Support NeoGAF

[Mako_Drug]

Gamespot's review is out

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/aliensvspredatorworkingtitle/review.html

The negativity in the reviews and impressions seem to focus largely on the controls, which after playing a fair amount of the demo I can't agree with. They're far from perfect but hardly something you don't get used to.

Whats going to bother me most is the supposed lackluster level design and overall lack of ambition. I can definitely see myself having a lot of fun despite it flaws, not long till I find out...

 

[Sill4]

I'll have to read the OP again. I swear, all I recognized was Aliens quotes.

Plenty of Predator 2 quotes.

My (extremely shitty) K-Mart failed me. I asked the kid working there if they had AvP and he grunted, said "wut's dat? A new one?", then walked off to another department.

 

[Dennis]

 

[erpg]

Still waiting on a god damn PC review from someone who knows what's up. The second I heard "right trigger" in the Gamespot review, I phased out.

 

[Sill4]

That Predator is eventually going the get hepatitis if he keeps doing that.

 

[Marty Chinn]

The demo ran super terrible on my laptop so I think I'm going to have to buy the console version. My hardware specs are:

Intel Core2Duo T9400 2.53ghz
Nvidia 9600m GS 1GB RAM
4 GB RAM

The requirements make it sound like I should be able to run it but man did it run terrible.

 

[MMaRsu]

So we got a deathmatch mode for the demo why?

Sega are idiots?

That 5 from Gamespot sucks.. I just sold some games for this.. Will it really be that bad? :\

 

[pain-giver]

*Sigh*
Again, I just can't get into reviews like this

He talks about how the games linear.. Just like most FPS's?
He talks about sloppy graphics.. Except the game looked fine form the video and he gave no examples.
Repeated levels don't work for some characters... How? Why?

I mean Jesus fucking Christ.

So sloppy controls (which were fine for me in the demo) and not so good AI mean it sucks
Yes the MP is fun but lets just give it a 5.5.

I suppose COD's 6 hour SP makes it GOTY?
:lol

 

[Danne-Danger]

Swedish site FragZone got their review up.

+ Three campaigns (duh)
+ Promising multiplayer (didn't get a chance to try it due to lack of players, but had played it before on some preview thingy)

- Repetitive (talks about how they re-use a lot of levels between the campaigns, but also slags the gameplay for the same reason)
- Short campaigns (average of ~3h each according to review)
- "Old fashioned, and not in a good way"

2/5 "OK"

The review also mentions that the AI, specifically for the Aliens, is spotty. Seems like they have some trouble navigating the environment or something.

FragZone is an old Quake site so I'm pretty sure he/they played the PC version.

 

[Pete Rock]

He talks about how the games linear.. Just like most FPS's?

I mean Jesus fucking Christ.

Yes, Jesus fucking Christ indeed. I can't imagine how a game with 3 separate campaigns with shared levels, two of which focus on movement and gadget gimmicks, would possibly be judged more harshly in terms of linearity than more standard fare :lol

Unfortunately, irritating mechanical and level design limits yank all the fun out of scurrying around (in the case of the alien) and leaping from one destination to the next (in the case of the predator). Some levels require you to move about only in ways the developer intended. You might want to scamper up and over an obstacle, only to run into an invisible wall or ceiling; and as the predator, you can leap to certain surfaces but not to others for reasons that don't always make sense. Why can you leap 20 feet to one spot, while you can't hop over a six-inch barbed-wire fence? There just don't seem to be any consistent rules in place, which makes the act of simply moving from place to place feel sloppy and unsatisfying.

Everybody played out this worst case scenario when they saw the very first Predator gameplay videos last year, "wow this game is going to suck if I can magically jump on this tree limb but not not that one".

There's a big difference between how scenery interplays with the expectations of the user when a large part of your characters strengths are utilizing hard to reach locations or darkness, rather than just running around spamming your machine gun & melee buttons at all the other bright shiny plastic soldiers every time you respawn.

After releasing a demo like that this pretty much deserves to fail, and I didn't want to see that. Always enjoyed the franchise products aside from the movies, and at this point I just hope the Gearbox title saves face after a new generation of console gamers writes this off.

 

[erpg]

FragZone is an old Quake site so I'm pretty sure he/they played the PC version.

Why do reviews go up without multiplayer content? I mean, even though I love COD4's campaign, I wouldn't be giving it a rating based on something that's not even 5% of my playtime with the game. Especially strange, coming from a European PC site.

