Aliens Vs Predator demo on LIVE ?

faceman

I only played it once and as the Alien. Found it a bit frustrating moving around walls as its not clear when you need to grab a wall or ceiling or just move on it. Also during combat i found myself just hammering the attack buttons

faceman

faceman wrote: »

I only played it once and as the Alien. Found it a bit frustrating moving around walls as its not clear when you need to grab a wall or ceiling or just move on it. Also during combat i found myself just hammering the attack buttons

It takes some getting used too. Even having good games i was basically just running on the sides up high, but when you get a bit used to it, you'll start sticking to the ceilings a lot more, can get confusing at times but as long as your not on the ground your pretty safe. Use the pounce to transition to other high points, stick to the high ground, and if your spotted it's best to hit run and start over as both other classes will take you down in a 1v1.

Just noticed that you can do a pounce attack, i think with both the Pred and Alien, with the Alien anyway you use the focus button(L2?) and when the circle focuses on your target you can leap at them from a far

faceman

gilberto_eire wrote: »

It takes some getting used too. Even having good games i was basically just running on the sides up high, but when you get a bit used to it, you'll start sticking to the ceilings a lot more, can get confusing at times but as long as your not on the ground your pretty safe. Use the pounce to transition to other high points, stick to the high ground, and if your spotted it's best to hit run and start over as both other classes will take you down in a 1v1.

Just noticed that you can do a pounce attack, i think with both the Pred and Alien, with the Alien anyway you use the focus button(L2?) and when the circle focuses on your target you can leap at them from a far

I wasnt able to make any use of the Focus button, must try that.

faceman

faceman wrote: »

I wasnt able to make any use of the Focus button, must try that.

I actually didn't know about it until someone mentioned it in one of the 3 different threads round here. I taught it just made it easier to see. Up until that i was walking on the roofs/walls then trying to drop to the ground when i saw someone, awful messy and would often end up sticking to the opposite wall etc...
It's essential for pouncing from the roofs, i think it only works with ''weak attack'' though

Not sure does it work with the Pred, i think it does, but have only played as the Alien since i read it

Ridley

faceman wrote: »

I wasnt able to make any use of the Focus button, must try that.

There's a good guide here.

I enjoy the demo. Find myself getting slapped down by Predators from across the map too often since I prefer playing as the xenomorph but it's a much better experience when people team up ie Aliens Vs Predator Vs Marines. Hopefully that'll be one of the multiplayer modes. The controls should have been explained off the load screen.

Hissing and knocking out the lights is fun. Especially since most Predator players keep their visor on marines. :pac:

niallon

Appalling game IMO. I've only finished one end of the Alien missions but already I want to reload AVP2 on the laptop. Graphically there's no difference for a start, very poor textures on some maps. The combat is a joke. I remember in AVP2 feeling damn near untouchable as the Alien and having to be thrown a mass of marines to feel a challenge (in a good way though, the Alien is badass and tends to wipe out hordes so it made sense!). In this I'm getting picked off easily because by the time the Alien is ready to use the Heavy Attack, the only one of use, I've been plugged.

One thing in particular that annoys me about playing as the Alien is that you can set the wall walking to automatic but it doesn't reverse the right triggers function i.e holding the right trigger doesn't shut off wall walk same as it initiates it when set the other way. This is a ridiculous oversight as when playing as the Alien wall walking is a great way to avoid attacks and will be used far more often than not and therefore the need to use the trigger should be for the less used function.

The fanboy in me means I will see this one to the end but it just could've been so much better.

All I can say is thank God I can €30 on a trade in, makes the €35 I spent on it that little less painful.

niallon

New plan. This game is THAT bad that even a double fanboy whammy can't save it. I quit. Back to Smyths tomorrow for Bioshock 2 instead...can't believe I actually favoured this instead in the first place!

I've been pushed over the edge by the fact that an entire "Energy Clip" worth of the Predator's blaster only took out one marine and just barely. I saw Jesse Ventura get wiped out by that thing in one go ok, don't kid a kidder! As well as that, when you restart at a checkpoint they never seem to restart you at a convenient point after the horribly rendered cutscene, always before. I can't take it anymore!

As for my complaints regarding the games difficulty, I'm not someone who expects to breeze through a game and I've no problem handling games on their hardest difficulty setting, depending on my free time situation I tend to start most games on their Hard setting for a challenge. But AVP is frustratingly hard. The counter moves are near impossible and when they're your best line of defence that's a problem. The weapons are useless for the most part. And above all, unlike the previous games, the Alien and Predator seem to have been weakened down in order to make all three Campaigns more evenly matched. Bad move.

