Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (PSP)
- Publisher:
- Sierra Entertainment
- Developer:
- Rebellion Software
- Release Date:
- 30.11.2007
- Number of players:
- n/a
- Type:
- Action Adventure
- Reality Factor:
- Science Fiction
- Perspective:
- Third-Person
- Age:
- Modern Times
2 movies
We play Aliens vs Predator: Requiem...
Aliens and Predator are two film franchises which peaked during the mid 1980s, but somehow collided into each other in comic book form in the early 90s. The popularity of these comics, along with a handful of pretty cool videogames - Capcom’s arcade beat ‘em up, and Rebellion’s first person shooter - helped get the wheels in motion for a feature film. Unfortunately, the first Alien vs. Predator movie sucked. Really hard.
Still, the movie was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, which is in theatres now. Funnily enough, there is also a video game adaptation developed exclusively for the PSP, continuing a rather odd trend seen with Miami Vice and 300. Given the quality of the Alien vs. Predator experience, it’s no surprise that the game was restrained to the PSP.
Much like the film, the game starts out with a lone Predator (referred to in most documentation as Wolf) dispatched to Earth to destroy a vessel that was infested with Xenomorph at the end of the first film. Upon setting off the ship’s self destruct mechanism and destroying the forest, players will have the choice of guiding the Predator through one of three different paths on the way to his ultimate goal of destroying the Predalien, the Predator/Xenomorph hybrid set up in the first film.
Wolf has all of that standard issue Predator gear: stealth camouflage, night vision, heat vision, hand blades, spear gun, and shoulder cannon – the list goes on. It’s pretty cool using this equipment to toy with humans spread around suburban Colorado, but the novelty quickly wears off once you realize just how strong the Predator is when compared to any other creature in the game.
Aliens offer little in the way of resistance against Wolf’s weaponry. Humans are much the same, but the game waves the honor system in front of your face, encouraging you to kill only armed humans in exchange for more powerful weapons and armour. The thing is that those upgrades only really serve to make an overpowered character even more unbalanced.
Let’s be frank; Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a painfully bland experience. The game’s levels consist almost entirely of getting from point A to point B, killing anything that gets in your way, or dissolving bits of Predator technology. The game holds the players hand through the entire experience – every single mission objective, regardless of whether it is intended to be secretive or not, appears on the game’s HUD, making the game even easier. The game’s length doesn’t do it any favours either, with players only needing to play seven levels to reach the climax, the developer has basically assumed that players will want to go back and play through the other two routes, artificially extending the experience.
There’s not an awful lot to the game after completing the narrative. A skirmish mode is on offer, which gives players 5 minutes to kill as many aliens as possible. Ad-hoc multiplayer is also available, but it’s basically just a co-operative version of the skirmish mode. On top of that, there’s nothing in the way of unlockables or achievements to be seen – once players have completed the three paths, there is nothing left.
It would have almost been acceptable if being bland and short were Requiem’s only crimes, but the game’s controls and camera mechanics really drag what’s left of the experience through the mud. It seems like the strength of the main character was beefed up to make up for the fact that the camera is never sitting right, ensuring that the player doesn’t get shot to pieces while tinkering with their viewpoint.
Requiem’s no-frills presentation will disappoint those looking for some sliver of quality within the game’s visuals. While the game has a number of varied locations (high school gyms, the forest, suburbs, etc.), they all look decidedly lifeless and uninteresting from an artistic perspective, and low quality textures and framerate issues make the game unimpressive from a technical standpoint. Wolf’s different visual modes can be pretty cool, but players will hardly ever need to use them. Requiem’s sound is rather secondary, with limited sound effects and a forgettable score.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a blatant rush job – Rebellion even admitted that they spent only six months on the game’s development. We know from Rebellion’s efforts with the first Aliens vs. Predator game on the PC that they are a capable studio, so why do they think that they can release such a bland and limited game onto a console where, let’s face it, not even the best games are selling big numbers. It’s a poor effort that’s best left festering in the bargain bins.
