Aliens Vs. Predator 2

Author : Jason Date : 4th Dec.

Game	Aliens Vs. Predator 2
Manufacturer	Sierra
Supplier	N/A
Price	£29.99 - £35.99 UK

 

 

 

 

Part Five: Three Modes of Play; Triple Value?

Marine
The marine is probably the most delicate of the three main species. However, the marine is also the best equipped. Armed with his useful motion tracker that actually works now, the marine can arm himself and face the correct direction to intercept the enemy with ease. An addition to the usual weapons is that of specialized ammo. This gives some of the weaker weapons a second wind later in the game.
In addition to these weapons, the marine has his flares, shoulder lamp and night sights. Flares are now limited, but you can deploy as many as wish at one time. The lamp is a neat addition. I thought it might make the game a little easy, but I soon realized it was a powerful weapon in the fear wars. Running down a very dark corridor towards some fast approaching blips and with a flicker the lamp fails. Thankfully your battery back charges up fast when the light is off. Night sights are fairly standard. You can see in the dark, albeit with a crankily green image. This also drains battery power.

Predator
The predator, more powerful than the marine and the ability to cloak make this character type a joy to play. The zoom remains, allowing the use of ranged weapons to snipe at the enemy from afar. A feature that does not remain, however is the ability of the predator to gradually recharge. Instead he has a device that collects the energy very quickly. When in use, there is a huge blue ball of energy in the predator's hand making him very visible.
The predator now has a net that he can use to ensnare opponents while he moves in for the kill, a very fun additional weapon.
The predator is fast runner and can now jump much higher than before

Alien
The Alien doesn't seem as fast to me as it used to be. However it seems able to take more punishment now. The head bite is also easier to pull off when attacking prey. This helps to keep the health levels up. Jumping also seems improved.
The Alien now has a pounce attack. If you hit a human, he or she is almost guaranteed to die. The only draw back with this attack is that you will gain zero health for your troubles.
Of course the best feature of the Alien is its ability to climb the Walls and ceiling. Once you have got the hang of this, the Alien becomes deadly. Prey doesn't know what has hit it as you pounce off a wall and perform a head bite, only to jump vertically up and disappear in the shadow of an air vent. An amazing experience!

Multiplayer

AVP2 also includes a Multiplayer function, which can be played over a Local Area Network (LAN) or the Internet. Several game types exist these are;

Death match - no explanation needed.
Team death match - no explanation needed.
Hunt - The player can either hunt or be hunted. Once killed, the prey becomes the hunter.
Survivor - Basically you collect points, not frags. The more time left on the clock at the end of the game the more points you earn.
Overrun - You form part of a team. The object is to survive for as long as possible. Once you die however, you will not respawn until the next game is ready.
Evac - Basically the same as overrun except you have to get to a destination and hold it for a predetermined length of time.

Part Six: Testing

The setup consisted of : -

1GHz AMD Athlon
Abit KT7 - Raid.
512MB PC133 Cas3
Winfast Geforce 3 GTS Pro (Det 22.50's)
Creative SBLive! Plat.

The game ran well enough not doubt helped by the speedy PRO based card yet it was far from flawless. Certain textures are not exactly perfect but as I briefly stated above, the game is so intense and speedy I had little time to notice in actual hard gameplay. The sound is amazing but is also not without certain flaws. Missed effects were experienced upon my setup and while this may not be an applicable criticism on your machine, it nevertheless remains irritating at times. Overall the engine was quick and played very nicely indeed. On even faster machines I can hypothesize that this game would be even more graphically amazing!

Part Seven: Overall Conclusions

It all sounds amazing but; there are a few problems with AVP2. It is very linear and (as mentioned above) caused occasional glitches on my system, both graphical and audio. However, I can see no reason not to recommend this game. In my opinion it is better than the original and should become a classic in its own right. Lets hope that a following of people keeps this game alive with new levels and mods for years to come. One for true fans and Alien newbies' alike to enjoy.
This Xmas why not sit the family down after a hearty dinner and devour an innocent's head? You know it's what Xmas is all about. ;o) - Jason

Final Scores - AVP 2
Pros :	Cons:
- The usual high level of fear. - Smooth engine. - Varied styles of play.	- Occasional glitches slow the game down. - Some badly implemented sounds effects.

Part Eight: Screenshots Part Two

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