Just completed [[amazon:B00005QX4F Aliens Vs. Predator 2]] today. I didn’t play the original, so I can’t contrast. But it sticks to its premise, which is pretty good. You can play as a Marine, an Alien, or a Predator, all of which have their own gameplay in a joint plot.

Being a big fan of the Alien(s) film series, I was really looking forward to this game. And they really pulled it off, the atmosphere of Aliens is in this game. The Marines and Aliens are true to the film origins, which I really appreciated. That distinct pulse rifle noise is spot on. The Predator is sort of thrown into the middle of this Aliens environment, but so be it.

The gameplay is great. You’ve got three different characters to learn, each with special controls and abilities. You learn more of the plotline with each character you play. There are also cute overlaps where you see the character you just played. Each character takes around 3-4 hours to complete; I finished the game in two partial days.

This game is also a couple of years old now, but it isn’t really that obvious. Compared to some other 2001 games, this must have really been amazing when it was released. I would have been happy to pay twice what I payed — it would have still been a bargain.

Congratulations to Monolith on this achievement. I’ve been a fan of them since I downloaded their Monolith CD _way_ back in 1994 or so, before they existed as a company. Can’t wait for their upcoming version of Tron 2.