9. It's All Been Done Better Elsewhere
The key problem with making an irony-free adaptation of the Aliens plot and aesthetic is that it has been duly copied and satirised in the near-three decades since the film's release. Masterpieces ranging from Half-Life to Halo all have a sure influence from James Cameron's action masterpiece, making it seem somewhat passe that Gearbox Software are now getting their oar in, but without any subversion to make it distinguish itself from being a generic bug hunt with a coat of franchise paint on. The cocky marines, the environments and the monsters all feel relatively cliched here, because it's all been done to death, and it's all been done better by games such as the aforementioned. There's no self-awareness or acknowledgement of how much the genre owes to Aliens, making this game seem oddly archaic and out of touch; the developers are sorely in need of a sense of humour and also some perspective outside of themselves. Clearly, they thought that the Aliens name would stand them in good enough stead.