Aliens: Fireteam Elite

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 100 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 100
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 100
  3. Negative: 33 out of 100

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  1. TomasLacerda
    Aug 29, 2021
    5
    PROS:
    Interesting perk system
    Lot of aliens
    Challenging moments towards mid-end game

    CONS:
    Zombies on an Alien game.
    Character animation and facial animation really outdated
    Weak, weak story
    Too based on rinse & repeat, the lack of story doesn't make the fights relevant
  2. Sjalka
    Aug 27, 2021
    6
    The good things:
    - visually it looks good - steam, smoke, architecture and the general vibe of the world of Aliens seems to be fine (could be darker though)
    - sound design fits.. for the most part - that is: weapons sound powerful ... but environmental sounds like footsteps, fire and just ambient noise is a bit lacking - customization of characters is good enough the bad: - i would    The good things:
    - visually it looks good - steam, smoke, architecture and the general vibe of the world of Aliens seems to be fine (could be darker though)
    - sound design fits.. for the most part - that is: weapons sound powerful ... but environmental sounds like footsteps, fire and just ambient noise is a bit lacking
    - customization of characters is good enough

    the bad:
    - i would have hoped for making use of ray-tracing or at least MUCH better usage of shadows.
    - combat is very predictable. There are hardly real ambushes. You just "know" when enemies attack from looking around at the layout of the rooms.
    - the environment is too static. While environmental damage is rare in games, there is also very little clutter (like Control for example) - so combat is never really chaotic .. and about as static as Borderlands 3
    - enemy variety is low... but i do not necessarily mean types of enemies, but the variety on how they attack. With that in mind .. AI appears to be ancient. Enemies attack similar to what you got in MMORPGs 20 years ago - monsters making a straight bee line towards the target, no flanking, no dodging.

    conclusion:
    This game is clearly modeled after left4dead .. but feels a lot less fluent and less organic. There is potential, but it has not been used. All in all, a good effort and a below average product.    … Expand
  3. Pickle
    Aug 26, 2021
    6
    The atmosphere is great, and there's a lot of fanservice in the form of emotes, weapons, outfits, different kinds of xenomorphs, etc...

    The problem for me with this game had to do with the gameplay while playing solo, I know there'll be people claiming that you can't expect much from a game like this one if you're planning to play by yourself but I disagree, if your game has a game mode    The atmosphere is great, and there's a lot of fanservice in the form of emotes, weapons, outfits, different kinds of xenomorphs, etc...

    The problem for me with this game had to do with the gameplay while playing solo, I know there'll be people claiming that you can't expect much from a game like this one if you're planning to play by yourself but I disagree, if your game has a game mode added in, you're supposed to make sure that game mode works properly.

    In my experience, the game straight out tells you in multiple instances to not play the game on harder difficulties than normal if you're playing alone.

    While playing by yourself you're joined by two literal bots, which I thought it was a nice touch, but I would've really liked to be able to toggle actual marines and the like...

    It's not like the bots are that reponsive either, sometimes they'll stop reviving you mid way through, in other cases they'll get stuck in the scenery.

    If you were to drop the game's difficulty a lot of this complaints get mitigated, but others arise because of the lack of challenge, plus I believe the game actively punishes you by making you level up slower whenever you play on easier difficulties than standard.

    Is a shame really, because the atmosphere and the combat is fantastic, and that's the meat of the game. The core gameplay loop is extremely fun, you just plow through aliens as you see them spilling their acid blood all over the place, is a very fun game, but it's a very fun game if you play with others, not alone.    … Expand
  4. carnby77
    Aug 25, 2021
    7
    This is a good beginning and this can only get better for Aliens games franchise . Kudos to the team for creating something thats good after all the attempts previously went sour.
  5. MilkIt
    Aug 27, 2021
    5
    Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?

    When Alien: Isolation was released in 2014, I was disappointed that the franchise went in a single player, survival horror oriented direction. After playing A:I, I had to concede that it was a good game. It never felt fun to play, but it nailed the feeling of tension and horror from the original movie, and was aesthetically impressive. When    Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?

    When Alien: Isolation was released in 2014, I was disappointed that the franchise went in a single player, survival horror oriented direction. After playing A:I, I had to concede that it was a good game. It never felt fun to play, but it nailed the feeling of tension and horror from the original movie, and was aesthetically impressive. When I saw footage of Aliens Fireteam Elite I was less than impressed, but happy to see the franchise flip back to action. While Aliens: Colonial Marines and Aliens vs. Predator (2010) were mediocre games, they both had the elements of what I'm looking for from an Aliens game. A single player campaign with attached multiplayer components. I took a chance and preordered the deluxe edition of Aliens Elite Fireteam, after favorable reviews were released from the major review outlets. I also spent time reading some people's impressions that got physical copies of the game early, most seemed positive. As a fan of Aliens, I really wanted to like this game, but ultimately was disappointed enough that I refunded it.

