Games: Aliens Vs Predator

Nostalgia runs throughout developer Rebellion's recent entry to the Alien Vs Predator series. Forget the awful crossover movies, these games are the real deal, full of scares, heavy firepower and tension that made the original movies so appealing.

Campaign mode is split into three acts, for the Aliens, Predator and Colonial Marines, each changing the gameplay significantly. For example, the vulnerable Marines rely on firearms to advance, while the Alien leans towards a more stealthy approach. Predator gameplay is full of brutal weapons and visor modes, which can prove complicated in the heat of battle.

Fans of the movies will lap up the familiar, chilling, sound of the Marines' motion detector, the burst of his pulse rifle and the snarls uttered by the Alien and Predator. The plot is wafer thin as you follow all three species as they clash in a ravaged human colony, but it never detracts from your enjoyment of the game.

Karl Bishop Weyland, power-hungry businessman and creator of the Bishop android class, is experimenting on Aliens and tampering with Predator artefacts. It doesn't take long before all hell breaks loose and the Marines are called in to mop up. Popcorn blockbuster hokum at its thoroughly enjoyable best.

This article was first published in the Scotsman, March 6, 2010