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

Going to watch the 2003 cut when I get off work in the morning and see if it is any better than the theatrical.

It's better than the theatrical.

For one thing, the prisoners become actual characters. Which tends to help a great deal.

Plus the intro to the prison is done WAY better.
 
Inadequate / absent checkpointing can go get fucked.

I'm like 5-6 hours in.

Went on the stupid merry-go-round of trying to open the emergency exit from the medical facility after finding a trauma kit. Get past it, bomb thing goes off, it says ESCAPE. I cant' work out where to go, there seems to be nothing open. When I'm exploring the dental room, I randomly die from some kind of clipping glitch through an item in the room. It didn't checkpoint after that story beat of the bomb, and there were no save points in the burning rooms. GREAT.
 
1. Is it scary?

2. How varied is the gameplay?

3. Is there replay value?

1. At the very least it's incredibly tense. It's hard to say it's scary since fear is pretty subjective (ex. I've never found any of the RE games to be scary, despite loving the classics). The scary part I guess is just knowing the Alien is around and anything you do may or may not draw it out. But as far as jump scares or incredibly heavy, mind-fucking moments like the first time the hallway goes dark in P.T., you're not going to get that.

2. There's variety there, for better or worse, but part of it relies upon you in how you handle the situations you are in. But the game does throw you into some situations, luckily providing the tools to surmount them in most cases.

3. Outside of some achievements, I don't see that much. There's no branching narrative arcs like with The Witcher 2 or styles like Mass Effect. There's no NG+ either I believe, so there's nothing really in-game to warrant additional runs if you go through on Hard on your first run. There's also the challenge mode, but that doesn't provide any reward except maybe a leaderboard placement. You'll likely miss some collectables though and have a few conflicting achievements, so there's a chance that it's at least worth two or three runs.
Inadequate / absent checkpointing can go get fucked.

I discovered it on accident myself, but you have to
climb up the middle structure above the reception desk via a prompt. Hated that part since there's a terminal in a back room that I noticed wasn't there much later in the game. So you have to risk killing yourself from asphyxiation by taking up all that time to check the terminal and then get to the hard to see ladder on that overhang.
Really hate how that part is basically timed and doesn't do well in providing the player a logical way to figure out what to do before dying at least once.
 

Rubius

Member
Any good jump scares? Going to buy later tonight for me and my friends to venture through. And we like a good scare!

No jump scare in the game so far. That's a good thing, jump scares are cheap and not real horror. Being scared of the game is a much better horror mechanic than something yelling at you and popping something in your face.
 
Any good jump scares? Going to buy later tonight for me and my friends to venture through. And we like a good scare!

Only jump scare I can recall is in Mission 18, and not something I think anyone here expected. Happens to be a sequence quite a few are not fond of, just because it seems like a weird time for it to be happening and can be a bit BS. In fact...mission 18 was kind of weak and sort of out of place with what it decides to throw in.
 
I'm just 3-4hrs in, came across the Alien twice and didn't stand a chance. Game has amazing atmosphere, and is genuinely scary, had me jump a few times. Not knowing exactly where the alien is but only hearing his footsteps or noises in the air vents, then bam you open a door and he punces in you and back to the previous save file. That radar thingamajig you hold is vital for surving, and just hearing it beep brings me fear.In terms of weapons, I've only got the revolver, crow-bar thing to open doors, and the rest of my items are medkits, noise makers and flash device which I haven't used yet.

Just wondering, is the whole game is you just avoiding the alien? I mean, I don't expect to take it on with the weapons I currently have, but later on is it possible to take him down with more lethal weapons?
 
Just wondering, is the whole game is you just avoiding the alien?

No
You'll get a flamethrower and make molotovs that can drive it off and can save you from what would have been an instant death. There's also the Androids which at times require combat and can be killed.
 

SRTtoZ

Member
Inadequate / absent checkpointing can go get fucked.

I'm like 5-6 hours in.

Went on the stupid merry-go-round of trying to open the emergency exit from the medical facility after finding a trauma kit. Get past it, bomb thing goes off, it says ESCAPE. I cant' work out where to go, there seems to be nothing open. When I'm exploring the dental room, I randomly die from some kind of clipping glitch through an item in the room. It didn't checkpoint after that story beat of the bomb, and there were no save points in the burning rooms. GREAT.

Just bad really. At first I had no clue what the fuck to do, what I eventually found my way to the ladder/fire escape thingy and then from there its no issue. This game does have some shitty save points, but as long as you are aware of it and save your game often you should have no more issues. Enjoy the rest pls.
 
