Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a third-person shooter from Cold Iron Studios that fits well into the mold of a co-op shooter. That is not to say the game is bad, and it does what it sets out to do. It’s just not a groundbreaking game, with no new crazy mechanics and no crazy new enemy types. It is a game similar to Left 4 Dead with more cover shooter elements implemented.

The game did suffer from a rough launch with a bug that prevented players from playing that had special characters in their name. This was fixed a few hours after the launch of the game, but it did prevent many players (including myself) from being able to start the game. The developers provided a temporary solution of telling players how to delete their saved game so they could change their name and get the game working until they came out with a proper bug fix.

When launching the game you are greeted by the title screen, featuring the ship your marine is on (called the Endeavor) approaching the space station and the planet you will fight through. The music on the title screen and in the rest of the game sets a tone of unease, and makes you feel like something is off. It is a feeling easily associated with the feeling of being stalked by the Alien.

Main menu aside, the graphics aren’t something to write home about. That is not to say they are bad, in fact they are pretty good for a modern game. The environments of the ship and space station give off that classic futuristic yet archaic vibe compared to modern technology.

You have all this high-tech equipment, but every monitor and keyboard is based on the first computer that was mass-produced. The Endeavor gives off a friendly vibe, being well lit and populated. However, once you set foot onto the space station Katanga you immediately feel a change.

The station is dimly lit, no one is around and many of the corridors are littered with supplies Pipes across the whole station have sprung leaks and the whole station is in a state of disrepair. Of course, you are not alone on this station, soon you will be fighting off swarms of aliens. All on your mission to find and rescue the scientist you were called out here to save.

The other parts of the game take place on the planet the station is orbiting, LV-895. These sections of the game will have you fighting through alien ruins littered with science equipment. The ruins run underground before having you fight across a crevasse which shows off the more natural surface of the planet.

Moving onto the gameplay, as stated above it is a third-person co-op shooter. Before every mission, you will be allowed to select a class, as well as a primary and secondary weapon that varies depending on the class. For example, the medic class can bring a rifle and a handgun with them, while the gunner class brings a rifle and a CQW (shotgun or SMG)  weapon. All classes have a non-customizable pistole that has unlimited ammo and average damage on them.

Each class has 2 unique abilities and a passive, which can be customized and changed through the perk system. You can place different perks on a grid that grows bigger as the class levels up. Most classes have one ability with two variations that can be chosen if the player wants to, while the second ability generally cannot be changed.

Alongside all this, each class can bring two consumables with them into a mission. If the consumable is not used during the mission, regardless of the outcome, the consumable will be kept by the player.

At the start of each mission, each player has one health pack. This is the only way to heal in the game if the medic class is not present. More health packs can be found during the mission; normally one for each player can be found before every hold-out point in a mission.

The missions in the game are very bland. Each mission can be boiled down to running from the start of the mission to a hold-out point and fighting off enemies until whatever button you pushed is done performing its purpose. The game can also be a bit short. There are only 9 missions in total, with mission times varying by skill level. The game also offers a horde mode, but only after you beat the campaign.

This leads to a replay-ability issue with Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The missions offer no reason to play through them again once you beat them. The main reason to replay a mission is to level up your class or get a new weapon or attachment. The missions have no real variation from playthroughs either, even the holdouts can be generalized to a point.

However, this is no different from any other horde-based shooter. Even looking at Left 4 Dead, which the game is commonly compared to, you can see the same issue. The only difference between mission playthroughs is the item spawns, granted it is a much older game.

Overall, Aliens: Fireteam Elite may not be a new ground-breaking title in the Aliens franchise, but it is an all-around solid game for the price. The game is perfect for getting together a group of friends and shooting your way through an alien horde. If you are interested in picking up the game you can find more information on their official site.

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Aliens Fireteam Elite

$39.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Interesting Class Customization
• Fun First Playthrough

Cons

• Boring to Replay
• Short Campaign

Buy Aliens Fireteam Elite Here