Aliens vs Predator preview

So, the demo is out, and by now at least some of you will have had the opportunity to have a quick game. I imagine most of you are probably feeling something similar to me, which is disappointment. However, despite the multiplayer demos short comings I think there's some fun to look forward to with the retail release.

First thing's first; turn on "Alien auto-transition" in the control options. My first minutes of the game were spent trying to cut my alien wrists, hopefully ending the pain in a pool of acidic green blood, as I tried to come to terms with conveniently moving from ceilings to walls. Enabling auto-transition will apply the same method of wall and roof scaling as the previous AVP titles, meaning there's no need for user interaction to switch surfaces. With this sorted, while still my least favourite race to use, things become a lot more straight forward.

That disclaimer aside; I'd recommend getting started with the marine class, as it's going to be the most familiar to get straight into the action with. What has been my franchise-long favourite, the Predator, is an absolute delight to run around with. There's nothing much more rewarding than using your jump-target to bound up onto beams with a weighted grownl, flipping through vision modes to single out your prey, and dropping down to rip your victim's throat from his neck - and all of that lovely stuff. Movement in general with all classes feel clean and polished, without the clunk associated with many a first person shooter, so there should be no real complaints there.

However, for me, class choice and combat mechanics are mostly a moot point due to a number of factors. The first is that death-match is outright boring, especially in AVP - as it has always been. Bar the outrageous kill animations when you go in for a fatal grab, it really is an absolute snooze of an experience. And it's the only mode available to play on the demo. Why Rebellion made the decision to showcase Aliens vs Predator with such a mundane multiplayer scenario is beyond me, and it does nothing to portray how good multiplayer could be. If anything, it's only going to turn people away from a full purchase. I do however hold high hopes for Domination and Infestation, but we'll need to wait until February 20 for that.

The next big blow is the lack of dedicated server support. The match-making works and using this system for a minor release such as a demo makes sense, but that doesn't make the experience any brighter for the player. The saving grace is that it's fully integrated with Steam, so you can invite your friends directly into games, which is some conciliation. I should note that the full release will feature dedicated server support, before I start any vicious rumours indicating otherwise.

To be frank, my honest recommendation would be to give the demo a miss entirely and wait for full release. This is especially true for those who have already pre-purchased, otherwise you might feel yourself almost wishing you hadn't spent the money. There we'll be privy to the aforementioned multiplayer modes, as well as what should be an outstanding co-op experience. It's a shame they've put so little thought into what is intended to sell the game to those undecided on a purchase, and no doubt SEGA will pay for it with lost revenue.