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Alien: Isolation |OT| 1 Alien. 1 Ripley. No Jonesy.

I actually didn't spend half my time playing under tables and inside lockers last night. Progress!

I think I'm finally getting the hang of the game and will actually be able to finish. I'm stoked. The initial few hours made me think I am too much of a wuss to finish haha.
 

BigDes

Member
I actually didn't spend half my time playing under tables and inside lockers last night. Progress!

I think I'm finally getting the hang of the game and will actually be able to finish. I'm stoked. The initial few hours made me think I am too much of a wuss to finish haha.

Dunno if this is accurate but I found that walking always worked better than sneaking. Dunno why but when I was sneaking the bastard was always sniffing around, but when I just walked to the objective I'd normally be several rooms over when he burst out of the vent doing that sadly animalistic snort he does.
 

MattyG

Banned
First DLC, Corporate Lockdown, will drop Oct. 28. Features Seegson Executive Ransome and three new challenge maps for $7.99.

Each DLC pack is said to offer more perspective on-board the Sevastapol.

Kind of pumped about this. I liked playing the Survivor Mode map and can't wait to see what other side character stories they come out with. C'mon Samuels...
I just saw an article on this. Thought all the DLC was survivor mode stuff, so glad there's new story content. Glad I got the season pass while it was cheap.
 
Finished it last night. By far the best new game I've played this year. I felt it was the perfect length and consistently challenging. A real throwback to the length and challenge of System Shock 2.

The only time I felt that it got a little unfair was (end game spoiler)
when you were forced to double back and restart a generator in the Rec Area. Yet even then, if you held fast to the techniques the game teaches you to use, it was totally manageable.
 

Denton

Member
Fuuuuuuuuuuck that chapter 10 was something.
Long as hell and tense as hell.

That moment, when you crouch and move around keeping Xenomorph in sight to avoid him only to get grabbed by half-dead Working Joe cheering with "here you are" and battering him before Xeno spots me...heart attacks.

Love this god damn game. And that serenity in chapter 11 when I know Xeno is not here to stalk me...at least for a moment..so nice.
 

Superflat

Member
So Im playing chapter 14 right now. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! One of my favourite parts of the game so far. Wow. I'm shitting myself.
The first facehugger to get me made me jump out of my skin. I couldn't see it but had it right beneath me on my tracker so I just starteed running only to have it suddenly in my face. So good. Then there's the moment I first discovered there were multiple big Aliens hunting me. I was running and then I heard something coming up behind me so I turned around and was greeted by an Aien. So I shot it with the flamethrower. Phew I thought. Then a second later I got stabbed through the back by a second Alien. Oh. Love it. This section is so great because you cant rely on your tracker for shit because according to it they're everywhere. Super tense and super awesome.

Yes, one of my favorite sections. DON'T WATCH IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE CHAPTER 14: I had this happen and it scared the shit out of me.
Going through the nest made me feel like I was walking through a meticulously created set straight out of Aliens. It was also immensely impressive visually, just amazing. In chapter 11 and 12 I felt like there was too much retreading going on, but with the Apollo section and the nest, I was totally onboard and happy to play more of the game. Such a good love letter to the Alien series.

And here's a bonus non-spoilery video clip I made also where I inadvertently got a whiny NPC killed.
 
Just finished the section where
you get the medical supplies and then the exposion happens, and the you make it back to your team with the medical supplies.
Would you say the game is much longer? or getting towards the end already. I see the missions I have left, it just doesn't feel like it took me that long to get here so was wondering if the second half is much longer or something.
 

ElTopo

Banned
Just finished the section where
you get the medical supplies and then the exposion happens, and the you make it back to your team with the medical supplies.
Would you say the game is much longer? or getting towards the end already. I see the missions I have left, it just doesn't feel like it took me that long to get here so was wondering if the second half is much longer or something.

You have about 10 hours of gameplay left.
 

SRTtoZ

Member
Just finished the section where
you get the medical supplies and then the exposion happens, and the you make it back to your team with the medical supplies.
Would you say the game is much longer? or getting towards the end already. I see the missions I have left, it just doesn't feel like it took me that long to get here so was wondering if the second half is much longer or something.

you're in the beginning part of the game still lol. This is a long game.
 

Miguel81

Member
Reached chapter 12, and I'm actually glad that the flamethrower was given late game. The earlier sections(esp. Chapter 5&6) were damn tough and nerve-biting. It's a 9/10 game to me and a fantastic horror game, the likes of which I haven't experienced in a long time.

