Fan Reviews

[Necronomicon II]

Ok that's... interesting re the spoiler.

[Necronomicon II]

There's a more extensive patch arriving next week, must say they've been really prompt with feedback.

[[cancerblack]]

okay, So I finished the game yesterday and I would like to make a little spoiler post with my thoughts.

Interesting. Looking forward to some good screenshots of those late game elements coming out over the next week or so. Maybe a spoiler thread here for that kind of stuff?

[Predatorium]

PC, zero crashes. 13 hours in, only on mission 5. Maybe I'm very slow. 2-3 deploymemts per mission. The gameplay loop is very addictive with fun tactical options! They nailed the visuals and the sounds. Imo it's a near flawless Aliens experience that have you deal with the same problems the characters did in the movie, e.g. stress, trauma, limited resources, a ticking clock and being hopelessly outnumbered.

Lucky to have no crashes, you running NVIDIA for graphics or AMD? I can run Doom Eternal and Fireteam averaging over 100 fps with max settings but for some reason for DD something isn't optimised.

Nvidia 4070, running very smoothly in ultrawide 3440x1440, latest drivers ofc. I have run into several technical bugs though like resting not saving my progress on a certain level, characters getting stuck, tactical drone getting stuck, sound disappearing when using the incinerator units.

Btw speaking of incinerator units, they are so good! You can really stop an incoming onslaught dead in their tracks, giving you time to set up turrets in a pinch. I equip all my marines except recon with them so I can block every entryway in an instant.

[TheBATMAN]

Up to mission six now. Still very much enjoying it but feel I can only play this type of game in short bursts. The atmosphere is spot on. I do wish the datapads were a little more detailed though.

The bugs are becoming worse too. During a cutscene on the PS5 version the game crashed and had to restart. Then on the deployment cutscene the dropship was missing completely and the hangar door opened for nothing taking off!!

[Jumss]

So this game type isn't normally what I play (I'm more of an FPS/3rd person type and I'm so ignorant I don't even know what you call this gameplay) but since it's aliens I obviously had to try it. While I do love mowing down aliens in fireteam elite the aliens in this game actually feel like a proper threat and one mistake can cost you (I had to try multiple times to complete the end of the first level without f**king up). Really enjoying it so far and I hope everyone else is too!

[Necronomicon II]

PC, zero crashes. 13 hours in, only on mission 5. Maybe I'm very slow. 2-3 deploymemts per mission. The gameplay loop is very addictive with fun tactical options! They nailed the visuals and the sounds. Imo it's a near flawless Aliens experience that have you deal with the same problems the characters did in the movie, e.g. stress, trauma, limited resources, a ticking clock and being hopelessly outnumbered.

Lucky to have no crashes, you running NVIDIA for graphics or AMD? I can run Doom Eternal and Fireteam averaging over 100 fps with max settings but for some reason for DD something isn't optimised.

Nvidia 4070, running very smoothly in ultrawide 3440x1440, latest drivers ofc. I have run into several technical bugs though like resting not saving my progress on a certain level, characters getting stuck, tactical drone getting stuck, sound disappearing when using the incinerator units.

Btw speaking of incinerator units, they are so good! You can really stop an incoming onslaught dead in their tracks, giving you time to set up turrets in a pinch. I equip all my marines except recon with them so I can block every entryway in an instant.

Ah nice a 4070! I'm on a 3060 haha, but yeah all drivers up to date, everything, but a big patch is coming next week so I hope that clears it all up.

[Chieftain Suom]

To me, Dark Descent is a hyper-immersive version of Blackout with the additional story details, found in collectible datapads, that also made Isolation and Fireteam Elite so much more enjoyable for me.

I love the addition of the Codex where detailed descriptions of people, places, and things are collected. Total Wiki-fodder. Anyone catch the Walmart reference?

I think the most enjoyable part for me was the use of light and color throughout, especially in the elevator transition scenes. It was dark enough to create an Alien atmosphere but not so dark that it was an AVPR kind of unplayable.

My only grudge is that your team lead calls out EVERY time you select a destination to move to. Could have been curbed with a simple tone or sound indicating movement.

Completely enjoyable enough to playthrough more than once for me. Bugs aside. 9/10

Q:
Anyone recognize the model dropship the Weyland-Yutani Commandos arrived on?
While it was covered in Wey-Yu logos and colors, I assume its identical to a USCM dropship, just like how the Patna was a Connestoga-Class troop transport also owned and operated by Wey-Yu instead of being branded with USCM logos.

[Still Collating...]

I didn't catch the Walmart reference, where was it again?

[Chieftain Suom]

I didn't catch the Walmart reference, where was it again?

The Bentonville

Bentonville, AR is home to Walmart HQ haha

[Immortan Jonesy]

okay, So I finished the game yesterday and I would like to make a little spoiler post with my thoughts.

Spoiler

I mainly want a good story And this game had although not quite the greatest, still a satisfying story that had you wanting to find out more.

