Aliens: Fireteam Elite Review

Aliens Fireteam Elite takes place decades after the events of "Aliens 3". It is a new entry in the timeline for the film franchise. Although there are few similarities between this and left 4 Dead there will be some. They're both third-person, co-op, horror games. But that's where similarities end and differences begin. Aliens Fireteam Elite is more complex than you might expect, but it still offers a lot of depth and considerations for team composition and strategies. This is a fun coop game you don't need to take too seriously. You can blast aliens with your friends.

The fact that the title of the game is pluralized from 'alien' has significance. This game is more action-oriented than Alien: Isolation. According to the developers, this universe is now safe from the "expansion" of xenomorphs. The UAS and Colonial Marines have a clear focus on saving humanity. You'll be traversing four campaigns that have three missions each. These missions will take you to cramped ships interiors or foreign planet exteriors in order to rescue people and fight off a ridiculous amount of xenomorphs. You could complete the entire game in six hours with relative success. After each campaign is completed, you can unlock horde mode for endless fighting or replay the campaigns at a harder difficulty until new content drops.

This area is home to many xenomorphs. This can be both a blessing or a curse. This is something you should be doing but it can make "xenos", who are not really special, less interesting. This is until unique ones such as spitters and prowlers or warriors are discovered. They require a team effort of firepower and skills to do the job. Otherwise, it could put all of your mission at risk. These xenomorphs make things special. The rest of the game will see you fighting xenomorphs not fully grown. They come in packs that look like velociraptors, which is an odd behavior. You'll encounter Weyland-Yutani synthetics about halfway through the game. You can also choose from different types of toughness, but the synthetics are not as thrilling as the xenomorphs. They tend to act as a substitute for human-like enemies in order to use guns. Every mission has points where your actions will attract enemies, and it can be quite frightening to watch the xenos gather.

You can play Alien: Fireteam Elite alone, or with two Weyland-Yutani synthetics named Alpha and Beta. You can also bring two friends along. There are only a few lives left before someone is dead. There is a way to save them. The AI can fill in for your partner if they have to leave, no matter how small, even if it is mid-mission. Your AI bots are quite competent. Although they are equipped with Gunner class weapons and perks, the AI bots can still hold their own and even heal themselves. They are reliable and I was able to complete the campaign on normal difficulty.

You'll probably be wondering where the cutscenes are and how the missions connect. The thing is, they aren't. There is no cinematics, regardless of the source material being film. The missions don't feel connected and the campaigns don't connect, regardless of any voiceovers. Aliens - Fireteam Elite is direct by not having cutscenes. But it sure feels like something's missing.

You will find all the essentials of "Alien", such as assault rifles with the flange sound effect, shotguns and flamethrowers. These weapons, which fill your primary slot and secondary slots, have limited ammo. They can be refilled at caches located at strategically placed points within the level. The pistol's tertiary weapon has unlimited ammo. These stashes contain consumables such as mines, turrets and incendiary round. Consumables should be used only at the end level with the greatest threat, but can also be kept for the next mission. You'll receive a 20% bonus on your outbound damage when you use your weapons. It is really satisfying to know that you can do exponential damage as long as your target is being hit.

A combat rating is a measure of how well you can perform in certain missions. Your weapon, attachments and perks are all reflected in your combat rating. The combat rating can be raised by switching out attachments or using the same weapon to increase it's experience. You'll gain player experience as you play. You'll be able to rank up, earning more medals and ribbons. These are your perks and you can fit them in just like Tetris. This allows you to be more mindful about what you wear and how it compares to your partner. You can also equip challenge cards that can be used to hinder certain tasks, such as turning off the HUD and introducing weapon jams. This can make it more difficult. These cards are similar to Halo skulls and can be traded for additional credits or experience. I have yet to see a "Xenomorph birthday party".

The game is enjoyable but has its flaws. There were a few crashes that I experienced both online and by myself. Although I initially thought it was me, everyone else was experiencing the same problem: the audio is muffled and quiet when it shouldn’t. There is no way to choose your audio device, or to tailor the audio experience for headphones or speakers. It just sounds weird in every way. While the soundtrack is authentic to the movie franchise, some of the music, sound effects, and audio cues are not.

Too often, I found idle special xenomorphs waiting for activation. I was able, more often than not, to kill them or get them off the ground before they even react. Although I think this will be fixed soon, it does take a lot out of the game's suspense when you find them that way. If it works, however, the xenomorph can pounce on you from the shadows to give you a real jump scare.

Aliens - Fireteam Elite can be a lot fun with friends or alone. The campaign cutscenes and meaningful threads are missing, which makes it feel disjointed. It is a frustrating experience that can be hampered by audio flatness, crashes, and bugs. Cold Iron Studios has post-launch content, so these problems can be fixed and there will be more in the future. Aliens. Fireteam Elite is a film without the spectacle and connective tissue that the films are famous for. However, it still manages to entertain friends for late-night, mindless sessions.