Bought this with all expansions and upgrade kits. Worth every penny, but the game itself is not complete without these. Loving the mechanics and theme combined to create a tremendous experience whether you win or lose. This game would not work if characters were more specialized as anyone can die at anytime. You would be handicapped for the entire remainder of the campaign if all your eggs were in that basket. The game prevents this by rounding out all characters equally. The Badass Expansion adds experience cards and skill specializations much like S.P.E.C.I.A.L. does in Fallout. If one of those characters dies the experience cards get passed onto the survivors. Imagine playing Fallout without the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system. That is what it's like playing this without the Ultimate Bad ass expansion. However, the expansion/skills upgrade cards should have originally been added in the core box, but were sliced away to increase value of the expansion. These were the first minis I have ever assembled, it was hella easy. Ordered a knife, glue, and clippers from Amazon to add to my expanding tool collection to get the job done.
What mechanics do the expansions add other than acid blood? I was hoping the game would be a bit more strategic rather than hoping to roll well and gaming the deck
I've used the cards from the Ultimate BA Expansion--and appreciate your comparing them to the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities from Fallout, my 2nd favorite board game of all time!
@@PACEUK22 The hive player can add facehugger shenanigans, acid and other nastiness. Levelling up your characters helps get you more attached and gives you more options. The APC mission is fun as hell. Adding the eggs, queen and powerloader really changes how you strategize. And just overall it makes it feel like a full Aliens experience.
Wow Will. Next thing I want you to review is shadow of brimstone revised or Mavel crisis protocal. You need glue, clipper and a x-acto knife. X-acto knife is the key to getting a nice edge to glue. I never started to build minis and I started with kingdom death. I have to say I was awful because all I bought was glue and my first figure I built was bent and had stress marks. Then I bough the pliers to cut with and that one came out kind of lopsided. X-acto knife to clean the cut is the key. I love building them. Hate storing them because they break so easily. It's like glass on glass when traveling with them. I really need to get some foam boxes. But I have no clue how to cut foam correctly.
I would like to add that the Queen comes in an expansion which is already available. Reasonable considering that the core game is already comparatively fair priced. Plus I don't think the movie is an excuse for certain mechanics; all of the rules mechanisms make thematic sense. So regarded in that sense, I think it's quite an achievement 😊 Especially in that light I believe that they did well to stay away from other types of Xenomorphs. Which, frankly speaking, would probably also disgust the most casual aficionados of the movie 🙃
They did mention in the video that the expansion is available right away, which is why they didn’t like it being an expansion because it means you have an incomplete base game experience, which is also my opinion. And it might be that the core game is fairly priced, but that means that the Queen expansion is ridiculously overpriced since it costs just as much with only 5 miniatures inside and only 4 missions (one being the U.S.S. SULACO, which means there’s only one mission to use the power loader). But when you think about it for a moment you come to realize that GF9 KNOWS that nobody is going to play the core game and intentionally miss out on the power loader and the queen, the actual end boss of the movie/game, which means they actually sell the “core game” for twice the price. I’m happy I’ve watched this great and detailed review because I’m currently riding an alien hype train and was about to pull the trigger on this one. But there are great alternatives who don’t need to hide behind the alien franchise. If you want a spacecraft survival experience with very similar aliens, Nemesis is plain awesome. If you want a survival game with somewhat similar mechanics as Aliens ADATC then check out Resident Evil 2 TBG
Another good vid @3:00 They're not next to the door. They have to be in either of the 'red' spaces. The white line blocks the door from where the marine is at. It's hard to figure out since most 'dungeon crawler 'style square spaces games have square corners we're used to. I had to ask on BGG to be certain where they posted an FAQ. For the models I've never sone it. I used sprue cutters from a local hobby shop which worked fine. Touched up with an x-acto knife. Used Tamiya extra thin plastic cement recoRepetitivenessconcerned
I have this under the tree and really looking forward to it. I have some experience in miniature games, so building and painting the minis is part of what I am looking forward to (and for once it looks like a manageable amount I can actually finish for a change), but also loads of minis games have that focus on move & fight mechanic, that does not put me off, and I think the cinematic experience, and shouting out the catchphrases as I mow down hoards of Xenos, will add loads to this game over say a GW game (which I also love BTW).
