"Three of the deadliest races in the known galaxy battle for survival."

Ever since I heard this game was being made, I knew I had to have it. Why? For several reasons actually. First, I am a huge fan of both Predator movies and of the first two Alien movies. Plus, I am a fan of the Alien versus Predator comics (they had some excellent story lines). But most importantly, Alien versus Predator was the game to get me into FPSs. See, at the time that FPSs were really becoming popular, it was due to a game named Doom. I didn't have a computer at the time, and I had only played Doom once, so I really didn't know what I was missing out on. Then I got the Jaguar (R.I.P.) and all that changed. When I first played AvP, I found a game that not only gave you variety, but also a true sense of the movies. Now, almost six years later, AvP hits the computer, courtesy of the same people who brought us the Jaguar version.

As far as story lines go, the game relies on your knowledge of the whole Alien-Predator-Human conflict. It particularly helps if you've read any of the actual AvP comics. The game itself doesn't give you much to go on, you just pick your species and play through five to six episodes tailored to that particular species. These episodes are more or less connected in the sense that its part of a larger story, thought there are no cinemas between episode to progress the story.

Graphically, I'm very impressed with AvP. Though it lacks some of the flashiness of games like Unreal, or the heavy substance of Half-Life, it does offer a little of both, with its own finesse thrown into the mix. Your jaw will drop the first time you walk through a large pool of water, or you shoot out a light and the room realistically darkens. The Aliens look incredible, the Predators look perfect, and the Marines look like, well, Marines.

One of AvP's strengths is the sound. First, everything sounds as it should; pulse rifle fire, Predator clicks, Alien hisses, all straight from the movies. Believe me, when you hear a cloaked Predator in the same room as you, you'll jump too. What can I say about the music except that it too is straight from the movies...literally! Yes, AvP comes with two discs, one to install the game and the other is an audio only (yup, you can pop this puppy in the ol' Discman when the mood strikes) CD with tracks straight from the movie soundtracks. More games need to do this.

The controls are typical FPS standard, though AvP gives you plenty of customizable options to tweak the game to your preferences. You can edit each of the three characters controls to your liking, giving you total freedom in how you play each of the species.

When they designed AvP, somebody at Rebellion was really on top of what gamers like. Namely, they took a cue from Rare's best-selling games, Goldeneye 007. The first notable similarity is the way the episodes are set up, with three different difficulty levels and all. Also, new levels are unlocked by beating the game on certain difficulty levels. Finally, cheats are opened by meeting certain requirements on various difficulty levels. Hey, if you're gonna borrow, borrow from the best :-) Each of the species levels is also uniquely tailored to that character, which really gives you a fresh perspective each time you play. My only complaint is the fact that you can't save the game, unless you take the time to download a special patch. I realize the programmers were trying to add suspense to the game by not including a save feature, but it should have been made an option rather than being forced upon the gamer.

You are given a lot of rewards for your time playing this game; five bonus levels for each of the three characters, plus cool little cheats and the ability to play the multi-player levels as sort of mindless mini-missions. They really thought of everything here.

Anyone who is a fan of FPSs (and who isn't if you own a computer) or anyone who is a fan of either series of movies, should really check this game out. I haven't been able to stop playing it since I got it, which is saying a lot since it pulled me away from two different Star Wars games.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 07/05/02