worth getting for MP??

[shakermakerman]

Just seen all the negative reviews for SP.

[WeaN]

MP is definitely better than SP, but it's still kinda lacking.
Alien gameplay is much deeper than AvP2010, but also glitchier... wallwalk is a nightmare to use properly, as the controls often get reversed for no reason, camera glitchs, and the character will sometimes just drop down instead of transitionning to the next part. Not to mention there are stuff you can't wallwalk on.
The 5 different alien classes (Soldier, Lurker, Spitter (starting) Boiler, Crusher (map pick ups) are actually cleverly designed with enough pros and cons any player can probably find the one best suited to their playstyle... there are also multiple moves you can unlock to further tailor your alien (see here).
Aliens are really fragile though, they get shredded in mere seconds by Marine weapons, so I think it's going to take a while before skilled enough players can showcase the true potentiel of the Aliens in MP.
Marine plays like you'd expect, melee deals almost no damage but is good for interrupting attacks, shotgun is really powerful (especially pump), and the Pulse Rifle works great, especially when fully upgraded. Battle Rifle is also a great addition, it's lethal if you got a good aim.
Gametypes range from Team Deathmatch (5 min rounds, switches sides), Extermination (basically Territories from Halo, or Crashsite from Crysis 2/3, Marines gotta grab areas while Aliens defend), Escape (Marines can't respawn, and gotta make their way through 2 gametype specific maps up to the evac point while being chased by Alien players), Survivor (Marines can't respawn, and gotta survive for 6 minutes against Alien players).

MP is decent, but it has its share of problems though... Interface is poor, scoreboard will make the framerate drop each time you bring it, matchmaking seems really random, as players from all over the world seem to be pitted against (played a game hosted by a Chinese player, although every other player in the game was European), there's no host migration so if the dude quits your game is basically over, unless you play with someone in your area the game will be laggy to the point Aliens can just run up to you and beat you to death even if you shot them 4 times point blank with your shotgun (which is supposed to kill them in 1-2 shots), private games have no options whatsoever, you can't alter rules or gametypes...

It's still a fun experience, especially if you get to play with friends/fans, and it's definitely more interesting than AvP2010's, but without a serious fix to the issues listed above, I think it will probably die quick.

[RagingDragon]

^ That's a great post by WeaN, pretty much right on.

The Alien gameplay is satisfying, but as usual there's a big learning curve. You just have to hope that the CoD generation can stick with it long enough to get better, because the Aliens can really kick ass if you use them right.

Hard being the Alien team, though, and the issues WeaN mentioned are there. Wall-walk is wonky, but most of these things can be patched easily and the game modes are a blast. I chalk up the difficulty to relearning this new Alien, because I'm a mean one (been playing for years) and I was tearing off heads and getting multi-kills in my first game.

You know how it goes.. a lot of people don't "think" like the Alien, just run around like a dude. XD Once you get used to it, you will truly start to express your inner living chainsaw.

MP has saved the game for me. I would be miserably pissed off if all we had was the campaign, because it's, well you can go read about it lmao

[WeaN]

Yup.

MP truly has the potential to last, it just needs tweaks here and there... For instance, I'm not sure 5min long rounds really help having incentive to play cleverly, it actually promotes rush in and blind action instead, that's a definite design flaw in my opinion... The Alien player wanting to play safe and sneaky HAS to spend some time lying in wait, but in a 5min round, it often means missing half of the game. AvP2010 was flawed, but the fact it had longer rounds allowed players to take it easy a bit more, and have much less limited strategies.

It definitely does some stuff right, though. No motion sensor when wielding the Smartgun makes it much more balanced than AvP2010, and promotes teamplay (it's fun having a friend calling aliens with the sensor while you use the SG), and the flamethrower is actually effective this time around. Boiler is a great tool against Marine teams that keep holing up in tight spaces camping, and the Crusher works great as a massive decoy to draw Marine fire. You can also make interesting alien builds with the right abilities, without the game forcing a certain playstyle on you.

But they must patch that shit. It NEEDS host migration, and improved menu - you can't go into your loadout/character customization menu during the 15sec long mandatory wait at the end of a match, which could actually be used for that, private match needs more options such as match duration and score limit... etc

... in its current state, MP is fun cause it has much more potential than AvP2010, but there's no way people are going to stick to it without a few much needed fixes.

[WinterActual]

Btw I was wondering, why GBX put 60 or so levels in the MP if you unlock 90% of the stuff in the first 20 levels or even earlier through challenges? Whats the point of all this grind if there's no reward?

[Corporal Hicks]

Still plenty of Alien unlocks and appearance customization.  Yeh, I'm loving the MP. It has lasting power if the issues are taken care off.

[Porkus Maximus]

Btw I was wondering, why GBX put 60 or so levels in the MP if you unlock 90% of the stuff in the first 20 levels or even earlier through challenges? Whats the point of all this grind if there's no reward?

90% unlocks by level 20?  90% of the arsenal upgrades maybe, not I doubt you have 90% of the cosmetic/multiplayer upgrades by level 20.

