Aliens: Fireteam Elite nails the adrenaline rush of facing an overwhelming xenomorph hive

Date:
Mon, 23 Aug 2021 16:15:28 +0000

Description:
Stop your grinnin and drop your linen Aliens: Fireteam Elite is actually good.

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Weve been here before staring down the shattered remains of a space colony corridor, gas vents steaming, strobe lights pulsing, the sounds of metal scraping as an obscene insectile horror bears down upon us. Its Aliens, guys, most certainly the most-mined film in gaming history. Without Aliens, thered be no Gears of War; no Halo.

But while the influence of James Camerons frenetic 1986 sci-fi sequel has proved inspiration for some of the best games of all time, its often fared much worse when it comes to delivering actual licensed Aliens games.

Aliens fans, Im here to set your minds at ease Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the new three-player squad-based shooter from Cold Iron Studios, is good. Very good perhaps. Not great, mind you, but if youre a fan of the near-perfect film, this is your best chance yet to live out its action in a game. Best
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What Aliens: Fireteam Elite nails that no other Aliens game has managed, is the thrill of the chase. Taking inspiration from the Left 4 Dead series, it surpasses Valves classic team shooter in this regard. Played from a third-person perspective, you are positively swarmed by H. R. Gigers terrifying creation from all angles. (Image credit: Cold Iron Studios)

Dozens upon dozens of xenomorphs fill the screen during Aliens: Fireteam Elites many battles, climbing out of vents, scuttling along ceilings and diving through dark tunnels. Equipped with the series signature weapons, from turrets to smart guns, spread across four classes that your three man team
can pick from, youve certainly got the firepower to take down these foes. But battles are hard fought and not easily won, especially when special
xenomorphs appear, like Spitters, Warriors, Prowlers and Drones, which behave exactly as they sound. (Image credit: Cold Iron Studios)

Theres barely a chance to breathe stop to regroup and the anxiety-raising blip of the motion tracker will kick in again youll turn to find yet another brigade bearing down on you, and so the race to the next objective must be taken on immediately. The fact there is no checkpointing across levels can seem harsh and cruel, especially when some levels can last as long as forty minutes. But it enhances the importance of teamwork and survival across every run, and adds to the sense of desperation a game based on Aliens should. Not bad for a human

The meat of Aliens: Fireteam Elite is that core run-gun-and-survive gameplay. It does a good job of conjuring the iconic locations and sound effects from the series including the newer Prometheus-era films with a score that
neatly references James Horners militaristic Aliens soundtrack.

The campaign isnt particularly long Id say youll bash through its four chapters (separated into three missions each) in seven or eight hours, depending on difficulty level and the quality of your team mates. Thats an important point to make, as if youre going in solo, youll be paired with AI synthetic squaddies. They are rubbish, making my love for the movies heroic android Bishop all the stronger. Youll eventually come across some aggressive synthetics to blast in the campaign (the only point where the games otherwise pointless cover system comes into play), and solo players will relish the opportunity. (Image credit: Cold Iron Studios)

Youll be encouraged to replay the missions to unlock customizations for your created marines, and earn new weapons and abilities for your class and rank. But the grind here to get the best gear will be an arduous one, and probably best left to only the most hardcore of fans.

More interesting are the challenge cards which can be applied at the start of a mission to add in an extra challenge in exchange for greater XP awards
like a multiplied number of enhanced xenomorph baddies for instance. But despite XP challenges like this, the upgrade meta-game here is a bit superfluous, and thankfully mostly ignorable unless you really want to eke your moneys worth out of Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Game over, man?

Then theres the headshots. Oh, the headshots! Aliens: Fireteam Elite is worth your money for its headshot sound alone, a pavlovian stab of what sounds like snapping violin strings every time you hit a xeno in its bulbous noggin. My three man squad of ass-kicking Xbox Live Marines ended up running around levels mimicking its satisfying dulo-loo sound every time we heard one.
(Image credit: Cold Iron Studios)

Its a point which highlights both Aliens: Fireteam Elites strength and weakness at the same time if, like me, you sat down to play with the
nerdiest Aliens fanboys in town, it is an absolute blast to roleplay the ultimate badass colonial marine fantasies, with all the toys in tow. But a squad based shooter like this, with everyone nattering down the comms
channel, does nothing to help Aliens: Fireteam Elite when it comes to atmosphere. Any potential for real fear is alleviated by having your pals
just down the line, and while Aliens was always more of an action film than Alien with its horror leanings, theres very little to fear here.

Perhaps thats for the best? The Alien franchise has always been a tale of two halves the creeping, inescapable terror of Alien versus the heart-pounding battles of Aliens. Alien Isolation perfected gamings take on the former, and while Aliens: Fireteam Elite isnt quite the perfect organism for channelling James Camerons sequel, it comes closer than any game before has managed. And
I for one am happy we can live in a gaming landscape where both takes on the franchise can exist.

Game over, man? Nah Aliens: Fireteam Elite gives the action-focussed strand of the series a new lease of life. Lets hope theres a sequel ready to chest-burst out before too long.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is out now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S and PC. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purposes of review. The best co-op multiplayer games : what to play with your pals



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/aliens-fireteam-elite-nails-the-adrenaline-rush -of-facing-an-overwhelming-xenomorph-hive/


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