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[CloudyTuba]

I cant tell if lowering the difficulty to normal has made the Alien easier to avoid or if I've just gotten better. It doesn't appear to be behaving much differently. Maybe it is but it's a subtle difference. Either way it feels less frustrating now but still real tense. Enjoying this game a lot.

I switched the difficulties around just to experiment and also didn't notice much change in the alien. A bit confused about the difficulty settings. Maybe it was just the area I was in, because I was under the impression that higher difficulty meant that the alien spent less time in the vents and more time stalking closely.

 

[real_slime]

I've just hit chapter 5 and so far I love this game, except for one thing, the save system, which unfortunately is fucking terrible.

How is it terrible? I really don't understand this being such an overwhelmingly common complaint. It isn't anything that unusual. They have save points, like almost all games used to, and they even layer on a few checkpoints here and there are moments when it would be simply irritating to repeat. Is it just that you can't preserve every inch of progress you make? Wouldn't that decrease the tension and encourage you to play more recklessly and be less intimidated by threats?

I dunno man...I'm glad you're enjoying the game overall cos I think this game deserves a lot of fans. I want more games with the design priorities this game has.

 

[DukeBobby]

How is it terrible? I really don't understand this being such an overwhelmingly common complaint. It isn't anything that unusual. They have save points, like almost all games used to, and they even layer on a few checkpoints here and there are moments when it would be simply irritating to repeat. Is it just that you can't preserve every inch of progress you make? Wouldn't that decrease the tension and encourage you to play more recklessly and be less intimidated by threats?

I dunno man...I'm glad you're enjoying the game overall cos I think this game deserves a lot of fans. I want more games with the design priorities this game has.

Yeah, I don't really get the complaint either. I could understand it if there was only one save station per mission, but there are several, and they're usually not far apart.

 

[Liamc723]

How is it terrible? I really don't understand this being such an overwhelmingly common complaint. It isn't anything that unusual. They have save points, like almost all games used to, and they even layer on a few checkpoints here and there are moments when it would be simply irritating to repeat. Is it just that you can't preserve every inch of progress you make? Wouldn't that decrease the tension and encourage you to play more recklessly and be less intimidated by threats?

I dunno man...I'm glad you're enjoying the game overall cos I think this game deserves a lot of fans. I want more games with the design priorities this game has.

I understand that it adds more tension to your actions and all that, but when you've just completed a tough portion of a level and then your PS4 crashes and boots you back to the dashboard meaning you have to re-play the entire section again, it sucks all the fun out of it.

Despite the save system, I'm still loving the hell out of it.

 

[SkyTurnsRed]

I understand that it adds more tension to your actions and all that, but when you've just completed a tough portion of a level and then your PS4 crashes and boots you back to the dashboard meaning you have to re-play the entire section again, it sucks all the fun out of it.

Despite the save system, I'm still loving the hell out of it.

That certainly is frustrating, but the PS4 should be to blame, not the game (unless the game has reoccurring crash issues, I'm not aware of how it runs on consoles.)

 

[SkyTurnsRed]

Playing mission 6,

Spoiler

trying to escape the medical facility and the Alien respawn is starting to get on my nerves.

Not really enjoying the game so far, if it wasn't a Alien game I would have dropped the game by now.

Does it get better or the

Spoiler

Alien respawn BS still continues?

Can you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean.

 

[Chev]

Playing mission 6,

Spoiler

trying to escape the medical facility and the Alien respawn is starting to get on my nerves.

Not really enjoying the game so far, if it wasn't a Alien game I would have dropped the game by now.

Does it get better or the

Spoiler

Alien respawn BS still continues?

It's spoilerish but there's an excellent reason for that thing you call out as BS. If you stop assuming it's being unfair you can probably even work out what's actually happening.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Just got the 'A Hunt Begins' trophy.

Oh shit...
Am I gonna die now? :{{{{

 

[L4DANathan]

man, nobody? first post on this page and nobody...

I'm not trying to Troll.

Does the Alien teleport, or not?

The Alien teleports only when there are two sections of a level and you switch sections, other than that, you can actually use the motion tracker to find where it is in the vents, though if you have decent speakers/headset, you can just listen for it. Its just that in the vents, it travels at its running speed (way faster than you can move), and if you stay quiet in some areas, it will never come out of the vents in the first place.

