Video Game Review: Alien Isolation Publisher: Sega Developer: Creative Assembly Genre: First Person Survival Horror Rating: M (Mature) for Violence, Strong Language, and Blood Platforms: PlayStation 4 (this version's review), PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC. Graphics: 4.5/5 Sound: 4.5/5 Control: 4.5/5 WOW Factor: 5/5 Frustration factor: 4.5/5 Folks, I love the film "Alien", as I am sure many of us here do. It is the seminal science-fiction/horror film of the ages. For the longest time, I've wanted to feel like a part of that universe, even if it is a dystopian techno-corporate society. (That probably stemmed more from my love of ALIENS as opposed to its sire, but recently, I've really fallen in love with the original all over again, largely thanks to Prometheus, another in the series I've enjoyed.) If you've felt the way that I have, and have long waited for a game that captures the look and feel of ALIEN, your prayers have been answered. There have been many games that have come out representative of the ALIENS part of the universe....most of them have been Alien Vs Predator types. Shortly after the first film came out, there was a PC game for ALIEN, and I cannot remember if it was graphics based, text based, or a combination of the two. Recently, the game ALIENS: Colonial Marines made its foray into the ALIENS universe, and was met with mostly poor reviews by critics, but it still sold considerably well. Still, it was quite wanting in many areas. Hopefully, Sega has since severed their ties with Gearbox (the developers who were supposed to make A:CM, and outsourced production to a lesser company, taking Sega's production money and putting it toward Borderlands 2). Sega has turned to another developer, and this time, with the intent of creating something closer in tone and feel to the first film. Creative Assembly has magnificently stepped up to the task, and developed a title that truly deserves the genre moniker of "Survival Horror". And not only that, but they have really captured the feel of ALIEN with this "missing sequel" story that I could easily accept as canon in the Alien universe. This game takes place in the first person perspective, although there are plenty of cutscenes that allow you to view the game's protagonist, Amanda Ripley....and they designed a cutie...she could easily be Sigourney Weaver's daughter. As far as I can tell, I'm reaching the conclusion of the game, but it is so tense that I actually have to take breaks from it....so I chose to take some tension out by writing up this review. The story idea of the game is this: 15 years have passed since the fateful events portrayed in 1979's "ALIEN". Amanda Ripley (Ellen Ripley's daughter, mentioned in James Cameron's Director's Cut of ALIENS) is in her 20's, and working as an engineer for Weyland-Yutani coporation. She has pursued this career with one goal in mind: Finding out what happened to her mother, who was supposed to have returned from her cargo haul on the Nostromo in time for her 11th birthday. Well, guess who never showed up? Keep in mind that, in this review, Ripley is now Amanda, so when I say Ripley, I mean Amanda. (She gets referred to as Ripley in the game, so why not here? ) Ripley is encountered during one of her work shifts by an individual named Samuels. Samuels knows, and is deeply concerned about Ripley's plight, and desire to know what happened to her mother. He tells her that the black box from the Nostromo has been recovered, and that it could, if anything, provide Ripley with some closure about her mom. At first, Ripley is hesitant, but the offer is too good to pass up. Ripley and Samuels book passage on the Torrens; an M-class starship, the same classification as the Nostromo, but converted more to be a passenger transport rather than a freighter. Also joining them on the journey is a Weyland-Yutani representative named Taylor. During this time, before reaching the bridge of, you can choose to explore the ship, and you will find that her layout is largely the same as the Nostromo's from the movie, except that this ship is only two decks low, as opposed to the Nostromo's three. You will find a lot of the same set pieces as on the movie set of the Nostromo. You'll be able to mention to yourself about where certain events in the film took place... like "This is where Ripley confronted Ash about allowing the facehugger on board.", and such. When you finally decide to join Captain Verlaine on the bridge, they are in approach to Sevastapol, a gigantic deep space commerce station and space port in orbit of a gas giant, much like the one seen in the film. (In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it is the same gas giant, as there is a small planetoid in its orbit, much like what would become LV-426 in ALIENS...the only discrepancy that makes me think it is not the same gas giant is that there are no rings around this planet. Sevastapol appears to be in a bit of a bad way though. Power is fluctuating, and a broken transmission from station Marshall Waits. There is no way for the Torrens to dock, but they are wanting to send Ripley, Samuels, and Taylor over, even if it has to be done by EVA, which they opt to do. Disaster strikes during the EVA crossing, and Ripley is separated from her two companions. Now, she is alone aboard Sevastapol, and eventually she comes to find that almost everything and everyone is a threat. The station is in disarray in places, as we learn that Sevastapol was in the process of being decommissioned, when somehow, someway, something made its way aboard the station, and started hunting down its occupants. The station's mindbank, known as APOLLO, has ordered its android contingent, known as Working Joes, to secure the station in "Hazard Lockdown: Omega". With that, the Working Joes have glitched, and will eliminate anyone they discover. The stations human survivors have been living in fear of the pragmatic automata, as well as the malevolent presence that has invaded the spaceport. As Ripley, you end up getting caught up in the middle of events that Ripley's mom