Natural Selection 2

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 642 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 522 out of 642
  2. Mixed: 69 out of 642
  3. Negative: 51 out of 642

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. pro7otype
    Sep 17, 2014
    6
    This is a game with great potential but falls short of greatness. The community desperately needs more players, who are turned away by the combination of toxic experience of being pubstomped by the pros and being berated by them. The lack of matchmaking prevents this from becoming a more widely appreciated title. A diamond in the rough.
  2. kingplain
    Feb 11, 2013
    7
    I'm a fan of this game. It reminds me a lot of other team based first person shooters (such are Team Fortress) where you can pick from different roles and get an entirely different game play experiences. This is especially nice if you're having an off day in one aspect of the game, just jump to something else. It's also a little bit arcadey in that there's not precise aiming. I keep tryingI'm a fan of this game. It reminds me a lot of other team based first person shooters (such are Team Fortress) where you can pick from different roles and get an entirely different game play experiences. This is especially nice if you're having an off day in one aspect of the game, just jump to something else. It's also a little bit arcadey in that there's not precise aiming. I keep trying to pull up the cross hairs to score head-shots, forgetting that it's just not that kind of game. With so much going on, you really need to spend time honing skills before moving on. Trying to be a jack of all trades too early and you'll stink at everything indefinitely. Instead, practicing with the basic marine and skulk first is a good way to get a firm understanding of what's going on in a way that's always going to be helpful to your teammates because: You are heavily reliant on teammates. A good commander or a good team can overcome deficiencies in other areas. Inversely, strong deficiencies can tank a whole team. Doesn't matter if you're the best FPS in the world. Without upgrades and backup, your skills will be moot against the enemy. It's this that makes it truly a team game. When you win, it feels like everything aligned and you were part of some hand-picked dream team. When you lose, it's fun too, but for different reasons.I'd highly recommend it if you've enjoyed similar team games. One odd side point: the RTS part of this game tends to draw out the Star Craft nerds while the FPS tends to draw out COD jocks. It's a strangely diverse gaming environment (especially when people start getting upset). Reminds me of high school.… Expand
  3. Old_Skewl_Gamer
    Sep 18, 2013
    7
    I played the original. This is a good game and a good remake. The community sucks and the lack of anti-cheats (full on VAC is not enabled) hurts the game a lot.
  4. Leprechaun_exe
    Nov 22, 2012
    7
    I love this game, I love the RTS/FPS combination, and I think that both sides of this game are very well intertwined. Natural Selection 2 has a bit of a steep learning curve, but rookie servers allow new players to learn the ropes without blame. There are no introductions, just gameplay videos that don't help out too much. There is, however, an "Explore Mode" to test out some of the basicI love this game, I love the RTS/FPS combination, and I think that both sides of this game are very well intertwined. Natural Selection 2 has a bit of a steep learning curve, but rookie servers allow new players to learn the ropes without blame. There are no introductions, just gameplay videos that don't help out too much. There is, however, an "Explore Mode" to test out some of the basic features of the game. The three lost points were due to the fact that this game still plays like it is in beta. It has crashed on me many times, and servers are frequently laggy. The game once crashed my computer too, and this is an Asus gaming desktop that runs SC2, ME3, LoL and many other games on ultra quality, double-chip. I would recommend this game, but I do hope that Unknown Worlds continues to patch and troubleshoot, because there is a long way to go before I can say that this game runs well.… Expand
  5. Mkilbride
    Nov 8, 2012
    7
    It's a good game, a faithful recreation of the HL1 mod. But sadly, that's all it is. A recreation. No real new features to speak of, ones that add to the game, that is, and we lost alot of features as well, so it comes out to less.

    The game also has horrible performance, as you can see on their forums, even with a high end rig. There's numerous bugs that have existed for over two years    It's a good game, a faithful recreation of the HL1 mod. But sadly, that's all it is. A recreation. No real new features to speak of, ones that add to the game, that is, and we lost alot of features as well, so it comes out to less.

