As an Aliens and XCOM fan I had to try this once I saw it.

You'll see a lot of people compare this game to XCOM, which is a fair assessment, but the similarities end once you leave the squad selection screen. Unlike XCOM, Dark Decent is real time squad based action.

The game is split into two sections. Resource management on your base and sending out a squad of marines to sortie different locations on the planet.

Let's talk about your base, the Otago: I love a lot of what's here, from the different classes and abilities for your marines to the facilities you can use to upgrade and care for them. There's a distinct lack of flavor, missing music or notable interactions within the crew. All the themes from Aliens are here, but apart from some events that pop up after each day spent, there really isn't much going on.

Sending your marines on a mission is a different story. Although it takes some getting used to, there is a blend of stealth and guns blazing that I feel really hits the Aliens genre perfect. You never "want" to fight the Aliens head on, but if you have to you can stand your ground. I really like the different places you're sent to and set pieces other than one or two locations that seemed one color and bland.

Gameplay is where this game really shines. You have a pretty big arsenal of weapons and abilities to use. Without spoiling too much you'll get to use smart and sentry guns straight from the movies and the amount of sentries you can deploy brings a smile to my face. However you start to notice what works and what doesn't pretty quick.

I really like this game for what it brings to the table. Although the story is far from perfect I ended up actually liking the story characters. It brings a lot for being one of the better Aliens games in my eyes.

Armored Core: For Answer is the apex of mecha games.

Speaking plainly AC4A,
-Has an amazing score ranging from beautiful keys, fast prog rock to blaring jungle electronic music.
-Great story beats, multiple endings, decisions with equal weight dependent on which missions you take as an independent merc.
-Fast, intense gameplay that places you against the machine, constantly needing to adjust your gameplay based on the scenario and your capabilities as a pilot.
-Nearly perfect customization options. I mean you can put shapes and parts on your mech that serve no purpose but to look cool, but they also add weight to your mech based on whatever side you put it on. Tuning, decent amount of weapons and parts to pick from, color, pattern and decal customization. There's so much depth, you can make a really detailed and stylized mech.
-Had decent multiplayer that could be played with different rule sets and still use every mech you could think of

All these elements come together to create an experience that enables and fully realizes the fantasy that is mecha.

I've long held the opinion that AC4A is one of the most underrated games of all time. The fast and tight gameplay might be a turn off for some people and I get that, but once you master the flow and feel of this game, it's a gorgeous experience. For me this game is a benchmark for the genre. The feeling of flying through the air being a lighting fast WMD efficiently eliminating targets while graceful piano serves as your backdrop is just perfect. This kind of experience has only been matched by a select few outside of the genre.