The Best Of Aliens Versus Predator

[Russ840]

When it comes to the AVP franchise, we have many different entries through multiple forms of media. Films, comics, video games, books, card games, board games.

Although the first entry to the franchise was in the comics, an argument could be made that it has seen the its best entries in the Video games medium.

My question to everyone is this;

What do you think is the best AVP ?

This question is aimed only at the Versus IP.  Not material related to the individual franchises.

For me, the pinnacle of the property is Aliens Versus Predator, release in 1999 on the PC.

This game felt like i was playing in the universe depicted in the first three ALIEN movies.  The atmosphere is amazing and even now the game builds the tension in me and makes me jump. 

I would say that the original comic comes in second to this game.  I love the comic.  It started it all.

There are some great highs for the Franchise and some serious lows.

What's are your thoughts ?



 

[The Kurgan]

I think the best AVP stuff are the three main video games. The first one was great for the reasons you mentioned.
So was the second and the third. While I have some nitpicks about them(cartoon optic for the second and some design nonons in the third like the alien "tailfin" and the oversized dual wristblades) I enjoyed them very much.

The comics are a little iffy with me in general. While I don't hold the original series in such high regard as a lot of people do, I think they are definitely some of the better  ones. The best of the comics for me is AvP Eternal. It was gritty, not over the top and had a small scale, which in my opinion works best for AvP.
Worst are xenogenesis, DotS, Booty, three world war, FaS/LaD and some I probably forgot.

Worst of the games for me was Extinction. While the idea of an AvP strategy game was neat, for me it lacked in the implementation department.
Some of the alien castes like the carrier or ravenger were ridiculous and I hate the concept of military predators. It just did not match my ideas of how the predator society works.

Oh, nearly forgot about the Rage War trilogy. That was just not for me. It did not feel like AvP at all with all the miracle armor and over the top hightec weapons it felt more like 40k or Halo.

[Russ840]

Eternal is probably the only other comics series i hold in any regard. The rest are quiet poor. It's a shame that we have not have a 'Great' AVP Comic.  I would say that AVP is better on a smaller scale, more isolated.

If i was to rank a top 5 it would be

1. Aliens Versus Predator ( 1999 PC )
2. Aliens Versus Predator ( Original Comic Series )
3. Aliens Versus Predator 2 ( PC )
4. Aliens Vs Predator ( 2010 PC/PS3/Xbox )
5. Alien Vs Predator ( Atari Jaguar )

Clearly i like the property in the form of First Person Shooter. 

[The Kurgan]

Clearly i like the property in the form of First Person Shooter. 

It is great Shooter material. The three different species offer a great basis for it.You can make all three of them play very distinct from each other, each campaign having it's own unique atmosphere.
It is also great for an asymmetrical multiplayer experience.

[Xenomrph]

Eternal is probably the only other comics series i hold in any regard. The rest are quiet poor. It's a shame that we have not have a 'Great' AVP Comic.  I would say that AVP is better on a smaller scale, more isolated.

If i was to rank a top 5 it would be

1. Aliens Versus Predator ( 1999 PC )
2. Aliens Versus Predator ( Original Comic Series )
3. Aliens Versus Predator 2 ( PC )
4. Aliens Vs Predator ( 2010 PC/PS3/Xbox )
5. Alien Vs Predator ( Atari Jaguar )

Clearly i like the property in the form of First Person Shooter. 

Eternal is a good Predator story (and should be adapted into a Predator movie, and rightfully got cribbed from pretty heavily for 'Predator: Concrete Jungle') but it's a pretty bad AvP story. You can cut the Aliens out of the plot entirely and it changes nothing.

There are several AvP comics I dug (aside from the original miniseries). "Chained to Life and Death" is cool, the one about St George and the Dragon was clever, AvP: Duel was a good time, that's off the top of my head.

[The Cruentus]

The AVP games are highlights but in terms of plot, AVP 2 had it better than the first game.
The third game was a little inconsistent with the timeline but wasn't the worst. The shortness of the campaigns doesn't really help it though and it gets boring quickly. I wasn't a fan of how the Aliens were portrayed in it either, physically weak when they should have been the strongest/toughest if only for gameplay balance, and their posture and stance sucked. You don't tower over anyone as the 8ft alien, instead you're the shortest due to being permanently crawling.
In the previous AVP games, you could change your stance, crawling allowed you to move faster and cling to walls but if you wanted a height advantage, especially so you could target the head of your victims, you change stance with a button.

[Corporal Hicks]

I absolutely love AvP 1 and 2 but I have to agree with Cruentus, 2 is where it's at in terms of narrative.

I think I'd also have to highlight the original series and Eternal. I'm also fond of all of Randy Stradley's AvP's too be honest, including Three World War.

[Russ840]

I like Three World War. I like war also. Everything beyond Stadley's Stuff and eternal is weak I think.

AvP does have a great narative.

I just love the experience from the first game.

[The Old One]

Monolith's AVP by far.

[Local Trouble]

Why no mention of DotS?

[Samhain13]

AVP2 at the top. Its the ALIEN or PREDATOR of AVP.

Never tried to rank the rest. For comics I liked the Original one, Blood time, Duel, Chained to Life and Death, Eternal, Hell-Bent, The Web, Dead Space, Thrill of the Hunt, Civilized Beasts. Some more than others. Even liked some stuff from Fire and Stone/Life and Death. My standards for comics are low next to movies, so...

I enjoyed playing AVPClassic, AVP2010, AVP Extinction, AVP Evolution. Predator Concrete Jungle is kind of a sequel to the AVP movies so it might be considered an AVP entry in a way.

I'm mostly okay with the Rage War Trilogy.

The rest is meh to absolute disgust.

[Kradan]

AvP 2 > Rage War trilogy > original comic > AvP 2004 > everything else > AvP : R

Spoiler

IMO

[close]

[The Old One]

If that's the best AVP got, it isn't worth much.

[[cancerblack]]

AvP2 and the original comic. I find the rest reliably unimpressive.

Actually, the boardgame has some very nice models to paint, and the rules are fun, but it has a pretty awful story, so it's a very mixed bag. Thankfully you can just make your own missions and narrative.

[The Old One]

Yeah, this. ^