Aliens versus Predator offers three separate campaigns, each playable as a separate species: Alien, Predator, or human Colonial Marine. Each player character has different objectives, abilities, and weapons. The single-player campaign presents the player with a conventional series of levels to progress through that are designed around the abilities of each character. As the Colonial Marine the player uses a number of weapons to combat Aliens and Predators. The marine wears armor for protection and uses an image intensifier and flares to improve visibility in dark areas. When playing as the Predator the player uses a variety of weapons from the Predator films such as wrist blades, a throwing disc, and shoulder-mounted energy weapons. The Predator is the most durable of the three player characters and can survive falls from greater heights than the human. The player can use a cloaking device to become invisible and several different modes of vision to detect enemies, including an infrared vision mode and a mode sensitive to electrical systems. As an Alien the player can explore most of the game's environments freely, even climbing across walls and ceilings. The Alien has no weapons, however, using its claws, tail, and jaws to attack enemies. The screen is distorted into a fish eye lens effect to reflect the Alien's field of view. The player can also use a form of echolocation in dark areas and can detect pheromones to discern human or Predator enemies. The Alien can drop from any height without injury and is the fastest of the three player characters. Several bonus levels allow each player character access to portions of the missions of the other characters. To allow the marine and Predator characters to traverse through the areas of the Alien missions, the player is supplied with a jet pack for the marine and a grappling hook for the Predator.
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The Colonial Marines are the most user freindly of the three and play very simialr to other FPS games. The direclect space stations and recreations of movie setpeices where great. The sounds of the guns all sounded great especially for 1999. The motion tracker especially was amazing. The sound and beep with the flashing dots showing movement worked just like the movie and is your best friend in this game. The aliens were damn fast and spread out. They can climb walls and ceilings so you need to act fast. At the same time you couldn't go guns ablazing so easily as ammo needs to be rationed and blood from the aliens could be quite devestating on the harder modes. All the classic marine weapons are here and all have good use and power. Going up against the predators are the enemies that use more strats and take more hits.
Playing as the aliens is something really different. You only have two attacks. Claw swipes and a head bite. Head bites are insta kills but have to be super close range and wait for the right timing. Aliens also die really fast you gotta be careful when your in the cross fire. The speciality of the alien is that he can run the fastest and can walk on walls. Changing your positoning and climbing around and pouncing on your target is the way to go. It's really hard to get used to the camera when you change planes and start climbing around the ceiling and stuff. I find it hard to oriant myself at times and die but once you master it, it feels like you move like sonic the hedghog. The hardest of the three.
Then you have the predator. He has all his weapons and gizmos from the movie. Just like aliens all the sound effects and they way his weapons look are straight out of the movies. The predator is more of a stealth character. You have unlimited ability to go invisible but it's set on a cool down timer IIRC. Predator is all about the stealth kills and zoning. He has his shoulder canon but he can't really doesn't have a high firing rate and all of his skills have cooldown timers outside his claw strikes. You can also take on trophies of your victims if you kill them right.
The game has an excellent single player campaign that's worth it alone but the game also has multiplayer as well. I didn't get to play it cause I didn't have online at the time but I can imagine it was really good cause thier was a cumunnity for it that still actively playing it even after AVP2. All three classes are balanced very well. I can tell that just from the single player. Make sure you play the GOLD version as that one has the most refined features and updates. I remember the game didn't have quick saves before that or somthing. AVP is a rare gem and an excellent recreation of the movies it's based on. Still the best game for both series IMO.