    The game also has horrible performance, as you can see on their forums, even with a high end rig. There's numerous bugs that have existed for over two years in the beta form, that are still not fixed. At it's core, it's really fun, but lacks polish and content.    … Expand
  6. Babaganoush
    Nov 19, 2012
    7
    Preordered NS2 when it was first announced, loved NS1, and am enjoying this game... mostly. Loading takes a pretty long time for first load but it's decent after that. Best part about this game is that teamwork is REQUIRED to win. No lonewolf noscope snipers in this game.

    The biggest problem is the current balance of the game. I'm not talking from a clan/competitive perspective here,    Preordered NS2 when it was first announced, loved NS1, and am enjoying this game... mostly. Loading takes a pretty long time for first load but it's decent after that. Best part about this game is that teamwork is REQUIRED to win. No lonewolf noscope snipers in this game.

    The biggest problem is the current balance of the game. I'm not talking from a clan/competitive perspective here, but rather just joining public servers. Aliens are a blast to play. That being said, marines really need some buffing for endgame: You cannot get out of your exosuits (therefore unable to recall back to base via Distress Signal, use phase gates or repair/build anything) and one on one an Onos will win against an exosuit, dual or not. Not to mention that Onos has more than double the health of an exosuit and tons more mobility. The Onos' devour ability has been replaced with a Stomp attack, which can easily take out more than two marines, while they lie helpless on the floor.

    Anything midgame and lower is a nice fun, tug of war for resource control of the map. However, once the aliens reach Onos, there is rarely anything that can stop them. I know this game has a potential to have a greater score than 7, but at the current state, due to the skewed wins for aliens on public servers, it will have a lot of pro-marine public players uninstalling in frustration.    … Expand
  7. nop
    Jan 18, 2013
    5
    I both love and hate this game. Idea is fun, but implementation is abysmal. Let me list some of the points: Horrible framerates even on lowest settings. On a decent system capable of 1080p @ 60 FPS in last year games I only have single-digit framerates in heated battle scenes in sub-HD display resolution and lowest possible settings. Single digits, in a fast-paced game! Network lags. ForI both love and hate this game. Idea is fun, but implementation is abysmal. Let me list some of the points: Horrible framerates even on lowest settings. On a decent system capable of 1080p @ 60 FPS in last year games I only have single-digit framerates in heated battle scenes in sub-HD display resolution and lowest possible settings. Single digits, in a fast-paced game! Network lags. For me, it is next to impossible to hit faster-moving targets. From time to time I suddently find myself in a different corner of the room. Questionable game mechanics and balance, seemingly changing after every patch. Countless minor issues with user interface and controls. alien vision frequently limits visibility instead of improving it, this doesn't make sense. NO MATCHMAKING. Literally, you can find a seasoned veteran being ordered around by someone who sounds like 12-year old child and has a green rookie nickname. This is fun for a few times, but not sustainable in a long term. No support for russian language despite popularity of this game in Russian-speaking countries. I would accept many of these problems if I didn't buy this game for 20 bucks assuming it's a finished game, not an alpha. 9 for what it tries to be, 1 for implementation quality and misleading self-advertisement.… Expand
  8. joob46
    Mar 3, 2013
    6
    I don't like giving this game a low score because the structure of the gameplay and the structure is very fun. I played the first NS and enjoyed it. This new installment has much the old feel. There are issues with weapon damage calculations instantly killing aliens in one hit or doing practically no damage. I can not say for sure that these two issues are one in the same however the alienI don't like giving this game a low score because the structure of the gameplay and the structure is very fun. I played the first NS and enjoyed it. This new installment has much the old feel. There are issues with weapon damage calculations instantly killing aliens in one hit or doing practically no damage. I can not say for sure that these two issues are one in the same however the alien side will typically feel underpowered and you are guaranteed to see players aimbotting on marine side. Fortunately, like LFD2, the special race abilities make it easier to recognize and combat cheating players. I would still recommend the game because it is similar to Left For Dead 2, where once you get a server locked with legit and honest players it can be really fun and competitive. I am surprised the game is available for only twelve dollars that's really cheap for a game like this.… Expand
  9. augh18
    Apr 17, 2014
    6
    The biggest problem of Natural Selection has always been that even in the most casual of matchups, there is a heavy reliance on teamwork. There's no way to Rambo in a game like this, which means you're only as strong as the people you're working with. It's great as a high-level competitive e-sport, but for people who just want something to play in their free time, this isn't the rightThe biggest problem of Natural Selection has always been that even in the most casual of matchups, there is a heavy reliance on teamwork. There's no way to Rambo in a game like this, which means you're only as strong as the people you're working with. It's great as a high-level competitive e-sport, but for people who just want something to play in their free time, this isn't the right game. If you're a newbie you're going to get chewed out constantly by people who *know* what they're doing and are really vocal about how bad you are to the entire team (since it isn't just a matter of K/D ratio, you need to coordinate resource captures, base strikes, base defense, buliding, etc. etc.), or you're going to be the guy that knows what he's doing, and feel like a loser for getting frustrated that people who don't play as much as you are ruining a *video game* for you.

