Alien vs. Predator: The Last of His Clan

Review

by Joshua Crystal

Alien vs. Predator fails to impress the moment you turn on the Game Boy; you can either sit through a long and uninteresting story background or dive right into the game. Problems come to fruition almost immediately. Because the corridors are confusing and small, it is hard to move around. Although a mini-map radar is on the screen at all times, navigation is a chore in tedium. While the small crawlways and ladders attempt to make the terrain more varied, it makes the gameplay longer and more pointless.

Backtracking is an unavoidable pitfall if you want to find all the power-ups and weapons. Alien baddies, all three or four of 'em, attack in a few minimal patterns -- all of which are predictable. While having multiple weapons such as the cutting disk and laser canon are nice features, it doesn't make up for the frustrating gameplay. The Predator moves slow and jumps even slower. Additionally, acid drips from the ceilings; because it isn't always visible, it can be somewhat annoying.

There are times when the interface is difficult to manage. Granted you've obtained a weapon, the weapon selection screen displays a picture of where the weapon is located on the Predator's body. Gee, it takes a genius to determine where that shoulder laser cannon is!

Because the combat is somewhat enjoyable at times, Alien vs. Predator isn't a total waste. On the other hand, it's not fun enough to play for an extended period of time. If you're looking for a good Alien vs. Predator title, check out the Super Nintendo version; heck, try finding the Arcade version where you'll have a choice between humans and Predator characters. Whichever you choose, you'd better avoid this slow, unresponsive monstrosity of a game.