The Alien franchise has touched upon various forms of media outside of its original film, from novels to comics to video games. The series has released over a dozen video games that pit against the Xenomorph threat. These titles have covered many different genres, with their most prevalent being shooters. Thus, it is only reasonable that the Alien franchise's latest video game, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, follows suit.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a third-person cooperative survival shooter akin to games like Left 4 Dead. Players take on the mantle of a Colonial Marine, and work together to quell the overwhelming Xenomorph presence on planet LV-895. While Aliens: Fireteam Elite is an overall engaging experience, there are numerous elements that stand out to players — for better and for worse.
8 Loved: The Gameplay
Aliens: Fireteam Elite perfectly captures the essence of popular cooperative survival shooters such as World War Z. There is an element of simplicity, yet difficulty, which provides a well-rounded experience. Players can enjoy a fair challenge entirely dependent on skill and cooperation, rather than issues regarding balance.
This aspect, in conjunction with the Alien theme, garners much attention from fans of both the franchise and survival shooter genre. The inclusion of Xenomorphs creates a variety of challenges absent from similar games. Rather than facing hordes of zombies, players will fight what is regarded as a perfect killing machine.
7 Didn't Love: The Story
Aliens: Fireteam Elite takes place 23 years after the events of the original Alien trilogy, following a group of Colonial Marines investigating a distress call from a station orbiting planet LV-895. Upon arriving, the Colonial Marines quickly discover that the station has fallen to an overwhelming number of Xenomorphs.
Aside from this general premise, players will find little else driving the narrative and its characters. In fact, much of the campaign feels no different than horde mode, aside from a few story-related sequences scattered throughout. For this supposedly compelling sequel, the lack of story is by far its most grievous flaw.
6 Loved: The Classes
Aliens: Fireteam Elite provides players with five unique classes: Gunner, Demolisher, Technician, Doc, and Recon. Each of these classes possesses distinct strengths and weaknesses that lend themselves to various playstyles. These classes not only fit the Alien universe, but the survival shooter genre as well.
Every class is different, but not to the extent of overshadowing others. Each is a viable option that is well-balanced and overall engaging to play. This means that the only factors that go into choosing a class are a player's preferences and the composition of a fireteam.
5 Didn't Love: The Characters
The story of Aliens: Fireteam Elite is lacking for many reasons, but the most notable is the characters' lack of depth. Characters are the driving forces of any narrative; they garner a viewer's attention and involvement in the story. The lack of compelling characters ultimately diminished the quality of the campaign.
The player character is relatively emotionless and void of motivation. Prominent NPCs lacked any real personality, making them forgettable and dull. Even the main antagonist was nothing more than a generic villain seen in countless games before.
4 Loved: The Enemies
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There are over twenty different types of enemies for players to face in the campaign or horde mode. With both Xenomorphs and Synthetics roaming planet LV-895, there is no telling what players may face. Colonial Marines can encounter anything from Facehuggers to even Praetorians on their mission.
The diverse roster of foes is what makes Aliens: Fireteam Elite such a thrilling experience. Every encounter poses a variety of different combinations and threats. This unpredictability requires players to have a keen awareness and understanding of the dangers ahead.
3 Didn't Love: The Lack Of Lore
Since Aliens: Fireteam Elite presented itself as the sequel to the Alien franchise's original trilogy, many eager fans expected an Alien game first and a survival shooter second. Unfortunately, the game took a different direction and left many fans disappointed.
Aside from the obvious inclusion of Xenomorphs, there is not much indicating that this game is specifically an addition to the Alien franchise. In fact, the game feels much more like a retexture of many other survival shooters. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is, overall, blatantly simple, far from the compelling sequel that was promised.
2 Loved: Playing With Friends
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a cooperative game that is best played with friends. Simply grabbing two buddies and jumping in is fun and easy to do. Fighting against Xenomorph and Synthetic hordes alongside a couple of friends is a fun and rewarding experience.
Moreover, Aliens: Fireteam Elite rewards cooperation and communication. Fireteams that look out for their members and plan ahead will rarely face insurmountable difficulties. This allows trios of friends to spend hours on end cutting through swarms of bugs and bots.
1 Didn't Love: Playing With AI
While Aliens: Fireteam Elite offers aid to those who play alone, many would be better off without it. The AI provided is clunky and unresponsive to enemies. These AI Colonial Marines are, at best, glorified cannon fodder that does more for the enemy than the player.
While players are engaged with Xenomorphs and Synthetics, AI Marines stand idle. Even if they do happen to face foes, they often go down within mere moments. Overall, depending on AI is a fatal mistake that could very well cost players a mission.