Summary
One Of The Main Reasons To Own A Jaguar.
The Good
Before the popular PC "Alien Vs. Predator" games came out, Rebellion was also instrumental in creating one the best Jaguar titles ever. This was simply a classic title, and there was incentive for playing each of the main characters.
For the Marine, it was all about crawling through air ducts, blowing away hordes of Aliens and Predators, and the ever chill-inducing moment of walking into a seemingly empty room, only to hear a Predator taunt and realize that you're not alone.
The Predator was a walking arsenal, and the different modes of vision, the healing capabilities, and just walking into a room, weapons fully charged, made for a satisfying moment. The only real question was ever wondering which weapon would be used to clear out a hallway?
The Alien was a guilty pleasure. Fast, expendable, but it never got old laying eggs in downed Marine to ensure living again, or even just biting an enemy for food value. There was no larger goal, other than to survive.... and grow.
Sound-wise, there was no music, but I think that only succeeded in making the empty hallways that much more threatening. Machine gun blasts, Alien screams, the skittering of a face-hugger, Predator taunts, or even the hum of a ship's engine gave the feeling of being there, in the middle of a huge battle. This game relied heavily on atmosphere, and succeeded on the levels where it needed to.
The biggest appeal of the game was the fact that everything felt like one large inter-connected world. The space station and the Alien and Predator ships were all linked together, so it wasn't going from level to level. In a lot of ways, the backtracking was vital, and it just suited the overall "feel" of the game. Fortunately, the game handled well, better than most Jaguar titles. Again, this was a flagship for the system. The fact that there were no load times going from area to area just added to the overall atmosphere.
Even graphically, it was an amazing title. Lots of detail, plenty of places to go, diverse environments, detailed and recognizable enemies.... When I first saw this game, I honestly believed that the Jaguar had a chance to survive in the console market. Though "Doom" was the big game of the time, I felt that this surpassed the title in every aspect as an overall game. This game could scare you just by the tension alone.
The Bad
With the advances in graphics, "Aliens Vs. Predator", probably wouldn't be the same experience in visuals, scaling and rotation, and I fear it would look "dated" by today's standards. But I have a feeling that the gameplay still remains as tight, responsive, and addictive, so the title may survive adequately enough on its own.
To reduce revealing the possibility of spoilers, I will say that in light of what the Marine had to go through, I think he deserved a better ending. But then, all the endings for the characters were short, regardless of what you had to go through.
The Bottom Line
If you were one of the few to own a Jaguar, there were two reasons to own the system: Tempest 2000 and Alien Vs. Predator. Rebellion got their start with the license here, and they came out of the gates with a roar, a hiss, and pulse rifles blasting. Gamers who enjoy the title characters, a good first-person shooter, or even just a good game in general should find some worth and value in this title. And for the lineup of Jaguar games, that's saying a lot. It's just a shame that they never made a sequel for the system. It might actually have kept the platform alive for a little longer.
