Alien Vs Predator seems to be getting a lot of love from press and fans. Having never played an AVP game before, I went into playing Alien vs Predator completely fresh, not knowing what to expect.

The mode was free for all Deathmatch. Players could choose to be an Alien, Predator or human. Seeing as I wanted to rack up some kills, I opted for the Predator on the first match, and the Alien on the second match because lets face it, the humans ain’t got a chance.

The Alien is fast, deadly and sneaky. Using the walls around him to climb around takes a while to get used to. I was having a lot of trouble getting my bearings at some points, which reminded me of Portal when you don’t know which way is up or down. The fast movement enables you to get in and out of trouble very quickly using your tail as a deadly weapon. The Alien travels low on the ground making it hard to get a solid aim, but his attacks are limited and a failed attempt could leave you as a big pile of acid goo.

Though he plays slower than the Alien, Predator has a vast array of guns and gadgets at his disposal. From long range missiles to short range razor disks, he is defiantly a lot of fun to play with. As well as weapons, the Predator can also use the metal claws on his hands to melee someone or stealth kill them if you approach them from behind. This is very satisfying when you pull it off, but can feel a little clumsy when you miss the window to press the button. An often occurrence is having a stealth attack battle with someone right next to you, dancing around each other until one person pulls it off, turning the game from a deadly hunting match into a game of tag. You can go stealth by pressing the triangle button but you become visible as soon as you attack, which works well and helps the Predator have the upper hand. The Predator can also jump further and higher than anyone, though you can’t jump anywhere you want unless you’re in range. This aspect was a lot of fun but can get a little twitchy when trying to jump on your desired ledge.

It was obvious that Sega has spent a lot of time working on the character models. They look great with much attention to detail that movie fans will recognize. I only wished that Sega had payed as much attention to the environments as they did with the characters. The level design wasn’t too bad, plenty of high and low platforms, ideal for quick attacks and getaways, but the it just didn’t look very nice. Graphics aren’t everything I know, but in a death match mode, you have no story and from what I played, no XP system in place, it was difficult to see what the draw was for the mode at all. Team Deathmatch would have made much more sense- but for the most part, the mode felt tacked on and something that we’ve all played before.

I still have some excitement for this game but I think it will shine in the single player and co-op modes (if they’re any co-op modes). The characters are a lot of fun to play, and they really only need a good scenario to back them up.