Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade: Aliens vs Predator

Showing posts with label Aliens vs Predator. Show all posts

2010/02/24

Rebellion Happy With “Success” of Aliens vs. Predator, Considering a Sequel

Aliens vs. Predator, or AvP, was released last week this month to a mixed bunch of reactions. Some loved it, others didn’t. The highest review score I’ve seen was from Official PlayStation magazine , and that was a 9. The lowest review score I’ve seen is Giantbomb at 2/5 (or 4 out of 10). And there were obviously several others in between [1].

Despite this, the game has gone on to become the fastest selling game of 2010 (so far) [2], taking the number one position in the UK charts in one week after its release.

Rebellion has declared the game a critical success, is happy with most of the reviews, and is even considering making a sequel to the game [3]. The CEO, Jason Kingsley, even went on to trash the negative reviews as just badly written rubbish.

"We wanted Aliens vs. Predator to be a critical success as well as a commercial success, which we think we have achieved. The reviews have been mostly good. We’ve had three totally shit reviews by some Americans, which is a bit odd. Some of them were inexcusably bad. If you discount those poor reviews AvP is averaging high for us."

"We’re also in discussions with Sega about ongoing support for AvP, and also about a sequel to the game. I won’t say what stage those negotiations are in, but we would love to revisit the franchise. Fox are excited about what we’re doing, and we feel we’ve added value to the franchise."

“We would love to work with Sega again, there were a lot of things we couldn’t fit into the original. We are trying to do all the right things to make the franchise a success now and in the future.”

Some are correct in saying that the game wasn’t a critical success, because that would mean everybody loved it. A commercial success, yes, seeing as it has sold pretty well to reach number 1 in the UK. A critical success would be something like Mass Effect 2 or BioShock 2, also released this year, which to my knowledge have both only received good reviews from websites and magazines. And those said games were also commercial successes too.

I still have to play AvP, but rest assured, I will likely still get it sometime soon. Everyone knows that reviews don’t matter nowadays anyway.

By the way, Rebellion has updated the situation on Rebellion’s Derby studio, formerly known as Core Design, the people behind the original Tomb Raider games, saying that it’s on the verge of shutting down [3].

Jason Kingsley:

"It's quite likely that the Derby studio won't be kept intact in the way it did, but that individual consultancy period is not over yet.We would obviously like someone to, but no one has done so as yet."

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Sources: [1] VG247 - [2] Games Industry Biz - [3] Develop

2010/02/16

Release the Payload: Aliens vs. Predator [Major Releases]

Today, the 16th of February, marks the day that Aliens vs. Predator comes out. It’s the long awaited reboot of the franchise, and the first major AvP game since AvP 2, which was released sometime in late 2001 – and that one wasn’t even by Rebellion, but by Monolith.

Rebellion was responsible for the first game, which was tons of fun, perhaps a little short and linear in my opinion, but still – it was considered a great that rivalled games like Quake II and Unreal in its time, even graphically.

The United States will get a hold of AvP today, with the UK version coming later on in the week, on Friday the 19th. The Aussie version will be on the 18th.

So far opinions on the game are mixed. There’s apparently been some negative reviews and some positive. Some consider it an average game. But those are the critics, and we know what they’re like. Besides, those reviews seem to be for the console versions primarily. Now it’s released, I guess we’ll get to find out for ourselves.

You can pick up Aliens vs. Predator for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 on Amazon if you haven’t all ready. There are even special Hunter editions for the console versions.

Otherwise the only alternative if you’re looking to download it via digital distribution sites would be Steam, seeing as others like Direct2Drive have boycotted it because of its branding as a SteamWorks title.

2010/02/14

Video Games Coming Out This Week (02-14 – 02-20, 2010): Aliens vs. Predator

AAA’s Pick of the Week: Aliens vs. Predator

It’s finally here! It’s been years since I’ve played an AvP title, but this week sees the chance for that to be rectified, as Aliens vs. Predator is going to arrive on all major platforms this week, including the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. It should release on the 16th in the US, and the 19th in the UK. I was actually just reading the other day that it’s not just coincidence that titles tend to come out on Tuesdays in the States, and Fridays in the UK. It’s more of a tradition. Interesting…

Sadly, the Hunter Edition for AvP is console only, not PC.

