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4 people found this review helpful
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 72.2 hrs on record
Posted: 18 Oct, 2014 @ 11:24pm
Updated: 22 Sep @ 1:36pm

2024 UPDATE
TEN LONG YEARS has passed and I just had to revisit this game. I had unfinished achievements too and heck, just wanted to replay the game with my latest PC. I now had the pleasure to play this marvellous game in ULTRAWIDE format and cranked the game to max settings... and... the game really holds up very good in 2024! I recommend if you play A:I in ultrawide to find an UW mod for the subtitles! What else can be said about this game? A TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT that no sequel was ever made in this long ten years. There was one mobile game, "Blackout" that released a few years after but shouldn't be considered canon. That game wasn't bad, for a mobile game, but that is clearly NOT what the fans wanted next. Now that Alien: Isolation nears its true 10th year anniversary, there is a rumour that a remastered edition may come out. And since the latest ALIEN ROMULUS movie is a box office success, it is a really good time to be an Alien fan!


ALIEN: ISOLATION

Alien: Isolation... a game that I was looking forward to and with extremely HIGH anticipation. And for once, that game not only delivers in all aspects but remains faithful to the lore and franchise of the Alien universe.

Now that I've finished the campaign, Crew Expendable and Last Survivor DLC... and a few runs of the survivor mode, I can honestly say that this is my favorite Alien game to date. Granted it is not a run and gun FPS game like previous AVP games but the sheer terror of a lone Alien can give you is priceless. It took very long to be able to play such a marvelous Alien game and finally, there it is!

This IS the Alien game every fans wanted all along and yes, you deserve to play it eventually!


POSITIVES:
+Very tense atmosphere and ambiance. You never know what's coming at that next corridor or corner and in fact, you MOSTLY never feel safe! At times, you may even remain in that locker for long minutes until that Alien finally goes patrolling elsewhere!
+AMAZING VISUALS. Graphics are great but the close adaptation of Alien 1979 look and aesthetics are unmatched in ANY other Alien game. Aliens vs. Predator Classic and AVP 2 did well long ago but Alien: Isolation pushed the mark further! Level design is very good! The game artists and designers went above the bar to make Sevastopol Station "lifelike". Also, I gotta say that the lighting aspect of the game makes you "believe" that you're INTO Amanda Ripley's shoes! Corridors with flashing lights, smoke going in all directions...
+Sounds and music are respectful of the Alien franchise. And the music gets even more tense as you progress further! I'm usually a sucker for game music but in this heavily stealth focused game, I had to turn it off so I could hear and "guess" the Alien and or other enemies position.
+Decent story even if it's somehow predictable. It's absolutely not as good as the Alien movie but I could clearly see this game fit completely into the Alien franchise and I do hope it stays canon to the lore. It is retelling a familiar setting we've already heard countless times in the Alien universe: evil corporations, murderous androids, rogue AI, etc. It might make you relive classic Alien moments from the movie but I can see that Creative Assembly wanted to play it safe here!
+Lots and lots of fan service. Easter eggs here and there... without spoiling anyone!
+Keyboard and Mouse controls were fine by me. I haven't tried the game on Gamepad but everybody knows a First Person game is meant to be played with KB+M!
+The Alien itself is one scary motherfu... As you progress into the game, the Alien gets smarter and patrols frequently, opens lockers, backtracks and looks behind itself. Clearly, its A.I. is very well designed, albeit that at times, it seems unfair unless you lower the difficulty of the game!
+VERY WELL OPTIMIZED! Creative Assembly have done an excellent job with the PC version. I could run the game on Ultra settings without any hiccups.
+HIGH level of replayability. The main campaign story mode takes a good 15 to 25 hours, depending on the level of difficulty you are playing. Then comes the Crew Expendable and Last Survivor DLC that can add about two more hours of gameplay. There is also the Survivor Mode, which is very challenging and can add lots of more playability. Sadly, Survivor Mode only have one map at the moment and I can speculate that the future DLC will add more maps for that mode. Its cool but I'd prefer storymode DLC instead so we shall see!


