Time to Hunt Some Xenos: ALIENS: FIRETEAM ELITE

Back in 2013, Gearbox released Aliens Colonial Marines. It was a day that lives on in infamy for fans of the franchise. That game was bad. It was everything that could be wrong with a game based off the film Aliens. It was mishandled terribly. It was to the point where later on a mod fixed a script in the game to make the xenos handle properly. No longer would they blindly rush at you. However, the technology wasn't there yet. 

Yes, there are some that still accept Colonial Marines and just use it to shoot some Xenos. The multiplayer was kinda unique as you could play as a marine or a Xeno. But it was just a cash grab that was utilized to just further Borderlands 2 funds. 

Now, we have seen the release of Aliens: Fireteam Elite. I picked it up on the first day because I love this franchise. I have the Blu rays, the novels and the Legendary Card game and it's expansions. Though, the Predator one has eluded me..someday it will be mine. 

I have to say that I love Fireteam Elite. Cold Iron Studios understands this franchise very well. This isn't a repeat of Colonial Marines. 

Cold Iron Studios took the formula that was used for Left 4 Dead, another fantastic game, and applied it to the Alien franchise. This is a game that has replayability to it. This is a game that also is awesome because it can be played offline single player. In this day and age, this is something that means something to those of us who don't have the greatest internet (Hughesnet here). I'm able to just hop onto the game and within a minute or two start shooting some Xenos. 

You are part of a squad of Marines that go through four different campaigns, comprised of three missions each. The length of each mission could last to a half hour. 

So far, I'm on the second campaign. I have gone through a ship looking for a Doctor. And boy was that such a trip. At every corner, the xenos come out of the wood work. And it's like the film. Cold Iron Studios has done it. They made the xenos like the film xenos. And it's beautiful seeing them run on the ground then leap to the wall. Or they will be scurrying across the ceiling towards you. And there's a lot of them. 

The common xeno is a runner, similar to the AvP Alien or the one from Alien 3. It runs on all fours as it speeds towards you. The light shining off the top of the head. It's awesome. 

The next one I encountered is called the Prowler Alien. It's black with red webbing all over it. It hides in the shadows and waits for the right opportunity to pounce on its prey.  Before I patched the game, I had the pleasure of it just chilling up above when I entered the room. It allowed me to just take in the sight of this creature and see how awesome it looks. Currently, it's my favorite design from the game. 

There is also the Warrior. Now, this is the Xeno from Aliens. It runs on two feet at you. It's ridged head positioned just right where it feels like it's staring you down as it charges at you. It gives me goosebumps. 

There are the drone xenomorphs. These are the iconic ones that we have come to love in the first film. Stompy as it was referred to as by fans in Alien Isolation. It lumbers out of the vents and charges at you. Quickly it will attack, but the first sign of trouble - it hoofs it out of there for a vent to crawl into. 

We also have the burster xenos and the spitters. Both of these variants were featured in Colonial Marines. The bursters have green lights to them and will explode in a shower of acid. The spitters will stay back and snipe from afar. They spit acid from their mouths - so watch out. 

These so far have been the variety I have seen. Again, I am not too terribly far into the game. But it has been quite a variety into the ways missions play out. I slowly moved through the levels, looking at every spot a Xeno could come out of. Usually, it was the last place I looked. Then when I replayed the mission, a different outcome would happen as the way the enemies appeared changed.

There is a decent amount of customization. I won't say that it's completely terrible as some have said. It's not. What we have is a start. It's a solid base to build upon. You are able to customize the color of your weapons, add some decals, or add some attachments that will make them stronger. The weapons themselves could use some more variety. I wish there were a few more hand guns to use as I'm a technician. But again, it's a start.

The classes themselves for our characters are simple. There's gunner, doctor, technician and eventually recon. Not much there, but I feel like over time we will see Cold Iron Studios expand upon the classes and open them up. For me, I'd love to eventually be able to dual wield two hand guns. Why? Cause it'd be badass. It may not be effective but it'd be cool. The perks for each class is a separate beast than other shooter games. It's a grid that you fill up with the different talents. So you have a set amount of space, but with time youll be able to expand your loadout and then it's like playing Tetris as you figure out that special build. Again, it's a solid start.

Overall, I would recommend Fire Team Elite. It just gives off that great feeling of experiencing the dread and combat that made Aliens such a classic today. It's a beautiful counterpart to Alien Isolation as well. Especially since Isolation emulates everything that made the first film so special. Here I am holding out hope that we may get a game someday that gives the Alien 3 Assembly Cut vibe. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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