    Aside from that, the load times are still ridiculously long, and the game has ludicrously high system requirements, either because it isn't well optimized or it's too big for its own good (the longer games go on, the more tech both sides have which means more effects going off at once, and there's also more buildings, more creep for the game to render).

    It's a really great concept, but the realization is that a game like this is too massive to be wielded. The engine collapses upon itself regularly, and you aren't going to even be an "average" player without being able to play this game like a full-time job.

    The 6 is not because it's a bad game, it's just too ambitious for its own good. I feel like the development team is composed of a bunch of hardcore gamers that are passionate about their work and wanted to take a genius idea they had and share it with the world, but they didn't have anyone around to rein them in and keep them in reality. In NS1 or NS2. Which is a real shame, because if this game was even half of what it is right now, it'd not only remain as a unique multiplayer FPS in a sea of derivative titles, it'd likely actually be a better game all around.    … Expand
  10. OoieGooie
    Dec 7, 2012
    5
    The game has a lot of promise but the system in which decides the winning losing team is too quick and before you know it, you're either owning the other team or getting your face smashed in. You don't simply lose the game, oh no, it takes a while which is very frustrating. Even if you win, its a slaughter and not a very rewarding experience.

    If your Commander is bad, you will lose.    The game has a lot of promise but the system in which decides the winning losing team is too quick and before you know it, you're either owning the other team or getting your face smashed in. You don't simply lose the game, oh no, it takes a while which is very frustrating. Even if you win, its a slaughter and not a very rewarding experience.

    If your Commander is bad, you will lose. You know this quickly as they don't talk. Teams need to communicate which is fair enough. Just something to point out how critical commanders are. If you have friends, get them to play. Communicate a LOT and get one of them to learn the commanders role. Get some tactics and maybe, just maybe the game will be fun.

    Not recommended for casual gamers.