 

[sosage]

Total let down of the year for me with this game. Yeah, I expected to have to sneak around a bit, but the whole story so far (roughly 2 hours in) has been so boring. I almost fell asleep on my couch playing. I actually finally made first encounter with the alien

Spoiler

hours fucking later after starting the game

and finally the game picked up just a small bit.

I doubt I'll be finishing the game and thank god I got it pre-owned so I can just return it after a few more days if nothing else exciting happens.

This is definitely a valid complaint and it's a problem with modern narrative heavy design. The pacing during the first few hours drags a bit. You get a hint of sneaking around the Alien

Spoiler

after he kills the first group of humans near the elevator

, but your first major encounter of the core mechanic doesn't appear until

Spoiler

5 missions in at the MediBay

.

I recommend sticking with it until

Spoiler

the MediBay

. That was the turning point for me. It's where the game wraps up training me on what I can and can not do, and let's that fucker loose on me to try to sneak around. If you still don't like it after that, then yeah...you're not going to dig the rest of it. Return it for something else.

 

[nature boy]

Can you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean.

Either the motion sensor is BS or the Alien has incredible movement and senses because it's never far from where I am. I know it's a design choice to create fear but I would've liked, based on what I've played,

Spoiler

to be able to outsmart/outmaneuver the Alien

. It's briefly possible, but then the

Spoiler

AI kinda "cheats" and catches up to you.

Spoiler

To be honest, I find the AI a bit stupid.

It's spoilerish but there's an excellent reason for that thing you call out as BS. If you stop assuming it's being unfair you can probably even work out what's actually happening.

It's kinda difficult to explore the storyline because of what I wrote above, but I'll try to finish the

Spoiler

medical facility misison

and take it from there.

 

[EGM1966]

This is definitely a valid complaint and it's a problem with modern narrative heavy design. The pacing during the first few hours drags a bit. You get a hint of sneaking around the Alien

Spoiler

after he kills the first group of humans near the elevator

, but your first major encounter of the core mechanic doesn't appear until

Spoiler

5 missions in at the MediBay

.

I recommend sticking with it until

Spoiler

the MediBay

. That was the turning point for me. It's where the game wraps up training me on what I can and can not do, and let's that fucker loose on me to try to sneak around. If you still don't like it after that, then yeah...you're not going to dig the rest of it. Return it for something else.

I have to disagree. I see no reason why a game shouldn't employ same technique as a film or novel in its design.

Alien - the film - takes proper time to establish its setting, tone and character. It's not rushing like say a slasher film to deliver the gore and the action.

Alien Isolation follows the same pattern. It's not an intrinsic flaw or fault. It's not for everyone, and it's fine not to find it appealing but you can't label it a fault line that as though it's got something wrong.

A game with clear and obvious flaws of design is universal - no one sane is going to want a shooter where aiming itinerary broken mechanically but I just can't accept when people declare pacing approaches they don't like are flat out flawed as though we're all looking for everything to cut to the chase and give us the action.

Obviously if you find this approach drags it may mean the game is just not for you. I do agree though that if you are only looking for "the action" then sticking it out until Mission 5 is the way to go.

Sorry rant off just a peeve of mine I can't ignore.

 

[CloudyTuba]

It's spoilerish but there's an excellent reason for that thing you call out as BS. If you stop assuming it's being unfair you can probably even work out what's actually happening.

I'm only at chapter 6 like the previous poster (except that I'm having a good time). I sat here thinking for a good ten seconds about what you just said before I had this moment:

I guess I'll see if I'm right when I beat this thing.

 

[Cudder]

Just got the flamethrower, what mission am I on? For some reason there aren't trophies for completing a chunk of the missions, so I think I'm on mission 8 or 9 or something.

 

[Enco]

Lawd no.

I'm always looking around on the edge of my seat when I save.

 

[sosage]

I have to disagree. I see no reason why a game shouldn't employ same technique as a film or novel in its design.

Alien - the film - takes proper time to establish its setting, tone and character. It's not rushing like say a slasher film to deliver the gore and the action.

Alien Isolation follows the same pattern. It's not an intrinsic flaw or fault. It's not for everyone, and it's fine not to find it appealing but you can't label it a fault line that as though it's got something wrong.

