When it was released in 1994, arcade gamers were already quite familiar with the cast of characters from the Alien Vs. Predator video game, thanks to two highly successful science fiction films that introduced these formidable foes. And now, it was time for them to meet in a battle of epic proportions and settle the bets as to who would emerge victorious.

Assisting a duo of Predators in the game were Major Dutch Shaefer and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa, and their adversaries, of course, were an onslaught of those sinister and slimy space monsters. The game begins at the headquarters of the Wayland Yutani Corporation, within their biological weapons division. Facing a seemingly insurmountable attack by a squad of Aliens, which proceeded to destroy every human in proximity, the two Marine heroes of the game gained some much needed last-minute assistance from a Predator Warrior and Hunter.    

Alien Vs. Predator allowed up to three players to join forces against their Alien adversaries, using an arsenal of weapons and a number of traditional hand-to-hand combat techniques. Experienced players could call upon a number of special fight moves to assist them in their fight and those came in quite handy when the ammo was running low (and it always was.) Luckily, there was a smattering of special weapons to even the playing field a bit, including grenades, smart guns and hunting discs. Unfortunately, Dutch was the only warrior with the skills to handle these weapons to their full extent, but other players had limited use of them as well.

As the missions progressed, the surrounding environments increased the creep factor accordingly. From a eerily deserted city to the bowels of the sewer system, to the center of the Alien Queen’s lair, the game’s advanced graphics and sound effects ensured that there was nary a reprieve from the ever-increasing tension.

All in all, Alien Vs. Predator was faithful to the respective film franchises ever step of the way and this translated into a game that found immediate success in the arcades and later in the home gaming world. But it wasn’t until a decade later, in 2004, that this epic battle finally made its way to the big screen with the release of Alien Vs. Predator, once again pitting this pair of formidable foes against each other and proving yet again that audiences would flock in droves to see them fight it out.