Aliens vs Predator finally makes its inevitable jump to the current-gen consoles and we couldn’t be more happy. Developer Rebellion have their work cut out for them to please fans of the franchise and previous games, but can this legendary battle between these three species live up to the AvP legacy?

The game offers three different campaigns: Marines, Predator and Alien. Players are given the freedom to choose which career to play through right from the start, and also have a choice to switch whenever they please.

In the Marine career you play as an ordinary rookie that is forced into warfare when your space ship is shot down by an enemy Predator ship. You land on a planet that is inhabited by aliens and holds a sacred pyramid that was built by the Predators’ years before. You have no choice but to fight for your survival, help those from your squad and stop Weyland (who fans will know from the films, comics etc) from discovering the power of the Predator species.

In the Predator career, you play as a Predator sent to the planet to retrieve a special wand that has been taken by the marines, in order protect your species from human destruction. The Alien campaign entails the player starting as a test subject that escapes the testing facility that you are being held in, and then partakes in orders and objectives being issued by the queen, which includes harvesting a certain amount of humans within an area and fighting off the predator resistance. The stories aren’t bad, but they end up being a little bit of a side-show to the main action, which is alright considering the content of the game.

The gameplay is what really allows this title to stand out. Each career is vastly different from another in terms of the combat mechanics. As Marines, your tactic is to attack from range with the choice of a pistol, assault rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun and a heavy machine gun, while as an alien, it is best to attack by sneaking up and pouncing on your enemy. The Predator is strong in both ranged and melee attacks with his shoulder cannon, spear, boomerang and cloaking technique.

The graphics are not as sharp and detailed as they could be, although this can be somewhat excused as the lighting effects and character animations are very fluid and lifelike. The environments differ from each species perspective throughout the game, as the levels that are mirrored for each career are done extremely well, with the colour palette changing accordingly. The dark environments allow for a degree of suspense, as the aliens hide and jump out of dark corners and hidden areas.

The sound effects are brilliantly executed. In keeping with the movies and the previous games, the gun fire, the sound of the environments and the screams and cries of the aliens and Predators are still mastered to have that signature touch to the presentation.

The multiplayer stays true to the traditional three-way fight between the Aliens, Predators and humans. Players can pick either faction, along with their unique abilities, and engage in a number of different game modes. The different aspect of each character adds some variation to the gameplay, while another mode, called survivor, pits marines against hordes of aliens, with each marine becoming an alien when killed, in order to see who can last the longest.

The game hasn’t strayed far from the brilliant line that the two original titles laid. The game does lack a little bit of depth and would have benefited itself by being in development for a little while longer, only to smooth out the miniscule rough edges, particularly concerning the visuals. The overall length of the game, which is about ten to twelve hours, is very reasonable considering the length of each species playthrough, although it’s just a little too short as it doesn’t really give you enough time to fully become familiar with chosen species.

When it comes down to it, Aliens vs Predator is an extremely fun filled and gratifying title. Not to mention that it returns that frightening bone-chilling feeling that the series is known for. AvP is a reboot that lives up to everything the original did and brings back those same scream inducing scenarios. It is worthy of being considered a great game.

[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]