A game with clear and obvious flaws of design is universal - no one sane is going to want a shooter where aiming itinerary broken mechanically but I just can't accept when people declare pacing approaches they don't like are flat out flawed as though we're all looking for everything to cut to the chase and give us the action.

Obviously if you find this approach drags it may mean the game is just not for you. I do agree though that if you are only looking for "the action" then sticking it out until Mission 5 is the way to go.

Sorry rant off just a peeve of mine I can't ignore.

Pacing problems are definitely a valid flaw of any time-based medium. If it wasn't, we'd never edit anything. Creating suspense, in itself, is a creative manipulation of pacing.

With Alien: Isolation specifically, 2-3 hours or 5 missions to introduce everything the player needs to dive into the meat of a game is a bit long for this medium. It doesn't have to take an action game pace, but there is definitely some fat in the first chunk that could've been trimmed to make the experience tighter. Maybe a different level design for the first chunk altogether? I understand that it is trying to build suspense, but in the case of this game, it drags a bit over the sweet spot.

I want to be clear that I'm not slamming the game. I think it's a great game that could be tweaked in small ways to become better (aside from the bugs). We have someone who is going to drop out before reaching the experience's hook. I don't feel this person is being impatient, after putting a couple hours in, asking when the core game is going to really start.

 

[Chaotic-Strike]

I love how the game holds off on the Alien for a while. It makes all the scarier when it does pop up, which is also true to the original film.

I didn't think a game could ever make me afraid to move forward much less an Alien game.

However, Creative Assembly made the Alien terrifying again after years of being canon fodder in Aliens and in other examples of media that it set.

So far this game as 9/10 from me and I look forward to see what else this game has in store.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Just got the 'A Hunt Begins' trophy.

Oh shit...
Am I gonna die now? :{{{{

Yeah. Quite a few times, probably.

 

[EGM1966]

Pacing problems are definitely a valid flaw of any time-based medium. If it wasn't, we'd never edit anything. Creating suspense, in itself, is a creative manipulation of pacing.

With Alien: Isolation specifically, 2-3 hours or 5 missions to introduce everything the player needs to dive into the meat of a game is a bit long for this medium. It doesn't have to take an action game pace, but there is definitely some fat in the first chunk that could've been trimmed to make the experience tighter. Maybe a different level design for the first chunk altogether? I understand that it is trying to build suspense, but in the case of this game, it drags a bit over the sweet spot.

I want to be clear that I'm not slamming the game. I think it's a great game that could be tweaked in small ways to become better (aside from the bugs). We have someone who is going to drop out before reaching the experience's hook. I don't feel this person is being impatient, after putting a couple hours in, asking when the core game is going to really start.

Pacing problems are only valud if they're clearly an issue to the specific title though. Again my point is there's no real way to say the game has pacing issues vs its overall design. The setup piece is a reasonable ratio to the remainder of the game and the pace seems well balanced towards establishing the setting and characters as well as the mechanics of the piece.

Again I feel in this case the pacing complaints are more in line with "get me to the action faster" than valid issues with the design of the pacing.

But anyway it's such an elastic topic we could go round and round; I'll close by noting I'm a little protective of slower paced games because they're so rare. I can see the drive in the medium to get player to the gameplay but if the goal is a certain time or narrative style then rushing is wrong in my view. It's like with TLOU some people want to get right to engaging with infected and gangs of looters when the narrative clearly needs the slow start and character establishment first to deliver the experience is does when taken as an overall piece.

But I do take your points as fair too.

 

[sosage]

Pacing problems are only valud if they're clearly an issue to the specific title though. Again my point is there's no real way to say the game has pacing issues vs its overall design. The setup piece is a reasonable ratio to the remainder of the game and the pace seems well balanced towards establishing the setting and characters as well as the mechanics of the piece.

Again I feel in this case the pacing complaints are more in line with "get me to the action faster" than valid issues with the design of the pacing.

But anyway it's such an elastic topic we could go round and round; I'll close by noting I'm a little protective of slower paced games because they're so rare. I can see the drive in the medium to get player to the gameplay but if the goal is a certain time or narrative style then rushing is wrong in my view. It's like with TLOU some people want to get right to engaging with infected and gangs of looters when the narrative clearly needs the slow start and character establishment first to deliver the experience is does when taken as an overall piece.