    Buy Planetside 2 or Teamfortress 2 instead.    … Expand
  11. Bitter_Boy
    Dec 31, 2012
    6
    Make some maps for this game please! There are only a few good maps (tram, mineshaft, summit, refinery), and of those, only summit is a truly good one. This game is marketted as having a user-friendly, powerful map making engine, but in all the years of development it has only been able to squeeze out a handful of small, dry lumps. This really hurts the replay value of the game. Yes,Make some maps for this game please! There are only a few good maps (tram, mineshaft, summit, refinery), and of those, only summit is a truly good one. This game is marketted as having a user-friendly, powerful map making engine, but in all the years of development it has only been able to squeeze out a handful of small, dry lumps. This really hurts the replay value of the game. Yes, obviously there is more to the game than just maps (I could mention snail's pace devepment,or silly gameplay mechanics that were removed from NS1 for good reason, but have inexplicably made their way back into NS2 because Flayra thinks they are "cute"), but they are well covered in other reviews.… Expand
  12. kingzardoz
    Dec 25, 2012
    5
    I hate giving a game like this such a low score because you can tell a lot of passion and effort went into making it. I played the old natural selection mod for 1 day but it was still unfinished at the time and I didn't really understand it so my review is not from the perspective of everything in NS2 should be like NS1. Starting with performance, this game is about as bad as they comeI hate giving a game like this such a low score because you can tell a lot of passion and effort went into making it. I played the old natural selection mod for 1 day but it was still unfinished at the time and I didn't really understand it so my review is not from the perspective of everything in NS2 should be like NS1. Starting with performance, this game is about as bad as they come with optimization. If you're buying this game make sure you have an i5-7 processor or AMD equivalent because from what I've read this game takes all the processing power you can throw at it. My video card is decent enough and plays many games at max settings 1080Hd res but if I go anywhere near mid-max settings on this game the video starts to stutter. According to the forums the problem is caused by my weak processor (8400 wolfdale) and not by my video card so I run the game at very low settings to make it playable. In my non-expert opinion the small dev team should have just licensed some game engine and used that instead of trying to invent their own. Now to the gameplay, this game is treated like a casual fps multiplayer where players can drop in and out of a game and switch teams but this style of matchmaking does not work with the gameplay which is far from casual. I would say 80% of your victory/loss relies on the commander which is a lot of pressure to put on one position that can be taken by simply walking up to the hive and pressing E. I held off on writing this review until I played in some more "advanced" servers but I noticed they behaved in a similar fashion to the "rookie" servers. Lack of commanders and bad commanders doing nothing (no upgrades, no communication). Without upgrades or communication from the comm the game is over yet you have to sit through the whole round unless everybody drops out to the lobby. Why not require a comm to be picked before the round starts and maybe add an ability to vote for comms if multiple people want to command. The current system is just absurd. If your team gets behind because there is no commander or there is a total idiot with no communication skills commanding the round is over. I have yet to see a team recover from such a setback. I have no problem with unforgiving team games (I play a lot of dota2) but at least structure the matchmaking properly with rating systems or voting systems or something. When you break it all down I don't even think voting or ratings would help the game because it is structurally flawed by putting too much responsibility on one position. In the 20 NS2 games I've played, about 1 or 2 were evenly matched. Im not giving up on the game because I think it could offer some unique teamplay aspects but to stay sane I might have to start learning to be a commander when nobody else steps up to the task.… Expand
  13. Vistance
    Dec 28, 2012
    5
    So it seems this is one of those games where any negative score just gets spammed with Not helpful, and all the 10's get Helpful. Please, stop fooling yourselves it's not helping anyone to lie and say this game is a 10/10. The truth is, the game is fun but as it is it's terribly unbalanced. Skulks are unbalanced early game, far too many Zerg rushes can occur and their speed and mobilitySo it seems this is one of those games where any negative score just gets spammed with Not helpful, and all the 10's get Helpful. Please, stop fooling yourselves it's not helping anyone to lie and say this game is a 10/10. The truth is, the game is fun but as it is it's terribly unbalanced. Skulks are unbalanced early game, far too many Zerg rushes can occur and their speed and mobility makes it next to impossible for a marine to kill them. Late game, aliens are too weak - they lack the strong units that the marines have. The original Natural Selection was free, and it was balanced pretty well - but this is ridiculous. Game balance is the number one complaint I have with the game. The mechanics are fine, but until the glaringly unbalanced issues are resolved I won't be playing this.… Expand
  14. Heavymetal4life
    Dec 20, 2012
    5
    The game itself is like everyone says , fun times but omfg the load screen to join a game is stupid dumb annoying. I literally sit from 5-15mins waiting for it to load then initialize then precache, etc etc etc its **** retarded.
  15. Dethstar
    Nov 4, 2012
    6
    Looks ok and runs ok so it is surprising they could have messed up it from there on in. The premise is promising but I am guessing the people that wrote it dont play it as anything other than Marines. For a Marine you have nice tool and feel fairly omnipotent most of the time. Especially when you have points to spend. But as aliens it is like your on the wrong side of an old schoolLooks ok and runs ok so it is surprising they could have messed up it from there on in. The premise is promising but I am guessing the people that wrote it dont play it as anything other than Marines. For a Marine you have nice tool and feel fairly omnipotent most of the time. Especially when you have points to spend. But as aliens it is like your on the wrong side of an old school arcade game. It doesnt take a grenade to kill you or even a single burst but one bullet from a burst. Insta kill if remotely near a hit. Sort of fun for a bit as a marine but it does feel a bit hollow and people keep leaving if the Marine team is full. I wish I had known and I would have wasted money on it. The issues are glaring so hopefully it will be fixed but right now I would avoid. Could be a game if the game busting balancing gets fixed. What blows my mind is that this is so obvious yet the game was still released.… Expand
  16. MIKALE
    Nov 9, 2012
    6
    Very similar to the original Half-Life mod as you might expect, with some nice refinements to visuals and gameplay. The graphic enhancements are the obvious stand out and the changes to gameplay make it feel a little different but I have to say, once I got past my feelings of nostalgia I really felt like they could have pushed the original concept much further. For a small team what'sVery similar to the original Half-Life mod as you might expect, with some nice refinements to visuals and gameplay. The graphic enhancements are the obvious stand out and the changes to gameplay make it feel a little different but I have to say, once I got past my feelings of nostalgia I really felt like they could have pushed the original concept much further. For a small team what's there is quite an achievement, the down side being that you should expect it to come with more flaws than bigger developer titles. There's still a fair bit of room for optimization and more content. Then there's the steep learning curve for fresh players, something I think they should seriously consider providing more help with to encourage a new following.