endured years earlier, unbeknownst to young Amanda. This game is NOT a first person shooter, although you do eventually get a hold of some weapons. Ripley is not a killer, but she will defend herself. She is a survivor, but not necessarily a fighter, much like Ellen Ripley was. She grows into that over the course of the game. There is no running and gunning like in Aliens vs Predator or Aliens: Colonial Marines. In fact, combat is often ill-advised, and only be a last resort. Most weapons have a heft to them that makes it difficult to just "run and gun" with. In fact, doing anything that can make noise to compromise your location is ill-advised. As you move about the station, you can craft items that are helpful in either distracting your opponents/enemies, or in combating them. And the Alien itself? Well....ya' can't kill it. You don't have that kind of firepower. (Everything about the Alien is based on the status of the 1979 film, not Cameron's ALIENS film from '86.) Believe me, I've tried shooting it with a revolver. It might bleed, but it doesn't even flinch. You can drive it away if you have the right tools/weapons, but that is a temporary and stopgap measure. The Alien will come back after you. You can hide from it, either by climbing into lockers, vents (floor or wall), or hiding under beds, gurneys, desks with open bottoms, or counter spaces. Working Joes can be killed, but are nearly as tough as the Alien. You just need the right tools/weapons for the job. (In fact, the game states in one of its transitions "Weapons are like tools. Make sure you have the right one for the right job." ) There are plenty of helpful hints that appear randomly in the transitions or reload screens. But I don't want to spoil any part of the game by quoting them. I think the one quote above is more than enough to tell you the nature of the game. Humans are obviously far more fragile, but the game discourages attacking them, messing with them, and especially killing them. You can walk, you can spring (which makes a lot of noise), and you can crouch walk (which greatly reduces your movement noise, but also your speed). When you get closer to some beds/gurneys, desks, and counter surfaces, you will automatically stoop lower to get under them....most effective in hiding from humans/automata/interstellar life forms. It's not 100 percent effective, but it seems far more effective than hiding in lockers, crates, etc. Crawling through vents is appropriately unnerving. (To date, I have not run into any enemies in vents, but I am always cautious when crossing through them...and my butt always puckers up just a little bit more during such traversals.) There is even a risk in using things like your motion tracker (which you eventually acquire) and your headset flashlight. In the wrong situation, those devices can be as much a bane to yourself as they are a boon for finding your way. Occasionally, if you are able to make your way clear to them, you might happen upon fragments from the Nostromo's flight recorder, in which there are voice logs recorded by the members of that doomed ship's crew. (And Creative Assembly was able to secure the talents of six of the seven original cast members from ALIEN to do the voices. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skeritt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Staton, Yaphet Kotto, and Veronica Cartright have all stepped up to repirse their roles, not only for the voice recordings of the black box, but also to appear in an add-on campaign called "Crew Expendable" which allows you to play either as Ripley, Dallas, or Parker. I have yet to try that campaign, but I look forward to it.) I gave this game a graphics rating of 4.5, docking it a half a point only because the characters look not quite up to snuff with what I've seen from other games like "The Last of Us" or "Beyond: Two Souls". The Alien looks and moves appropriately menacing. (Part of the sell of the original film was that you never really saw the Alien in its entirety. Sadly that was a motif that they could not quite recreate in the game, as the Alien is often out in plain view, but usually obscured a little by particle effects from steam pipes, or lighting effects that only serve to strongly accentuate its terrifying silhouette. ) The corridors and set pieces, however, are so well done that when certain lighting and particle aspects come into play, it looks as if you're walking on an actual set as opposed to a CG set piece. The views of the Sevastapol station from any window you can peer through, as well as the gas giant beyond, and the blazing sun (you actually see solar flares on the local sun) are also quite gorgeous to behold. You also get the sense that Amanda, like Ellen before her, grew up to be about 6 feet tall. (Trivia note: Actress Sigourney Weaver was 6 feet tall at 12 years of age.) The ceilings and door overheads sometimes seem very low when viewed in the first person perspective. Creative Assembly also went to a lot of trouble to make the tech of this world look like something that would appear in a 1979 film. The recent movie of Prometheus had technology that looked far more advanced than in a movie that was made in '79, yet took place 30 years after. CA really got the "dirty, used" look of Alien down to a tee....even down to the cassette drive based computers and terminals on the ship and station. (Remember Atari 64 and Commodore 64?) The sounds of the game are almost perfect. I docked it half a point from full marks only because on occasion, some of the ambient sounds of the station or ship you are on will completely drop out. That big droning generator you might hear will suddenly become inaudible. But usually its only the ambient effects like generators, engines, and machinery that will drop out. All the other important sounds, like people talking, footfalls, doors opening/closing, and the hisses and wails of the Alien, all stay active. Most sound effects are straight from the original film, and sound incredible...not like some low-bitrate import. Weapons sound good, especially the flame thrower