Raw, free awesome. Make sure to play with people you are at least a little before going on modes harder than normal. Highest difficulty is where to go if you want a challenge and actual tactics. Also, expect to die on the harder modes at least as you first start out when you get better it becomes epic.

This game deserves a perfect 10 for being free. There's no reason at all for anybody to not own a free downloadable game. Therefore, everybody should have it. Reviews for this game are as useless as useless can be so dont try to judge it, just get it; BECAUSE ITS FREE!!!

"Alien Swarm" is a suprisingly fun 4 player co-op game with tons of stuff to do. You will have a good time upgrading and choosing characters and weapons to use for your battle with alien bugs. Oh and btw...It's Free.

Considering it's intended as little more than a mod for Half-Life 2, and is therefore free, this is about as good as mods get. Some more gameplay modes would improve the score.

The game is free, has a very good gameplay and especially playing it at insane difficulty with some friends is really really fun. The only thing that is missing is more campaign, but thanks to the SDK it is only matter of time. Great work!

This game had the potential to be really great but with valve's continued use of their "matchmaking" software you are not likely to join a server that has a great ping and your options on what maps / settings you play with are almost non existant. At least the game is Free and you have more choice than you get with MW2.

This game, really doesn't bring anything new to the industry. I mean, the minute i knew it was being released, I immediately thought "Alien Breed". It is just so graphically similar, and Alien Breed 2: Assault had just released. The missions get repetitive, and the community made maps aren't that good... The only thing that made me play this game for a grand total of an hour was the great leveling system, and the curiosity to know what you'd unlock next. But I guess you can't really ask for much more, considering the fact that it's free...… Expand

The game lacks content, but it is truly a fun and addicting game allowing customizations and real time tactical game play with friends. and Oh did I mention it's Free?

It is free so I can't really complain. It's a bit of fun but will wear thin quickly. Even though I don't want to put you off trying it I seriously doubt whether you will play it for more than 10 hours.

The game feels like it's in-between a very in-depth demo and one of those 10 dollar indie games that you can pull off Steam. Fortunately, the game exceeds beyond what one would expect to find from a game with no price tag. Cooperative multiplayer has always been second fiddle to competitive multiplayer, but this game champions the genre by being simple, free, and very fun. Like any cooperative multiplayer game, it works best when everyone is actually playing cooperatively. Overachievers and one-man-armies who charge ahead without the support of the rest of the squad will be rebuffed with overwhelming swarms of talons, mandibles, and acid projectiles. The game encourages cooperation without strictly enforcing it with a heavy hand (experienced players can still gobble up most of the kills and carry the rest of the squad). The game definitely knows that it doesn't have a lot to offer, because leveling up is rapid and unlocks are plentiful. A player can see it all, do it all, and unlock it all within a dedicated day of play time. But that's fine, because there are few better ways to spend zero dollars.… Expand

It's been a while since i've played a top down shooter. And since this game was free I thought I'd give it a go. My first impressions of the game were exceptional, to put it in 1 word. Even though there's only 1 campaign to choose from but 6 or so sub levels within that. You get the impression this game should be a paid game. I was dissapointed on how many campaigns there were. But, it is a free game and you can't expect everything from it. The graphics are great on this game, it gives you an overall feel with the muzzle flashes and such. The weapons and characters are easily customisable and fully customisable in a matter of fact. All in all, love this game, worth getting for free.… Expand

It's free, the graphics run on a modified version of the Source engine, tons of aliens, L4D style game play, leveling, customizable weapon layouts, this thing is everything a game needs.

Alien Swarm is definitely a great example of a game to introduce to new Steam users, which also adds to the positive fact of it being free. But, because of the freeness of the game, I believe Valve didn't really put the polish into this game as they did on their other games - still a work of art, though!

An excellent game by all accounts. Best with friends, and given that it's free, that's easy. Low internet requirements, but internet is required nonetheless.

