Both Left 4 Dead games left a legacy of fantastic horde-based co-op shooters that fans could play over and over again. Players have spent countless hours replaying missions, and while a game to complete the trilogy has not been released, games like Back 4 Blood have acted in its stead. Back 4 Blood was developed by the original creators of Left 4 Dead at Turtlerock Studios, but it does have some serious competition.
One of its biggest competitors is Aliens: Fireteam Elite, which was released just before Back 4 Blood was. Aliens: Fireteam Elite had a very strong launch, but has seen its player counts dwindling ever since. Now that both games are out, many players are wondering which of the two they should pick up for some horde-fighting fun, but like most things, it’s a matter of preference.
How Back 4 Blood is the Better Game
Back 4 Blood is much more faithful to Left 4 Dead for pretty obvious reasons; a lot of features and mechanics that fans of the series will be comfortable with and happy to see returning are in Back 4 Blood.
While it does feature the familiar structure of four survivors trying to complete missions in the zombie apocalypse, it also features a variety of special zombies that present unique threats for the players to deal with: Zombies that pin a player down (Charger), zombies that grabs a player and runs with them (Jockey), and zombies with bile that it spits to attract other zombies (Spitter). Back 4 Blood doesn’t have all of the specials from Left 4 Dead, but it does also introduce many new ideas and variations as well.
It also introduces some new mechanics and features that have a big impact on Back 4 Blood’s gameplay. The first of these are the multiple characters that each have unique traits and abilities that players can choose from when building their team. There is also a very unique card system that has players make decks to pull from during missions to get a variety of buffs. Guns can also be customized with various attachments that can be found during missions, all coming together to make Back 4 Blood feel like a new take on the Left 4 Dead formula that still has plenty of the classic DNA fans would expect.
How Aliens: Fireteam Elite is the Better Game
However, Aliens: Fireteam Elite also has a lot to love about it as well. It features multiple classes for players to customize and learn, while also offering some punishingly difficult missions. Players have to work together and play around the strengths of their classes, and classes have a variety of different equipment and abilities to cater to every playstyle. The game also supports solo play fully with bots and full progression, while Back 4 Blood does not.
Another strong aspect of the game is how it utilizes its license to full effect. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is chock full of excellent missions that will satisfy any fan of the Alien franchise. There are a lot of great nods to other properties in the series, a lot of its iconic atmosphere, and a lot of charm that shows just how big of fans the developers were of the source material. With how well the game nails the franchise on top of offering some solid gameplay and mechanics, it should undoubtedly satisfy most players.
Back 4 Blood is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