Flashbanging synthetics and planting Pipe bombs for the Alien to walk over never get old.
 
Going to start this game tonight or tomorrow night.

I know this has probably been asked a gazillion times already, but is there any consensus on what difficulty level provides the best overall experience? I've heard "Hard" but wanted to check back in before getting started.
 
Oh god I've just beat chapter 4 and I'm already a wreck I also suck at games so I doubt I'll get through it if it gets much harder later - which it obviously will.

Those walking joes are freaky, one pulled me out of a locker and I'm not sure if it glitched but I couldn't make contact with him with the jack it was just swinging through him.

Also I got killed for the first time by the Alien but sadly I didn't see it becuase the screen froze which sucked a bit.
 

ElTopo

Banned
Going to start this game tonight or tomorrow night.

I know this has probably been asked a gazillion times already, but is there any consensus on what difficulty level provides the best overall experience? I've heard "Hard" but wanted to check back in before getting started.

Hard is surprisingly fair. You take slightly more damage and maybe 1-2 more additional enemies are in an area but it's actually not too different. The Alien A.I. is a little more aggressive but the big difference is that the Alien will use the vents and come after you in there if you're loud.
 
Is the human AI completely janky on any difficulty? Im playing on normal but most of the time the humans just stand there, they dont patrol at all or even turn around most of the time.

I had to kill the two people in the synthetics lab section because they wouldnt patrol at all, I just had to shoot them
 

ElTopo

Banned
Is the human AI completely janky on any difficulty? Im playing on normal but most of the time the humans just stand there, they dont patrol at all or even turn around most of the time.

I had to kill the two people in the synthetics lab section because they wouldnt patrol at all, I just had to shoot them

The Human A.I. is okay. They do tend to just stand there but you can easily toss a Flare or whatever to distract them if need be.
 

Superflat

Member
Is the human AI completely janky on any difficulty? Im playing on normal but most of the time the humans just stand there, they dont patrol at all or even turn around most of the time.

I had to kill the two people in the synthetics lab section because they wouldnt patrol at all, I just had to shoot them

They are totally full of jank, and the more you closely or directly interact with the them, the more janky they will act. Going complete stealth through any human sections is the most ideal way to avoid the jank and have tension, but you could always throw a flare and they'll flock to it like a moth to a flame, and stare at it like huddled cavemen as you easily get away.
 
They are totally full of jank, and the more you closely or directly interact with the them, the more janky they will act. Going complete stealth through any human sections is the most ideal way to avoid the jank and have tension, but you could always throw a flare and they'll flock to it like a moth to a flame, and stare at it like huddled cavemen as you easily get away.

Yeah I thought about that but I already beat everybody to death in the first room you come across hostile people (for the exact same reason I might add).
 
So.....I've been debating hardcore whether or not to get this! I absolutley love Alien and Aliens, and I've heard good things about the game. My friends are saying don't get it because an Alien game is never good, but I love horror games! Also, is it scary???
 

Superflat

Member
Yeah I thought about that but I already beat everybody to death in the first room you come across hostile people (for the exact same reason I might add).

Yup, I did that on my second playthrough (mostly for the kill 10 humans trophy). Three of the four hostiles walk in single file and I just crept up behind them and bludgeoned them all to death. Thankfully it only takes like two swift hits to kill anyone. The fourth guy was standing still aiming at nothing so I came up to him from the side and caved his head in too.
 

ElTopo

Banned
So.....I've been debating hardcore whether or not to get this! I absolutely love Alien and Aliens, and I've heard good things about the game. My friends are saying don't get it because an Alien game is never good, but I love horror games! Also, is it scary???

Corrected that typo. But yeah, this is a no-brainer, buy it.
 
Human AI seemed fine to me.

Except for one late game situation.

Late game spoilers:

In Chapters 16 and 18, you have to sneak around a Seegson security officers. At that point in the game, the station is falling apart, murderous synthetics and aggro aliens are everywhere, and these guys shoot on sight. By that point I honestly expected the surviving humans to have been offering to help Ripley, rather than murder her.
 

Superflat

Member
So.....I've been debating hardcore whether or not to get this! I absolutley love Alien and Aliens, and I've heard good things about the game. My friends are saying don't get it because an Alien game is never good, but I love horror games! Also, is it scary???