I love the game, but man Crew Expendable is shit. I got through it in about half an hour and the voice I heard the most was non-Ian Holm. Could've been much, much more. Will try Last Survivor next.
 
Can anyone explain me why people need 30 minutes for Crew Expendable? It took about 10 minutes for me

I mean you get your gear, go down the, see the alien in the shaft, then arrive at the last area, turn on the generator, wait till the alien is in the room, click the button and finish the DLC.

Did I miss anything?
 
I'm loving this game but those
Seegson androids
are a bitch. I take it there is no such thing as a stealth kill/insta-kill? Currently, I'm at the part where I just spoke with
my crew for the first time since being separated
and have to flee. Was such a cheap scare but fun when
the alien snatched me up when I was running from the androids.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
Huh, I didn't notice any trends of it getting more aggressive in the end game. Stayed pretty much constant throughout the game in terms of appearing, unless it was scripted to.

Also I just watched Alien 3. I actually liked it. Expected it to be a lot worse from what people said about it. The CGI Alien was laughable though.

It stalks you endlessly in chapter
17. Won't go away. There is even a scripted appearance.

ANYWAY, I beat it. Loved it. Except they went too far actiony in the late game. The early game stuff is wonderful though.
 
The Alien is CGI in one scene at the very end.

What you're noticing is bad matting/compositing. That was a rod-puppet for over 90% of the movie.

I know what you mean but it is actually amazing compositing given the method used. Motion control tracked cameras with no depth markers and scaled down with manual manipulation of the puppet to make it match. Yeah the visual end result isn't great but with the method and optical process it was as good as it could be hoped to be.

They should have leveraged the suit more. There are some perfect puppet moments though.
 

Bowler

Member
Just started the game and I'm stuck... lol objective said to try and contact the torrent ship. I've looked everywhere and have no idea where to go
 

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Well as I feared I didn't get the trophy for beating the game on hard since I changed to medium for one chapter early on. Bleh. This is why all games need level replay options.

As for the game I really liked it and feel the length was spot on. Don't get that complaint at all. Definitely didn't outstay its welcome like Outlast. The game took a bit too long to get going but once it did I don't feel it lasted too long.
 

Cudder

Member
Well as I feared I didn't get the trophy for beating the game on hard since I changed to medium for one chapter early on. Bleh. This is why all games need level replay options.

As for the game I really liked it and feel the length was spot on. Don't get that complaint at all. Definitely didn't outstay its welcome like Outlast. The game took a bit too long to get going but once it did I don't feel it lasted too long.

It does have level select. I don't know if it will give you your trophy but it's worth a shot I guess.
 
Well as I feared I didn't get the trophy for beating the game on hard since I changed to medium for one chapter early on. Bleh. This is why all games need level replay options.

As for the game I really liked it and feel the length was spot on. Don't get that complaint at all. Definitely didn't outstay its welcome like Outlast. The game took a bit too long to get going but once it did I don't feel it lasted too long.

I agree. I played on medium and never thought the game goes on for too long. Felt just right. In comparison The Evil Within is a longer game.

But i will start my hard run the next days, to see whats different and how much harder the game/alien gets, because on medium i thought the game was quite easy.
 
Woof! What a game!

This game just creates tense moments in the right times and having the Xenomorph after you so often just adds to the whole atmosphere of the station.

I just finished
The Dr. Morley section and returned to Samuels.

I hope I get to see a pulse rifle or a flamethrower sometime soon.

Did anyone who has the Nostromo edition try the add-on game with Ellen Ripley or the other crew members? It there a big difference?
 

Superflat

Member
As for the game I really liked it and feel the length was spot on. Don't get that complaint at all. Definitely didn't outstay its welcome like Outlast. The game took a bit too long to get going but once it did I don't feel it lasted too long.

I'm in the same boat. While I appreciated the slow start I thought that the player should be introduced to and fully playing cat-and-mouse with the Alien by the first hour instead of a few hours. I also thought the length was justified, but mainly because I'm a huge fan and they had some really awesome referential moments, location and gameplay-wise, in the latter half that I wouldn't want to see get cut.

The first half was a bit bloaty though, they could have taken out a few chapters in the first half and give us a prolonged downtime segment instead of
the couple chapters in the midgame that was dedicated to "human-hunting androids".
That whole segment felt like pure filler, and I hate that enemy type lol
 

Mugatu

Member
I just finished yesterday, what a great game IMO. I didn't think it was too long, never did I want it to end like I often do with much shorter games. Very tense although I saw the end coming (no big deal, even by chance some people will always figure it out). Very good value for money for a single player game.
 
