AvP's Back From the Dead (Again!) Thanks to Achievement Hunters and a Six-Pack Craving
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
A community revived the 2010 Aliens vs. Predator game on Steam to unlock a rare achievement, highlighting the importance of preserving online games and sparking a debate about who really gets to be the star of AvP.
Right, so *Aliens vs. Predator* (the 2010 edition, not the classic '99 one – important distinction, mates!) has pulled a Lazarus and clawed its way back into the Steam charts. Seems a community-run server gave the game a shot in the arm, spiking the player count to a whopping five thousand concurrent players. What's the fuss, you ask? Well, it all boils down to a single, elusive Steam achievement: 'The Six Pack.'
Apparently, a measly 2.2% of players managed to snag this bad boy. It requires you to play a ranked match with six Steam friends. Six! In this day and age, coordinating six anything is harder than herding cats. So, bless these dedicated gamers for organizing and giving this relic a new lease on life. It's a testament to what can happen when a publisher doesn't completely abandon their online games (take note, you corporate suits!).
I reckon it's also a good excuse to revisit Rebellion's stab at the *Alien* universe. The '99 game? Bloody brilliant! A claustrophobic, heart-pounding shooter where you're more likely to see an Alien's teeth than the whole damn thing until it’s chewing on your pulse rifle. The level design nicked straight from the films was mint, especially as a Xenomorph parkour simulator. The Predator bits? Let's just say they never quite nailed the silent hunter vibe (has *anyone* truly made a good Predator game? Fight me in the comments!).
The 2010 *AvP* got a proper kicking back in the day. Alec Meer (may his RPS soul rest in peace) called it "not a terrible singleplayer shooter, just a very ordinary one." Ouch. He did concede the multiplayer almost saved the day. I myself wasn't exactly head-over-heels when I reviewed it for some forgotten magazine. But this community effort to revive it? Makes me want to dust off my digital Pulse Rifle and scream into the void.
And fair play to those folks leaving Overwhelmingly Positive Steam reviews off the back of this revival. My favourite? The one moaning that it should be called 'Marines vs Aliens vs Predator.' I find that implication hilarious – that human players might feel left out in a game *called* *Aliens vs Predator*. It's like demanding Godzilla vs Kong gets renamed 'Godzilla vs Kong vs Commuters.'
Tags: Aliens vs Predator, Steam, Achievement Hunting, Rebellion, Community Revival
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun