Alien Vs Predator Gold

For anyone who missed the original release of Aliens vs Predator the game is a FPS based upon the 80’s movies. The game itself is just as scary as the movies it is based upon and it has to be said that if games were rated on fear factor alone then this would be at the top of the pile.

You can play as the Aliens, Predators or even the Colonial Marines. Whoever you choose determines the style of play you have to adopt. There are approximately six levels for each of the different species and all of them are in different locations but taken together they complete the story. There are also bonus levels for each of the three species. These can be obtained when the levels have been completed on the different difficulty levels.

The gold edition also has improved graphics over the original release (although not much of an increase) and the FMV has been reworked and now looks a lot better. There is also an improved multiplayer section with some of the new levels coming straight out of the Alien films.

However, it is on the Multiplayer side of things that I found my biggest complaint with the Gold Edition, as you cannot play against anyone who owns the original release of the game. This is a massive niggle as your Internet games will be restricted to playing those who own the Gold Edition, therefore your choice of opponents will be severely minimised. Surely a patch could have been done for the original release to make it compatible with the Gold Edition. I have to mention that I had a nightmare trying to get an Internet game going with Mplayer insisting that I didn’t have the game installed.

Also included in the pack is the Prima strategy guide. The guide itself is a very good introduction to the game and not only gives you walkthroughs to each level but also describes the techniques you must adopt in order to become useful at this game and indeed most FPS’s in general. The pack also contains the Millennium Pack that came out for the original release.

This game can only be considered value for money if you never purchased the original release, otherwise you would be advised to stay away from it. The only real difference is the strategy guide and that could be bought for less than £15 where as this game will cost between £30-£35. However, if you do not own the original game then this pack is great value and is a must for any FPS fan.

There are problems from a deaf gamer’s point of view though. First of all the in-game instructions disappear far too quickly (they can be recalled by hitting the F1 key but in a game of this nature you don’t always have time to think about that) and should have been a pop-up box that needed closing off. Another problem is that of depicting enemy presence. Within about five seconds of playing this game you realise the importance of being able to hear the aliens/predator/marines being near you but the deaf gamer will find themselves getting killed time after time with no indication of the enemy ever being near. A visual indicator would have useful, instead (it has got to be said) this game is almost impossible for the deaf gamer and should really be avoided unless you’re a big fan of the game or films. Playing this game is a little easier if you stick to the aliens or predator as their style of play is attacking. If you choose to be the marines, it will be extremely hard to defend yourself without being able to hear the aliens/predators approaching.

Overall Rating: 7.25/10

Quality of text: 4/10 Poor.A quick text drop down is not good enough for the deaf gamer. You can recall the message but more care should have been taken.

Graphics: 8/10 Nice graphics. Runs fine on most modern graphics cards although some may think that some levels are to dark it really is needed to create the right atmosphere.

Interface: 8/10 Nothing wrong here except for the fact that enemy presence is not depicted for the deaf gamer which is a shame as it would have given this game an edge over other FPS.

Gameplay: 9/10 A very good FPS that gives you everything you could wish for. A very good game providing you don’t own the original, if you do then give it a miss. This is not for the deaf gamer unless you really like the hard life.