 

[BattleMonkey]

*Sigh*
Again, I just can't get into reviews like this

He talks about how the games linear.. Just like most FPS's?
He talks about sloppy graphics.. Except the game looked fine form the video and he gave no examples.
Repeated levels don't work for some characters... How? Why?

I mean Jesus fucking Christ.

So sloppy controls (which were fine for me in the demo) and not so good AI mean it sucks
Yes the MP is fun but lets just give it a 5.5.

I suppose COD's 6 hour SP makes it GOTY?
:lol

So what? It's good that hes pointing out a flaw. And also realize that it's only one of the flaws in a long list of things he pointed out in the review.

 

[pain-giver]

I can't imagine how a game with 3 separate campaigns with shared levels, two of which focus on movement and gadget gimmicks, would possibly be judged more harshly in terms of linearity than more standard fare

Exactly what was everyone expecting then? :lol
If I play the game and it turns out to be as sucky as some reviews say, then I'll eat some humble pie, but whatever, the COD games have always been highly rated, yet the SP after the first game was just always samey samey. I'll judge the game myself

So what? It's good that hes pointing out a flaw. And also realize that it's only one of the flaws in a long list of things he pointed out in the review.

The lack of expansion.
Anyone can reel off numerous points, but without expansion, how can I take them seriously?
I'm not saying all reviews need to say that this is a good game, I just like my criticism to have some back-up to it. And that's the same for any review.

 

[MMaRsu]

Why do reviews go up without multiplayer content? I mean, even though I love COD4's campaign, I wouldn't be giving it a rating based on something that's not even 5% of my playtime with the game. Especially strange, coming from a European PC site.

Probably because noone was playing it?

 

[todahawk]

Probably because noone was playing it?

Yeah, I tried the PS3 MP demo again this morning and it just sat there searching for players. I gave up after awhile. I've only been able to play one match since downloading it last week.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I'm still excited about this game. From the demo and the Gamespot review video, the graphics don't seem that bad. Also, many FPS games are linear so I don't see that much of a problem here.

The only thing I am concerned about is if it's too dark during the marine campaigns and the Xenomorph controls. Also, will I be able to buy the maps that come with the CE on Xbox Live? I hope so because I don't plan on picking up the CE and one of things that I am excited about is playing my Alien-obsessed friend online.

 

[Pete Rock]

Exactly what was everyone expecting then?

Excuse me, I believe you have fallen into a sarchasm :lol

The lack of expansion.
Anyone can reel off numerous points, but without expansion, how can I take them seriously?

I thought it was particularly clear that his use of "linearity" was relatively contextual to the clearly arbitrary restrictions placed on the Alien and the Predator movement mechanics within the scope of the already limited levels.

Why do reviews go up without multiplayer content? I mean, even though I love COD4's campaign, I wouldn't be giving it a rating based on something that's not even 5% of my playtime with the game. Especially strange, coming from a European PC site.

Servers are usually not up prerelease, or they are and there is simply no active community yet. Similarly, the incentive to review MW2 to 10,000% multiplayer completion is absolutely zero in regards to how quickly they can turn and burn an SP review.

 

[Mako_Drug]

Yeah, I tried the PS3 MP demo again this morning and it just sat there searching for players. I gave up after awhile. I've only been able to play one match since downloading it last week.

Did you download the 'fixed' version? It has a few alterations like the ability to browse games and some odd changes to the audio. Overall its a lot faster than the original PS3 demo.

 

[Dennis]

I was really excited for this game - love the old PC AvP games - and I am still going to get it, but...man those are some depressing reviews.

 

[erpg]

Probably because noone was playing it?

Yeah, but the game doesn't come out for another 4 days in Europe. I guess jumping the gun to get site hits is worth missing content though.

 

[Pimpbaa]

The demo ran super terrible on my laptop so I think I'm going to have to buy the console version. My hardware specs are:

Intel Core2Duo T9400 2.53ghz
Nvidia 9600m GS 1GB RAM
4 GB RAM

The requirements make it sound like I should be able to run it but man did it run terrible.

What resolution were you playing at? It ran pretty good on my laptop with a 2.1ghz core2duo and a radeon 4650 when I set the resolution to 1280x720.

 

[Danne-Danger]

Why do reviews go up without multiplayer content? I mean, even though I love COD4's campaign, I wouldn't be giving it a rating based on something that's not even 5% of my playtime with the game. Especially strange, coming from a European PC site.