    As soon as I started playing, I felt like I had made a bad purchase. On my first play session with random players, there was significant lag. There are no dedicated servers, P2P only.. The second day I played I noticed much less lag, but could still perceive some. I also had issues with weapon sounds cutting out for the length of a level, unfortunately this happened in about three quarters of the matches I played. It sucks to not get the satisfaction of the pulse rifle firing. Performance wasn't great on my PC, I was unable to maintain 60 FPS while meeting and exceeding the recommended system requirements, often dipping into the 40's. The graphics aren't horrible, but don't look next gen by any means, so I expected the frame rate to be better. There is no option to change the FOV, the default setting feels a little too tight and it can hurt situational awareness.

    The levels leave little room for any sort of improvisation. Corridors are tight and the game generally forces you to setup in predetermined spots and stand your ground. You basically stand still as if in a cover shooter, shooting as waves of aliens flood towards your location. If aliens penetrate your defenses, you can dodge roll. I played solely as a gunner class, using the pulse rifle and shotgun. The shooting itself feels serviceable, but nothing amazing. I did have the chance to replay one level, and it played out relatively the same way. The aliens can also be hard to see, since the game is dark. It makes sense atmospherically, but in a wave shooter, squinting to try to spot an enemy doesn't feel good. It's obvious why the developers decided to add outlines around the aliens on standard difficulty. Harder difficulties remove this outline. The game feels hollow, it's light on content with only 12 levels that you can probably play through in 20 mins each. Environments look decent, but not impressive. You level up classes and weapons, so there is an expectation that you will be grinding these levels. Weapon attachments can be found in hidden caches around each level, and that feels like the only reason to explore. Otherwise levels are incredibly linear.

    You have the ability to customize your Marine and weapons in several ways. The general appearance options are limited, but do a good enough job. You can also customize your weapons with skins, and decals. While I like being able to do this, the skins don't seem to fit aesthetically with the aliens universe. A purple weapons skin, looks more cartoon like than realistic or gritty. There are also emotes to collect, and again they don't really fit the atmosphere of the game. Seems more like something the developers added for monetization purposes.

    After playing the game, I'm surprised by so many positive reviews. There hasn't been an action oriented Aliens game since 2013, and this feels like a game that could have been released around that time. I kind of feel like Aliens fans have been so starved for a game, that they'll take anything at this point. It's not a terrible game, just incredibly mediocre. I like the game conceptually, and it might have been good if it had a Gears of War budget and level of polish.    … Expand
  6. drnicholasmills
    Sep 5, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I’m enjoying the game. There’s enough in there for fans of the franchise. It is a flawed game in some areas. There is lag in frame rate. The animation isn’t always precise enough. The introduction of zombies is a weird choice. But the xenos and the synthetics are excellent. The mission are a challenge even on standard level and there is good progression and customisation. I’m having a blast killing those horde of xeno. The game mechanics are sufficient but won’t rewrite the rules. In my opinion it is a solid shooter. It’s reasonably priced. So that helps. Certainly different to alien isolation where on the hard level practically to scared to move. I recommend this game certainly if your an alien franchise fan.… Expand
  7. philzlz
    Aug 29, 2021
    5
    This is a type of game where you have seen everything it has to offer after the first mission. I love the Aliens franchise but this is very disappointing. While the music is great (of course, its the one from the movies) and the weapon sound design spot on the game is not scary in the slightest.

    Missions are repetitive and the story laughable, especially dialogue in base with non moving lips.
  8. ghldQ
    Jul 1, 2022
    6
    the good: it looks good. but bad: story is not as interesting as the usual games like this
  9. jtjt
    Aug 5, 2022
    6
    The game is not as intense or exciting as most people would have thought but still not too bad of a game

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 35
  3. Negative: 1 out of 35
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Nov 30, 2021
    58
    There’s no denying that Aliens franchise was (and still is) a great source of inspiration for game designers. But its premise and lore are way too simple for a full-length game, and Fireteam Elite is yet another proof of that. [Issue#256, p.50]
  2. CD-Action
    Nov 15, 2021
    70
    Aliens: Fireteam Elite would really have been worth recommending if it had been more polished and offered more content. In its current state the game is definitely no Left 4 Dead, but it’s still pretty fun and you can give it a chance as you look out for a new Aliens vs. Predator. [11/2021, p.40]
  3. GameSpace
    Nov 2, 2021
    70
    Overall I found Aliens Fireteam Elite to be a pleasurable experience with only a few hiccups. The graphics are on point, the audio keeps very well planned to keep with the theme and feel over the series.
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