Chairman Meow

niallon wrote: »

New plan. This game is THAT bad that even a double fanboy whammy can't save it. I quit. Back to Smyths tomorrow for Bioshock 2 instead...can't believe I actually favoured this instead in the first place!

I've been pushed over the edge by the fact that an entire "Energy Clip" worth of the Predator's blaster only took out one marine and just barely. I saw Jesse Ventura get wiped out by that thing in one go ok, don't kid a kidder! As well as that, when you restart at a checkpoint they never seem to restart you at a convenient point after the horribly rendered cutscene, always before. I can't take it anymore!

As for my complaints regarding the games difficulty, I'm not someone who expects to breeze through a game and I've no problem handling games on their hardest difficulty setting, depending on my free time situation I tend to start most games on their Hard setting for a challenge. But AVP is frustratingly hard. The counter moves are near impossible and when they're your best line of defence that's a problem. The weapons are useless for the most part. And above all, unlike the previous games, the Alien and Predator seem to have been weakened down in order to make all three Campaigns more evenly matched. Bad move.

If youre frustrated because you played it on Hard, and found it too hard, thats your problem really isnt it?
I dropped it to normal and found it much better. It prompts you for the counters/melee attacks which pretty much trains you how to play, and makes it easier if you do play on hard later.
And yeah jesse ventura got raped by one shot of the plasma caster int he movie, but if it was that easy to take out every enemy in the game, whats the point?

RAIN

niallon wrote: »

New plan. This game is THAT bad that even a double fanboy whammy can't save it. I quit. Back to Smyths tomorrow for Bioshock 2 instead...can't believe I actually favoured this instead in the first place!

I've been pushed over the edge by the fact that an entire "Energy Clip" worth of the Predator's blaster only took out one marine and just barely. I saw Jesse Ventura get wiped out by that thing in one go ok, don't kid a kidder! As well as that, when you restart at a checkpoint they never seem to restart you at a convenient point after the horribly rendered cutscene, always before. I can't take it anymore!

As for my complaints regarding the games difficulty, I'm not someone who expects to breeze through a game and I've no problem handling games on their hardest difficulty setting, depending on my free time situation I tend to start most games on their Hard setting for a challenge. But AVP is frustratingly hard. The counter moves are near impossible and when they're your best line of defence that's a problem. The weapons are useless for the most part. And above all, unlike the previous games, the Alien and Predator seem to have been weakened down in order to make all three Campaigns more evenly matched. Bad move.

Don't bother with Bioshock 2, if you though the Predators weapons were weak try the bolt gun in Bioshock 2. Its ****e, just a very watered down version of the first game.

muppetkiller

RAIN wrote: »

Don't bother with Bioshock 2, if you though the Predators weapons were weak try the bolt gun in Bioshock 2. Its ****e, just a very watered down version of the first game.

I actually traded in Bioshock 2 for AVP and i'm glad I did. I'm enjoying it even if it's practically impossible to find a match on LIVE. Rent Bioshock as you'll finish it in a day or two.

niallon

Chairman Meow wrote: »

If youre frustrated because you played it on Hard, and found it too hard, thats your problem really isnt it?
I dropped it to normal and found it much better. It prompts you for the counters/melee attacks which pretty much trains you how to play, and makes it easier if you do play on hard later.
And yeah jesse ventura got raped by one shot of the plasma caster int he movie, but if it was that easy to take out every enemy in the game, whats the point?

Dropped it to normal and still had the same niggling problems - can barely see Xenomorphs due to the appaling graphics and so am screwed as the Predator or Marine. There's more small things like this that rop up and inevitably just piss me off! I'm not looking for the game to be easier exactly, just to have less of these stupid errors that make it unecessarily harder.

RAIN

muppetkiller wrote: »

I actually traded in Bioshock 2 for AVP and i'm glad I did. I'm enjoying it even if it's practically impossible to find a match on LIVE. Rent Bioshock as you'll finish it in a day or two.

