Alien: Isolation

[Ebonsword]

Jeff van Dyck is doing the soundtrack, and I already listened into some leaks. It's heaven.

I have to say, I've never found a game enjoyable just because of its soundtrack. In fact, I usually turn the music off for games that are supposed to be immersive.

 

[Morgoth]

Go on.

Don't need to further go on, the game already proved enough quality to spike my interest. You know, this isn't like DOOM where you already figured everything out in advance before you even have played it. Where's the fun in that?

So, you have absolutely no clue what you expect from the game, and this fuels your excitement for it.

Read again. Process. Then come back and try again.

 

[Morgoth]

Jeff van Dyck is doing the soundtrack, and I already listened into some leaks. It's heaven.

I have to say, I've never found a game enjoyable just because of its soundtrack. In fact, I usually turn the music off for games that are supposed to be immersive.

Your loss.

 

[DragoFireheart]

I've never found a game enjoyable just because of its soundtrack.

 

[Ebonsword]

I've never found a game enjoyable just because of its soundtrack.

What? Do people seriously play certain games just because of the soundtrack?

I play games for, you know, the actual gameplay.

And, especially for games like Skyrim, Dead Space, Rainbow Six: Vegas, etc. having music tends to ruin my immersion. I'd much rather just listen to the in-game ambient sounds.

 

[DragoFireheart]

having music tends to ruin my immersion.

This applies to Skyrim mostly.

Do you really want to talk about immersion?

 

[shihonage]

Go on.

Don't need to further go on, the game already proved enough quality to spike my interest. You know, this isn't like DOOM where you already figured everything out in advance before you even have played it. Where's the fun in that?

So, you have absolutely no clue what you expect from the game, and this fuels your excitement for it.

Read again. Process. Then come back and try again.

Incoherent rants about an unrelated game don't answer my question of what you see A:I gameplay being like. So if someone needs to "read again", it's you.

 

[Morgoth]

Incoherent rants about an unrelated game don't answer my question of what you see A:I gameplay being like. So if someone needs to "read again", it's you.

What's the gameplay like, he asks me? Read/Watch some of the countless material/previews available. I read enough that convinced me of it's quality and features, the rest I shall enjoy by actually playing it.

Are you one of those morons that need to watch a 10 hour LP first before getting a good grasp of a game? You don't like discovering things yourself?

 

[shihonage]

What's the gameplay like, he asks me? Read/Watch some of the countless material/previews available. I read enough that convinced me of it's quality and features, the rest I shall enjoy by actually playing it.

Are you one of those morons that need to watch a 10 hour LP first before getting a good grasp of a game? You don't like discovering things yourself?

I'm familiar with the previews, and my understanding of its gameplay is very different from yours, which is why I was curious how one can see the game through such an optimistic filter. Your incoherence and defensiveness answered that aplenty. I get the picture. GG

 

[Ebonsword]

Do you really want to talk about immersion?

Yes.

Even if a game has ten different things that break immersion, that doesn't mean I can't improve it by reducing that number to nine.

 

[Morgoth]

What's the gameplay like, he asks me? Read/Watch some of the countless material/previews available. I read enough that convinced me of it's quality and features, the rest I shall enjoy by actually playing it.

Are you one of those morons that need to watch a 10 hour LP first before getting a good grasp of a game? You don't like discovering things yourself?

I'm familiar with the previews, and my understanding of its gameplay is very different from yours, which is why I was curious how one can see the game through such an optimistic filter. Your incoherence and defensiveness answered that aplenty. I get the picture. GG

And you like repetitive mindless "fun", I too get the picture of you.

 

[Drakron]

We should change the header to "Alien:Retardation".

 

[Curious_Tongue]

 

[Drakron]

Can someone please ban Curious_Tongue or at the fucking least give him a PewPewSomerhingDie Fanboy title?

 

[The Fish]

Can someone please ban Curious_Tongue or at the fucking least give him a PewPewSomerhingDie Fanboy title?

Take it easy. I have to say I was expecting much worse given how you all blather on about how much of a cunt pewdeepie is. I've seen "let's plays" with some retard incessantly screaming throughout the entire thing. Having just watched this twat for the first time I have to say he's much less annoying than all of you are making out.

What did you expect the most popular youtube channel to be? Have you ever seen one of those videos with 300 million views? of course it's going to be somewhat shit.

 

[shihonage]

What did you expect the most popular youtube channel to be? Have you ever seen one of those videos with 300 million views? of course it's going to be somewhat shit.

... because this is a thread for Youtube's most popular channels, and we just have to endure PewDiePie for the sake of science.

Oh wait.

 

[The Fish]

What did you expect the most popular youtube channel to be? Have you ever seen one of those videos with 300 million views? of course it's going to be somewhat shit.

