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It's a heck of an exciting time for gaming. Just in the last couple of days, we've had both Deathloop and Tales of Arise come out. Both to stellar critical acclaim, too! It's fully understandable, then, that many may have completely forgotten about the third recent mainstream game release, which just so happens to be the best Aliens shooter we've had in literal years.
Of course, we're talking about Aliens: Fireteam Elite here. Even though it's not exactly a huge AAA launch, we did find ourselves taken aback by how good the game ended up being. Those who are in the know will recall that Xenomorph-themed FPS and TPS titles don't always end up being good. It's like a curse of some sort, so we did have a bit of trepidation as Fireteam Elite hit the proverbial shelves.
Thankfully, though, the news is good. Fireteam Elite is genuinely a great game. Today, we'd like to make an argument for it being the best Aliens shooter we've played yet, and potentially ever! It won't be to everyone's taste, given its live service model, and many will definitely groan about it not being a first-person shooter. Regardless, we love it to bits. And we think many of you will, too!
The History of Aliens-themed Shooters
For a franchise as prolific and iconic as Aliens, you'd think there'd be more games set in this universe, wouldn't you? To be sure, there's a significant number of Aliens-themed games on the market, and many of them are reasonably solid. However, it doesn't actually feel like the franchise ever properly took off, with it jumping across publishers, developers, and hypothetical reboots virtually all the time.
It's a given, then, that the decision on what the best Aliens shooter is would fall to a rather eclectic selection of games. The general consensus, of course, is that the greatest Aliens-themed game isn't technically a shooter at all. Alien: Isolation goes into a category all of its own, and though it does have some elements of FPS, it's far closer to being an immersive sim or a regular first-person stealth title. We'll leave it by the side for now.
There are three main titles we'll focus on today. The classic AvP games aren't that relevant nowadays, so we'll ignore those, too. Our decision, really, falls to one of the three modern-ish releases:
So... which will it be?
Aliens vs Predator (2013)
An offshoot in its own right, Aliens vs Predator is a reasonably competent game regardless. The main issue some players might have with it - which may well be a boon for others - is that all AvP games are actually a three-in-one sort of deal. Since humans, Xenomorphs, and Yautja all need to be playable across the board and come with campaign narratives to boot, none of them actually get the attention that each may deserve.
To be perfectly fair, AvP (2013) delivers a remarkably fun and immersive experience. It's just that it's mostly a one-and-done story that you're unlikely to go back to. The game's main longevity draw - back in the day - was its multiplayer. And it was good! It's just that the vast, vast majority of its playerbase has since moved on. A good game! Just not one you're likely to get much out of.
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Colonial Marines, on the other hand, was absolutely lambasted at launch. For good reason, we'd argue! The whole development process of Colonial Marines ended up being a total mess. Literally every step of the way was stricken with issues, and this plainly showed in the end product. In fact, the game's meme-level artificial intelligence ended up being a bug - one that a modder needed to fix in the end. And that, really, is the crux of the reason we belive that Aliens: Colonial Marines is now a reasonably competent game: it's got mods that fix a load of its problems.
If you install one of the biggest, most comprehensive QoL and bugfixing mods available for Colonial Marines, you may very well end up having a good time! That's a fair bit of effort, though, and the narrative, the art style, and the gameplay mechanics don't quite mesh well enough to warrant repeated returns to it.
Where does Aliens: Fireteam Elite fit in?
Now, as we suggested before, Aliens: Fireteam Elite decidedly falls into the 'live service' category of modern gaming. The good news for naysayers of this practice, though, is that there's no timed content present as such. According to what we've heard from the developers so far, Fireteam Elite will simply receive free post-launch expansions/content releases for all players. There will be Season Pass offers, too, though these will be limited to cosmetics of all sorts. A solid take, we feel.
If you're wondering what Aliens: Fireteam Elite has got going for it, here's a shortlist of features we find awesome right now:
- grid-based character builds, featuring perks and skill modifiers
- great, true-to-franchise artstyle
- exciting gear and itemization
- decent progression and customization features
- replayable content
- heaps of incoming content
- promised continuation of the narrative
- genuinely adds more context to the grand story of Aliens franchise
We know that not many people go into substantial narrative/lore depth in high-octane shooters (unless they're active Destiny players), but the fact that Fireteam Elite explains so much about the Alien/s franchise at large has us giddy. Remember that mysterious pathogen that has been popping up in Aliens media since Prometheus? Fireteam Elite actually adds context to it. We even learn a bit more about Engineers, if you can believe that. More immediately important, Fireteam Elite sets the stage for an up-and-coming shadow war between Weyland-Yutani, the Colonial Marines, and Hyperdyne Systems.
Katanga Awaits!
Gameplay-wise, Fireteam Elite is an RPGish over-the-shoulder third-person shooter. There are health bars, damage numbers, and hit-markers, yes. It still feels solid in motion, and plays very well. There's a bunch of gear and class items to unlock and fiddle with. A huge number of customizations both cosmetic and practical. It's just fun, and with the promise of more content coming soon, it's a very enticing prospect. Right now, it's easily the best Aliens shooter on the market.
As we already said, it won't be for everyone. If you'd like to play a fun cooperative shooter set in the Aliens universe, though, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything better. Naturally, Fireteam Elite's got some flaws of its very own, but they're not even nearly as egregious as that of its indirect predecessor, Colonial Marines. Players who are in the mood for a bug hunt and have two pals to play with ought to take note. This is the best Aliens shooter we've got right now, so don't miss out.
In the end, it's hard to argue against fun. And boy is this one fun!
Play Aliens: Fireteam Elite today and discover what truly went down aboard the Katanga refinery.
Get in the Game ! 