Im not going crazy right? Did you think it was crap too? you play as a big daddy yet your weapons aren't as strong as the weakest enemies?? Plus the story just isen't half as strong as the original plus, I know you have to cater for newcomers but do I really have to go getting basic plasmids from the last game again?? Boring.

muppetkiller

RAIN wrote: »

Im not going crazy right? Did you think it was crap too? you play as a big daddy yet your weapons aren't as strong as the weakest enemies?? Plus the story just isen't half as strong as the original plus, I know you have to cater for newcomers but do I really have to go getting basic plasmids from the last game again?? Boring.

I think the best way to think about Bioshock is that if it wasn't set in the Bioshock universe then I would've returned the game after an hour. I just wanted to see where the story went . But yes I found it boring as hell.
And I'll never understand why anyone would want to play the game through again to get different endings...these people need to get out more (youtube has them all anyway)

NunianVonFuch

niallon wrote: »

Dropped it to normal and still had the same niggling problems - can barely see Xenomorphs due to the appaling graphics and so am screwed as the Predator or Marine. There's more small things like this that rop up and inevitably just piss me off! I'm not looking for the game to be easier exactly, just to have less of these stupid errors that make it unecessarily harder.

I'm going through it on hard on marine, not too far in. Just after level 4 where you

beat the queen

. Loving it so far, don't really get the hate you have for it. It was always hard to see the aliens, that's the point. Also don't forget that AvP 2 used an early Lithtech engine which made every single character look like a mannequin and a ridiculous overuse of scripted scenes where every attack was well forecasted in advance unlike the more natural organic scenes in AvP 1.

The complaint you have about the right trigger thing seems overly picky to me and the other attacks the alien has are quite useful, especially the long-range pounce. Besides you have regen-health so play it like the Aliens in films 1 and 3 when they were on their own, out numbered and picked people off one by one. You're not a one man army, you're a xenomorph which is terrifying to face on your own but as in Aliens not too bad with a few people and some hefty firepower (as long as you don't run out of ammo or get swarmed). AvP 2 was far too easy as the alien, it was a bit of a joke tbh. Loved the game like, don't get me wrong, but as a challenge it wasn't there as the alien.

DirkVoodoo

Going to rent it tonight. Reviews were hardly surprising, the demo lacked any kind of polish or innovation and choosing deathmatch mode gave the pungent stench of "we know our game sucks, maybe people will think the SP will be good if we sucker them with a MP demo".

But still, I saw aliens a few nights ago and predator was on last night, I need some nostalgia, even if it is mediocre. I'll wear my rose tinted glasses while I play.

Not The Real Scarecrow

Got it last night after debating over it the last few days. Critics scores were low but the gamers themselves were giving it much better reviews. A few chaps on gamespot were saying the reason it got such a low score on there was because they only reviewed the ps3 version and used the same for the 360, apparently 360 far better. After getting it have to say I'm glad I did. Guarenteed the game isn't perfect but its really enjoyable and alot tougher than I thought it would be. Really enjoying playing as the predator, kind of reminds me of the predator games in batman but a hell of a lot more violent and gory. Absolutely love the execution bits. Nothing like ripping a spine from a marines body, lol.
Haven't played the online yet, but apparently there's a patch in the works and 4 new maps for download in the next few weeks. So hopefully the glitches will be fixed.

Ridley

Meatwad wrote: »

Haven't played the online yet, but apparently there's a patch in the works and 4 new maps for download in the next few weeks. So hopefully the glitches will be fixed.

Get ready for a lot of "the host has left the session" and "the connection timed out". I randomly got kicked out before a match yesterday for not having content whatever that meant.

I think 7/10's a fair score for it. The campaigns on normal can be done in one or two sittings depending and the gameplay is cheap sometimes. Marines having magic eagle vision of cloaked predator at one point and I've been cheated on kills in multiplayer as the xenomorph because the architecture physically stops me running forward (with auto-transition on). Another issue I have is the complete lack of (human) female character skins for multiplayer.

I like the game though I've never played the first AVP games for comparison. I'm happy with team species deathmatch (as xenomorph) and Infestation but I can't imagine many people will be playing after a couple of months.

Apparently Rebellion's in talks about a getting another out.

Xenomorph homeworld DO NOT WANT.

Chairman Meow

muppetkiller wrote: »

I actually traded in Bioshock 2 for AVP and i'm glad I did. I'm enjoying it even if it's practically impossible to find a match on LIVE. Rent Bioshock as you'll finish it in a day or two.

