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[Grand Theft Scratchy]

As of the early 2010s first-person survival horror games were a rarity, a space most notably occupied by the likes of indie hit Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Triple-A games in the genre, the Resident Evils, Silent Hills, and Dead Spaces of the world, had yet to move beyond the tried-and-true third-person perspective. Change peeked over the horizon by the middle of the decade, though, with another indie success, Outlast, and Hideo Kojima’s P.T. demo laying the foundation for a new wave of survival horror. Little did anyone know, an Alien project based on Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic would also move the needle.

The ambitions powering Creative Assembly’s vision for Alien: Isolation were grounded by far more than a shift in perspective. In using the original film as a stepping stone, Isolation tread ground that no other Alien-based video game had dared traverse. Previous interactive adventures through the sci-fi universe placed special emphasis on the action-oriented qualities of James Cameron’s 1986 sequel. Such titles supplied players with advanced firearms and assigned the arduous task of killing Xenomorphs—Alien: Isolation did neither. Creative Assembly instead encouraged players to avoid the creature, hide from and fear it, even distract it when necessary. But fully understanding the core of the experience they wanted to create proved a formidable undertaking for the team.

Four years of production were devoted to the project. A new engine and major gameplay changes imposed several challenges on a studio that lacked a survival horror pedigree. To the delight of many an Alien fan, however, those obstacles culminated in a one of a kind exploration of the seminal franchise.

 

[Hugare]

One of my favorite games of the generation

Just brilliant all around. Amazing atmosphere, sound design, level design, monster AI and so on.

Sad that it wasnt patched with Pro/X support. Would like to replay it once more with improved res.

Hopefuly they will make a sequel one day

 

[CamHostage]

Ok, yes to this, but also... have you played Alien Vs Predator for Jaguar on original hardware with a CRT?



(*But nevermind that. I hear the Switch version of Alien Isolation is good, that may be my summer nights game when I can sit on the porch again.)

 

[Julius Ibidus]

Ok, yes to this, but also... have you played Alien Vs Predator for Jaguar on original hardware with a CRT?

oh god

 

[SonicVolcano]

Such an amazing experience. One of the most atmospheric games, like, ever.

That IGN review though.

 

[comshoplesce]

Please devs dont listen to ign REVIEW. It's the best game.

 

[ZimZum]

Did IGN said something about the review months or years later? I cant understand why they give such a low score

 

[FunkMiller]

I keep meaning to install the VR mod for this game. I haven't played it in five years, and having another go in VR would be well worth it.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Ok, yes to this, but also... have you played Alien Vs Predator for Jaguar on original hardware with a CRT?



(*But nevermind that. I hear the Switch version of Alien Isolation is good, that may be my summer nights game when I can sit on the porch again.)

I understood that reference. I have. It's a tolerable game on a system with a horrible library.

 

[Romulus]

I keep meaning to install the VR mod for this game. I haven't played it in five years, and having another go in VR would be well worth it.

It's a completely different experience in VR for the better. That is if you love horror.

 

[Larxia]

monster AI and so on

Yes and no...
I loved the game, it was amazing, perfect atmosphere and best recreation of the feeling of the original movie, it's a better sequel for me than Aliens.

However, the Xenomorph could be incredibly frustrating for me at times. After a short time you quickly realize that the alien is constantly linked to you, tethered to the player. Instead of really roaming naturally around the station, it will just be scripted in different loop depending on the area, around you.
It was really annoying sometimes, especially near the beginning with the pharmacy level, this one drove me crazy and almost led me to give up on the game, thankfully I didn't.

It just felt annoying because it was sometimes too much, I was so annoyed of the scripted alien constantly being behind me that at some point I said fuck it and switched the difficulty to easy, something I usually never do, just to appreciate the atmosphere with less annoyance.

I would have really preferred if the alien had a more natural behaviour that felt less like an obvious script linked to the player's location, it would have been more immersive, and the times where you would hear the alien near you would have had more impact, because here at some point you just get used to it.

It's still a really great game, and I know I sound like I hated it, but I didn't, loved the atmosphere and most of the game, but it could have been a lot better with a better alien behaviour in my opinion.

 

[Camreezie]

Favourite game of the generation tied with The witcher 3 . Wish we would get more of this style with old IPs

 

[Sorne]

Yea, have really fond memories of this game. They just nailed the whole atmosphere, and artstyle. Truly an homage to the original Alien movie.

