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Alien: Isolation |OT| 1 Alien. 1 Ripley. No Jonesy.

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Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
The only time the Alien ever rushed me while it was stalking was when

(a) it had a direct line of sight with me (with fairly forgiving periphery vision); and
(b) there were no other humans in the room

Like, later in the game, I was literally able to sprint through a lengthy areas with humans shooting at me and the alien constantly dropping down and dispatching them for me.

But I think I "got" the rules fairly quickly, you could reasonably complain that the rules aren't communicated clearly enough or aren't all that much fun, I suppose.

I also never had an instance of the Alien randomly pulling me out of a hiding place. When he did, it was always because

(a) he plausibly saw me get it
(b) heard my motion detector because I used it while he was a few feet away; or
(c)I forgot to lean back and hold my breathe in locker.
 

Neff

Member
Goldenthal's score is maybe the most frightening of the three in the trilogy. Even moreso than Goldsmith's, really.

First CD I ever bought. When I put it on my dad had to leave the room he was so depressed.

Goldsmith's score has the majesty of space to it, besides the terror. Horner's has heroism and bombast, beside the terror.

Goldenthal's is just terror with added misery and terror.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
On PC you just left-click on the item in question in the radial menu and it takes you to the crafting screen.
Yea, its a bug then. Its not letting me craft anything except a medkit.

EDIT: Ah snap, I just figured it out. I think downsampling is messing up the UI, as I'm finding the 'click spot' for the icons in weird spots on the screen.

Ok ok, I think I can live with that.
 

bitoriginal

Member
The only time the Alien ever rushed me while it was stalking was when

(a) it had a direct line of sight with me (with fairly forgiving periphery vision); and
(b) there were no other humans in the room

Like, later in the game, I was literally able to sprint through a lengthy areas with humans shooting at me and the alien constantly dropping down and dispatching them for me.

But I think I "got" the rules fairly quickly, you could reasonably complain that the rules aren't communicated clearly enough or aren't all that much fun, I suppose.

I also never had an instance of the Alien randomly pulling me out of a hiding place. When he did, it was always because

(a) he plausibly saw me get it
(b) heard my motion detector because I used it while he was a few feet away; or
(c)I forgot to lean back and hold my breathe in locker.

What difficulty were you playing on? Because on hard, if you do anything than crouch walk at an incredibly slow pace, the Alien will hear you and search for you. I'm not ashamed to admit I knocked the difficulty down during the medbay section and the next mission.
 

Grisby

Member
On Medium the Alien has been fine. And if an enemy human lets off a single bullet then they are done for. It's really awesome to see the Alien attack with such ferocity.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
What difficulty were you playing on? Because on hard, if you do anything than crouch walk at an incredibly slow pace, the Alien will hear you and search for you. I'm not ashamed to admit I knocked the difficulty down during the medbay section and the next mission.

I played on Normal. I spent all of chapter five and six crouching as well, but I later discovered that walking was generally fine unless the Alien was literally in the same room as me --- walking was even fine if he was in a vent above me. Sprinting is a no-no, obviously, unless there are other distractions.

Remember, if it's a "stalk" level, he will drop down from vents randomly (or based on rules that aren't in any way user-visible, so they might as well be). Crouching slowly past them does you no favours. Get your ass out of there as fast as you can (without sprinting :p). The game seems to reward a certain level of boldness.
 
Well, the save system wouldn't be a problem if the alien didn't consistently slingshot back to the player, slowing your progression to a crawl. It happens frequently, and thanks to major pacing problems early on, a lot of people are going to find the initial encounters with the alien frustrating for all the wrong reasons. The medical bay is a nightmare because you have to repeat the same section again and again, unless you're a savant.

The alien seems to be able to jump to wherever the player is. The only safe way forward is to sneak into a room and wait in a closet or under a gurney until it leaves, then proceed to the next room on the way to your objective and repeat the process. If you walk under a vent with saliva dripping down, you'll get insta-killed, but if sneak past it, the alien teleports ahead. If it actually traveled there through the environment I wouldn't mind but it cheats.

The rules aren't consistent. The alien doesn't react to human npcs with the same intensity. There will be like 3 of them yelling about a trespasser in the area and the alien won't make a peep, but when Ripley silently sneaks down a hallway using cover, shelter and darkness it will rush to you as if you were making a racket. I've even seen the alien run away from their gunfire. It's never done that with me! Any item that can be used as a distraction just puts it on alert, punishing the player and increasing the likelihood of being discovered.

Such a shame, too. The production values are first-rate and it's probably the best looking game environment I've ever experienced. Sega and Creative Assembly deserve major props for taking risks with Isolation.

