Alien: Isolation

[TheMightyEthan]

I can't believe we didn't have a thread for this yet.

 

 

I so so SO want this game to be good, but the Alien series does not have a good track record, so I'm scared.

[SomTervo]

I can't believe nobody has replied to this thread yet!

 

I played several hours of this last night.

 

Hoooo boyyyyyy.

 

Bit of a shaky start; Creative Assembly clearly aren't seasoned at narrative stuff. The acting is fantastically strong, but the characters struggle with a bit of a limp script. Amanda Ripley is a real stealth surprise: she's absolutely golden. Has a wonderfully unique, not super-human-perfect face with a few of Ellen's features. A really great voice too, though the actress tries a little hard to imitate some of Weaver's intonation.

 

The problem is the first 2-3 hours are sort of like... Metro 2033 in space. It's not bad but it's a prett shoddy, shambolic first-person adventure. The vibe is always incredible, start-to-finish, and imho it outdoes Bioshock and possibly even System Shock in it's space station universe- but the character animations are all pretty bad and it overuses them massively. There's a scene where four people are standing and talking and it's literally like puppets with flapping mouths. The voice acting's great, but the facial animation made me shudder. And you're on a pretty lame linear track rocking too-quickly through various locales. Unlike the film, CA don't spend about 1 hour with no action to build the tension- they crack into the action pretty quickly, and it's very jarring. I wish they paced the opening more. Devs all seem bad at expositions these days, except perhaps Naughty Dog.

 

But then, about 2 hours in, maybe more... The stealth gameplay kicks into gear fully. The levels open up. The pace slows to a crawl true to the original film. Several mechanics begin interleaving and adding up to really satisfying moments of 'ohoh I can use that to do this!'

 

Then the alien shows up.

 

And shit gets fucked.

 

I've never seen AI this good. Literally the perfect balance between genuinely, horrifyingly hunting you down, and still not being unfair. I'm playing on Hard Mode too. It's so, so disturbing.

 

Like just when you're about to creep out and make a (very slow) break for your objective, suddenly the thumping footsteps will emerge from the distance and you'll whip out the motion tracker and it'll be, with no warning, flying towards you. If you make a single mistake, you might for an instant get a glance at him out of the corner of your eye, but then you'll be dead.

 

Even when you're staring straight at him, from inside a locker or something, he's still scary because you can see the intelligence. The way his head swings about, the way he suddenly changes direction to check somewhere he hasn't looked before.

 

There's a clear progression here between Amnesia > Outlast > Alien: Isolation. Amnesia had spawn in/spawn out enemies who never really patrolled but would follow you a little. Outlast had slasher-horror psychos who would sometimes patrol an area, but were imbeciles, and only ever one at a time (still terrifying).

 

In Isolation, sometimes there are multiple targets you have to evade, and they interact perfectly, but then when the piece de resistance is there, the Alien, it's like nothing I've seen before. He doesn't just patrol. He's hunting. More specifically, he's hunting you.

 

The difference is really hard to put across in text.

[Mal]

Seems like the AI is really divisive. It is either really good or really bad. I'm intrigued but like Shadow of Mordor, I'll bite at around $30.

 

So kenshi, the AI doesn't do anything weird? From what I've read, seems like the AI is buggy and spazzes out which includes making some odd attack moves.

[SomTervo]

Seen nothing of the sort. I don't get any of the complaints I've seen about the game so far. But I'll play more tonight and get back to you. Seriously at this stage of my experience it would possibly beat out Bioshock. The gameplay and vibe is that good.

 

The closest I've been to seeing buggy AI would be the fact that it sometimes does the same movement loops repeatedly.

 

But that's not a bug- it's because it knows you're somewhere within these two or three corridors and it keeps checking them for any movement.

 

Every time I've been killed it's been a logical and disturbingly efficient attack animation.

 

Incredibly minor spoiler:

 

 

Even when attacking NPCs- eg a bit where four humans get cut down by the alien- the attack animation was really effective and pretty unsettling. Not buggy at all, and it was definitely not canned because I played the bit twice. It accelerates and decelerates realistically, lunges and grabs and tears, and the humans are cast down with disgustingly realistic wounds.

 

 

Offtopic: you're totally missing out on Mordor. Easily worth $50 at least. So far I'm enjoying it more than Batman: AA, AC, AO, or any of the Assassin's Creeds.

Edited October 8, 2014 by kenshi_ryden

[Mal]

Do you feel that gameplay will turn stale if it goes on for 20 hours? (This seems to be a common complaint)

 

Also, I do have Mordor since I got it for about $31.