But I do take your points as fair too.

You have valid points as well and I agree, our back n' forth will eventually come down to how two very different people would've tweaked someone else's creation. I would've gone a bit tighter, you would leave it. In the grand scheme of Alien: Isolation, it's a minor tweak to a good game.

So you can understand where I am coming from, I'm a fan of the Resident Evil 4 school of thought when it comes to early game play pacing. Where you introduce the player to the majority of what they are going to encounter throughout the experience, quickly (in RE4's case, the first 10-20 minutes...or the first major encounter). Then craft whatever tone you want from there (suspense, action, slow, quick, etc.).

I wouldn't make Alien: Isolation the same pace as Resident Evil 4, I'm just saying...my sensibilities would go with trimming the first third down a bit.

Anyone dropping out before

Spoiler

MediBay

is missing out on a great game. Or, at least aren't reaching the point where they can determine, 100%, that the game is not for them.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

If you are even the most casual of Alien fans, Alien: Isolation is still for you. I just finished It up and every single moment/emotion that I swore would make a great game after seeing Alien for the first time is here and it is amazing. The atmosphere, visuals, and sound effects are spot on. The alien is frigethening up until the very last moment, and you absolutely dread its appearance every single time (in a good way). And finally the tension... The tension created here rivals (and IMO bests) anything the movie franchise has offered yet. There were times where I seriously was hanging off my chair, filled with anxiousness and praying the next save point was just around the corner.

My favorite moments (don't highlight spoilers unless you have already completed the game):

-

Spoiler

your first significant alien encounter at the med center is just surreal. Even after reading the reviews I just couldn't believe how well they nailed this aspect of the game. Towards the end of that section I took off running when the alien killed the guy in the glassed-off cubicle, and the Alien's tail impalled me right as I made it to the elevator button. That was also when I learned to never, EVER run.

-

Spoiler

I was worried when I got the flamethrower that it would make the game too easy, but the alien became even more aggressive after that point. It felt so great to have something to bat it off with though. When Watt's betrays you and locks you in with Alien on the escape pod, I had my first "OMFG I'm about to really play this" moment. Like daughter like mother!

Crawling through the vents, sneaking past the alien, and keeping it at bay with the flamethrower while I waited for the chamber to open was probably one of the most intense moments I had ever experienced in gaming. Little did I know that it would be shortly surpassed.

-

Spoiler

Mission 15. The core. A lot of people complain about the two android-filled missions that come beforehand, and I was feeling the same way. They weren't necessarily bad, they just seemed weak compared to the rest of the content. But shortly into mission 15 I realized that the pervious missions were there to null you into a feeling of security/safety before running straight into the nest. It has been maybe two hours since you have seen an Alien, and now here you are with multiple Aliens and face-huggers to boot. I have to give a hand to Creative Assembly because their approach to this moment raised an already great gameplay scenario into something that I won't be forgetting for many years to come.

When I saw the nest, I dreaded moving froward. My motion-tracker had multiple dots all over the place and I had no idea what to expect. Every move I made had doubt and anxiousness casted over it. After a few deaths (and screams) I was finally able to power up both cores and started to head back the way I came. As I entered the crawl space, I saw an alien cross on the other end and I stopped in my tracks. As it passed by I let out a sigh of relief only to be met with a face-hugger striaght to the face. I literally jumped out of my seat and screamed like a little girl. Turns out it was hidding in a puddle that happened to be in the middle of the crawl space. Holy hell what a tense section!

Complaints:
-

Spoiler

the game tends to drag at some points. It also does the "you thought it was over? NOPE!" too many times. Some content should have been left on the cutting board.

-

Spoiler

the animations of the NPCs... I got Metroid Prime 3 vibes in how bad they were. Which is funny because this is also one of the few games to hold a candle stick to the Metroid Prime series when it comes to quality of atmosphere.

-

Spoiler

while the ending is rather tense and really enjoyable, nothing matches the height of Mission 15. Maybe some of the content should have been cut/rearranged to where the best part is part of the ending instead on 3/4s in?

-

Spoiler

outside of Amanda Ripley, I was a big fan of the voice acting or story arches. They were serviceable but could have been so much more.

