Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
It's not fair to judge a game by something it never promised to be. Since its announcement, Aliens: Fireteam Elite never suggested it would be anything other than a fast-paced, literally rapid-fire squad-based shooter - a far cry from the acclaimed Alien: Isolation, which channelled the creeping terror of the original Alien movie to brilliant effect.
In contrast, Fireteam is more in line with cinematic sequel Aliens - a war movie, rather than a horror, where heavily armed marines go on bug hunts, mowing down xenomorphs like they're in a pop-up shooting gallery. And yet, it's hard not to play this and feel slightly disappointed that it never really offers any scares, any intimidation, any sense that the supposedly unstoppable killing machines that have haunted audiences for decades are any real threat other than in sheer numbers.
To developer Cold Iron Studios' credit, Fireteam offers just about everything fans of squad-based shooters expect - customisable characters, highly specific weapon loadouts, emotes, and cosmetic options for character and gear alike.
The aesthetic is spot on throughout, with chunky armour and hefty weapons perfectly capturing the look of the equipment seen onscreen in Aliens.
There's also plenty of attention to detail for fans of the film - the aesthetic is pretty much spot on throughout, with chunky armour and hefty weapons perfectly capturing the look of the equipment seen onscreen in Aliens. Even wandering the loading bay of the dropship before your first mission feels authentic, with weary marines checking their guns and synths performing their tasks. It all has like the sort of workmanlike, resigned-to-our-lots atmosphere you’d expect.
"Workmanlike" might be the best description for the game as a whole though. While all that attention to franchise detail is nice - and Cold Iron even has the audio on point, with the right squeals as hive spawn die, and the correct gun sounds for those paying really close attention - as a shooter it feels very by the numbers.
Played in teams of three - either real players or two members filled by AI - Fireteam often feels more run-and-gun than skill-based. While there's plenty of variety of weapons, from combat shotguns with satisfyingly hefty recoil to spray-and-pray machine guns, there's little incentive to switch between them. Ammo crates are so plentiful - typically placed before every major encounter - that you can mow down xenos without discretion.
Which brings us back to the lack of any real threat in Fireteam. In Aliens the film, director James Cameron knew he couldn't replicate the menace of a single alien from Scott's original film, so made the sheer volume of xenomorphs into an unstoppable swarm. Here, while critters will come out of the walls or drop from the ceiling trying to ambush you, they can be mowed down with ease. Even tougher variants pose little challenge, especially to a group of human players who can coordinate their attacks.
Worst of all is a general lack of polish. While the voice acting throughout is strong, here's no mouth animation when they're speaking, and missions just feel like running through repetitive corridors chained together with no need to explore or go off track.
If you fancy a fairly brainless team-based shooter that at least looks the part of an Aliens game, Fireteam will scratch that itch, but in the ouevre of Alien video games, it falls short of past greatness.