Go from hunter to hunted and all the way back with one game.
User Rating: 9 | Aliens Versus Predator PC
I never knew a game could have schizophrenia. One moment I'm playing a survival horror game. The next I'm playing a stealth game. Then I turn around and I'm playing an all out action game all without changing discs in my computer. Aliens Versus Predator does to First Person Shooters what Starcraft did to RTS; it gives you three distinct species with different strengths and weaknesses. (I won't go into how the three races of starcraft seem to be modelled after the Human, Alien, Predator trilogy). The Single player experience is very immersive and well executed. The story weaves between the missions of the three species providing an engaging plot that coaxes you to play through all of the campaigns. The human campaign is the scariest first person experience you can have. The developers did a wonderful job at capturing the sense of dread from the Alien movies (particularly the second installment). Your first mission has you waking up to an alarm as the base commander tells you that something has gone wrong and the base is being evacuated. You exit your room to find a dark hallway as your motion detector ticks in a steady rhythm. You shoot out a flare so you can light your way just as the motion detector beeps, startling you. Firing off a few rounds in that direction, you notice that it must have been the flare that set off the motion detector. Isn't that grand, an over-sensitive motion detector in a dark, alien infested space station; what else can go wrong? How about having to walk through an alien egg hatchery and past an alien ship on the way to your escape? Oh and let's not forget our friendly wall crawlers are waiting for a prime opportunity to snack on your head. From the dreadful Human campaign it is somewhat invigorating to jump into the shoes of the Predator who because of his armor, weapons, and cloaking seems darn near invisible. Indeed you'll be stalking your human prey with impunity for the first few missions, until you get to the laboratory where unfortunately the xenomorphs have escaped. Then you'll be wishing for the convenience of an assault rifle with grenades over your slow firing plasma caster, disc, and spear gun. Finally the Aliens play unlike anything you've ever experienced in a FPS. With lightning fast speed (which they need to avoid being mowed down by superior firepower), the ability to scale walls (very disconcerting if you're not careful), and a constant supply of health kits (you regain health by munching on opponents' brains), the xenomorphs only downfall is a lack of long range attacks. That's right, you've got to get up close and personal as the Alien. Playing as the alien is definitely a game of hit and run. Finally the multiplayer mode brings the carnage to another level. It's a deathmatch unlike any you've ever played. May the best species win. 
