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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AVP_Capcom_5373.jpg]]
2%%[[caption-width-right:300:some caption text]]
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4''Alien vs. Predator'' is an arcade-only BeatEmUp by Creator/{{Capcom}} released in 1994. (Other, not directly related ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' games share this title, including one released the same year for the Platform/AtariJaguar.)
5
6A shuttle crashes in the city of San Drad, California, carrying with it a deadly cargo of Xenomorphs. Two cyborg soldiers, Major Dutch Schaefer and Lieutenant Linn Kurosawa, are trapped while fighting their way to the central hive, only to be rescued by a group of Predators. They decide to work together to rip the heart out of the infestation.
7
8Up to three players select from four playable characters. The Predators provide a warrior and a hunter, while the humans are represented by the aforementioned cyber-enhanced soldiers: Major Schaefer (the hero of ''Film/{{Predator}}'') and Lieutenant Kurosawa (who has several [[LawyerFriendlyCameo Lawyer-Friendly Cameos]] in later Capcom games). Together they wield a wide variety of weapons for fighting the Aliens invading Earth in great numbers.
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10----
11!!This videogame provides examples of:
12
13* AliensSpeakingEnglish: While averted with the aliens (Xenomorphs) themselves of course, the two playable Predators speak completely coherently. They drop partially into their native language during the Mad Predator battle.
14* AmbidextrousSprite: The player characters and human soldiers are all right-handed. However, this is not the case when they're facing left. Dutch is the most blatant example since he has a huge cybernetic right arm.
15* ArmCannon: Schaefer has a cybernetic arm with a [[{{BFG}} Smartgun]] mounted on it. He is the only player character who cannot be disarmed because of it.
16* BalancePowerSkillGimmick:
17** P. Warrior has middling stats (balance)
18** Schaefer is slow but hits hard (power)
19** Kurosawa is quick with a lot of moves (skill)
20** P. Hunter does more damage than Warrior but has low skill (i.e. range and priority) (gimmick)
21* BaitAndSwitchBoss: Bush, the corrupt general of the USCMC. After fighting his squad of mooks, you come face to face with him... [[spoiler:and then he is impaled and bitten in half by the NotQuiteDead Alien Queen.]]
22* BattleCouple: Dutch and Linn, before teaming up with the Predators.
23* BewareMyStingerTail: Many Xenomorph types can use their tails to attack, especially the Arachnoid class. [[spoiler:The Alien Queen even impales the General with this before killing him, a move which she can also use on you in the final battle if you're not careful once she jumps above the ceiling.]]
24* BookEnds: At the start of Stage 1, the human characters ask the Predator Warrior why the Yautjas are helping them, to which he responds that if they survive this, he will tell them. Cue the ending, where Linn repeats the question, to which she gets a cryptic [[WorthyOpponent "You'll find out. See you soon."]] Shortly afterwards, Dutch tells her the humans will be forced to fight against the Predators, as they'll surely be back for the next hunting season.
25* BottomlessMagazines:
26** Played with for Linn. She can fire dozens of rounds from her pistol, but eventually she has to stop and reload. Similarly, Dutch and his machine gun function just like that.
27** Averted with all the projectile weapons you can pick up (grenade launchers, flamethrowers, smart guns, pulse guns). Fire one of these enough times, and it'll run dry and be thrown aside.
28* CastFromHitPoints: In true beat-em-up fashion, each of the player characters will utilize a special attack that leaves them invulnerable and allow them to get out of a tight spot at the cost of their HP.
29* ColonyDrop: [[spoiler:After defeating the Alien Queen for the final time, the heroes decide to use the USCMC carrier to crash-land it straight to the alien infested San Drad.]]
30* ContinueCountdown: The continue screen gives the player a time limit of ten seconds to decide whether they want to keep playing or not. The continue screen is also different depending on which character the player is using. If Dutch Schaefer or Linn Kurosawa were chosen, then the continue screen shows a Xenomorph getting ready to attack, if the Predator warrior or Predator hunter was chosen, then the continue screen shows the Predator setting their self-destruct mechanism to go off.