I have to say that despite its flaws, this is by far the best Alien experience in a game that I have played. It far surpasses anything else out there as far as playing something that feels like you are taking part in one of the movies. The biggest drawback seems to be that they really glossed over the acid blood thing. Supposedly the dying instantly on a roll of a 10 in melee combat represents it as well as there being some additional cards in the one expansion. Other than that though, I really enjoyed the experience. Sure you know the blips are going to be aliens, but you never know how many. A big part of the game is using abilities and equipment to look at and alter the motion tracker deck so that you can prepare for what is coming. I disagree about the characters all feeling the same. I think you definitely need to play it a bit more. While they are all similar, as you mentioned they are all marines, they do all have their own specializations. Have a long hallway that you want to keep covered in case swarms come? Send Vasquez with her smart gun. Not only is she a better shot than others, she exhausts less cards when using the smart gun. As a tradeoff, she has a below average chance of doing anything tech related. Have a big swarm in a closed in area? Send in Frost with the flame Thrower, he gets bonuses that no one else does for using it. Ripley is good a scavenging for supplies and equipment, I can't remember off the top of my head who, but someone was much better at dealing with tech, and so on.
@@timesup5105 no they are very different. They can all do the same basic things. But everyone has their specialties that they are better at than all the others. Vasquez has a lower tech skill than others, but she's much more efficient with the smart gun. Frost gets bonuses with the flamethrower which make him better with it than others. Besides that, there is a lot of positioning and grouping up your guys into fire teams so that they can give each other covering fire. Using special abilities and equipment to help each other out, prevent bad things from happening, or to prepare for things you know are coming
Legendary Encounters: Alien Nemesis That is all I am going to say. Although it is a different game, both of the above feel better games within the same universe. So with so many games coming out, I think that answers the question of whether or not to buy.
Nemesis is good but Legendary I didn’t like so much. I have both games and i still want this one. But to be honest is just because I’m a HUGE fan of Aliens.
I LOVE this game, but sort of feel like the computer interaction is a distraction--especially in Mission 2. If you waste time rolling tech to view blips, Aliens might start to overrun everything, so I skip the computer! Thanks for a great review!
Its a great game. Putting the minis together is a minor inconvenience. I dont know anyone who doesnt own glue. If anyone is looking for a similar game i would suggest space hulk or nemesis.
My friend and I are enjoying it. I got the full set. We started right away with both expansion additions. I like the Experience cards from the small box expansion as it does make your characters feel like they can do things others cant as Johnathan mentioned. My biggest complaint was the Alien models themselves. Their tails just seemed to get in the way too often and so we decided to use the miniatures from the AVP game instead. I went and made some alternative rules to add things like friendly fire with AOE weapons and Acid blood that we're going to try sometime as well.
On the assembly required bit... Nowhere on the box does it say that they are preassembled either. I've found that most games that include preassembled minis often advertise that as a perk and it is usually mentioned on the box. Generally I see more games advertising "preassembled" minis that I have ones that advertise "assembly required".
I have a large collection of miniatures games not the tactical combat ones like Crisis Protocol or war games and literally none of them advertise that the minis are preassembled.
Almost purchased this from my FLGS, glad I put it back on the shelf. The mini assembly is a big downer. I love the Alien franchise. I'll just stick with Nemesis for my 'Alien' feel.
@@raptorrancher Yeah, I was looking at that one too. It looks like it does everything this game does only with a lot more variety. Sometimes movie properties don’t always translate into board games.
I understand not wanting to assemble minis, but for people who prefer quality, hard plastic spruces are great whereas one piece rubbery casts just belong in the bin
I gotta say the point is right on the front of the box. In the name. Another glorious day in the corps. And you guys might have missed it. If you’ve ever seen the film….it’s about being a space marine. The bug hunt is what their there for. It’s all about shooting the bugs till there’s no more. It’s non stop Badassery. Just mean tempered folks out for glory and killing things.
This game sounds like Deep Madness but less monsters variety and no rooms flooding. We know johnathan hates Deep Madness? Will, Do you like it more than Deep Madness?
I just bought assembly the min and run two missions. Is fast and simple to teach and capture very well the feeling of the movie. I see someone comparing it to Nemesis... jees Nemesis is what? 120$ games? This one with 50$ you have a full experience
I don't understand the complaints about assembling the minis as if its that difficult. The claim that this is the ONLY game of its type that asks its players to assemble its minis is just wrong and is really a pretty petty complaint. You have to do it ONCE and its done. Hell one of the games mentioned many times in comparison to this "Space Hulk" had minis you had to assemble as well. As someone who has been into hobbies of all type for 30+ years its a non-issue for me so maybe taking the time ONCE to put together and admire some cool figures is THAT big an issue? I dunno, it just seems like a dumb to complain that a game with minis has to have someone put together said minis.
