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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  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    Character animation and facial animation really outdated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. ashaman01
    Aug 26, 2021
    8
    Good game, fun, action packed. Lots of lore. Mechanics are nice and graphics are on part. The useless fluff of most games isn't present here, but I don't think you really need it either. Can't wait to see what they do with expanded content
  5. JediGhost
    Aug 25, 2021
    8
    The game itself is done well: weapons, sounds, aliens, scenes, environment are well designed. Character and enemy movement is well made too. It's the first game in years that properly reflects how a fight would happen against aliens - just like in the movie 'Aliens' (best of the franchise). Kudos to the developer team! It would be nice if teammates could communicate, if 4 people could playThe game itself is done well: weapons, sounds, aliens, scenes, environment are well designed. Character and enemy movement is well made too. It's the first game in years that properly reflects how a fight would happen against aliens - just like in the movie 'Aliens' (best of the franchise). Kudos to the developer team! It would be nice if teammates could communicate, if 4 people could play co-op, if one could choose which server to join, etc. Still, much better, than the last 'Colonial Marines' disappointment we had to endure... Overall it is a satisfying shoot-them-up game.… Expand
  6. MBA0
    Aug 26, 2021
    3
    The game feels very repetitive and is poorly designed with the third-person perspective. They should've included or done it in first-person, the immersion would've been much much better as well. The last few missions get exciting though, but that's only once a while when that happens. The game literally tells u when you're about to be ambushed which is really annoying.. We're not idiots.
  7. zanzibarwinds
    Aug 27, 2021
    3
    Rubbish game, doesn't have any Aliens tension. Its just a simple shooter with an Aliens world skin. The Xenos don't move like they should and very slow and just run at you like a rabid dog. Like someone else said earlier, the purple armour, like wtf.
  8. JDKam27
    Aug 26, 2021
    8
    If you’re a fan of the Aliens universe it’s a definite buy. It’s a fun game. It’s not perfect and there’s definitely room for improvement. But overall very fun. I recommend turning off the highlighted enemies and the kill markers in the settings (very immersion breaking and makes it too easy) and/or playing on a more challenging difficulty. Also only play at night in the dark with goodIf you’re a fan of the Aliens universe it’s a definite buy. It’s a fun game. It’s not perfect and there’s definitely room for improvement. But overall very fun. I recommend turning off the highlighted enemies and the kill markers in the settings (very immersion breaking and makes it too easy) and/or playing on a more challenging difficulty. Also only play at night in the dark with good audio or you’re ruining the game yourself. And if you’d like to see more/better Alien games in the future, vote for it with your dollar.… Expand
  9. 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.
  10. 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
  11. MandM1970
    Sep 6, 2021
    0
    This game is terrible and boring. Loving The Alien Universe and having played Alien Isolation, i thought this game was a “must buy” But what a huge dissapointment and waste of money.
    It's not a great looking game, the graphics is far from up to standard unless we go many years back, there is no cutscenes, it’s not fun or thrilling, and it lacks everything that makes you feel like your in    This game is terrible and boring. Loving The Alien Universe and having played Alien Isolation, i thought this game was a “must buy” But what a huge dissapointment and waste of money.
    It's not a great looking game, the graphics is far from up to standard unless we go many years back, there is no cutscenes, it’s not fun or thrilling, and it lacks everything that makes you feel like your in the Alien Universe or franchise for that matter. It’s just a shooter game that happened to make use of the Alien franchise. And its to late. For many years ago, this game would be ok. But know, it’s just a boring third person shooter With very little to offer. Whether or not you're a fan of the franchise,    … Expand
  12. PatMatz
    Aug 27, 2021
    8
    I game that die hard fans of James Cameron's Aliens will most likely find entertaining. It could use some refining for the single player experience. I hope the studio does that at some point!
  13. NeededStranger
    Feb 7, 2022
    3
    A copy paste game again. Nothing new, nothing exiting. Even Aliens theme wont save this. Barely anyone playing. I quess there were a slot for another L4D type shooter without zombies but then again, nope. Outdated visuals and repetative gameplay.
    It would be solid good game if it was first of it's kind but we already have so many games just like this.
  14. 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
  15. spychi
    Sep 29, 2021
    10
    There is a lot of things that Iron Gate Studios did right
    Visuals,
    Xenomorphs
    Sound and music
    Gameplay mechanics
    Generally perfection comparing it to some of the recent games (aside from Alien Isolation) that we had released
    Sure there might be repetitvness after a while and the game could use some PvP, but the price is about right for what you get. Strongly recommended
  16. Zippo85
    Jun 22, 2022
    3
    Lasted about 15 minutes. 5 minutes waiting for a team. 10 minutes playing the repetitive tripe.
    The gunplay has absolutely no kick, and the highlighting of the enemies totally defeats the purpouse of using the Aliens IP.
  17. 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.
  18. kaczan3
    Mar 14, 2022
    0
    Cringy game, where all the chick characters tell you how smart they are, giving you orders while holding a laptop in hand, but just so you don't think they are like all those "guy nerds", she has a gun in the other hand, shooting at the enemies. Almost all chick characters are like that.
  19. Player666
    Aug 27, 2021
    10
    8/10 but gotta offset the basement goblins giving it 0's and 3's. I bought the game and read the reviews before launching. Disappointed I thought I'd just play for an hour and return it. Glad I didn't listen to them.

