Alien vs. Predator was a tense first-person shooter which was released in 1999, long before the disappointing film crossover finally made it onto our cinema screens. Developed by Rebellion, this was originally a title for the Atari Jaguar released in 1994 but they reworked it and made some improvements to release a PC version. The player had a choice of playing through three short campaigns as a Marine, an Alien or a Predator. Each offered a completely unique experience with different abilities, weapons and objectives and when you consider that it included an enjoyable multiplayer option as well you’ll see this was a great title at the time which was hugely popular.
The three single player campaigns were quite short and they were light on plot but what you did get was atmospheric action. The first campaign casts the player in the role of a Colonial Marine sent to investigate the Nostromo. From there you had to battle your way through endless dark corridors packed with Aliens in a research facility and then a colony before detonating the atmosphere processing station to wipe the Aliens out. After that it was time to face the Predators and of course yet more Aliens.
The Marine campaign was the toughest because as a Marine you were weak, armed with the usual weapons you’ll remember from the film. The creepy atmosphere was beautifully built by the motion detector which steadily beeped faster and faster as your enemies approached. The game-play as a Marine was standard FPS.
The Alien campaign was my favourite and you had to defend your hive from attacking Marines before destroying their ship and escaping to battle Predators and then finally board a ship bound for earth. As an Alien you had no guns but you could move very fast and use your ferocious jaws, tail and claws to rip enemies limb from limb. You could also literally climb the walls or run along the ceiling, and while it was easy to lose your bearings until you got used to it, this was a terrifically fun idea.
The final campaign cast you as a Predator battling Marines and then Aliens followed by an Alien/Predator hybrid and then finally the frightening Alien Queen. You were equipped with the weapons from the film, so shoulder mounted canons, a throwing disc which would cut through any foe and wrist blades for close combat. As a Predator you could also engage your cloaking device for short periods of time and utilize an infra red vision option.