Most everything else I could complain about is nitpicky. I found no problem in the level of difficulty, and the Alien AI was fair and by far the best part of the game. I have no clue what the reviewers were complaining about. I figured that it might have been because of a long play-sessions for the review deadline but I best the game in 4 sittings (each 4-5 hours long) and the majority of my deaths came from mistakes that I made.

Overall, if I had to rate the game, I would say it is an 9.5/10 for Alien fans and a 8.5/10 for someone who is interested in horror games but doesn't have any previous history with Alien movie franchise. The 5.9 from IGN is just laughable.

 

[Stevey]

Just started Mission 15, loving it all the way.

Any ideas which DLC to play first after I've finished the main campaign?

 

[Saganator]

Just picked up the game from GameStop. Realized I haven't seen Alien in a while, so I'm gonna watch it in preparation. Was surprised to see I could stream it with Xfinity.

 

[Revolutionary]

Wow, Last Survivor is up for purchase already. Dat 1 week GameStop exclusivity lol

 

[Koralsky]

Just picked up the game from GameStop. Realized I haven't seen Alien in a while, so I'm gonna watch it in preparation. Was surprised to see I could stream it with Xfinity.

This is the right thing to do before start playing A:I.

I'm on mission 10 and for now, the game crashes all my expectations (they were never very high though). Overall amazing experience - playing on hard.

I hope the game is successful enough for SEGA to keep Creative Assembly console team intact.

 

[Timeaisis]

Just picked this up yesterday. Have no idea what mission I'm on, as they don't really give you a number, but

Spoiler

I just got on the elevator after your first true encounter with the Alien, and now I'm trying to do some stuff at the comms station.

So fa, I dig the game. There have been a few "find this item" type parts where I didn't know where to go that were kind of bothersome, but they haven't gotten too much in the way of my experience. I don't think I've gone up against enough survival scenarios to make a statement on the mechanics there. Crafting seems intuitive and resources are scare. The environments and atmosphere is great. Sound design is top notch.

Haven't had a real scary run in with the Alien quite yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

How long is this game? I'm not sure what mission I'm on, but I think it's like the 3rd or 4th "area" of the game.

 

[Melchiah]

How long is this game? I'm not sure what mission I'm on, but I think it's like the 3rd or 4th "area" of the game.

You can see the amount of missions, and the ones you've completed, from the trophies.

 

[Timeaisis]

You can see the amount of missions, and the ones you've completed, from the trophies.

Ah cool, thanks! Have only played it in that one sitting.

 

[shiba5]

If anyone is interested, the art book is quite nice. I got it today and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. It's a big, solid, hard cover with dust jacket and nice paper. Lots of pages. Great coffee table book to scare your friends.

 

[Saganator]

This is the right thing to do before start playing A:I.

It's amazing how well the film holds up. Makes me wish CGI never happened.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

For those who have finished the game completely - there is a Spoiler Thread available so you may talk freely post-game without all the black bars and tiptoeing

 

[mattiewheels]

I despise numbers in reviews, but I really think its hilarious that going by the numbers, IGN barely rates this above Colonial Marines. Did the repetitive nature really undo all the exquisiteness present in this game for them or something?

 

[Def Jukie]

I'm gonna start playing this tonight. What difficulty do you guys recommend?

Also, playing on PC. Mouse and keyboard or controller? I've seen a few complaints about mouth smoothing and sensitivity. Is this really an issue?

 

[QuantumBro]

The Lone Survivor pre-order dlc just went up on PSN and I was able to get it for free even though I pre-ordered through the PSN store. ($3.99 otherwise)

PS4: https://store.sonyentertainmentnetw...tent/cid=UP0177-CUSA00363_00-ALIENISOLATIOND1

PS3: https://store.sonyentertainmentnetw...tent/cid=UP0177-BLUS30832_00-00000000AIDLC001

 

[Ricker]

you got to chapter 15, you can do it! just take your time and don't rush/panic.. thats what was killing me at first, id get all nervous as id pay attention to the timer, and id get a symbol wrong or something as a result

you've already cleared out way way harder things then any of the hacking games!