31* ContractualBossImmunity: The Power Loaders and the Alien Queen can't be grabbed, only grab you instead.
32* {{Cyborg}}: Dutch has a huge mechanical right arm after he lost his flesh and blood one in an unknown operation. The only reason you can tell Linn's a cyborg is when she starts slinging Xenomorphs around.
33* DeadpanSnarker: One funny moment during the malfunctioning elevator:
34-->'''Dutch:''' "Jeez, stuck again. What a rickety old junk..."\
35'''Predator Warrior:''' "You mean yourself?"
36* DeathFromAbove: Linn's downward aerial attack is stabbing straight down with her katana. And she can do it multiple times very quickly if you mash the attack button, with the added bonus of it can make the enemy pop up into the air and set them up for her very strong throw that can send other ground-bound enemies flying.
37* DegradedBoss: The Chrysalis and Power Loader bosses return (in pairs) during the final stage.
38* DiscOneFinalBoss: You face the Queen Alien in the ''fourth'' stage of the game. You end up fighting human enemies over the next two stages, until the Xenomorphs start showing up again. [[spoiler:It turns out the Queen was NotQuiteDead, and comes back as the real FinalBoss.]]
39* DuelBoss: The Mad Predator is normally fought alone if playing solo with no nearby enemies to assist it. Unless your playing co-op with two or more players where you fight two Mad Predators instead.
40* EliteMooks: The uncommon Royal Guards (seemingly based on the Praetorian aliens) serve this role.
41* EnemyMine: The Predators only team up with the marine characters because the Xenomorph population on Earth suddenly exploded to an alarming degree. Once the end credits roll, they acknowledge the humans as fellow warriors... but then menacingly point their tri-dot aiming lasers at them before leaving for outer space.
42* EvilIsNotAToy: Normally a gist with Weyland Yutani when it comes to Xenomorphs, only this time they commissioned a general of the USCMC to bring live specimens for them. This general is enthusiastic about using Aliens as weapons ''until'' [[spoiler:their Queen kills him with her tail.]]
43* {{Expy}}:
44** In addition to the eponymous characters on the title, there are even protagonists that share similarities from the films they're based on. Dutch Schaefer is the more obvious reference ([[ActorAllusion mixed with the strength]] of the [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} T-800]]), while Linn Kurosawa is based off of Ripley's cunning (thus the high "skill" stat) and Creator/SigourneyWeaver's black belt. [[Creator/{{Capcom}} Okay]], the last one was [[VideoGame/FinalFight blowing smoke]], but still. Parallels could also be drawn with Machiko Noguchi, the protagonist of the original ''ComicBook/AlienVsPredator''.
45** The Predator Warrior, as the more experienced elder of the Predator pair, resembles the [[Film/{{Predator}} Jungle Hunter,]] [[CompositeCharacter although he does employ the combistick introduced in Predator 2.]] The Predator Hunter shares the [[Film/{{Predator2}} City Hunter's]] helmet color and status as a younger Predator looking to prove himself.
46* FlunkyBoss: All the bosses come with some Mooks during the fight, with the exception being the Mad Predators above. [[spoiler:In the final battle against the Alien Queen, she summons {{Degraded Boss}}es ''and'' EliteMooks midway through the fight!]]
47* TheGhost:
48** Despite the logo being present inside the containers used for storing captive Xenomorphs, no WY personnel are ever encountered, not even a representative from the group.
49** The [[ArtificialHuman Synthetics]] which are a staple of the ''Aliens'' (and its crossover to ''Predators'') are nowhere to be found, making it one of the two arcade games where they are absent (the other is Konami's ''Aliens'').
50* GrappleMove: This is the Infectoid's only attack (even when they carry Pulse Rifles) where they lunge and grab the player characters while a Chestburster bursts out from their host to take a bite at them.
51* GoombaStomp: Linn has a variation where, when descending onto an enemy, she can kick them and bounce back into the air while knocking them down if they're non-boss enemies. With the Alien Queen she can bounce back and forth on her body delivering kicks until she goes high enough to clear the Queen's body.
