WADE MANNS – The Corsair
By SEGA and Rebellion
Genre: First-person shooter/sneaker
Few things genuinely terrify me so much as the Xenomorphs of the Aliens franchise. It’s the look, as well as behavior, of the monstrous Xenomorphs, designed by surrealist artist H.R. Giger, which sets my heart pounding and adrenaline flowing when I watch the movies or play the games, and hear that telltale ping of the Marines’ motion trackers. Then, their method of reproduction is just disgusting in itself.
That’s why I was immensely relieved to learn back in the 90s that a comic series had been released that pairs that horrific species with the bloodthirsty yet honorable Predators, and sets them against each other. It’s just unfortunate that humans are caught right in the middle of the masked, dreadlocked humanoids’ endless hunt against the grotesque monstrosities.
Many video games and several movies were also released that chronicled the struggle among the three species, but the most recent game, released in 2010 by SEGA and developed by Rebellion, is somewhat connected to the first recent movie. You can play as a Marine, which bears the most resemblance to a standard FPS, or as a Predator hunting both humans and Xenomorphs, or as the very species which terrifies me so, known somewhat confusingly as simply Aliens (the Predators are just as much alien to us).
Predators are vicious and brutal killers, but they didn’t know or care about humans; their prey was always the Aliens. But when we violated the Predators’ sacred hunting grounds, which just so happened to be on Earth, in South America (in the first Predator movie) as well as the various planets that were colonized by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (in comics, movies, and games), the Predators decided we had to pay with our lives. This, along with the mindlessly ravenous Aliens, and corrupt corporate executive Weyland’s ambitious drive for more money (which involves preserving a Xenomorph specimen, just as the company wanted in Aliens), threatens humanity’s hold on the colony.
Multiplayer modes also exist, but due to the age of the game as well as most players being on consoles (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), I have not been able to test the PC version’s multiplayer. But according to the menus, standard (deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, etc.) as well as special modes exist. There does seem to be a great deal of potential for multiplayer, because of the diversity of the three species, but I haven’t been able to see it yet. I’m sure it’s great, though.
If you like science fiction stories that can turn quite horrific at times, I’d advise you to check out the Aliens vs. Predator franchise as a whole, as well as this game. It’s a little derivative at times (at least in the Marine’s story), but it’s still quite a strong title. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.