Aliens Vs. Predator, contrary to what some people say, isn't a movie to game translation. The horrid movie came much later (thankfully) and it is true that it translates the Alien and the Predator from their respective movies, but it isn't a translation. With that said, Aliens Vs. Predator is a competent shooter that was probably awesome back in 1999, but now doesn't hold very well.

The gameplay varies from character to character. You can play as either the Alien, the Predator, or the Marine. The one that is the most traditional and recognizable is the Marine. As the Marine, you will be running and shooting everything in sight. To be honest, it's not particularly interesting or varied anymore and it's just downright disappointing that there isn't much depth to it. There are only 3 or 4 guns, only 2 of which I even bothered using. When playing as the Predator, things get a little bit more interesting. It's still in a first person shooter perspective, but there are more things at your disposal. You have a bow, your trusty laser gun, a cloak ability, and certain views that let you see humans or Aliens. It's practically the same as the Marine gameplay, but with a wider array of abilities. There isn't much else to say really. When it comes to the Alien, it is probably the most inventive of the three. As the Alien, you only have 3 moves at your disposal. You can slash with your claws, slash with your tail, or target a victim's head and bite it off. There are no weapons and each level consists of sneaking up on your prey and devouring them. These are easily the most fun of the three, but also the most disorienting. As the Alien, your view isn't like a typical FPS. The view is skewed slightly on the sides and it always brings a headache. Also, when you are climbing on walls and ceilings, the Alien moves so fast that it's hard to tell just exactly where you are, so it makes it increasingly harder to sneak up and kill your victim. One thing that can be said about the gameplay is that it is very hard. I highly suggest downloading the patch that lets you quicksave mid-level because without it, if you die, you must start over from the beginning of the level which is frustrating to say the least. The Predator and Marine consist of only 6 levels and the Alien only 5, with bonus levels depending on which difficulty level you chose at the beginning. But after completing the initial levels and completing the storyline (which by the way is almost non-existent), you probably won't want to bother with the extra levels.

The graphics are about as good as you'd think from a game made in 1999. They aren't all that pretty anymore. A lot of people say this game is scary, but with the graphics as trashy as they are, it's hardly intense or frightening. The levels all look the same. You run through an open corridor, shoot something, then run into the next corridor and do it again. There's nothing significantly different about any of the levels so you'll probably be bored looking at them after a level or two. My last complaint about the graphics is that some of the levels are unfairly dark. I shouldn't have to adjust my computer screen settings just so I can see where I'm going in game.

The sound is probably the best part of the game. The Aliens and Predators still have their signature rips, roars, and snarls and they sound great. You'd be hard pressed to find a difference in the sound of the creatures in this game from their movies. Nothing else is important enough to even mention, but all in all the sound is decent.

Overall, this is a game that undoubtedly was great back in the day, but now feels almost obsolete. The graphics are nothing to look at and the gameplay is worn down and overused. It's tough to review an old game now because it's hard not to compare it to much better more recent games, but as it stands, this game isn't anything special. Honestly, I can't even see how it could have been scary when it was released, much less now. It's worth a playthrough if only to see how they adapted these iconic characters to the video game realm, but after playing through the storyline levels, there's not much reason to play through the bonus levels, much less go back and play through it again. Remaking this game today on current gen systems would be absolutely remarkable and I'll be crossing my fingers for it, but as of now, Aliens Versus Predator is a game that has outlived its welcome and over time lost most of what was so appealing about it in the first place.