    Overall, it's as fun as it was back then and I'm positive the UWE team have more to come for this title.    … Expand
  17. Thicky
    Nov 5, 2012
    5
    Game performs well since latest patch, graphics are ok, audio ok. It's a really neat concept.

    The unfortunate part is that the game is tremendously unbalanced. The marines have every advantage and it's only made worse by the fact that Friendly Fire is permanently OFF. This lets the marines spam aoe attacks non-stop. Playing as a marine is limited fun because of how easy it is. Everyone    Game performs well since latest patch, graphics are ok, audio ok. It's a really neat concept.

    The unfortunate part is that the game is tremendously unbalanced. The marines have every advantage and it's only made worse by the fact that Friendly Fire is permanently OFF. This lets the marines spam aoe attacks non-stop. Playing as a marine is limited fun because of how easy it is. Everyone likes to win but when it is made so easy it quickly loses its shine.

    With the aliens, the team has gutted their abilities and limited their buildings from the original game.

    I think their plan was to make the game only for 'pro' players and expected to only sell to people who would want tournament play. I don't even like to play any longer because it's just not fun being way overpowered or being way underpowered.    … Expand
  18. DeadlyCornbread
    Jan 15, 2013
    6
    I never played NS1 so this comes from the perspective of a noob to the game. The game is daunting at first, as either side, but I attempted to join the marine side to get a feel for the game, which was nigh impossible, everyone wanted to be a marine. I did well learning the aliens, and enjoyed my time. After a few games the real game came out to me. Maybe it's my PC but the hit detectionI never played NS1 so this comes from the perspective of a noob to the game. The game is daunting at first, as either side, but I attempted to join the marine side to get a feel for the game, which was nigh impossible, everyone wanted to be a marine. I did well learning the aliens, and enjoyed my time. After a few games the real game came out to me. Maybe it's my PC but the hit detection is way off. I would hammer away on the smallest aliens and they would survive, where as while I played I would take very few rounds before dying. And once the marines got into exos, almost any game I played (even where the alien equivalent was there) the game ended in a win for the marines.

    I want to enjoy this game but my PC can barely handle it, where as it can play games like Rage, Killing Floor, with smooth animations. I want to love this game, but I find it to be a down the middle average game. Great idea and okay gameplay make a title that I'm glad I purchased with a steep discount on sale.    … Expand
  19. gfaccin
    Dec 22, 2012
    5
    The game itself is very cool: good mechanics and playability. The problem are the bugs: I can't play an evening without having 10 to 15 crashes. Every night! Fells like more of a beta game than a real release.

    We have the "pure virtual function call" error, the rendering error where blue squares appear instead of itens, and others. All that in windows 7 32 bits, which by the way did not    The game itself is very cool: good mechanics and playability. The problem are the bugs: I can't play an evening without having 10 to 15 crashes. Every night! Fells like more of a beta game than a real release.

