As a huge fan of the Alien and Predator universes, I play any video game I can get my hands on that dives into these respective franchises. Over the past few years, I’ve logged an ungodly number of hours on Cold Iron Studios’ Aliens: Fireteam Elite; however, I haven’t been able to play Illfonic’s Predator: Hunting Grounds–until it finally came to Xbox this fall.

The thing I love about both of these games is that they simulate the 1980s action made famous by their respective films. Playing Aliens: Fireteam Elite immerses players in a real sense of fighting through a Xeno hive as a Colonial Marine, relying on the squad to have your back and working together to survive. Similarly, Predator: Hunting Grounds immediately captures the heart-pounding, adrenaline rush of the hunt while you work with your elite commando team to pull a dangerous jungle mission.

So which game does it better? My thoughts on each game are as follows, in relation to the squad-based play:

Aliens: Fireteam Elite forces players to work together to survive, particularly on harder difficulty levels; there’s no soloing the hive–the Xenomorphs are powerful, relentless, and coming out of the damn walls. AFE excels at getting players to work together by encouraging each marine to choose complementary specializations, such as Medic, Recon, or Gunner.

Unlike many games where these roles are more about simply emphasizing gameplay styles that the particular player enjoys, in AFE these roles are required to survive. You won’t take out a hive without a Gunner or Demolisher to inflict heavy damage; similarly, without a good Recon to keep ammo stocked, you’ll run out of bullets before you escape. Teamwork really matters in this squad-based shooter, and the longer levels (which can take up to an hour to clear on harder difficulties) really give players a sense of going deep into the conflict event.

While teamwork does really help with survival in Predator: Hunting Grounds; much like Arnold, players can go it alone and still accomplish the mission. Being the ultimate one-man war machine can absolutely save the day–and honestly that’s okay, because it’s true to the spirit of the Predator films. But that makes the squad-based elements of the game less meaningful.

But where Predator: Hunting Grounds shines, and perhaps outshines AFE, is that a human player controls the big bad. While the AI is decent in AFE, having another player matching wits with you and literally hunting you through the jungle environment is awesome, making gameplay unpredictable and challenging. Some players like to hang back and slowly stalk you as the Predator while others are hyper aggressive and crash into you as you’re battling with enemy commandos. The matches feel frenetic and short, a stark contrast to Aliens: Fireteam Elite.

Of course, the good news is that players can simply enjoy both! But for the purpose of today’s water cooler question, which game is the better squad-based shooter.

Tell us what you think! Is Aliens: Fireteam Elite or Predator Hunting Grounds the better squad-based shooter?? Share your reactions in the comments below or join the conversation in Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Facebook, and Twitter.

Featured Image: 20th Century Studios, Illfonic, Cold Iron Studios