    Ended up playing 4 hours straight and had to get off to get some sleep. The whole next day at work it was all I thought about and couldn't wait to get back in. Talked some    8/10 but gotta offset the basement goblins giving it 0's and 3's. I bought the game and read the reviews before launching. Disappointed I thought I'd just play for an hour and return it. Glad I didn't listen to them.

    Ended up playing 4 hours straight and had to get off to get some sleep. The whole next day at work it was all I thought about and couldn't wait to get back in. Talked some friends into getting it to play with and they are having a blast as well. Sure there's things that could be improved/balanced/added (I'm sure they will in time), but what it does right far outweighs the bad. And ffs it's 2/3 the price of the average game, I can forgive for cutting a few minor corners.    … Expand
  20. Ratingss
    Aug 30, 2021
    2
    You could replace the Aliens with whatever, dogs, cats, ferrets, anything, and it would still be the same game, a generic casual over the shoulder shooter that is mind numbing boring with a campaign butchered for online coop.
  21. Cygon
    Sep 7, 2021
    4
    This Alien franchise game once again follows the usual recipe and repeats the same mistakes:

    Step 1: having aliens that actually sneak, hide and ambush you is ruled out as either too technically challenging, too frustrating for players or not following the mainstream recipe and thus too risky. Step 2: now tons of dumb, weak aliens are beelining towards players making loud screeching    This Alien franchise game once again follows the usual recipe and repeats the same mistakes:

    Step 1: having aliens that actually sneak, hide and ambush you is ruled out as either too technically challenging, too frustrating for players or not following the mainstream recipe and thus too risky.

    Step 2: now tons of dumb, weak aliens are beelining towards players making loud screeching noises. Can't keep doing this for 10 maps straight, so the alien zoo comes back: armored aliens, spitting aliens, runner aliens, exploding aliens...

    Sprinkle with XP system and unlockable items. Voila, generic coop shooter.

    I wish they'd mix GTFO and Alien: Isolation instead. And rather than invent a dozen alien variations, invent new anti-alien devices that marines need to use. How about a new kind of scanner that is unwieldy but has to be very methodically used to locate hidden aliens in corridors (or undetected aliens will ambush), and having to use this scanner with extra probes in larger rooms to stay away from hidden aliens until a kill zone is closed off and set up because otherwise the odds are terrible...

    Basically, anything but another generic coop shooter with the dreaded alien zoo in it. But that's what we got. It may still be fun for players just looking to play another coop shooter with a different theme. And I guess this standard coop shooter recipe sells well, so maybe there's at least the chance for an interesting Alien game to follow in its footsteps.    … Expand
  22. Nanashi95
    Aug 29, 2021
    3
    While it's not the worst game in the Alien franchise, it's definitely the most disrespectful. And in that regard I would consider it even worse than Colonial Marines. It doesn't even try to come up with something original. The only original stuff that was added is the most boring and generic you can think of.
    It basically just takes stuff from the movies and other Alien games and slaps    While it's not the worst game in the Alien franchise, it's definitely the most disrespectful. And in that regard I would consider it even worse than Colonial Marines. It doesn't even try to come up with something original. The only original stuff that was added is the most boring and generic you can think of.
    It basically just takes stuff from the movies and other Alien games and slaps hem together into a boring and loveless game. What makes it even worse it that the movie this game takes most inspiration from is actually Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which are known for messing up the lore. It doesn't help that the game is a pure shooting gallery, where the Xenomorphs are really nothing more than cannon fodder rushing in masses. It's even worse than in Colonial Marines and the Xenos here are even dumber than in Colonial Marines.
    When it comes to gameplay, the shooting is at least fun, but in general the game just feels so dated. It's just your basic 3rd-person shooter of which there were already more innovative ones during the times of PS3/Xbox 360.