Not every game need to appeal everyone. And no, the rules are clear and fair: use your eyes and your ears, and above all, use the tools at your disposal. The medical area is a tough area, but at the end is not so tough, most of the time you can come back to the save terminal in just two minutes.

If you or others think this game is too hard, play at medium or easy.
 

DieH@rd

Banned
Playing this game makes me want more Alien games...

so I put Colonial Marines on my Steam Wishlist

wtfrud.gif
 

ihasaflavour

Neo Member
On 360. Mostly fine, looks good considering the hardware. Atmosphere is intact for me. You install disc 1 and play off 2. You can even copy disc 2 to hdd for no drive noise

Finally! That's great to hear. I've watched some gameplay, and it looks obviously less impressive then the new stuff, but it looks good. You sold me with the 'atmosphere is intact for me'.

Thanks sir!
 
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Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
The only area I felt was truly bullshit was that first human room in chapter three. :p

The first stalking encounter with the Alien is brutal and actually sets a precedent that isn't followed throughout the rest of the game (the Alien never jumps back in the vents like he does throughout the rest of the game), which is questionable, but forcing the player to emotionally understand that perpetually hiding is a bad idea... that's a tough one.
 

shiba5

Member
To the people who are having "teleport" kills, are you wearing headphones? I have a great set of headphones and I can tell where the Alien is without using the tracker. I'm on the last mission (finally) and haven't experienced any cheap kills so I'm just curious if it's the audio cues people are missing.
 

Mr. Tibbs

Member
Not every game need to appeal everyone. And no, the rules are clear and fair: use your eyes and your ears, and above all, use the tools at your disposal. The medical area is a tough area, but at the end is not so tough, most of the time you can come back to the save terminal in just two minutes.

Yep, I never said that every game needs to appeal to everyone. We've clearly had different experiences with Isolation, so I'll just leave it at that.
 

King_Moc

Banned
To the people who are having "teleport" kills, are you wearing headphones? I have a great set of headphones and I can tell where the Alien is without using the tracker. I'm on the last mission (finally) and haven't experienced any cheap kills so I'm just curious if it's the audio cues people are missing.

I had a kill on me earlier that looked like the one from that infamous gif from just before launch. I was wearing headphones though and heard it sprint up behind me before. If you stand and walk and it's too close, it WILL hear you.
 
Early impressions after a few evenings with the game (huge Alien fan). Just completed chapter 6 (I've heard 5 + 6 are some of the most frustrating and I may well agree).

Pros
* the production design is flawless, looks just like the films and the music and sound are almost perfect. The audio logs are well done too.
* for a cross gen game it looks pretty impressive at times. Especially the lighting and fire / particle effects
* the AI is very realistic and you really have to play smart to make progress
* the story is pretty decent so far, engaging and makes me want to continue.
* the Alien design and animation is fantastic
* building weapons and accessories is pretty neat
* the atmosphere is really strong

Cons
* Androids - they are terrible enemy choices and to me at least - not particularly scary.
* Alien seems to spawn randomly at points which can lead to unfair deaths
* Save system works most of the time but there are long stretches where you have to go without saving or constantly back track and this is on occasion (chapter 6) very frustrating.
* game can be a little too punishing at times

So far I'm really enjoying my time with Alien Isolation. Easily the best Alien game ever made and the production values are fantastic for a fan like myself. Even when the game frustrates me I still love playing it just for the authenticity and obvious care and attention poured into it. Good job to Sega and CA.
 

Ozium

Member
Yea, its a bug then. Its not letting me craft anything except a medkit.

EDIT: Ah snap, I just figured it out. I think downsampling is messing up the UI, as I'm finding the 'click spot' for the icons in weird spots on the screen.

Ok ok, I think I can live with that.

somethings you can only have a max # of that item on you, so if you have X number of molotovs already made, you can add the ingredients but can't hit craft this item until the number in your inventory is reduced by 1
 
I was under a gurny like object in the medical section but maybe it was a bad angle or too brightly lit because the alien saw me. He rushed over to me and kept looking down at me.

I was sure death was immenent. But nothing happened! Maybe I was too far back where he could see but not reach me? Anyway he started just pacing back and forth occasionally ducking to check me out.

I thought I was just going to have to load a save game or just come out so he could kill me. But then, out of pure luck, an idiot human wanders into the very same room and start shooting! Alien bolts off after him. And I use that as my chance to run like hell out of there. Managed to run far enough away and into a locker. And I managed to survived the freak incident.

I used the share button to save the video. Gonna have to watch it again later.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
I was under a gurny like object in the medical section but maybe it was a bad angle or too brightly lit because the alien saw me. He rushed over to me and kept looking down at me.

I was sure death was immenent. But nothing happened! Maybe I was too far back where he could see but not reach me? Anyway he started just pacing back and forth occasionally ducking to check me out.

