AvP: Gaming's Deadliest Rivalry

The war between science fiction's most profitable extraterrestrial races has raged across multiple media for almost three decades now. Beginning as a series of comics in 1990, the Aliens vs Predator franchise has since spawned three novels, two blockbuster movies and even a line of action figures, but their definitive battles have taken place in video games.

In 1994, developer Rebellion turned the crossover concept into one of the decade’s most atmospheric first-person shooters with the Atari Jaguar exclusive AvP. The game may not have been enough to save the ill-fated console from silicone hell, but its legacy remained strong within the genre, influencing the studio to revisit the series in 1999.

Seemingly, you can't keep a good franchise down. Early next year, the developer will attempt to build on its success with 1999's AvP with a brand new title of the same name. But are there any avenues left to explore within this universe, or is Rebellion merely flogging a dead Xenomorph?

Battle Lines Are Drawn

It's a common misconception that the idea of pitting the two races against one another originated with the film Predator 2, in which an alien skull can be seen mounted in a trophy case. The crossover, in fact, was actually born on the pages of a Dark Horse comic, published almost one year before the movie sequel.

According to the comic book publisher, Aliens vs Predator was the result of a brainstorming session headed by writer Chris Warner. Many of the themes featured in the recent movie and video game adaptations were taken directly from the Dark Horse books.

The crossover storyline created quite a stir in the comic book world, remaining one of the publisher's most profitable licences to date. Notable releases in the series include the graphic novels Deadliest Of The Species and Thrill Of The Hunt. The concept has since been expanded, throwing other iconic characters from external IPs into the mix.

Several years later, the intergalactic conflict was fought on a new front... the home console. Debuting on the SNES in 1993, Activision's Aliens vs Predators was a beat-em-up centring around a hard-as-nails predator on an alien-infested earth. Inspired by the original Dark Horse books, the game showed some potential, with shoulder cannons, razor-sharp disks and a stealth mechanic to play around with, but suffered from the same limitations as of many other games of its kind.

Slugging your way through hordes of aliens might sound compelling, but the side-scroller offered little variety, and despite a few theme-specific bells and whistles, will forever be remembered as another generic brawler. An arcade port and a Game Boy exclusive titled The Last Of His Clan followed in its wake, but gamers were treated to the definitive AvP experience one year later, when Rebellion and Atari unleashed their collaboration.

Aliens vs Predator (1994)

AvP was one of Atari's most memorable Jaguar releases. After several delays slammed the brakes on its launch, fan anticipation had reached critical mass by the time the title finally hit in September of 1994.

What made the game unique within the first-person shooter genre was its emphasis on strategy over gunplay, with three playable races offering their own unique mission objectives and gameplay mechanics.

Players were given the choice between an alien, charged with rescuing its captive queen from a predator base; a predator sent to vanquish the alien queen; or a colonel marine on board a base that has been invaded by both bloodthirsty races. The alien offered the ability to traverse air vents and a respawning mechanism, while the predator could heal and cloak itself. The marine may have been at a physical disadvantage, but had access to some serious firepower, packing a pulse rifle, flamethrower and smart gun.

The game was hailed as much for its tangible atmosphere as it was for its variety and strategic focus. It still stands up well today, despite its visuals looking somewhat dated, and has become something of a rarity, with boxed editions selling for as much as £100 on auction sites.

Aliens Versus Predator (1999)

The Atari Jaguar may have been an ephemeral machine, but AvP's legacy was anything but. The game garnered a cult following and was highly sought after the console was decommissioned. In 1999, Rebellion chased away our perpetual withdrawal symptoms, releasing the acclaimed Aliens Versus Predator, which bore all of its predecessor's hallmarks.

Again, we were treated to a visceral first-person shooter with three optional races and their individual campaigns, but this 1999 PC release had a number of crucial differences. The most obvious of these was a graphical overhaul, but notable gains were also made in size and scope, with the game building on material handed down from both the Alien and Predator film series. The plot was considerably more complex, with the three standalone storylines taking the player on a galactic journey, visiting locations from both media franchises.

Several expansions were released for the game in the ensuing years, before its sequel Alien Versus Predator 2 emerged in 2001 to an equally strong reception.

Aliens vs Predator (2010)

The current console generation has been good to first-person shooter fanatics. The likes of Call Of Duty 4 and Killzone 2 have pushed the genre's boundaries considerably since aliens and predators last clashed on our gaming systems, but Rebellion has a sound blueprint to work from as well as a few aces up its sleeve.

Currently in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 under the working title of Aliens vs Predator, the Sega-published project will be released as part of the firm's forthcoming series of Aliens games licensed by Twentieth Century Fox.

Helmed by the same development team behind the 1999 incarnation, the new game will once again feature the usual suspects - alien, predator and colonel marine - only this time their storylines will interweave, rather than standalone.

Strong multiplayer support is essential to any contemporary first-person shooter and Sega has promised to deliver a unique three-way experience, pitting the three races against each other in a free-for-all battle for survival.

The plot appears to have taken some of its cues from the first AvP movie, with a group of colonist miners disturbing a malevolent from its eternal slumber inside an ancient pyramid. Across the stars, a race of warriors is alerted to the discovery and dispatches a group of hunters to prevent the evil from re-emerging.

It’s safe to assume that the aforementioned evil is referring to the aliens, while the race of warriors is the predators, with humanity caught somewhere in between.

The Aliens vs Predator franchise has come a long way since its humble beginnings on the pages of a comic book, with gaming proving to be its definitive medium so far. There's still some uncharted territory for developer Rebellion to explore in the an age of thriving online multiplayer communities, and with new technology reportedly incorporated in its production, gaming's deadliest rivalry looks certain to turn deadlier come 2010.