Video Game Review: Aliens vs. Predator (Playstation 3)

In space, no-one can hear you swear at the screen when playing Rebellion’s old school-flavoured first person shooter.

Much like in the original PC and Atari Jaguar instalments of Rebellion’s AvP series, when playing as the Colonial Marine this next gen revamp is a genuinely terrifying video game experience. Like all true masters of suspense, Rebellion understand what you don’t see is more terrifying than what you do see. Throughout the game sudden bursts of steam from overhead pipes will bedevil your hapless grunt while loose grating panels will cry wolf and clatter open. This builds up a tension to ensure that when the hoards of unfriendly extraterrestrials do appear, the player’s already ghostly white knuckles will lock their trigger finger down hard until their weapon is empty.


When playing as an Alien or Predator, the most satisfying way to dispatch enemies is to physically grab them and perform a fatal grapple kill, triggering an animation that usually involves a gory decapitation. Unfortunately, the way in which to perform these instant eradications is based purely on luck, as the symbol which signals when you can perform them appears seemingly at random. The elusive icon may or may not appear when you’re stood ten feet away from an oblivious opponent or locked in a flailing, saliva soaked melee battle. If you’re lucky it will flash up for a split second whilst your enemy is running humiliating rings around you...or perhaps it won’t. This is particularly annoying in multiplayer and while it means players do have to vary their tactics and not use the same one hit kill every time, it is very frustrating to know that during a frantic death match your most formidable attack methods are wholly unreliable.


AvP is certainly not the prettiest next-gen FPS on the market, but thankfully Rebellion have certainly not skimped when it comes to gameplay and story - they clearly know the subject matter inside and out. In fact, it has been this games developer, along with Dark Horse Publishing, who strived to maintain the dignity and credibility of the franchise while the films have taken a creative nosedive. A nod must also go to the Alien campaign for sheer originality. There aren’t many games on the market that let you ‘be’ a lethal biological weapon that can scuttle across walls and ceilings at breakneck speed.

Hardened FPS veterans may be somewhat underwhelmed and feel short changed by Rebellion’s gritty, back to basics approach on what is essentially a slight graphical overhaul of a game released in the 1990s. But, if you can get over the bland visuals and ergonomic quirks of AvP, this galaxy spanning match-up will award you with an intense, immersive single player experience and a rip-roaring online romp.

Video Game Review: Batman - Arkham Asylum (Playstation 3)

The lunatics are running the asylum as the world’s greatest detective has to face his worst fears and survive a night trapped in Gotham’s home for the emotionally challenged, all thanks to his old enemy and super criminal, the Joker.

Judging by the games' tenebrific tone, rich, gothic visuals and the detailed character profiles, it is clear Rocksteady Studios have assiduously studied the cream of Batman's extensive comic book catalogue. Voiced by fan-favourite Kevin Conroy and dressed in the classic black and grey suit, the bulked-up Batman character model looks and sounds exactly how he should, heroic and intimidating. But where the London-based game developers have excelled is with their representation of the game’s arch-antagonist. When looking back at the more memorable screen portrayals of the purple-suited one, Jack Nicholson’s corpulent clowning can induce cringing, the hunched and lank haired Ledger looks a little too frumpy and the Joker from the stylish, early 1990s Saturday morning show Batman: The Animated Series was understandably neutered by the networks, unable to actually commit his gaseous mass murders. In Arkham Asylum, however, he definitely follows through on his threats. Lithe and lean with razor sharp cheekbones and a wicked sense of humour coupled with veteran voice actor Mark Hamill’s deliciously evil delivery, Rocksteady have truly captured the essence of the Joker.

What really strikes the player is the amount of extra effort put into the game, especially when tracking down items that unlock bonus content. The developers have gone to the trouble of creating intriguing asylum chronicles and highly entertaining patient interview tapes. Some of the cryptic clues to the Riddler’s hidden secrets genuinely test the grey matter. Rocksteady force the player to use brains as well as brawn to succeed and the results are very rewarding.

But the most fun part is, of course, when the player gets to use brawn. Hand to hand combat is thrilling and the freeflow mechanics are revolutionary. Hapless thugs wail and moan, their bones cracking as they receive effortless strings of punches, flying kicks, head butts, throws, and some very painful looking leg-twistin' takedowns from the caped crusader. Batman’s beautifully animated dance moves are all triggered by the simplest of button combinations and given the sheer amount of foes you’ll often face at one time it is just as well. The wide range of fighting skills, stealth tactics and Wayne-tech gadgets at your disposal gives the player a sense of power and control and for the first time ever in a video game you’ll really get a taste of what it feels like to be the Dark Knight.