I've grown up with the survival horror genre. From Clocktower to Silent Hill to Amnesia, I've put a lot of effort into desensitizing myself to being scared by the dark horrors that await in the recesses of these interactive worlds. I've also been a fan of horror movies for as long as I can remember. The first time I heard of them making something close to being an interactive Alien experience, I saw the development of Aliens: Colonial Marines. I never got the chance to play it, but to hear of it as a colossal failure disappointed me. I was excited to experience Alien in an interactive format. And that's why I was both reticent and excited to hear about Alien: Isolation. But it all paid off in the end.
-PLOT- You take on the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Our Lady of No-Nonsense Ellen Ripley, as she accompanies a crew to the space station Sevastopol to retrieve the Nostromo's flight recorder. Upon arrival to the dilapidated space station, she is separated from her EVA team by a massive explosion. She enters the station to find it in extreme disrepair. It's apparent that something of an uprising has occurred among the Seegson Corporation's community. It's also apparent that she's not alone.
The player must guide Ripley through malfunctioning synthetics, crazed space station residents and more, all while avoiding the terroristic, stalking Xenomorph.
-GAMEPLAY- While the game generally takes a "Sneak first, fight later" approach, the player is given the opportunity to fight aggressors, all of whom have their own threshold for pain. The player can employ many pieces of equipment in fighting antagonists, including a maintenance jack and a revolver.
The mechanics in utilizing this equipment is non-invasive to gameplay. Holding down right mouse allows you to aim your firearm, left clicking allows you to fire it. When you're not aiming your firearm, left clicking allows you to melee with the Jack. It's very simple, and the fighting - while somewhat arbitrary - doesn't feel difficult to grasp.
On top of being able to fight off your enemies, Ripley comes equipped with the expertise of an Engineer, allowing you to scavenge and utilize items from the game's environment to craft helpful items ranging from distraction countermeasures to medical syringes.
If the player is out of options, Ripley can alter and use the environment to her benefit through the use of Rewire relays. Using these, she can divert power away from unnecessary systems to create distractions or disengage security systems that might otherwise give away her position.
The enemy AI may seem a bit shaky when using stealth, but once they're locked onto the player, it becomes a fight for survival that will thrill you as much as it will kill you. Stealth becomes your most faithful ally. When in hiding, the player can employ a multi- directional leaning technique, similar to the one found in Wolfenstein: The New Order, to peek around corners. Learning as much about your surroundings before fighting the toughest enemies is an important step to surviving Sevastopol.
-CHARACTERS- The overall feel that is garnered from the characters and cutscenes is almost exactly akin to watching a film, however a lot of the voice acting (mostly from Amanda) is somewhat disappointing. It feels very difficult to relate to her in that aspect, but the gameplay ultimately makes up for any missing connection you might have with Amanda as a character.
There aren't many people you'll meet on Sevastopol that don't want you dead, but in a game like this, seeing another human being is always both a relief and a stomach-churning moment of doubt. This is one aspect that makes the characters of Alien: Isolation pretty cool in their own right.
-GRAPHICS- With references taken from the Scott film, Creative Assembly has managed to craft an amazing recreation of the retro-future of the Alien universe while maintaining a truly next-gen graphical feast. From the smallest free-floating particles to the grandest, dimly-lit hallways of Sevastopol, the game is not without details.
If you find a locker to hide in, you may notice pictures or notes hanging from the door on the inside. When blood is spilled, it will form trails in congruence with the movement of whomever spilled it. Every detail in the game is enough to delve you deeper into the experience.
-OVERALL- Alien: Isolation gives us a refreshing dip back into the murky waters of first person Survival-Horror. In a genre ruled by jumpy ghosts and slender men, it's nice to have a biological entity to be scared of for once.
The characters feel a bit undercooked, which might detract from the cinematic quality of the game. But it's immediately rectified by the quality of the environment and audio.