    We have the "pure virtual function call" error, the rendering error where blue squares appear instead of itens, and others. All that in windows 7 32 bits, which by the way did not even work on the first days after the release, for the frustration of those who bought it on pre-order. Even the error handler fails to send the devs the message containing the crash data in some bugs, so most likely they won't be fixed soon.

    My piece of advice: wait 1 or 2 years before buying this game. Perhaps it will be less unstable by then. Or be very very patient with the crashes when playing.    … Expand
  20. EvilTerrorizer
    Dec 22, 2014
    7
    I like the game. Got an upgrade to a brand new machine with all the bells and whistles, so on max settings the game looks really nice. Gameplay is dynamic, I like being commander. Each side, Alien and Marine have asymmetric strategies that they can use to win even if they are losing overall in tech and credits... which is important for giving people a reason to play a losing game.

    My    I like the game. Got an upgrade to a brand new machine with all the bells and whistles, so on max settings the game looks really nice. Gameplay is dynamic, I like being commander. Each side, Alien and Marine have asymmetric strategies that they can use to win even if they are losing overall in tech and credits... which is important for giving people a reason to play a losing game.

    My only negative experience with the game is being steamrolled by one or two really good players on the opposite team. Unfortunately, it only takes one or two out-of-balance players to destroy the game experience for everyone. Since resources are very tight early game, when one player goes 15-0 its pretty much time to forfeit and start again.    … Expand
  21. ChoicestGames
    Jul 14, 2013
    7
    While the production values aren't high a lot of fun can be had with this game if you're able to grab a group of mates to play with you or cooperative strangers; The game's success really hangs on the quality of the community and whether you are willing to get yourself involved too.
  22. Muchomexicano
    Jan 27, 2022
    7
    Fantastic game with many options for what you can do next and a forgiving community when you gaining your bearings in the rookie servers. Only problem in my opinion is it seems pretty unbalanced with the favor in the marines direction. The jet-pack shotgun combo is way over powered since when it comes to ranged attacks the aliens are lacking and cant match speed and mobility of theFantastic game with many options for what you can do next and a forgiving community when you gaining your bearings in the rookie servers. Only problem in my opinion is it seems pretty unbalanced with the favor in the marines direction. The jet-pack shotgun combo is way over powered since when it comes to ranged attacks the aliens are lacking and cant match speed and mobility of the jet-pack. Other then balance issues its a fun game with few levels but the pace and tactics make those all that are needed for now.… Expand
  23. Salient0ne
    Sep 21, 2013
    5
    Looking back I was rather unfair to this game, so im re-reviewing it to a 5/10. The matchmaking is a nightmare, but at its core its probably about as good as this hybrid genre can get.
  24. Nataraja
    Feb 12, 2013
    7
    This is a great game depending on what server you land on. While it is open to modification it is also open to exploits. When you get into an exploit free game the title is simply fantastic. When you are faced with an exploiter or worse a whole server of exploiters the game becomes pointless. The mechanics are great, the atmosphere is intense and while I prefer to play a marine theThis is a great game depending on what server you land on. While it is open to modification it is also open to exploits. When you get into an exploit free game the title is simply fantastic. When you are faced with an exploiter or worse a whole server of exploiters the game becomes pointless. The mechanics are great, the atmosphere is intense and while I prefer to play a marine the aliens can be fun as well. If I could split my score I would give the game play, atmosphere, graphics, and melding of first person shooter with strategy a 10 and give the overly open code a 3. However I am forced to give a single score and reluctantly give it a 7.… Expand
  25. AidanM
    Mar 29, 2013
    7
    This game is very creative and a great game to play with friends. Modded servers are AMAZING, you could pretty much play a different modded server once per hour for a whole day, and it would never get boring. However, if you are not playing with friends, matchmaking is terrible. Basically what happens is you either select a server or use quick match (which obviously selects a server) andThis game is very creative and a great game to play with friends. Modded servers are AMAZING, you could pretty much play a different modded server once per hour for a whole day, and it would never get boring. However, if you are not playing with friends, matchmaking is terrible. Basically what happens is you either select a server or use quick match (which obviously selects a server) and once the server loads you go to a room where you pick to be a marine or alien. However, once you are in the room, either you pick a side and there is no one playing the game or the sides are locked. Matchmaking never choses a balanced server and it takes forever to find one. The gameplay is very fun, and it is great to play with friends. However, I advise to look elsewhere if you are looking for quick multiplayer games… Expand