Besides this, there’s also some Everquest II stuff for the PC, Tropico 3 for Xbox 360, and some other stuff that I’ve never heard of.

Links as usual go to game detail pages at Amazon, etc.

Aliens vs. Predator
Becky Brogan: The Mystery of Meane Manor!
Everquest II: Battlegrounds
EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate Expansion
EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate Expansion Collector's Edition
Ghost Pirates of Voojoo Island
WarBirds: Dogfights

Mac

Xbox 360

Aliens vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator Hunter Edition
Deadly Premonition
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (XBLA)
Tropico 3

PS2

PS3

Aliens vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator Hunter Edition
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

PSP

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 3

Nintendo Wii

Art of Balance (WiiWare)
Chicken Riot
Data East Arcade Classics
Free Running
Triple Crown Championship Snowboarding

Nintendo DS

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Crime Scene
KORG DS-10 Plus
Nancy Drew: The Model Mysteries
Ragnarok DS

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Source: Shacknews - Gamespot

2010/02/09

TrailerBlazer: Aliens vs. Predator Marine Trailer

Aliens vs. Predator Marine trailer

I was lucky enough to catch a good look at the AvP Marine trailer before The Verge went off air the other night. Most of the show was boring, but this two minute long video managed to grab my attention.

In this trailer we see a lone marine who seems to be communicating with someone over the radio. It’s almost pitch black besides the ominous blue lighting in the distance, as well as the flares and intermittent flashes of pistol fire as the Xenomorphs run rampant on floors, walls, and ceilings. You can hear the hisses in the darkness punctuating the techno music blaring.

The player manages to dispatch most of them before running over to a corpse and picking up the old faithful Pulse Rifle and going back in to the fray of frantic scratching and clawing as the aliens attack remorselessly. But eventually he succumbs as the screen goes black, and the aliens crawl all over his lifeless body.

This game looks pretty good, but be warned, Game Informer wasn’t very impressed when it came to reviewing it – the first review of AvP. It scored only 5.75 out of 10. Not very impressive, but the game still has to be released and reviewed by others. Not everyone will like a game. I mean, remember D’toid with Assassin’s Creed II? Everyone else thought it was pretty grand…

Aliens vs. Predator should be out later this month, the 16th of February, for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Let the heart-attacks and night shrieking begin…

2010/02/04

Aliens vs. Predator Multiplayer Demo Out Today, Available on Steam for PC

There were rumours on the net this week (I remember reading about in on the 2nd) that the AvP demo would be coming out this week. There was promise of a demo quite a while back all ready.

Initially That Videogame Blog spotted that it would be released on Xbox Live this week, but it’s since been revealed that the demo will come out on all platforms including the Xbox 360, PC, and the PS3.

The catch? It’s multiplayer only, obviously and sadly meaning no singleplayer. It should be on Steam, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network as I’m typing this. The good news accompanying the announcement from Sega is that new screenshots and a trailer have been released as well. I’m going to have a look at those some time.

The demo is said to include one map from the game, with one game type, deathmatch, and all three species, the marine, the Xenomorph (Alien), and the Predator being playable.

So, it is a pre-release demo after all, just about two weeks before the full release, which should happen on the 16th of February, 2010.

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Sources: That Videogame Blog - Big Download - Shacknews

2010/01/29

Aliens vs. Predator to be a Steamworks Title

I dreaded this as soon as I read it, because remember the outcry when it came to Modern Warfare 2? The game in addition to the retail versions, will also be sold on Steam, but it doesn’t stop there. Like other Steamworks titles, the game’s achievements and saved games will all be stored online.

And just like with Modern Warfare 2, Direct2Drive, Impulse, and GamersGate, the main competitors of Steam in the digital distribution game, are not selling the game. They boycotted MW 2 mainly because of its use of Steamworks, which they claim is a further attempt to monopolize the digital download industry.

