Aliens vs. Predator

Aliens vs. Predator could have been a truly great game. It's there, you can almost feel it, but it's constantly ripped away from you because of some poor design decisions and a general lack of quality that keeps the game from having that triple-A feeling. It's by no means a bad game and will almost certainly please fans more so than either movie effort, but when compared to other first-person shooter titles on the market, the difference is clear.

This is a mediocre effort in every sense of the word. I almost wish Rebellion had failed more spectacularly; at least there'd be something more to talk about. As it stands, AVP is a FPS that follows most of the conventions of the genre and adds some Aliens, Marines, and Predators to the mix. No matter what your purpose in playing Rebellion's new shooter, there is almost undoubtedly a reason you should be playing a different game. It's not bad, it's just not good.

It's the little things that really drag the game down. Aliens vs. Predator seems to be a well-meaning attempt at reinvigorating a languishing series, but grotesque kills and some entertaining multiplayer moments don't cut it--not when so many slick and exciting shooters are on store shelves, vying for your time. The attention to detail, the well-considered level design, and the sense of momentum that characterize the finest shooters are missing here.