NEGATIVES:
-Weak secondary characters. Granted, the main "characters" here are The Alien and Ripley but having a few more dedicated secondary characters with deeper impact of the game would've been interesting.
-A few bugs and glitches. Nothing groundbreaking in my case but when you see the Alien going through walls and catching you, that get's irritating. I saw some minor ones like floating guns and items in the air.
-The Alien feels quite cheap at times, "teleporting" right back at you from behind... even if you were silent! I know the Alien is scripted that way but to make things "logical", I would've loved if it could just get somewhere else and hunt other survivors! Hears you walk, get out of closet, opening doors and even hears if you use the motion tracker in closets! Maybe it got Amanda Ripley's scent and it is too irresistible? Must be that! But seriously, it loses the fear when you do see that Alien way too often which brings me to the Hard Mode next...
-Hard Mode is meant to be played in a speedrun mode. Honestly, I've disliked that! I had played the game on Hard Mode until past the Hospital level and that was where I drew the line. I don't like rushing through this kind of game where stealth is mandatory. I'll eventually give the hardmode another shot on another playthrough but I can understand why some players were very frustrated (me included) at certain situations. You see, harder the game is, more "present" is the Alien. It patrols more often making hiding in lockers pointless. You always gotta be on the move so it may be more representative of the movie setting but in my book, I wanted to take my time and explore the sh!t of the game.
-Talking about exploration, once you've reached certain points of the game, you couldn't backtrack to other levels where you have missed ID Tags and Nostromo audio logs collectibles. Irritating...
-Too many contextual situations (preloaded animations that once enabled makes you vulnerable to enemies for a few seconds. Like, press and hold 'E' to do this x-y-z action (hack terminal, open door mechanism, use ion torch, etc) and wait until its done). I REALLY HATE THIS since enemies can kill you easily that way!
-Poor pacing once you have reached halfway of the story. A few forced backtracking.
-Cheap ending. Doesn't have much closure and has serious DLC sequel bait. Whether the story continues via DLC or on a full sequel, that cliffhanger did felt cheap and wasn't necessary!


OVERALL:
It's really ironic that it took the developers of a historical RTS to finally create an authentic Alien game, but they did it! At last I was genuinely scared of the Alien, where countless other developers have failed by treating Giger's monster with respect; that it is a creature to be feared and not some simple pulse rifle fodder. Naturally the game have issues here and there but I honestly hope that Alien: Isolation will spawn a whole new game franchise that I can keep on exploring the Alien lore!


RECOMMENDATION:
I really loved Alien: Isolation and for once, I got to play a really fun Alien game. It has taken a long time but now, the wait is over and the game is finally released!

Loved Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Outlast? You'll feel right at home with Alien: Isolation!

Survival Horror fan? ABSOLUTELY! Alien fan? GET IT NOW! Scaredy cats? MAN UP AND GO get the game... and a few box of panties!


likeucare... signing off...
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11 Comments
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likeucare 22 Oct, 2014 @ 6:08am 
Alien Resurrection is the weakest link of course but... BUT, it does have its moments at times! Hurvl resumed the movie perfectly! ;)
hurvl 22 Oct, 2014 @ 2:56am 
Oh, but the fourth Alien movie has lots of great additions. It has Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman, a resurrected, cloned and superstrong Ripley, a hyperbolic plot about human/Alien hybrids and lots of overacting. What's not to like :P?
Battle Dolphin 21 Oct, 2014 @ 8:26pm 
Please tell me you meant to say you are going to rewatch the Alien Trilogy once more...
likeucare 20 Oct, 2014 @ 3:03pm 
For an old game, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth was quite good. I really loved it and the atmosphere of the game is quite freaky! I suggest you give it a shot! I even reviewed it long ago!
hurvl 20 Oct, 2014 @ 1:07pm 
Man, I've been waiting for a game like Undying for more than ten years and still nothing has come close, either in setting or anything else. I took my user pic from that game both because it's unique and because it's a game I'll always have an *undying* love for.

The music, enemies, story and locations all work together to form an engrossing whole. That you have both spells and weapons and can combine them is a really good feature. In some ways Bloodlines is similar (atmospheric, both guns and spells, weird creatures), but it's all too urban and there aren't any widespread areas to explore.

I have Call of Ctulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth on my wishlist and although I don't expect it to include everything I like about Undying it at least seems interesting.
likeucare 20 Oct, 2014 @ 11:34am 
Haha I knew it! ;)

Then again... you did played Undying many times and that game was quite scary long ago... I'd wish a proper sequel would pop out someday... Jericho was so disappointing :(
hurvl 20 Oct, 2014 @ 2:30am 
Yeah, you got me, no point trying to pretend otherwise, lol.
likeucare 19 Oct, 2014 @ 4:04pm 
I see... so guess you're a scaredy cat and lack backup panties huh! ;)
hurvl 19 Oct, 2014 @ 1:48pm 
I'll mess around a bit more with TFU 1 and then start on another old game (probably Dragon Age: Origins or some murderific shooter game), so I'm sorry to disappoint you, but even if my computer could run it I wouldn't begin playing it this year. Don't take that as me being ASAP (As Stubborn As Possible, hehe), but I feel more like playing some games I've already put off for years than a completely new game which isn't directly what I like most (murder frenzies and roleplaying).
likeucare 19 Oct, 2014 @ 12:55pm 
Yeah, this and Shadow of Mordor are great games... even if I ain't far on Mordor yet. I'm in my "horror games gamin' spree" lately and I try to play most of 'em before moving on to other types of games. There is also the fact that these new games take lots of Hard Drive space so I prefer to finish 'em ASAP so I can install other smaller games!

I just began The Evil Within yesterday so it can take me a few days before I get a better judgement of the whole game.

But I gotta say again... you won't be disappointed with Alien: Isolation. I urge you to play it ASAP!