sneaks behind another player unaware, then they deserve the killmove, but players who are coincidentally fed killmoves by stumbling upon players engaged in melee gets annoying quickly.
The last thing I saw before everything went black.
No crouch
There is no command to crouch in Aliens vs. Predator. This bugged me a lot more initially than it did after hours of play, but it is still a sorely missed component.
Marines are left to fire their weapons from a standing position. You cannot crouch behind a crate to take cover, or crouch in a firefight to improve accuracy. The omission of crouch is a curious one, as it has become a de facto standard in all FPS, including AvP2.
Lack of Xenomorph vision modes
In the original AvP games, the Xenomorph had two vision modes: a normal vision mode that presented the world in normal light and placed a colored aura around each enemy, and a navigational vision mode that let the Alien see in the dark, while forfeiting vision distance and the auras.
In Aliens vs. Predator, the navigational vision mode has been removed. Some would argue that this is a simple omission that doesn’t affect the game, but most long-time Xenomorph players will beg to differ.
Navigation mode was crucial in that it allowed Xenomorph players to smash lights and hide in pure darkness, awaiting the chance for an unsuspecting enemy to come along and breathe their last breath. Because the Predator has retained all three vision modes, this puts the Xenomorph at a slight tactical disadvantage.
Regenerating health
All three species in Aliens vs. Predator have a new health regeneration system, in addition to old tools like health shards and stim packs. For example, the Marine has three health segments, and their health will regenerate up to nearest segment. Xenomorphs regenerate health completely.
For me, running away from a fight and other players to heal removes the frantic tension other AvP titles had. It is almost foolish to complain about this feature, as most of today’s games employ a similar mechanic for player health, but I prefer to have the Xenomorph bite off heads to regain life.
Wall walking
Walking on the walls and ceilings is an intrinsic part to the Xenomorph gameplay. To be an effective stalker, players have to master vertigo and disorientation and learn to hunt from all directions. This concept is completely intact in Aliens vs. Predator, but the wall-walking mechanic feels strange.
I have found in numerous situations that trying to walk up a wall becomes a bit of a struggle against the controls. You have to be properly facing the surface in some situations before your orientation changes and you’re allowed to climb. The quirkiness of “attaching” to walls has gotten me killed on more than one occasion.
I’ve managed to get used to the different feel of wall walking, and the amount of misfortunes have declined since, but overall, wall walking feels less intuitive than it did in the original games.
The ugly
Consoleitis
The first two AvP games championed the PC platform. Aliens vs. Predator, on the other hand, is sharing the limelight with the PS3 and Xbox 360. As you might expect, there are some definite effects from this ménage à trois.
For instance, it takes four clicks before you even see the configuration screen to change controls, and then four hits of the escape key before you find yourself back in game. It also takes four clicks from the main menu before you can even join a multiplayer game. Aliens vs. Predator also has limited video setup options, such as the lack of anti-aliasing and texture filtering settings.
The game isn’t compromised as badly as titles like Dead Space or Assassin’s Creed, but it certainly has its painful moments.
The server browser
Aliens vs. Predator features dedicated (independent) servers, which, as anyone playing Modern Warfare 2 on PC can tell you, is a wonderful thing. If, however, the demo serves as any indication of how the full game’s server browser will function, then PC gamers may be in for a painful online experience yet.
The server browser offers no actual server browsing. The player simply sets search parameters, and the game places the player into a server that best meets those parameters. If the host drops, all players are forced out of the game and migrated to another server. Connection timeout errors have also been prevalent at the outset of a match. Finally , as there is no indication of connection quality, players cannot choose to leave a bad server before the game starts.
In all, the matchmaking experience has been rather frustrating. The demo seems to be limited to “quick match” only, so here’s to hoping that the full game offers more flexibility.
Mask-less Predator
Have you seen that mug? That’s a face only a mother could love.
Final thoughts
Despite its flaws, Aliens vs. Predator is a great multiplayer gaming experience. Even after revamping gameplay with new features, Aliens vs. Predator manages to retain most of the mechanics that made its predecessors so fun to play. Further, none of the negative aspects were so painful that they soured the fun and, because of that, fans of the original games should be happy with AvP when it is released this week on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
In a world that expects PC and console gamers to co-exist, we have to look past the limitations that have been introduced as a result and enjoy the game for what it is: a chance to grab your friends by the shoulders and eat their faces.
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