[RagingDragon]

Why does no one mention the maps? Besides the few outdoors ones (wonk) which are still functional and cluttered with little buildings and such, the maps are f**king fantastic. Big big big, with great atmosphere and lots of hiding places. I can't tell you the times I've already hidden in a vent as the marines walked by with their trackers, only to fly out and tear their heads off as soon as they pass. It's pure Alien glory.

Survivor mode offers some nice surprises, too. Was playing with Prime and Vakarian, and Vakarian took command and got us locking down this entire room, doing objectives, setting mines and sentries, etc... all while the Aliens met up and started ghosting us on our trackers looking for the best way in.

There is a lot of depth here, and I'm gonna be so pissed if this mp dies. Honestly I don't think it will. People seem to be sticking around, despite the flaws, and I'm noticing the Alien gameplay improving already (from the players, I mean.) Seems like people are learning the depth of the Alien, from jumping and using that awful wall-crawl to good combos for Alien teams and strategies for different game modes.

f**king GBX should've worked on the entire game. Only thing they should've outsourced was the bloody story, to ME, or to anyone else on this site competent enough to write something like that well without f**king it up royally. Would be cake. I could write it all right now and send you a copy, free of charge Gearbox. You don't even have to make a video with my face and "BADASS" underneath it.

[Njm1983]

I might actually buy the game for the multiplayer, I did it with battlefield 3. Generally there are a few credible members around here. Like you RagingDragon, which I trust the opinions of. I might get my copy from walmart if I can still get the dlc deal they offered.

Im hoping they smooth out the alien control mechanics, its just a touch clunky, like AVP2010 and it seems like I end up doing something I dont intend that gets me killed.

I do like all the multiplayer maps Ive played so far. they seem way better than the AVP2010 maps

[RagingDragon]

Exactly. Hopefully the patches roll out soon, for the Aliens mainly. I was worried about only having a few maps until I saw their size. I'm still learning my way around most of them.

Thanks, I try and be legit. The only thing I don't know how to comment on is the price. I've gotten my $$'s worth, I feel, but I've played a lot of mp and it's my main focus. If you get at Wal Mart, Bug Hunt is supposed to be included so there's that.

Bug Hunt should be free at this point, as a sort of apology to the fans and an attempt to bring in more players and restore some of the faith in both GBX and the game. I would really enjoy it if they did that, just to get more assholes and elbows.

[Porkus Maximus]

There is a lot of depth here, and I'm gonna be so pissed if this mp dies. Honestly I don't think it will. People seem to be sticking around, despite the flaws, and I'm noticing the Alien gameplay improving already (from the players, I mean.) Seems like people are learning the depth of the Alien, from jumping and using that awful wall-crawl to good combos for Alien teams and strategies for different game modes.

The multiplayer being deep is fairly relative. Deep compared to your standard TDM run-and-gun games? Definately, but there are games that have done this kind of gameplay already; they did it several years ago and they did it better. IE. Left 4 dead.  Multiplayer is only deep for as long as it takes for people to find the best weapons/places to exploit.

[Cal427eb]

Not for $60 it's not.

[(( Ghost ))]

I still want to play a few more days before I do a concrete submission of my review, BUT, I gotta say man... the MP'er kicks ass. UPGRADES! ABILITIES! UNLOCKS! REASONS TO PLAY!!! Sure, other games have done this before. BUT FINALLY AN ALIENS GAME THAT HAS GOTTEN WITH THE TIMES...

Finding a game is refreshing... uhhh.. planets above the failure that was AvP2010's Mathmacking. 2010 felt like you were playing an RPG game on Telnet when in Matchmaking. So old looking, and so wrong. But A:CM actually has the matchmaking you see today. You see your team mates. Enemies. No Host Migration sucks.. but so far no problems. People stay in their games. A game or two was dropped after the idiots who were Rines must not have wanted to be Aliens. Anyone else really like that how it switches up and you HAVE to be both? Really nice touch.

Rent it, like I did. However, I think when I have to return it I'm gonna be sad. I don't want to give this game away lol.

And call me crazy but is 3rd Person Alien view growing on anyone else..? You really have to workout the Alien but after a while you'll get used to using them.

For all of the cons the game is receiving, I think MP'er outweighs them. Once you get sucked in to the MP'er, and you get used to the little things, I think you'll really enjoy it.

[Corporal Hicks]

BUT FINALLY AN ALIENS GAME THAT HAS GOTTEN WITH THE TIMES...

That's the kicker for me. A modern Aliens FPS. Customization, actual challenges to go with the ranking system. It's not perfect (without MP the game'd probably be 1/5 for me) but I'm loving the MP. Assuming the DLC is good and we get one or 2 after the planned 4...might be able to keep for a while within the community.

[Porkus Maximus]

BUT FINALLY AN ALIENS GAME THAT HAS GOTTEN WITH THE TIMES...

Hate to sound like a broken record but A:CM is about 5 years late with its' multiplayer mechanics. It's certainly more up to date than AVP2010 but it's still way behind the curve.  It's frustrating because if you've played games like Natural Selection or Left 4 Dead you'll instantly be able to see the inspiration but the end result lacks polish. It's funny because a game inspired by Aliens (Natural Selection) actually ends up being a better Aliens game.