Last May, Fox Interactive combined a pair of their more popular movie licenses and created one of the most terrifying and exciting first-person shooters of 1999, Aliens vs. Predator. In fact, it received our coveted Gamers' Choice Award ( Review ) with its rich atmosphere, pulse-pounding action and unique gameplay. With such high acclaim and popularity, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Fox Interactive decided to create this Gold Edition of Aliens vs. Predator to tide us over until the sequel, Aliens vs. Predator II, is completed. Whether this Gold Edition is worthy of its price is another question altogether.

When it comes to a productive expansion pack, there's certainly a fine line. It's a well-known fact that expansion packs don't sell nearly as well as the original title itself. There are several explanations for this fact, most evident is the idea that if an expansion pack comes out a year or more after it's initial title's release, interest in the product might have lapsed. Other possibilities include the fact that gamers might not even own the original game anymore hence the expansion pack becomes useless. Standalone add-ons solve this problem, but there are still other issues at hand. Before this article becomes more of an editorial than a review, let's find out on which side of that fine line Aliens vs. Predator Gold sits.

So what does Aliens vs. Predator Gold (AVP) include? Fox Interactive has made sure that if gamers didn't previously own Aliens vs. Predator, or perhaps they sold their copy in the last 12 months, that they aren't at a loss because they've included the original Aliens vs. Predator game in this package. For those who still own the original and are wondering what new additions are present, the answer is the Millenium Expansion Pack. That's not all though, Aliens vs. Predator Gold also includes Prima's Official Aliens vs. Predator Strategy Guide.

Office, Lab 14, Meat Factory, Subway and Elevator are just a handful of the nine new levels that are found in the Millenium Expansion Pack. The levels can be played in either Skirmish or Multiplayer Modes are a designed relatively well. Whether nine levels are enough to constitute an expansion pack is another question. New levels aside, the expansion pack also cooks up a pair of new weapons for the Marines. The Automatic Pistol and The Skeeter, a powerful disc launching weapon, are now in the Marine's arsenal and the addition of these two weapons certainly aids in balancing the game a little better. As many people know, the Marines were the weakest of the three species when it came to multiplayer games so these two weapons are a welcome sight to help balance things off a little. Aliens vs. Predator Gold also includes the In-game Save feature that was horribly lacking from the original title. Now, instead of having to complete each level before saving your game, you can actually save mid-mission. There was actually a patch that addressed this issue, but if you never got it, now you do. Finally, the game engine has been enhanced and optimized to run as smooth as possible. Aliens vs. Predator was never much of a machine hog to begin with but now just about every gamer should be able to enjoy the title without worrying about choppy play.

So, is that expansion enough, nine new levels, two new weapons and some patchwork that was already previously available? Could that have stood on it's own as an expansion pack? The answer is no. Is that why they included the original Aliens vs. Predator game along with Prima's official Strategy Guide? Certainly would seem that way.

The bottom line is this, if you already own the original Aliens vs. Predator, you're basically paying $30 US for the Millenium Expansion Pack and the Strategy Guide, barring that you didn't already purchase the guide to begin with, and that's pretty weak. If you don't own Aliens vs. Predator, this is a perfect package. I'm not here to judge Aliens vs. Predator as a package though, we've already reviewed the original game thoroughly and awarded it accordingly ( Review ). I'm here to judge the new additions to the game and in that respect the Gold Edition comes up short.

Note:
It's been since pointed out that the Millenium Expansion Pack is available for purchase on it's own for $9.95 (if you still own the original game that is). For more details, visit Fox Interactive.

[ 12/25 ] Volume of Enhancements
[ 16/25 ] Quality of Enhancements
[ 06/10 ] Worthiness
[ 13/20 ] Increased Entertainment Value
[ 08/10 ] Improved Multiplayer
[ 05/10 ] Overall Impression