Predator
- Predator (1982 on VIC-20)
- Predator (1988 on MSX)
- Predator (1988 on NES, 1989 on TRS-80 CoCo)
- Predator (2004 on J2ME)
Description official descriptions
Predator is a side-scrolling platformer which uses the imagery and characters from the classic Arnie movie of the same name. The game is not a faithful conversion of the movie however - your unit has already been killed off when the game starts and you will battle scorpions, enemy soldiers and dodge various obstacles, before facing the Predator itself a number of times.
The game is a fairly standard run-jump-shoot platformer, except that you start with no weapons at all and must collect them as the game goes on.
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Credits (Atari ST version)
4 People
Game Design by |
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Programming, Music, Graphics by |
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Manual by | |
Manual Translation by |
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 63% (based on 16 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.1 out of 5 (based on 32 ratings with 1 reviews)
The Good
The game Predator is based on the action scenes in the movie of the same name. It is a platform game where you play Major Schaefer as he explores the South American jungle and shoots down any guerrillas that stand in his way, while on the lookout for the predator – the animal responsible for killing off your fellow members. You will encounter your dead members along the way. Laying near some of them are weapons, which you can pick up and use.
The graphics consists of shades of green for the jungle, brown and gray for the surface, as well as the objects that lay on the surface. As you walk through the jungle, you also get to see how your crew died. Later on in the game, you see some of them naked and entangle in vines, while some of them have their flesh ripped-out. The Amiga's palette make these deaths look gruesome. With the exception of the Atari ST, none of the other ports have deaths look as gruesome as this.
What stands out about this game is the sound. The excellent theme music at the start of the game sets the mood. Although there isn't music while you play, you can still hear the sound effects of birds that can often be heard in jungles. The sound of weapons firing is similar to what you hear in other action games like this.
The Bad
The gameplay is quite poor, and that I can say about other versions of Predator as well. There are only four levels in the game, whereas other action games around that time have more than this. Because of this, the game is completable in only ten minutes.
From the point where you are dropped off by the chopper into the jungle, you can only walk right. The trouble with this is that when you forget to get a new weapon from a dead body that holds more ammo than the one you currently have, and that weapon is far back, it is impossible to get it as the game won't scroll to the left. Speaking of weapons, you have no choice but to use the one weapon, whether you already have it, or can pick one up from your dead comrades.
You always fight the same enemies, whether they shoot from houses, bopping their heads out from the ground to shoot at you, or just in plain sight. There could have been a bit of variety, such as fat or thin guerrillas with different uniform. During the game, a crosshair appears and comes toward you. If you are in the line of sight, missiles will kill you. You do not even see who is shooting.
The Bottom Line
Predator is a game where the aim is to go along the jungle floor and shoot guerrillas that get in your way. The Amiga version of the game has an excellent soundtrack that sets the mood rather well, and the birds that you hear during game play are realistic. While you walk around in the jungle, you can see how the gruesome deaths of your members. The gameplay is quite poor. You can only use one weapon to shoot your enemies, and you can only scroll right. For this reason, I suggest that you get your hands on the NES version of the game. At least you have the freedom to move in any direction you want.
Amiga · by Katakis | カタキス (43086) · 2005
Trivia
On May 31, 1988, Predator was put on the infamous German index by the BPjS. For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Tibes80.
Commodore 64 added by Quapil. Electron, Atari ST added by Kabushi. ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC added by Martin Smith. BBC Micro added by formercontrib. Amiga added by Katakis | カタキス.
Additional contributors: Xoleras.
Game added January 11, 2003. Last modified December 2, 2024.