This explains why I haven’t seen it in D2D’s product line when doing searches. All that crops up is result after result on Aliens vs. Predator comics, which some may find cool, anyway.

Oh, by the way, another title by the name of Napoleon: Total War… yeah, that’s a Steamworks title too, right there.

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Source: Big Download

2010/01/26

TrailerBlazer: Aliens vs. Predator Heritage Trailer

Aliens vs. Predator: Heritage

On The Verge recently, they showed an Aliens vs. Predator dev diary of sorts which showed a lot of in-game footage. But not only was it in-game footage of the latest game by Rebellion, but there was also plenty of footage from 1999’s AvP, which some call “Aliens vs. Predator Classic” or “AvP Classic 2000” (this refers more to the Gold edition).

It was great seeing some of this, because at the time, more than ten years ago, it was considered to be cutting edge stuff, in graphics too. I once read that AvP could be compared to the id Tech 2, or Quake II, engine. I mean, the game featured beheading and dissection of enemies, and stuff, even before Soldier of Fortune came along and made it popular.

But seeing what the new AvP is like (what should we call this? AvP 2010?), graphics, technology, and gameplay wise, it looks as though it’s going to be a worthy addition to this popular series. Even though some say it’s been in development for just over two years, the one guy in the film claims that it was basically coming together, at least in their heads, since the last game (AvP Classic 2000).

By the way, I was reading the other day, that you can get AvP Classic or 2000 or AvP Classic 2000 (you get the idea) from Steam, the digital distribution kings. And it has widescreen support too. So, if you’ve tried getting the game to work on modern systems without much luck (I once read that nVidia was trying to sort out the problem with drivers), then this version should work on XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

2010/01/23

Time to Upgrade Your PC: Specs for two of 2010’s Biggest Titles Revealed

Two of 2010’s biggest hits are coming out next month: Aliens vs. Predator and BioShock 2. And the system specifications for those two have been released.

I usually upgrade every three years or so, but I gave it a miss last year. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to afford not to this year…or is that I won’t be able to afford to at all?

Aliens vs. Predator:

Minimum Requirements

Windows 7/ XP/Vista
1 GB System RAM (XP)/ 2 GB System RAM (Vista)
3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4/Athlon 64 3000+ or equivalent processor
DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better, ATI X1600 or better)

Recommended Requirements

Windows 7/ XP/Vista
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 or equivalent processor
2 GB System RAM
DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI HD2900 PRO or better)

BioShock 2:

Minimum:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
Memory: 2GB
Graphics: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better
Hard Drive: 11GB
Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card or onboard sound
OS: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c

Recommended:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz
Memory: 3GB
Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better

Other Requirements:

Initial installation requires one-time internet connection.
Ability to save game, earn achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log-in to Games for Windows LIVE.
Software installations required including Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for Windows LIVE client, Games for Windows LIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC SecuROM, Microsoft DirectX.

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Source: AVPGalaxy.com, Steam and 2KGames forums

2010/01/20

Flash: Aliens vs. Predator Kill Moves Trailer

Aliens vs. Predator Kill Moves Trailer

They’re right when they talk about this trailer: it is absolutely brutal, and I’m very surprised that it was allowed to be shown on The Verge recently. Then again, they have a lot of outrageous stuff on that channel.

Anyway, like the name suggests, in this Aliens vs. Predator trailer, you will run through a pretty short, blindingly fast look at some of the insane kills you’ll be able to execute as each species: The Predator, the alien, and the marine. The best ones likely belong to the first two mentioned above though.

There’s lots of screaming, bleeding, and do doubt, killing, going on, and it’s the first trailer I’ve seen in a long time that made me smile evilly, as the Predator cackles at the end after impaling a Xenomorph on his wrist blades. Just awesome.