I made it,damn, on my first retry after taking a break from the game...currently stuck in chapter 16 now lol,but its not because of some hacking mini game at least...so far

 

[EGM1966]

You have valid points as well and I agree, our back n' forth will eventually come down to how two very different people would've tweaked someone else's creation. I would've gone a bit tighter, you would leave it. In the grand scheme of Alien: Isolation, it's a minor tweak to a good game.

So you can understand where I am coming from, I'm a fan of the Resident Evil 4 school of thought when it comes to early game play pacing. Where you introduce the player to the majority of what they are going to encounter throughout the experience, quickly (in RE4's case, the first 10-20 minutes...or the first major encounter). Then craft whatever tone you want from there (suspense, action, slow, quick, etc.).

I wouldn't make Alien: Isolation the same pace as Resident Evil 4, I'm just saying...my sensibilities would go with trimming the first third down a bit.

Anyone dropping out before

Spoiler

MediBay

is missing out on a great game. Or, at least aren't reaching the point where they can determine, 100%, that the game is not for them.

To be fair if viewed as an actual sequel it probably could/should be tighter as in many ways the "cat is out the bag" regarding the Alien vs say watching the first film (for first time when it released). My take on the current pacing design is as follows:

Spoiler

you start on ship taking you to station - introduce characters and establish initial situation in totally safe environment
Videogame trope - you're own your own the moment you enter the space station. Allows you freedom to explore a bit and get feel of basic interactions and establishes station as a very believable, functional space - important for immersion as later you'll need to take the space station at face value while avoiding foes and getting on with stuff so it works well to make it seem to real now when no foes are present. Pacing wise it lulls you into thinking you know exactly how things will go now you've "gone solo" just like every other game.
But surprise - you're not on your own. You've got a jittery friend call Axel. Guess you're not going to have to explore and go around solo after all - maybe the game isn't going to be that predictable. This allows game to deflate tension of being solo and lull you into a false sense of security. Axel also functions as a guide, taking you casually into vents and around the place and he even provides a nice tutorial on sneaking around foes (only some simply human ones at this point of course)
Then just as you're settling in to the apparently easy pace and handy guide the game removes him violently and abruptly pulls the rug out from under your feet. This introduces the Alien but only fleetingly and in many ways serves as an alternative to the chestburster scene. A violent moment of transition following which you will never feel totally secure again. Your escape is designed around a tension filled wait for a transit with the knowledge whatever killed him must be very close (and if you're really tardy you'll find out just how close of course!). This is a great way to deliver an early spike of horror and tension and establish the Alien as delivering swift and inescapable death.
Following this things slow up a little as you are given some human foes to handle on your own. I'll note while I think this makes perfect pacing sense I felt the actual design of the encounter wasn't great. Pity as it's early on and I think you could genuinely criticize this should have been better shaped given its your first proper solo bit of gameplay in terms of stealth, distractions, etc. Pacing wise it makes sense though to provide a bit of a lull after Axel's death. I just wish the encounter was better designed - I have to confess the human foes annoyed me so much as I tried to experiment with redirect points and the like I beat them to death. Guess there goes the trophy for not killing anyone!
Once you do get past you get to explore without foes or issues and again the game is deliberately lulling you into a false sense of security that you're in okay shape to cope and can handle foes and puzzles because...
Here's the Alien. Once it appears it actually leaves you alone of course but you don't know that and are on high alert now as you wrap up the last puzzles and creep ever so slowly upstairs to find...
The Alien taking out the people up there which serves to make clear it's deadly and very much an obstacle. Again though I think this initial human/alien encounter could be better. I also don't think the Alien should have stayed around a bit as it does. Once it kills the humans it should be gone again given the overall pacing. Another flaw with the design here is what happens if you've horribly beat the humans to death as I did?
The following section then allows you to deal with simpler foes again (androids) and sets them up for the rest of the game in basic behavior. You're now into full gameplay but still not against Alien and crucially only against more predictable foes (the androids, like humans, lacking the Alien's more emergent behavior and AI). You're maneuvered into having no choice but to get back out of a now known space with foes/obstacles now placed in the way (worth nothing that this will be a common, repeating design, navigate into a space and then navigate back out again while avoiding confrontation and using multiple options from distractions to vents). As this sequence keeps Alien out of sight but does introduce it as hanging around vents I believe it highlights why the alien shouldn't hang around at end of previous mission when it kills the humans as it deflates the steady buildup to it being introduced "full time" into a level for you to avoid. Here the clear presence of the Alien in the vents signifies that very soon you will have to finally deal with it interactively yourself. Again fine from a pacing point of view if you're paying attention to the signs. If not then you'll find out what happens when you walk below vents with drool coming out them!
Post this mission when you escape the Androids you get reunited with your colleagues and then promptly dispatched into the full game (so to speak) when the Alien will be given a dramatic entrance again from a vent and this time the hunt will very much be on and it's finally time to use everything you've learnt against more predictable foes to combat it's unpredictability and stay alive when the slightest error will likely mean a quick death...

