Alien: Isolation...

Steedie said:
Finished this last night, what an utterly fantastic game. The last two missions were probably a bit unnecessary, felt a bit drawn out, but other than that...10/10.

The atmosphere, the graphics...everything was just brilliant. I normally hate stealth games, but gave this a chance given the franchise, but this game doesn't feel like it's forcing you to be stealthy, more that you want to be stealthy given the Alien stalking you.

I really hope there is a sequel but I have the DLC (Last Survivor and Crew Expendable) to keep me going for a little bit
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I agree with you there i dont normally go for the stealthly genre,but im glad i did with this one
 
As I posted in the ratings thread-

My hopes were not particularly high, but this was one hell of an experience!

Positives

  • It's Alien...and it nails it! Imo, it fits in perfectly with the movies, and is as much canon as they are.
  • Graphics are incredible, really incredible. The games runs really well as well.
  • Presentation is absolutely amazing, with first class animations, voice acting and cutscenes. The atmosphere built is perfectly pitched for an Alien game. There are some amazing set-pieces.
  • The setting is great. Sevastapol is massive and really well designed.
  • The overall story is really good, and there are plenty of twists and turns throughout. Objectives are pretty much always clear(highlights how bad some recent games have been...Watch Dogs, Black Flag etc) and actually make sense which is rare nowadays!
  • Some interesting characters, with Amanda Ripley being strong enough to carry a whole game. Audio logs and appearances from original Alien actors are a neat touch as well.
  • Stealth gameplay is really good in places, with many ways to get through areas, and some interesting tactics involving craftable items.
  • The Alien itself is amazing. Being stalked the whole game by a really designed enemy with great AI that you can't kill makes for some incredibly tense moments, and some of the most memorable pieces of gaming in recent years. Watching(and hearing) The Alien rip through some NPCs is absolutely epic. It has great animations and is absolutely terrifying!
  • Sound. Incredible. It helps to create the atmosphere and build tension in a really good way. Perfect.
  • Some interesting crafting and extra things to do such as hacking and collecting Audio logs
  • There are some specific moments in the game that rank up there as absolute classic moments. I can't tell you about them as it would be a spoiler.
  • Overall, I would say the pacing is spot on apart from some issues in the last quarter of the game. The general pacing in terms of breaking up gameplay with different enemies/mechanics worked really well though.
  • You can explore a fair bit in the game, though it isn't particularly well implemented tbh.
  • The scanner is awesome, a great mechanic that really starts to feel indispensable.
  • Half way through the game, you get an item that changes the entire dynamics of your encounters with the Alien. It is really well done and keeps the game fresh.
Negatives

  • The game does lose it's way in the last quarter. The last 4 hours should probably be condensed in to about 1, or even cut completely tbh. As it is, the game probably does feel slightly too long.
  • The crafting UI is an atrocious piece of design!
  • There are some sections early on that can get a bit tedious, mainly involving the humanoid enemies.
  • As I mentioned, you can explore the station a fair bit, but there is never any need to really. There are also lots of locked doors that you have to just leave and often never go back to. Imo, the game is really crying out for some side quests. Just something simple, like coming across an NPC who wants you to find something or someone. It might actually give you a reason to explore. As it is though, the story is too tight and focused for exploring to really make sense.
  • Lots of backtracking in the last few hours, including one bit that is exactly the same as earlier in the game, with the same enemy doing the same things. Bits like this really do make the game seem repetitive.


Worth mentioning

  • The save system. Overall, I thought it worked quite well, but I can understand why some wouldn't. There definitely needs to be some kind of autosave at certain points to stop you from replaying cutscenes etc
  • Commits one of the cardinal sins- 'Start New Game' is the first option in the menu, before continue. Schoolboy error!
Overall, I adored this game. At times I found it terrifying, nerve-shredding, tense, exhilarating, at times tedious. It was never short of awesome though. I read a review that called it a game-changer, and I couldn't agree more. It has raised the bar for story-driven action games and brought survival horror back. It isn't just a great Alien game, it is a truly great game! 9.5/10
 
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Steedie said:
Finished this last night, what an utterly fantastic game. The last two missions were probably a bit unnecessary, felt a bit drawn out, but other than that...10/10.