In Alien Swarm, you run around, with up to 3 more players, killing swarms of aliens (as the name of the game suggests). There are a variety of different difficult settings, which allows the game to cater for all skill levels. Lots of achievements to earn. Good graphics. And best of all - it is FREE. Just make a Steam account, and go try it out. You've got nothing to lose!

I hate this game. Friendly fire ruins anything it had going for it. The game lags uncontrollably at multiple areas. A horrible mark on VALVe's record but i guess its free so that makes up for it... kinda

Its free, its epic, it has co-op up to 4 player, its has aliens and its made by Valve. It got everything. This is another proof that Valve cant make bad games. Alien swarm is a excellent game for everyone. But it can be frustrating sometimes. Its difficulty is somwhat high, and friendly fire is lame, but the rest is just awsome.And its FREE! Head that people?? Free!

This game is great imo.. for a free game. , friendly fire isnt too much of a problem if you have a decent Medic, and lag would have something to do with YOUR internet connection and not the game itself. I am waiting for them to release more campaigns, which I feel valve may put up for sale, other than that this game is great!

Hey, that's a good game. What makes this game even more fun? ITS FREE! You can download, hate, and throw away if you don't like it. But i'm sure you won't do that. This coop top-down game is fun, although is quite short (the official campaign is short but there is lots of unofficial maps {but they do not give xp or any achievements}) but in compensation there is a great arsenal of weapons that make the game more attractive. Recently a AI director has been added to the game to you never play the same mission, what was cool, but didn't help, the game is still repetitive and boring when you finish the campaign 4 or 5 times.… Expand

Alien Swarm is free. If you like co-operative gameplay and frantic action then look no further. It does lack longevity, though the release of the SDK will no doubt spawn hundreds of player-made campaigns, but it's free, so it doesn't owe anything.

Very Left 4 Dead-esque, this co-op game offers, well co-op, persistent unlocks, decent graphics, and no cost. the only flaw that comes to mind right now is fact there is only one campaign, but I understand the modding community is working on that.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ХорошаÑ� игра в режиме co-op. Так же возможно играть от первого лица. Ð�еприÑ�тное Ñ�то дружеÑ�твенный огонь. Игра хороша тем, что она беÑ�платнаÑ�.… Expand

Considering that this is a free download from Valve, it's a largely impressive game. The view is top down, and you can choose to either alongside other people online, or go it alone and practice on the different difficulties. The unlockable weapons allow the user to get rewards for their progress and even with this doesn't necessarily make the game any different. The graphics for a game of its style are pretty good, and the spec's to run it aren't overly high. Basically, its free and its fun, so give it a try… Expand

Free. Valve. Aside from that being a ridiculously awesome combination, the game itself is actually quite good. Building upon the Unreal Engine version of the game, the Source version is much more polished. MUCH MORE polished. There are a lot of unlockables, and the community is great with campaigns coming out regularly thanks to a version of the Source SDK being released in tandem with the game. The stock campaign is really nice too, and provides lots of fun. Coordination of firelines and such is a necessity because unless you use the [SPOILER?] cannon, in which case you don't have to worry about friendly fire. If you hit your teammates, it's your own fault, really.… Expand

Good game, just a little repetitive. Half the time you don't even know what you're doing, and the difficulty curve can get steep. Other than that, a typical Valve game with Alien Bugs. Worth the ranging download from 2Gb to maybe 3Gb.

This is easily the best free game ever made, i would easily pay 10-20$ for this great title, it may lack a bit of contend but i cant wait to see what the community will come up with!

It's free. Although this is a remark that will easily justify any of the game's flaws, overall, it's a good game. I enjoyed the amount of teamwork and had a good experience with joining players online. It's really dull as a single player game though. The level design is really nice and the aesthetic certainly gives you a double take as you realize that the game is 100% free. However, being free isn't enough to make me recommend this over all the countless choices of top down shooters. I personally enjoy the Alien Breed games, especially the latest one. Perhaps try there if you want to have a better experience. For the entry fee though, Alien Swarm is certainly a game to try out for yourself no matter what anyone says. The lack of a fee and ability to play this on almost any PC rig for the modern man are definitely good reasons to dive into Valve's offering. Here's hoping for a better product though for their next outing. Valve's free content always seems to lack a certain quality that just fails to live up to the expectations of their full priced offerings.… Expand

COULD have been so great.... Beside the fact that this game is free to play, the thing thats most important in the end is: Do you want to play the game. Alien Swarm has such great potential: The Graphic is good, Style pretty cool. It is cooperative, which is always great, but the community and the Multiplayer Platform ruins everything. The Server browser is a bad joke, the connections are quite unstable, and in more than 80 percent of the games i "tried" to play woth strangers there was no teamplay, support or anything that would have made the stay worth my time. Another thing is the balance: No possibility to revive dead team members, bad. If the Engineer dies you have to restart in most cases. The Infection is totally "overpowered" Without a good Medic , who has to be at a fairly high level to have access to the heal gun, and who has enough "Ammo" ,one team member is surely dead, bad. This game is free, yes. But thats just a total lame excuse for a bad game. If you have 3 Friends and some spare time, enjoy the game for a few hours, but dont expect too much.… Expand

I consider myself an avid gamer. I am also trained in the "arts" of computer hardware and software development. Having said that, it is in my interest to produce a mmo co-op action game with short films released revealing what the main character, Dave Phenomus, did to save Humanity from Global Genocide. To be honest, a lot more brain-storming, and a team are required for my game. Alien Swarm is the perfect game to play for inspiration. For gamers in the top down co-op action genre. Have fun!… Expand

Great and free. Better than the paid-for Alien Breed. The 4 player co-op can be intense. Good character leveling/tiny RPG elements and many, many weapons which are actually useful. Only drawback is the story is pretty short and the actions stay the same during all reruns.

Really good game, but too short..-...................................................................................................................................

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. isometric shooter with 4 classes, leveling up, unlockable weapons, special attacks, 4 player co-op and a swarm of aliens to shoot, burn and smash. And all of it for free? I can't see any minuses in this...… Expand

This game is awesome. Higher difficulties are challenging, but always fun. It mostly lacks re-playability, as the same strategies tend to work despite where and when the enemy may spawn. The game is short but its more than what I expected. On top of that, its free.

A brilliant game that is a ton of fun to play with friends. The campaign is short, but the game is free and there are plethora of community developed maps available to give this title extended life. The action is fast paced and rewards teamwork. Online stats are extensive and allow players to compare performance for bragging rights. All in all you have nothing to lose by giving Alien Swarm a shot. Better than a lot of much more expensive games… Expand

Alien Swarm encourages team-play better than any of the zombie shooters sold on Steam. You can play the game whether you are a beginner or a pro; you'll find that it offers challenge and fun for everyone. Game-play is well structured. Weapon unlocks function perfectly, alongside promotions and difficulty levels. As far as graphics go, Alien Swarm looks beautiful offering stunning visuals while not demanding too much from your computer. While there is currently only one official campaign, the dev team encourages community participation and there are many custom scenarios available. What's more, the game is free, so considering the price/quality ratio, this game deserves 10/10 any day of the week.… Expand

Basic top view shooter with unlocks and some RPG elements. It's got two pluses: the free price tag and online coop which warrants probably enough to at least try it out. But overall there's no new innovation here. They simply found another way to splice together two old school games, Gauntlet and Xenophobe.

Not really an amazing game to be honest, it is fun for a good few hours, but gets boring very quickly. However, I believe rating this game very low would be harsh as it is free. Now days nothing seems to be free, but to make a video game free is very generous.

Not exactly a game you'll be playing forever, but it was fun all the way through hard mode. You rarely the get "run forward for the loot" crowd like with Borderlands, and it really feels co-op where you need everyone in the group. It definitely made me curious where this game engine's headed.

The game is very well designed and I liked it. First off, The game is just plain entertaining and exciting. However, It would be better as a FPS. Still if you have a steam account, the game is free, so you should get it!

I am one of the 'old guys', started gaming waaay back in the days that 8bit systems ruled the planet. And your imagination created the game, and not the graphical artist who was involved developing it. When I found this little gem I didn't know what to expect, something for free can't be that good, or can it? Well guess what, Valve really hit the nail on the head with this one: This is clearly inspired by the old "Alien Syndrome" games (SEGA), which made their way to the kids back in the late 80's on the commodore Amiga. In which mass slaughtering aliens with a big arsenal of weapons was basically the entire gameplay in a nutshell. Unlocking new items and weapons due to your previous achievements was what kept you coming back for more... the same can be said for this title. There has been a remake of Alien Syndorme on the PS2 and Wii, but both lacked on many of the attributes that motivated me back in the days. This title, which is clearly a hommage to the old series, does what it supposed to do. It is simple, addictive, multiplayer gets you going for a really long time (players can build custom maps!) and it is easy to drop in and out... The positive: +Free, no charge +Good multiplayer +Nice graphical design +Awesome weaponary +Custom maps The negative: -Not a big variety of enemies -Very short (when not looking at the custom maps feature) Both thumbs up for this title!… Expand

L4D for idiots. L4D for the Hobo. L4D for the special's. ECT ECT. Just like L4D, YOU MUST NEVER SEPERATE FROM THE TEAM. Just like L4D, IT'S SCARY AS **** Just like L4D, AMMO IS SCARCE SO GET YOUR ASS UP AND LOOK FOR SOME BEFORE YOUR TEAM DIES. And it's free, so if you like "Good" Co-Op instead of a 10 year old stealin' all the health kits, and you're saving your pennies for something a bit more smart and more valuable to you, go get it!… Expand

Frantic COOPERATIVE Free Fun. In a world of mainly PVP games it's lovely to play some CO-OP again. The game can be quite brutal and some of the weapons are not that easy to use, but with a bit of patience and three friends, you can have a quite enjoyable evening!

Pretty cool game, since its free there is no reason why you shouldnt try it. Only thing that pisses me off is the amount of peeple who have no idea how to play, and usualy go leeroy jenkins style instead of co-operating, but thats problem with the people and not the game, try to get a friend to play with you and you should be ok.

The game is free, runs excellent, has a decent amount of replay value, and it's really fun. If you play the game without taking friends with you, you won't enjoy it as much but it's still fun. The only real gripe I have with it is that there isn't a tutorial to explain some stuff. It isn't hard to pick up but knowing the details of stats, guns, some of the game options when creating the game, and other misc. stuff helps a little bit. I think this game really shines when you are playing with friends. It is kind of like playing L4D with or without friends. All in all, I'd recommend this game because it is free and chances are likely that you will like this game.… Expand

For a free game, it actually has enough to keep you entertained. The main thing that brought this score down is the adrenaline mechanic, especially if you don't have a good enough video card...

Alien Swarm, for those who don't know, is a free game on (the mighty and honorable) Valve's game engine, Steam. It's very, very similar to Valve's zombie-apocalypse-shooter, Left 4 Dead; there are regular alien bugs, that the game refers to as "Swarm", just as Left 4 Dead refers to the generic zombies you mow down as "Common Infected". There are also several kinds of more powerful swarm, like shield-bugs, which can take a near infinite amount of punishment from the front, and still ridiculous amounts from the back, like L4D's "Tanks". The game plays like a dream, once you customize the controls to your preferences. Playing by yourself with bots is fun, but you don't accomplish all the things you do online, like new levels and weapons. There is only one set of missions to play through, though there is a free map editor for the game, which requires many tutorials and walkthroughs to use. The game online is one of the most fun co-op experiences I've ever had. My friends and I play the campaign straight through some nights! I would reccomend this game to anyone who can afford it...oh, yeah, and it's free.… Expand

Excellent multiplayer co-op shooter. What else to say? You can play over and over these few maps and don't get bored. High difficulty levels are challenging and some achievements are REALLY achievements (for instance: speed runs). Too bad it's no good updates with new content.

this is a great game but isn't quite there it has amazing potential but needs to be scrubbed up that little bit more. plus a few more guns and equipment would also help. it has no need for a story line but i suppose you would just be running round killing bugs if it didn't have one. but as this game is free download it and then shoot away at the mindless aliens.

This game is one of the 1st f2p on Steam, so it's a great plus: really good to play with friends, just need to create an account on steam. The multiplayer mode is as good as all classic steam games, easy to rejoin friends or other servers.

Alien swarm is, for a free game, is really well produced. Graphics are adapted, game play is easy to understand, and a great particularity is the non-human shape of aliens, which really is a plus in the game. There is no maps enough, but hopefully they can be created by players, which make this game complete, and really fun to play.

Very well made top view shooter. Alien swarm is a hectic top-down view shooter, which is best played with a few friends, although still very fun online. Each player fulfills his or her role as either medic, sergeant, support or technician, while fighting hordes of different alien creatures with each their strengths and weaknesses. It IS a team based game, the longer you move up the difficulties you will realize this. Although it is very fun and challenging, the small amount of maps is a major downside. Although they are very replay-able, they will get very boring when you have played the maps 2-3 times. That said, the game is free to play, so it is a must to download and try out.… Expand

For a completely free online multi-player shooter, this is fine. That is all you will get, and you should expect nothing more. The co-operative campaign can be completed in under two hours, and it is seven segments in length. There is a reasonable amount of weapons and equipment, but you will find that very few are worth using at all times. Enemy variety may be a problem for some as there are only ten different enemies in the game. After about six hours of this, you may grow tired, or you may be more interested in raising your level (which is not worth very much at all). In addition to these limitations, you will quickly realize that between zero and three servers with good latency are available at any time. There is fun to be had here, but it does not remain constant. There is simply not enough variation nor depth.… Expand

This game is free, and it's made by Valve. Those 2 are reason enough to get it. Anyone who gives it a bad rating because of some minor bugs should think again. Since it is free, you have to compare it to other free games. You can't compare it with a paid game, since that would be unfair. Since this game is all about coop, don't blame someone else for your bad ping, and complaining about friendly fire is stupid, because that only happens if you are playing with noobs or trolls. The only slight downside is that there is only 1 official campaign with 7 maps, but that is okay, since they have a lot of replay value. (For example, trying to get a speed run or playing on a higher difficulty, as the difficulties range from easy to brutal.) Overall, being a free game, it gets a 10 out of 10 from me, since there are very few free games that can match this. PS: Don't complain about Steam, it's the best network once you learn how to use it. All the "unnecessary" regulations are to prevent spammers, and some can be disabled if you don't like them.… Expand

Alien Swarm is a delightful game, especially being free. I remember when this was originally a mod for UT2004, back then it was extremely difficult. Now it's significantly more player friendly. Though not nearly as many players are online now, it is a great way to make friends. After beating the campaign the speed-runs are a wonderful way to draw that friendship even tighter as they require nearly perfect coordination amongst players. The game is dreadfully short, but that's perfect, because it honestly left me wanting more, which is the sign of a good game. With server's so empty now, the worst thing about the game is that host lag will kick your butt. Seriously, everyone should have this game installed, for those nights when you don't want to pay any money, but want to play a great game.… Expand

Again, fantastic visuals from Valve. The gameplay is very, very fun (even more so with real players) It's free. So you can't complain. Infact, I don't see why you'd complain at all. I see nothing wrong with Alien Swarm (well, other than when you join a match you get the usual high-level snob with their remarks on how low your level is, so therefore you must be a bad player) That's not Valve's fault.… Expand

A generally good game, make that a generally great game. This gives you a new reason to stay up late, it's not scary, that's not what I meant, I mean it's addicting. Don't even THINK of going ahead, you'll need your team. It feels good blasting alien guts open with your friends, and it's a lot like L4D, but it's top-down and aliens instead of zombies. Bring your friends and it will give a good night...or day.… Expand

When I found out about a free source-powered game with aliens, I immediately felt like giving it a try, since I love the whole half-life continuum and alien-themed games in general. The game wasn’t big so I just went ahead and gave it a try. The top down third-person perspective is pretty strange at first if you're not used to this type of camera and you can't seem to hit the enemies quick enough by moving your cursor around the screen like crazy. Of course, nothing a couple hours of gameplay won’t solve. Just host a match or join one already created. If the players are in the lobby, you will join then automatically for their next mission. If they are in the middle of one you will spectate until they are finished and go to the lobby. The game is relatively simple and there's always a considerable number of people playing, so you can get into the action pretty quickly. The initial missions are pretty much self-explanatory but as you progress, you better pay attention to the objectives and to your mini map. Certain missions require you to burn alien eggs, and as such they temporarily unlock the Flamer for you to use, even though the Flamer is only unlocked at level 17. This is by far the most overpowered weapon in the game: one touch by its flame and most enemies will take enough damage to die. Besides, most creatures attack very very slowly when they're on fire, so you can literally put fire to a multitude of enemies when they corner you and leave unscathed. From a certain point on there are parasites which infect you when they jump to your face. This will drain all of your health if not continuously healed for a while. While this is a good mechanic to increase the game’s difficulty, it makes the presence of a medic mandatory, since one touch from this creatures means death. These are smaller and consequently harder to see and the dark ambience of the game doesn't help, so you really have to stay on your toes. In the levels that require you to burn eggs they are pointed out for you on your minimap, which is great, since beginners or casual players don't need to wander around too much or memorize the entire level, even if they end up doing it after a couple of replays. There are lots of weapons which unlock each time you level up, with the exception of basic weapons that are unlocked from the start. Shotguns, miniguns, electric guns, grenades, rockets, sentry guns that shoot, burn, freeze or stun your enemies and a lot more, even though most of the items like grenades and such tend to get ignored in favor of huge guns you use to kill aliens. It's a pretty good game to play with friends, its small (around 2Gb) and it's free. And it's good multiplayer fun, with its achievements and all and I recommend it.… Expand

This game has beautiful graphics / sounds pretty good and flashy (Use the Source Engine), promotes the game to continue playing with a system of rewards (Exp, Lev, Weapons, etc.) and Steam achievements. At the same time also to encourage replayability of these maps have a system that changes the location of the items and the spawn of vermin or other factors, to make each game different from above. This very well optimized for the online and singleplayer. The CO-OP of the game is very good and very well done this is really interesting as they all depend on everyone. The only downside is that not much variety of maps (only 6 missions in a campaign), but the good thing is that you can add other mods using. And not forgetting the most important thing of this game, which is free, therefore it is extremely advisable to play it.… Expand

I liked the game, it was a long enough game to really sink some time into, while at the same time there was enough content in the game to unlock to keep it fresh, as well as give you goals to look for. the unlock-able content helped to make the game worth multiple playthroughs, and hey, even if it was awful, which it wasn't, you can't beat free.

A nice, little sci-fi co-op shooter game compliments of Steam - too bad it only comes with one campaign which you can finish in under an hour, but you can't complain about the price!

It is a short but yet very good game to play with your friends. The only thing that made me wonder is why would you use a level up system to unlock stuff when the only way to gain level is to repeat the only campaign over and over again? The game is pretty solid, the animations are smooth and the gunplay is awesome. The content that can be unlocked is also pretty nice considering that Alien Swarm can be downloaded for free. So you should give it a shot, if it doesn't bug you that there is only one campaign...… Expand