How to make a good Alien vs. Predator game: 3 Tips

The latest Aliens vs. Predator reboot is not faring as well as we all had hoped. Leaving us all wondering if we will ever see a truly great game based on either of these beloved series. Here’s a quick list of things that could put an end to the string of mediocre Alien vs. Predator games we’ve seen thus far.

Focus on Story
Every Aliens vs. Predator game we’ve seen puts little effort into crafting a well penned storyline. Too much emphasis is placed on getting the different species akin to their film counterparts that the story gets swept to the side. We need to nip this bad habit in the butt first and foremost if we want to create an intriguing narrative that gamers legitimately want to discover. A lot of area has yet to be explored in the Alien and Predator universe. Both franchises have deep back stories with tons of literature. Developers need to learn to pull from these sci-fi novels in order to form a solid foundation for their characters to thrive in. If you focus on the story first, the species will come naturally because they’ll have a compelling world to ravish.

Pick one or the other
Appealing to both Alien and Predator fans broadens the market for potential buyers, but I have never met an Alien fan that wasn’t also a Predator fan, or visa versa. Developers would not be limiting their audience by choosing to focus on one species per game, instead of splitting it up evenly in one. The approach Rebellion took with the mini-campaigns from various species standpoints was such a great idea, but instead of having 1 satisfying story mode we were given 3 shallow mini-modes. Each specie has such depth that pitting them against each other makes the battle between species the focus, rather than surviving the horror that they present to humans. The idea of Aliens vs. Predators is gimmicky, splitting them up makes it seem less of a re-enactment of a fan-boy fantasy.

Tend to the Cult
Fan-boys are the life force behind every great franchise. Thankfully for the Alien and Predator series having super fans isn’t an issue, catering to their needs is. Since fans of the series are going to be the only ones buying an AvP game you have to do the fans justice. Give them exactly what they want. This means you are going to have to recreate the elements from the original films that made them fall in love with the series to begin with. Some must-haves of the Alien franchise would be tight confined spaces, the feeling of isolation, a strong cast of characters with tons of personality, suspense, mystery, and the sense you are being hunted. Predator fans are going to want intense action, futuristic technology, in your face combat, and the feeling of the hunter becoming the hunted. I’m not talking about recreating the films. I’m talking about capturing the subtleties of the original source material and implementing them into new and interesting gameplay.