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. But as a site they have to make a choice between getting the review out before release or waiting until people get their hands on it so they can try the multiplayer.

 

[Darklord]

Gamespot's review is out

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/aliensvspredatorworkingtitle/review.html

Game over, man, game over. :\

That's a pretty bad score from GS.

 

[Unicorn]

No, the Gamespot review explained it pretty well. He thought the controls sucked and the level design/geometry is a mess, essentially. Which is true. I found the demo enjoyable overall, but I did feel as though I was fighting the controls a lot.

Still, you have to give "fan points" to the game if you love the creatures. I'm still planning on picking up my CE tomorrow.

Controls are fine in Campaign. Just beat the marine and alien campaign.

Spoiler

Can't wait for the sequel!

Also, there's a few things in the story that are meh, but I find it a really enjoyable game. I'd say the review to really look to would be Destructoid's when they release it. They'll probably do a 2 person one. Jim sterling will either score it really high or really low and the other reviewer will be the opposite of him.

 

[Volcynika]

Damn, you Steam!

"Available: February 16th, 2010
This game will unlock in approximately 22 hours"

Not till noon tomorrow? :/

 

[todahawk]

Did you download the 'fixed' version? It has a few alterations like the ability to browse games and some odd changes to the audio. Overall its a lot faster than the original PS3 demo.

Nope, forgot about that... Wait, I have to re-download the entire thing? No patching?

 

[Pimpbaa]

Hmm, I never had problems with the controls in the demo. I don't trust gamespot's review.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Man these reviews are serious downers. At this point I am not sure if I should wait for the inevitable "bomba" price drop or just go for it. Damnit Rebellion, if this were any other franchise I wouldn't even be considering a day one purchase with the sort of reviews coming in.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Damn, you Steam!

"Available: February 16th, 2010
This game will unlock in approximately 22 hours"

Not till noon tomorrow? :/

Gamestop won't be getting it until the 17th.

 

[MMaRsu]

Man these reviews are serious downers. At this point I am not sure if I should wait for the inevitable "bomba" price drop or just go for it. Damnit Rebellion, if this were any other franchise I wouldn't even be considering a day one purchase with the sort of reviews coming in.

Lol same here..

 

[todahawk]

Man these reviews are serious downers. At this point I am not sure if I should wait for the inevitable "bomba" price drop or just go for it. Damnit Rebellion, if this were any other franchise I wouldn't even be considering a day one purchase with the sort of reviews coming in.

I'm leaning towards waiting for the price drop... I'm getting hooked on the BFBC2 demo and between that and my backlog I'm not likely to drop coin on day 1 at this point. I'm bummed, I was really looking forward to this game.

 

[Darklord]

Man these reviews are serious downers. At this point I am not sure if I should wait for the inevitable "bomba" price drop or just go for it. Damnit Rebellion, if this were any other franchise I wouldn't even be considering a day one purchase with the sort of reviews coming in.

I'm only buying it at this point because I'm getting it for $60AU cheaper than in stores. I wouldn't pay full price.

 

[pain-giver]

Urm let's not forget guys that OXM gave this an 8 and IGN gave it an 8 as well..

Eurogamer Italy gave it a 7

 

[Marty Chinn]

What resolution were you playing at? It ran pretty good on my laptop with a 2.1ghz core2duo and a radeon 4650 when I set the resolution to 1280x720.

I tried native 1440 x 900 and 1280 x 720. It was really sluggish. Any way to turn on a FPS counter or do I need to run FRAPs to measure that?

 

[-viper-]

Those are some depressing reviews. I actually enjoyed the demo and was looking forward to the game. But the reviews are so bad... and I'm a student strapped for cash.

 

[todahawk]

Urm let's not forget guys that OXM gave this an 8 and IGN gave it an 8 as well..

Eurogamer Italy gave it a 7

I know, but there are too many bad reviews and too many other good games competing for my time and money. It kills me because I'm such a huge fan of the movies and comics.

 

[Bluemercury]

I know, but there are too many bad reviews and too many other good games competing for my time and money. It kills me because I'm such a huge fan of the movies and comics.

too many bad reviews?besides gamesport and game informer?

 

[erpg]

I'm in for it day one, but for anyone who's on the fence, there's no reason not to wait until GAF impressions, from people who know how to control a game (and take multiplayer into account). There's no pre-order bonus other than skins, and there isn't any content-lock down like BFBC2 or anything.

