WPC Webleys review (rushed and needs editing)

Well

Aliens vs predator - a revisit to my fav FPS game.

Before we start, I am a fan of the game, not massive on the films, but hell i like being a predator so i am bias in such a way. but to be fair, who doesnt love the predator?

lets recap on the previous games before we start eating into this one.....

>Avp1 - brilliant - but old

>Avp2 - nice class concept and looking back at it - good balance, rubbish 3d engine - not fast and fluent like the previous or the new, annoying spawn kills

Ok now lets look how this game compared to the top of the shelf like mw2 - or better yet, cod4, as multiplayer sucks hard on the mw2 system.

Ok so Avp 2010 isnt really a MW killer, theres 3 classes to consider for balance, and thats always going to cause controversy. A rock paper scissors kind of melee system is what makes avp different. However, when people get used to something and like that certain "sweet spot", they hate change. If you love mw2 and the simple tdm, ctf and s&d game modes, i can prolly tell you now you wont like avp because it is "too different" to what your used to. Mw Cod4 is more suited to serious tourney play, but i can tell you now that such a small fact will not stop avp becoming one, no matter how weird and controversial due to the fan base it carries. (its like a 11 year old fan base not including the atari version or the films)


So what does that leave us? well the game has been getting reviewed by fans who preferred the old, fan who prefer every single details to be like the films or people who prefer the balance games like mw cod4 offer.

well heres mine. (from a multiplayer point of view)


AVP.... i was an old avp2 melee predator veteran. i like the way pred was handicapped against aliens in melee, cus when i would win as a result of only using a melee spear it would usually mean i kick ass. my how times have changed....

Firstly weapons, theres not many of them

predator has 4 weapons, mines (cost energy), spear (is like a delayed sniper and not melee and is thrown in a cool fashion), plasma mounted shoulder cannon (auto aim and energy cost) and disc (everyone’s fav weapon)...

nows thats not many, and kind of feels a bit empty, after a few days of constant play you kind of wish there was more, so instead your encouraged to go off and play some other species to keep yourself amused.

each of preds weapons are power hitting juggernauts, they hurt and usually result in one hit kills, however some of them are a little slow to pull of, with a rough delay of 1 sec. this makes the cloaking melee beast effective in a very certain style of play. (hes not a run and gun class like the other two)

his other benefits are cloak and the fact he has the most health

but weapons is not all you get - predator has now advanced in melee - he can sprint and he can pounce on unsuspecting targets

his visions switches are his advantage and yet his pitfall, 1 vision spots aliens and the other marines and preds, so switching vision usually gets you killed but in hand gives you good sight on said target.

he can block melee attacks, throw a light attack and a heavy attack (like aliens)

the system works like this

alien and pred:

each have light attack (LA), heavy attack (HA) and block (BLK)

LA is instant but can be blocked

HA takes a second to "wind up" but does more damage and stuns but cannot be blocked - however you can use LA to interrupt one - HA also has longer range, aliens HA is longer than preds HA

marine can BLK and use LA but has no HA (he has nades and bullets)

if any class throws a LA, and this is blocked by the target, the target can do a LA back which is a counter attack stunning you. (this makes for good melee fights and give a marine a close encounter advantage)

a pounce is like a long range LA and can be blocked in the same way as LA and countered - if you pounce from max range you knock the target down (aliens and preds can pounce)

IF YOU DO NOT LEARN THIS AND JUMP INTO THE GAME LIKE A MW PLAYER YOULL PROLLY PUT THE GAME DOWN AFTER 5 MINS AND HATE IT - the controls and blocking/countering rock paper scissors moves are not very well introduced by the game, most players had to work this out for themselves to enjoy it. I give you a head start by giving you this info

when close and performing melee attacks youll be put into an auto aim state thus making aim not a problem, allowing you to focus on your moves

there is no classes, each has to pickup weapons around the maps

theres different game modes like survivor (like l4d2) and predator hunt modes


alien can see through walls, has the melee system, can climb walls and ceilings, has an instant HA if using wall walk and has an amazing sprint. alien has 2nd most hit points, pred has the most, marine 3rd. hes wall walk is awkward at first but gets easier as you master it and learn the maps. a crosshair on screen goes black donating your in a dark area for a stealth kill and lets you know when your well hidden by the shadows

using aliens special vision through walls allows you to wait till your target is engaged in a fight or has his back turned before you even consider sprinting round the corner.

marine has sniper, pistol, motion tracker, flame thrower, pulse rifle with nades, smart gun which auto aims and sprint and block and LA, his sprint isnt very fast and his vision is dark but he has a torch. he also has a shotgun, which when using alt fire kills in one shot up close. he uses the butt of his weapons to LA and block and ambushes using his motion tracker to tell when people are approaching making him aware. because of the scared atmosphere the marine class puts you in you feel more inclined to team up melee kills are the most satisfying to pull of make you feel like the ultimate bad ass. Teaming up with your mates using mics is the best experience to film ratio i have ever encountered. "I GOT MOVEMENT!"

the graphics are superb, atmospheric and will keep you very much entertained no matter what all these other reviews say.

there are also trophy kills and stealth kills for the predator and alien. people say they are cheap but its like using the knife in mw. its a guaranteed kill yet it puts you in an animated state for 5 secs where the chosen species rips the target to shreds in his own little way giving enough time for someone to come up behind you and do the same, so use them when in rooms one on one alone. you simply press "e" when your behind your opponent, or if you knocked them down or stunned them you can do it facing them, however this can be countered from the front. its visually appealing but gets boring after a couple of days if you just want to get the kills and not feel like your in a movie.


all in all a good game, but with a very niche taste for fans, well balanced but also chaotic and careless at times. its fun without being tourney serious, which makes it hard to take seriously for some not to play it.

the demo is a bad example with 1 map and a FFA mode, this game shines when your teamed up with your species

pred can heal using energy
marine uses stims
aliens regenerates out of combat

melee vids you should watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8SS8qOi9K0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT_sRo41e00&feature=related


the pc version supports dedicated servers and theres a ranked server for earning xp and unlocking skins



this game is mainly bashed by those who don’t like different FPS games which didn’t imitate the last, and is quicky hated due to people not learning or spending enough time figuring out the melee system or people who generally liked the old games and don’t like the change in this game

I give it a 8/10 for innovation – it’s a good adaptation but could be better, but at least its different – theres little bits a bobs which make it innovative but then theres not a lot either