CIS 587 – Game Evaluation Alien vs. Predator 2

1. CIS 587 – Game EvaluationAlien vs. Predator 2 Jonathan Stoffer CIS 587 Fall 2005

2. Game Choice • Alien vs. Predator 2 • Written by Monolith • Published by Sierra • First Person Shooter • $9.99

3. Hardware Requirements

4. My System

5. Game Summary • Overview • By a series of events, Humans, Predators, and Xenomorphs (aliens) have all ended up on the same planet (LV1201 according to the human name). As is the case in all movies these three species do not exactly get along peacefully

6. Game Summary (cont.) • With 3 different species there are 3 different story lines. As is the case with most first person shooters these story lines are not exactly deep. • The Humans are there to check up on one of their colonies. • The Predators are there to hunt the humans. • The Xenomorphs are there to reproduce using both of the other species as hosts.

7. Game Summary (cont.) • Installation • This is a relatively simple process, it involves putting a CD into the optical drive, and follow the setup instructions. • User Interface • Any combination of a joystick, mouse, and a keyboard can be used to interact with the game. These interactions are of course viewed using a monitor.

8. Game Summary (cont.) • Gameplay • The gameplay is similar to that of most PC first person shooters. The engine is utilized relatively well. • Scoring • In the single player game there isn’t any real scoring, you either win a mission or die (except you can collect human skulls as a predator). • The Multiplayer game does of course have a scoring system based on kills to determine who wins.

9. Game Summary (cont.) • Artwork • The artwork is well done in the game. The skins mapped onto the characters and environments are all well designed. The lighting and shadowing are superb. • Sound and Music • The sounds used in this game are comprised of human voices, aliens screeching, predators making predator sounds, and of course explosions and gunshots galore. There is music, but it’s pretty bland and generic.

10. Game Summary (cont.) • Special Features • None really • Manual • No manual • Bugs • There are a list of patches on the website but I did not notice any bugs while playing.

11. Good things about the game • The combat with all 3 races is fun. With humans you have 9 different weapons that you can choose from. With predators there are 8 different weapons 4 different vision modes and the ability to zoom in to view distant targets up close. With the Xenomorphs you can bite, scratch, hit things with your tail, pounce on things, and see in the dark.

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18. Things that were not so good • As mentioned earlier, like most first person shooters, the story lines in this game are all kind of lacking. In addition to this there a few other decencies in this game. A lot of times the authors of the game hid various important things making it so you need to run around excessively in order to get to the next level. In addition all 3 of the story lines in the game are pretty short (about 7 missions each). Finally, the sound used in the game was not bad, but was nothing really special.

19. Comparisons to similar games • According to CGW this game was the best action game of the year and the best multiplayer game of the year in 2001. Based on this, the game stacks up relatively well against similar games in the made in the same time period.

20. Further information on the game • Age appropriateness • This game is rated M (17+) for violence, gore, and mild language • There are no design mistakes I could find in this game except for perhaps the ones mentioned earlier.

21. Summary • Strengths • Graphics • Gameplay • Action • Weaknesses • “needle in haystack” parts of mission • Short campaigns • The game is worth buying cause it only costs $10.