I thought I was just going to have to load a save game or just come out so he could kill me. But the out of pure luck, an idiot human wanders into the very same room and start shooting! Alien bolts off after him. And I use that as my chance to run like hell out of there. Managed to run far enough away and into a locker. And I managed to survived that freak incident.

I used the share button to save the video. Gonna have to watch it again later.
Shit, i forgot all about that damn button. There were a few moments I'd have loved to review.
 

Squishy3

Member
I was watching a video recording on one of the PCs and the fucking alien comes into the room right as it finished and I thought I was dead and it just climbed right into the ceiling vent.
 

Thriller

Member
I kid you guys not, I'm having an awesome relationship with this game.
Holy shit how entertaining can it get.

I love everything, the vibe, controls, sounds yes even the harshness of dying and trying again. I am going to write a fucking poem to this game.
 
The only area I felt was truly bullshit was that first human room in chapter three. :p

The first stalking encounter with the Alien is brutal and actually sets a precedent that isn't followed throughout the rest of the game (the Alien never jumps back in the vents like he does throughout the rest of the game), which is questionable, but forcing the player to emotionally understand that perpetually hiding is a bad idea... that's a tough one.

I agree with that. The whole section felt cheap and not well done, and i was really worried about the quality of the rest of the game and assumed the worst... but boy was i wrong.

This game is great - for me the definitive Alien game. Exceptional art direction and sound design mixed with good/solid mechanics and game design.

And i have no idea why almost every reviewer thought the last third sucked. I loved it. I played on medium and thought the difficulty was well balanced. After The Evil Within i will do a hard run to see/feel the difference.

So far my GoTY.
 

Zomba13

Member
(Major spoilers. Mission 14 complete. discussing this mission)

Holy shit a hive! I guess I should have expected it what with this being an alien game but holy shit. Multiple Aliens at a time! Creepiest and most tense part of the game for me so far. I did manage to get through it without dying though and got the achievement. Had a few danger saves too but luckily didn't need them.

Fucking loved this moment. I haven't followed the link, but I know what it must be.

edit: Your screenshot doesn't do it justice. From the angle you see the first time the lights flick on...
it looks like there are two and the head shape is even more distinct.

Literally just did that bit (well retored power and saved again) and that got me good. Such a good troll and has to have been intentional.
 

ElTopo

Banned
(Major spoilers. Mission 14 complete. discussing this mission)

Holy shit a hive! I guess I should have expected it what with this being an alien game but holy shit. Multiple Aliens at a time! Creepiest and most tense part of the game for me so far. I did manage to get through it without dying though and got the achievement. Had a few danger saves too but luckily didn't need them.

Took me a couple tries.
Mostly because I kept missing the holes you have to crawl through.
 

shiba5

Member
I finally finished it. I thought it started to drag on a little bit there at the end, but nonetheless, what a great game.
 

The Cowboy

Member
Alien: Isolation
Aliens: Intimidation
Alien: Incarceration

There. A Creative Assembly Alien Trilogy.
I recon for the second game Alien Infestation sounds pretty good, the 2nd word relates to the situation just like the 1st game.

Alien Isolation - Ripley against 1 alien whilst isolated and alone.
Alien Infestation - an outbreak (infestation) of Aliens that Ripley has to survive/take out.
 

Chiggs

Gold Member
So I go make a run to Chipotle, and when I get back, my building's elevator is on the 4th floor. I suddenly get tense as it slowly makes it's way down to the first floor.

Why?

Alien Isolation.
 

MattyG

Banned
I recon for the second game Alien Infestation sounds pretty good, the 2nd word relates to the situation just like the 1st game.

Alien Isolation - Ripley against 1 alien whilst isolated and alone.
Alien Infestation - an outbreak (infestation) of Aliens that Ripley has to survive/take out.
There's already an Aliens game called Infestation on the DS I believe.
 

shiba5

Member
So I go make a run to Chipotle, and when I get back, my building's elevator is on the 4th floor. I suddenly get tense as it slowly makes it's way down to the first floor.

Why?

Alien Isolation.

Someone started stomping around upstairs, and my first reaction was... interesting.
 

Chiggs

Gold Member
Someone started stomping around upstairs, and my first reaction was... interesting.

And then you open your front door, toss a crock pot full of silverware down the hallway, and then peer out of the view-hole waiting to see it pass.
 

ElTopo

Banned
Actually, when I beat the game last night and was trying to fall asleep I left my computer on and I swear I could hear that eerie hum of the Nostromo as I was trying to sleep.


This game man. This has to be a GOTY contender at the least.
 

Neff

Member
Just finished it.

