Aliens vs. Predator is a first person shooter that contains elements from the films and combines the three species into one game.
So, while the single-player component doesn't hold up when compared to other first person shooters, it does a good job of delivering the universes in AVP. Playing as the marine is your standard first person shooter, the Predator is about stealth and advanced weaponry and the Alien is built to get in and out of combat quickly causing damage without taking too much fire. Aliens vs. Predator fails to use the mechanics it had panned to use very well. The game’s single player has three campaigns for each race and will take about 2-3 hours to complete each one.
Aliens vs. Predator has a steep learning curve if you're playing as either the Aliens or the Predators. You should to start with the marine campaign as it is more of a straightforward first-person shooter that does a good job of introducing the world but the problem is that the design of the marine's campaign is a very cookie cutter first person shooter. There is some fun to be had, and it provides an introduction to the melee mechanics that you'll need for the Alien and Predator campaigns, but at the end of the day there are just too many better FPS games to play.
You might think that the two alien campaigns would be better and more exciting, but that’s not really the case in AVP due to the poor mechanics. Both campaigns make use of melee attacks, the Predator does have some ranged options but your main attack is still going to be the blades strapped to your right and left hand. If you have ever played Breakdown or Zeno Clash, first-person melee is hard to pull off, sadly, AVP is no different. The melee combat is just not as fun as you would expect it to be.
When playing as the Alien, speed is your best weapon. The Alien can move on walls and ceilings at blistering speed, but sometimes it can be too fast even when you are not sprinting, it is sometimes disorienting when you are upside down and running very fast. The Predator is more about stealth; you need to stick to tree branches and the tops of buildings to take your prey and turning invisible to sneaking up on enemies.
Thankfully the multiplayer fares better than the single player, there are six game types complete with six maps and there is a wave based four-player co-op mode with only two maps that is fun to play with your friends. The modes are some variety and stick to what makes sense using the subject material.
The main problem with the multiplayer is in the total of lack of expandability and balancing. You only gain only new skins and is the only reward for ranking up there is also issues with match making and whole game ends when the host leaves or drops connection, returning you to the multiplayer menu at the end of each game.
The visuals in the game are above average, the marine campaign looks fine with its closed-off corridors and poorly-lit spaces, but with the wide-open space in the Predator's levels is when you see the problems and the textures are bad with muddled surfaces and objects that just look ugly. The frame rate, despite not a lot of detail, suffers all too often.
The sound effects in Aliens vs. Predator are quite impressive. If you ever watched the films the sounds from the worlds comes through just as you remember them. From the marine's machine guns to the Alien's unpleasant hissing sound you will find it all here.
Aliens vs. Predator could have been a truly great game but suffers because of some poor design decisions and a general lack of quality it’s by no means a bad game and will almost certainly please fans, but when compared to other first-person shooter titles on the market there is not a lot here to write home about.