Alien Isolation

[PrimalLove]

Just finished up this fantastic game! If you are a fan of the alien universe and especially the first movie, you will absolutely love this game! The sound and art design is spot on! The stealth mechanics are nothing new but work effectively well. The environments are authentic to the movie we love. Did I mention the Alien is the most frightening creature I have ever encountered in a game before? Yeah, there's that. More complex than simple cat and mouse, its more like playing a game of chess with an old comrade but this one will eat you if it wins.

The story is well told and except for a few slow and somewhat dull moments close to the end the game did a fantastic job telling the story of Amanda Ripley and making the Alien truly the ruthlessly cunning killing machine Ridley Scott had envisioned. If you have the will and don't have a heart condition you owe it to yourself to give this a shot! You will not be disappointed.

It's also worth mentioning it has a pretty cool survivor mode for times when you want short burst of horror. It's you vs. the Alien in a match of wits. Basically you get small challenges/tasks to complete and you are timed on your progression. They have leaderboards too.

If you've already played it give me your thoughts!

[damage_inc]

This is the next game I'm playing, starting this weekend I'm avoiding to much discussion about it so as to not ruin it. I did that with "The Last of Us", grrr... got a cool 6 hour DVD of it now though!!!

BTW, how long did it take you to finish it Primal?

[PrimalLove]

21.5 hours But worth every hour

There are some moments you may encounter combat but almost 90% of it is avoidable if you are truly stealth. So if you were worried about there being too much combat its mostly optional. I for one had a bit of fun when I found some new toys. I won't spoil it for you but they made letting out some frustration I had with the alien satisfying. Also, you cannot kill or even really hurt the alien at all. The only thing you can do is distract it and once you find a nice little toy later, you can scare it off a bit. But its short lived. Have fun!

[damage_inc]

Thanks, that's a good amount of time for today's games. I play kinda slow and observe the environment a lot to though, maybe it'll be longer for me...

[PrimalLove]

@damage_inc

I should mention there are plenty of locations to backtrack to later once you find certain equipment. So plenty of things to do to make it much longer. I did not backtrack as much as I would have liked. Lots of the exploration will lead you to audio files with some interesting backstory and some more details of the nostromo that answer some questions you may of had from the first movie. I highly recommend getting the 3.99 DLC called Expendables. I usually don't recommend dlc's like this but if you didn't get the pre-order its actually worth the 3.99. You get to play as one of the crew of the nostromo!! That's right! It's awesome and recreates the part of the movie where they try to trap the alien closing off vents. Its a faithful recreation with some nice added twist. My opinion is it should have been part of the game but for 3.99 the content is worth it.

[damage_inc]

Cool, thanks for the tip.

With the DLC is that played separately before, during or after you finish the main game?

[PrimalLove]

i played it after I finished the game but its has no spoilers and just follows the basic same things that was done in the movie with some changes to the environment that don't exactly match what you remember from the first movie but pretty darn close. Tho if does have a few of those toys I mentioned that you normally wouldn't get in the campaign until almost a 1/3 or more of the way through. Both survivor mode and expendables can be played at any time with limited spoilage but I choose to play them after. It made my experience with the Alien in the campaign much more dramatic because I was seeing it for the first time and had to learn how to outsmart it. It uses dynamic AI so its actions are more or less never the same. But, like any AI, it's reactions to specific stimulus is predictable and thus you can use these behaviorisms to your advantage to steer the beast where you'd like and even attract it when you want. I can think of a few times I actually wanted to attract it's attention for purposes i will not reveal but which outcome was quite satisfying.

[Adam]

How about a demake in Quake?

Alien Isolation '97 -the lost original version-

Soooo tempting, Maybe when I have finished my current thing.

[OMacKnight]

I plan to obtain this game as quick as possible when I can get a hold of a good PC

[ArrrCee]

I plan to obtain this game as quick as possible when I can get a hold of a good PC

Game looks really cool, but I'm too much of a **** to play it. I get really anxious when I play games like that

[damage_inc]

Started playing today... man that was a HUGE download over my connection via Steam!!!

I must say the game is beautiful, amazingly crafted and very atmospheric. It has a sloooow pace but it's deadly if you're not playing as if you FEAR for your life. I chose the hardest skill level as that's what was suggested in the menu! Maybe I should rethink that.

I've been killed by an Alien once and shot to death twice, in the first two hours. I think I NEED some red armor, a mega health and a super shotgun

Can't wait to play again after work tomorrow...

[PrimalLove]

i also played on hard. The IGn review claimed it was a mistake but I think the developers are right. Its best played on hard for sure. It makes the alien have much better sense. Sometimes too good. The game can be unforgiving if you aren't stealth. Androids are mostly an annoyance as you can run from them with ease. The problem comes mostly when you have to deal with both them and the alien at the same time. Yes, this will happen. But I like the way the game teaches you the mechanics. In my view the fist hour or so is really a very well done tutorial without coming out and saying it. It gets you familiar with the controls and various enemies you will encounter. The beginning pacing was perfect to me but I could see it being a problem for some. If you aren't use to the stealth genre it can be frustrating. Running and gunning just isn't possible. The gameplay is more like chess. You really have to plan your next move and with the alien this can be quite difficult unless you tip the scale in your favor using little tricks. Utilize the various items you can craft and flares. They are very helpful for distractions. This part of its AI is very predictable and can be used in your favor to get him where you want so you can move silently to the objective.

It's some of the most intense moments I've ever had in a game. Good luck!

[Mindf!3ldzX]

some epic overload of nostalgia when that SEGA logo pops up on my monitor OH MY GAWD.

Sorry I couldn't discuss the actual game, I haven't made it much farther than the SEGA logo


WELCO
METOT
HENEX
TLEVEL



I'm playing this game pretty damned slow, considering I prefer "Leeeeeeerooooooy Jenkennnnnnns" method of gaming.

[damage_inc]

I got the REVOLVER! But I don't need no stinkin' revolver... I NEED sumthin' that shoots a depleted uranium slug!!! To take out the androids cause my "stealthy senses" SUCK ASS and using the revolver is practically useless.

Seriously now, I enjoy the game a whole lot but can only play for lil' over 2 hours at a time. I understand the save system most games use in this day and age but... when I've "stealthed" around for 35+ minutes only to try a tactic and DIE, having to start over from my "current save" well... it's a bit over at that point.

Nonetheless, the game is freaking gorgeous graphically In game lighting and effects... off the chIZart. Fer rIZealzz.

Can't wait to play again tomorrow after work

[PrimalLove]

I actually had no trouble with the saves. I personally thought they had too many save points. If you are willing to back track a bit you can easily save many times before doing something... foolish... But a few of the reviews also made mention to this "lack" of save points. I just didn't get it. More than enough places to save. The revolver I rarely used until the end when.... well it becomes more necessary. But you still have many more treats to find yet. Plus keep an eye out for those blueprints.

Enjoy!