Don't worry, we'll set the record straight (I just hope it needs to be adjusted).

 

[Sill4]

I can't believe the dependency on reviews. Just play the demo. The controls are not bad. They are easy to get the hang of. It doesn't play at all like CoD or Halo or Battlfield, so you really need to play the demo to judge if you like it or not. PS3 demo should be fixed now, right?

 

[shuri]

yeah well, thats kinda taking it too far.

 

[Raide]

yeah well, thats kinda taking it too far.

Eat your heart/spine out God of War. :lol

 

[todahawk]

too many bad reviews?besides gamesport and game informer?

Yeah, too many for the expectations I have for this game.

I played the originals on PC and loved them. Maybe if my experience with the demo hadn't been so shitty and other games hadn't raised my general expectations for games overall I wouldn't be so hesitant.

Dammit! Now you're making me second guess myself!

EDIT:
Can someone clarify on the PS3 demo??? Do you need to re-download the whole thing? I fired it up this morning and it didn't patch or update it.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

I can't believe the dependency on reviews. Just play the demo. The controls are not bad. They are easy to get the hang of. It doesn't play at all like CoD or Halo or Battlfield, so you really need to play the demo to judge if you like it or not. PS3 demo should be fixed now, right?

Well it's not so much a dependency on reviews as a lower overall average usually means a quick price drop. I have a substantial backlog along with the BF:BC2 beta/pre-order. I want this game, but if a price drop is likely to happen quickly I don't see any reason to rush into it.

 

[GrayFoxPL]

Finally got around playing the fixed PS3 demo.

The first second as a marine I could swear I was playing Alien Trilogy on PS one. And it's not like I played that dacade ago, but fairly recent. Yeah, the graphics are shitty, at least in multi.
You can tell it's the same engine as Rouge Trooper. Looks cheap.

At first it was clunky, but after some playing I got used to controls. I had some really fun shooting aliens, but the bood explosion on predator is really corny. Insane auto aim, but feels fair.

Few things that are shitty are that some of the moves like using a steampack sometimes seem to work sometimes not and when they do it takes a half an hour for animation to end. Same with picking up weapons.Also, who the fuck thought it was good idea to map sprint on the fucking L3 when you have unused main buttons? At least let me remap it!

I had fun and will be getting it, but it's clear the game isn't stellar. I love how everyone is in denial and defensive for Rebellion.

 

[Cheech]

Those are some depressing reviews. I actually enjoyed the demo and was looking forward to the game. But the reviews are so bad... and I'm a student strapped for cash.

Dude, if you're strapped for cash and looking for a great multiplayer experience, pick up Battlefield BC2 instead. If I could only buy that or AvP, I'd buy BC2 a million times over.

 

[Dave1988]

EDIT:
Can someone clarify on the PS3 demo??? Do you need to re-download the whole thing? I fired it up this morning and it didn't patch or update it.

Yes, you have to redownload the demo from the Store. Works like a charm now. You can even browse for and create your own room now.

 

[RavenFox]

I want 4 marines to be Dillion, Dutch, Blaine and Hawkings.

What? No Mack and Billy?
I'm going to have to bleed you and leave you here even if whatever's out there ain't no man.

 

[Gattsu25]

too many bad reviews?besides gamesport and game informer?

One of those bad reviews spends the majority of its time talking about the Human and Predator campaigns (I almost exclusively play Alien) and whose sole complaint against the aliens are the controls (which I found good on 360 and fucking perfect on PC)?

I don't even consider that.

We all know GI rates based on Gamestop sales projections, anyway...so I'm not sure how useful that review will be.

 

[todahawk]

Yes, you have to redownload the demo from the Store. Works like a charm now. You can even browse for and create your own room now.

Thanks, re-downloading now!

See, but this worries me. How many people just gave up on the PS3 version???

 

[Combine]

I'm just kind of curious why they gave the franchise back to Rebellion. Sure they made the originals, but were those really that good? It always sounded like Monolith's take in AvP2 was much better received, so it's too bad that Monolith weren't asked to do it.

Monolith especially at least has a far far better resume and record with FPS's thanks to NOLF and FEAR than Rebellion has had comparatively. Plus they learned their redundant level design lesson after FEAR1.

I was also afraid the storyline of this game would be crap when Rebellion mentioned how it they were taking a lot of influence from the AvP MOVIES (not the other, better AvP material out there).