Wow - bit long but to close given the above and given we do all know about the Alien it probably is fair to argue the opening could achieve all the above but in less time if some of the encounters were compacted a little and the somewhat uneven multiple Alien introductions were reduced and smoothed out (after all we do know it's on the way from the start).

Great exchange BTW. I think games like Alien Isolation and TLOU are well worth analyzing and critiquing on their pacing and narrative flow as much as their gameplay given their design.

 

[VFX_Veteran]

If anyone is interested, the art book is quite nice. I got it today and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. It's a big, solid, hard cover with dust jacket and nice paper. Lots of pages. Great coffee table book to scare your friends.

Got it Day 1. Loving it!

 

[Seanspeed]

You can see the amount of missions, and the ones you've completed, from the trophies.

Oh jesus, I see 18 missions and I've only just finished the 4th one? Damn.

I'm just at where the alien is now becoming a legit roaming threat and its..........horrifying. At least with Amnesia, the monster appearances were somewhat scripted, but this just seems like there's very little predictability and you just have to grow some balls and make yourself get on with things. Which is really difficult for me. I'm struggling to leave the comfort of my locker! lol

 

[Messofanego]

How authentic is Alien: Isolation? - Andy Kelly, PC Gamer

Cool comparison picture gallery.

 

[Melchiah]

Oh jesus, I see 18 missions and I've only just finished the 4th one? Damn.

I'm just at where the alien is now becoming a legit roaming threat and its..........horrifying. At least with Amnesia, the monster appearances were somewhat scripted, but this just seems like there's very little predictability and you just have to grow some balls and make yourself get on with things. Which is really difficult for me. I'm struggling to leave the comfort of my locker! lol

There's actually a lengthy post about this game, and horror in general, on Frictional's blog. There are some unmarked spoilers (dammit!!!) about the ending in its latter half, when the movie comparisons begin just after the spacesuit pic. So I didn't read it all the way through, but it seemed like an interesting view on the subject.

http://frictionalgames.blogspot.se/2014/10/thoughts-on-alien-isolation-and-horror.html

Alien: Isolation is an interesting game, the latest and most refined, in a lineage that I call horror simulators. It does an excellent job at creating tension and uses a lot of the knowledge built up over the years to great success. But, because it has such a laser focus on a certain type of play, a bunch problems arise and other parts of the package suffer. It is a great game in many ways, truly excellent really, but there are some fundamental problems. These lead to – for me at least – a devastating flaw: At its core it fails to be a faithful emulation of the original Alien (1979) movie.

Before we can properly discuss the game, we need to talk some video game history and design theory. Over the past, there has been two different schools of horror games. One that has a horror wrapping on top of standardized gameplay (horror wrapping) and one that tries to recreate the happenings of a scary movie/novel (horror simulation). The former is quite well known and started with games like Lurking Horror (1987). Mechanically, the game played like other contemporary adventure games, but took place in a scary setting with events meant to frighten the player. The latter one is a bit harder to nail down precisely, but I would say it started out with a 3D Monster Maze (1982), a game that is neatly captured in its name: the player is trapped in maze and needs to escape a monster (in this case a heavily pixelated T-Rex).

While the horror wrapping design has thrived over the years, being a design corner stone for games like Phantasmagoria (1995, an adventure game), 7th Guest (1993, a puzzler) and Resident Evil (1996, an action shooter), the horror simulation is much rarer. After 3D Monster Maze, the next game to do it somewhat properly was Clock Tower (1995).

...

 

[Chabbles]

I've just hit chapter 5 and so far I love this game, except for one thing, the save system, which unfortunately is fucking terrible.