Ive actually had no problems at all finding games on live. But only doing palyer matches. Quick match ranked sucks dick, you could be waiting hours for a game. Go to player match, select a gametype (infestation!!1! ) and then select browse, and it will show you a lsit of matches you can join. I was playing infestation and survivor with a few lads last night, infestation is amazing. Ont he pyramid map its actually ****ing scary too. Possibly the only multipalyer game thats ever put the ****s up me. As you start seeing more and more marines get picked off by the aliens, and int urn, more and more aliens coming for you, it gets really tense, then when its down tot he last few minutes and the music kicks in, oh man. Me and one other guy were standing ontop of a flight of stairs in the jungle map, last 2 left alive, and the xenos were coming from every direction for us, it was ****ing epic

BlitzKrieg

Playing through the single player, 2 campaigns down (alien, marine)


honestly i'dbethe opposite to some critcisms here. I think its the little things they get brilliantly and its a fair few big ones they mess up.

going by species:

THe marine campaign is the most detailed and seems to be the longest too so far, its fun enough ride, if a bit bland at parts, I actually like most of the initial alien battles because even though there is only one or two aliens they are still damn hard to kill, even with the pulse rifle and the speed they closes distances at etc is pretty terrifying. One bonus point as a big fanboy is that this is the first avp game to really get the acid for blood element into the game, killing an alien close range with a head shot will drop you into near death state if at full health and kill you if you are at two bars, making melee a necessity to keep some distance between you and the aliens. I fail to understand the graphics complainst because aside from the player models (which are hideous) the setting looks amazing and oozes atmosphere, and the alien models are the best in the series. Where the game really excells is it is the first in the series to really nail weyland yutani spot on and I like that they play a much bigger element in the game's narrative.

Now the bad...the weapons are seriously unbalanced and too few. the first 3 levels are the most tense cause you are literally surviving from ammo clip drop to ammo clip drop and hoarding those grenade rounds for the right moment, more then once did I finish an area to find I have only one bullet left in the chamber. THis is great. Sadly near the end of level 3 it gets thrown out of wack, pulse rifle ammo starts pouring out of the walls and the flamethrower is insanely effective (accurate for the films) not too bad cause flamethrower ammo is again scarce...but then the sniper rifle shows up and thats it...you will never need another gun, it carries more ammo then the shotgun yet is alot more powerful at all ranges and while its ROF is slow its still faster then the shottie, it can hold 66 rounds and 1 shot can kill aliens, pretty much the rest of the game can be done with the sniper rifle and ammo is never rare.

the level design overall looks very pretty but its very dull straightforward stuff. THe few points that spice things up are far too rare and never built on. Early on there is a hacking segment where you have to hold off an attack of aliens while the hacking device hacks its way in...there are a few more points where you hack but it never involves the same hold the position game element again. More diversity was clearly needed.

THe AI is a bit of a fumble with it being very predictable and dull. The bossess are also frankly crap, there always seems to be something missing in each of the encounters

most notable a proper battle against a rampaging Queen is desperatly lacking

The story has a number of small great moments (and lance henrikson) but lacks any overall arc. I like how the game links the main alien storyline with the avp storyline and plays with expectations, but nothing seems to come from any of this overall. there is never a pay off and the last segment of the marine narrative is a big letdown.

The alien campaign is both the most awesome and most disapointing. THe awesome is the mechanic itself, once you get use to the new *A* focused long range leaping its a dream to hunt as an alien and the Arkham Asylum like *rooms* where you get to hunt are the best moments in the single player...Sadly this is countered by the shortest campaign with the most dull and uninteresting narrative of the 3 it seems. Only 5 levels (one of which is a tutorial) with nothing pushing the playerr with pretty much no linkage with the other campaigns aside from the ending is a sore disapointment, the lack of development on the game mechanics is also sad. But the sections of the game where you clear an area of hostiles and harvest civilians is the same giddy excitement as the stealth segments of batman arkham asylum and make the alien campaign the most fun. Its a shame the story for it went norwhere as it has a brilliant opening and tutorial segement.


Highlight touch for me is the suicides you can induce. Some colonists will kill themselves rather then be taken and that makes for some hilarious moments



overall its fine enough, it really brings on the fanboy love in me to keep playing it but it has some big flaws holding it back. The alien campaign clearly works better but lacks any depth or length, while the marine campain lacks appeal while it has the length.

Chairman Meow

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

lots of stuff.