No interest in this now. Game group has Nemesis which seems more more Alien than Aliens but that seems to make a better game. Blasting bugs is fun but itd be nice to have differences in enemies or something. And having to assemble is weird for a nonskirmish game today.
I love the alien franchise but I'm disappointed with the repetiveness of the game and the fact that you have to assemble the minis. For me personally this was a bit of a let down after my high expectations.
Ugh. I am sooo disappointed in this game. The designers did NOT watch the movie. This game is overly complicated for no reason. In half an hour my friends and I decided a simpler, better game. The language on the cards is hard to understand. The concept of the cards being your lifeline is stoopid. Like a good dungeon crawler, you need the cards to be seperate. An event card, a weapons card etc should be revealed as seperate actions and not all in one deck. We were so frustrated that we stopped playing all together. I could go on with the problems but there's no point. If you wanna have fun with this game...replace the rules with any D&D rule set and play as characters who have to work together as soldiers and not a ridiculously dumb card exhaustive system and use hit dice and have a longer better experience.
Bought this with all expansions and upgrade kits. Worth every penny, but the game itself is not complete without these. Loving the mechanics and theme combined to create a tremendous experience whether you win or lose. This game would not work if characters were more specialized as anyone can die at anytime. You would be handicapped for the entire remainder of the campaign if all your eggs were in that basket. The game prevents this by rounding out all characters equally. The Badass Expansion adds experience cards and skill specializations much like S.P.E.C.I.A.L. does in Fallout. If one of those characters dies the experience cards get passed onto the survivors. Imagine playing Fallout without the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system. That is what it's like playing this without the Ultimate Bad ass expansion. However, the expansion/skills upgrade cards should have originally been added in the core box, but were sliced away to increase value of the expansion. These were the first minis I have ever assembled, it was hella easy. Ordered a knife, glue, and clippers from Amazon to add to my expanding tool collection to get the job done.
THIS
What mechanics do the expansions add other than acid blood? I was hoping the game would be a bit more strategic rather than hoping to roll well and gaming the deck
You actually don't need all the expansions to play the game :)
I've used the cards from the Ultimate BA Expansion--and appreciate your comparing them to the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities from Fallout, my 2nd favorite board game of all time!
I think you have to mention that the base game is reasonably priced when compared with many other miniature based games
Embarrassing that you wanted them to make a monkey xenomorph or something, its an aliens game from the aliens MOVIE.
The core game feels very half baked, but I just finished the extended campaign with all the expansions and its really something special.
In what way do the expansions improve the game?
@@PACEUK22 The hive player can add facehugger shenanigans, acid and other nastiness. Levelling up your characters helps get you more attached and gives you more options. The APC mission is fun as hell. Adding the eggs, queen and powerloader really changes how you strategize. And just overall it makes it feel like a full Aliens experience.
@@deadfalltropics6422 looks that the expansion are a must have let’s see
@@patriziopastore9895 Yeah, without it it would feel like if they made a New Hope game that removed all references to the Death Star.
@@deadfalltropics6422 ahaha nice example, I will enjoy the core game and then lets see
Wow Will. Next thing I want you to review is shadow of brimstone revised or Mavel crisis protocal. You need glue, clipper and a x-acto knife. X-acto knife is the key to getting a nice edge to glue.
I never started to build minis and I started with kingdom death. I have to say I was awful because all I bought was glue and my first figure I built was bent and had stress marks. Then I bough the pliers to cut with and that one came out kind of lopsided. X-acto knife to clean the cut is the key.
I love building them. Hate storing them because they break so easily. It's like glass on glass when traveling with them. I really need to get some foam boxes. But I have no clue how to cut foam correctly.
I would like to add that the Queen comes in an expansion which is already available. Reasonable considering that the core game is already comparatively fair priced. Plus I don't think the movie is an excuse for certain mechanics; all of the rules mechanisms make thematic sense. So regarded in that sense, I think it's quite an achievement 😊 Especially in that light I believe that they did well to stay away from other types of Xenomorphs. Which, frankly speaking, would probably also disgust the most casual aficionados of the movie 🙃
They did mention in the video that the expansion is available right away, which is why they didn’t like it being an expansion because it means you have an incomplete base game experience, which is also my opinion.
And it might be that the core game is fairly priced, but that means that the Queen expansion is ridiculously overpriced since it costs just as much with only 5 miniatures inside and only 4 missions (one being the U.S.S. SULACO, which means there’s only one mission to use the power loader).
But when you think about it for a moment you come to realize that GF9 KNOWS that nobody is going to play the core game and intentionally miss out on the power loader and the queen, the actual end boss of the movie/game, which means they actually sell the “core game” for twice the price.
