Fireteam Elite. A game for friends – Igromania

I’ve been waiting for this for 12 years … on Nostromo!

Aliens: Fireteam Elite begins a few years after the events of the third film. The warship Endeavor responds to a distress signal received from the abandoned Katanga orbital station. Intelligence quickly finds out: the station is packed to overflowing hordes of xenomorphs, and the Weyland-Yutani corporation, familiar to us, is somehow involved in what is happening. To destroy this hive and figure out what is happening is a detachment of three heavily armed marines, for one of whom we will play.

And it is worth giving the developers their due: the shooting here is performed at an acceptable level. Aliens, albeit every other time, but react to hits and wriggle disgustingly after death; trunks sound nice and tear enemy carcasses to pieces. The only pity is that the complete static nature of the scenery spoils the immersion.

At the same time, the battles themselves turned out to be very intense and dynamic: Aliens attack with whole broods, canonically move along the walls and ceilings, quickly drive them to a dead end, preparing the ground for more dangerous individuals. Already at the medium difficulty level, an unplayed Marines team can face a serious challenge, and higher difficulty can fray even experienced players. To resist such a threat will help not only the team’s mutual assistance, but also a rich arsenal of weapons and gadgets, as well as a customizable set of active and passive abilities.

Special xenomorphs will seem familiar not only to fans of the franchise, but to all fans of similar games. Functionally, there is nothing new among the enemies: “Alien-Hunter”, “Alien-Tank” and even a semblance of “Alien-Fat Man”

Players can choose from one of five classes, each with its own set of available weapons and unique combat skills. A shooter, for example, receives a significant bonus from non-stop firing, and a medic, in order to use abilities noticeably more often, needs to be constantly close to allies – in the heat of battle it is not at all as easy as it seems. At the same time, skills can be freely modified and customized as you level up. For example, a scout can enhance his search drone with a weakening weapon: now he will not only mark strong enemies on the way, but also hang a negative effect on them. Or, instead of adding new properties, you can develop old ones. Thus, a medic who is hung with modifiers for recharging skills can practically not take the team out of the action of combat stimulants at all.

The gaming arsenal did not disappoint either. There are dozens of barrels available in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and each weapon really feels different. Even between two submachine guns, you can feel certain differences, and here you definitely cannot confuse a shotgun with a flamethrower. At the same time, any barrel can be supplemented with body kits – the modernization came out quite modest, but amusing. New scopes and flash suppressors not only add numerical bonuses, but can also give weapons a unique property, such as a bonus to accuracy that accumulates for each successive kill.

For some reason, the game has a cover system, but it only helps in shootouts with synthetics: in a battle against xenomorphs, cover is more harmful than good

As a result, battles in Aliens: Fireteam Elite are quite capable of throwing a team of players a worthy challenge, and a rich arsenal of weapons and abilities leaves room for tactical experiments. Unfortunately, this is not the merit of the Aliens themselves: the enemies here take in numbers or health, but not in any way with interesting abilities. However, the stupidity of cannon fodder in games of this genre is, in general, the norm. But, to be honest, it’s a little offensive for the xenomorphs. Alien is still not a zombie, but in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, opponents came out almost stupider than infected from Left 4 Dead, and their set of attacks is even less. Even advanced individuals who, at first glance, know how to retreat and hide, in fact obey tough scripts – there is no question of any at least minimally plausible AI here. For example, a xenomorph spitting acid knows how to hide behind shelters, but if you go behind him, then he will not react to the enemy in the rear. And the “Alien from the first film” who knows how to retreat escapes, having received a certain amount of damage, but then comes back without any attempts to remain invisible and without any instinct for self-preservation: proudly, in full growth and right under the bullets.

My relatives Strangers

However, the stupidity of the xenomorphs is almost the only thing that can seriously hurt the feelings of a fan of the franchise. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is very protective of its heritage. The game locations refer to the key places of classic films, the situations in which the characters find themselves are easily recognizable, and the soundtrack diligently (and very successfully) imitates the original source. The sound here is a real delight for the fan: the xenomorphs screech recognizably, the pulse rifle crackles. Even the sound of a critical hit is the “alarm hitting the strings” from the first films. An absolutely charming little thing.

At the same time, the plot turned out to be completely invisible and optional: a standard story, which we have already seen several times in the framework of the franchise. In addition, it is served exclusively through boring dialogues and briefings. But the descriptions of objects and optional conversations (of which there are unexpectedly many) to the eyeballs are stuffed with the lore of “Aliens”. And, what is especially nice, without taking into account the latest films, but with references to lesser-known works like comics and books.

As is now customary in similar games, Aliens: Fireteam Elite has its own hub, where the player gets between tasks. Detailed, but not a bit interactive – as, indeed, the rest of the environment

Aliens: Fireteam Elite feels like a fan made game for fans. She is generous with a recognizable atmosphere, with a fan service, with references “for those who are in the subject.” It allows you to feel like a part of a great franchise, to hold in your hands the same flamethrower from the second film. But what if the player is indifferent to this universe, and the ubiquitous references do not make him feel nostalgic? In this case, I have bad news: the setting is the only reason to launch Aliens: Fireteam Elite at all.

In addition to the story campaign, the game has a mode with endless waves of enemies, but it gets boring very quickly

The lack of unique mechanics makes Aliens: Fireteam Elite a lot less fun than it could be. Imagine Left 4 Dead, but without “director” and random generation, but with small line cards. Without an element of randomness and the need to explore locations, the game simply cannot offer the variety of situations and replayability that, in general, you expect from a genre. Difficulty and shooting are good, but what’s the point of returning to the game a second time, if even the direction of attack of the Aliens will always be the same?

However, you won’t have to think about repeated playthroughs if you get tired of playing even before the final credits. Which is more than real, because the gameplay cycle Aliens: Fireteam Elite came out too predictable, and new and unique situations are rare. Running along the corridor, fighting in the arena, running along the corridor, defending the point – and so on almost until the very end. From time to time, the game tries to diversify the process of shootouts with synthetics, but this only makes it worse: androids practically do not react to hits, but they behave as stupid and ridiculous as the local aliens.

The technical execution does not help either. If the imperfection of technology and a frankly average picture can be hidden behind darkness and thick shadows, then constant animation bugs, a strange lobby and the lack of voice (and even text!) Chat betray a lack of both the budget and the experience of the authors.

But if you were expecting a relatively competent shooter in the Alien universe, then Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a game made just for your modest request.

Pleased

• pleasant shooting;
• interesting progression;
• high complexity;
• excellent work with music and sound;
• the atmosphere of the original source and tons of fan service.

Upset

• monotony of situations and low replayability;
• lack of new ideas and mechanics;
• background plot for show;
• all gameplay elements have long been better implemented in other games;
• far from ideal technical performance.

How we played

In what: the key is provided by the publisher.

On what: PC.

How many: 37 hours.

Achievement of the editorial office

“My sympathies are on your side”

As the only fan of the franchise on the team, constantly point out in-game references to the group until you get kicked off the server.

Verdict

An adrenaline-pumping and bright attraction in the Alien universe, which will seem like a real gift to fans of the franchise, and to everyone else – an unbearable boredom.