We just got back from the unusually cold Orlando (seriously, 30 degrees and snow flurries?) and are back in SF to a warmer climate. Orlando was our destination for the Major League Gaming event and our chance to run a competition of our own for Aliens vs Predator. The event was a blast and we had a great time showing off a newer, sleeker version of Aliens vs Predator the MLG community as well as the AvP community.

Speaking of Aliens community, I have to give a nod to our friends at AliensLegacy.com for being awesome sending over some movie perfect Colonial Marines. This site hosts costumed Aliens, Predators and Marines and were on hand to help us spread the word at the MLG event. The Colonial Marine group looked absolutely pro with some movie authentic gear including an actual Smartgun, complete with chestplate attachment. Very big thanks to Angie, Chris and Sean for coming out and making Aliens vs Predator a great experience for everyone (especially us!).

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Major League Gaming plays host to some of the best competitive players in all of gaming, so we thought it was an ideal spot to debut Aliens vs Predator in a competitive format. We opted to hold a tournament with a classic Deathmatch gametype. We had 8 rounds and 8 winners, all of whom returned for second round with one winner walking away with an Astro A40 headset. Rounds started with a five minute preview to give everyone a chance to learn controls, learn the maps, and form a strategy followed by a 15 minute final round with a single winner.

The classic deathmatch format was absolutely the way to go, while we did think it a bit weird to see aliens hunting aliens or marines gunning down marines, the format allowed anyone to jump in and get comfortable with their preferred species and playstyle. Being a shooter focused event, not surprisingly there were a lot of Marines showing up to prove their worth. Given the prize, I think a lot of players didn’t stray to far from their comfort zones and we had a lot of really strong Marines in the matches two of whom walked away with the Astros.

In an effort to mix things up we had our last tournament play with only Aliens and Predators, still within Deathmatch rules, but in a more vertical map that was not only bigger, but also allowed for stronger stalking and ambushing opportunities. This was the most interesting of all the tournaments we ran, with all players performing in a new space and environment. Pretty quickly we weeded out some very power players with both Aliens and Predators and had a final showdown that drew some pretty amazing kills and tense moments. Our final winner won as a Predator with some beautifully executed kills with the spear and disc.

A special congratulations to our winners! We hope you enjoy the Astro’s and look forward to facing you online when the game hits this February!

1st Tournament Winner: Carroll W. aka Taur1ne

2nd Tournament Winner: Jeff A. aka Killjoy

3rd Tournament Winner: Scott P. aka Bobo the Great

After all was said and done, we had to pack up and head out. I met a lot of great people at the event and had a lot of fun showing off Aliens vs Predator to the competitive world of gaming. Please enjoy the photos (especially of the Marines) and feel free to ask away if anyone has any questions on anything I missed!