ironhorse_iv Review of Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation (2014 Video Game)

In space nobody hears you scream! This game is worth playing and kinda scary! Still, it has some faults.

[8/10 · 23 October 2014]

1979's Alien is arguably the most satisfying combination of science-fiction and horror in the history of cinema. It's create a film franchise of sequels & prequels, spin-offs films, and even video games. It's been a long time coming for something that equals the scare factor of the original. As much as I love James Cameron's 1986's Aliens. It's not that scary. It felt more like an action movie than a horror survival flick. Alien: Isolation gives us the chills and thrills of the original film. Set 15 years after the events of the original film, Alien; video gamers play as Ripley's daughter, Amanda (voiced by Andrea Deck, motion capture by Kezia Burrows), as she embark on a dangerous mission to find her missing mother. The game is so unlike the previous recent game, 2013's Aliens: Colonial Marines, which was a first person shooter. Instead first person shooter, Alien: Isolation is first-person survival horror stealth game developed by British studio The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. The game could be describe as boring at times. The reasons why is, understandable. Most gamers would assume that an Alien game would be more action oriented. Instead, the Talented Mrs. Ripley spend her time in a very limiting world that follow a predetermined path of running away from Xenomorphs and solving how to open doors. If she does fight, it's not against the Xenomorphs, as the game developers decide not to have the Alien be killed; instead forcing players to use lethal weapons on human occupants and android "Working Joes". As the game goes on, you find yourself having weapons like shotguns, flare throwers and knives, and a crafting system to the game where you can find raw materials litter your surroundings and can be taped together to create weapons, but once again, it's limiting. If you do use it, you more likely to get catch by the Alien A.I, making weapons nearly useless. The game game-play story can be a repetitive, as most of the time, you spent stopping somebody from blowing up the ship or space station which kinda contradict, what Ripley's mother wanted. This makes Amanda Ripley seem like a bitchy character. Honestly, they could had cut the gameplay down to a fewer hours as it seem the game is a bit too stretch out with it weak plot. The game is bit disappointing in the gameplay because of those reasons. The game could sound dull on paper, but the presence of the alien makes it worth-while challenging. The Alien artificial intelligence has been programmed to actively hunt the player by sight, sound, and smell. It's a really hard game, so don't be surprised if you die, multiply times here. The Alien AI was programmed with a complex set of behavioral designs that unlock as it encounters the player; this creates the illusion that the Alien learns from each encounter with the player, and appropriately adjusts its hunting strategy, but it rarely does that. For the player, the few encounters with the aliens, you can get the glib of their actions, and it becomes pretty predictable. Still, once in a while, the A.I behavior would act unpredictable, and it would impressive, reactive to anything, even if you believe you're well hidden or out of sight. The game also features a minimal amount of music, more relying on ambient sound to make the player notice what may be happening and to also enhance the atmosphere, making night gameplay, very frighten. It's too bad, that you don't get that isolation feeling that the title is given. There are way too many supporting characters that you meet. It doesn't feel like isolation at all. The best thing about the game is the nostalgia feel of it. You really get the sense of how it felt to be in the original movie. They've built their world as Director Ridley Scott and his special effects team would have in 1979, using only technology from that period. It is visually beautiful. If you order the free upgrade to the Nostromo Edition, you get to play as the original crew of the Nostromo. Additionally, by ordering the Ripley Edition from selected retailers, players received the Last Survivor mission, which features Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) attempting to set the self-destruct system and escape aboard the Narcissus. It's nice to see all the original actors and actresses return for more voice acting for these parts of the game. Sadly, most of the other voice acting is flat as hell. The lip syncing is mostly off key with the video game characters. Overall: Being far from perfect game, the game is for people who can withstand a heightened emotional state for a prolonged period of time. Patience, observation, and stealth skills are needed to make it enjoyable. For everybody else, it might be a dull horror game. While, it's not the best game out there, it's not the worst.