Aliens Versus Predator 2

by MacPlay

Product Features

• Play as Alien, Predator, or human on planet LV-1201
• Features new, complex story lines with three species overlapping
• Increased ambience, film-like strobe effects
• Advanced controls, 3D graphics, with single or multiplayer action
• Three campaigns offer 21 missions

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000657TO
• Item Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: July 23, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,291 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #59 in Video Games > Mac Games > Action
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Mac | Edition: Standard

Amazon.com Review

The Alien and the Predator are two of filmdom's most beloved and feared creations, and fans have been clamoring for a matchup between the two species for years. Their dreams were teased by a brief shot of an alien skull in the Predator's trophy room in Predator 2, indulged by several uneven pairings in comic books, and finally fulfilled in Rebellion's underrated Aliens vs. Predator video game. Fox Interactive, teamed this time with developer Monolith, delights these fans again with Aliens vs. Predator 2, and the result is easily one of the most intense 3-D shooters ever released.

Like in the first game, there are three distinct campaigns. One lets you play as the Predator, another as an Alien, and a third as the overconfident humans they prey upon. This time out the stories are much more detailed, even crossing over in interesting ways. The plot concerns some arrogant human scientists, a group of heroic marines, a rogue Predator, and the faceless Alien horde found on LV-1201 (the planet from the first two Alien films).

As a human, you play a fearless roughneck sent to check things out and perform missions. This generally involves rescuing fellow marines, recon work, restoring power to various systems, and trying to stay alive against fast-moving killing machines with acid for blood and nasty dispositions. You're armed with the incredible pulse rifle from the films, other weapons such as a knife and a smart gun (which automatically locks onto targets for you), a tension-inducing motion tracker, and a shoulder-mounted flashlight that casts eerie shadows. The Predator is armed with his shoulder cannon, cloaking device, spear, and his famous wrist claws.

The Alien campaign is the most interesting as it first casts you as the spiderlike face hugger. You've got to roam the corridors looking for a solitary victim. Once you implant a human, you play the small and snakelike chest-burster, seeking out rodents and other tiny prey so you can quickly molt and grow into a full-fledged alien. Then all hell breaks loose as the humans become your prey. You can claw, perform a head bite (which restores health), and execute a fearsome pounce attack that literally explodes the target. Aliens can also cling and climb on walls, which takes some getting used to, but the effect is exhilarating, as is the hunt.

The graphics are evocative of the films and feature strobe lights, flashing reds and whites, ample darkness, abandoned barricades, sputtering ruined equipment, and horrific scenes of carnage. The music rises and falls with the drama and draws heavily from the Alien films in particular. And the game is relentlessly creepy, whether or not you are the hunter or hunted. The audio is equally effective, from screaming humans to screeching alien attackers to the familiar Predator purring chuckle. The game is also filled with often amusing conversations between guards, marines, and scientists.

The three campaigns offer 21 missions, but the wide range of multiplayer game modes deserve special mention. The game has legs, no matter which species you prefer, and already a community has sprung up for challenges between gamers. Unfortunately, the Net code is a bit buggy: be sure to download the latest patch.

Monolith has created a much better game than the previous installment, mainly by pumping up the atmosphere, refining the controls, and making sure the three stories combine into a greater tale of horror and survival. Oh, and most importantly to some, the game lets you save whenever you want. Just remember this when playing the game--on the Internet, no one can hear you scream, but your neighbors can. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Superb atmosphere that evokes the best of the movies
• Excellent graphics and single-player gaming

Cons:

• You need the marines to do a bug hunt in the multiplayer code

Product Description

Aliens vs Predator 2 (Mac)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Simply Awful, August 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Aliens Versus Predator 2 (Mac) (CD-ROM)

A word of warning: MacPlay's claims to the contrary notwithstanding, "AvP2" will NOT run ok on a G4. I've got a 1GHz G4 with 512 MB (well within the requirements, supposedly) and the game runs so choppily that it looks like stop-motion photography. Add to that:

1) Endless load times. We're talking minutes here.
2) So-so graphics (you have to turn the detail way down to get anything approaching an acceptable frame rate)
3) Constant, irritating bugs. "AvP2" crashes ALL the time. Incredibly, even the end credits are glitchy.

The game concept may be kind of cool, but MacPlay's "AvP2" has got to be one of the worst, most slapdash ports in history. Again, DON'T buy it unless you're running a G5 or dual 1.25 G4s--you'll be wasting $...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better than original, but not without flaws., July 27, 2003

By 

JediMacFan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aliens Versus Predator 2 (Mac) (CD-ROM)

If you have ever played the original Aliens versus Predator and enjoyed it you're sure to love its sequel. Just as terrifying as the original, AvP2 is sure to deliver the same thrills and chills as its predecessor (Especially with the lights off). Simply put, the game is intense.

However, it is far from the perfect game, especially on my Mac (which is sad, considering the system requirements for the Windows version are minimal). Unless you have a dual G4 or G5 tower, expect frequent lag and delays in the game. Even with a 1GHz processor, 1 gig of RAM and a 64 meg video card, the game runs too choppy too frequently. In the end, too many visual effects must be sacrificed for gameplay. Part of this problem is the game engine that AvP2 utilizes (The same as "No One Lives Forever". If only it used the Quake III engine!)

Unfortunately, the Aliens are not the only "bugs" in the game either. Loading screens do not display properly at times nor do the different visual modes work all the time (i.e., Marine night vision, Alien vision, Predator infrared, etc.).

Between the slowdowns and the graphic jitters, AvP2 seems like a lousy port to OS X, which is sad since MacPlay has been sitting on this release for over a year now. If you have ever purchased a game ported by MacPlay, then their rushed ports and lack of tech support should come as no surprise to you. Their motto seems to be "At MacPlay no one can hear you scream".

iMac users beware: "Not recommended for iMacs" is clearly stated on the package! This game WILL run slow!

The Good: Awesome game, cool atmosphere, great weapons. Like 3 games in one between the different species.

The Bad: Not much graphic or plot improvement over the original, some graphic and gameplay bugs.

The Ugly: Ported to OS X by MacPlay, Unacceptable frame rates, even with newer systems, too choppy, not recommended for iMacs, G4 chips only

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Umm.. Problem with the review below...., May 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Aliens Versus Predator 2 (Mac) (CD-ROM)

The reviewer below was talking about the PC version of the AVP2. The other reviewers who gave one star for the game are talking about the Mac version. The minimum video card requirement is 32MB for mac. You really need 512MB video card to make this game run smoothly. This is the worst ported game I've ever played. I'm running a dual G5 and it glitches, chops and crashes all the time. Its been over 8 months since Macplay and The Omni Group have known about the multiplayer problem with Mac OS 10.3 and they have done nothing about it. The people at The Omni Group and Macplay should be arrested for taking people's money for an incomplete, unplayable game. Seriously...

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