[00:00] Perhaps no movie was primed to be a video game more than Aliens. A bunch of marines with guns up against hordes of monstrous beasties? That's a video game, baby. That was true for the first Aliens Fireteam Elite, a game I enjoyed,
[00:14] but didn't stick with for too long because its three-person squads and that someone from my regular co-op group always had to sit out. Its sequel keeps the same appeal while freshening the concept up with an additional player and a new class. Aliens Fireteam Elite 2 isn't going to make you leave a co-op shooter you already love at the altar,
[00:30] but it is a good time with friends. I don't know how long my group will stick with it, that would be old credit, but I can't say I didn't enjoy the 30 hours it took to do so, even if it's never as great as the film that inspired it.
[00:50] Fire Team Elite 2 is the sequel, but you don't have to be familiar with the original to understand what's up. The USS Endeavour received a transmission from a very sick looking woman named Dr. Pierce, based on LV-558, a lame Jutani mining colony overrun by Xenomorphs.
[01:04] The Marines sent in an elite squad called Fireteam Banshee to contain the situation. They've all gone missing. Your Marine has been transferred to the Endeavor to bring them home and figure out what the hell is going on. Jiro, meet me on the bridge.
[01:17] Between missions, you'll hang out on the Endeavor and chat with your squad. There's Ship, the Endeavor's CO, previously of Fireteam Elite. Ko, your toughest male, is an on-site squad leader who returned from the original. Ship and Raptor call me Ko. but it's Captain to you.
[01:30] Piper, a very earnest and enthusiastic analyst who is new to boots on the ground work and a little nervous as a result. Be honest with me. How do you think I did running twice? Aster, the ship's android, who is also in the first game.
[01:42] Best of luck, Marine. We're counting on you. Raptor, your job ship pilot with terrible, and I do mean terrible, joke. Ah, yeah. That's what they tell people when they hear my joke. And Wrench, your mechanic slash weapon specialist
[01:56] slash shopkeeper who dispenses rad birds back. I love ranch. Male bowerbirds build fancy bowers on the ground to attract females with all kinds of colorful decorations. Truth is, I enjoy the crew,
[02:08] even if you only really interact with them from the waist up and very look-at-their-face-while-they-talk-to-you scenes. But because they're mostly just voices in your ear on missions, there's not much room for camaraderie, and when there is, everyone's too nice.
[02:21] It's great they co-roast the Traptor and you, but I wish these characters razzed each other a bit more. And that's flavor, you know? You can only make fun of Raptor's jokes so many times. Head in your way, Floco. You know, like Flobo.
[02:34] Raptor! I don't think Fireteam Elite 2 is badly written, but it is very light in tone for an Aliens game. Everyone likes each other a lot and the other characters rarely leave the ship never directly fight alongside you and you never appear in cutscenes with them It one of those you allegedly the most important person here but you could be replaced with a super
[02:52] ham sandwich, and things would probably be fine kind of co-op games. That didn't bother me too much, even when the voice acting can occasionally be a bit stilted, but this isn't a game you're playing for the plot, much of which is solidly constructed, but also fairly
[03:06] predictable. Someone in the Alien universe always wants to play God. It never works out, of course, but they always figure it might for them. You hate to see it, but you expect to see it. If there's one piece of storytelling Fire King Elite who nails, it's the mid-combat
[03:20] dialogue, which often directly quotes the film, especially Hudson and Vasquez. I am the ultimate badass. It does sometimes get repetitive, but it never gets old hearing your Marines say, Shut your face, you're under the radar.
[03:33] after gunning down an acid-blooded HR guy for a nightmare. All That Shatter is really just an excuse to get out there and shoot something, like its predecessor, Aliens Pirates in Elite 2, is a class-based, co-op-focused shooter.
[03:48] You can play it solo, but you'll be teamed up with the alphabet boys, CPU-controlled androids named Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. You've got six classes to choose from, many of which have their own alien analogs. Duelist is Hicks, complete with a shotgun for close encounters.
[04:01] The smart gun-toting Marauder is Vasquez, Medic is Dietrich for a deep cut, and so on. I enjoyed fooling around with them all before ultimately settling on Machinists for the long haul. A turret is just too good to pass up.
[04:14] The most intriguing class is the all-new Specialist, which allows you to combine the features of multiple classes. Say, for instance, you want the abilities of the Machinist, but you also like the Marauder's excellent smart gun. Well, you could max out the smart gun, which will allow you to equip it to any class, or you could just play the Specialist.
[04:30] It's rad. That's not to say there's no benefit to sticking with the traditional classes. They have modifiers and special abilities that you'll only get by leveling that class. But if you want to mix and match guns, abilities, and everything else, Specialist is your guy.
[04:45] Or gal. The missions themselves are pretty standard fare for the genre. Jump into a Wailing Jutani nightmare, hunt for intel, flash break stuff, flash complete other objectives,
[04:57] kill some monstrosities, hold out for a bit, and then get out. It's a fun loop, especially with friends, and it is set apart for other games like it by how many different types of Xenomorphs there are. Runners go down quickly, so they're probably not worth spending anything fancy or consumable on,
[05:13] like grenades and mines or special ammo. But they come in big groups and have fast little buggers, so you can get overwhelmed fast. Spitters like to sit back and shoot acid from afar. Then you have the big dudes the warriors who will pick you up and try to get you with their second mouth for hit drones to leave from the shadows and retreat from fire large red vinyls called prowlers that pounce on you and so on Figuring out the right answer for everything while managing your limited resources is compelling
[05:37] and Fireteam Elite 2 isn't scared to throw everything at you in big moments. Certain missions also ask you to deal with weight-use synthetics. These require a more methodical strategy, where the Xenos will just have you running for your lives.
