AVP2: Whoa.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-01-08 12:15am

Just picked it up, despite bad reviews, and I was pleasantly surprised. Great game, EXCELLENT sounds. panicky, freaky, violent and gory- everything Aliens should be.

My favorite parts were the hive you enter early on, to find Sgt. Hall, and the hive you move through on your way from the Pods to the POC after escaping. Fucking GREAT, dark twisty hallways full of bugs, and your only light source a tiny shoulderlamp which will only last you another 10 seconds... the screech of the oncoming buggs, the sound and strobing light off the pulse rifle, the meaty thunk of bullets into Xenomorph flesh, and then the dying hiss of acid burning the ground.... sigh.

Buy it now, I recommend it highly.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2004-01-08 12:21am

Someone gave it bad reviews?!? Only an idiot would do that! <my opinion>

The only thing I see bad about it is the mutliplayer. I prefer UT, CS or TF.

I also rate it as a good single player shooter.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-01-08 12:24am

Yeah, the multiplayer is coded badly- too jerky to be any fun.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-01-08 12:29am

AVP2 single player isn't bad, but bizarrely, I couldn't shake the feeling that AVP1 looked and played better, and stayed closer to its source material. The problem was that AVP2 isn't a radical improvement over the original. I loved the engine they used for AVP1.

I didn't know it had gotten bad reviews- the expansion pack sure did though!

Coaan · Post by **Coaan** » 2004-01-08 12:38am

The only way you can play avp2 is with the lights turned out and the sound pumped up. You really need a proper 3-d surround sound system to fully enjoy the feeling of panic you get from people creeping up behind you....amazing game..

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-01-08 12:39am

damn, I felt the exact opposite way. AVP 1 had some big problems for me- it was little things, but they added up. The sound of the pulse rifle wasn't right, and you moved too quickly. AVP2 had MUCH better pacing. The levels set in teh POC captured the feel of the movies pretty much perfectly.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-01-08 12:42am

Thirdfain wrote:damn, I felt the exact opposite way. AVP 1 had some big problems for me- it was little things, but they added up. The sound of the pulse rifle wasn't right, and you moved too quickly. AVP2 had MUCH better pacing. The levels set in teh POC captured the feel of the movies pretty much perfectly.

But the sound of the smart gun in AVP2 is totally wrong- and for some reason, they decided to change the Incinerator model- I didn't understand that. The pistols and such were pleasant. I'll say this for AVP2- at least it had a plot.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-01-08 12:46am

True nuff about the Smartgun. But then, I felt that #1 didn't do it right either.

It would have been hot if when you whipped out the SG, an eyepeice like the one from the movie slipped over the screen, and everything showed up in black and white, with stuff like range to target and number of targets visibile appearing on the bottom.

Laird · Post by **Laird** » 2004-01-08 01:06am

Thirdfain wrote:True nuff about the Smartgun. But then, I felt that #1 didn't do it right either.

It would have been hot if when you whipped out the SG, an eyepeice like the one from the movie slipped over the screen, and everything showed up in black and white, with stuff like range to target and number of targets visibile appearing on the bottom.

You do have nightvision you do realize?

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-01-08 01:28am

No way? nightvision? SHIT I MISSED THAT!

No, no, I know about that. I just think that a game like AVP2 is pretty much reliant on atmosphere, and if you notice, in the movies the smartgunners have one eye closed and are looking through an eyepeice with the other. It would be a nice detail to have the eyepeice and some cool (grainy, dangerous-looking) vision mode to go with the smartgun.

It's a lit

Laird · Post by **Laird** » 2004-01-08 02:13am

Thirdfain wrote:No way? nightvision? SHIT I MISSED THAT!

No, no, I know about that. I just think that a game like AVP2 is pretty much reliant on atmosphere, and if you notice, in the movies the smartgunners have one eye closed and are looking through an eyepeice with the other. It would be a nice detail to have the eyepeice and some cool (grainy, dangerous-looking) vision mode to go with the smartgun.

It's a lit

Well I play avp2 all the time,generally I am a corp if class weapons are on.

I know many ways to defeat the smart gun(Not cheats.)

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2004-01-08 02:38am

Laird wrote: I know many ways to defeat the smart gun(Not cheats.)

Shooting them until they don't move, for example.

Personally, I thought AvP2 was great, if a little short. To me, the Marine section felt the most authentic, the alien section was ok, and the predator section seemed unnecessary. I don't know, there's something about playing an invincible, invisible alien that I don't find interesting.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-01-08 04:46am

I find the playing the Predator most difficult- he just doesn't have the gear I like. Alien is the most fun, Marine the most conventional.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-01-08 08:51am

Alien in MP=teh fun. I love the pounce, I mean, GodDAMN I love the pounce. Nothing like sitting over a doorway when a cheap SG using newbie fucktard comes creeping in and pouncing him from 20 feet up, liberating his head. AvP2 MP=GREAT!I like how when people pre-spin the chaingun you can hear it from a mile away.....makes it easier to blind pounce from an air vent....

Post by **Lagmonster** » 2004-01-08 12:22pm

In both games, it was better to play as the Marine. As the alien and predator, you feel a lot more in control. But when I first played AvP1 as the Marine, there's NOTHING like the constant blip of the motion tracker and the fallen dark of the corridors ahead to get you nice and tense.

Especially freaking out every time an elevator flipped off the motion tracker and you suddenly had a blip right on top of you.

Really, the motion tracker MADE the marine missions, and in AvP1, they were far darker and more tense.

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2004-01-08 04:10pm

I'll have to dig it up and install it on the newer computer, sounds like playing with 5.1 surround sound minght be good.
It was a bit too jerky on my old com, but i did like the start of the chestburster level!

Post by **weemadando** » 2004-01-08 07:22pm

What I REALLY hated in AvP2 was the Marine campaign:

"We need someone to go ahead and open the doors manually..."

"I'll go."

*shocked expression on my face - "I'm doing WHAT?"*

---

"They took her, she's in the hive!"

"I've gotta rescue her!"

*attempts to destroy horrible plot which features the worlds most suicidal marine...*

---

The other thing that pissed me off was the hamstringing of the alien. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT A MARINE ON FOOT IS OUTRUNNING ME?