2010/01/16

New Aliens vs. Predator Screenshots

View Full Album

Here are ten new screenshots, released for Aliens vs. Predator, the title being developed by Rebellion, and coming out next month (fingers crossed that is doesn’t get delayed).
There are a lot of people thinking that because Rogue Warrior apparently sucked, that this game will too. But the group that made that game is a different one to this one. Rebellion Derby, previously Core Design (they messed up the Tomb Raider series as well), made Rogue Warrior, and their continued existence as part of Rebellion is still in question, as there’s talk of the team being let go.
This game here though, looks like it’s going to rock.

2010/01/11

Aliens vs. Predator Demo Confirmed, Preview at MLG Pro Circuit Championship

Every AvP title I remember had a demo. Aliens vs. Predator 2 even had multiple demos, at least one for each species represented in the game – the marines, the Predator, and the aliens.

So, one of Q1 2010’s biggest titles, Aliens vs. Predator, which is actually the third game in the series despite the lack of a number, is keeping with this trend, and is getting a demo. It hasn’t been revealed when that demo will be out, but the game itself, the full version, is coming out next month. But just like with other titles (Wolfenstein comes to mind), the demo could come out post-release. So I'd play it safe and say that it will also be somewhere in Q1, obviously.

Aliens vs. Predator is being developed by Rebellion, the studio that made the first game (the second was made by Monolith), and published by Sega – the first in at least two known Alien games (so far), the other being Aliens: Colonial Marines. The third, the Alien RPG was cancelled, but word has it that there will be others to take its place.

It will also be one of the first games to use DirectX 11 technology. It also looks bloody amazing.

There’s no word that it’s supposed to be a sequel to the first game, unlike AvP 2, which although it was developed by another studio, is called a sequel to that game. It could just be a reboot – something that’s becoming increasingly popular nowadays.

Hopefully it won’t be like the films.

By the way, in related news, AvP was previewed at MLG Pro Circuit Championship in Orlando, Florida, the other day, over the weekend.

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Aliens vs Predator demo confirmed, no date yet

AvP Being Previewed at MLG Pro Circuit Championship

2009/12/14

Aliens vs. Predator Release Date, Box Art, Collector’s Editions

It’s been confirmed that the latest Aliens vs. Predator title in the famed series will be released on February 19, 2010, in Europe.

In addition to this the box art has been unveiled for the game, and like Modern Warfare 2, the game comes in three different editions: Standard, Survivor, and Hunter. The good news is that these special editions are for all platforms- PC, PS3, and 360.

What’s in these editions:

The Survivor Edition: comes in a steel case and features a code for downloadable multiplayer maps.

The Hunter Edition: everything the Survivor Edition has, as well as a posable facehugger model, a Weyland Yutani sleeve badge and a 3D lenticular postcard.

The box art is quite good – very green as D’toid mentioned, keeping with the theme of the game which in my experience features a lot of green. Green night vision, green acid blood from the Aliens, and bright green blood from the Predators.

In related news, the game was banned in Australia.

You can preorder the games here, here, and here.

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http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36822/Aliens-Vs-Predator-dated

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/51952/Aliens-vs-Predator-PC-Box-Art

2009/10/13

Not Another List: 7 Best New Horror Games for Halloween

It's been a while since I've done one of these, but I thought since it's October and it will soon be Halloween, I'd have a look at a list on GamePro, called "7 Best New Horror Games for Halloween".

As much as I'd like to slap one of the dudes for using "FAIL" in his comment, he's right in a way, this list isn't really good at all. Half of these games I wouldn't consider to be horror titles, and some of them are only coming out next year, never mind October, this year. Aliens vs. Predator is probably one of the only title on there that I will play, and that's coming out in February. I still wouldn't necessarily label it as horror as much as "thriller" or "sci-fi". It'll likely have some scary moments in it though. There are a couple of no-brainers on there like Left 4 Dead 2, which Valve says is going to outsell Left 4 Dead by a mile, even despite the whole boycott business.

BioShock 2 isn't a horror title.

Maybe I should talk about some of my favourite scary games sometime. They would be games from the past though. Clive Barker's Undying would be in there for sure.

