Alien Vs Predator (Jaguar)

Just a sort of random topic, but I played Alien vs. Predator on the Atari Jaguar (okay, an emulator). The funny thing is, I always see this touted as the holy grail for the Jaguar (well, this and Tempest 2000). I know the Jaguar doesn't have the greatest game library ever (understatement), but for this to be considered it's greatest game, it must be worse than I thought. The gameplay is repetitive, the enemies are repetitive (to my knowledge only 2 different types depending on who you play as), and the whole thing chugs along at a few frames per second. It does have a couple of redeeming factors, the different modes are interesting, and the atmosphere can be creepy with just the ambient sound(although that might have just been technological restraints) and alien noises. Still, I don't think that's enough to elevate things past mediocrity.

And before any of the "you needed to have played it at the time" people come out, wasn't there a version of Doom on the Jaguar too? Doom blows AvP out of the water in almost every category. With AvP you're restricted to the same boring corridors, only every once in a while they get a palette swap to the alien ship version. And you also might get to crawl through a few air ducts if you're lucky. I think a lot of the hype behind this game was just Jaguar fans deluding themselves into thinking it was great since there wasn't really much else. Sort of like when you used to rent a game and were stuck with it for a few days and you tried to play it regardless of the quality. It does have some unique ideas (ie the Predator "Honor" System, and the ability to create new aliens by cocooning humans") but like I said before they aren't really enough.

I don't want to bash it too much though, at some point it just becomes a game of kick the autistic. It's not egregiously bad, it's moreso just like a 2nd/3rd rate Playstation game.

I played it back in the day and thought it was way overhyped. The multiple character/playstyles was cool but the frame rate was horrible and the level design was dull. Jag AvP is pretty much in between Doom's arcade-y action and System Shock's action-adventure styles but it isn't half the game either of those classics are.

Doom is a much better game than AVP on the Jag in pretty much every aspect (aside from being an exclusive) . . . AVP runs at a higher resolution, but at a considerably lower framerate. (and the levels are limited to simpler wolf3D-like maps, etc, etc)

There are much better games on the Jag than AvP, and on a genre basis, Doom would be the best FPS for sure. (Ray Man would probably be the best platformer, T2K is great in its own right -just a good, fun, addictive arcade-style game, and quite a few others depending on your interests -albeit there's also a few super rare/expensive games that aren't really practical for the average collector to get -like battlesphere, Skyhammer, Zero 5, and such)

First I just want to say that AVP is not the best game on the Jag, there are a number of much better games on the system.

But secondly and far more importantly Jag emulation is bloody terrible at best so it will play NOTHING like it does on the real hardware.

Yeah, I haven't been able to get any games to work even remotely well on an emulator. I was relatively let down when I finally got my Jag last year along with Alien vs Predator though. It is pretty low framerate and the only benefit is the huge characters and resolution. I haven't picked it up but a few times, but I keep looking for a reason to. Maybe it had some sort of unique level design for a Wolf3D type game?

I remember playing it 11 years ago when I first bought my Jag. I didn't get to play it much cause I ended up loosing my Jag in the very first car I had. :(

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Originally Posted by Crackdown

First I just want to say that AVP is not the best game on the Jag, there are a number of much better games on the system.

But secondly and far more importantly Jag emulation is bloody terrible at best so it will play NOTHING like it does on the real hardware.

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I have the real hardware and AVP. The game is just horrible, with bad frame-rates, crappy level designs and too many dead areas.

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Originally Posted by sheath

Maybe it had some sort of unique level design for a Wolf3D type game?

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That's probably the weakest part of it. From what I played anyway. I don't recall there being many different types of environments or rooms or anything, there was occasionally a room with a computer or power up/weapon or something but past that it just felt like you had been dropped into a rat maze with no sense of progression. I saw someone compare it to those old windows screensavers. I haven't played much of Wolfenstein but from what I've seen of it there seems to be more enemy and environment variation in that.

Question for anyone who has played it, are there any enemies in AvP aside from Aliens/Marines/Predators? I know there's an Alien Queen at the end, but is that all they bothered with? I even mean like palette swaps too.

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Originally Posted by JRedmond3

Question for anyone who has played it, are there any enemies in AvP aside from Aliens/Marines/Predators? I know there's an Alien Queen at the end, but is that all they bothered with? I even mean like palette swaps too.

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Face huggers.

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Originally Posted by gamevet

I have the real hardware and AVP. The game is just horrible, with bad frame-rates, crappy level designs and too many dead areas.

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I personally think its a really good game but each to their own. Like I said though there are plenty of better Jaguar games like Tempest 2000, Iron Soldeir 1&2, Super Burnout, Missile Command 3D, Protector: SE and Doom for a start.

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Originally Posted by sheath

Yeah, I haven't been able to get any games to work even remotely well on an emulator. I was relatively let down when I finally got my Jag last year along with Alien vs Predator though. It is pretty low framerate and the only benefit is the huge characters and resolution. I haven't picked it up but a few times, but I keep looking for a reason to. Maybe it had some sort of unique level design for a Wolf3D type game?

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I've gotten a handful of games to work OK in Project Tempest . . . many actually play much smoother than on real hardware -Doom and Checkered Flag both do this. (a ton of games don't work right or at all though)

The game is pretty slow but once you get into it its pretty good, certainly nowhere near the best on the Jag though Super Burnout and Tempest 2000 are great games.

I wouldn't really judge it from emulation, before i bought a Jag i tried the emulation and thought it was pretty craptacular.

It's funny how almost everyone @ AtariAge likes AvP better than Doom. I've played them only by the means of emulation but still Doom is a much better game IMO despite no music during gameplay in the port.

From what I've experienced Jaguar emulation is pretty bad, and any opinion based on playing games in emulation is most likely worthless in this instance (emulation simply isn't very representative here), which is a shame as Jaguar games really aren't worth paying out money for real copies for.

But from what I've seen AvP is emulated perfectly by Project Tempest. Doom has some framerate issues (too fast sometimes) though.