When I was a kid, nothing – literally, nothing (Well, OK, except maybe blowing up model rocket ships) – was cooler than the film Aliens. At that time, for me, the first film was too creepy and there was only one alien – and there were no Pulse Rifles. That was a huge problem for my twelve-year-old mind [Note: I was born in 1983, so my first experience with Aliens was on TV (FOX), obviously edited to be less brutal than the big screen version]

I fell in love with the Colonial Marines and their insane weaponry. I feel in love with the imagery of crazy gunfights – pitched battles against hordes of HR Gieger’s biomechanical nightmares. That love never really left, even after Alien 3, Alien Resurrection and two not-so-great Alien vs. Predator movies. I am not a fan of any of those flicks. But, the myhology, the lore, the awesomeness of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s accent in the first Predator film – still love all that.

So when the offer came around to do a Q&A with the Project Lead of the new Aliens vs. Predator game, I jumped. Tim Jones and the fine folks at Rebellion are responsible for the 1999 PC game of the same name – which (since I’m an Aliensnerd
) I of course loved.

William Vitka: Alien vs. Predator is, if nothing else, a franchise near and dear to fans’ hearts. The films never got the pairing quite right (much to fans’ chagrin), but most people feel as though Rebellion’s 1999 shooter did. Is there something your team understands that Hollywood doesn’t? Or put another way, is this kind of story only really tell-able through gaming?

Tim Jones: It’s important to remember that the AvP films were pretty successful in their own right, and brought these iconic creations to a whole new audience. A big difference to the way we approach the pairing is that our game is set in the far future, as a part of James Cameron’s Aliens universe, bringing the ass-kicking Colonial Marines into the fray. That’s a huge part of the gameplay, and a huge part of the uniqueness of the title: three singeplayer campaigns; three-way multiplayer combat.

Vitka: What prompted the decision to revisit the AVP world?

Jones: Less a decision, more a compulsion. AvP is in Rebellion’s blood, and many of the original team members – including me! – still work for the company. We’ve wanted to do this for a very long time.

Vitka: The 2010 version of the game has a similar structure to the 1999 version (three storylines, three races, intertwined), but what is this version bringing to the table that we haven’t seen before?

Jones: The advances in technology and aesthetics should be obvious. Accessibility is also a big thing for us this time around. This is a cross-platform title launching into a much bigger marketplace. While we’ve created something that’ll thrill the hardcore fans of the original title, it’s also something more casual gamers can pick up, play and have fun with immediately.

Vitka: Was there something in particular that couldn’t have been accomplished in 1999 that is within reach now?

Jones: In some ways the shift in the marketplace is critical. This is going out to a much bigger audience, with ads on TV and in movie theatres, and reviews in mainstream magazines as well as the more traditional games media. We’re not in Kansas anymore.

Vitka: What’s the story, the narrative, in the game? We know that it will unfold largely through the Colonial Marine campaign and snippets overheard as either the Predator or the Alien. But that’s all, Why are the humans always, always colonizing the wrong worlds?!

Jones: Actually, for the Weyland-Yutani corporation, this is very much the RIGHT world, with a myriad of both technological and biological finds. Their only failure is in the containment of those finds…

It’s fair to say the Marine Campaign features the most traditional narrative, but there’s plenty of story to be told for both the Alien and Predator player characters. With the Predator, for example, you’ll learn a great deal about the Yautja civilisation’s mythology and their long-standing symbiotic relationship with the Xenomorphs.

Vitka: The Predator missions seem to be more stealth-based (much like with the previous game). Even though he’s physically strong, he is a hunter, after all. What might one mission through the eyes of the Predator be like?

Jones: Cloaked, the Predator leaps from branch to branch and tree to tree, looking for prey in the dense jungle of Planet BG-386. Hearing the tense banter of nervous Colonial Marines on patrol, the Predator switches to Heat Vision mode, and zooms in. Three marines. Three targets. “Over here!” Mimicking a human voice, the Predator distracts one marine away from the patrol, sneaks up behind him and dispatches him with a silent stealth kill. Two remain. With a blast from the Plasma Caster one disappears into a mist of blood and body parts. Panicked, his buddy opens fire. With an angry roar the Predator leaps in, closing the distance with lightning speed and taking the head of his final target as a trophy. But alone on the jungle floor the Predator realizes he is not alone. A Xenomorph scream penetrates the background noise of the jungle. The Predator unsheathes his wristblades and prepares for the fight to get up close and personal. The hunt is on.

