It might be difficult for a new Aliens vs. Predator game to follow the recurrent patterns of other contemporary asymmetrical multiplayer games like Dead By Daylight.
Following the success of its most recent Predator film, Prey, there are whispers of a new Alien vs. Predator movie for Hulu, so now would be an ideal time for the two recognizable alien species to square off in the gaming world once more.
Prior entries had asymmetrical multiplayer modes that were more evenly distributed based on each character’s unique skills; however, a recent trend has emerged with asymmetrical multiplayer games like Dead by Daylight that push this to the extreme with a “one vs. many” approach. Although this could work for either the Alien or Predator series alone, if it were included to a new Aliens vs. Predator game, it might not have the same impact.
New Alien Vs. Predator
Yautja from the Predator and Xenomorphs from the Alien have a long-standing rivalry that started in 1989 with the Dark Horse Comics crossover book Aliens vs. Predator before the alien species carried their battle to video games in 1993. Alien vs. Predator is a side-scrolling beat’em up that was initially launched for the SNES and Game Boy before receiving a new version for arcade platforms a year later that for the first time supported three players.
However, the series is probably most known for its first-person shooter games, which began in 1994 with the critically acclaimed Atari Jaguar console game from Rebellion and continued into the PC Aliens versus Predator series in 1999.
New Alien Vs. Predator, First-person Shooter Format
Later games in the Rebellion series used the first-person shooter format and included three distinct campaigns depending on whether the player chose to play as the human Colonial Marines, a Yautja, or a Xenomorph. The Xenomorph used stealth, enhanced senses, and agility to climb the environments and plan its attack, whereas the Colonial Marine and Yajuta relied more on weapon-based combat, with the Yautja having the additional advantages of the iconic invisibility cloaking device and thermal vision from the Predator series to get the jump on its prey. Each campaign played to the strengths of each species.
These games also included asymmetrical multiplayer modes where players battled it out with three separate teams of varying sizes. To provide for more balanced matches, these sizes varied according to each species’ advantages and disadvantages, frequently permitting fewer Yautja because of their greater durability.
Predator: Hunting Grounds Featured DBD-Esque Multiplayer
New Alien Vs. Predator
Predator: Hunting Grounds, an asymmetrical multiplayer game from the Predator brand that used Dead By Daylight’s multiplayer strategy, was released in 2020. In the game, one player took control of the Predator while the other four played as Fireteam Voodoo, a special operations team tasked with gathering information from various NPCs or taking out a drug lord before having to dodge or engage the Predator.
Although Predator: Hunting Grounds received negative reviews from fans after its release, in principle, this asymmetrical strategy should work for the Predator franchise on its own because it mimics the first movie, in which an elite paramilitary unit of humans had to survive a lone Yautja. The intense, stealth-oriented single-player gameplay from Alien: Isolation might serve as the basis for an Alien game based on the first installment of the franchise, in which the crew of the Nostromo was being pursued by a lone Xenomorph. However, if it were applied to the Aliens vs. Predator series, it would have less of an impact.
The Aliens vs. Predator games excel in larger-scale conflicts when teams of players cooperate to defeat the two other types of opponents because of its crossover nature. Since the Yautja have better weapons and higher health stats than the Colonial Marines, it makes obvious that there should be less of them. This would heighten the suspense because the Colonial Marines are trapped between the two alien species. Additionally, the idea of alien nests would allow for numerous players to invade the map as Xenomorphs from all directions.
A new installment in the Aliens vs. Predator series could offer some intense, action-packed multiplayer matches if it doesn’t try to copy its contemporaries. The last title came out 12 years ago and was constrained in what it could handle on older hardware, but fans have been long overdue for a new AVP game and the advancements in technology since then have allowed for larger online games than the previous entries could handle. For more PC games news just visit us here at Daman Games.
