Alien vs. Predator (1993). Play online

Summary

Alien vs Predator (often just called AVP) is a SNES beat‑’em‑up that drops you into the skin of a Predator hunting down Aliens across several stages. The console version lets you flick into temporary invisibility and charge an energy cannon that can blast every enemy on screen, giving the familiar ‘cloaking’ feel from the movies.
Jorudan, the studio behind titles like Xardion and Musya, built the game under Activision’s guidance, with designers Mitoshi Asakawa and Y. Furusawa and a pixel art crew that includes Hisaya Yabusaki and Yasuhiko Kikuchi. Tenpei Sato supplied a synth‑driven soundtrack that amps up the jungle‑planet vibe.
The Japanese release, titled Aliens vs. Predator, runs a slower, orange‑clad Predator that can sprint by double‑tapping the direction pad, and even offers a two‑player versus mode pitting Predator against Alien—features trimmed from the Western version, which shows a faster, brown Predator and a shortened energy‑weapon meter.
Activision reportedly explored ports to Atari Jaguar, Sega Mega‑Drive and PC, but all were cancelled after internal doubts about fit. Critics were harsh: scores ranged from 15% in GamesMaster to 86% in Electronic Games, but the consensus skewed unfavorable.

Storyline

Alien vs. Predator (often shortened to AVP) drops you onto the industrial world Vega 4, specifically the sprawling metropolis of New Shanghai. While a construction crew tunnels beneath the city they stumble on a hidden Alien nest, and the creatures quickly surface, overrunning the streets. The panicked citizens fire a distress beacon to Earth, which is intercepted by a passing Predator ship that decides to hunt the Xenomorphs for sport. The player assumes the role of a Predator, battling through six distinct stages filled with varied Alien foes and animal‑hosted bosses.

Among the bosses are a dolphin‑born aquatic Alien, an ape‑gestated primate‑type, a bat‑spawned winged creature, and a serpentine snake‑like Alien, each reflecting the host’s traits. After clearing the Vega 4 zones, the hunt leads to the Orion Nebula for the final showdown against the Alien queen. The climax pits the Predator’s arsenal against the queen’s relentless attacks, ending the interstellar hunt.