Vitka: The Aliens also seem to be tied into stealth action. Individually, they aren’t strong – and if the movies showed us anything, well-placed pulse rifle rounds have the unfortunate ability to pop their banana heads. Staying in the dark seems like a good idea. But the Aliens always had numbers on their side (except for the first film). Will our player-controlled Alien be leading any charges against the Predator or Colonial Marines?

Jones: Certainly, the Alien Player will be accompanied by broodmates from its Hive from time to time- especially during the escape from the Weyland-Yutani laboratory where it is held captive. But we like to think of our Alien Player as the elite ninja of the brood. It kills or takes its prey as hosts equally well on its own. Most importantly, that engenders the stealth gameplay that was a big part of our mission statement for this species.

Vitka: The Colonial Marine’s campaign from the original AVP was terrifying. There you were: a weak, meaty human, low on ammo, and around every corner was either the shimmer of the Predator’s cloaking device or the squirm of slick-black biomechanical terror. And it’s dark. And you’re alone. And everyone seems to be dead or dying. How much horror is Rebellion putting into the Marines’ campaign?

Jones: Survival horror was one of our watchwords for the Marine Campaign. You’ll be afraid. Very afraid. But the tension and fear will be punctuated by all-out action as befits a game which draws a large stream of its influence and heritage from James Cameron’s Aliens.

Vitka: Will the Colonial Marine campaign be a solitary experience? Will you have teammates?

Jones: For the most part, you will be alone in the dark. But it wouldn’t be an Aliens title if you didn’t have squadmates along for the ride from time to time. Many will be lost to Aliens or Predators in horrific and spectacular ways. Others will be more precious to you, and you’ll fight to keep them alive.

Vitka: The multiplayer will involve Marine vs. Alien vs. Predator, right? Or as Sega put it: “tooth-to-claw-to-pulse rifle” That seems to be a fantasy come true. How crazy do the fights get? How many players are supported at one time? How difficult was it to balance the three races?

Jones: Absolutely. In some ways, this is the most unique aspect of the title. Three species, online, fighting in free-for-all or team-based deathmatch modes. Balancing took a very long time, and will continue past the point of release as we provide ongoing support for the title. Bear in mind, though, that there are modes that focus on the unique relationship between two of the three species as well. Infestation, Predator Hunt, Domination and Survivor all brings something new and different to the party. Believe me, it gets crazy. Can’t wait to see you online.

Vitka: Lance Henriksen’s involvement in the game practically makes it a must-buy for me. I know he isn’t the android Bishop, but he is instead Mr. Weyland. As an Aliens-veteran, did Lance have any suggestions for his character? What was he like to work with?

Jones: Producer Paul Mackman, who directed the voice record, was a little nervous about working with Lance, one of his childhood heroes. But as it turns out, Lance is a deeply cool guy. Karl Bishop Weyland, the character Lance plays in AvP, kinda ties together all the other characters Lance has played in the franchise to date. Lance dug that, and really dug the script we put together. That enthusiasm made the voice record a pretty smooth ride.

Vitka: Can you tell us anything about his character’s purpose in the game?

Jones: Weyland is in some ways the unifying agent between all three campaigns. As a director of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, founded by his ancestor Charles Bishop Weyland, it is he that presses for the exploration of the Predator Ruins discovered on Planet BG-386 and insists on the horrific Xenomorph experiments that follow. For all three species he is an adversary of some kind – and for the Alien Player, a father of sorts. But he’s not a one-dimensional bad guy. Ruthless, sure, but his primary goal is progress, and profit for Weyland-Yutani shareholders. And as you might expect, he harbours some dark secrets.

Vitka: We all heard about the controversy the game caused in Australia (and congratulations to you and Sega in winning the appeal) – what was the driving force behind deciding not to tone down the violence?

Jones: I think one of the reasons that the original AvP film did not work for many of the existing fanbase was that they toned down the violence. You can’t be true to the IP and the heritage of these two iconic movie monsters unless they commit some pretty violent acts – and the Marine Campaign wouldn’t be half as scary without the threat of them. This isn’t gratuitous violence, and it’s not human-on-human. SEGA had our backs on this, which was great, and pushed for an appeal. Thankfully, the Australian ratings board saw the light. With a little help from the Aussie general public. Nice one, guys!