The co-op third-person shooterLeft 4 Deadlaunched a franchise that would go on to inspire a new genre in gaming. In theLeft 4 Dead,four survivors, made up of players or AI, work together to fight off hordes of zombies that hunger for flesh, complete with a safe haven, campaigns, maps, and more. Another benefit to the multiplayer appeal of these games is the varyingmodes available inLeft 4 Dead 2,both competitive and co-op, and the addition of content even years later. With such wide appeal, it’s easy to see why so many games would take inspiration from these classics.
The new game in theAliensfranchise from developer Cold Iron Studios,Aliens: Fireteam, seems to take a fair share of inspiration from the classic zombie franchise. In this three person squad co-op, players will have to make their way to LV-895 where the squad of Marines is tasked with containing a Xenomorph threat and battling Weyland-Yutani’s soldiers in a quest to get back control of the station. InAliens: Fireteam,players will fight against 20 varying enemy types, from the classic Xenomorphs to acid spitting and grappling varieties. The squad of Marines will be made up of five classes: Gunner, Demolisher, Technician, Doc, and Recon, each with their own unique abilities and modifications.
RELATED:Even Without Left 4 Dead 3, Zombie Fans Have a Lot to Look Forward to This Year
The Similarities
When talking about any co-op third-person shooter, the discussion rarely goes on without a mention of theLeft 4 Deadfranchise. As the game that launched its own genre, mechanics fromLeft 4 Deadcan be found across all sorts of co-op third person shooters. It turns out that this new entry is no different in that respect, withAliens: Fireteamarrival into the co-op shootergenre taking a few cues from its zombie filled ancestor. The most obvious adopted feature would be the waves of enemies, swarming the player. In the newAliensgame, players can expect that same treatment from the legions of Xenomorphs charging at them from every vent in the room. Just like in theLeft 4 Deadseries, players will also have to learn to avoid the varying enemy types that pose new risks to the player, andplayers will have to manage their health and ammo, with supplies littered across each game map.
It’s clear that this newAliensentry is avoiding the worst video gamesof its past, or at least trying, by not being afraid to borrow from other successful titles. Something else that is similar inAliens: Fireteamis the way the campaign missions are organized. Just like inLeft 4 Dead,the game’s story will be segmented into different chapters, with individual missions lying therein.Aliens: Fireteamwill be made up of four story campaigns with three missions each. Each mission can reportedly take upwards of an hour or more to complete. This gives players plenty of content and Xenomorph goodness to trample through, even more than any previousLeft 4 Deadgame. The varying classes and options to choose in missions is sure to provide players with a different experience each time they fight the Xenomorphs.
What’s New
With eachnew iteration of theLeft 4 Deadzombieformula, gamers see some new ideas or improvements that make the game a standout on its own.Aliens: Fireteamis no exception, starting with the idea to bring one of horror movies' classic monsters into the fray. Players will get to get up and close to their favorite aliens from Facehugger to full evolution. New in this game specifically are some new variations on the aliens, making them more dangerous than ever before. The character class system isn’t used in theLeft 4 Deadfranchise, butAliens: Fireteamtakes full advantage.
Players will be able to choose between five classes that will change the way they play with customization and modifications on each class. to combat the Xenomorphs, players will have to adjust their loadouts until they are as formidable as a Power Loader. Another unique feature that will add variety to the game, players will be able to add cards to the missions to make the replayability that much more interesting.
While this is exciting for fans of theAliensuniverse, gamers have been let down by this IP before. One has to look atwhat went wrong withAliens: Colonial Marinesto worry that this promising game will not be able to live up to its hype. There is also the potential that this game won’t embody the fear one gets when encountering a Xenomorph, like in the 1982Aliengame failed to do. This example, likeAliens: Fireteam,also took inspiration from another game, although it was more of a copy ofPac-Manthan anAliengame.Even though developer Cold Iron Studios hasn’t been shy about showing off gameplay, some fans are still waiting until they’re on LV-895 to make any judgements.
Aliens: Fireteamwill hit PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X later this year.
