I came to an epiphany this morning.  (Sure, it was a trivial and geeky epiphany, but don’t be judging on my epiphanies, man!) After reading the mixed critical reviews of Aliens vs Predator last week, I had decided not to purchase the game, or to at least hold off until the price dropped.

I realized that I was getting sucked in by the industry group think.  Sure, an average/mixed review consensus of the typical title might prompt me to hold off, but this is the freaking Alien(s) and Predator franchises, for cripe’s sake!  If there’s a bigger fan of those properties in the Lehigh Valley, I’d be highly surprised.

I had previously played Rebellion’s original 1999 AvP game on PC, as well as the 2001 follow-up by Monolith.  A quick check of Wikipedia shows that the original AvP received 80% scores from the major houses, and AvP2 roughly 60%, and I had a complete blast with both games!

So what the hell was I thinking?  This is a major release involving my favorite movie ever (James Cameron’s Aliens – duh!), and I was going to give it a pass??  I suppose this example serves to illustrate the prodigious mojo that game reviews (let alone the mighty and impersonal Metacritic score) exert over the modern, highly-wired fanbase.

Having recognized that chilling fact, tonight I throw off the chains of the IGN/Gamespot hive mind.  I can already vividly hear the increasingly frenetic ping of the motion tracker, the chatter of my M41A pulse rifle, and the elephantine screams of my inhuman, horrific foe.  So beware, xenomorph queen, and cower in your steamy, dark lair – I come for you tonight!