Top Game Moment: Hiding in stealth mode and using your shoulder cannon to pick off someone’s head.
Still, the movie was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, which is in theatres now. Funnily enough, there is also a video game adaptation developed exclusively for the PSP, continuing a rather odd trend seen with Miami Vice and 300. Given the quality of the Alien vs. Predator experience, it’s no surprise that the game was restrained to the PSP.
 |
 |
|
| Xenomorph skewers now available at your local deli |
You’ll spend much of the game wading through crap |
Much like the film, the game starts out with a lone Predator (referred to in most documentation as Wolf) dispatched to Earth to destroy a vessel that was infested with Xenomorph at the end of the first film. Upon setting off the ship’s self destruct mechanism and destroying the forest, players will have the choice of guiding the Predator through one of three different paths on the way to his ultimate goal of destroying the Predalien, the Predator/Xenomorph hybrid set up in the first film.
Wolf has all of that standard issue Predator gear: stealth camouflage, night vision, heat vision, hand blades, spear gun, and shoulder cannon – the list goes on. It’s pretty cool using this equipment to toy with humans spread around suburban Colorado, but the novelty quickly wears off once you realize just how strong the Predator is when compared to any other creature in the game.
Aliens offer little in the way of resistance against Wolf’s weaponry. Humans are much the same, but the game waves the honor system in front of your face, encouraging you to kill only armed humans in exchange for more powerful weapons and armour. The thing is that those upgrades only really serve to make an overpowered character even more unbalanced.
 |
 |
|
| Military incompetence is at an all time high |
Woah! Acid flashback |
Let’s be frank; Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a painfully bland experience. The game’s levels consist almost entirely of getting from point A to point B, killing anything that gets in your way, or dissolving bits of Predator technology. The game holds the players hand through the entire experience – every single mission objective, regardless of whether it is intended to be secretive or not, appears on the game’s HUD, making the game even easier. The game’s length doesn’t do it any favours either, with players only needing to play seven levels to reach the climax, the developer has basically assumed that players will want to go back and play through the other two routes, artificially extending the experience.
There’s not an awful lot to the game after completing the narrative. A skirmish mode is on offer, which gives players 5 minutes to kill as many aliens as possible. Ad-hoc multiplayer is also available, but it’s basically just a co-operative version of the skirmish mode. On top of that, there’s nothing in the way of unlockables or achievements to be seen – once players have completed the three paths, there is nothing left.
It would have almost been acceptable if being bland and short were Requiem’s only crimes, but the game’s controls and camera mechanics really drag what’s left of the experience through the mud. It seems like the strength of the main character was beefed up to make up for the fact that the camera is never sitting right, ensuring that the player doesn’t get shot to pieces while tinkering with their viewpoint.
 |
 |
|
| When soccer moms go too far |
And they said nuclear power isn’t dangerous! |
Requiem’s no-frills presentation will disappoint those looking for some sliver of quality within the game’s visuals. While the game has a number of varied locations (high school gyms, the forest, suburbs, etc.), they all look decidedly lifeless and uninteresting from an artistic perspective, and low quality textures and framerate issues make the game unimpressive from a technical standpoint. Wolf’s different visual modes can be pretty cool, but players will hardly ever need to use them. Requiem’s sound is rather secondary, with limited sound effects and a forgettable score.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a blatant rush job – Rebellion even admitted that they spent only six months on the game’s development. We know from Rebellion’s efforts with the first Aliens vs. Predator game on the PC that they are a capable studio, so why do they think that they can release such a bland and limited game onto a console where, let’s face it, not even the best games are selling big numbers. It’s a poor effort that’s best left festering in the bargain bins.
Top Game Moment: Hiding in stealth mode and using your shoulder cannon to pick off someone’s head.
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Alien vs Predator: Requiem video 2
Posted 11.02.08
Length 00:38 Views 228 -
Alien vs Predator: Requiem video
Posted 11.02.08
Length 00:33 Views 172