Pretty much perfect summation of the game. Tho personally to keep things a bit tense i only used the sniper rifle for the android enemies, and to keep it authentic only used the pulse rifle on aliens

niallon

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

I fail to understand the graphics complainst because aside from the player models (which are hideous) the setting looks amazing and oozes atmosphere, and the alien models are the best in the series.

To be honest my biggest gripe on the graphics front is outdoors, the Marine environments are fantastically realised but as the Alien or Predator I found the Jungle environments horrifically bland. At times it was just a large brown mess and seemed sightly lazy to me.

BlitzKrieg

just finished the predator campaign, its pretty good, the predator is a weird duck all the same, despite having most of these cool gadgets you never really used them as they tended to stick a big neon sign over your head screaming *SHOOT HERE* instead you played it as a lite version of the alien campaign agaionst humans (until you got the spear which is all kinds of awesome for long range silent sniping and can one shot synths) but the alien combat once you get the hang of it (and damn it takes a while) is pretty cool, though I dont like that if you go for a trophy kill when there is more then one alien the other will start wailing on you while you go through the animation, died once too often via this route.

Bit annoyed that there was still

no queen battle

but the last boss was ok. THe holographic segments in the pred campaign would be awesome if you could bloody watch them and not have to fight off hordes of aliens while its going on.

Overall I think the Pred campaign is the only one that improves rather then weakens as you progress through it, none of the weapons overpower his gamestyle (spear is great against humans but is too slow to dominate and aliens can doidge it easily) and the comnbat with the aliens can sometimes be a bit repetitive. But its not until the very very last one that I started gettting annoyed.

But when it starts off its rather poor campaign.

Now onto multiplayer.

Also the storyline again was disapointing with the lack of crossover, there were a few nods to the human campaign in the audio but no big cross plot elements which is a shame.

Ridley

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

Sadly near the end of level 3 it gets thrown out of wack, pulse rifle ammo starts pouring out of the walls and the flamethrower is insanely effective (accurate for the films) not too bad cause flamethrower ammo is again scarce...

Heh, I used the flamethrower once in the entire campaign on one xenomorph but gave up when it was on fire yet kept slapping me with claws until a bullet took it down. Assumed from that point on it was supposed to be for the eggs but I stayed back and used the unlimited ammo pistol for them after a couple of close calls running around trying to figure out where the facehugger went. Flat out refused to be taken down by the mouth rapists.

Chairman Meow

The multiplayer in this is seriously brilliant. Its a great alternative to all the 'me too' modern war shooters out there.
I had a game of species TDM last night with 2 friends, the 3 of us were marines, vs 3 aliens & 2 predators. The 3 of us hunkered down in one room in the middle of the map (pyramid) and jsut reied to watch each tohers backs, cue loads of screaming of OH **** THERES AN ALIEN BEHIND YOU!!! or "Predator!! i just saw a ****ing Predator!!!" and all 3 of us frantically blasting at thin air with the pulse rifles.
We still won tho, but its damn scary when you see an alien, start blasting and backpedalling, he disappears, and you backpedal yourself right onto a predators blades

Just finished the Alien campaign last ngiht too. Overally it hought it was great, aside form one very frustrating chokepoint towards the end of the game. The camera does make you a bit seasick at time, esp with auto transition turned on, but you need that auto transition to really make the alien fluid to play with.
Id agree with blitzkreig int hat the rpedator mission starts off really **** (i got powned by the very first group of aliens about 10 times in a row), but its only when you get to grips with melee combat, and get good weapons (combi stick) then the campaign is over! Probably will play better on a second run when youre confident with melee combat and the controls.
Survivor is great too. Even in single palyer, tis addictive and still can make you jump. I think tis a disgrace that this game got such low scores. Theres so much to it, but i guess it doesnt have perks and blinging guns and interactive cut scenes that pass as levels (hello COD!!) so it was marked down accordingly :roll:

BlitzKrieg

Yeah multiplayer is alot of fun it's not competitive like the more serious gps but the differences between the species really make it a *fun* game.

I play mostly alien as I suck with the other two for the most part but as an alien I am getting very good, once you get the A button jumping down and judging distances you can pick up alot of speed. My only issue is against predators unless you kill them in the first 5 seconds of getting in close enough you are screwed they will beat your ass down. Alsothe sneak attack and pounce attacks tend to stick at times which will mess up some perfect kills. I admit I miss the highspeed ine shot headbites from the prior games though.