Hey Ive been playing a lot of AVP2 lately, well really more than lately, more like constantly, anyway I just thought Id write about the pros and cons of playing the different classes of marine for your own benefit (when using class weapons, otherwise theyre pretty much the same).
Marines:
Harrison Specialist:
Shotgun/Pistol/Smart gun/Knife
Ichiro Sniper:
Sniper rifle/Pistol/Grenade Launcher
Johnson Demolitions:
Pulse rifle/Flame thrower/Pistol
Jones Heavy Weapons:
Shotgun/Rocket Launcher/Pistol
Weapons:
M56 Smartgun:
The specialist carries the M56 Smartgun. The Smartgun has a tracking mode that is useful for finding cloaked predators and chasing aliens around the ceiling, but in my opinion its usefulness stops there. Due to its high rate of fire the ammo is depleted rapidly and the bullets it does fire do very little damage. When it is tracking an alien because of its slow response time a very small amount of the bullets hit the Alien, and while you are changing to a different weapon the Alien has proceeded to rip open your chest and feast on the gooey center, making you the worlds largest caramel chocolate bar. Also when shooting at the hunter that is the predator, you have to have a full clip to kill the bloody thing and if you dont have a full magazine you are really, really screwed. All in all its a weapon to stay away from. 5/10.
M-41A Pulse Rifle/grenade launcher:
This is undoubtedly the best weapon a boy could have. It has everything, stopping power, high rate of fire and a large clip. The grenade launcher also opens up a wide variety of ways to splatter acid blood all over the walls, floor and ceiling. This is my favourite weapon and is the weapon of choice for many marine players. The main gun is ideal fro bringing down runners, drones and corporates while the grenade launcher will finish off anything bigger that wants to kill you. One important thing it lacks is a choice between AP rounds and normal then it would be a truly formidable gun. 8/10
M-240 Flamethrower:
This weapon isnt as much a gun as it is a portable barbeque. Any alien that tries to rip your head off will defiantly be getting a bit crispy fried. I like this weapon as it enables you to fill an area with burning death so you can tell if theres any preds in there. Another good thing is that if u set someone alight there is no way they can put themselves out so they will be dead even if you get mauled. The thing I least like about this is the positively miniscule amount of gas you get and the abysmal amount you use with each burst of flame. All in all this is defiantly a good choice whoever you are up against as they will be incinerated almost instantly while you stand there grinning like a maniac. 6/10
M-4A4 Pistol:
As you will learn in about 5 seconds if you charge at any enemy you are going to die if you use this gun. The only advantage is the Armour piercing rounds as they can make mince meat of praetorians who otherwise shrug off your rounds as if they were shot from a spud gun. Even though it is as powerful as a popgun it can sill be a comfort to have when being stalked by a Predator as its controlled fire lets you pick it off. Enough said I feel, avoid whenever possible. 3/10
Shotgun:
Hmmmm what can I say about the shotgun. Well. Imagine the shotgun in almost every other shoot-em-up youve ever played, which features the shotgun. Then multiply the damage it causes, the general splatter of gooey brain matter given off and the satisfaction of killing someone with it by, oh lets say 12 and you have the AVP2 shotgun. My second choice weapon as the scatter rounds can kill almost anything at close range and the metal slug is ideal for killing those pesky vermin Predators. 7/10
M-6B Rocket Launcher:
As most players get very annoyed when someone sits on a hill and constantly picks them off with the guided missile Id leave it alone as angry buggers will usually gang up on you until you have died around 10 times. It is very powerful as a rocket hitting someone in the chest is bound to cause inconvenience but I feel that the standard rocket is to slow flying so it is only good as a last resort weapon to kill an alien that gets to close. 6/10
M-92 Grenade Launcher:
God knows why they included this in the multiplayer. This is a totally crap gun, useful only to someone ho sits camping and doesnt like unexpected guests. The proximity grenades have a tendency to blow up near you and the smart mines will chase after you even when there are millions of enemies near, not very smart I feel. The timed mines have too short a fuse and the EMP mines seem to do absolutely sod all. 1/10
M-90 Minigun:
I really like this gun, as its amazing rate of fire enables you to obliterate any mangy aliens who want to taste your bloody intestines. The kick you get though will more often than not make you miss but who cares when you are laying down hundreds of rounds. Another problem is the fact that you can only walk with it out so I usually prowl around with a different gun and then switch. The run up time is also a hindrance but the tell tale whine gives your position away, its your call, speed or stealth. 7/10
WY-102 Sniper Rifle:
To me this is the ultimate newbies gun. Its a case of point, shoot, your dead and the scope makes sure you wont miss. I try to stay away from this as I think it makes the game too easy but if theres a predator just using his tracing weapons its a very humorous way to kill him as his cloak shifts. Bang bye bye forehead. If you are scared of being killed or find the game difficult then this is your weapon. 4/10
Evo Suit!!!!!:
I praise God for the day he created the evo suit. High firepower, armour and basically an excellent killing machine make this a must for every marine belt kit. If you find one of these get in it, no ifs no buts, GET IN IT, switch to the second gun and let the nastily shaped shards of metal pierce the flesh of the used to be live aliens, which were chasing you. The only problem is that you are quite slow and become the target of nearly every enemy on the map, but who the hell cares YOUVE GOT A SHIT LOAD OF BIG GUNS!!!!!! 9/10
Tactics:
When fighting a large host of predators there is one golden rule, KEEP MOVING. If you stand still against predators there is no doubt about it, you will die. God knows whether itll be spear, PC or disc but it will happen.
When fighting aliens if you are in the open let them come to you and circle strafe around them while emptying everything you have in it as this will enable you to avoid its frenzied pounces.
If you are going to camp, (itll be the end of you) then make sure you choose a good spot that is well hidden and has only one entrance, so you dont get ambushed while sniping.
If you are trying to kill a pred close up I recommend you switch to either the AP rounds of your pistol or the slug of the shotgun as it will usually kill it a lot faster than the pulserifle.
The grenades are the best bit of kit going for the marine, except for the evo suit. Small powerful and versatile enough to get you out of any situation with a bang.
Learn the positions of weapons and ammo on every map because this will save you time in finding your favourite gun and stop you running out of ammo. Aliens dont have this problem so do it.
If you see a blip on your motion sensor but cant see the enemy, check the walls ceiling and look hard for any cloaked preds, I recently had this problem and had a drone land on my head with claws swiping but the missed. And I killed him. So there. HA.
It also pays to learn the positions of the predator weapons as some players camp over the speargun or ammo so they can keep killing, make them pay.
If you come up against a queen you have 3 possibilities. Run, Die, Fight. If you run put as many corners between you and the ugly mofo as possible. To fight get your strongest weapon and shoot like and at the head, and keep shooting, and keep shooting, and reload, and keep shooting. And hopefully youll kill the jammy bugger.
