Rebellion trying to make good with Aliens vs. Predator

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that Rebellion, the developer charged with bringing Aliens vs. Predator to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, is responsible for two of the worst games in recent memory. Shellshock 2: Blood Trails and Rogue Warrior aren’t just bad games, they are true Hall of Shame contenders. If one were teaching a class in how to make an embarrassing game, these two disasters would be worthy textbooks.

In an interview with Xbox 360 Magazine, Rebellion Lead Designer Alex Moore addressed the elephant (or Alien queen, as it were) in the room. Despite a checkered past, Moore believes Rebellion will prove itself here.

“I thought this question would come up and I suppose it’s something you’ve got to ask. I would hope that people can see that Rebellion’s roots are in AvP. We’ve put an awful lot of time and effort and investment into AvP. Just the devotion to it and the fact that… I’ve got to be so careful what I say. I would hope that people can see that Rebellion’s roots are in AvP.”

Gamers know bad games sometimes happen. We know that often games are dropped in developers’ laps with ridiculous deadlines and horrible games get out the door as a result. Rebellion’s history as the developer of the fondly remembered 1999 PC title is giving a lot of us hope past mistakes are just that, in the past.

Major problems in the demo that went live last week have done little to reassure gamers that Rebellion is going to deliver the much anticipated goods here. Matchmaking took forever for many players and was a mixed bag when it did start. Rebellion later released a new demo, but there is no patch for bad PR.

It hasn’t helped Rebellion that early reviews have been all over the place. Game Informer hit Aliens vs. Predator with a 5.75 out of 10, while UK Official Xbox Magazine gave it an 8 out of 10. Even in that largely favorable review, OXM said the Alien and Predator campaigns weren’t as good as the Colonial Marine campaign. OXM also noted the graphics, admitting AvP “isn’t the prettiest game.” Dated graphics have been a complaint in most of the negative reviews.

On the other hand, with these two huge licenses in tow this game may not even need to be that good to sell millions of copies. Campaign missions are important and shouldn’t be phoned in by a developer but multiplayer is what will sell this game to the masses.

Here’s hoping this game proves largely enjoyable to an extremely dedicated fanbase. After the recent movies, fans of Aliens and Predator don’t need much more disappointment in their lives.

This much debated game releases February 16, 2010, on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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