Alien: Isolation

[tpw 2315]

I love science fiction, and I love survival horror games, so I'm as happy as a pig in shit with the recent release of Alien: Isolation. To my mind the developers Creative Assembly have absolutely nailed the spirit of the first (and arguably best) Alien movie with a really impressive sci-fi/horror game.

- Absolutely stunning visuals, design and lighting, perfectly recreating the 70s analog futuristic vibe of the movie, right down to clunky CRT green screen monitors.

- Magnificent immersive (creepy) sound design and music.

- Slow paced horror with steadily rising tension and helplessness (you can't kill the Alien, only hide).

- Incredible AI and visual design for the Alien.

- Interesting story which nicely dovetails in between Alien and Aliens.

It all runs very very smoothly and bug free on my system and most certainly does not appear to be another carelessly implemented console to PC port. It's not perfect though, there are issues with NPC animation/lipsync, AA is poor, and the player character jarringly does not cast a shadow (which is a let down in a game that relies so heavily on light and shadow for atmosphere). Some people have criticised it as overly long, but having not completed it yet I can't comment.

These issues aside, I can highly recommend Alien: Isolation for fans of atmospheric horror games such as Metro 2033, Amnesia and Outlast, fans of the original Alien movie, and those who are after something different than the usual run and gun FPS fare. I hope the game is a huge success so that the developers will attempt a more player-empowered Aliens game to erase the memory of the woeful Colonial Marines.

[Opticalsnare 12]

Its alright, but its getting frustrated at where i am, first i was proper into it scared the shit outta me a few times but then the fear factor was replaced by utter frustration the fear factor for me has faded down big time because the design of the save system just takes the piss really, i spent ages doing one part almost an hour into this one bit and sneaking about scared to move and taking everything with utter stealth in mind only to be killed because i tried to make a dash for the next room and the Alien got me, so i had to start from the last save point which was quite far behind, so ok my fault start again. Then i did everything again the alien got me whilst i was hiding, start again, then the alien cheated and ripped the door open on the hiding spot i was even tho i was leaning back and holding my breath so start again sign.... After each attempt this is where it started to fail big time for me, cause i don't want to do the same task over and over it ruins the experience, read comp, get keycards again do do dooo do because for me i rapidly lose the stealthly approach and this then just gets replaced with angry playing mode where you try and do the task quicker trying to get back where you were.

I did infact just take the piss and insted of hiding just keep moving and ducking and i got to the same point i was in the first place in like 3mins insted of like 30mins all the time i wasnt scared or fear and the words infront of the screen from before like oh shiiit, were now just fo please ffs and insted of crawling thru vents and hiding in cuboards, now i just die repeat die repeat till i get to where i was, and this is because the savesystem fails hard. They should have done it so when you reach the next task like get to a computer and retrieve the code you need SAVED, go to the next room whilst dodging the alien and sneaking about and get the keycode SAVED. checkpoint systems have always sucked really cause it forces the player to do the same thing all over again when they died and this ruins the play experience / immersion, and the savepoint system is just as annoying because you end up running to and from the save point. Could have just said you get 3 saves that you can use, so when you do get past a tricky point you can save it and when you are outta saves your only hope is the last save. But oh well

But apart from that its still a good game but ive had to stop playing for the moment because its getting rather boring and repeative.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Opticalsnare

[jw custom 56]

I started playing this on PS4 but i'm on a hold due to the annoying savegame system combined with often dieing because you have no clue what to do or where you are safe.

The atmosphere is really awesome and i will continue playing when my rage is over :p

[Opticalsnare 12]

Well ive come to point now where im no longer interested in playing the game anymore due to style of gameplay of the high repeated dying over and over, having to return to the savepoint and replay the same area over and over again doing the same things over and over again lol, sometimes its 5-6 times. All immersion in the game is utterly lost now, any feeling of being frightened of the Alien has gone out the window, its far too much there in your face onscreen its like Booo BOOO BOOOO nar your not scaring me anymore sorry your just fucking irritating. Its a shame cause the game started really well but it gets boring and frustrating REAL fast after few hours in. And after hearing that the game lasts for 20hrs something im now just like faaak that im bored and have lost interest after half that time. Can't believe people are chomping this up like its the best game in video history overall my impressions was awesome but now i feel its a pretty weak ass game..

[bullet purveyor 85]

Exactly how I felt it. The completely rubbish save system ruins the experience. It brakes absolutely all immersion. I have never understood why console games can't have a proper F5 save F6 load system?

I lowered the difficulty to easy after a while, just to get through to the end without endless repeat plays of the same areas.

Don't trust the comment in the game menu that the hard mode is the "recommended way to play" the game. It's the most frustrating way to play the game.