[SomTervo]

Lol yeah i saw that in another thread, my bad, wrong end of the stick, wink wink nudge nudge

 

I dont know yet re staleness. I dont think so, but i'm someone who really takes their time and soaks in a game's atmosphere and level design. If the level design holds up and the game mixes up its scenarios enough (which looks very likely judging by what ive seen), then i'll have no complaints at 15-20 hours

[Cinder]

This game is awesome, I don't want any spoilers (or even outside opinions) until I finish it. I will return to discuss at a later time. But it's awesome and I love it.

[Mal]

http://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/2ina7c/how_to_enable_rift_mode_for_alien_isolation_even/

 

This sounds terrifying.

[danielpholt]

I've heard complaints that the game's AI (especially the Xenomorph) can be hit and miss, and that it get's a little stale after a few hours. If that's the case, I'll wait for a sale (same with Mordor). Seems like CA have put together a pretty solid first attempt though. 

[TheMightyEthan]

Mordor is amazing, totally worth full price.

[SomTervo]

Edit: what Ethan said. Both of these games, so far, seem 100% worth full price. And by paying so you support those developers, so do eet. Unless, of course, you can't afford it. The don't.

 

Edit edit: also the free roaming improvisational AI of the alien is to this game what Nemesis is to Mordor. It's really a game changer. The only glitchiness I've seen can easily be attributed to the alien trying to weigh up its options and not being able to decide what to do. Like it'll hang in one place/ corridor, swinging back and forth repeatedly. Doesn't come across like a glitch though, just like it feels like it hasn't covered the territory.

 

This game's literally like the best bits of Deus Ex, System Shock, and Dead Space all rolled into one, with the perfectly designed milieux of the original Alien. So, so amazing, despite some narrative stumblings.

 

@MH: Imho, any decent horror game with modern VR technology would just be too much.

 

The thought of PT with Oculus or Morpheus just... I can't take it.

 

For y'all's information, I made a short video demonstrating an amazing bit of not-very-spoilery gameplay, to convince people to buy it. Will have it up properly tonight. The video shows two drastically different approaches to the same situation. It's like a stealth-strategy sandbox rivalling Deus Ex and Thief's best bits.

Edited October 9, 2014 by kenshi_ryden

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Why in God's name is Alien: Dance Party not a thing?  I would play that game.

[SomTervo]

The frame rate in cutscenes is surreal.

 

Like it manages 30-50 FPS in gorgeous looking gameplay.. Then lame pre rendered cutscenes drop to 20FPS? What?

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, that's gotta be a glitch that'll get patched, there's no way...

[IDDQD]

I was looking forward to AI but after checking it out I'm not sure if it's severely lacking or is it just me.

 

When the title screen first popped up I was immediately hooked. Music, art style... It had that good 'ol Alien vibe. Devs pretty much nailed the look of the movie. You can tell they've put a lot of love into the design. Story is also pretty clever, I was sort of expecting some generic, continuity-breaking story a'la Colonial Marines, but I was pleasantly surprised that writers actually came up with something worthwile (though it's pretty weird that the so called space station looks exactly the same as the ship, which was supposed to haul mining goods in the original movie).

 

Yet sadly, my excitement was dissipating with each passing minute. The look is spot-on, but the tension just wasn't there at all, mostly because I felt pacing was very uneven. I've played it for about three hours before giving up and I didn't even manage to see one square centimeter of the alien monster. I only saw it a few days later when my buddy made some progress and showed me one of the later levels. Sure, it was an amazing, butt clenching sequence but if I have to push through several hours of nothing in order to get to the good bits, then thanks, but no thanks. I know it is supposed to be like a tense build up and shit, but in my case the tension and atmosphere was blown through the airlock long before anything interesting occured. And I'm not just being an impatient little shit - tension and build up is important. Hell, the best kind of horror is the one in which you can't even tell what it is that you're supposed to be scared of but you have your shorts full of cack anyway. However to me, the majority of Alien Isolation is just not scary at all and it drags like hell. I can appreciate it for being probably the best Alien video game ever produced (or at least the most faithful to the original material), but I can't say I would agree with all the praise it gets.

 

Then there were those stupid writings in blood all over the walls - gee, how generic. This immediately made me think: "Who the fuck would actually be commited enough to climb all the way up there to write something with blood, especially in a middle of a crisis situation?". 

[SomTervo]

Did you buy it?

 

Seriously, stick with it

 

The opening 2-3 hours are the weakest in the entire game. Between hours 5 and 18 it's a borderline masterpiece, with maybe two hours which are slightly offbeat

 

Read my first post about it - I felt broadly the same about my first couple of hours. They really flop the pacing until about hour 4, when suddenly it becomes perfect for the rest of the duration.

