Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt Review
The PredAlien campaign is not much better, thanks to the very frustrating opening level. As a facehugger, you must make your way through a Predator complex looking for a host. Unfortunately, not just any host will do - it has to be a Predator off by his lonesome. Accidentally facehug the wrong Predator, and one of his buddies will come by and hack you into a pile of goo. It doesn't matter is a Predator randomly wanders away from his cohorts, unless you jump the right one the level will end in failure. The facehugger level in the original game worked because you could listen in on the human's conversations and watch their movements, making it obvious when a suitably isolated host was found. It also was the exact right length, ending before you got too bored with all the sneaking about. In Primal Hunt, the facehugger level is far too long and feels like a random search for the proper Predator to facehug that will let you finally move on to the next level.
Even the new creatures seem to have been added to prolong your gameplay through frustration. There are now tunneling worms which crawl under the surface and pop up to bite you. They don't stay above ground for very long and are always moving around, making them difficult to kill. It's not even clear when you do kill them, as the dead ones fall back under ground and it seems that they tend to continuously spawn in some areas.
The multiplayer additions fare better than the new single player campaign, giving fans of the multiplayer game new weapons, maps, and playable classes. If you didn't really play the multiplayer version of the original game, there's not a lot here to change your mind, though. The new maps and weapons will add some spice to the game for multiplayer veterans, but there are no new game types or radical changes that alter the multiplayer experience.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 64%. If you completed the original game and are looking for more challenge, then Primal Hunt will provide you with more gameplay of the kill-constant-swarms-of-enemies variety. However, if you found the first game to be very challenging, this expansion has the potential to frustrate you to no end. It also lacks the elements that made the first game suspenseful and packed with atmosphere. Aliens vs. Predators 2 is a no-brainer buy, but make sure that you know what you are getting into with this expansion.
System Requirements: Pentium III 450; 128 MB RAM; 16 MB
Video RAM; 4x CD-ROM; 600 MB Hard Drive
Space; Mouse.