I like the save system, it really helps give the game something special that wouldnt be there with having auto save every other minute instead. It really goes hand in hand with this sort of game, and plays to the different elements within the game. It makes it more tense, makes the stealth more crucial, and makes the game feel more rewarding after getting through each section.. i like it.

 

[ekim]

I think i never played a game that really fulfills its premise as much as this. This is some game design I never thought someone would greenlight in regards of its scope. The whole idea of being alone in a space station with one alien hunting you was perfectly implemented so far. There is no safe place, no real mechanic that feels gamey in the way that you can calculate the outcome. Sorry - I can't express myself well today.

 

[bitoriginal]

This game, this fucking game! Just completed mission 10, which is the longest mission ever. It took me two evenings to tackle it, but it was pretty satisfying when I finally did it. I bumped the game back up to hard after mission 5 and 6 and haven't had any issues thus far.

This game really is a love letter to the first Alien film, and a damn good survival horror game. It is definitely one of the best games I've ever played, the design of the station, the audio, the story. The whole experience is just amazing. Sure there's some gameplay issues, but overall this is a game that needs to be experienced. I've not felt like this about a game since Dark Souls.

 

[Price Drop]

The Last Survivor DLC is pretty awesome. For me, it was way more difficult than Crew Expendable on Hard and you get a lot more audio from Sigourney, including additional exposition for the first film following Kane's death and for Amanda. Also, a lot of the Nostromo was rebuilt so there's a lot to explore. When those alarms start ringing after the self-destruct sequence starts, it's as damn close to the movie finale as you can get.

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

Playing mission 6,

Spoiler

trying to escape the medical facility and the Alien respawn is starting to get on my nerves.

Not really enjoying the game so far, if it wasn't a Alien game I would have dropped the game by now.

Does it get better or the

Spoiler

Alien respawn BS still continues?

I'm on the same mission, and yeah, the fact that he can respawn in a completely different room almost instantly is kinda annoying.

 

[Lettuce]

Ok just done Mission 14 now and i feel a tad cheated!!

Spoiler

Its called ALIEN Isolation not ALIENS Isolation. Though seeing the nest for the first time was cool, so prior to mission 14 has it always been just the 1 Alien stalking you or multiple ones?

I guess there MUST be a queen as well then, due to all the eggs but im on mission 15 now and haven't seen a sign of one if there is

 

[PuppetMaster]

Ok just done Mission 14 now and i feel a tad cheated!!

Spoiler

Its called ALIEN Isolation not ALIENS Isolation. Though seeing the nest for the first time was cool, so prior to mission 14 has it always been just the 1 Alien stalking you or multiple ones?

I guess there MUST be a queen as well then, due to all the eggs but im on mission 15 now and haven't seen a sign of one if there is

I like to think of it as

Spoiler

There were different aliens in different sections of the ship

 

[ffejeromdiks]

I'm on the same mission, and yeah, the fact that he can respawn in a completely different room almost instantly is kinda annoying.

He's really not too hard to avoid, just listen to his movements in the rafters. He's not simply respawning if you can trace his every movement just via audio ques, I'm even playing on hard. Once you get used to his pattern he's very predictable. When you're close to entering another area he'll usually move ahead of you and wait for you. When he's in the vents he can travel at running speed so he can get there very pretty damn fast.

The motion tracker isn't as reliable as the audio ques, just keep your volume cranked and stay crouched and you'll be sneaking past him like Solid Snake in no time.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Ok just done Mission 14 now and i feel a tad cheated!!

Spoiler

I guess there MUST be a queen as well then, due to all the eggs but im on mission 15 now and haven't seen a sign of one if there is

Spoiler

Not according to the lore established in the Director's Cut of Alien. A single drone can start a new hive by using eggmorphing.

 

[Revolutionary]

The Last Survivor DLC is pretty awesome. For me, it was way more difficult than Crew Expendable on Hard and you get a lot more audio from Sigourney, including additional exposition for the first film following Kane's death and for Amanda. Also, a lot of the Nostromo was rebuilt so there's a lot to explore. When those alarms start ringing after the self-destruct sequence starts, it's as damn close to the movie finale as you can get.

Yep. It's really really good.

"You are my lucky lucky star"