But, maybe that is suited to Aliens. You cannot escape, and knowing Xenomorphs, they are capable, multi-directional killers. With them around, no hallways are safe... in the properly designed environment. What we have here are alien creatures that run forward screeching without much of a plan. Many of them attempt to walk along the rafters in an attempt to take down an invincible AI partner. Lucky for those Xenomorphs, the AI for the human side is just as doltish. Between getting stuck in doors, firing at walls, or looking the wrong direction, the friendly AI take up as much space--and are just as useful--as the strewn computers.
Beyond that, Aliens defies licensing logic in a desperate bid for variety. Weyland-Yutani forces, members of the universe's despicable corporation, barge in. Suddenly, the sloppy, unweighted shooting mechanics are not only festering at the hands of creatures, but targets that shoot back. In less than a minute, Colonial Marines shifts from a ship undergoing an alien metamorphosis to one that becomes a human battleground, no Xenomorphs in sight.
Desperation calls for the game to ramp up its action, bringing in the overly foreshadowed power loader for a brief battle with a scarred, irregularly large Xeno. That sequence is a mess of small space, clumsy polygons clashing, and messy first person melee slapping that still cannot match the level of coolness it is shooting for. And, when the inevitable alien queen makes an appearance, her death is as obvious as you would expect.
Marketing makes it clear this is a sequel to the James Cameron film--an official one too--so the reintroduction of a previously dead film character late in the game who serves no narrative purpose is impossibly frustrating. Logic gaps are huge elsewhere, with soldiers befuddled by the creatures, then naming them minutes later, only to be shocked when they show up again. The whole thing is on unstable, holy ground it does not understand.
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