Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2

A lack of mission variety, and an array of bugs of the technical variety bring down the experience, but Coldiron have largely improved upon their first outing in the Alien universe, thanks to a fun class system, satisfying gunplay, and challenge cards that make for interesting difficulty experimentation, while remaining mostly faithful to the overarching franchise.

Your opinion of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 will largely depend on whether you've played the first game. Newcomers will find a straightforward co-op shooter that captures the spirit of Aliens, albeit with technical issues, repetitive combat, and little reason to continue after the campaign unless they're completionists or simply love blasting xenomorphs. For returning players, the fourth fireteam slot is welcome, but it doesn't make up for the lack of meaningful changes elsewhere. After five years, Fireteam Elite 2 feels more like an expanded version of its predecessor than a true sequel. It's not a bad game, but more substantial gameplay changes, technical fixes, and a sale would make it much easier to recommend.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 delivers another entertaining blast of Xeno-slaying co-op action, but familiar ideas and a general lack of polish stop this bug hunt from reaching its full potential.

There’s a fun game in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 for sure; just don’t expect much in the way of originality.

It's undeniable that Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 maintains - and expands upon - the achievements of its predecessor, establishing itself as one of the best action experiences in the franchise. This doesn't mean, however, that it ceases to be a generic game: a title that leverages a well-established brand to deliver a common product, lacking great virtues and of little relevance to the universe it intends to belong to.

"Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2" promised to improve upon everything its predecessor lacked to achieve mainstream success. However, the game we received manages to regress in many ways to the final version of the original and repeats many of the mistakes that nearly killed the first title.

In the end, there is enough here to keep fans happy, and hopefully future DLC will come similar to the original, which will give players plenty of new missions to enjoy.

Fans of the Alien series are often forced to deal with subpar experiences, and this comes in as one of them. Not withstanding various design decisions brought on by the new team, the quality is simply lacking on many aspects. Combat quickly becomes dry, and at how high of a price this game is, it is not recommended, even to fans of the series.

Cold Iron Studios has returned to familiar territory to deliver an intense, cooperative experience in which a squad of marines must face off against iconic monsters. While the sequel shares the style of the original, it boasts better level design and is more fun when played as a group of four. The only downside is the numerous minor bugs.

Ultimately, any time you might spend on Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is better spent elsewhere. Any momentum built up in enjoying the game is derailed instantly when a bug forces you or a teammate out of the game, and the impressive visuals aren’t enough to make up for it.