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From what we've seen so far, a fair number of you do, in fact, want to play Aliens: Fireteam Elite. It's just that you might be on the fence about it for this or that reason. That's perfectly fair, to be sure.
After all, the last Alien-themed game that promised an awesome cooperative multiplayer gaming experience ended up being a dud of legendary proportions. And we are being generous here, too. Today, we're going to go over some of the reasons why you may wish to give Fireteam Elite a shot, regardless.
We've already got a massive body of reviews to source things from, mind. Everything seems to suggest that we really are looking at a genuinely solid Aliens-themed shooter. Odds may not have been in the game's favor, but developers have - in our book - certainly delivered. Let's get to it!
Why Should You Play Aliens: Fireteam Elite?
Let's get the elephant in the room sorted out real fast. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is, by all accounts, not a masterpiece video game. At the time of writing, it's sitting at a reasonably high Metascore of 70, with the majority of reviewers finding at least some flaws in how the game was delivered. The kicker to keep in mind, though, is that not every game needs to be a masterpiece in the first place.
The core design philosophy behind Fireteam Elite makes itself plainly obvious: it's to send you and up to two other players on a mad dash across Xeno-infested locales. There's absolutely nothing wrong with focusing on fun gameplay, rather than attempting to deliver a huge, sprawling AAA campaign on an AA budget. Fireteam Elite is here to let us shoot up some Xenomorphs and have fun doing it, and boy does it hit a home run in that regard.
Here are some of our favorite reviews!
"Despite what its reduced price might suggest, there's a lot here to keep you entertained for numerous hours," said Gamespot's Alessandro Barbosa. "What it lacks in dread it makes up for in pure white-knuckle action, making Aliens: Fireteam Elite a great place to engage with this iconic sci-fi franchise again."
PC Gamer had similar things to say: "Yes, it plays into the trashy rather than the artful side of its franchise, but it embraces it, doing a better job of capturing that action-movie intensity than most past efforts."
Finally, there's IGN, who agreed that there's plenty to love in Fireteam Elite, despite its flaws: "Between the excellent weapons, classes, and enemy types and some wonderful nostalgic hat-tips toward what came before, it's a must-play if you hold any fondness for this series," they said. "Aliens: Fireteam Elite may not be a triumphant win, but it's far from a game over, man."
So... what's it all mean? Is Fireteam Elite good enough?
Fireteam Elite is absolutely worth your time! As you may or may not already know, the developers working on the game have got big plans for its post-launch progression, which means that patches and hotfixes are not a long way out, either. The majority of problems not related to the game's design features seem reasonably fixable, according to reviewers, and we're positive that the devs will have it all fixed up in no time.
Naturally, those who wish to play Aliens: Fireteam Elite might be slightly disappointed by the fact that it's not particularly heavy on the narrative. The good news, though, is that it makes very good use of environmental storytelling. Its levels are truly magnificent, with moments of lull between Xeno assault sections to let players take in the atmosphere. The Aliens franchise has got plenty of that.
Does it have any real staying power?
If you've got a team of players ready to go, Fireteam Elite may well be a real hoot, but is it going to stay that way for months at a time? This is where Fireteam Elite's Season Pass system comes into play.
See, for those who intend to play Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the release of the game was merely the start. Developers have got plans for a full year of extra content, with most of the truly important bits not even being limited to the Season Pass! Instead, Season Pass owners will get to enjoy heaps of extra customization options (which game makes stellar use of), while base game owners "only" get gameplay updates and the actual content. A real bummer, ain't it?
In practice, this means that there's much to look forward to even after you play through all of Fireteam Elite's many missions. Besides, let's not forget that this is a Left 4 Dead type of game. It's specifically designed to keep you entertained through multiple playthroughs. In fact, the progression systems encourage repeat attempts. We'll have a better look at how the game meshes in practice a bit later on. In the meantime, the important bit is that there's a lot to do in Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
It's a Bug Hunt!
And here we are - yet another Aliens game in tow. Thankfully, this one seems to have been competently made! And sure, it's no Isolation, but Fireteam Elite wasn't ever gunning for that type of horror in the first place. No, this is a real bug hunt. The kind that turns girls into women and boys into men. Where vicious interstellar super-predators duke it out with good ol' humies that are in way over their heads. You know. Fun.
Make no mistake, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a horde shooter through and through. It's just that it's more competent than most others in the niche, really. It also has the good grace of being set in a truly amazing science-fiction universe that's tantalized the imaginations of too many people to count.
And sure, we're hardly getting a new Prometheus out of Fireteam Elite, but maybe that's for the better. A game that knows what it does is a good game, and boy is Fireteam Elite ever aware of its target audience. It's fun, hectic, and features a deeply unsettling type of adversary. Perhaps best of all, though, is that Aliens: Fireteam Elite also banks heavily on customization. Your marine, your guns, your class abilities - it's all there. And it's got considerable depth in that aspect, too.
So, our conclusion? It's a genuinely good game. What more could we ask for?
Get in the Game ! 
