Feature - Bringing it Back: Alien vs. Predator

With Alien: Isolation already making blips on motion trackers so soon after the dismal failure that was Aliens: Colonial Marines, it occurred to me that it has been almost four years since we saw an Alien vs. Predator ( AvP) game. I’m pretty big on science fiction and have always appreciated how well the Alien and Predator universes were mixed to become something greater than both. It almost seems like the xenomorphs (another name for Aliens) and Predators were made to be complete opposite ends of the killing spectrum, with one representing the pinnacle of skill achieved through discipline and the other being little more than a machine programmed to kill. Though both franchises make for interesting video games, movies and comics on their own, it is my opinion that they enhance one another to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.Outside of the comics from Dark Horse, I would say that the original two first-person AvP games on PC are the most enjoyable creations to come out of the crossover, despite the many attempts that have been made since then. The last AvP game that came out in 2010 for the Xbox 360 attempted to recreate the sort of experience that made the originals so much fun, but failed to properly capture the stealth aspects of the gameplay or engage the player with its plotline. There can be no doubt that the 2010 version looked a hell of a lot better than those that came before it, but the improvement in graphics seemed to have come at the cost of a far less polished game overall. Part of what was missing from the 2010 game was a plot that could be tied in with some larger aspect of the fiction, making progressing through the game seem sort of random and arbitrary.Though it might not be officially canon in the AvP universe, I think that the events introduced in the movie Prometheus regarding the ancient race of aliens known as Engineers could make an ideal starting point for the basis of the next AvP game. Those familiar with the history of the Alien universe might know that the Engineers have long been behind the scenes and are thought to be the creators of both humans and the xenomorphs. The mysterious alien craft that Ellen Ripley and her crew find in the original Alien movie is said to be an ancient Engineer ship that used xenomorph eggs as some form of ammunition, possibly as part of a terraforming project. The number of possible storylines that could be spawned by the enigmatic history of the Engineers is pretty much endless and it seems nothing short of dumbfounding as to why they haven’t expanded on this central plot device over the course of so many games and movies.Part of the problem with the AvP universe is that it is represented by a smattering of mostly unrelated games and movies and has little to no core history. Without having any characters, locations or even events carry over from installment to installment, AvP can do little more than try to recombine elements from the Alien and Predator universes. The upcoming Alien game, Alien: Isolation, is an exciting example of how a game can become much more attractive because it ties in with a larger plot that the audience is already familiar with. Though the Engineers are actually only from the Alien universe, I think they serve as an ideal theme to unify the Alien and Predator universes, especially since it leaves the origins of the predator species unanswered. There is still a huge gap of knowledge when it comes to the Predators, which leaves a perfect opportunity for the next game to capitalize on expanding Predator culture, civilization and history. Yet another area for possible creative liberties lies in the versatility of the xenomorph’s physique, which can come in virtually any shape or size depending on the traits of the Facehugger’s host. Previously, we have seen a few of the more common xenomorph breeds, including Drones, Warriors, Praetorians, Queens and the dread Predalien. These forms don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the versatility of the xenomorphs, which shape themselves to reflect their environment.The amount of untapped potential in the AvP franchise is staggering, especially when one considers how long it has been kicking around now and how often it has been tackled by different creators. Rather than attempting to pick up the franchise and turn it into something new, I think the key to unlocking the potential of the AvP universe lies in attempting to unify the themes and history that have been previously introduced. If a developer can harness the atmosphere of mystery and awe associated with the Engineers, they will be able to tap into something that the AvP franchise has been missing for a long time now: a plot that is actually going somewhere.In Short: With Aliens: Colonial Marines behind us (thank the gods) and Alien: Isolation ahead, I got thinking about the Alien vs. Predator franchise...

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