ALIENS: FIRETEAM ELITE PHONE REVIEW – A LOUD and STRAIGHTFORWARD HUNT FOR BUG HUNTS
Aliens – Fireteam Elite lets you experience the joy of destroying entire Xenomorph swarms using a variety of powerful guns. You can quickly get a feel for whether you are on board with its offerings, as it doesn’t mince words.
There is enough information to guide your actions, but the main focus remains on firing your gun at the enemy while still being alive.
H.R. was the inspiration for the terrifying and deadly Xenomorph. Giger’s imagination shaped popular culture as a terrifying, lethal antagonist, but Cold Iron Studios has shown that it can be used in an action context.
Game Premise
Fireteam Elite: Aliens is a third-person, co-op shooter similar to Left 4 Dead. Your team will face an attack of Xenomorphs or synths on the LV-895. You can spice things up by adding classes and custom weaponry.
Campaign for Single-Player
Four campaigns allow you to test your shooting skills. Each campaign has a common narrative thread and an additional horde mode. Each campaign consists of three missions, each lasting between 20-30 minutes. You can tackle them all on your own or with two AI synth companions named Alpha or Beta. Although they are reliable in dispatching foes and reviving you, each other or healing when necessary, they struggle to compete with the larger Xenos.
They’ll struggle to free themselves from each other on Standard difficulty, the second of five. Sometimes they will even watch passively while attackers attack you. They are equipped with the same loadouts as the Gunner class but they’re not as efficient as a full human squad. However, they will get you through Standard difficulty.
Although the story will not make you cry, the effort you put into giving your actions a purpose and the Intel you can access in levels that provide a wider context of what’s going on in the universe help to create an environment that is surprisingly convincing around your mission.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer mode allows you to play alongside other players. You get the same rewards and draw from the same map pool. It is possible to replace the AI with fleshier friends, which allows for better communication and lets you use the abilities of three classes rather than just your own.
As Intense difficulty starts, coordination ability play an increasing role when protecting fixed positions and swarm throwing all it can your way. It is always a great sight to see your team coordinate fire rate buffs with ammo replenishing stations, drones that reduce enemy damages, or three Technician turrets mowing the Xenomorphs down in unison.
The only thing that is less impressive is the lack of voice and text chat. This basically means that you will have to rely solely on a basic ping system to communicate what your plans are. You’ll find that you want to send in a team of three people, rather than relying on random players. This will ensure that everyone is equally knowledgeable and can handle the threat.
Individual matchmaking is an advantage for every level. Add five additional difficulties to the mix, and you’ll find yourself waiting in split queues for your match. This can even happen during peak hours.
Gameplay mechanics
Fireteam Elite’s third-person cooperative action with aliens is quite simple. You and your team will work together to explore the space stations and ancient ruins, while removing Xenomorphs from your path. You can also collect intel and hidden caches to increase your lore and get extra rewards like attachments, weapons and skins.
You will have to alternate between moving and shooting in fixed positions. Missions are not short and you can take a few moments to breathe. You’re often dealing with more difficult waves, such as waiting for your AI friend to complete a mission, so you are always given an ammobox and medkit to refill, as well as various consumables like drones that increase damage or incendiary ammunition. These are distributed on Standard difficulty so that you don’t feel like a god with an inexhaustible supply of ammo. You’ll notice them less on Intense (and higher).
There are a few surprises when the campaign is first launched. However, after replaying it you will know when to push through and which chest-high wall you should use as cover. You can also get an idea of potential enemies by looking at their faces. Although the swarm tests your ability to kill many objects, they are not as entertaining as you might think.
We don’t mean to say that you panic when a Praetorian walks up to you. After a few fights, you realize your tactics aren’t changing that much. These evolved Xenomorphs – whether they spit acid from afar or retreat into easily placed holes after pinning down – are quite predictable. Their strength lies in being bullet sponges, and having 15 friends who try to nibble at you toes.
These missions can be tackled by one of the following four classes: Gunner (Demolisher), Technician, or Doc. After you have completed all four campaigns, the fifth class, Recon, will be unlocked. A sixth class, Phalanx arrives with the first season’s free content on September 8. The Gunner is a long-range expert with medium to long range fire speed and reload speed that can increase the team’s fire rate. However, the Gunner can also boost the team’s fire rate and reload speeds but can also lob grenades. The Demolisher can equip heavy weapons such as the Smartgun and fire mini rockets from a shoulder mounted launcher.
The Technician has a deployable turbine, while the Doc has a trauma station that provides on-the go healing in addition to the medkits everyone carries. Each of these options is viable and has a unique playstyle, but it was difficult to let go the Smartgun with its remarkable room-clearing abilities.
Weapon loadouts, perks and other features further differentiate between classes. You can play upgrade Tetris with the latter, since they are placed on a grid. Flat bonuses can be earned for weapon skills using core perks. Link modifiers can be added to skills to make them more efficient or change their behavior. You will need to complete the campaign more than once to unlock all parts of the grid. Weapons can also be upgraded, giving you up to four bonuses per use.
Each class has enough personality that you’ll want to test them all. They are actually the reason for replay levels due to how they feel in your hands. There are many attachments that can be used to upgrade them, including stacking buffs and pools of fire, which can add subtle gameplay elements.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite uses a Combat Rating system to determine your character’s relative strength. However, it doesn’t require you to constantly chase incremental upgrades at this time. Attachments can be used to increase the combat rating of any weapon. To improve your character’s overall rating, you can add modifications to weapons and weapon levels. You can get extra rewards if you are feeling adventurous by adding challenge cards to missions for more difficulty.
Visuals
The interiors of Aliens: Fireteam Elite really captures the incredible art style from the most recent movies in this franchise. You will be amazed by the open spaces and dark hallways that lead to them. Shadows can be used well to create an atmosphere that is mysterious, even when you are covered in blood from 100 Xenomorphs. However, the powerful contrasts created by red barrels and mines will instantly draw attention to them.
Although the exterior areas aren’t as impressive, there are only a handful of them. It is quite jarring that characters are not allowed to have their mouths animated while they talk.
Audio & Music
Fireteam’s guns, which are the main stars of the show, have a great sound that plays a large part in what makes them so special. The game does justice to the Pulse Rifle, but all weapons pack enough punch, even the smaller guns that you should not underestimate. While the Smartgun’s loud sound deserves special attention, you will find weapons of different classes feel very distinct.
Fireteam’s music supports the action but it may not be something you want to keep playing after your slaughter session. It’s peaceful moments will be enjoyable, and the combat music will increase the tension of seeing Xenos or syncs making their way towards your face. However, it is not easy to identify the screeches from special Xenomorphs.
