Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a fine co-op shooter in a beloved franchise. It can offer lots of fun and tons of shooting, which should be enough for at least a couple of evenings.

Aliens Fireteam Elite already has new story missions lined up for the future, so there’s a distinct possibility the game will be able to hold player interest for a while. If you’ve got bug-hunting buddies to play with, you’ll have a much better time. Single players, however, should probably give it a pass.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a proposal that, in general terms, we have loved for its fidelity to the Alien movies and because it does not seek to be anything more than an action experience a la Left 4 Dead, already with built-in improvements that can be seen in Back 4 Blood, to kill aliens without stopping. However, it could have been much more and bring some variety to not always be the same. Still, if you are fans of the movie saga you can't let it escape.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is tricky to judge. The gameplay loop is repetitive and retreads a lot of the tropes found in similar co-op shooter experiences. Its presentation is good but inconsistent. What it does well is capturing the visuals and sound of the movies and distilling them into a well-established formula. There's a good variety of combat classes and engaging ways to customize and improve builds, so players are incentivized to continue playing and get better as the difficulty ratchets up to add a thrilling survival component. I am concerned about the title's online matchmaking, which we were unable to test. Since the title does not support crossplay, the game's longevity and player base will depend on early adopters and future content releases to prove that this online shooter is here to stay.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a hugely entertaining co-op shooter, only brought down by the formulaic structure of its missions and the odd rough edge. Developer Cold Iron Studios is promising more free content in the future, however, and has the chance to turn the game into something rather special. With more horde maps, marine classes and perhaps a mission tweak here and there, we could imagine returning to Aliens: Fireteam Elite time and time again, long into the future. Right now though, while some team-based third-person shooter fans will have plenty of fun with it, it’s only really a must for Alien fans.

Whilst Aliens: Fireteam Elite is lacking in some areas, and is not without its frustrations, it is a solid third-person survival shooter. The story won't pull you in, but the core gameplay is satisfying, fun, and addictive and that is what will ultimately keep you coming back. There is something here for fans of third-person shooters and Alien fans alike.

Remarkably faithful to the source material and always fun to play, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is bogged down by an uninspired story and a huge amount of bugs.

This online-focussed squad shooter recreates the feel of the Aliens movie perfectly but rarely gives us something original to do with all that pitch-perfect fan service. [Issue#6, p.82]

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is an online co-operative action title that exudes love for the franchise on which it is based, that doesn't aspire to revolutionise anything and that has, in its simplicity, its main virtues and defects. As accessible and satisfying as it is repetitive. A perfect videogame to enjoy in company. Immediate fun that will also delight fans of the second film installment of the franchise. A pity it doesn't take more risks and is so predictable in almost everything it does.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite could have been a much better game but its many bugs and glitches, and strange design decisions hold it back from shining.

There have been a slew of movie franchises that have gone with cooperative multiplayer experience in recent years. Aliens: Fireteam Elite goes deeper and offers a lot for those that like grinding. The game just lacks a hook to keep players engaged as missions are long and redundant. The weapon unlocks and adding perks helps to keep things going, but the means of the game is separately leveling up each of the five classes across twelve long missions. Hardcore Aliens fans that liked the action-focused movies that differ from the original may find this right up their alley. The audio aspect could be amazing if there was a way to mute the comms narrative that ruins the atmosphere of the game. Ultimately, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a functional cooperative third-person shooter that’s an improvement to Colonial Marines, but doesn’t supersede Isolation.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is in no way the failure that Colonial Marines was. It’s a fun squad shooter with just about enough features at launch to keep you coming back to replay missions and tackle the horde mode. However, it’s not the strongest game of its type and really doesn't seem to fit the license.