Something Fast
14-02-2006, 11:08 PM
Real time strategy games have long been almost exclusively the territory of PCs, with a few average at best attempts to produce them for consoles. Problems with controls (I'm looking at you, Starcraft 64) have plagued console RTS games and have made developers generally avoid the console market where RTS games have been concerned. As you can guess from the name, Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction is yet another console spin-off of the popular Aliens Vs Predator franchise. Breaking from the tradition of button masher arcade games or the FPS style of Aliens Versus Predator on the PC, AVP:E offers an interesting excursion into the franchise putting the player in control of groups of Xenomorphs, Predators or Marines.
The AI of the units is a major let-down, and tends to give the feeling that you're controlling a group of deaf children with short attention spans. At times, a group of units will absolutely refuse to go where you want them to, staying a good distance away from the main pack of units. Also, when they find a path blocked, units will tend to meander off in the opposite direction, and often refuse to stop for a few seconds. Given the nature of the game, this can mean the difference between wiping out a group of enemies, or having your whole group slaughtered.
As mentioned earlier, AVP:E suffers from the same major problem as any console RTS: The controls. While they don't make the game any easier, they are enough for playing the game without too much trouble. That doesn't mean you won't be cursing your gamepad occasionally, though.
Your basic unit-buying currency, credits, are mainly gained through combat. This, and the inability to build anything approaching the usual RTS definition of a base makes the game reasonably fast-paced, with an emphasis on constant action. There is enough of a "strategy" element in the game for it to be a bit more than just shuffling units around the map, however. This can lead to a slight linear approach to playing the game though, with one strategy being necessary to complete one mission, another being necessary for another and so on.
While the graphics are nothing special, they are of a standard that has become expected in 3D RTS games. There is enough variation between models and unit colours to distinguish between units. The Alien units though are either dark blue-grey or brown, leading to a few difficulties in distinguishing between the types on a small television if there are too many on screen at once. Comic-book cover style loading screens for the each mission are a nice touch, really tying the game into the Aliens Versus Predator universe and make a really welcome change from the standard black screen with nothing but the word “LOADING” written on it.
Sound is one of the areas in which this game really shines. The use of sound for the motion tracker in Marine missions creates the same tense atmosphere as the movie Aliens, as does the music. Unlike some games however, the music manages to be atmospheric without being intrusive and in-game sounds are clear easy to hear. Sound effects are well done and are fairly faithful to the movies.
Since the game is part of a fairly long-running franchise, there is not much that can be original in terms of the characters and storylines. However, the game does offer a very interesting take on the franchise, and a welcome change to the action or FPS games usually made with the Aliens Vs Predator licenses. While the three-race concept is now standard fare for the RTS genre, you could say that it was the the AVP franchise that first pioneered the concept. The less said about any parallels between the Predators/Protoss, Xenomorphs/Zerg or Terran/Marines the better.
The two glaring drawbacks to AVP:E are the multiplayer options and the replayability of the game (or lack of both). With only twenty-seven single-player missions and no real incentive to re-play the game, this is a game that you can only play through a few times before it gets at least slightly boring. Even accounting for finishing the game on every difficulty, it still can’t really sustain your interest for very long. A game like this would have been excellent with multiplayer options, ala split screen or multitap. Who wouldn't want to try to slaughter a mate's squad of marines with a whole host of predaliens?
If you want to play a good quality RTS game, then AVP:E isn't the game for you. If you want to kill a day or two playing a decent (not that great, but definitely not woeful) game, then this is a game you might want to try. It's a game aimed at fans of the AVP franchise, though it's worth playing even if you're not a die-hard fan, since it offers a few fun moments. While AVP:E isn't a game that you'll be playing for months or even weeks though it would definitely be worth a rental at your local videostore, or even purchased second hand cheaply. All in all, a decent diversion, but not a game you'd miss playing.
The AI of the units is a major let-down, and tends to give the feeling that you're controlling a group of deaf children with short attention spans. At times, a group of units will absolutely refuse to go where you want them to, staying a good distance away from the main pack of units. Also, when they find a path blocked, units will tend to meander off in the opposite direction, and often refuse to stop for a few seconds. Given the nature of the game, this can mean the difference between wiping out a group of enemies, or having your whole group slaughtered.
As mentioned earlier, AVP:E suffers from the same major problem as any console RTS: The controls. While they don't make the game any easier, they are enough for playing the game without too much trouble. That doesn't mean you won't be cursing your gamepad occasionally, though.
Your basic unit-buying currency, credits, are mainly gained through combat. This, and the inability to build anything approaching the usual RTS definition of a base makes the game reasonably fast-paced, with an emphasis on constant action. There is enough of a "strategy" element in the game for it to be a bit more than just shuffling units around the map, however. This can lead to a slight linear approach to playing the game though, with one strategy being necessary to complete one mission, another being necessary for another and so on.
While the graphics are nothing special, they are of a standard that has become expected in 3D RTS games. There is enough variation between models and unit colours to distinguish between units. The Alien units though are either dark blue-grey or brown, leading to a few difficulties in distinguishing between the types on a small television if there are too many on screen at once. Comic-book cover style loading screens for the each mission are a nice touch, really tying the game into the Aliens Versus Predator universe and make a really welcome change from the standard black screen with nothing but the word “LOADING” written on it.
Sound is one of the areas in which this game really shines. The use of sound for the motion tracker in Marine missions creates the same tense atmosphere as the movie Aliens, as does the music. Unlike some games however, the music manages to be atmospheric without being intrusive and in-game sounds are clear easy to hear. Sound effects are well done and are fairly faithful to the movies.
Since the game is part of a fairly long-running franchise, there is not much that can be original in terms of the characters and storylines. However, the game does offer a very interesting take on the franchise, and a welcome change to the action or FPS games usually made with the Aliens Vs Predator licenses. While the three-race concept is now standard fare for the RTS genre, you could say that it was the the AVP franchise that first pioneered the concept. The less said about any parallels between the Predators/Protoss, Xenomorphs/Zerg or Terran/Marines the better.
The two glaring drawbacks to AVP:E are the multiplayer options and the replayability of the game (or lack of both). With only twenty-seven single-player missions and no real incentive to re-play the game, this is a game that you can only play through a few times before it gets at least slightly boring. Even accounting for finishing the game on every difficulty, it still can’t really sustain your interest for very long. A game like this would have been excellent with multiplayer options, ala split screen or multitap. Who wouldn't want to try to slaughter a mate's squad of marines with a whole host of predaliens?
If you want to play a good quality RTS game, then AVP:E isn't the game for you. If you want to kill a day or two playing a decent (not that great, but definitely not woeful) game, then this is a game you might want to try. It's a game aimed at fans of the AVP franchise, though it's worth playing even if you're not a die-hard fan, since it offers a few fun moments. While AVP:E isn't a game that you'll be playing for months or even weeks though it would definitely be worth a rental at your local videostore, or even purchased second hand cheaply. All in all, a decent diversion, but not a game you'd miss playing.