Aliens vs Predator demo – unleash the terror

The downloadable demo of the latest AVP (developed by Rebellion and distributed by SEGA), which is set to launch on February 16 (North America) and February 19 (Europe) on the XBox 360, PS3 and Windows is for trigger-happy gamers who love eating aliens for breakfast.

And, mark my word, the demo is as scary as hell. Not scary in the terrifying sense but the sound effects and the ultra-real graphics that make you sit on the edge of your seat could make this a seminal classic.

Like other sci-fi shooter titles like Half Life or Doom, AVP has several levels containing gory skirmishes between the two out-of-world species (Alien and Predator, duh!) and you, a marine, is unfortunately caught in the middle of this bloody battle.

There's no complex storyline, no plot as such but it doesn't mean it's a mindless game because the mantra is survival and he who survives, wins. No matter how.

Besides playing the character of a member of humanity's last line of defence the United States Marine Corps, who have several choices of outlandish weapons (an intimidating arsenal of weapons that include assault rifles with grenade launchers, shotguns that can fire from both barrels at once, a smart gun that automatically targets enemies for you, and a flame thrower) to tear their enemies apart but are more vulnerable than the other two species, you can also play the role of the Predator, whose invisibility cloak, ferocious prowess, exotic weapons and tracking equipment makes it a killer machine on the prowl, or the role of an Alien, which banks on stealth, agility, surprise attacks uses steel-trap-like jaws and blade-like claws to make its kill. In other words, with AVP you get three different campaigns to play despite them all beginning with the same cutscene.

As for the learning curve, thankfully it's not too steep as far as this title is concerned because all you need to do is make sure that the enemy species depart from this world in the nastiest way possible before you do, which includes riddling your enemies with bullets, if you're a Marine; separating your enemies' spine from the torso, if you're a Predator; or clawing your enemies to a painful death if you're an Alien.

Meanwhile, word is also out that the latest AVP title will feature seven separate multiplayer modes such as Death Match, Infestation, Mixed Species Death Match, Survivor, Predator Hunt and Domination.

In other words, the MP mode sounds as delicious as the SP mode.

"For FPS fans that are getting burnt out on the same formula of guns and grenades, we are excited to bring a completely unique experience with Aliens vs Predator. Whether you like to hunt your prey as a Predator, become the stuff of nightmares as the Alien or battle against all odds as a Colonial Marine, this game has something for all fans." said Sean Ratcliffe, VP of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "The demo will allow gamers to get a taste of what it's like to step in the shoes of some of the most iconic movie characters of all time."