I’m happy I’ve watched this great and detailed review because I’m currently riding an alien hype train and was about to pull the trigger on this one.
But there are great alternatives who don’t need to hide behind the alien franchise. If you want a spacecraft survival experience with very similar aliens, Nemesis is plain awesome. If you want a survival game with somewhat similar mechanics as Aliens ADATC then check out Resident Evil 2 TBG
Another good vid @3:00 They're not next to the door. They have to be in either of the 'red' spaces. The white line blocks the door from where the marine is at. It's hard to figure out since most 'dungeon crawler 'style square spaces games have square corners we're used to. I had to ask on BGG to be certain where they posted an FAQ.
For the models I've never sone it. I used sprue cutters from a local hobby shop which worked fine. Touched up with an x-acto knife. Used Tamiya extra thin plastic cement recoRepetitivenessconcerned
I have this under the tree and really looking forward to it. I have some experience in miniature games, so building and painting the minis is part of what I am looking forward to (and for once it looks like a manageable amount I can actually finish for a change), but also loads of minis games have that focus on move & fight mechanic, that does not put me off, and I think the cinematic experience, and shouting out the catchphrases as I mow down hoards of Xenos, will add loads to this game over say a GW game (which I also love BTW).
I’ve been gluing together these minis for hours. Haha You mentioned wave clear a lot, how does it compare to Project Elite?
Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! I've been waiting for this review for 2 1/2, maybe 3 years. :)
...surely its only a matter of time (and licence!) before GF9 bring out a Predator expansion/companion game!
I have to say that despite its flaws, this is by far the best Alien experience in a game that I have played. It far surpasses anything else out there as far as playing something that feels like you are taking part in one of the movies. The biggest drawback seems to be that they really glossed over the acid blood thing. Supposedly the dying instantly on a roll of a 10 in melee combat represents it as well as there being some additional cards in the one expansion. Other than that though, I really enjoyed the experience. Sure you know the blips are going to be aliens, but you never know how many. A big part of the game is using abilities and equipment to look at and alter the motion tracker deck so that you can prepare for what is coming.
I disagree about the characters all feeling the same. I think you definitely need to play it a bit more. While they are all similar, as you mentioned they are all marines, they do all have their own specializations. Have a long hallway that you want to keep covered in case swarms come? Send Vasquez with her smart gun. Not only is she a better shot than others, she exhausts less cards when using the smart gun. As a tradeoff, she has a below average chance of doing anything tech related. Have a big swarm in a closed in area? Send in Frost with the flame Thrower, he gets bonuses that no one else does for using it. Ripley is good a scavenging for supplies and equipment, I can't remember off the top of my head who, but someone was much better at dealing with tech, and so on.
Is AVP in your list compared to this game?
@@timesup5105 yes
Thanks Buddy. AVP has a lot of tactics and individual units. From this video it seems they are all feel the same. Is that your experience?
@@timesup5105 no they are very different. They can all do the same basic things. But everyone has their specialties that they are better at than all the others. Vasquez has a lower tech skill than others, but she's much more efficient with the smart gun. Frost gets bonuses with the flamethrower which make him better with it than others.
Besides that, there is a lot of positioning and grouping up your guys into fire teams so that they can give each other covering fire. Using special abilities and equipment to help each other out, prevent bad things from happening, or to prepare for things you know are coming
Thanks that sounds really cool. Debating on getting a copy.
Completely agreed with you: too much repetitive in certain moments. Congrats for your sharp critics.
Legendary Encounters: Alien
Nemesis
That is all I am going to say. Although it is a different game, both of the above feel better games within the same universe. So with so many games coming out, I think that answers the question of whether or not to buy.
Nemesis is good but Legendary I didn’t like so much. I have both games and i still want this one. But to be honest is just because I’m a HUGE fan of Aliens.
I’ve been thinking about getting it. Just concern how it’ll play solo.
Regarding legendary....how it plays solo.
@@Faultyjoe Legendary plays well solo :)
I was interested in this because of the minis being built. That's the most fun part!
I bought it for the miniatures
.
I LOVE this game, but sort of feel like the computer interaction is a distraction--especially in Mission 2. If you waste time rolling tech to view blips, Aliens might start to overrun everything, so I skip the computer! Thanks for a great review!
This looks brilliant!
Its a great game. Putting the minis together is a minor inconvenience. I dont know anyone who doesnt own glue. If anyone is looking for a similar game i would suggest space hulk or nemesis.
