Aliens vs. Predator Preview

The Marine gets to play with lots of familiar guns...

Aside from this nimble nature, the Xenomorph has the benefit of regenerating health, a light and heavy melee attack, and an extra-long jump; he can also see enemies through walls, presumably because he eats a lot of carrots. These powers may sound pretty pitiful compared to the Predator's weapons, but when used well you'll absolutely mince the opposition. I won my first match as the Alien by getting 15 kills in about three minutes, and I can assure you that this tasted like gold. When you hit your groove you can scream around a corner and bite your mate's head off before he even knows you're there.

Finally, we have the Colonial Marine. At first he seems a bit weaker than the other two classes: he can't insta-kill, he's not particularly fast, and his default weapon is "just" a Pulse Rifle. The Marine is certainly a less showy choice than the other two, but he does get the assistance of a motion tracker - the very same one from that great "OMFG! THEY'RE COMING OUT OF THE WALLS!" bit in Aliens. If past games are anything to go by, the Marine will also get a wider arsenal than his extra-terrestrial chums - although the preview build I played only featured the Pulse Rifle, the Smart Gun, and the shotgun (which I like to keep handy for close encounters).

In addition to their respective advantages, all three classes must learn to deal with the rules of close combat. There are light and heavy attacks mapped to the upper bumpers (although the puny Marine only gets the light), and by holding both buttons you'll perform a block; a light swipe can interrupt a heavy blow, which in turn can break a guard, which in turn will counter a light attack. In essence it's a rock-paper-scissor-system - although the reality is less calm than this suggests, and more like a caveman trying to stone a barber to death... A barber with acid for blood and a miniature mouth on a stalk inside his gob, that is.

There's no denying that the Marine seems like the hardest class to do well with, even with the help of his tracker, but I suppose that'll just encourage those of you who like to show off how hard you are. Furthermore, the Marine's vulnerability has been used by Rebellion to create a pair of truly inspired game modes. In Predator Hunt everyone initially spawns as a human, but after a few moments one player is turned into Arnie's dreadlocked nemesis. The lone Predator then has 60 seconds to find and kill someone. If they manage to do this, they get a point and are awarded some more time; if one of the Marines kills them, then that player takes over the role. You can only score points while playing as Preddie Krueger, so the hunter/hunted dynamic works both ways.

Expect lots of "Game over, man!" jokes when the reviews roll in.

If you think that sounds like fun, just wait until you check out Infestation. Once again everyone starts as a Marine, but after a few seconds one player randomly turns into a Xenomorph. When they kill another player, the victim also respawns as an Alien, with play proceeding until everyone has been switched. It's essentially just a variation on the classic Last Man Standing formula, but the Aliens makeover works extremely well. When you're standing with your mates at the top of an ancient pyramid and your motion tracker starts bleeping, you'll genuinely start to panic. We've come to expect this kind of tension in single-player AVP, but it feels remarkably fresh in a deathmatch game.

Then again, that's the strength of the AVP license. When Rebellion pulls this kind of stunt, it's slyly tapping into the atmosphere of the films - or at least the ones that were made before 1997. Rebellion and SEGA were keen to stress that this was an early build we were playing, but even at this rough-around-the-edges stage, there was plenty to enjoy. At the moment the game is still just a wiggly thing inside someone's chest, but we'll only have to wait until February before the final beast bursts out in a shower of blood and gibblets. Yummy!

Aliens vs Predator is scheduled for release in February 2010 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.