To coincide with the highly anticipated sequel to ‘Alien vs Predator’, Fox went to Rebellion (who made the first game in the popular PC series) to work on an interactive tie-in for ‘AvP Requiem’. Production on the movie was very hush hush and so Rebellion really didn’t have much to work with. The Predator design and basic story are really all that they got. This is the reason there is no PredAlien in the game: they didn’t even know there was going to be one in the movie itself (the creature was only referred to as “Chet” in the script and amongst the crew). The PSP exclusive was released about a month before the movie and performed very averagely amongst the public. Most critics hailed it as “yet another pointless tie-in to films that have nothing going for them”. That said, it did score some average praises. “A thoroughly decent game” is a comment that sums it up just nice.

Plot: 2.5/5

Fairly similar to the movie, the story opens with a Predator scout ship crashing into the forest of Gunnsion, Colorado. On impact, many escapee Facehuggers are unleashed from their containment and soon spread out into the green, impregnating anyone and anything they come across. A Predator is soon hot on their trails, hailing from the far reaches of space to ‘clean up’ the fast growing infestation. From there you are taken to many different locals, from the grubbiest sewer tunnel to the comfiest cinema complex. In fact, the game has three separate ‘paths’ which take you through individual parts of town. There is industrial, the easiest path, which leads you through steam filled factories and such. There is the sewers, the medium level path and the perfect place for Aliens. Then there is the hardest route (though it really isn’t difficult at all) suburban, which takes you through the residential parts of town (hence, more Aliens). All three paths lead up to the same climax, which bases itself in a hospital was a giant Hive has been build.

Gameplay: 3/5

Very basic and easy to grasp, playing as the Predator has never felt so lackluster.You have the option of using a light attack (wristblades) and a heavy attack (which includes everything from spears, shoulder cannons, shurikens etc). All the enemies are capable of being locked on too, and so are pretty easy to engage in combat. Other than just running around and blasting Aliens or National Guardsmen away, there is not much in terms of acrobatics or strength. A few points in the game call you leap across chasms, climb tress etc but all are done by pressing a single button. Never really makes you feel like a totally capable hunter. You’re entire hunting ground is viewable via a mini map which shows paths and past enemies that you have engaged. This is quite useful, though not absolutely essential. The map also shows Predator ship parts and dead Facehugger corpses called ‘Hisk’. Levels can only be passed if all the ship parts are dissolved and getting rid of Huggers bodies grants you extra ‘honor pionts’ that allow you to purchase more weapons afterward. As said, simple to grasp, though it would have been a little better if the Predator didn’t run as if he’d just soiled himself.

Graphics: 3/5

I’m really surprised how high quality and polished the graphics are. The details on everything great, particularly on the Predator. No doubt you’ll want to halt your killing spree for a moment to check out the high details on your mask, armour, skin etc. I know I did. The Aliens have a hybrid design: with the bodies and colour of ‘AvP’ and the heads of ‘Requiem’. Despite them not being great designs, they actually look and move really well on-screen, this helped greatly by their graphics. The reflections in some of the levels (eg high school gym hall floor, water) are really well done and are quite surprising considering it’s a PSP title. Props to Rebellion for making it look the best it could.

Sound: 5/5

Fantastic. You can tell a lot of work went into the sound. You can hear every footfall the Predator takes and every whir of the wristblades swinging. (For the full effect, I’d play with earphones). Every environment has it’s own unique sounds. When your in the sewers, the place is alive with dripping water, hissing pipes and chains clanking. Forest is rich with ambiance, running rivers and singing birds. The suburban places are full of police sirens, dog barks and gun shots. Really brings the game to life.

Entertainment: 4/5

This is a hack-n-slash at heart, and will probably only appeal to those that enjoy the genre. Just running around killing everything in your path is surprisingly entertaining. Despite being relatively short, the game has lasting replay value including an fighting arena and an online skirmish mode. When on your own, you can choose a unique arena from the game (eg cemetery, high school, factory etc) and your goal is too kill off as many attacking Xenomorphs as you can. Unfortunately, nothing is gained by these points, which sucks, but it at least gives you practice and allows you to play around with different tactics. Co-op mode is essentially the same except your with a fellow hunter. This is, of course, a lot more fun as one of you could slice ‘em up with your spear up close, while the other slices ‘em in half from afar with the smart disc. Or just rush in together to leave a nice hissing pile of corpses.

Overall: 3/5

Shallow, but enjoyable is what I’d sum it up as. Has it’s bugs, as all games do, but is essentially a wasted opportunity. If more access to the movie itself had been allowed things would have been more interesting. If the PredAlien had been including, you would of had a formidable opponent, driving the plot forward to a decent climax. Would have been a lot better that the lackluster boss you end up fighting. And I can imagine how cool it would have been to give that razor whip a swing. A very decent title however, in many ways more enjoyable and tolerable than the movie itself…

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This review was written by Spectrum’s G-Sea