Every moment aboard Sevastopol feels like a fight to survive. For those of you who may have enjoyed the feel of System Shock 2, Alien: Isolation will certainly feel like a call to home. For those of you who enjoyed the Alien franchise, you will gain nothing but appreciation for Creative Assembly's attention to Ridley Scott's work. This is a game for everyone looking for an ultimate and brutal first person survival-horror experience
-PLOT- You take on the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Our Lady of No-Nonsense Ellen Ripley, as she accompanies a crew to the space station Sevastopol to retrieve the Nostromo's flight recorder. Upon arrival to the dilapidated space station, she is separated from her EVA team by a massive explosion. She enters the station to find it in extreme disrepair. It's apparent that something of an uprising has occurred among the Seegson Corporation's community. It's also apparent that she's not alone.
The player must guide Ripley through malfunctioning synthetics, crazed space station residents and more, all while avoiding the terroristic, stalking Xenomorph.
-GAMEPLAY- While the game generally takes a "Sneak first, fight later" approach, the player is given the opportunity to fight aggressors, all of whom have their own threshold for pain. The player can employ many pieces of equipment in fighting antagonists, including a maintenance jack and a revolver.
The mechanics in utilizing this equipment is non-invasive to gameplay. Holding down right mouse allows you to aim your firearm, left clicking allows you to fire it. When you're not aiming your firearm, left clicking allows you to melee with the Jack. It's very simple, and the fighting - while somewhat arbitrary - doesn't feel difficult to grasp.
On top of being able to fight off your enemies, Ripley comes equipped with the expertise of an Engineer, allowing you to scavenge and utilize items from the game's environment to craft helpful items ranging from distraction countermeasures to medical syringes.
If the player is out of options, Ripley can alter and use the environment to her benefit through the use of Rewire relays. Using these, she can divert power away from unnecessary systems to create distractions or disengage security systems that might otherwise give away her position.
The enemy AI may seem a bit shaky when using stealth, but once they're locked onto the player, it becomes a fight for survival that will thrill you as much as it will kill you. Stealth becomes your most faithful ally. When in hiding, the player can employ a multi- directional leaning technique, similar to the one found in Wolfenstein: The New Order, to peek around corners. Learning as much about your surroundings before fighting the toughest enemies is an important step to surviving Sevastopol.
-CHARACTERS- The overall feel that is garnered from the characters and cutscenes is almost exactly akin to watching a film, however a lot of the voice acting (mostly from Amanda) is somewhat disappointing. It feels very difficult to relate to her in that aspect, but the gameplay ultimately makes up for any missing connection you might have with Amanda as a character.
There aren't many people you'll meet on Sevastopol that don't want you dead, but in a game like this, seeing another human being is always both a relief and a stomach-churning moment of doubt. This is one aspect that makes the characters of Alien: Isolation pretty cool in their own right.
-GRAPHICS- With references taken from the Scott film, Creative Assembly has managed to craft an amazing recreation of the retro-future of the Alien universe while maintaining a truly next-gen graphical feast. From the smallest free-floating particles to the grandest, dimly-lit hallways of Sevastopol, the game is not without details.
If you find a locker to hide in, you may notice pictures or notes hanging from the door on the inside. When blood is spilled, it will form trails in congruence with the movement of whomever spilled it. Every detail in the game is enough to delve you deeper into the experience.
-OVERALL- Alien: Isolation gives us a refreshing dip back into the murky waters of first person Survival-Horror. In a genre ruled by jumpy ghosts and slender men, it's nice to have a biological entity to be scared of for once.
The characters feel a bit undercooked, which might detract from the cinematic quality of the game. But it's immediately rectified by the quality of the environment and audio.
Every moment aboard Sevastopol feels like a fight to survive. For those of you who may have enjoyed the feel of System Shock 2, Alien: Isolation will certainly feel like a call to home. For those of you who enjoyed the Alien franchise, you will gain nothing but appreciation for Creative Assembly's attention to Ridley Scott's work. This is a game for everyone looking for an ultimate and brutal first person survival-horror experience