A real shame to think just by adding a simple quick/save load this game could have been one of the best out there.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Bullet Purveyor

[negah 26]

I havent yet finished the game but I think Im somewhere near the end.

So far I really like it, yes the lack of quick save function causes some frustration.

It also makes finding save stations priority one, which kind of distracts from your actual objective.

Still it actually makes you be afraid to die, just like old Resident Evil games did it. Take it out, and there wont be much horror left in this game.

I mean we all know what xenomorphs are and how they look like. In fact Im more afraid of working joes, those are some creepy SOBs (at least for me).

But the best feature of this game is IMO the station itself. It reminds on System Shock 2 which is a good thing, and since you revisit some places a couple of times you actually feel that you are on a big station and not some endless corridor.

Also the levels where you are all alone have some of the best ingame atmosphere Ive encountered, though I havent played that many horror games, so cant judge on that.

For the next game I kind of wish a mix of Alien Isolation and Colonial Marines, where you actually can kill the aliens. You could start as a fire team, then get separated, play hide and seek with the aliens without ammo till you find the rest of your "ultimate badass" mates and kick some ass. The features like ordering team mates, that were promised in Colonial Marines but never happened, would be great too.

And please a different story, Weyland Yutani trying to capture an alien gets old. I was already glad I havent seen a Bishop android (at least until now).

Edited October 21, 2014 by negah

[bangtail 0]

Love it, save system and all.

Taking it out will ruin the game and allow people to charge through it with no need to plan.

That's what makes the game so much fun and the sense of peril so immediate, wrong moves have consequences, sometimes very serious ones.

I've spent 20 minutes in a closet monitoring the tracker as the Alien searches the area - fucking tense.

I do understand the frustration, especially if you have limited time to play, but I suspect this was done on purpose.

No doubt they will implement a different save system due to all the whining but I hope it is implemented as a choice rather than replacing the current one because some people actually like it.

This game absolutely and completely nails the feeling of the Alien film. It's clear the devs researched every detail from visual style to sound.

Edited October 23, 2014 by BangTail

[jw custom 56]

This game absolutely and completely nails the feeling of the Alien film. It's clear the devs researched every detail from visual style to sound.

Yes the atmosphere/sound/light is amazing but i still hate the save system. You spent a lot of time replaying same parts of game because you need to learn what to do, where to hide, where you can and can not hide etc.

[bangtail 0]

The forced learning is a good thing imho, It encourages you to plan and to implement strategies.

It can be laborious, but by the same token, it makes the whole experience more involving.

I love exploring and I love the fact that this game is very focused on exploration and evasion.

I also like the fact that there is no option to 'run and gun', that approach will only lead to your demise.

There are a few things I don't like, like not being able to pick up NPC guns for example, that was a very stupid design decision and it did (briefly) spoil my immersion.

Edited October 24, 2014 by BangTail

[ProfTournesol 956]

That's why i loved the OFP savegame way : only one free savegame available per mission, + mission designed automatic savegames / quit the game savegames. Simple and effective.

[jw custom 56]

That's why i loved the OFP savegame way : only one free savegame available per mission, + mission designed automatic savegames / quit the game savegames. Simple and effective.

Yeah that works in a open world game, but in a closed environment where you are forced to move through same places not so much.

[negah 26]

Yeah that works in a open world game, but in a closed environment where you are forced to move through same places not so much.

Getting shot out of nowhere after a kilometer long run was just as frustrating in OFP. It taught you to be cautious nonetheless. Alien Isolation save system does the same.

In the older Rainbow Six games you couldnt save during a mission at all, and a single killed hostage (which happened quite often in RS3) meant game over. No one complained about it back then.

[bangtail 0]

Getting shot out of nowhere after a kilometer long run was just as frustrating in OFP. It taught you to be cautious nonetheless. Alien Isolation save system does the same.

In the older Rainbow Six games you couldnt save during a mission at all, and a single killed hostage (which happened quite often in RS3) meant game over. No one complained about it back then.

QFT.

'Instant grat' rules now, real shame imho.

Nice to see the Alien Devs going with the 'old school' system.

I'm enjoying the hell out of Alien: Isolation.

Along with a handful of others, one of the best games I have played in a long time.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Love it, save system and all.

Taking it out will ruin the game and allow people to charge through it with no need to plan.

This. It wouldnt be nearly as scary if you could save and load at any time. Consequences are fun. That said: I do play on easy, because i have other things to do besides trying a level 300 times. :p

Anyway, the game looks quite alright, but i really miss some anti-aliasing. Without the jaggies this game would look absolutely stunning. I tried to get some downsampling to work, but failed.

[jw custom 56]

This. It wouldnt be nearly as scary if you could save and load at any time. Consequences are fun. That said: I do play on easy, because i have other things to do besides trying a level 300 times. :p

Playing through the same parts again and again certaintly kills the scary aspect for me!