The atmosphere, the graphics...everything was just brilliant. I normally hate stealth games but gave this a chance given the franchise, but this game doesn't feel like it's forcing you to be stealthy, more that you want to be stealthy given the Alien stalking you.

I really hope there is a sequel but I have the DLC (Last Survivor and Crew Expendable) to keep me going for a little bit
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Totally agree with you 100%

Unfortunately the Crew Expendable and last survivor didn't cut the mustard for me. They are a great addition for the nostalgic value of putting you in the original film, but they could have been so much better. I won't spoil it but I am amazed they brought the cast back together for these add on's, really wasn't worth it imo.

Waiting for some more DLC to come out, although I think I will watch a walk through or something before I buy it. I am not keen on the survivor mode and I understand the new content will in this form. Such a shame there doesn't appear to be more campaign DLC
 
I really hope they tackle an Aliens type game for a sequel. For me the movie Aliens was just as intense as the first film. I could just imagine the whole placing sentry guns and the part where the aliens come in from the roof.
And the whole decending into the alien hive part with the motion trackers going crazy. They nailed Alien so im sure they could do justice to Aliens.
 
kmetek said:
Such a shame new DLC's will be survivor mode only, I want campaign style!!!
And of course, a sequel? :)
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Me too, I am gutted. Even if they could have done a Campaign style thing on the Nostromo it would have been awesome.

Survivor game against the clock doesn't work for me at all.

Multiplayer would be awesome too. Being on the Sevastopol as a survivor, forming alliances etc whilst avoiding the alien. Rob other alliances of their kit, bringing the alien in to destroy your rival survivors.

I know it is called Isolation but an opportunity missed imo.
 
Heads up that Corporate Lockdown is now available for purchase or season pass owners.

More survivor mode stuff, looks fairly good from what I have seen. Would like to know how big the levels are.
 
Just aligned the dish to the torrens and...

was both terrified and excited to watch the alien running on the outside of the station then disappearing again
 
It's only because this was the first time in the game you get to see the real scale and size of the station. I was looking at everything then at the window on the left as you walk back in and that's when you see it scuttling over and disappearing.
 
I'm still waiting for some clever clogs to mod the motion tracker 'blip' noise to the one from Aliens. I know it dosent align with the stories continuity but the 2nd movie tracker noise is far more iconic.

Here's hoping. Ironically I did have a dig around in the game files and there is a motion tracker file in the Audio folder. My guess this would need to be extracted, the new files added and recompiled. Someone on the world wide web should be able to do this :D
 
Am I the only one totally uninterested in any survivor mode stuff?

Going against the clock seems completely "alien" (see what I did there) to the core concept of the game.
 
SixTwoSix said:
They could have story DLC based on other people on the station. Corporate Lockdown for example didn't have to be survivor mode.
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From what I gather all the DLC is survivor mode. Not very encouraging really, only people it seems to suit is luckers who want to run through the level using chance to get a low time to post.
 
Mate and I finished playing in sync last night, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Was quite a challenge on hard in parts.

The bit where you get the EVA suit in Mission 18, then look up and get dragged through the vents only to wake up as facehugger bait. Very cool and tense. Took as a while to work out we'd been dragged up and spending the next 3-4 sections falling down lift shafts.

I couldn't help but think after circumventing yet another seriously unfortunate turn of luck: "WHY THE HELL HAVE THEY PUT SO MANY CRITICAL OVERRIDES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE STATION?! Surely this would be so much easier to access from INSIDE?!"

Also, I really would have liked to been able to destroy at least one of the xenomorphs. Be it squished in something, or blown up. Anything, would have been really satisfying instead of just assuming one hit the planet in the jettisoned section or assuming one was blown out into space with you at the end. Hey ho, part of the mythology I guess.
 
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