Alien vs. Predator (1994). Play online

Summary

Alien vs. Predator bursts onto the arcade floor as a frantic three‑player beat ’em up where you can pick Dutch, Linn, a Predator hunter or a Predator warrior. The controls are simple—an eight‑directional stick and three buttons for attack, jump and shoot—but the game rewards you with a huge arsenal, from Dutch’s cybernetic arm to extendable spears and shoulder‑mounted energy cannons. Each character also carries a ranged weapon that refills over time, and you can snatch dropped grenades or flamethrowers mid‑run. The levels shift from a claustrophobic alien‑infested city to a final explosive showdown that sees a military ship careening into San Drad. Along the way the two human soldiers and the alien hunters forge a tense alliance against the Xenomorph swarm.

Critics loved the slick animation and over‑the‑top sound effects; GamePro gave it perfect scores, and EGM hailed it as what you’d expect from Capcom’s Street Fighter team. In the United States the cabinets were the most‑played titles according to RePlay, and Japanese arcade magazines ranked it among the top three hits of summer ’94. Interestingly, Capcom built the story around an abandoned film script, even swapping the comic‑book hero Machiko Noguchi for Lt. Linn Kurosawa while retaining Dutch Schaefer from the original Predator movie. A 32X home version was announced but never materialized, cementing the arcade board as the sole arena for this classic.

Storyline

Alien vs. Predator (AVP) drops players into San Drad, California, a town swamped by Xenomorph drones. Major Dutch Schaefer, a cyber‑enhanced Marine, and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa are abandoned by their chain of command and find themselves surrounded. Just as the Aliens close in, two Predators intervene, wiping out the swarm and proposing a temporary alliance.

Together the trio fights through seven distinct stages, eventually reaching the alien hive. Along the way they learn the infestation traces back to a secret bio‑war project run by renegade General Bush of Weyland‑Yutani. Boarding Bush’s launch ship, they stop his breeding program, watch the General cursed and then slain by a surviving Alien Queen, and finally defeat the Queen themselves.

With the hive destroyed, they set the ship on a collision course with San Drad, causing a massive explosion that eradicates every Alien on Earth. The Predator Warrior rewards Dutch and Linn with his wrist blades before disappearing, leaving the humans to wonder whether the hunters will return.