Zadzooks: Aliens vs. Predator review

Superhero and cartoon characters are integral parts of the electronic entertainment industry. With this in mind, I salute the meld of pop-culture character and video game with a look at Aliens vs. Predator (from Sega, reviewed for Xbox 360, rated M for mature, $59.99).

Three species hunt each other and fight for survival in this first-person shooter starring a pair of sci-fi horror icons.

Based on Dark Horse Comics’ nightmare scenario and 20th Century Fox’s film franchises, the game tests a player’s stomach, skill and nerves as he battles as a human soldier, Xenomorph or interplanetary hunter in solo and multiplayer campaigns.

What’s the story? A humid, temperate planet located in system WY-BG-3 has become home of the Freya’s Prospect colony, owned and operated by Weyland-Yutani Corp.

It is here that a Predator searches for its brethren while trying to stop the advances of the human race, which threatens to reveal its ancient culture. So, what’s that hissing sound?

Play the role: Just as in the famed 1999 Rebellion Developments game, built by the same company, a player assumes the role of a well-armed Colonial Marine, an acid-spitting Alien (Xenomorph) named Number Six and a high-tech armed Predator as he conquers 14 missions divided among the three warriors.

The player roams through ancient Predator combat-arena ruins, the depths of the Weyland-Yutani research facility, a military installation and marshy jungle terrain that mixes haunted-house-style surprises and cinematic memories from the movies.

Get to the action: Three species translates into three different styles of attack, all with the bloodiest of kills.

First, Colonial Marines use an unlimited supply of signal flares and a motion tracker to locate enemies and then unload sheer firepower from such powerhouses as a ZX-76 shotgun, pulse rifle and even a flamethrower to stop them.

Aliens revel in hiding in the dark, hissing to lure victims toward them and quickly climbing structures at incredible speeds to hide and regenerate health. They kill victims with melee attacks that include clawing, tail strikes and a using handy pair of retractable teeth, leading to some gory, memorable moments for the player.

Our Predator - the most fun to play, in my opinion - uses wrist blades to attack. It eventually wields a combi stick as a spear; proximity mines; and the razor-sharp, circular boomerang called a chakram. A cloaking device and jumping ability round out its powers, making it a stealthy butcher.

Memorable moments (in no particular order): As an Alien, the first time I decided to harvest a human and held him down while a facehugger attached to his face.

As a Marine, destroying a massive Queen Alien by roasting her egg sacks and then using a grenade launcher to help rain down fire upon her.

As a Predator, pulling out a recently killed researcher’s head to use with a retinal scanner to open a door. Also, a final battle within a collapsing, lava-filled arena against an evolved brute seen in the second AVP film, “Requiem.”

Violent encounters: Delivering what the movies could never quite accomplish, the game celebrates the slaughter by unforgiving Predators and Aliens with some incredibly violent and bloody kills.

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