If I had to say something negative about the game, it would be that it's a tad too long and gets somewhat repetitive towards the end. But still, that's not a bad complaint overall.

 

[Hugare]

Yes and no...
I loved the game, it was amazing, perfect atmosphere and best recreation of the feeling of the original movie, it's a better sequel for me than Aliens.

However, the Xenomorph could be incredibly frustrating for me at times. After a short time you quickly realize that the alien is constantly linked to you, tethered to the player. Instead of really roaming naturally around the station, it will just be scripted in different loop depending on the area, around you.
It was really annoying sometimes, especially near the beginning with the pharmacy level, this one drove me crazy and almost led me to give up on the game, thankfully I didn't.

It just felt annoying because it was sometimes too much, I was so annoyed of the scripted alien constantly being behind me that at some point I said fuck it and switched the difficulty to easy, something I usually never do, just to appreciate the atmosphere with less annoyance.

I would have really preferred if the alien had a more natural behaviour that felt less like an obvious script linked to the player's location, it would have been more immersive, and the times where you would hear the alien near you would have had more impact, because here at some point you just get used to it.

It's still a really great game, and I know I sound like I hated it, but I didn't, loved the atmosphere and most of the game, but it could have been a lot better with a better alien behaviour in my opinion.

The station is city wide in terms of scale

So realistically, Ripley could finish all the objectives in the game before even getting the chance to find the Xenomorph.

It's always in the same location as you because otherwise, the game would become boring as fuck. It's by design, and for me, it works. Because I was always tense during the whole game knowing that he was around.

And you would be able to easily cheat the game by reloading your save so the alien could spawn at another location on the ship.

I've finished the game 4 times, and I think that the pressure is perfect.

You are meant to feel like you've barelly survived the game. I always feel exausted by the end.

 

[Come On Tars]

Might get around to playing in vr soon. I hear conflicting things on how to play it. Either turn the game on easy for he doesn't appear so much, or do a mod that makes the ai not snap to you and always know your position.

 

[Esca]

One of my two fav games from last gen (bloodborne being the other).
I loved everything about the game except one thing. Once you got the flamethrower the alien wasn't a threat anymore

 

[SnapShot]

Great game, just gets a bit too repetitive in the second half of playthrough.

 

[Arachnid]

One of my favorite games of the generation

Just brilliant all around. Amazing atmosphere, sound design, level design, monster AI and so on.

Sad that it wasnt patched with Pro/X support. Would like to replay it once more with improved res.

Hopefuly they will make a sequel one day

Agreed. Best survival horror game we've gotten since OG Silent Hill games. Definitely one of my games of the gen. It's criminal how under the radar it went and it should have made millions more.

Never Forget this abhorration. Never.

 

[Hugare]

Agreed. Best survival horror game we've gotten since OG Silent Hill games. Definitely one of my games of the gen. It's criminal how under the radar it went and it should have made millions more.

Never Forget this abhorration. Never.

I usually dont give a damn about scores, but they meant a lot to Alien Isolation.

Coming after Colonial Marines, people were very cautious about a new Alien game.

So yeah, a 5.9 from IGN meant a lot, and probably fucked A LOT of sales. So for this reason this review is one of the worst if not the worst ever, due to its repercursions.

Fucking Ryan McCaffrey. Probably the worst jounalist in gaming that I've ever seen. With shitty or incorrect opinions time and time again across the years.

 

[nkarafo]

Agreed. Best survival horror game we've gotten since OG Silent Hill games. Definitely one of my games of the gen. It's criminal how under the radar it went and it should have made millions more.

Never Forget this abhorration. Never.

I didn't care much about reviews at the time but this one made me completely ignore them ever since.

 

[GnomeChimpsky]

Might get around to playing in vr soon. I hear conflicting things on how to play it. Either turn the game on easy for he doesn't appear so much, or do a mod that makes the ai not snap to you and always know your position.

I've been waiting years to play with the VR mod. The creator is supposedly working on proper motion controls.

 

[DeaDPo0L84]

It's the best Alien game and one of the best survival horror games, arguably the best in recent years. Funny enough I just watched Alien tonight with the wife on our new OLED in 4k and got the itch to replay it.

 

[Team Andromeda]

Such an amazing experience. One of the most atmospheric games, like, ever.

That IGN review though.

IGN are a joke

 

[SonicVolcano]

If you don't want to play the game yourself, watch the playthrough by Storpey. His scares are one of the best.