On the first time you
call a tram, right after Axel dies, I didn't press the button right away and suddenly the alien came running in from behind, scared the hell out of me lol
So yeah, first encounter made a big impression lol.
 

Volcane

Member
Just completed on Hard. It's without a doubt my Game of the Year. I found it incredibly tense especially due to the sound effects. I liked the strategy of maneuvering past the enemies, and enjoyed the variety of the missions which made it not become dull, and thus thought the length was good.

End spoiler
Didn't end as how I thought, in that I thought would be rescued by the Torrens, and then have a scene like Alien chestburster scene. But looked like was about to be rescued, so maybe that will happen in a sequel if there is one.
 

frontovik

Banned
I've been doing a third playthrough to obtain the One Shot (complete the game without dying) achievement. The experience is definitely the definition of survival horror.

My heart was pounding in the medical section:
After I retrieved Dr. Morley's keycard, I was making my way to the exit and was glancing from behind every corner to spot the alien. Just as I was about to reach Kuhlman, I heard it drop from a vent behind me. I held my breath, I did not run, and did not look back as I continued to move forward. I felt thrilled and exhausted at the same time. That was terrifying.

The situation ocurred again after I activated the emergency system in the medical bay and was making my way to the room
that was rigged to explode.
The alien was waiting for me in the airshafts and I was careful to not let it ambush me from above. Just as I was about to reach the room, I heard a terrifying screech and simply continued to move forward. Once again, I did not look back, but I felt that I might have been impaled if the cutscene hadn't triggered.

I'm sure that the Project KG38 room & the reactor core will be just as terrifying.

Isolation is definitely game of the year, I'm glad that CA kept it as a single player experience.
 
Im pretty sure it will be my game of the year as well.

But its not perfect. The humans could have been done better, they felt cheap in this game. CA should have looked what Starbreeze did with the Riddick games. That style would have worked great in AI as well, and would have given the game a much more polished appearance in this regard.

And i really hoped for some cool playable zero g segments. Definitely a missed opportunity.
 
Goddamn, the tension in this game is insane, the music does a fantastic job enhancing it even further, playing this with headphones in the dark is too awesome.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
it hasn't even been out a month. not every game has to have a dick waving press release about X number of copies sold

But after the mixed reviews, a news about high sales could have been a good, little advertisement for the game... I dunno. Sega seems to release the numbers of current released games on a regular basis when I remember correctly, so we will get informations regarding this anyway I assume.

I just hope since the game is/was that good, I really want a sequel. Maybe a Alien 3 adaptation or again in a completely new area. I just love the Alien franchise and since the signs of a new movie are not so good, I really want some new games.
 

Skytylz

Banned
Ive had that weapon for a while now and its kinda strange when it comes to ammo. It sucks through the ammo extremely fast and you will go through sections where there is absolutely none, but when you do come across it, there is usually 2 canisters at least.

Lets just say its still not a substitute for hiding, if you roam the halls freely you will use up the ammo very fast. Also, maybe its just me but it doesnt seem to deter the Alien for very long. In fact, it seems like it comes back to the same area more often than if you just hid from him until he left. (This is on Normal difficulty)

So definitely have it as your default item equipped but use it as sparingly as possible.

I didn't use a locke more than two or three times after getting it. I found you could be very conservative with you ammo and scare the alien off with just a little bit of ammo.
 

Superflat

Member
I've been doing a third playthrough to obtain the One Shot (complete the game without dying) achievement. The experience is definitely the definition of survival horror.

The only thing that keeps me from attempting that is that there are a few scripted and unscripted instant death scenarios (not involving the Alien) that feel cheap because you almost need premeditative knowledge of where they will come from, like [late game spoilers]
the stupid facehuggers, the train that can run you over, and poison gas (seriously, it was just a mildly misty room and there's almost no indication that your health is dropping, it was the most silent death ever).

There was even a moment where I was awarded a instant death because I clubbed an innocent person. Took me instantly to a reload save menu and the tooltip read "don't kill innocents!", so silly.
 

16BitNova

Member
Ok so I just started the game and I feel like I ran into the alien a little earlier than I was supposed to. I was killed by the alien
as I was getting into the transit for the first time, right after Axel dies
. Wasn't really the big first encounter people hyped it up to be. Was this not that moment?
 

