• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Slowdive said:
This one?

alienfuckl7y73.gif
Click to expand...


Yes. Thank you!
 
Z

zephervack

Member
Ulysses 31 said:
Kinda sucks they went with the floating arms approach here. There's some nice lighting and shadow effects and passing by a bright light source doesn't show anything that you're there in the environment.
Click to expand...

Something that even Riddick back in the day got right.

Are you playing in Triple screen BTW? how is the performance?
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
^Nice, enjoy!

So glad I watched Alien yesterday (first time too), really loving the intro so far.

Man! I can't handle the dark though. Will have to stream soon.

also very early spoiler discussion:
super likely that dude is a fucking android like ash isn't he! "I don't need as much sleep as the rest of you"
I don't actually want to know if you've already played it and know for sure though :p
 
A

AU Tiger

Member
Neff said:
I'd say this is exactly right. The game is great except for the Alien himself who is just a massive, massive asshole. He looks awesome, moves great, makes all the right Alien-y noises, but for some reason the game abandons the movie's portrayal of an effortless, inconspicuous shadowy killer, instead making him a relentless, hyper-active marathon runner who has decided that you're his most favourite thing in the world and never leaves you alone.

I've played a few hours on normal, and the Alien is a little more pleasingly sedate and stupid than he is on hard, but the game is still choc-full of his seemingly random behaviour flits and sudden impossible appearances. Your first encounter is harrowing, thrilling, and a sweet relief when it's over. But it isn't over. It starts again. And again. You do get a chance to breathe and stretch your legs with a little Alien-free time eventually before he turns up again, but only after you've died about 20 times in one area. There's a very fragile balance to crafting a satisfying horror game, and Alien Isolation comes so close, but screws up its focal component, and forgets the most important element of a horror game- yes, it's supposed to be bleak, scary and intimidating, but it's also supposed to be fun. When the Alien is around, it's not, sadly.
Click to expand...

This was my biggest fear leading up to the game.

The PC World preview article hinted that this may be the case

Patrick touched on this specifically in his AM show with Alexa Ray Corriea right around the 56 minute mark

http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/bombin-the-a-m-with-alexa-ray-corriea-09-29-2014/1600-1019/

And after listening to Friday's show, he pretty much confirms his fear of the game's AI design but caveats it saying that as someone who plays lots of horror/survival games, he's accustomed to picking apart the game design in ways that others may not be so he's more aware of short comings than it seems most would be.

It reminds me of this video discussing the difference between a difficult game vs a punishing game and the idiosyncrasies of the two types. Based on the comments and numerous game play videos of this game I've seen, it appears that the game is punishing in it's mechanics and not in a fun way.

That said, I still wanna play it. I just don't know if I want to pay full price or near full price. I'm partially optimistic that the devs will patch the AI but not holding my breath on that one.
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
Alista said:
Played for the last half hour. Might wait until daylight tomorrow before firing it up again.
Click to expand...

It's too fucking scary mang.

I load up my save, play with the FOV a bit...find out I can run now and suddenly lights turn off and smoke appears and ALT f4 alt f4 alt f4.
 
Neff

Neff

Member
AU Tiger said:
It reminds me of this video discussing the difference between a difficult game vs a punishing game and the idiosyncrasies of the two types. Based on the comments and numerous game play videos of this game I've seen, it appears that the game is punishing in it's mechanics and not in a fun way.
Click to expand...

All a game needs to offset frustration imo is a sense of being in control and a rush of euphoria, no matter how fleeting, of knowing that you did something right and got a tangible reward for it. Basically, something to aspire to, build upon and perfect. Isolation's reward is not dying, giving you the opportunity to do some more not dying later on. hence, its recurring deaths aren't so satisfying.

I dunno, maybe I'm the wrong guy to look at this from a 'gamey' perspective. Maybe people will relish the experience of being in a spaceship with an Alien, and the inevitable fact that it will kill you. Because as realistic Alien simulators go, this one's right up there.

Lrrr said:
I'm a huge fan of Alien, but $60 is a lot for a game that may have little-to-no no replay value. I'm sure that first playthrough is exhilarating, but scripted sequences, as well as a relentless nemesis, are only effective once. Like I said, I'll get the game, but I'll wait for a sale (perhaps Black Friday). There's no way I won't play this game at some point. :)
Click to expand...


I think the game will have decent replay value, especially if you're Trophy-inclined. But waiting might not be a bad idea if you're unsure, because it's the kind of niche title I can see becoming cheap in a few months or so. Not that I think it deserves to be- I've paid my $60 equivalent and I'm happy with it. But yes, for an Alien fan, the game is a must play, faults and all.
 
G

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
Please don't say this is too scary. Alien Isolation will be the first ever horror game I've purchased new on release in my life because I rarely finish them. Silent Hill and Fatal Frame scared the shit out of me just from the atmosphere alone.

Might play with the light on tonite. And my security blanket.
 
Z

Zeouterlimits

Member
Game is weird.
Love the style and commitment to the design the Nostromo implies for the universe.