 

[RJMacready73]

Has the Dev team responded to why they haven't released a VR/Pro patch? I'm assuming costs but man imo Sony should pony (groan) up the cash and get this as a PSVR exclusive, I mean the game is custom built for VR and would be an insanely good experience

 

[Jack Uzi]

Has the Dev team responded to why they haven't released a VR/Pro patch? I'm assuming costs but man imo Sony should pony (groan) up the cash and get this as a PSVR exclusive, I mean the game is custom built for VR and would be an insanely good experience

It’s bugging, they worked on putting it on the Switch but couldn’t patch it for Pro/X while they were at it.

 

[Spaceman292]

Yes and no...
I loved the game, it was amazing, perfect atmosphere and best recreation of the feeling of the original movie, it's a better sequel for me than Aliens.

However, the Xenomorph could be incredibly frustrating for me at times. After a short time you quickly realize that the alien is constantly linked to you, tethered to the player. Instead of really roaming naturally around the station, it will just be scripted in different loop depending on the area, around you.
It was really annoying sometimes, especially near the beginning with the pharmacy level, this one drove me crazy and almost led me to give up on the game, thankfully I didn't.

It just felt annoying because it was sometimes too much, I was so annoyed of the scripted alien constantly being behind me that at some point I said fuck it and switched the difficulty to easy, something I usually never do, just to appreciate the atmosphere with less annoyance.

I would have really preferred if the alien had a more natural behaviour that felt less like an obvious script linked to the player's location, it would have been more immersive, and the times where you would hear the alien near you would have had more impact, because here at some point you just get used to it.

It's still a really great game, and I know I sound like I hated it, but I didn't, loved the atmosphere and most of the game, but it could have been a lot better with a better alien behaviour in my opinion.

Are you the guy who wrote the IGN review?

 

[Reindeer]

Repetitive gameplay loop and having to play the game at snail's pace killed this title for me. Atmosphere is next level though.

 

[Nikana]

For people wondering about the IGN review.

IGN Xbox executive editor :I was wrong . Past hardware DOES holds back next hardware

I was thinking more of how games are pushed on people. All trailers are flashy, colourful (like a gambling machine in vegas) set to pounding pop DnB style music, the hype, the marketing campaign, it's all becoming very pop-culture and mainstream. I don't know how to explain it, but it's more...

www.neogaf.com

 

[Larxia]

Are you the guy who wrote the IGN review?

... I said I liked the game, and I disagree with the IGN review, nothing comparable. I just think the AI of the alien is far from being great and that it could have been better, because it felt too much like a script, that's all.

 

[PleaseDontBanMe]

i need to try this out in VR

 

[Arachnid]

I usually dont give a damn about scores, but they meant a lot to Alien Isolation.

Coming after Colonial Marines, people were very cautious about a new Alien game.

So yeah, a 5.9 from IGN meant a lot, and probably fucked A LOT of sales. So for this reason this review is one of the worst if not the worst ever, due to its repercursions.

Fucking Ryan McCaffrey. Probably the worst jounalist in gaming that I've ever seen. With shitty or incorrect opinions time and time again across the years.

Yeah, he has no business calling himself a "journalist".

I wonder when the next time I'll get a survival horror game of this caliber will be.

 

[Games of Today]

Favourite game of the generation tied with The witcher 3 . Wish we would get more of this style with old IPs

I just really need a game based on Jurassic Park 1 in this game's style.

 

[Jack Uzi]

This game has probably one of the best audio mixes this gen. subwoofer and surround channel got a workout.

 

[skit_data]

I just really need a game based on Jurassic Park 1 in this game's style.

For what its worth:





Still, its more of an indie game. Put Creative Assembly on something similar and you have my GOTY that year

 

[PuppetMaster]

Legendary game. Played through it multiple times. Beat it on the hardest difficulty. The atmosphere is intense even on multiple play throughs.

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

I found the androids scarier than the alien

 

[eastcoastkody]

cool game. didn't like this video tho. Its 20 mins of explaining Alien isolation...and like 3 mins of talking about behind the scenes stuff

 

[PhoenixTank]

cool game. didn't like this video tho. Its 20 mins of explaining Alien isolation...and like 3 mins of talking about behind the scenes stuff

I seem to remember the noclip video being a bit more in depth if you haven't caught it. Interviews and such.



Still free on Epic until Thursday for anyone on the fence.

Alien: Isolation | Download and Buy Today - Epic Games Store

Download and play Alien: Isolation at the Epic Games Store. Check for platform availability and price!

www.epicgames.com