If you're a big fan of the films, there's little reason not to pick this game up. As long as you're okay with playing a stealth game and don't get frustrated easily, you will likely love it. Isolation is heads and tails above any Alien(s) game ever released.
 

Aaron D.

Member
Apropos of nothing, I picked up Isolation on the back of of Danielle Riendeau's praises a couple weeks back on Idle Thumbs podcast. I'm an OG Alien geek who saw the original in the theaters back in '79. Not an extended fiction fan or anything, but the first two movies are among my all-time faves. I was put off by initial middling reviews, but Danielle's impressions resonated with me.

So yeah. Here I am 13 game-time hours later, Chapter 12 or so, and Isolation is in the top bracket of my GOTY picks.

Who's have thunk it?
 
My initial impression of this game was really negative in terms of game play. I'm now close to half way through and I'm enjoying it far more. Mostly thanks to this thread telling me how to play the game, because the game itself can't do it.

In many ways it is like Mirror's Edge. It is beautiful when the line is clear and you are in the moment. Terrible when you have to stop, muddle around, and trial and error your way through. I'm not sure if this is simply systemic of games without easy visible solutions or what.
 
Would anyone be interested in watching a run of the game played without any pickups? No ammo, no materials, not even blueprints? My friend has been playing it this way and he thinks people might get a kick out of it, so let us know.
 
Corrected that typo. But yeah, this is a no-brainer, buy it.

If you're a big fan of the films, there's little reason not to pick this game up. As long as you're okay with playing a stealth game and don't get frustrated easily, you will likely love it. Isolation is heads and tails above any Alien(s) game ever released.

Will most likely get it. My main question though is how scary is it?
 

Chaplain

Member
Will most likely get it. My main question though is how scary is it?

My wife and I have been playing this together. Due to the medication that she takes for her disability, which make her tired and sleepy, she normally goes to bed early. Ever since we started playing together through Aliens, when she gets tired I just hand her the controller. Why? The anxiety created due to the fear of the Alien finding her keeps her wide awake (even if she just watches me play). lol

That said, do you like having anxiety for long periods of time with fear sprinkled on top of your anxiety? If you do, then this is the game for you.
 
So scary you'll shit yourself.

My wife and I have been playing this together. Due to the medication that she takes for her disability, which make her tired and sleepy, she normally goes to bed early. Ever since we started playing together through Aliens, when she gets tired I just hand her the controller. Why? The anxiety created due to the fear of the Alien finding her keeps her wide awake (even if she just watches me play). lol

That said, do you like having anxiety for long periods of time with fear sprinkled on top of your anxiety? If you do, then this is the game for you.


Thanks for selling me on the game! Will buy on Friday! I've seen that the map is gigantic but I don't see the need if it isn't open world, unless it is?
 

ICPEE

Member
Agreed, I got the Sony Gold headset last week, and ended up just starting the game over, amazing how much it changes the whole game.
My Sennheisers were just gathering dust here but i can't stress enough how amazing this game is over a good set of headphones. It's terrifying hearing the Xenomorph stomp around the ship as you creep from one objective to another.
This game is the closest to i have come to shitting myself, literally. My asshole puckers up everytime i hear that thing in my immediate vicinity.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
I literally sprinted through an entire human section, as the Alien tailed and took care of all the enemies shooting at me. Me and my Alien friend.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
I have just finished The Evil Within, which was pretty tense and irritated me with plenty of 1-hit kills. I know this game has a similar reputation so I might wait a while to play it, on the other hand I'ma huge Alien fan. You guys think I should jump straight in?
 

DukeBobby

Member
I have just finished The Evil Within, which was pretty tense and irritated me with plenty of 1-hit kills. I know this game has a similar reputation so I might wait a while to play it, on the other hand I'ma huge Alien fan. You guys think I should jump straight in?

If you're a fan of Alien and horror games, it's a no-brainer. Get it.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
If you're a fan of Alien and horror games, it's a no-brainer. Get it.

Thanks, I will def get it. I found TEW to be pretty intense, was thinking it may not be the best idea to start up Alien straight away as it also seems fairly tense. They're roughly the same length right? My TEW playtime was 16:02
 
Thanks, I will def get it. I found TEW to be pretty intense, was thinking it may not be the best idea to start up Alien straight away as it also seems fairly tense. They're roughly the same length right? My TEW playtime was 16:02

Alien is about 15 to 20 hours, depending on the number of restarts ;)
 

DukeBobby

Member
Thanks, I will def get it. I found TEW to be pretty intense, was thinking it may not be the best idea to start up Alien straight away as it also seems fairly tense. They're roughly the same length right? My TEW playtime was 16:02

Oh, if you thought The Evil Within was tense, you ain't seen nothing yet. This is on a whole different level, in my opinion.

