Aliens: Dark Descent

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck N/A)
Current goal: Conquer my cowardice, one xenomorph-infested room at a time

Readers, an admission: I am a scary video game weenie. It’d be fair to call me yellow-bellied. While I love a horror flick any day of the week, give me a more active experience like a game where you’re given agency and I swiftly fall to pieces.

However! Aliens: Dark Descent is something I think I can handle. A squad-based RTS, you’re placed in charge of a crew of Colonial Marines that square off against the iconic, dare I say icky, xenomorphs from the Alien film franchise. Since it’s a real-time strategy game, seeing all the action from a top-down perspective and the ability to slow down time at any point for a few seconds did wonders for alleviating the anxiety I’d normally be getting from your typical first-person horror joint.

I also found comfort in the familiar trappings of an X-COMlike experience, which is what Dark Descent seems to be going for. There are health and stress bars to manage for each squaddie (being coated in corrosive acid would stress me out too) and when they die they’re gone for good. Also between missions, you research new tech and upgrade your facilities and armaments from your spaceship hub. All very X-COM-like features, and for that reason, Aliens: Dark Descent hasn’t spooked me too terribly. Yet. — Eric Schulkin

And that wraps this weekend’s gaming guide. Which ones are you playing?