 

It's almost like CoD in space to begin with. But then, as I say, the levels open up, it throws in more and more mechanics, overlapping factions of bad guys... And the alien turns it into one of the most fun things i've ever played. There are bits in the middle where you get totally immersed and it easily beats out Bioshock/Amnesia/Outlast. Playing the whole thing is worth it for these moments. It sounds like you've bought it so I recommend doing so

Edited January 14, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[IDDQD]

Actually, I don't own it yet. Buying a pig in a poke became rather synonymous with today's vidjagame market and it's new releases, so you have to be careful with your purchases. I've played it with my friend at his place, that's how I was able to see some later parts of the game when he made some progress. He even made some unfavorable comments towards the game, though I'd take them with a grain of salt because he's not a very seasoned player. Regardless - according to him even the Alien encounters can be a drag, since he's really tough to avoid and sometimes you have to sit in a locker like a lemon for minutes before he goes away somewhere else. Is that true?

 

It's interesting that you'd compare it to Bioshock. I mean, some parts reminded me of it, sure, like that room with large scale model of the space station (I forgot it's name) - very Bioshock-y. But are there actual guns and action here, or just playing hide and seek and puzzle solving?

 

And yeah, Outlast and Amnesia comparisons are evident. Though I feel like besides the Alien there aren't a lot of scares here. I was hoping that at least androids would fill in the gaps between the close encounters, considering that they looked rather disturbing on screenshots. Well, no suck luck. However, I love the fact that the Alien can appear if you make too much noise, this feature is tits!

 

Pacing is really the only thing I could complain about the game. Even the sloppy character animations that you've mentioned aren't that jarring once you get used to them. I'm just glad that developers weren't that sloppy with the monster - hands down the best looking and best animated Alien of all it's video game incarnations. Up until now I think AvP2010 had the best looking Aliens but Creative Assembly's version of is now unmatched.

 

I'll probably buy it anyway at one point or another, but now I actually got pumped to try it out again soon. Despite it's shorcomings, Isolation still seems like a fine game, and because I'm a die hard fan of eveything Alien, I will dedicate my time to finish it. Heck, if I managed to finish one of the most embarrasing flops of the franchise, that was the Colonial Marines, I'd better damn well do that with this game.

[SomTervo]

Actually, I don't own it yet. Buying a pig in a poke became rather synonymous with today's vidjagame market and it's new releases, so you have to be careful with your purchases.

Wise words! I took the plunge because I played a demo at Eurogamer and knew how special the Alien's AI was. I'm a real AI nut so it was a no brainer for me, regardless of what the rest of the game was like. Some of the emergent moments I've had with the alien are literally next-level shit, like what would actually happen in real life.

 

according to him even the Alien encounters can be a drag, since he's really tough to avoid and sometimes you have to sit in a locker like a lemon for minutes before he goes away somewhere else. Is that true?

For me they were never once a drag. Not a single one. Very much like in real life, you can sit in a cupboard for hours if you want. But unlike real-life, it pays to take chances - I probably waited, max, 30 seconds before watching the alien's checking pattern and slipping out of my hiding place when he was slightly further away in his pattern. It's thrilling and nerve wracking. 'Pattern' doesn't do it justice, because he might break it at any moment. Taking an actual risk in a game for once feels amazing. You're crawling out from under a table into an environment which is literally an unknown quantity. The alien might come stomping back and you'll have to scramble back under there or push forward to the next bit of cover. It's so amazing. You learn to get really ballsy after a while. (And I found it genuinely fun getting caught - you rethink and try again with a new strategy.)

 

Some people seemed to play it way too safe. You definitely have to 'learn' to play the Alien encounters - because it's 'learning' all the time back at you.

 

It's interesting that you'd compare it to Bioshock. I mean, some parts reminded me of it, sure, like that room with large scale model of the space station (I forgot it's name) - very Bioshock-y. But are there actual guns and action here, or just playing hide and seek and puzzle solving?

Play the game, dude. I don't want to spoil things for you, but there are something like 15 equippable items you get throughout the game, give or take 2. I think 5-6 of them are weapons, the rest are gadgets. I hate saying this – it's a minor but unpleasant spoiler and you're best going in blind – but

there are encounters with humans only which can be gunfights or stealth sections depending on your preference, encounters with androids only, encounters with the alien only, and mixes of all the above (you + alien + humans, you + alien + androids, you + alien + humans + android, you + humans + android (these are great)).

 

 

Seriously, it's a long game with lots and lots of encounters (I'd ballpark count upwards of 40) which are all - every single one - excellently designed and enjoyable and dynamic.

 

And yeah, Outlast and Amnesia comparisons are evident. Though I feel like besides the Alien there aren't a lot of scares here. I was hoping that at least androids would fill in the gaps between the close encounters, considering that they looked rather disturbing on screenshots. Well, no suck luck.

I'd say it's a deep first person adventure with horror elements - not strictly a horror game.

 

But by jove, it does have some scary bits man. Remember there's 10 times more content here than in a movie. Some bits are scary, some arent, some are just interesting or entertaining. And regarding androids not being scary/not filling in the gaps... Just play the game.

 

Pacing is really the only thing I could complain about the game.