52* HyperactiveMetabolism: Picking up food regenerates your health. Whole pizzas can restore a good chunk of your life bar.
53* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Just before the FinalBoss fight, [[spoiler:the Queen impales General Bush and then [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe rips him in two]] in direct homage to a similar scene in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. The Queen can also impale you with her tail as one of her moves, and it is ''very painful''.]]
54* ItsAWonderfulFailure:
55** If marine characters lose a life, the continue screen will be that of a first-person view of a Xenomorph hissing at you as they attempt to use you as their next hose.
56** If Predator characters lose a life, it will be a continue screen of them activating their self-destruct mechanism in an attempt to take their attackers with them.
57* ItsPersonal: The Predators are now on a manhunt to stop the one responsible for transporting Xenomorphs after being forced to kill their infected comrade.
58* KamehameHadoken: Linn has one special move where she charges, then unleashes a blast of energy from her hands.
59* KatanasAreJustBetter: Linn carries one into battle. It's so much better, in fact, that it doesn't melt on contact with AlienBlood.
60* KungFuProofMook: The blue "Defender" Xenomorphs have an annoying habit of blocking your attacks; grab them or use an unblockable move to hurt them.
61* LagCancel: Believe it or not, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GgZTIqr4OA Overheating your gun]] has its advantages.
62* MiniGame: The "Break the elevator before it hits the ceiling" sequence. Failure to do so will result in your character hitting the ceiling and take some damange.
63* MythologyGag:
64** The arcade game contains a few Shout-Outs to Konami's earlier ''Aliens'' UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame, particularly the Chrysalis aliens and blue-skinned, chestburster-infected zombies called "Infectoids".
65** While not an exact quote, Dutch notes he and Linn are [[Film/{{Predator}} "expandable/disposable."]]
66* NotQuiteDead: Despite being killed in an earlier mission [[spoiler:the Alien Queen managed to survive the encounter and made her entry known by impaling General Bush.]]
67* OddballInTheSeries: Not that this is a [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames bad thing]] mind you, but seeing KiManipulation, Predators speaking [[AliensSpeakingEnglish fluent English]]; and fighting along side cyborg ninjas is probably about as weird as the franchise has ever gotten as fantastical elements are seldomly present.
68* OptionalCharacterScene: Depending on number of players and chosen characters: Example (based on Japanese version) at the start of stage 5, when the human soldiers are attacking the party:
69-->'''Linn:''' "There can't be any other military units besides us!"\
70'''Dutch:''' [[MythologyGag "We were disposable!"]]\
71'''Predator Hunter:''' "So you're the cyborgs they abandoned."\
72'''Linn:''' "[[BigShutUp Shut Up]]! We're humans not machines!!"
73* {{Overheating}}:
74** Using a character's ranged weapon (Schaefer or either Predator) will drain a meter that slowly refills. If the meter drains completely, the weapon overheats and can't be fired again until it cools down.
75** Linn's meter doesn't refill, as it represents the ammo in her pistol. Once it's empty, she stops moving and reloads her pistol.
76* PercussiveMaintenance:
77** When the heroes arrive at the malfunctioning cargo elevator, the following exchange happens:
78--->'''Dutch:''' "I know how to handle this." ''(punches the terminal, elevator starts moving)'' "See? American Know-How."
79** And when it stops, it is done again on the other console. Lampshaded in the multiplayer:
80--->'''Linn:''' "You guys do nothing but smash..."
81* PersonalSpaceInvader: {{Face Hugger}}s and {{Chest Burster}}s will attempt to grab onto you and drain your health away. [[SmashingSurvival Smash the buttons to get them off]].
82* RankScalesWithAsskicking:
83** Played straight with the aliens, wherein Royal Guards are practically [[BossInMooksClothing minibosses]] in their own right, with the Alien Queen being the toughest [[IncrediblyLamePun mother]] of them all.