    Boring, outdated gameplay. Disrespectful to the Xenomorph as an antagonist. And it ruins the Alien lore even further by referencing Prometheus and Alien: Covenant too much.
    At least it's playable and looks good.    … Expand
  23. Cryage
    Aug 27, 2021
    9
    When I saw this game announced, of course everyone held their breath hoping it wouldn't be another Colonial Marines misfire - and I'm happy to report, it's not. Seeing the gameplay footage, all I wanted out of this game was to re-live my Left 4 dead days with my friends, but in the Alien universe, and this game delivers in spades. It's also the style of game that I enjoyed when I playedWhen I saw this game announced, of course everyone held their breath hoping it wouldn't be another Colonial Marines misfire - and I'm happy to report, it's not. Seeing the gameplay footage, all I wanted out of this game was to re-live my Left 4 dead days with my friends, but in the Alien universe, and this game delivers in spades. It's also the style of game that I enjoyed when I played the Aliens arcade game back in the 90's with my dad (good memories tied to that) as far as xenomorph slaying & alien variety goes.

    While it is a bit short, I know they have a lot of future content planned which excites me and leaves me eagerly wanting more.

    Sometimes I wonder the expectation that some people went into this game with. The intent of this game was not to be a follow up intense atmosphere like Alien Isolation was. The purpose of this game was to provide a power fantasy for us to be the hardened marines vs the xenomorphs and that's what we got. No more, no less. We have a competent class system, we have a competent weapon upgrade system , we got an AWESOME perks / customization system, and we got a fun card system to provide different challenges.

    The sound is OUTSTANDING
    The aliens look incredible
    The player models are serviceable enough, some of their animations (gun switching) can look a bit silly since you're effectively doing a windmill with your arm lol
    The environments, especially Act 3 & 4 are amazing
    Enemy variety is fun and diverse
    Each class does offer a unique enough playstyle to feel different

    For the cons, there are a few, since no game is perfect and no game deserves a 10/10;
    -The NPC's dont have animated mouths, which is fine but just takes you out of the immersion a bit.
    -There is no in game chat (text or voice) for PC. I hope they add this in so I can communicate with a group , especially if I'm really enjoying playing with them
    -The door bug sucks (creates an invisible wall), but in 30 hours of gameplay i've only experienced it once
    -Power level recommended for some difficulties should be mandatory minimums (especially on Intense difficulty) - nothing is worse than carrying a power level 260 player on a 500+ recommended level.
    -The prowlers are revealed by the characters saying "Ambush ahead" or something else that is derivative it should have just been a heavy breathing alien as the cue that one is around the corner. An ambush isn't an ambush if your character calls it out lol

    Overall this game is a ton of fun - even solo with the AI bots, they are better than average bots in these horde games. They don't have a class which sucks so they only shoot and lob the occasional grenade that the gunner has, so real players are always preferable.

    It's a ton of fun - the price is 100% on point, It's worth a buy, 100%.    … Expand
  24. scharman
    Aug 25, 2021
    4
    Edit: Metacritic was crashing this morning - should have been 4 not 0.
    Has potential, but just too many QoL issues to enjoy right now. Communication from the developers would help.
    * broken matchmaking system makes groups hard to find and bots are not great * no integrated text or voice chat for PC - the limited emotes aren't sufficient * no fov slider for ultrawides makes widescreen    Edit: Metacritic was crashing this morning - should have been 4 not 0.
    Has potential, but just too many QoL issues to enjoy right now. Communication from the developers would help.
    * broken matchmaking system makes groups hard to find and bots are not great
    * no integrated text or voice chat for PC - the limited emotes aren't sufficient
    * no fov slider for ultrawides makes widescreen unplayable due to cropped screen
    * no way to replace a disconnected team player
    * the insistence on TPS still seems odd for the tight corridors
    * character movement feels a little slow, not unworkable but just feels a little off - could be tuned
    Otherwise, the game has real potential. Will be interesting to see if the devs address the issues or not. If they do it may have some life. If not, it will be dead in a short while.    … Expand
  25. Souky0ku7
    Oct 7, 2021
    3
    Good graphics, Good sound, good weapon system.

    Boring story, too repetitive always the same, could be done in first person,
  26. sulaco426
    Sep 1, 2021
    8
    For what it wants to be its pretty good. its just a nice coop shooter with enough "Aliens" Vibes. It just lacks the content for that pricetag. I recommend it.
  27. CoinGuide
    Dec 18, 2021
    0
    Useless friend system where you can't invite friend from steam while playing on pc game pass.
  28. Deaden
    Aug 26, 2021
    2
    Repetitive gameplay is boring. DEVs should be creative and have ability of variety. Also playing with people without effective communication in game is a poor design for a co-op game. Some people repeat again and again for using discord. Sorry but it's not an excuse to not have an QoL environments like chat! Using name of an franchise is not making a game great. Be creative and ripper!
  29. DiddleSchnitz
    Aug 27, 2021
    3
    As a huge fan of the Alien universe this game is really a disappointment. The gameplay is very repetitive and gets stale quickly, the voice acting is cringe worthy and player movement and controls feel stiff and unpolished.
  30. base_d
    Aug 26, 2021
    1
    Zombies enough said about where we are going with this franchise. You will get bored very quickly.
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »