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Alien: Isolation |OT| 1 Alien. 1 Ripley. No Jonesy.
- Thread starter VisceralBowl
- Start date
Well, I finished this last night, and other than a few minor frustrations, I really enjoyed it. The authenticity of the presentation, and the attention to detail really sets it apart. The one thing reviews seemed to really harp on was the length, but it really wasn't an issue. The game is generally paced pretty well, and it succeeds in ratcheting up the tension as you progress. It's a slow burn, and it pays off; not unlike the movies, really.
real_slime
Banned
I just got my video review of this up:
http://youtu.be/Cv9bbptRfdM
Spoiler free until about 12 mins in, it's clearly marked.
http://youtu.be/Cv9bbptRfdM
Spoiler free until about 12 mins in, it's clearly marked.
It's gonna be like that from there on out. Though I would say that since Medical is the first area where the Alien really free roams, it's much harder than other areas of the game because you're still learning tricks and things you can get away with.
I would like to know this also. This is where I left off. TEW took over but
Laura in CH. 5 is pissing me off.
LowParry
Member
I think we're just about done with the med bay. Been taking it slow with the game but I think we've got past the initial fear of the game but the tense feeling is still extreme. Then we tried the headphones.............................................................................fuck.
real_slime
Banned
It's like this on and off from here on. There are a variety of styles of level, but predominantly you'll be dealing with the Alien. You also get some tools later which allow you to handle this situation differently.
Just finished Mission 14. Phew, that was somethin.
Really glad that I powered through the annoying
, but the
area that came after that was absolutely breathtaking and made me giddy as hell.
The game's sophomore slump after the middle section has passed and I'm totally in it again!
Really glad that I powered through the annoying
android-heavy sections
Alien nest
It was like walking right onto the set. Just amazing. The facehuggers are kind bullshit though, because they're tiny, hard to see, and instant kill. It was kinda trail-and-error-like, dying from one, and anticipating it by readying my flamethrower at where I knew they're coming from. Also, the corridors are extremely narrow, making it impossible at times to hide; I had to bust out my flamethrower at the Alien at least 2-3 times, aggro'ing it more and more. Used half a canister just to keep it at bay when the Alien was hardly phased by the fire. Super intense.
The game's sophomore slump after the middle section has passed and I'm totally in it again!
Though at the end of Chapter 14 and you see like 10+ Aliens crawling out of the reactor... fuck sticks.
Thats it, forget the DS4 speaker effects, I need to buckle down and play with headphones.
Alien Isolation Review:
Just completed it, took me quite a while, but what a fantastic game, I have never seen a game this close to perfecting the Alien experience as this game has. Its almost uncanny seeing rooms that look identical to the ones you see in the Alien movie. The game was made by The Creative Assembly who are actually more known for RTS games such as Shogun series under SEGA, so its a first for them in a while to make a FPS game and in some ways it shows on the way they approached mechanics, everything has this clunky feel that makes it feel realistic, such as navigation ,UI and items, this isn't a game where it will hold your hands and tell you are doing okay, its up to you navigate and mange your inventory and escape.
The game mechanics for me were quite interesting, you had to time your saves otherwise you could be attacked while saving, finding items around the station helped you survive by creating distractions and you were rewarded the more your explored., if you felt the TLOU craft system was good then this is so much better. Using the motion tracker was your main way of navigating the game and avoiding the dangers, as well as the overhead map in the menu, it is very easy to get lost without using this map, in terms of level design it follows closely to how Deus EX:HR was laid out with several ways to enter rooms and tunnels to escape or enter rooms. Its not a game that will tell you if are doing something wrong and I love it for that, having to search around for items and switches while the Alien was tracking me down felt like a huge game of cat and mouse.
Visually the game captures what a Alien game should be it nails down everything on what the movie looked like. Alien Isolation is one pretty game, with its neon lighting up the dark corridors and windows showing into the bleak space environment surrounding your its a throwback to Alien on how space travel isnt as beautifully as we would have thought. Amazingly I was able to max out the game on my old PC and it looks great, the game managed to avoid the cliché space station look that we had on the previous alien games while crafting its own original look and it paid off quite well. The audio in the game it will leave you on a knife edge, if you are not using headphones you are not playing the game right at all. I found I was much more alert with the audio queues and trying to guess where the alien was heading towards as it scuttled above me.
The story has so many nods to the movie its unfair to say anything about it, but if they wanted to make this into a direct sequel to Alien I would have no qualms with it, with the voice acting being top notch and the links to the movie it does a better job than Prometheus of explaining the events of the first move. As for the ending I thought it was pretty fitting, I know people wanted closure but looking at the first Alien film it felt as if that was the right way to end the game.
The main thing however is the Alien, the game pretty much was dependent on how this Alien would turn out and yes they nailed it, the Alien is quite a formidable opponent in the game, in most cases causing a barrier as you try and get past it, some favorable moments were the medical room and some of the later levels, where the alien was a constant danger and you really had to think about your stealth techniques and timing and not running around like a idiot. One of the problems with horror games is that the more you see of a creature the less scared you felt afterwards with more encounters, I felt the same with Alien Isolation, although they did try and address this problem later with levels that force you to be trapped in the same room with the alien. One gripe however was introducing the flamethrower early, it really should have been a item given at the end of the game.
The game AI is great, having a game I decided to use guns to lure it and hid and it often checked lockers on which I shot at and the surround areas, I wish it was a bit more aggresive, but it could be fact I was playing on medium. The Alien was smart and often checked patterns on where I was and adapted to wherever events were happening, one thing you need to make sure is not to drag attention to yourself. One enemy that creped me out was the androids, with their emotionless bodies they are something that you have to watch out for. Human foes are easy to dispatch but they could result in the Alien appearing if you start going in guns blazing. I never felt cheated by the game AI, its a tough game at first but it will reward you if you use stealth and craft items for diversion.
On conclusion its a fantastic homage to the Alien franchise with different game mechanics which goes against the trend but felt right in this type of game. Easily the greatest Alien game of all time and a real GOTY contender. Major applause's for the game mechanics and sound/level design. Honestly IGN should be fucking ashamed of themselves.
TL
R: 9/10
+ Amazing game with some clever design quirks makes it a GOTY contender easily.
+ One of the most loyal movie to game transitions I might have played
+ One of the best games out there to use with headphones.
+ Fantastic steath/craft/save system, really makes you balance your resources and actions.
- Don't introduce the flamethrower so early.
- 3rd level hacking devices were stupid, plus some other QTEs could have been removed.
Just completed it, took me quite a while, but what a fantastic game, I have never seen a game this close to perfecting the Alien experience as this game has. Its almost uncanny seeing rooms that look identical to the ones you see in the Alien movie. The game was made by The Creative Assembly who are actually more known for RTS games such as Shogun series under SEGA, so its a first for them in a while to make a FPS game and in some ways it shows on the way they approached mechanics, everything has this clunky feel that makes it feel realistic, such as navigation ,UI and items, this isn't a game where it will hold your hands and tell you are doing okay, its up to you navigate and mange your inventory and escape.
The game mechanics for me were quite interesting, you had to time your saves otherwise you could be attacked while saving, finding items around the station helped you survive by creating distractions and you were rewarded the more your explored., if you felt the TLOU craft system was good then this is so much better. Using the motion tracker was your main way of navigating the game and avoiding the dangers, as well as the overhead map in the menu, it is very easy to get lost without using this map, in terms of level design it follows closely to how Deus EX:HR was laid out with several ways to enter rooms and tunnels to escape or enter rooms. Its not a game that will tell you if are doing something wrong and I love it for that, having to search around for items and switches while the Alien was tracking me down felt like a huge game of cat and mouse.
Visually the game captures what a Alien game should be it nails down everything on what the movie looked like. Alien Isolation is one pretty game, with its neon lighting up the dark corridors and windows showing into the bleak space environment surrounding your its a throwback to Alien on how space travel isnt as beautifully as we would have thought. Amazingly I was able to max out the game on my old PC and it looks great, the game managed to avoid the cliché space station look that we had on the previous alien games while crafting its own original look and it paid off quite well. The audio in the game it will leave you on a knife edge, if you are not using headphones you are not playing the game right at all. I found I was much more alert with the audio queues and trying to guess where the alien was heading towards as it scuttled above me.
The story has so many nods to the movie its unfair to say anything about it, but if they wanted to make this into a direct sequel to Alien I would have no qualms with it, with the voice acting being top notch and the links to the movie it does a better job than Prometheus of explaining the events of the first move. As for the ending I thought it was pretty fitting, I know people wanted closure but looking at the first Alien film it felt as if that was the right way to end the game.
The main thing however is the Alien, the game pretty much was dependent on how this Alien would turn out and yes they nailed it, the Alien is quite a formidable opponent in the game, in most cases causing a barrier as you try and get past it, some favorable moments were the medical room and some of the later levels, where the alien was a constant danger and you really had to think about your stealth techniques and timing and not running around like a idiot. One of the problems with horror games is that the more you see of a creature the less scared you felt afterwards with more encounters, I felt the same with Alien Isolation, although they did try and address this problem later with levels that force you to be trapped in the same room with the alien. One gripe however was introducing the flamethrower early, it really should have been a item given at the end of the game.
The game AI is great, having a game I decided to use guns to lure it and hid and it often checked lockers on which I shot at and the surround areas, I wish it was a bit more aggresive, but it could be fact I was playing on medium. The Alien was smart and often checked patterns on where I was and adapted to wherever events were happening, one thing you need to make sure is not to drag attention to yourself. One enemy that creped me out was the androids, with their emotionless bodies they are something that you have to watch out for. Human foes are easy to dispatch but they could result in the Alien appearing if you start going in guns blazing. I never felt cheated by the game AI, its a tough game at first but it will reward you if you use stealth and craft items for diversion.
On conclusion its a fantastic homage to the Alien franchise with different game mechanics which goes against the trend but felt right in this type of game. Easily the greatest Alien game of all time and a real GOTY contender. Major applause's for the game mechanics and sound/level design. Honestly IGN should be fucking ashamed of themselves.
TL
R: 9/10+ Amazing game with some clever design quirks makes it a GOTY contender easily.
+ One of the most loyal movie to game transitions I might have played
+ One of the best games out there to use with headphones.
+ Fantastic steath/craft/save system, really makes you balance your resources and actions.
- Don't introduce the flamethrower so early.
- 3rd level hacking devices were stupid, plus some other QTEs could have been removed.
I think it might be. On same level I snuck at first then forgot to save and got knocked back a fair bit due to missing a gas trap so went at it a bit more aggressively with the flame thrower and I'm sure it ended up having Alien more aggressive than otherwise.
LowParry
Member
I cross my heart and hope to die. I have me a pair of the Gold wireless set and man...it's a whole different experience with the game.
Revolutionary
Member
It's essential for this game. The directional sounds from the Alien are more helpful than the motion tracker.
Later Alligator
Member
i tried both and preferred my surround sound setup. its pretty beastly though, if you dont have a 5.1 or 7.1 setup that you can crank up then headphones for sure
playing this game using tv speakers should be outlawed
Lonesome_Raod
Member
i have just met the alien. great game but after wandering around half dead for a chapter or two i decide to look up healing.
seems I've missed a medkit blueprint. any way to go back or find another.
seems I've missed a medkit blueprint. any way to go back or find another.
Denton
Member
Umm so it is night, I was looking forward to playing this, headphones and huge plasma ready...I am playing, get to medical, Alien is prowling the corridors...and I realize that I do not actually want this. It's so god damn stressful and actively unpleasant to play.
That is a sign that this is brilliant game, and it really is. But eventhough I finished first three Silent Hills as well as both Amnesia and Outlast, I don't think I will be able to play this. The combination of sound design, visual design and Alien's AI is just too much.
But then I really want to play this. Goddammit.
That is a sign that this is brilliant game, and it really is. But eventhough I finished first three Silent Hills as well as both Amnesia and Outlast, I don't think I will be able to play this. The combination of sound design, visual design and Alien's AI is just too much.
But then I really want to play this. Goddammit.
It becomes less strenuous once you get the flame thrower, but be mindful, fuel is scarce, and you'd be wise to conserve it. You'll still try to avoid the alien, but on those occasions where you can't, you'll be able to fend it off.
Shake Appeal
Member
Oh, I just realized I played it on Medium. That's my first experience of that difficulty, and it seems pretty lenient.
these humans on the android level are pissing me the fuck off.
did this section about five times, i know the guy is coming down the stairs because he shot me in the face point blank last try. i place a flash bang trap, and he walks right past it and one shots me.
bullshit.
third time i get there, and this time he's a no show... lol. humans are annoying.
did this section about five times, i know the guy is coming down the stairs because he shot me in the face point blank last try. i place a flash bang trap, and he walks right past it and one shots me.
bullshit.
third time i get there, and this time he's a no show... lol. humans are annoying.
Dunkelgrau
Member
How do I reload the electroshock (is this the right word?)?
GOTY so far.
GOTY so far.
RoyaleDuke
Banned
]blacky[;134914852 said:
The stun baton? You need to make sure you have stun baton ammo for it and then hit reload and it should swap out the batteries in it for fresh ones.
So first off, I wanna say that I think this game is excellent. It builds a lot of tension, has an incredible atmosphere and has me deeply invested in what's going on. It's a very good game, and an excellent horror game.
..That being said, I don't think I'm enjoying it. I think I'm more or less realizing that scary games aren't for me, and that being spooked and all that isn't really what I want to experience when playing a game. I don't feel particularly wronged or anything as I feel the developers totally deserve my money for the (so far) excellent job they've done with the license, but I am a little bummed out as I want to beat the game but don't want to grudingly play through the rest of it (I think I'm about halfway through, maybe a little less). I think I'd enjoy myself a lot more if I was playing it with a friend, but that's not really an option at the moment.
Anyway, I just wanted to ask if watching a playthrough of the game instead would be a sin or if it would still be an okay way for an Alien(s) fan to experience the game / story?
..That being said, I don't think I'm enjoying it. I think I'm more or less realizing that scary games aren't for me, and that being spooked and all that isn't really what I want to experience when playing a game. I don't feel particularly wronged or anything as I feel the developers totally deserve my money for the (so far) excellent job they've done with the license, but I am a little bummed out as I want to beat the game but don't want to grudingly play through the rest of it (I think I'm about halfway through, maybe a little less). I think I'd enjoy myself a lot more if I was playing it with a friend, but that's not really an option at the moment.
Anyway, I just wanted to ask if watching a playthrough of the game instead would be a sin or if it would still be an okay way for an Alien(s) fan to experience the game / story?
uomoartificiale
Member
I've started the game this evening and I'm slowly progressing. I like the atmosphere alot, considering that the xeno as a movie monster does not scare me one bit. Hearing him crawl over my head in the game though is another thing entirely, and I wasn't expecting such attention to details. The game rezlly has this sense of place.
That said, I have say that bad character animation, terribad voice acting and busted lip sync really stand out negatively compared to the great environments. I was glad when
, because I was this close to eject the disc.
That said, I have say that bad character animation, terribad voice acting and busted lip sync really stand out negatively compared to the great environments. I was glad when
axel was speared to death
Denton
Member
Thanks for words of encouragment. Not sure if it will be enough
Yep, I am in similar boat. Except horror games were for me..until this one. But maybe I will find a will to power through it.
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
I'm going to ask here instead of searching for any otber random PS4 thread. This is my first game with my PS4 but I'm wondering if there's any reason I should use the cables provided over the ones I was using with my PS3. Power cables seem the same but wasn't sure if the HDMI had some sort of voodoo coating and was a better than most on the market. Thanks.
Also, the juttering opening cinematic makes this an eyesore. They fixing that?
Also, the juttering opening cinematic makes this an eyesore. They fixing that?
SRTtoZ
Member
I'm going to replay this game soon, are the $3.99 DLC's worth the money? (Steam)
Doesnt matter which cable you use.
Doesnt matter which cable you use.
As a big fan of the franchise I thought they were worth it. They did a great job recreating the scenes from the movie. I especially liked the part where you try to trap the Alien the vents, just like the movie.
They may be short but you can play can get a few different playthroughs as you get to play either Ripley, Parker or Dallas in on the DLCs
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
Didn't think so. Thank you. I'm asking because I'm hooking my PS3 back up but felt uneasy about using older cables with the new console and vice versa. Just didn't want to deal with rewiring because of the difficulty of doing such in its current position.
On topic: I haven't been following this game too closely but I knew it was one I'd be getting once I got a PS4... I have the Nostromo edition which came with a DLC code. Is this the Original cast DLC? I've also seen other dlc but wasn't sure what those were.
Just beat Alien Isolation on normal, and the trophy for "complete the game without killing humans" popped (my only gold in the game)
There was a big lull for me in the halfway point, but they brought it back relatively quickly with some amazing new sights and sounds that made the Alien fan in me absolutely delighted. Didn't mind the length, and I found that the accusations of poor pacing and "too many false endings" to be a little exaggerated.
Having played through it completely, I have no desire to actually go for the "complete the game without dying" trophy. Not only is the game length a huge risk by itself, I feel like it would suck a lot of the fun out of it for me, ultimately. There's a number of instant death situations that you won't be able to quit out of (like most Alien attacks) that could royally fuck up a no-death run. Might go for a Hard run at some point though.
There was a big lull for me in the halfway point, but they brought it back relatively quickly with some amazing new sights and sounds that made the Alien fan in me absolutely delighted. Didn't mind the length, and I found that the accusations of poor pacing and "too many false endings" to be a little exaggerated.
Having played through it completely, I have no desire to actually go for the "complete the game without dying" trophy. Not only is the game length a huge risk by itself, I feel like it would suck a lot of the fun out of it for me, ultimately. There's a number of instant death situations that you won't be able to quit out of (like most Alien attacks) that could royally fuck up a no-death run. Might go for a Hard run at some point though.
Fimbulvetr
Member
Anyone know where to find the code for the lockbox in Mike Tanaka's room? It's in the Spaceflight Terminal close to the primary airlock; you pass by it at the beginning of mission 11 but it needs the ion torch to be accessed so some serious backtracking is necessary to actually get in.
Also I got the hell scared out of me by a totally optional event that I never knew existed before. Try going into the Systech security room in mission 10 instead of heading straight for your objective through the lobby. It's directly south of the lobby. It was worse because I was trying a no death run and... well you'll see. I wonder if there are any other significant optional events like this.
Also I got the hell scared out of me by a totally optional event that I never knew existed before. Try going into the Systech security room in mission 10 instead of heading straight for your objective through the lobby. It's directly south of the lobby. It was worse because I was trying a no death run and... well you'll see. I wonder if there are any other significant optional events like this.
Messofanego
Banned
Haven't read this yet but the developers believe it's one of the best articles on the game and "really nails it":
http://brkeogh.com/2014/10/17/notes-on-alien-isolation/ (Brendan Keogh)
http://brkeogh.com/2014/10/17/notes-on-alien-isolation/ (Brendan Keogh)
Playing it on Hard. Got up to Medbay
Took me two tries.
Nitpick: why are these people trying to kill you? They have enough shit to worry about, why do they care about you? That part doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Lucked out, after 10 or so attempts and made it.
I'm right up to where you talk to Marlowe and will play again tomorrow.
When can we drop the spoilers? The game has been out for almost two weeks now.
I couldn't believe it when the Alien came out of vent.
Hardest part is when you activate those two generators, avoid/kill the Synth, override the computer and make your escape. There were at least 4-5 humans roaming around. Sometimes the Alien attacked them, sometimes it ignored them, sometimes my gun would alert the Alien and it would kill them, sometimes it wouldn't, sometimes my flare or Noisemaker would alert it and it would kill them and sometimes it wouldn't.
Nitpick: why are these people trying to kill you? They have enough shit to worry about, why do they care about you? That part doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Lucked out, after 10 or so attempts and made it.
I'm right up to where you talk to Marlowe and will play again tomorrow.
When can we drop the spoilers? The game has been out for almost two weeks now.
GDLK. Face models for people are slightly less so.
GDLK?
Really now..
Pretty sure it can, or at least hear it. Might've been a coincidence, but the alien walked past me once and when I pulled out the flamethrower it turned around and jumped at me.
It's a good looking game with great lighting, but the jaggies are VERY noticeable. As a PC player, the AA options aren't very good either. Oh, and if you hate chromatic aberration and aren't on PC, be prepared for a bad time.
therealminime
Member
Just finished it two minutes ago. 16 hours on normal, PC. What an amazing experience. As a huge fan of the films, especially the first and not the biggest player of horror games, that was one of the most unique and memorable gaming experiences I've had in a while. It definitely has it's issues, but almost none of them got in my way of enjoying it. Easily the best Alien game to date. I'd say it over stayed it's welcome a touch, the last couple hours felt a bit unnecessarily dragged out and it doesn't have a very satisfactory conclusion, but that's fine. The journey through the game was such a delight. Well done Creative Assembly.
Also finished not long ago. I have to agree with those who say it outstays its welcome by a couple of hours. But that aside, the environments, the design, the faithfulness to the source material, and the overall gameplay experience - brilliant. The Alien game we were waiting for.
matrixman92
Member
I think I really suck at this game. I really want to understand what I am doing wrong lol. Playing on easy and I am getting completely destroyed, some parts seem borderline impossible. I crouch everywhere I go, I usually end up getting cornered in a room with a joe and alien in my face. I am supposedly past the hardest part in the game, from what I have read. But this still seems pretty damn difficult. I am on my first mission with the
. At this point, I feel like I am just fumbling my way through the game. Its weird that I am so bad at this game, I was able to beat outlast on insane mode pretty easily. It just feels like everything is out of control, and you have to get lucky where the Alien decides to pop up. It also doesnt help that the save system is infuriating and kills my enthusiasm to progress after I die
flamethrower
SRTtoZ
Member
Very good, every option on max @1080p, 60fps the environments are REALLY good, but even better than the graphics is the art style, completely and accurately mimicking the movie. The lighting is on another level though, its really good.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Mission 5 spoilers potentially:
I hopped of the tram, met up with one of the NPCs from the original ship. First action - pull out revolver and clock him in the head to see what happens. White synthetic blood spills out.
... did I accidentally spoil a plot twist down the line, or did we already know that guy was a synth?
... did I accidentally spoil a plot twist down the line, or did we already know that guy was a synth?
i watched ALIEN tonight and then marathoned the last six or so chapters of the game, beat it on hard a few minutes ago.
i really lenjoyed it. they nailed so much of the detail from the movie. ripped quite a bit of stuff off directly. in a good way though.
it really could have been one of the greatest games ever with a bit of editing and really, its a technical nightmare despite how good it can look at times. it was a fucking literal slide show during many points in the last quarter of the game with all of the fire effects and other stuff going on. inexcusable how poorly this game runs at certain points really. very unfortunate.
i played on xbone and the frame rate dropped to like 2 fps on quite a few occasions. cut scenes are wonky as fuck. sometimes peoples mouths dont move during dialog, etc. very very poorly optimized game .worst ive played on xbox one by far, and i cant remember spending so much time with a game that actually ran this bad. wtf CA? such a disparity between brilliance and complete ineptitude. a real shame.
the game only dragged for me in a few brief spots, and really didnt over stay its welcome overall, but i think there should have been less human enemy bullshit to deal with. just needed a bit of tightening up and it would have been truly great.
the ending was abrupt and poorly edited, but i liked the idea. needed some fleshing out.
loved it, but its a grossly flawed masterpiece of a game.
i really lenjoyed it. they nailed so much of the detail from the movie. ripped quite a bit of stuff off directly. in a good way though.
it really could have been one of the greatest games ever with a bit of editing and really, its a technical nightmare despite how good it can look at times. it was a fucking literal slide show during many points in the last quarter of the game with all of the fire effects and other stuff going on. inexcusable how poorly this game runs at certain points really. very unfortunate.
i played on xbone and the frame rate dropped to like 2 fps on quite a few occasions. cut scenes are wonky as fuck. sometimes peoples mouths dont move during dialog, etc. very very poorly optimized game .worst ive played on xbox one by far, and i cant remember spending so much time with a game that actually ran this bad. wtf CA? such a disparity between brilliance and complete ineptitude. a real shame.
the game only dragged for me in a few brief spots, and really didnt over stay its welcome overall, but i think there should have been less human enemy bullshit to deal with. just needed a bit of tightening up and it would have been truly great.
the ending was abrupt and poorly edited, but i liked the idea. needed some fleshing out.
loved it, but its a grossly flawed masterpiece of a game.
Chiggs
Gold Member
Jesus Christ, why the fuck did the reviewer mention the
Newt
Edit: Sheesh! People get really pissy about spoilers here.