Retro Coin Op Synopsis

The battle royale between two classic action movie bad guys spilled over onto arcade screens in 1994's Alien Vs. Predator, spreading Final Fight-like mayhem everywhere. A pair of Predators joined human Marines Major Dutch Schaefer and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa on a quest to rid our planet of those long-headed, acid-spewing monsters from the Alien movies.

As the game opened, Dutch and Linn were assaulted at the HQ of the Wayland Yutani Corporation’s biological weapons division. The Aliens wiped out every other human in sight, and even the two butt-kicking Marines were near doom when a Predator Warrior and Hunter arrived to join the fray.

Up to three players could share the screen on Alien Vs. Predator, teaming up against the numberless Aliens that tried to destroy them. Like most side-scrolling fighting games, this one featured old-fashioned brawling, along with a smattering of special moves. But in addition to the traditional “attack” and “jump/charge” buttons, Alien Vs. Predator also gave its combatants auxiliary weapons, allowing them to blast away at the oncoming hordes.

Unfortunately for our scrappy heroes, ammo was limited, and after running down the reload status bar, the fighters had to wait for their guns to recharge. Poor Linn actually had to reload manually, leaving her momentarily defenseless against the swarming Aliens.

As an extra help (and you needed all you could get), various bonus weapons were scattered along the trail to the Aliens’ lair, everything from Predator hunting discs and halberds to grenades, smart guns and more. Dutch was the only one who could handle all of these properly, but the other three warriors could still hurl them at the Aliens to cause a fair bit of damage.

Bolstered by advanced graphics and sound, Alien Vs. Predator got creepier and creepier as the levels wore on. After passing through the desolated city, Dutch, Linn and their dreadlocked compatriots passed down into the sewers, on top of a moving armored personnel carrier, into the Alien Queen’s lair and beyond.

Every aspect of the game was designed to be as faithful to the two film series as possible, right down to the slime on the Alien Queen’s egg-laying tube. Gamers worldwide were apparently satisfied with the translation, as Alien Vs. Predator turned into a scary, tense, action-packed hit. But despite their successful crossover in the arcades and in comic books, the Aliens and the Predators have yet to work out a movie deal together. And a nation of fanboys waits...

Arcade Machine Release History

1994 - Alien Vs. Predator

Arcade Game Sub Categories

action
adventure
fighting

Machine Manufacturer

Capcom

Other Arcade Game Links