Aliens versus Predator

Aliens versus Predator is a rare case of a game that turns a single license into three completely different experiences. The player chooses between a Colonial Marine, a Xenomorph, and a Predator, and each side has its own campaign, its own weapons, and above all its own way of moving through and perceiving space. The marine creeps through dark corridors with a flashlight and a motion tracker whose beeping ranks among the most nerve-wracking sounds in the genre's history. The Xenomorph runs across walls and ceilings, attacks up close, and navigates by feel in the dark, so the player has to master a disorienting freedom of movement. The Predator hunts from a distance, switches vision modes, uses cloaking, and collects trophies.

The three perspectives on the same environment work brilliantly, since a place you crept through in terror as a marine you later occupy from the predator's position. The original release was also notorious for its harsh difficulty, since you couldn't save at will and a mission had to be completed in one go, turning every advance into a tense gamble. Later releases eased the rules. Technically the game relied on colorful dynamic lighting, translucent effects, and smooth performance on the accelerators of the time, and although the environments are mostly metal corridors, the handling of darkness and sound holds the horror atmosphere together far better than texture detail ever could.

Contemporary reception was largely very favorable, and the game kept a strong multiplayer community, since asymmetric combat between three different species was something unique at the time. It's still considered one of the finest adaptations of both film franchises and a template that later attempts drew on as well. Today it's strongest as a horror experience: the marine campaign can still get you out of your chair, and the Xenomorph's movement hasn't lost its strangeness. Somewhat sparse levels and raw storytelling, though, give away its release year.