Yeah - say the game has 8 chapters (each about 3-4 hours) – the opening chapter fucks the pacing, and the last chapter fucks the pacing. Chapters 3-7 are fucking excellent, bar a slight dip in chapter 5 or so. (My use of 'chapter' does not in any way correlate with the game's actual chapters.)

Edited January 16, 2015 by kenshi_ryden

[IDDQD]

I haven't really finished it yet, 'cause I don't have the time right now, but I managed to crawl my ass through about two-thirds of the game and I wanna share my thoughts.

 

First off, you were right, kenshi, it was well worth sticking with it. Actually, I'm almost in tears on how good it is. Well, maybe not exactly in tears, but definalety in a puddle of my own piss. Sitting under the desk. In the darkest corner of the room... THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

 

So yeah, it's pretty fucking cool. I still don't like some things about it, but they all pale in the shining light, that is the Alien AI and the incredible atmosphere that kicks in as soon as he shows up. Bioshock comparisons are even more evident right now, because the game follows very similar template. The most obvious similarities lay in the open ended levels that you frequently re-visit, and unique and hostile setting with atmosphere so thick you could carve your name in it. I also love that halfway through the game the devs threw in that one flashback mission, that I won't spoil to anyone - even thought it's short, it has such an impact that it's all you need to mix things up a lot.

 

Though the most pleasant surprise to me was the fact that once the Alien shows up, he's here to stay. Like I said, I'm about 2/3 into the game and he's been dogging me for most of that time. I honestly thought that these encounters will be few and far between and I'll spend most of the game whacking droids and avoiding people with shotguns. Oh what a fool I was to think that.

 

At this point this is going to sound redundant as hell, but by the power of Jesus's beard - the monster truly is the biggest reason that this game is so awesome. Not only it's the most intimidating enemy I've ever seen in a videogame, but also so unpredictable, that I was literally nervous about walking through an open corridor. Whenever I jumped into a new area my instincts immediately were telling me to find some hiding spot ASAP. Random moments also were a cause for some girly screams. The best one I think was when I tried to sneak on an android, when Alien suddenly dropped from a celling behind my back, like a giant, dripping turd, and proceeded to skullfuck me with his tail.

 

So far the biggest flaw is the story, which is not really engaging. The best thing I can say about it is that it's functional and serves it's purpose. It doesn't take me out of the game, but I'm more invested in saving my own ass, rather than in survival of some random people I barely know. Or if Ripley is going to find out anything about her mother. Whatever, I just want to get safely from one desk to another and suck on my thumb for another fifteen minutes before I muster enough courage to stick my nose out again.

Edited February 13, 2015 by IDDQD

[Vecha]

My wife got this for me for V-Day....wonder if she's trying to tell me something...

Sounds like I need to dive into it with her soon from all of your guy's praises!

[SomTervo]

Yes, IDD, yes...


YES

 

YES

 

 

And Vecha, too. Enjoy the shit out of it. It's really good with someone else

 

[danielpholt]

I dunno guys, the game just didn't hit for me. I found myself getting more and more frustrating as the game went on, up to the point where I spent 20-30 minutes avoiding AI encounters, spent 2 minutes running through a fiery inferno, another 30 seconds climbing a giant column, only to find myself miss-timing a button press; falling to my death and being thrown all the way back to the front of where I had loaded the game up.

 

For the love of all that's right in this world, why didn't they include a checkpoint system. I don't mind the save stuff, but If I have to sit through a minute long loading sequence, I think the game should give you a soft save point or a checkpoint. All tension is removed when you have to go back and avoid the AI for the 4-5th time. It goes from tense and scary, to frustrating and annoying. 

 

I might give it another look; but at this point I wonder if I'm not forcing myself to play it for the promise of a game that isn't there. 

[SomTervo]

That's really, really early in the game. As I've said before, the first 3-4 hours are very weak tbh. You're still in that phase. As IDD found out, by the time you hit hour 7 onwards, it becomes incredible

[danielpholt]

That's really, really early in the game. As I've said before, the first 3-4 hours are very weak tbh. You're still in that phase. As IDD found out, by the time you hit hour 7 onwards, it becomes incredible

 

The game itself seems pretty good, I'm just struggling to get past the way the game punishes you for a mistake. I'm not sure that's a time thing more than it is a basic game compatibility thing; maybe It's a problem on my end. I'll take another look at it when I've got some downtime, I really want to love this game. 

[SomTervo]

The issue isn't on you: the pacing and balance gets a lot better and the scenarios open up a lot as the game progresses. Eg there are far fewer scripted sections from the 1/3rd mark.

 

Those were really frustrating while they lasted. There are a few others peppered throughout the game. It also gives you more and more tools which you can use in surprisingly clever ways, and these really even the odds out.

Edited February 18, 2015 by kenshi_ryden