And, yeah, the length is about the same. However, if you're constantly hiding in lockers, crouching everywhere, and exploring every nook and cranny, you'll easily rack up at least 20 hours.
 

tengiants

Member
Well. I'm not quite done yet, but at this point it's safe to say this game has taken the lead over DKTF for my GOTY. The only game that might dethrone this is Bayonetta 2 if I get a chance to play it before the year's over.

I think it's taking me longer than most people to play through it (20 hours and still on mission 10), but I think it's because I chose to play on hard for my first play through, and am really taking it all in. I also might just suck at the game. I don't really mind playing parts over and over again because what's running and hiding from an alien in this hallway vs running and hiding from an alien in that hallway? Plus it really adds to the tension.

Anyways, Alien Isolation, GOTY so far, and best survival horror since RE2 IMO. I didn't expect to like it this much.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Alien is about 15 to 20 hours, depending on the number of restarts ;)

Oh, if you thought The Evil Within was tense, you ain't seen nothing yet. This is on a whole different level, in my opinion.

And, yeah, the length is about the same. However, if you're constantly hiding in lockers, crouching everywhere, and exploring every nook and cranny, you'll easily rack up at least 20 hours.

In that case I think I may wait a little while before playing it, in January just before the release schedule gets a bit crowded seems a good time.

I think it's taking me longer than most people to play through it (20 hours and still on mission 10), but I think it's because I chose to play on hard for my first play through, and am really taking it all in.

It seems a lot of people are choosing to play this on hard their first time through, is there any particular reason?
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
When you start a new game, it makes it clear that it's the intended difficulty, so I chose it. Probably others are doing the same.

I don't think I can ever recall a game doing that
 
some parts are scary but most of the game is just INTENSE. Its so friggin stressful, Ive only been able to play about 1-2 hours at a time before I need a break.

Yes its frustrating when the Alien kills you when you are about 15 minutes from your last save. I just found out the hard way tonight, but its still totally worth experiencing so far.

So just wondering how far I am...

I just completed the botched attempt at trapping the Alien and Im starting on Gemini labs
 

DukeBobby

Member
some parts are scary but most of the game is just INTENSE. Its so friggin stressful, Ive only been able to play about 1-2 hours at a time before I need a break.

Yes its frustrating when the Alien kills you when you are about 15 minutes from your last save. I just found out the hard way tonight, but its still totally worth experiencing so far.

So just wondering how far I am...

I just completed the botched attempt at trapping the Alien and Im starting on Gemini labs

About halfway.
 

ElTopo

Banned
I've never had to replay more than 5 minutes of gameplay. There's plenty of save stations. Some of you who are having trouble with this, you do know that you can go back and re-use the same save station once you've completed a task, right?

It seems like a lot of dudes either miss the save stations (and I've missed a few here and there myself but found them after I died) or are just unaware that you can re-use them.
 

Superflat

Member
I'm on my second playthrough and playing on hard now (played the first time on normal). The Alien is much more of a nuisance, and I'm not quite sure I like that, lol. It feels much more artificial because it feels like it's more tethered to you than feels natural (that's forgoing the crazy coincidence of one Alien being in the same vicinity as you for as many times as it is). Just how long can a Alien stalk the same 50 square foot area, anyway? :U

The windows are there get by it, but they're much smaller. It does create more tension but after playing on normal, which felt just right if not just a TINY bit too lenient, hard feels like it's leaning on the unfun side. Can't say for sure if the Alien being on a shorter leash and constantly around you much more on Hard is true, since I'm still in the earlier part of the game.

I've never had to replay more than 5 minutes of gameplay. There's plenty of save stations. Some of you who are having trouble with this, you do know that you can go back and re-use the same save station once you've completed a task, right?

It seems like a lot of dudes either miss the save stations (and I've missed a few here and there myself but found them after I died) or are just unaware that you can re-use them.

I thought at least 90% of the save stations were properly spaced out. The part I hate the most is recollecting everything, so whenever I feel like I've done a bunch of exploring and don't wanna risk it all being for naught, I double back to the previous save station; but I only found myself doing that a handful of times.
 
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