Predator 2

Alright, just like I said for the original Predator™ game on the NES™, you have to put these games into the proper perspective. We are spoiled these days by the Xbox 360™ and the Playstation 3™. When this game came out, the graphics and game-play were pretty good. While I wouldn't say it was the absolute best thing out there, for the time it was one of the more fun games out there. The story strayed very far from the movie itself, but back then most movie-based games did (remember Top Gun™?). Predator 2™ is a side-scroller which follows the same basic formula of every other game released at the time. Run forward, shoot misc. bad guys, jump, run forward, view weird little cut-scene prior to a boss fight, kill said boss. You cannot view this game from the perspective of the Xbox 360™ and Playstation 3™ generations, there is absolutely no possible way for the game to compete with 3D graphics, free-roaming game-play and all the post Mortal Kombat™ blood and gore. This game did a good job of stretching the available technology to its limit. I can't say that the story really made any sense, but I don't think games from the era ever did. (All your base are belong to us!) My point here is simple, if you are looking to do some serious retro-gaming, this is one of the better games to pick up. If you think you are wanting to do some serious retro-gaming and you then compare the game to something like Mass Effect™ or Predator: Concrete Jungle™, prepare to be disappointed. Fans of the Predator™ universe like myself will accept the Predator in any form and just accept that it took awhile for the games to evolve. It's like Star Wars™ in a way. I am a total Star Wars geek although I don't dress up like a Jedi or go to conventions, and I can accept the evolution of Star Wars™ games, from the old Atari 2600™ games, on to the NES™ games, step up to the SNES™ series, throw in a little N64™ and march straight on to the Xbox™ and later into some Force Unleashed®, all the while accepting that each game was the best they could do with the technology available. I encourage people to pick this game up if they have a way to play it, then as I said, start working up the ladder until you get to the modern Predator™ games, and there is a new AVP game launching early next year for the current generation consoles.

This game is a lot of fun. Be prepared for the old ways of button mashing and a little frustration (no hard drive, no memory cards, no save system beyond a system of complex codes that you have to enter every single time). Keep it in perspective and enjoy one of the best games for the time it came out, I just can't stress enough, don't play a Sega Genesis™ title and expect to get Playstation 3™ performance. I wish you happy gaming and may we all aspire to win that final boss battle in the sky!