In 2010, two of the most iconic sci-fi / horror brands clashed in a unique video game experience. Published by SEGA, Aliens Versus Predator (2010) brought the Xenomorph and Yautja to home consoles with three heart-pounding and creative single-player campaigns. Players could choose between the Alien, Predator, and Colonial Marine campaigns, in any order, and immerse themselves in a cohesive story told from different perspectives.

The Alien campaign features a Xenomorph named “Specimen 6,” a reference to the branding number burned into its carapace at “birth.” From the start, Six demonstrates rare intelligence, evading capture by scientists by burrowing back into its captive host to avoid the collection device mounted on the chest, instead bursting forth from its victim’s mouth. The campaign follows Six’s journey from Chestburster to eventual Queen, giving players a unique, immersive experience of the various life stages of the Xenomorph. The campaign is also simply a lot of fun, as players get to enjoy the abilities of the Xenomorph, scaling any surface, piercing victims with its tail and talons, and harvesting humans with Facehuggers. Stalking humans and performing stealth kills never gets old.

The Predator storyline follow “Dark,” a Youngblood Yautja hoping to prove worthy of being Elite. He arrives on planet to locate three missing Yautja who have likely been killed by Xenomorphs or the Colonial Marines. Along the way, he is tasked with killing the humans who have violated a sacred Yautja hunting ground, and eventually needs to face off against the Abomination, a Predalien created by the harvesting of a mortally wounded Yautja Elite (thanks to Specimen 6!). Players get to hunt with all the classic Predator weapons including a Smart Disc, Combistick, Plasmacaster, and even proximity mines, and also get to use classic Yautja tools like cloaking and bio-mask thermal vision. The play style for the Predator campaign truly lets players feel like they’re on a hunt; setting traps for humans or ruthlessly slashing Xenos with wristblades is endless fun.

The Colonial Marine campaign follows a young soldier nicknamed “Rookie,” or just “Rook.” After the USS Marlow is destroyed by a Yautja ship, the surviving marines must regroup on the planet and get the colony systems up and running again. Over the campaign, Rook battles Predators, Aliens, and WeyYu Synthetics alike and must survive a Xenomorph hive in an effort to get off the planet. This campaign has a good story and is still enjoyable to play, though it hasn’t aged as well as the others. Games like Aliens: Fireteam Elite provide a much better and more accurate Colonial Marines experience, but the fact that Rook’s story intertwines with the other two campaigns makes it more than worth the play.

Personally, I enjoyed the Alien campaign the best, as it’s just so rare to get to play in this universe as anything other than a Colonial Marine. More recently, Predator Hunting Grounds has scratched the itch to play as a Yautja; but I also really enjoyed the Predator campaign in Aliens Versus Predator. Replaying this 2010 game got me yearning for a remaster, or even a new AVP game set in a very small open-world. What could this type of experience be like on a modern console, with all the advancements in gaming? I would love to find out.

Tell us what you think! Which single-player campaign did you enjoy most from the 2010 Aliens Versus Predator Game? Share your reactions below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Facebook, and Twitter.

Featured Image: SEGA