But that first stealth sequence
with the woman trying to hack the door and showing up with her two buddies was oddly punishing. Very little tutorialising in the game. Ended up lowering the difficulty to medium and then, when that didn't really help, throwing a flare which they stood over and walked into each other kind of stupidly as I skuttled off.

Game gets scary though :-D.

Kind of wish the save point system wasn't like that, and more like Amnesia though, kind of sucks to have to repeat something just to get back to where you were.
 
L

Lime

Member
The voice actor of Ripley is doing a decent job so far.

and its so good to play something without a lot of save points and quicksaves. Your progress matters so much more.
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
Gen X said:
Please don't say this is too scary. Alien Isolation will be the first ever horror game I've purchased new on release in my life because I rarely finish them. Silent Hill and Fatal Frame scared the shit out of me just from the atmosphere alone.

Might play with the light on tonite. And my security blanket.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not ever going to play Silent Hill and Amnesia.

This is the appropriate scare challenge.

Still gonna stream it though. Just got the first tool, will come back and put up a link.
 
B

Bydobob

Member
Between this and Middle Earth this has already been a stellar month for gaming.

Only 2 hours in but the game has been masterful at building tension and setting the mood. They've really gone all out to capture the feel of the first film and I genuinely got goosebumps in places.

The lighting in this game reminds me of the first time I played Splinter Cell and Doom 3. Raising the bar in other words. I'm not technical enough to know whether other lighting engines are more advanced, but the result has never been more dramatic.

Audiophiles are in for a treat too, all the many wonderful crash, bangs and wallops seem to be located where they should and fade in and out over distance with accuracy.

It remains to be seen how the actual mechanics of the game pan out of course, but nothing to frustrate me so far. Getting killed by the alien was actually a highlight.
 
T

Truant

Member
Slight spoiler for early on:

Two people just casually walked out of a tram. They ran like crazy when they spotted me, so I reloaded an earlier save. The same thing happened, except the alien jumped out of a vent and killed them both. So there's non-hostile NPCs too or is my game bugged?
 
E

ezekial45

Banned
Truant said:
Slight spoiler for early on:

Two people just casually walked out of a tram. They ran like crazy when they spotted me, so I reloaded an earlier save. The same thing happened, except the alien jumped out of a vent and killed them both. So there's non-hostile NPCs too or is my game bugged?
Click to expand...

Yes, there are non-hostile NPC's. And the Alien's movement constantly changes.
 
M

mxgt

Banned
Only played about an hour or so, but as a huge fan of the original Alien move.. I love this game so far. Just the atmosphere, the visuals and sound effects are spot on. Glorious.
 
M

MattyG

Banned
So what's the concensus on difficulty? Normal or hard?

Also, I preloaded, downloaded 14.6GB and now it's saying it's 15GB ad nothing is downloading, it just says "Busy writing to disk". Has this happened to anyone else?
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
MattyG344 said:
So what's the concensus on difficulty? Normal or hard?

Also, I preloaded, downloaded 14.6GB and now it's saying it's 15GB ad nothing is downloading, it just says "Busy writing to disk". Has this happened to anyone else?
Click to expand...

Yeah it took a little while too, I assume it was verifying or unencrypting or some magic.

I'm playing on normal.
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
I will get back to you on that, haven't encountered it yet.

Even though it says when you select high that this difficulty is recommended it's not the default selection, default is normal and for that it says "you may survive" or something. Seems fair and less heart attack inducing for a scare amateur like me.
 
A

Arkanius

Member
Fucking Androids

They always know if you are hiding inside a locker right? They always come running right at me and punch me in the face.
 
S

spannicus

Member
IcyRhythms said:
For those that have played, are you loving it? Just feeling it's decent? Waste of money? Exceed your expectations?
Click to expand...

I'm a horror buff, and I have to say that this is the best horror game I have ever played. I've been tense the whole way through. I dont know what else to say other than everything just comes together and puts you right in the game.
 
T

therealminime

Member
IcyRhythms said:
For those that have played, are you loving it? Just feeling it's decent? Waste of money? Exceed your expectations?
Click to expand...

I've only played about 2 and a half hours and it's incredible so far. I am just about to start my first proper alien encounter, which I guess the alien encounters is where the game gets frustrating for some. We'll see. It makes a positively stellar first impression. The 2 hours or so leading up to the alien reveal are basically perfect. Great suspense and dread. The visuals and sound design are basically flawless.

So far it's exceeded my expectations a bit, but I think once I get into it and start dealing with some of the issues the game has, it'll end up dropping, but maybe not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

IGN - Alien: Isolation Terrifying Introduction to the Perfect Predator
Opinion Trailer
37
3K
reektann replied
Upcoming Alien Isolation Book ‘Perfect Organism’ Goes Behind the Scenes of The Game
News Indie
12
1K
Daytonabot replied
PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for October 2023: Gotham Knights, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Platform
36
3K
GetInTheRobot replied
Satya Nadella: Annual letter to stockholders. Content on new platforms will continue
3 4 5 6 7
349
16K
solidus12 replied
Has this huge glaring plothole in Alien/Aliens ever been explained?
22
3K
gioGAF replied
Top Bottom