Nerdicus SNES Review #13 : Alien VS Predator

Title : Alien VS Predator

Publisher : Activision

Genre : Beat 'em Up / Brawler

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $12-$15

Ah, Aliens VS Predator. Two of the most epic creatures in science fiction history face off in a battle to the death in this beat 'em up styled video game. How could you possibly go wrong? You've got a formula for success. Then again, how often do you encounter a decent game based off movies or movie characters in general. So excuse me if I'm approaching this game with a lot of caution. After all, look at the 2004 movie.

Then again, the child me didn't give a rats ass about how this game was. It was ALIEN VS FREAKING PREDATOR! My head is exploding from a sci-fi nerd overload.

When I was younger, I was always waiting for an opportunity for Aliens and Predators to encounter each other in the same universe. Of course I should have prepared myself for the massive disappointment when they did manage to collide. Then again, who can resist a battle between two alien super powers. By the way, Aliens are better than Predators by the way...Predators MAY be the best hunters, but Aliens are freaking outer space raptors. WITH ACID BLOOD.

Too bad in this game you only play as the Predator....ah well.

I rented this game a bunch of times when I was kid, mainly because I had such a hard time beating it. Okay, and because I just loved playing a game with Aliens and Predators. I definitely spent more money renting it, than I would if I just bought it.

So you play as the Predator who's been sent down to Earth to fend off a Xenomorph invasion. Why? Who know's why, they don't really explain it but I'm going to assume that you're just some hunter looking for some Xenomorph pelts to sell on the black market. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. The game is styled in a classic beat 'em up a la Final Fight or Double Dragon. That's about it if you look at it for the face value.

Let me tell you a trick to this game. You've got a basic 3 combo attack..punch, kick, then jump kick. But hey, do you want to beat this game without taking any damage? Just repeatedly do a slide kick. You can't get hit by doing it, but it just takes a little longer to kill enemies. Welcome to an unintentional GOD MODE.

You do occasionally get some weapons to use, such as the Predators blade disc and javelin. The only problem, is that they barely do any more damage than your traditional attack and run out after a few uses. So there really is no point to them. They really missed the ball by not including the whole Predator weapon array. Seriously, I would have loved to fire homing missiles and lasers at the Aliens. But no, nothing of the sort.

Another thing that kind of bugged me, is that there isn't a very large variety of Xenomorphs in this game. They're all pretty much the same, besides color differentiation and a few graphical changes. But seriously, this game is just level after level of defeating the same enemies over and over again. Even the bosses aren't always that different. Not to mention the bosses are incredibly easy (see above slide kick trick)

Which leads me to the issues I have with this game.

Sometimes the game looks pretty. Sometimes the game looks like an absolute mess. There's something about the animations that make it seem slow and half-assed. It's very jittery, like the characters on the screen are skipping over some animations. Who know's maybe the game just lags a lot. 

The level design is pretty decent, but each level is the same as the last with a different background. It goes back to what I said about the enemies. There's no variation, and it gets boring pretty fast. Sometimes the backgrounds are done so poorly though that everything seems to blend into one mess of brownish / green colors. Not very appealing.

Lastly, sound is just irritating. It's a very generic "arcade" beat 'em up styled soundtrack. I would have hoped for something more eerie and Alien-esque. Ah well....

The game is a weak attempt and combining two universes into one, and I shouldn't have been surprised. Every thing they've done with these two universes has failed (comics, movies, books). Then again, the nerd in me still loves the concept and I can't help but playing it for the sheer enjoyment of seeing my fav. sci-fi creatures in action.

A guilty pleasure....

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on Gaming!