Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (PSP)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 5.0 (2.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Shaun McInnis
• Reviewed on: 12/07/2007
• Released on: 11/13/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (PSP) Review

From beginning to end, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is an incredibly easy game. There's not a single moment in this third-person shooter when you feel the least bit challenged, whether in terms of combat, scavenger hunting, or its occasional attempts at platforming. Although it's true that a game's difficulty is hardly the sole indicator of its overall quality, every other part of the game is far too mired in blandness to prevent you from drifting off under the spell of mindlessly simple gameplay.

Ever the movie tie-in, AvP shares a similar plot with the upcoming film of the same name. In short, an alien ship has come crashing down in small-town Colorado, and you (the predator) must destroy all traces of this newfound extraterrestrial life in the area. Along the way, you'll also encounter a smattering of humans, both of the military and unarmed civilian variety. There's early promise when you gleefully toy with the predator technology at your disposal, such as invisibility cloaking, three types of special vision modes, and a handful of neat weapons. Unfortunately, that novelty quickly wears off as you discover there's rarely any strategic purpose in using any of it.

For this you can thank a combat system balanced too heavily in your favor, as well as level objectives marked out in painfully obvious detail. When it comes to fighting, you're basically invincible. Your health bar can be depleted, but if you're feeling particularly low you can simply bring up the map screen and literally choose the ability to restore all your health. The price for drinking at this fountain of eternal life? Your energy bar (which fuels cloaking and certain types of optional weaponry) depletes for a brief 10 seconds. On top of that, taking down enemies is as easy as pressing both shoulder buttons to lock on and using your preferred ranged weapon to kill them from afar; the need to mix up weaponry never once arises. Battling swarms of aliens and armed military personnel amounts quickly enough to more of a mild nuisance, akin to swatting flies, than anything resembling a compelling challenge.

One wrinkle added to the combat is the inclusion of honor points. They're a reward for not killing civilians and "tagging" an alien before you blast it away. The more you get, the more you can upgrade your predator's armor and weapons. The problem is that you can haphazardly kill anything that moves and still stumble into plenty of honor points. Furthermore, all they really do is make your already invincible predator that much more dominating.

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