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Aliens vs. Predator 2
Overview
Developed by Monolith Productions, this title is the sequel to the original Aliens versus Predator released in 1999, and itself a prequel to the most recent Aliens versus Predator title released in 2010. Set in the years 2330-2331, the game chronicles the insidious and explosive interactions between the species of Xenomorphs, Predators, and Humans on the planet LV-1201 after a smuggling accident sets off an alien outbreak on the human Weyland-Yutani facilities there.
This article will mostly cover the human weaponry depicted in the game, along with those introduced in the Primal Hunt expansion pack. All weapon names and calibers come from the original game manual.
Human-usable Weaponry
M-4A4 Pistol
Unlike their movie counterparts, human characters in this game use this olive-drab-finished weapon as a sidearm.
It is apparently based off the Heckler & Koch Mk 23 Mod 0 pistol, the only differences from the normal Mk 23 is the lack of a threaded barrel and the olive-drab finished frame and slide. It sports a magazine that holds 12 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition (like the MK 23) and is capable of firing both prefragmented anti-personnel ammo and APCR bullets, the latter of which sport a tungsten core that detaches from the main projectile body on impact and goes on to penetrate armor. It is a good sidearm but a lousy primary weapon barring headshots against certain opponents. The gun sports a laser aiming module that is unfortunately unusable ingame. In singleplayer it is most commonly seen among the orange-suited Weyland-Yutani containment team personnel.
All human character classes can use this weapon in multiplayer, and the Dunya character of the Corporates faction in the Primal Hunt expansion pack can use two at the same time in both singleplayer and multiplayer. Along with the shotgun, it is one of the few weapons available to human characters that ejects spent casings.
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Unknown Shotgun
This pump-action shotgun (possibly based on the Mossberg 590) can use both buckshot or armour-piercing slugs, and has a tube magazine capacity of 6 rounds. It has an attachment point near the muzzle (a bayonet lug?) that cannot be used, a large heat-shield on the barrel, and olive-drab furniture. It is effective for close-range fighting, but as with the movie, Aliens that suffer almost any kind of injury will spray acid blood in all directions in a short radius (in reality, barring high pressure, the blood would follow a bullet or blade's path out back), giving them another advantage at point-blank range, so caution is advised when using this gun against Aliens.
Several character classes from both human factions in multiplayer carry this as a secondary weapon. It is also the personal weapon of Dr. Eisenberg, one of the main antagonists of the game. Strangely enough, the weapon's inventory icon depicts a version with a pistol grip, which the ingame model does not actually have.
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M-41A Pulse Rifle
The iconic M-41A Pulse Rifle makes an appearance in this game. Chambered for M309 10x24mm Caseless ammunition, with an implausibly large 100-round magazine, downgraded to 99 to prevent stoppages and an underslung grenade launcher firing M40 30mm grenades, this firearm can be found among all human factions (Colonial Marines, Weyland-Yutani security, and the Iron Bears mercenaries) throughout the game, both in singleplayer and multiplayer. The pump-action grenade launcher is never seen reloading, and the LED round counter is non-functional in this game. Unlike the movie, its rounds are less useful against armoured opponents such as Praetorian Aliens or other armoured humans in this game.
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M-56 Smartgun
The M-56 Smartgun appears in this game. It is chambered for M250 10x28mm caseless rounds, and draws from a single ammo pool with a maximum capacity of 750 rounds. Thanks to its motion sensing guidance system it automatically locks onto moving targets, and can see through a Predator's cloaking device. It is however limited to unguided fire when using night vision, and takes a moment to start firing. It is also a terrible ammunition-hog and is fairly inaccurate even with the lock-on enabled.
The Smartgun is used by all human factions in singleplayer (and is commonly issued to Combat Synthetics), but is available only to the Harrison character of the Marine faction in multiplayer. Considered a "heavy weapon," players can only walk while this gun is equipped in multiplayer.
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Blazing away with the Smartgun at a horde of Aliens. The trigger is a red button near the player character's left thumb, and for some reason the developers saw fit to include a quarter-second delay as your character reaches for and presses the trigger to start firing.
M-240 Flamethrower
The M-240 Flamethrower appears in this game, and is among the most effective weapons against Xenomorphs (the game itself takes a moment to remind the player of this when playing as an Alien). Using napalm from a single ammo pool it strangely never needs to change canisters. Originally it could carry up to 600 units of napalm, but fan outcry caused it to be patched, with the result being that directly hitting opponents with the flame stream was now more damaging than the damage over time from burning, and the maximum ammo capacity was lowered to 150. Additionally, while the inventory icon for the weapon shows the original M-16 carry handle on the top, no such carry handle is visible on the ingame models.