2009/06/06

Weekly Videogame Trailers and Screenshots Collection: June 2009- Week 1

Aliens vs Predator: Pics 1 - Pics 2- Pics 3
Assassin's Creed 2: Pics 1
Fallout 3 Point Outlook: Pics 1- Pics 2
Brink: Pics 1
BioShock 2: Pics 1
Mafia 2: Pics 1- Pics 2
Borderlands: Pics 1
Modern Warfare 2: Pics 1
Mass Effect 2: Pics 1

2009/06/02

Alien Prequel is Coming, and Predators too

Producer Tony Scott, Ridley Scott's brother, has confirmed that a new Alien film, to be directed by Carl Rinsch of Scott Free Productions, is in the works. It will serve as a prequel to Alien, the first film, released in 1979.

Response to this has been a little mixed. AvP and especially AvP 2 weren't great films, and others don't hold out much hope of this latest incarnation to be any better. Some argue that the series should be left alone, and yet others want to see how the events before the first film unfolded. Among some questions that need answering is the "Who are the Space Jockeys?" one.

There are still the three Aliens games that are in development too, Aliens vs. Predator (3), Aliens: Colonial Marines, and the as of yet untitled Alien RPG by Obsidian. At least two of these are scheduled for release next year.

The film has been speculated to arrive in 2011, with filming beginning at the end of this year.

Oh, and there was also confirmation of another Predator film, called Predators, this year, which will come out next year, and will be co-directed by Robert Rodriguez.

I like both the Predator and the Alien series of films and games, but I just do feel a little bit let down by the latest attempts to try and resurrect or "reboot" both the series. Perhaps you just can't...

Sources and Resources:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92071-Alien-Prequel-Confirmed
http://www.collider.com/2009/05/29/exclusive-tony-scott-confirms-carl-rinsch-is-directing-alien-and-its-a-prequel/
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16328
http://io9.com/5273063/alien-prequel-confirmed
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16093
http://joblo.com/predators-gets-writer
http://www.moviehole.net/200918751-rodriguez-talks-predators
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=54797

2009/05/29

AVP Showing at E3, and Some new Screens

Rebellion’s game, Aliens vs Predator (some call it Aliens vs Predator 3) will be at E3, and until then there have been some news screens online to view.

Sources:

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58708
http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2009/05/26/aliens-vs-predator-headlines-sega-e3-line-up/

2009/04/29

Bethesda gets Busy…Ruining other People’s Plans

Bethesda is going to be pi$$ing two camps off now- Elder Scrolls fans, and Aliens and/or Predator fans.

The next Elder Scrolls installment will be a novel and then another after it.

Fans of the Elder Scrolls will have to be content with Morrowind and Oblivion for the foreseeable future as Bethesda has turned over the work of writing two novels to continue the series to Greg Keyes, to be released this year. The first book is called The Infernal City.

Bethesda’s also busy with their game, WET, and in addition to this, they’ve given Fallout: New Vegas to Obsidian, who was supposed to be developing an Aliens RPG at one point, and they’ve given Rogue Warrior to Rebellion, supposed to be developing Aliens vs. Predator.

2009/04/26

Aliens vs. Predator vs. Aliens: Colonial Marines vs. Alien RPG

Okay, so we've known about Aliens: Colonial Marines and the Alien RPG for about the last two or three years.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is under development by Gearbox Software, and was set for a 2009 release but has now been pushed back. The Alien RPG still hasn't got a bloody name yet, and is gathering dust in Obsidian's studios somewhere while they are trying to balance other projects.

Now we have the latest Aliens vs Predator game from Rebellion. which is making a few headlines lately. If you don't remember, Rebellion developed the first AvP game which was released in 1999. This game is set for release next year. SEGA is the publisher. And yes, this is the game that pushed Aliens: Colonial Marines back to next year. That means that there will be no Alien games for this year. :(

I think this rocks seeing as we haven't had an Aliens, Predator, or AvP game for years now, and I recently saw both Aliens and Alien 3 on the TV- the last good Alien films.

http://www.axelspringer.es/index.php?s=divisiones&id=5&p=6
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/index.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1240453302&archive=&start_from=&ucat=7&