My friend and I are enjoying it. I got the full set. We started right away with both expansion additions. I like the Experience cards from the small box expansion as it does make your characters feel like they can do things others cant as Johnathan mentioned. My biggest complaint was the Alien models themselves. Their tails just seemed to get in the way too often and so we decided to use the miniatures from the AVP game instead. I went and made some alternative rules to add things like friendly fire with AOE weapons and Acid blood that we're going to try sometime as well.
Where did you buy it at?
Worth the 60$ compared to game like Zombicide that cost 90$ with no depth.
I would say that the time it takes to assemble the minis easily a few hours more than make up for the cost difference of going say Zombicide Invader
thanks
On the assembly required bit...
Nowhere on the box does it say that they are preassembled either. I've found that most games that include preassembled minis often advertise that as a perk and it is usually mentioned on the box.
Generally I see more games advertising "preassembled" minis that I have ones that advertise "assembly required".
I have a large collection of miniatures games not the tactical combat ones like Crisis Protocol or war games and literally none of them advertise that the minis are preassembled.
Almost purchased this from my FLGS, glad I put it back on the shelf. The mini assembly is a big downer. I love the Alien franchise. I'll just stick with Nemesis for my 'Alien' feel.
There's also Aliens: Bughunt from Upper Deck which just released!
I ordered Nemesis instead. Will get it on the 27th, and am excited.
@@raptorrancher
Yeah, I was looking at that one too. It looks like it does everything this game does only with a lot more variety. Sometimes movie properties don’t always translate into board games.
I understand not wanting to assemble minis, but for people who prefer quality, hard plastic spruces are great whereas one piece rubbery casts just belong in the bin
Thanks for the video guys. Based on this review, I think I'll stick with Nemesis
I gotta say the point is right on the front of the box. In the name. Another glorious day in the corps. And you guys might have missed it. If you’ve ever seen the film….it’s about being a space marine. The bug hunt is what their there for. It’s all about shooting the bugs till there’s no more. It’s non stop Badassery. Just mean tempered folks out for glory and killing things.
Kind of feels like they're following a video game style model for half a base game and the other half behind paid DLC
This game sounds like Deep Madness but less monsters variety and no rooms flooding.
We know johnathan hates Deep Madness?
Will, Do you like it more than Deep Madness?
I just bought assembly the min and run two missions. Is fast and simple to teach and capture very well the feeling of the movie. I see someone comparing it to Nemesis... jees Nemesis is what? 120$ games? This one with 50$ you have a full experience
I don't understand the complaints about assembling the minis as if its that difficult. The claim that this is the ONLY game of its type that asks its players to assemble its minis is just wrong and is really a pretty petty complaint. You have to do it ONCE and its done. Hell one of the games mentioned many times in comparison to this "Space Hulk" had minis you had to assemble as well. As someone who has been into hobbies of all type for 30+ years its a non-issue for me so maybe taking the time ONCE to put together and admire some cool figures is THAT big an issue? I dunno, it just seems like a dumb to complain that a game with minis has to have someone put together said minis.
Yeah but... it’s Aliens!
Just get Nemesis, this looks very meh
I have both and they’re different game is like comparing apple and banana... is not because they have the same theme are the same game
Nemesis is double the price, tbf
Seriously? Plastic model glue and an exacto knife. NOT SUPERGLUE.
No interest in this now. Game group has Nemesis which seems more more Alien than Aliens but that seems to make a better game. Blasting bugs is fun but itd be nice to have differences in enemies or something. And having to assemble is weird for a nonskirmish game today.
That's fair. I disagree. I dont want things other than aliens in my Aliens game. I can appreciate the gripe however.
Huzzah! I hope you get and love the game then.
I guess you guys haven't played Warhammer miniature games..
About the other kind of aliens to me, looks like a concept for more expansions
I love the alien franchise but I'm disappointed with the repetiveness of the game and the fact that you have to assemble the minis. For me personally this was a bit of a let down after my high expectations.
I have to assemble the minis? What the heck? Why don’t I just build my own game then?
Ugh. I am sooo disappointed in this game. The designers did NOT watch the movie. This game is overly complicated for no reason. In half an hour my friends and I decided a simpler, better game. The language on the cards is hard to understand. The concept of the cards being your lifeline is stoopid. Like a good dungeon crawler, you need the cards to be seperate. An event card, a weapons card etc should be revealed as seperate actions and not all in one deck. We were so frustrated that we stopped playing all together. I could go on with the problems but there's no point. If you wanna have fun with this game...replace the rules with any D&D rule set and play as characters who have to work together as soldiers and not a ridiculously dumb card exhaustive system and use hit dice and have a longer better experience.