... because this is a thread for Youtube's most popular channels, and we just have to endure PewDiePie for the sake of science.

Oh wait.

It's gameplay footage, it's as relevant as anything else. Perhaps there's another playthrough of the first 30 minutes with no commentary but I don't care enough to search for such a video.

 

[shihonage]

Why do you want to see playthroughs of a game with no replay value? Isn't that going to ruin your experience?

 

[The Fish]

Why do you want to see playthroughs of a game with no replay value? Isn't that going to ruin your experience?

How would I know whether or not it's worth pirating if I didn't watch it?

 

[DalekFlay]

Steam actually says my ancient PC can run this. Interesting.

If anyone runs it on low specs next week can post pictures I would appreciate it.

 

[shihonage]

If anyone runs it on low specs next week can post pictures I would appreciate it.

 

[Infinitron]

RPS review: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/10/03/alien-isolation-review-pc/

Isolation is, remarkably, perhaps more effective as a sequel to and (sort of) adaptation of Alien into digital form than it is as a game. That said, despite drawing so much of its strength from the license, the excellence of the audio design, the uncanny androids and the sense of the magnificent dread of space put me in mind of another game – System Shock 2. I think Alien: Isolation is the best scary sci-fi experience since SHODAN’s last appearance.

Oddly, the alien itself may be one of the reasons that Isolation is unable to surpass Looking Glass’ work. Creative Assembly open the game with a Ripley who hasn’t even heard a whisper about the xenomorph. It isn’t just alien to her, it’s completely unexpected. This is a story of a first encounter with something unknowable and dreadful, but it is, of course, something that we already know about. The xenomorph is a pop culture icon and, in that sense, it cannot possibly serve the purpose it did in the original film anymore.

Despite the repetition and what I consider to be a significant mistep in the third act of an otherwise efficiently scripted plot, Isolation deserves grand praise for making the alien…alien again. It hasn’t been this frightening, animalistic and mysterious since its first appearance, and nor has it been part of a world that cocoons and nurtures its dread so effectively.

Isolation is the best Alien game I’ve ever played, I’m in no doubt about that. Even in its awkward moments it is doing something interesting with the license, exploring the edges of what is possible in its world, quietly and discreetly. I expect the debate about certain design choices to be loud and long. At the centre of the debate will be one of the finest entries in the Alien canon in any medium, and one of the finest horror experiences in ours.

 

[Infinitron]

Eurogamer review: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-10-03-alien-isolation-review

It always feels weird to complain about a game being too long, but towards the end it definitely feels like Isolation is outstaying its welcome. There are multiple points where it feels like the story could be coming to an end, but it keeps on going. The Alien bits still thrill, but the constant backtracking to reboot systems, activate machines and find characters starts to grow thin. By the time the credits roll - after a slightly disappointing QTE-lite finale - they feel overdue.

The game's elongated feel isn't helped by the generally bland supporting characters, who exist mostly to nudge Ripley further along the story before providing predictable set-piece deaths. The voice acting is variable and the character models and animation don't match up to the high visual standard set elsewhere. They're not bad, but they fail to register as fellow humans whose sacrifices and fears mean anything to the player.

Unlike the creature it so lavishly recreates, Alien: Isolation isn't quite a perfect specimen - but the things it does get right, it gets so brilliantly right that it will give you some of your best gaming memories of the year. There are a few too many repetitive lows in between those dizzying highs, and some teeth-grinding moments of unfair instant death, but as maddening as they are in the moment, those will be forgotten in time.

A shorter, sharper campaign would condense the high points more potently, and some better characterisation would make the plot twists hit harder. But if you're looking for a game that really sinks its teeth into what makes this iconic movie monster endure, look no further.

8 / 10

 

[Astral Rag]

If anyone runs it on low specs next week can post pictures I would appreciate it.

 

[LESS T_T]

IGN: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/03/alien-isolation-review

Alien: Isolation seemed like the perfect Alien game on paper, and for the first handful of hours it even seems to deliver on its promise on the strength of its outstanding art and sound that faithfully recreates the ambiance of the classic horror film. Instead, what was the Great Xenomorphic Hope ends in another disappointment for a license loaded with interactive-entertainment potential. It’s a shame that Isolation doesn’t track stats, because I’d be curious to know how many of its roughly 15-20 hours I spent hiding in lockers, staring at the motion tracker, and, most of all, how many hundreds (yes, hundreds) of times I died without a chance to save myself.

It may seem strange to complain that a game’s too long, but when the genuine scares of being hunted by an unstoppable predator are so diluted by repetition and padding, Isolation’s epic length really does work against it. Someday, someone is going to make an incredible Alien video game that checks every box. But, sadly, Isolation is not it.

5.9 MEDIOCRE