Aliens: Fireteam Elite was a guilty pleasure co-op game of mine when it was released on Xbox Game Pass in 2021. After briefly playing its sequel at Summer Game Fest in June, I was even more excited to see how Cold Iron Studios would build on the original’s formula. That’s why I was disappointed to see Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 launch to negative user reviews on Steam (it has since worked up to a Mixed rating).

While many Steam reviews focused on technical problems with the PC port, others cited a weak story and a rough-around-the-edges feel. After playing Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 on PS5, I can now see that a lot of those reviews had a point. I’ve played worse co-op shooters, like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and see some clever ways where this sequel improved upon its predecessor. Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is not something I expect to play nearly as much as the original, though.

There are 15 missions, which can take around 20 to 30 minutes to complete, in its story-driven campaign. Once you beat Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, meta-progression systems for each of the game’s character classes and........

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