Superflat

Member
Ok so I just started the game and I feel like I ran into the alien a little earlier than I was supposed to. I was killed by the alien
as I was getting into the transit for the first time, right after Axel dies
. Wasn't really the big first encounter people hyped it up to be. Was this not that moment?

Nope. You'll know when your first big encounter is!
 
I think yesterday Nvidia driver (344.48) update broke my game.
The game now freezes in loading screens, game stop working, all started happening after the update.

I'm downloading the previous drivers to see if it solves the problem.

I'm not alone

http://forums.alienisolation.com/fo...en-i-am-taking-the-train-to-lorenz-tech-spire
Just started playing Isolation today and had the game freeze on the first load after the cutscene that takes you on the Sevastopol. Guess I'll just roll back my drivers, which is a bit of a shame since the game looked real nice with DSR.
 
Okay, so finally got back to deciding to play some more since the last time I
traversed an incredibly Derelict esque looking Alien hive with no queen implying eggmorphing for the facehuggers and reset an overloaded reactor to destroy the hive and dozens of Giger Alien angrily exit the hive.

I made it to the point where things started to get crazy, I was ambushed a couple times by the alien in surprising ways but I barely managed to survive while pissing him off because I used my flamethrower too much(playing on Hard). There was one terrifying occurrence where he went past me, investigated the area behind me and then came running full speed back to where I was hiding and almost got me but I luckily got the flamethrower out in time and it tackled me for half my health. I crafted a syringe, healed up, and moved on back to Sevestopol and did a bit of
space walking
.

I almost shit myself when
you get to the Anesidora and all of a sudden a goddamn facehugger comes out of nowhere knocking things over, after a fairly quiet but tense section of dark metal hallways.

I was really sad when
that one hacker guy got facehugged while he was helping you.When his audio cut out it almost sounded like it and the dread that led up to that scene was incredible.

The
Nostromo message recorded by Sigourney Weaver was fantastic, and incredibly moving. Such a talented actress, and I happen to like Amanda's VO especially during the panicky bits.

This game is too fucking amazing, the visuals are incredible on PC. Is it just me or does Standard give better HDAO than the HDAO setting? weird.

Total time: 30 hours
 

EGM1966

Member
Ok so I just started the game and I feel like I ran into the alien a little earlier than I was supposed to. I was killed by the alien
as I was getting into the transit for the first time, right after Axel dies
. Wasn't really the big first encounter people hyped it up to be. Was this not that moment?
Nope that's not the main reveal : it's an early warning not to be too slow getting to your destination though.

It's kind of cute it can happen but probably from narrative perspective it shouldn't happen.
 

Ollie Pooch

In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
I can honestly say I've never been so engrossed and felt in danger in a game since the helicopter scene from Half Life. The alien feels alive, cunning and amazing. I am howling whenever it comes into a room when I'm inevitably hiding in a box. I hear that tracker beep and I'm looking for a green light to jump in! The best!
 

Pinktaco

Member
I can honestly say I've never been so engrossed and felt in danger in a game since the helicopter scene from Half Life. The alien feels alive, cunning and amazing. I am howling whenever it comes into a room when I'm inevitably hiding in a box. I hear that tracker beep and I'm looking for a green light to jump in! The best!


Tbh I've kinda become used to it. There's usually a save station nearby which kinda defeats the entire horror aspect. Maybe it'll change after chapter 11, but so far the game is more tense than a horror game IMO. But maybe that's just because I abuse the save stations which allows me to discover an area and not care for the alien.
 

shiba5

Member
For those of you who finished the game, there was one incident that bugged me because I can't think of an explanation:

The live facehugger on the Anesidora. How is it on there? Did little buddy hop on the the shuttle with Marlowe and Taylor and hide until they docked? I could buy the alien that got on the Torrens, but the facehugger makes no sense.
 
Tbh I've kinda become used to it. There's usually a save station nearby which kinda defeats the entire horror aspect. Maybe it'll change after chapter 11, but so far the game is more tense than a horror game IMO. But maybe that's just because I abuse the save stations which allows me to discover an area and not care for the alien.

Thats another point i dont get. Before i played the game, almost every review pointed out how much they had to replay because they died. Some even wrote they lost 30 minutes of gamepaly.

What?!

There are so many save stations, and if you look out at max you have to replay 5 min. You are free to go back to the nearest after exploring some rooms and save as much as you want (the waiting period is very short), if you afraid to lose your progress.
 