My feelings haven't changed since I got to about chapter 10 or so. It's definitely a game filled with trial and error, literally dozens upon dozens of cheap deaths, janky logic leaps in the Alien's ability to move around, and quite a bit or repetition since most obstacles typically amount to figuring out which order switches/levers/breakers need to be activated.

But that doesn't matter, because what we have here is absolutely the most convincing, immersive, authentic, and pure fucking terrifying recreation of being in an Alien movie ever attempted in gaming. The modeling and lighting is dementedly accurate to Scott/Giger/Cobb's aesthetic, and the sound likewise either literally borrowed from Fox's archives or suitably mimicking '70s spaceship computer pings and burbles. You're there, in that universe. It's unnerving and brilliant.

And the gameplay does come up trumps when it works. The intersecting geography and multiple ways of circumventing foes and obstacles, coupled with the manual save system, often feels like playing a '90s PC game. It's worth putting up with the game's few and far between shortcomings solely for the good stuff, and there's a lot of good stuff.

Despite often feeling frustrated and at a loss as to how I died or how it could be prevented, I always wanted to keep playing, to see what came next. And I did learn tricks to help prevent some of those deaths, if not prevent them reliably. Being a fan of the series helps too, but the game is satisfying enough to recommend to anyone, I think. Best Alien franchise game yet. Bring on the sequel.

Ending was shit though.
 

Chiggs

Gold Member
Just finished it.

My feelings haven't changed since I got to about chapter 10 or so. It's definitely a game filled with trial and error, literally dozens upon dozens of cheap deaths, janky logic leaps in the Alien's ability to move around, and quite a bit or repetition since most obstacles typically amount to figuring out which order switches/levers/breakers need to be activated.

But that doesn't matter, because what we have here is absolutely the most convincing, immersive, authentic, and pure fucking terrifying recreation of being in an Alien movie ever attempted in gaming. The modeling and lighting is dementedly accurate to Scott/Gieger/Cobb's aesthetic, and the sound likewise either literally borrowed from Fox's archives or suitably mimicking '70s spaceship computer pings and burbles. You're there, in that universe. It's unnerving and brilliant.

And the gameplay does come up trumps when it works. The intersecting geography and multiple ways of circumventing foes and obstacles, coupled with the manual save system, often feels like playing a '90s PC game. It's worth putting up with the game's few and far between shortcomings solely for the good stuff, and there's a lot of good stuff.

Despite often feeling frustrated and at a loss as to how I died or how it could be prevented, I always wanted to keep playing, to see what came next. And I did learn tricks to help prevent some of those deaths, if not prevent them reliably. Being a fan of the series helps too, but the game is satisfying enough to recommend to anyone, I think. Best Alien franchise game yet. Bring on the sequel.

Ending was shit though.

Just have to say that I've enjoyed your posts in this thread. You made some pretty damn good points about some of the more "negative" aspects of this game without coming across like some sort of troll.

I can also tell that you're a big fan of the Alien universe too, so cheers!
 

ElTopo

Banned
Questions:

On Easy does the Shotgun scare away or kill the Alien?

What effect does the Bolt Gun have on the Alien? I never got the chance to use it right. I doubt it could kill but I'm curious if that scares them away.
 
Infestation is super underrated, having such a diverse team is a lot of fun and the first time you rescue a captured teammate
only to have an alien randomly burst out of them
15 minutes later is great.

Don't really get the complaints about the first human room, they make the vent pretty obvious (green lights) and the group loudly talk about going to investigate so it makes sense to wait 5 seconds before jumping out. I am wearing headphones though so I could hear that they were right on top of me at first.
 

Neff

Member
Just have to say that I've enjoyed your posts in this thread. You made some pretty damn good points about some of the more "negative" aspects of this game without coming across like some sort of troll.

I can also tell that you're a big fan of the Alien universe too, so cheers!

It's a great game, no doubt about it. But I'm going to bring Shinji Mikami up again, just because he used a quote that fits where I think Isolation goes wrong. He said something along the lines of RE's zombies being comforting, because you know what you have to deal with, whereas the absence of a foe heightens fear because you don't know what's coming next. Likewise, the Alien is pretty easy to handle, especially once you have the flamethrower or a Molotov or two, it's just that there's too much of him, which diminishes his appearances. The two times I was most terrified of him were his first realtime appreance in
Medical
, and
his return afer a long absence in the nest
. I think Isolation could have cut out the Alien's appearances by as much as 50% and resulted in a much better game, and I wish CA would have had a bit more courage to create a game with less confrontation and more of a slow-burn adventure aspect than they did. One of those cases where I think less would definitely be more. That said, the courage they've shown in creating a game such as Isolation in 2014, and Sega for backing it, is something to be applauded. I'm looking forward to playing through it again already.
 
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