Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 has a problem. It is a sequel that keeps the same formula, adds a fourth player, and freshens the concept with a new class. But it never quite reaches the grim, claustrophobic terror of the film that inspired it.
The game follows the USS Endeavor, which receives a distress signal from LV-558, a Weyland-Yutani mining colony overrun by Xenomorphs. A marine named Dr. Pearce, looking very sick, sent the call. The marines sent in an elite squad called Fireteam Banshee to contain the situation. They have all gone missing. Your Marine has been transferred to the Endeavor to bring them home and figure out what the hell is going on.
The Crew of the Endeavor
Between missions, you hang out on the Endeavor and chat with your squad. Shipp is the Endeavor’s CO, returning from the original game. Ko is your squad leader, a no-nonsense veteran who also comes back. Piper is a new character, an analyst nervous about her first boots-on-the-ground work. Esther is the ship’s android, who appeared in the first game. Raptor is your dropship pilot, full of terrible jokes. Wrench is your mechanic and shopkeeper, dispensing rad bird facts.
The writer loves Wrench.
The crew is enjoyable, but interaction is limited. Most conversations happen from the waist up, with characters talking to you while you look at their faces. On missions, they are mostly voices in your ear. Camaraderie is thin, and the characters rarely fight alongside you. They never appear in cutscenes with you, and you could be replaced by a superpowered ham sandwich without anyone noticing.
“Someone in the Alien universe always wants to play God. It never works out, of course.”
Story That Skips the Plot
The story is light. Someone always wants to play God, and it never works out. That is a fair summary of the whole plot. The game is not badly written, but it is very light in tone. Everyone likes each other a lot, and the other characters rarely leave the ship. The voice acting can occasionally be stilted, and the dialogue is mostly solidly constructed but fairly predictable.
The mid-combat dialogue is where the game shines. It often quotes the film, especially Hudson and Vasquez. Hearing your Marine say “Sharp sticks, mother****er” after gunning down an acid-blooded H.R. Geiger nightmare never gets old.
Six Classes, One New Option
Like its predecessor, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is a class-based, co-op-focused shooter. You can play solo, but you’ll be teamed up with The Alphabet Boys: CPU-controlled androids named Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. There are six classes to choose from, each with an Aliens analogue.
Duelist is Hicks, complete with a shotgun for close encounters. Marauder is Vasquez, smartgun in hand. Medic is Dietrich, a deep cut for fans. Machinist is the writer’s pick, offering a turret and a floating bodyguard drone. The classes are all fun, and the writer enjoyed fooling around with them before settling on Machinist.
The most intriguing addition is the Specialist. This class combines the features of multiple classes. Want the Machinist’s turret and drone plus the Marauder’s smartgun? You can max out the smartgun and equip it to any class, or you can just play the Specialist. It is rad.
There is a catch. Traditional classes have modifiers and special abilities you’ll only get by leveling that class. Getting the best stuff probably means rolling with one of the basics for a while. But if you want to mix and match, Specialist is your guy.
The Missions Are Fun
The missions are standard fare for the genre. You drop into a Weyland-Yutani nightmare, hunt for intel, break stuff, complete objectives, kill monstrosities, hold out, and get out. It is a fun loop, especially with friends.
What sets it apart is the variety of Xenomorphs. Runners go down quickly but come in big groups and move fast. You can get overwhelmed fast. Other foes are slower but tougher. The game is set apart from other shooters by how many different kinds of Xenomorphs there are.
Where It Falls Short
The game is a good time with friends. The writer enjoyed the 30 hours it took to roll credits. But it is never as great as the film that inspired it.
The story is thin, and the crew is too nice. Characters never get along the way the characters in the film do. The camaraderie is missing. You can only make fun of Raptor’s jokes so many times.
The game is not a failure. It is a solid co-op shooter with a recognizable premise and a strong combat loop. It just does not reach the heights of the film.
Final Word
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is a good time with friends. It is not a replacement for the film. It is a shooter that respects the source material while building its own identity. The Specialist class is a clever addition, and the combat remains fun.
The game does not ask you to care deeply about the story. It asks you to shoot things with friends. That is enough for a good session, even if it is not enough to keep you playing forever.
The verdict is simple: it is a good time with friends, but it is not essential.
Source: ign.com
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