Alien vs. Predator / エイリアンVSプレデター

Alien vs. Predator (エイリアンVSプレデター) is a 1994 beat 'em up video game developed and released by Capcom for the CPS-2 arcade game system. It is based on the science fiction franchise of the same name. Introducing an original fighter to the game: Lt. Kurosawa, the players take control of up to three out of four cyborg and Predator characters in a battle against the Alien hordes and rogue human soldiers. The game was very well received by the public and by media publications, but was never ported to any home systems.

Gameplay

Alien vs. Predator uses a control setup with an eight-directional joystick and three buttons: one to attack, one to jump, and one to shoot. The default cabinet for the game allows as many as three players to play simultaneously, although some smaller cabinets only accommodate two players. Four characters are available for the players' use: two cyborg soldiers, Major Dutch Schaefer and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa; and two Predators, a Hunter and a Warrior.

Three of the four characters are equipped with a melee weapon: a katana for Linn, a bladed naginata staff for the Hunter, and an extendable-retractable spear/staff for the Warrior. Dutch has no such weapon, but can hit enemies with his cybernetic arm; in addition, he can hold and swing any melee weapon dropped by another character, instead of throwing it as the other playable characters do.

Each character is also equipped with a projectile weapon for ranged attacks. Linn uses a rapid-firing handgun, Dutch has a smart gun in his cybernetic arm, and the Predators both use shoulder-mounted energy weapons. Ammunition is represented by a meter near the bottom of the screen; when the meter is depleted, the character is unable to fire until it refills. Linn's ammunition refills the fastest and allows the most shots, but she is completely defenseless while she reloads. Dutch and the Predators can move and fight while waiting for their ammunition to refill, and unlike Linn's automatic pistol, their meters will gradually refill when not firing.

Plot
San Drad (a possible mistranslation of Japanized English San Dorado, サン・ドラド), California, has been overrun by the Aliens, and the cybernetically-enhanced Major Dutch Schaefer and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa of the United States Colonial Marine Corps have been abandoned by their superiors and are cornered by a swarm of the Alien drones. Before they can be killed, a pair of the Predators appear and destroy the Aliens. The Predators offer an alliance with the two cyborgs in order to stop the Alien infestation.

The players take control of up to three of four characters: Dutch, Linn, a Predator hunter, and a Predator warrior, and battle the Aliens through seven stages. After destroying the Aliens' hive, the characters discover that the Alien presence on Earth is the result of a bio-war project headed by the renegade General Bush working for the Weyland-Yutani corporation. They board Bush's military ship as it lifts off, aiming to stop him from carrying out his breeding program any further. While Bush curses the protagonists for foiling his plans, the Alien Queen, having survived the previous encounter, kills him.

Characters

Character select screen
The game features four characters: two U.S. Colonial Marines that ally with a pair of Predators. Each character has varying levels of speed, strength and agility, and different attacks.

Predator Warrior (プレデター・ウォリアー)—The older of the two Predators, the Warrior is a well-balanced and powerful character with no weaknesses; he boasts excellent reach, damage, and priority in all of his attacks.

Predator Hunter (プレデター・ハンター)—The Hunter is the younger of the two Predators. He plays similarly to the Warrior, but lacks the quick recovery and high priority in many of his attacks. However, he compensates with having a more damaging jumping dive attack.

Major Dutch Schaefer (ダッチ・シェーファー)—Dutch is named after and roughly based on Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in the original Predator film. He is a human cyborg and has a cybernetic arm with a smart gun mounted on it. His attacks are powerful but slow, and he dashes forward instead of jumping. Dutch is able to powerbomb enemies for massive damage. ScrewAttack included him on their 2011 list of top ten space marines in video games.

Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa (リン・クロサワ)—Linn is a human cyborg who uses a handgun and katana as weapons and can execute several martial arts attacks. She is faster and more agile than Dutch, but is less powerful and has a shorter reach with her regular combo.

Developer(s) Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Designer(s) Tetsuya Iijima
Toshihiko Uda
Jun Matsumura
Programmer(s) Cham Cho Choy
Arikichi Kiyoko
Yoshihiro Kimura
Artist(s) Yoko Fukumoto
Hisashi Kisanuki
Chika Iwai
Composer(s) Hideki Okugawa
Platform(s) Arcade
Release May 20, 1994
Genre(s) Beat 'em up
Mode(s) Up to 3 players simultaneously
Arcade system CP System II - JAMMA

#Alien vs. Predator #capcom #arcadegames