2021 has brought with it a massive resurgence inLeft 4 Dead-style shooters, includingBack 4 Blood,Rainbow Six Extraction, andAliens: Fireteam Elite. WithAliens: Fireteam Eliteset to launch later this month, fans have been on the receiving end of the usual gameplay teasers showing off the upcoming title. What has become clear from these sections of gameplay is thatAliens: Fireteam Elitecould be a big hit among fans, with the trailers garnering quite a lot of attention.
Though the action-packedgameplay trailers ofAliens: Fireteam Eliteseem to show that the game will be well received by many, others were hoping for a differentAliensgame. It’s now been almost 7 years since the release of the hugely successfulAlien: Isolationand fans are beginning to wonder if a sequel will ever be released.Aliens: Fireteam EliteandColonial Marinesboth resembleAliensmore so than the original movie’s tense survival horror. BothAliensand the originalAlienhave their respective fanbases, and each deserves its own video game representation. Following the release ofFireteam Elite, the next xenomorph-related release should beAlien: Isolation 2.
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Aliens: Fireteam Elite Could Be What Colonial Marines Promised
Aliens: Colonial Marines’ release was a pretty rough game, to put it mildly. Many criticized the final product for its dissimilarity to many of the game’s trailers, while others took issue with the story and its archetypal marine characters.Colonial Marineswas expected to be theAlienfranchise’s crowning glory, featuring stunning visuals, horror-fuelled and action-packed gameplay, and a somber, unforgiving story. This all stemmed fromColonial Marines’cinematic trailersand a gameplay teaser that proved to not be representative of the finished product. All of which convinced fans of the merits of the game before it had even been released.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite, however, could prove to be the game thatAliensfans had once hopedColonial Marineswould be. LikeColonial Marines,Fireteam Eliteis a survival co-op shooterbased closely around James Cameron’s 1986Aliens. As would be expected on modern hardware,Fireteam Elitegraphically looks much improved overColonial Marines, rendering iconic imagery from the original movies in 4K. But whereFireteam Eliteseems to make significant strides forward are the xenomorph battles that pay homage to its silver screen inspirations.Aliens: Fireteam Elitelooks seriously challenging, as one might expect from a battle against swarms of intergalactic aliens with acid for blood. This could be what setsFireteam Eliteapart, making it anAliensadaptation to remember, but its action-shooter genre may not be what every fan was hoping for.
Will There Be an Alien: Isolation Sequel?
Alien: Isolation’slaunch in 2014 was a very successful one, more than making up for the disappointing release ofColonial Marinesthe year prior. The tensesurvival horror ofAlien: Isolationwas a far cry fromColonial Marines’brash first-person shooter combat. There’s a real sense of palpable tension while navigating the gloomy hallways and claustrophobic vents ofAlien Isolation, but the cherry on the cake is the xenomorph AI. The titular alien stalks the player throughout the game, learning how the player approaches each section and adapting in turn, often being critiqued at launch for being too intelligent. But what appealed to fans is the fact that just as Ellen Ripley is in theAlienfilms, the player is very much at the mercy of the daunting xenomorph, which could strike at any moment.
This is what gamers loved so much aboutAlien: Isolation.The gamecaptured the essence of 1979’sAlienperfectly, demonstrating just how dangerous the xenomorph is intended to be. Since the launch ofAlien: Isolation, fans have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of a newAliengame in the same style. The action survival ofFireteam: Elitelooks like a lot of fun, and will likely prove to be a big hit among fans. Still theAlienfanbase’s appetite for survival horror still needs to be satiated. It looks as though fans' wishes may soon become reality with Disney taking a significant interest in theAlienfranchise as of late, and reports emerging in April that asequel toAlien Isolationis possible. Whether this is true is yet to be seen, butAlienfans will likely remain hopeful that the long-awaited sequel will come.
Aliens: Fireteam Eliteis scheduled to release on August 24 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