84** Subverted with the human enemies. The Corporal enemies are stronger than the Sergeants, despite the latter having a higher rank, and General Bush, the one in charge of the Colonial Marines [[spoiler:even ends up being dead courtesy of the Alien Queen [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe ripping him in half]].]]
85* RollingAttack: The Chrysalis uses this on you. Predator Hunter also has an aerial/bouncing version.
86* SanitySlippage: The Mad Predator is a result of a Yautja being parasitized by a Facehugger, and true to their namesake, they went insane and began to lash out at anything in their vicinity to the point that they are unable to activate their self-destruct devices due to their insanity.
87* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Marine enemies will normally pick up either a Pulse Rifle, a knife, or a Smartgun if disarmed but if they have nothing to pick up, they'll promptly flee. Given who the opponents they're facing, you can't exactly blame them.
88* ShoulderCannon: Both Predators wield shoulder-mounted plasma cannons.
89* ShoutOut:
90** The Predator Hunter uses a [[Franchise/StreetFighter Tiger Uppercut]] as his anti air move, and has Blanka's {{Rolling Attack}} as his air-to-ground move.
91** Major Schaefer seems to have learned several grapples from [[VideoGame/FinalFight Mayor Mike Haggar]].
92** Lt. Kurosawa can unleash a [[KamehameHadoken burst of ki]] by holding and releasing the Attack button, which looks similar to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li's]] ''Kikosho''.
93%% ** Linn ''[[Creator/AkiraKurosawa Kurosawa.]]''
94* SlideAttack: Players can execute this move by pressing down and jump, capable of getting out of a mess if the players are surrounded by Xenomorphs. It's also ''very'' useful for taking down facehuggers.
95* SpinAttack: Major Schaefer's electric arm spin, Lt. Kurosawa's Senpuuzan, Predator Warrior's spear twirl, and Predator Hunter's disc blades.
96* SuddenlySpeaking: Either the Yautjas have learned to speak English, somehow got [[TranslatorMicrobes translating devices]], or they've [[CrazyPrepared prepared a lot of vocal clips for playback for every conceivable situation.]]
97* TechnicallyLivingZombie: The infectoids are facehugger victims who are normally found cocooned into walls. Those that aren't will move and act like zombies but are in-fact alive... and beg for anyone to end their suffering.
98* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Bush, the corrupt general of the USCMC due to being ripped in half by the Alien Queen.]]
99* UnexpectedGameplayChange: A small one in the third stage, where the game becomes something akin to a ShootEmUp and you have to aim to shoot the aliens. Thankfully, you have no cooldown meter for this round.
100* UseYourHead: The Smashers are green Xenomorphs with hardened skulls that will try to ram the player with their heads.
101* WeakButSkilled: Three stats are shown when selecting characters: Speed, Power and Skill. Linn has the lowest power and the highest skill rating of the four characters. She also has the largest number of moves out of the four.
102* WeaksauceWeakness: The otherwise resilient Infectoids can be instantly killed if they get hit by a single projectile, or any other attack that knocks them down.
103* WolverineClaws: The aptly-named Razor Claws, which serves and the game's second boss, is a purple, mutant xenomorph with steely, elongated talons that allow it to rip its victims in half and which can cause some pretty nasty damage, which, coupled with its quick reflexes, makes it a very challenging opponent.
104* WorthyOpponent: The ending strongly implies that Dutch and Linn are this to the Predators, after [[EnemyMine testing them in battle]] against the Xenomorphs.
105* WrestlerInAllOfUs:
106** Schaefer and the Predators use wrestling moves. Linn inverts this because her only throw must be performed in the air.
107** The Power Loaders, despite its clunky movements can perform a ''suplex on you''.
108** The Royal Guards can suplex you with their tails.
109* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: You kill the Alien Queen on stage 4. Happy ending? No, there is still the matter of the evil private army trying to kill you. Oh and by the way, [[spoiler: the Queen survived the first fight against her.]]
110* ZergRush: Most of the weaker Xenomorphs rely on swarming their opponents to get a drop on them.

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