Also, the cutscenes were quite awesome! Perhaps not blizzard-level polish, but still fun and inspired.
(especially the ones involving dropships)

this game mainly uses the 3 first alien films for inspiration. Mainly Aliensesque environments like the atmosphere reactor and space stations, but I liked that you also had a Nostromo-type level. and finally a Fiorina-like mine. But there are also some new types of environments. among them a colony city with a monolithic Weyland-Yutani headquarters building.

Interestingly, This game makes no acknowledgments of the prequel films, no mentions of David 8s, or environmental design choices. This becomes even more clear in the very ending.

The game occasionally breaks up the regular missions with special story segments with gameplay that switches up the playstyle a little. there is a quite big nod to alien isolation in one of them where you have to dispose of a single Alien drone without weapons.

As for the Story, it's mainly standard lore practice, except for the questionable introduction of some characters being latent psychics and able to feel the hive mind. The explanation for this is, they were just born with it and happened to encounter aliens, triggering it.

The very end reveals a vast Space jockey structure discovered in the mine, I say space Jockey because there aren't any Prometheus/Covenant-related elements here. (No hieroglyphs, no urns, no black goo) However, there are giant fossilized beings here with holes in their chests, and it's not the usual chair jockey either! YES! (finally, some inspired new content!!!) After discovering that the bad guy also found the eggs here, in a similar hold as in Alien, you also discover another hold, with much larger eggs, with, like, 8 petals. They don't react to you, it is said they are primed for larger targets. this reminds me of the initial scripts for Prometheus, where a jockey craft contained multitudes of different types of alien eggs.

And then you encounter the final boss And it's a Jockey Alien!!! Wow!! and it's quite cool! a far cry from that lame design in the DS game.

Also, Marlow, the bad guy, was a fun character. Although, as his name suggests, his storyline is also quite inspired by the heart of Darkness.

All in All, I am quite pleased.

[close]

Sadly I won't be playing the game anytime soon..
I'm afraid  👉👈 $oOo I decided to fall for my spoilers adiction  👇

Spoiler

So I got these vibes via my quick Youtuube 🥱research...







...and even the cinematic Predalien face lol 😅👉👈 but you know what?!  it's a nice and very refreshing piece of design indeed  🤘

[close]

[Predatorium]

It took me over 30 hours to complete the game on easy..In hindsight I should've played on a harder difficulty  I only lost one marine and had 19 days left before planetary bombardment. I did reload from saves everytime someone died except that one time when saves were not working.

[Nightlord]

Got done in 45 hours on hard with the "iron man" mode on, it's actually pretty forgiving since you can save by resting.
Everything nails how I've wanted a proper Aliens game to be for so long. Interesting for them to outright ignore

Spoiler

prometheus and covenant

[close]

to do their own thing, could make a sequel actually worth doing since they're on their own path now.
I really can't praise it enough, it captures the fantasy of marines exploring abandoned sci-fi bases where aliens lurk that the movie set up so perfectly and that the kid me always wanted to play.

After a couple more patches to fix some of the glitches everyone should give it a go if you love Aliens.

[Kimarhi]

Reminds me of the good ol days of Aliens EU content.  I've enjoyed it so far, even though the first level with the queen had me raging early on. 

Had no idea about the infestation level actually upping the difficulty and would pull the marines out after every mission (or earlier if they got beat up at all).  By the time I fought the first queen I think I was already on day 24 I think.  So I had the queen fight, an onslaught right after, and then crusher appearances.  I FINALLY survived all that with one Marine limping back to the elevator and the ARC.  On a sidenote she looked like she was modeled after Commander Shepard female version so I made her my mine "hero" Marine.   

I too don't like losing anybody but that first level was ridiculous.  How I made it back with the one Marine was pure luck. 

After you get classes and can diversify your playstyle I felt the game got much easier.  It was kind of like Elden Ring.  Hard early.  Not near as hard after you figure out and acquire all the mechanics. 

Cheesy story with good world building, and interesting comic book inspired ideas that fit the EU.  Takes me back. 

The PS3 era graphics, and the need for them to vocalize EVERY movement are grating.  And the first colony chapter was hella rough, but I've liked it.  Like it so far better than FTE.  Think both of them if well liked could support better sequels.  I've had some glitches.  One time the x button which is like a confirmation button on the PS5 stopped working.  Just wouldn't register me hitting it.  Had to restart at the first queen AGAIN because of this.  Then there seems to be issues with the onslaughts sometimes.  Like the Aliens will trigger a welded door to be unwelded but still be on the otherside of the welded door.  Sometimes you can kill them all but it will register that you didn't.  So you can't leave, etc. 

But the number one complaint doesn't have anything to do with Dark Decent, but HOW MIND BOGGLING IT IS that somebody can't take Dark Descent's idea and make a playable Colonial Marines FPS.  How is it so difficult that the only people who have done it have been in crossover vs games? 

I had no expectations for this game, and feel that it has exceeded them greatly and been a pleasant surprise. 

[[cancerblack]]

But the number one complaint doesn't have anything to do with Dark Decent, but HOW MIND BOGGLING IT IS that somebody can't take Dark Descent's idea and make a playable Colonial Marines FPS.  How is it so difficult that the only people who have done it have been in crossover vs games? 

Story of my life bro.