Welcome to World Zero - Reviews for the hardcore gamer

In the early nineties, one genre was king of the coin-op. Instigated by Double Dragon but arguably the result of 1989’s Final Fight, the side scrolling beat ‘em up was to be found in some form in every arcade across the country. With this flood of brawlers came some pretty pathetic replicas that failed to capture the essence of their more successful precursors. Capcom never failed to turn out the best of the genre and rightfully so, they were essentially responsible for the craze. Nearly every year, Capcom not just one-upped the competition, but themselves as well. From Captain Commando to Cadillacs and Dinosaurs to the Punisher, Capcom always found a way to add something new to the mix. With each ensuing effort, game mechanics became increasingly intricate and fresh nuances were continuously added. Finally in 1994, Capcom secured the rights to what some consider one of the greatest franchises in all of science fiction; Alien vs. Predator.

Regardless of the franchise’s established esteem and despite the stigma of its high expectations, Capcom turned out their arguably best yet in the genre. There’s no denying that Capcom’s interpretation of the Alien and Predator mythos plays a big role in this game’s success, it’s handled exceptionally. So much in fact, that some even consider it one of the pinnacles of the franchise.

As the game begins, near future Earth (San Drad, California to be exact) is on its last leg. Aliens have invaded and humanity is all but lost. The government sends out two elite soldiers to deal with the problem, as cliché as it sounds. The catch is that the two cybernetically enhanced soldiers end up in a one-sided battle in which they are hopelessly overrun by xenomorphs. Seconds away from death, a large flash vaporizes the mass of Aliens in seconds. As the smoke clears, we see that in place of the enemy stands something much worse; Yautja on hunting season. Initially out to collect human trophies, the Predators discover the Aliens have already taken out half of their prey. Finding no honor in hunting the now destabilized humans, the Predators decide to help the two cyborgs hunt the ''worthy game'' instead.

Upon starting, you are giving the choice controlling one of four playable characters; The Predator Hunter, a young Naginata wielding Yautja who fights for the glory of the hunt, the Predator Warrior, an older Yautja sporting a combi-stick who seeks other hunters that have gone missing on Earth, or one of the two cyborgs from the game intro; Linn Kurosawa, the traditional weak but fast character (who also makes a cameo in the background of Ken’s stage in Street Fighter Alpha 2), and Dutch Schaefer, an enhanced version of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character from the first Predator film.

What elevates AvP from the rest of the beat ‘em up crowd, despite its namesake, is that it’s easily one of the most frantic brawlers of its time. The screen is filled to the brim with dozens of scrambling xenomorphs, explosions, and chaos. Think Gunstar Heroes meets Final Fight and you’re getting the idea. In addition, the game is just littered with item drops. All the Final Fight fare is here from the random food products to the even more random point-awarding trinkets, and of course, the weapons. About 90% of your game time will most likely be weapon-based combat. From the generic brawler arsenal of knives and pipes to heavy artillery from flamethrowers and grenades, this game has firepower at every turn. The real kicker, however, is the inclusion of the movie gear; Smart Guns, Pulse Rifles, even the Predator’s own boomerang-like Smart Disc is here (which you can use indefinitely as long as you catch it on the return). This gives the game an added sense of the destruction you can cause, as if a fully armed Predator wasn’t enough. Conversely, said power can be taken from you in the blink of an eye. The Aliens are capable of swarming you in seconds, and interestingly enough, even your default weapon (Predator Warrior’s combi-stick for example) can be knocked from your hands. Once this happens you are truly left with a feeling of defenselessness as the tides of battle instantly turn against you and the game immediately becomes a race of trying to re-arm yourself.

What deviates AvP from the crowd even further are its game mechanics. While not exceptionally unconventional, this game is a Final Fight clone in spirit alone. A lot of the combat is actually composed of ranged attacks, be it the equipable firearms or each player’s own unique ranged weapon. Linn gets a pistol, Dutch gets his massive gun arm and the Preds get, you guessed it, their mounted shoulder cannons. These weapons are handled via their own button and have infinite ammo. The catch is that they come with an overheat meter (or in Linn’s case, a similar “reload” meter). Fire too many shots too quickly and your weapon is rendered useless until it can cool down again. However, even this can be circumvented. A “Super Magazine” item drop actually gives you infinite cool-down for ten seconds which results in complete devastation as the screen becomes absolutely crammed full of exploding, burning, and ultimately charred corpses.

With the exception of a few awkward frames here and there, Alien vs. Predator is visually stunning. The cutscenes feature that now traditional Capcom style that looks gorgeous, especially given the game’s widescreen format. Most of the environments are exceptionally detailed with a few instances of really letting the viewer take in an excellent depth of field. The animation is probably the most impressive visual aspect overall; the Aliens being the real star of the show as they crawl, squirm, and convulse just like their theatrical counterparts. When left idle, the Predators look around, surveying the area, and as a result we get a realistic swoop of their tendrils as their head swings from left to right. Little instances like this really make the game come to life, even if they are not initially recognizable due to all the on-screen chaos.

On the other hand, the audio is a mixed bag. The effects taken from the Alien films are excellent. You’ll instantly recognize the unforgettable sound of the Pulse Rifles and the Alien hisses are executed flawlessly. Oddly enough, however, the Predator noises are not on par. The traditional Predator snarl is completely absent and the only growl that seems to be reminiscent of the beast from the movies is the lone howl whenever a stage is completed. When picking up food, the Predators make a kind of cheerful noise that seems out of place, and their arsenal is devoid of any real battle roars that you would come to expect. It simply doesn’t parallel the films as well as the Alien counterpart. While the soundtrack lacks any of the familiar theatrical scores, it still manages to come off as pretty intense which actually adds to the on-screen frenzy and sense of urgency the game exhibits.

Alien vs. Predator is easily summarized as an amalgam of all the right elements. Its style is outstanding and its presentation is impeccable. The brilliant Capcom brawler foundation is laid out beneath it, but in reality, AvP is a unique entity. It’s easy to see how the game once took a page from the book of Final Fight, but the end result is so different that it’s almost unrecognizable. Unto itself, AvP is a fast, fun, and distinctive hour of chaos. But when you throw the timeless horror icons into the mix, it’s easy to see how this game achieved such classic status.

Rating	The rating scale in detail
9.3	++ Top-notch animation. + Nice amount of detail in the backgrounds. - A few frames of animation look a little iffy.
8.9	++ Perfect representation of the Alien films’ effects. - The Predators are a bit lacking, sonically. + Intense and well executed soundtrack despite it missing any of the films' familiar scores.
9.0	++ Frantic, chaotic and exciting, even more so with multiple players.
9.5	++ Exceptional interpretation of the classic film icons with the design of the few original characters being excellent as well. ++ Outstanding sense of tension and anxiety created by the combination of the game’s dramatic cutscenes and frantic gameplay.
8.5	++ Three completely unique playable characters to master. - The two Predators play nearly identical, aside from their default weapon and a few moves.
9.0	++ An outstanding and original brawler that just so happens to have a fantastic franchise attached to it.

	Alien vs. Predator
	Platform: CPS2 • Developer: Capcom • Genre: Beat ‘em up • ESRB Rating: NA • Words: S-Hiryu