While undoubtedly a triumph, Alien: Isolation never felt like a true Alien experience to me. Yes. Amanda Ripley is a badass and wholly worthy to carry her similarly badassed mother’s name, but creeping around to avoid a single – and singularly terrifying – Alien, I never felt like a real Ripley. Tip-toeing from room to room, cramming myself into lockers to hyperventilate quietly until the monstrosity retreats again just makes me feel cowardly. It makes me feel too much like me.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite? With its gloriously gooey entrails, chunky gunplay, and plentiful frenzied fights, Aliens: Fireteam Elite does let me live out my power fantasies as Ripley – even if we technically have nothing to do with Ripley this time around.
Between us, I didn’t expect that going in. The trailers and screenshots looked cool, if a touch generic, sure, but… well, we’ve been burnt by the Alien franchise before, right? And while Aliens: Fireteam Elite might lack longevity – I can’t see many of us sticking around for long after the four-six-ish hours of the main campaign are done, no matter how many different Challenge Cards we apply to spice things up a bit – there’s no denying that those four hours are bloody good fun. Literally.
