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Before it was a pair of less-than-spectacular movies that inspired even less-spectacular games, “Aliens vs. Predator” was a series of rather spectacular comics books that, in turn, spawned a series of equally spectacular first-person shooter video games.
Sega wants to return the epic rivalry to its former glory with “Aliens vs. Predator,” due on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this February. To do so, they’ve entrusted Rebellion Games, the same developers who made the classic 1999 PC “Aliens Versus Predator” game, as well as others in the series (including, um, one of those less-spectacular movie-based ones). The new game isn’t just a rehash of the old, as we found out when we spoke to Tim Jones, the Head of Art and Design at Rebellion and the Project Lead on “Aliens vs. Predator.”
How does the new game's story relate to the previous “Aliens vs. Predator” games, comics and movies?
It’s a completely new story to the “Aliens” and “Predator” universes, but it’s obviously very much inspired and in keeping with the different stories in the movies and comic books. Our game takes place 30 years after the events of “Alien 3,” on a planet named BG-386, where a colonist mining group stumbles upon some forgotten, ancient Predator ruins and something Alien is waiting. When contact is lost with the colony, the Colonial Marines are dispatched to the planet. Across the stars, the Predators are alerted to the desecration of their sacred site, and a hunting party is sent to ensure that its secrets remain buried at all costs.
In the game, you can play as a Predator, an Alien and a Colonial Marine. Do you choose one at the beginning of the game and then play them the whole way through?
Each species has its own distinctly different story, and they’re intertwined, so to understand the whole story you have to complete all three campaigns. But you can play as any of three species for as long as you like. So you can do a couple of Marine levels, then play an Alien level, and then go back to the Marine again, or even try the first Predator level. It’s totally up to you.
In terms of gameplay, it’s a first-person shooter when you're a marine, a first-person melee combat game when you're an Alien, and a stealth/melee game when you're a Predator. How else are they different?
The Alien is the master of surprise, lurking in the shadows and pouncing from the dark with lethal force, tearing into enemies with its teeth, tail and claws. I would say that probably the Alien’s biggest advantage is its speed and the ability to cling to any surface—it can track you down a corridor scurrying along the roof above your head. It has a very different play style than the other two species. The Marine has to keep lots of distance between him and his enemies and rely on awesome firepower to kill from afar, while the Predator is the ultimate stealth assassin, stalking from the shadows with vision modes.
You can also play as an alien, a predator or a marine against your friends. What are the game's multiplayer modes?
We will have 18-player cross-species battles in a variety of multiplayer modes, as well as “pure-blood” modes where members of the same species will be pitted against one another. There’s also a 4-player co-op survival mode where a quartet of Marines stand off against waves of Aliens to see how long they can stay alive.
Sega also commissioned Gearbox Studios to make “Aliens: Colonial Marines.” Have you consulted with Gearbox at all to make sure your game not only plays differently but also doesn't tell a story that conflicts with theirs, and vice versa?
That’s really a question for Sega. We’re developing the game that we want to make, and ensuring that it’s consistent with the previous “Aliens vs. Predator” titles and evolving the franchise. From our understanding, “Aliens: Colonial Marines” is very much about tactical squad gameplay, whereas our game is much more of a solo survival experience.
This, of course, is not the first “Aliens vs. Predator” game you guys have made. You did 1994's “Aliens vs. Predator” for the Atari Jaguar, 1999's “Aliens Versus Predator” for the PC, and 2007's “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.” Why do the marines always get shafted when the games get named?
It’s just a name. I think including “Marines” in there would make the title unwieldy.
There have also been comics of “Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator” and “Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator.” Who would you most like to see the Aliens and Predators battle next? “Aliens vs. Predator vs. Robocop”? “Aliens vs. Predator vs. Laurel & Hardy”? “Aliens vs. Predator vs. Health Care Reform”?
I’d love to see Aliens and Predators getting involved in the “Star Wars” universe. That would be very cool.