Dysun

Member
I hesitated on picking this up at first due to some of the more prominent review sites bashing it. As of Chapter 10 though, I have to say that the complaints strike me as hollow. I don't find the save points or trial and error all that frustrating. Nothing like that sense of dread when the Alien is hovering about and you need to reach a certain room/item.

Lets see how the second half of the game goes, but so far I'm very impressed.
 
I hesitated on picking this up at first due to some of the more prominent review sites bashing it. As of Chapter 10 though, I have to say that the complaints strike me as hollow. I don't find the save points or trial and error all that frustrating. Nothing like that sense of dread when the Alien is hovering about and you need to reach a certain room/item.

Lets see how the second half of the game goes, but so far I'm very impressed.

They really are not, and I still fail to see what the problems were. The hiding in locker stuff, I understand a bit since the game makes them a prominent option, but that's also on those reviewers as well.

Almost wanted to reach through the computer and strangle the IGN people in the The Evil Within by making Isolation be nothing more than hiding in lockers.
For those of you who finished the game, there was one incident that bugged me because I can't think of an explanation:

The live facehugger on the Anesidora. How is it on there? Did little buddy hop on the the shuttle with Marlowe and Taylor and hide until they docked? I could buy the alien that got on the Torrens, but the facehugger makes no sense.

The answer is probably in DLC, since that and other similar situations are left up in the air. I'm not much for the
cocooned humans morphing into eggs since it's only present in a cut scene from Alien and some novels that probably aren't necessarily canon material as oft authors will take liberties. It also doesn't make much sense regarding the parasitic nature that requires a host, but yet the hosts get wasted for eggs? If there's a lack of viable hosts in an area that would be a problem. Then again, the Queen I wasn't a huge fan of either.
 

axb2013

Member
There better be a sequel. I enjoyed it, at times I downright loved it. It was also almost frustrating at times and there were low points where it felt like a space station maintenance simulator. Because of the pacing it doesn't have replay value for me but it doesn't need it IMO. Playing through once was more than enough, the other options were a nice touch but not necessary to me.

I'm usually tolerant of people having a different opinion on any given game, even ones I feel strongly about but there is something about A:I that makes me look down upon people who didn't appreciate it.

The environment detailing sends a "back to school" message to 8 out of 10 AAA games recently made. Sound and voice acting were amazing, really helped ramp up tension. Great visuals, lighting and smoke effects. Very efficient too, never dipped below 55fps @1440p, all settings maxed out on a i5-2400 and a 7950. The entire experience felt like an all out feast compared to many bland fast food meals.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
I have just finished the first Sevastopol section, fuck GOTY this has GOAT potential. Like most people on GAF I am a massive Alien fan, and CA have nailed the feel of that universe. Sound design is fucking amazing, especially on a 7.1 system. One of the best game experiences I have had this year was when
I was waiting for the tram to go to the next area and the tension was rising, then the Alien doesn't even show up (I haven't actually seen it yet)
. I pray the rest of this game is this good

A few quick questions if someone doesn't mind:

Is there a way to unequip the flare? The 'press square' message dowb the bottom is annoying me

The game crashed whilst loading the second area, has this been happening to anyone else?

Is it worth exploring off the beaten track? Seems there will be a lot of backtracking to open most doors.

Will I get to revisit area's after I leave them?
 

EGM1966

Member
I have just finished the first Sevastopol section, fuck GOTY this has GOAT potential. Like most people on GAF I am a massive Alien fan, and CA have nailed the feel of that universe. Sound design is fucking amazing, especially on a 7.1 system. One of the best game experiences I have had this year was when
I was waiting for the tram to go to the next area and the tension was rising, then the Alien doesn't even show up (I haven't actually seen it yet)
. I pray the rest of this game is this good

A few quick questions if someone doesn't mind:

Is there a way to unequip the flare? The 'press square' message dowb the bottom is annoying me

The game crashed whilst loading the second area, has this been happening to anyone else?

Is it worth exploring off the beaten track? Seems there will be a lot of backtracking to open most doors.

Will I get to revisit area's after I leave them?
You can't really unequip the flare but you can chose a weapon like revolver once you get it that has same effect - removes the annoying square prompt as until you raise the weapon deliberately it stays out of view.

You can explore and you can revisit areas later on - there is backtracking but you can also chose to explore. You tend to find goodies and collectibles exploring. Of course you may also be dodging the Alien at the same time which adds to the risk exploring but makes it all the more rewarding.

Haven't had a crash ever but I gather it can happen. If guess it's fairly infrequent but can't say for sure.
 
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