[05:52] It's a welcome change of pace, and you'll have to equip different weapons and ammo types to deal with them. The smart gun, for instance, is great against Zenos, especially the smaller ones, but it's a lot less effective against Scent, who come with a little more beef.
[06:07] So what's an underpricing colonial marine to do? Why, squish the rail gun and blow their heads off from mad yonder, of course. They do pop so satisfyingly. There's also a secret third faction to test yourself against,
[06:19] so it's maybe not so secret if you've played the original. They all feel unique, but none of the others are quite as much fun as the Xenomorphs. I mean, it does say aliens on the box. It's good to have your priorities straight.
[06:34] Alongside your class kit, you've got single-use items like turrets, mines, ammo bins, and so on, to help you survive until the next resupply-or-die, folks, ammo crate, and health pack rest stops scattered throughout each level.
[06:46] Different elements work better against different factions. Electric ammo doesn't bother Xenos, but they're not too keen on fire. Stents, as you'd expect, are just the opposite, so getting the most bang for your buck means choosing the right ammo. Free tip. Trio ammo works on everything.
[07:00] It also encourages you to experiment with builds and try out new guns. Why not take that flamethrower to a level where you know there will be Xenos, or that rifle that comes pre-equipped with a little zap to assure them with flailing decontamination robotic security forces.
[07:15] I have to give it up for the level design here. Each of the six acts of Fireteam Elite 2 takes place in its own area, which means you'll revisit those places multiple times. It makes sense to think that might get old, but it works because those return trips changed
[07:27] my understanding of those areas, and felt different as a result. Fireteam Elite 2 also has some great atmospheric moments. Shafts of light cut by a roosting fan. Pitch black cargo holds that are so dark you can barely see, all the more terrifying when
[07:39] aliens show up. It gives a vibe, and that matters. There's one weird thing about missions is that you usually end up holding out against the giant horde and then bugging out. But apart from the opening mission, you're never really at a landing pad where a dropship can pick you up.
[07:54] Instead, you're, well, you could be a lot of places. You call the aliens, then you just leave. I get that it would be a bit repetitive to wait for the dropship every time, but it's a little odd to be like, okay, all the aliens are dead, time to walk to the dropship.
[08:06] I mean, don't get me wrong, it's polite of the Xenos to just let us leave and all, but it's also a little weird for them to be like, don worry girls we get them next time and then say good game and walk off the field Back on the Endeavor you can buy new weapons upgrades items and all sorts of other goodies
[08:24] My favorite are decals that you can put on your armor or weapons. I like the dropship I've attached to my pulse rifle and the heartbeat monitor I've slapped on my breastplate, but I'm still searching for Vascanz's Adios because I want to slap it on my smart gun. Feels right, you know? They give you
[08:37] something to hunt for in the levels themselves. If you're looking for more challenge, you can also so-called challenge cards. Just do things like spawn special enemies every so many kills, or ask you to hit a point total in exchange for rewards, or buff you in exchange for fewer.
[08:50] They're a neat feature that adds replayability and encourages teamwork, though don't be surprised if a random player you've been paired with picks one out without asking while you're matchmaking. Sometimes it works, and sometimes, yeah, you get the picture. Once you finish the campaign, you unlock Horde Mode,
[09:03] which is exactly what it sounds like. Multiple waves across three maps. Surviving gives you cash you can spend on turrets, special ammo, mines, and the like. It's a good system, but I think what I liked the most was that ammo crates offer limited top-offs here,
[09:16] unlike in the campaign, where they seem to be unlimited. I had to pick and choose what crates to use because they didn't restock, and while using the ammo crates that were closer was definitely easier, it also meant I wouldn't have them during harder waves.
[09:28] I think I ultimately prefer the campaign, but Horde mode is fun and a little more low-key, provided you extract before you die and lose most of what you've earned. I suppose I should talk about the bugs, and I don't mean the xenos.
[09:43] The worst were desyncs, which were mostly the fault of the player on our team who had internet problems. Occasionally, an alien's foot will get stuck in the vent and the xeno attachment will dangle there limply and bounce around, but that's funny and more than a little endearing.
[09:57] Now and then the cutscenes will run into some serious slowdown when a bunch of stuff is exploding or an item will de-equip for a mission. annoying a bit, but while issues like this popped up from time to time, they were never what I would describe as game-breaking.
[10:13] Fiverstein Elite 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel. It's best alongside three friends, Ripple's squad, but it's fun enough solo as well. The story isn't anything to write home about, but the characters are likeable, the missions are fun, and the new specialist
[10:25] class provides a cool way to further customize your kit. There are some bugs in this bug hunt, but they don't distract from the action too much. Turns out blasting Xenos and Synths is a good time with friends, and there is a lot of blasting to be done, thanks to the
[10:37] horde mode and a smart unlockable system that encourages you to replay levels, explore each class, and try new things. It might not be a glorious day in the core, but it's damn close.
[10:50] For more fun with friends, check out our reviews of Valheim 1.0 or Big Walk, and for everything else, leave it here, at IGN. you