In singleplayer it is a favourite among Weyland-Yutani Hazmat containment troopers. In multiplayer only the Johnson character of the Marine faction, along with the Dunya and Ivan characters of the Corporates faction, can use it if character classes are enabled.
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A cocooned victim about to give a most horrific birth. As with the movie, the M-240 flamethrower is an excellent weapon against chestbursters when checking cocooned victims for loot.
M-92 Grenade Launcher
This revolving grenade launcher has a 6-shot capacity and may be reloaded by removing and replacing its entire ammunition drum. It can load 4 types of munitions: timed fuse grenades, proximity mines that stick to most surfaces and detonate when something comes near, EMP grenades that stun any living creature caught in its radius, and spider mines that use miniature robotic legs to scuttle towards anything moving nearby, of which the first of these is the only non-fictional type. It seems it could be based on the RG-6 grenade launcher.
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M-6B Rocket Launcher
An anti-vehicular weapon, this rocket launcher has a tube capacity of three rockets, and can fire unguided or tracking rockets, the latter of which require a short period of time to acquire a target. While seemingly out of place in game with almost no vehicular threats, the rockets have an excellent splash damage radius and can clear small groups of advancing Aliens with one shot. Contrary to what the game manual claims, tracking rockets can also track stationary targets (unlike the M-56 Smartgun).
This weapon is used in one location by Combat Synthetics in the Predator campaign. In multiplayer only the Jones character of the Marines faction can use this weapon. Considered a heavy weapon by the game, players using this weapon in multiplayer can only walk when it is equipped.
M-90 Minigun
A tri-barrelled Gatling gun with a joystick trigger and M60-style handguard, it fires armour-piercing ammunition from a single ammo pool of up to 900 rounds (which it can deplete in about twenty seconds, translating to a firing rate of around 2700 rounds per minute). It offers an unparalleled damage-per-second ratio for a ranged weapon ingame, but its enormous muzzle flash obscures a player's crosshairs in first person view when fired. Despite the M60-style handguard, ingame characters will not actually hold the weapon by the handguard, but by a nonexistent "chainsaw grip."
It is another commonly deployed weapon among Combat Synthetics in the game, and is exclusively available to the Dmitri character of the Corporates faction in multiplayer. Considered a heavy weapon by the game, players can only walk in multiplayer when this weapon is equipped.
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WY-102 Sniper Rifle
The only human weapon with a zoom feature ingame, this sniper rifle can have up to 30 rounds in reserve and does not need to change magazines, though it is also limited to semiautomatic fire only. Because of its extreme power (capable of killing all multiplayer characters in 2 shots or less) and generous ammunition capacity, fan outcry eventually caused the developers to reduce the rifle's maximum ammunition capacity to only 10 rounds, as well as to remove the ingame crosshair when a player is not using the scope. These changes were only of limited effectiveness, however, as the rifle's long barrel acted as a "pseudo-crosshair" allowing players to use it unscoped with reasonable accuracy at short to medium range.
Only the Ichiro and Dunya characters in multiplayer, of the Marines and Corporates factions respectively, can use this weapon in multiplayer if character classes are enabled.
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Other
APC-mounted Miniguns
The APC seen in Aliens makes an appearance in this game, and its twin-linked turreted miniguns appear as well. In this iteration they actually fire (unlike the movie) and provide valuable fire support in one mission. If the player makes the mistake of antagonizing an APC in one of the missions in the Predator campaign, they will find that the APC's miniguns are just as effective against Predators as they are against Xenomorphs.
Several detached APC turrets are also seen as heavy-duty sentry guns around the perimeter of the Forward Observations Pods ingame as well. Unlike the movie, the APC's upper turret will not drop down to the rear of the APC when entering low-clearance areas.
Minigun Turret
A four-barrelled minigun mounted on a stationary platform, this weapon is mounted in certain levels of the game and comes with a 900 round capacity. Its capabilities are similar to the M-90 Minigun though its muzzle flash is not as extreme.
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UA571-C Remote Automated Sentry System
The UA571-C Remote Automated Sentry System makes an appearance as the Sentry Gun ingame. In addition to the standard tripod-mounted version, several ceiling-mounted variants are seen. While fragile and unable to defend themselves against attacks from behind, they are capable of seeing through a Predator's cloak and do rapid damage. In the Primal Hunt expansion pack, players using human characters can take up to two tripod-mounted Sentry Guns with them. In this version they carry limited ammunition and are capable of overheating, requiring a cool-down period every so often.
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L85A2
Scattered through the levels are a variety of magazines, and one of them features a L85A2 with a Susat scope on the cover.
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