GOG giving out Aliens vs. Predator: Gold Edition for free with beta sign up.

[Vy'drach]

http://www.gog.com/galaxy

 

Some of the older members have probably heard me gush rave talk about AvP 2000 before, but for those that haven't, here's a quick recap of this game and me:

 

It is probably one of my all time favourite games, ever. The Aliens vs. Predator series by Rebellion for PC has gone like this, each one is outright the best for a particular race, The most recent AvP had the best Alien campaign, really made you feel like a stealthy, other-worldly monster, Aliens vs. Predator 2 had the best Predator campaign, with you nimbly navigating the levels as an other-worldly hunter in search of great glory in the hunt and to avenge your fallen brothers. That's two out of three races down, which leaves AvP classic with the best Marine campaign. And sweet mother Mary is it a doozy. You are not the end-all-be-all badass, you are a human caught in a grudge match against a species that stagnated technologically before yours had even invented fire, and they still make yours look like a stick tied to a stick by comparison. On the other side, is a species able to survive almost every environment imaginable, able to find you no matter how quiet you are or how deep in the dark you hide, who's very creation requires a death and are nearly as deadly in death as in life. As a Marine, the game is hard, and not because they withhold supplies like health, armour, and ammo. No, health is reasonably distributed, armour more so, and often I end the level with more Pule Rifle ammunition than I started it with. So with ample medical care and bullets to burn, why is it hard? Because that doesn't matter. The Aliens, who will be 99% of your enemies, will do what you'd expect a hive of them to do if you've seen the movies. They will get to you with their speed and agility, and they won't stop coming, with more eager to replace any you kill, and unlike most games, it isn't scripted room by room encounters. You face enemies with no end in the level. There is no kill/pause/collect yourself/repeat. Oh no, with them, there ain't no brakes on the rape train, as they are constantly spawning in the level to come after you and they do have alternate routes into most areas. And even killing them is highly dangerous thanks to their acidic blood. Shoot them in the wrong area at the wrong range can have catastrophic consequences, headshots are usually good, and they've got large heads, but those large heads also hold a lot of blood and exploding their head causes blood to splatter a large area like an acidic grenade and blood will gush from their neck, so if you kill them like that at close range, you can be bathed in acid which will devastate or outright kill you. Oh yes, also, sometimes your equipment will fight you as well, the Pulse Rifle will jam at the most inopportune moments and need to be cleared.

 

In short, played on Director's Cut (the only way to play it), this game will kill you (and keep in mind I find both Dark Souls games to be rather not difficult), and it isn't your equipment that will save you, it's you. You are what will let you survive. You will cry, you will curse, you will pray to any god that'll listen, and they will laugh and whisper "No." And the entire time, it will be one of the most exhilarating, white knuckle experiences you can get. The game is dated, for sure (it lacks a manual reload, to put it in perspective), but it is still a colossal blast to play, and I say this, if you don't have it, get it while you can. You've got nothing to lose.