  26. facecake2
    Nov 27, 2013
    5
    Natural Selection 2 is a asymmetrical FPS/Strategy hybrid. The game consists of 2 teams; marines and aliens and both sides have a commander. The thing I like most is the map design and the graphics are pretty decent. However, if you’re thinking about picking this up, I wouldn't bother due to the humble bundle, steam sales, patches, the game has not only changed significantly, the communityNatural Selection 2 is a asymmetrical FPS/Strategy hybrid. The game consists of 2 teams; marines and aliens and both sides have a commander. The thing I like most is the map design and the graphics are pretty decent. However, if you’re thinking about picking this up, I wouldn't bother due to the humble bundle, steam sales, patches, the game has not only changed significantly, the community has gone downhill. This game was perfect upon release with the community being the highlight but it has now passed it's golden age, the regulars are long gone with the “balance test” patch. I usually play as commander now I keep getting ejected over extremely trivial things like: not having a mic and not building specific things early in the game. People also don't follow orders and blame it on you for things not going well. The gameplay changed significantly due to map modifications and game breaking nerfs and buffs. The hitboxes on aliens isn’t great especially for lerks. If you're looking for a decent RTS game, there are better games out there like the total war series. If you're looking for a FPS game, there is counterstrike. However, if you are still interested, I would recommend either getting a mic or playing this with a bunch of friends, otherwise be prepared for endless amounts of frustration … Expand
  27. Gentoo
    Dec 5, 2013
    7
    The only downside I would consider is that it's really hard to master this game. Not like any other casual FPS game. First games in the game can be a tough experience for someone since it takes much time to fully understand it.
  28. TomTom17
    Dec 6, 2013
    6
    A bit overrated but still a good game. When i bought this game on steam i wasent expecting much, just a typical online shooter and that's more or less what i got. The game has strategic elements as well but all you do is build structures on territory's you have captured. You get to play as either the aliens or the marines and i found that playing as the aliens was much more fun. you get toA bit overrated but still a good game. When i bought this game on steam i wasent expecting much, just a typical online shooter and that's more or less what i got. The game has strategic elements as well but all you do is build structures on territory's you have captured. You get to play as either the aliens or the marines and i found that playing as the aliens was much more fun. you get to climb on walls and tag enemy players so that other players know where they are. There are about 5 classes on the alien team and all are fun to play as. Now negative things about the game, the game has no xp or leveling up, no customization of characters, no leaderboards or stats so you cant compare scores with friends, which should be in a multiplayer game. Games like CS GO and Planetside 2 have these features and Planetside is free. So why buy this game, because its fun and i enjoyed playing it for a while. But quickly it got a bit repetitive and dident really care if i won or lost. Also there is one game type, no team deathmatch no capture the flag no free for all. The only game type is building up your base and taking the whole map which is a great mode but i want more variety. If you like sci fi shooters then get this game, it only cost me about £4 so you get a good game for the price.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Best PC Game of 2012
32
#32 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 10, 2013
    71
    Certainly not for newcomers in the genre; but it’s a blast for hardcore gamers that crave for action instead of the classic FPS mechanics and want matches that last something between a Counter-Strike and Battlefield 3 battle. [March 2013]
  2. Thunderbolt
    Feb 15, 2013
    60
    Natural Selection 2 is unquestionably a unique title, but its bar to entry is incredibly high for the average FPS player. For the hardcore strategist, it has its appeal, but its complexity severely limits the enjoyment in matches that aren’t significantly populated by experts at the game.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Feb 6, 2013
    75
    I am sure Natural Selection 2 will gather a group of devoted fans. After all it’s a good, surprisingly original game. [CD-Action 02/2013, p.50]
See all critic reviews »