and the EMP mines. The Alien's sounds are spooky to downright frightening...especially when the star of the show jumps out at you from an unexpected nook or cranny. And then there is the music in the game. Not only were they able to use some of the late, great Jerry Goldsmith's original themes, but the new music recorded for the game captures the essence of Goldsmith's original work, and in fact, several musicians who were in the National Symphony Orchestra for the film score in 1979 were on hand to record the new material for the game. (Creative Assembly really pulled out almost all the stops when it came to developing this outstanding title.) Control is rather good. Sometimes, handling some of the deployable gadgets and weapons (like EMP mines or Noisemakers or flares) can be mildly cumbersome, but you get used to handling them after a short while. Movement is somewhat fluid...about the only hiccup I run into is when I have to save, but it is a minor concern. I rather like the mechanic of how the game has you work levers and tools to gain access to areas or to reroute power. For example (in the PS4 version) if you come up to a two handed lever, you hit the X button to initiate the action, then pull on both the L2 and R2 triggers to grip the lever, and then pull back on both sticks to pull the lever down. Accessing the map and other documents is accomplished by pressing the touch pad on the controller. Otherwise, the game handles like a typical first person game, except for the running and gunning element...it is definitely not there, and that is a good thing, because Alien was never about run and gun. It was about keeping your butt alive from place to place. The Frustration factor is minimal. There are plenty of save points scattered throughout the game, which you walk up to and insert a keycard. The save point will notify you if there are hostiles nearby, at which saving could be risky, as it takes several seconds for the save function to kick in. This was a deliberate move by CA to maintain the tension, even in seemingly "safe" areas. And then, after you save at such a point, you will have to wait a few minutes if you lurk around the area before you can save there again. (I did not time how long it took for the wait...not when you have an Alien on your tail or Working Joes lying in wait.) The Frustration factor is also mitigated by the fact that when the Alien does get you, it is usually by pants peeing surprise. You get so nervous and jumpy that frustration doesn't really seem to dawn on you, because your adrenaline is so high. Frustration may kick in when dealing with humans and Working Joes, but it is minimal even then. The game is of a very generous running length. I think I have so far logged 22 hours on the game, and it was estimated to be a 20 hour playthrough (at least, the first time, if you don't make many mistakes). The WOW factor of the game will speak for itself. A combination of the excellent graphics, sound, playability, and minimal frustration factor, not to mention just feeling like you are actually in the Alien universe will likely have you squeeing like a 'shipper if you have any love for the first film. I highly recommend this game for all fans and admirers of Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece. And from what I've seen, the game looks and plays great no matter what system you own. (My roomie has the Xbox 360 version, and even it looks beautiful.) CORRECTION: Ian Holm did not do the voice of Ash for this game. iMDB seems to have gotten it wrong again. However, I did notice that among the voice cast for the main campaign, William Hope, who played Lt. Gorman in ALIENS, was brought in to voice Station Marshall Waits. So, cool.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, will read later! Definitely going to check the game out as well at some point. In the meantime, here's PA's take on AISO:
Actually, the argument in that PA comic is not too far from the truth in terms of time in-game. I didn't really have any problems frame-rate wise though. I hope you end up enjoying it, DB. I certainly did. Started Crew Expendable. Liking it. Very much more aggressive than Isolation. (Also liked getting to explore deck one of the Nostromo...they got a lot of set pieces right. A few things I questioned, but it didn't take me out of the enjoyment of it.) If Gabriel in the comic above was bitching about how long it takes for the Alien to show up in Isolation, he wouldn't have any problems with Crew Expendable.
With the eventual releases of VR headsets like Occulus Rift and PlayStation's own brand, I would love to be able to play Alien Isolation in Virtual Reality. One reviewer who did play AI in virtual reality said that the game was all too effective in that configuration, and that he could not play it for long stretches. If one thought the game was scary, tense, and stressful just playing it on an HDTV or monitor, the game is many times that in VR. I would love to be able to walk around the darkened, flickering, steam-riddled corridors of Sevastapol, or the hauntingly familiar passages of the Nostromo in almost total immersion. To be able to look out a window into space, and then turn and still find yourself surrounded by the space station/ship. To hear the unnerving sounds of people, Working Joes, and a certain, unfriendly Extra-Terrestrial around you or in the uncertain distance....your butt puckered to the point that you'd need a prybar to actually alleviate constriction.... Sign me up! The game is so scary that some folks are actually afraid to even consider trying it in VR. I would probably only be able to play it in short bursts....not because of possible eye-fatigue or headaches, but simply because the game is THAT foreboding. You wouldn't have the comfortable surroundings of your home to look away from the screen for to remind yourself that you're only playing a game. With a VR headset, you would be "in the world" of Alien, and your only escape would be to remove the headset. Even in it's normal gameplay state, Alien Isolation is a masterpiece of tension and horror, and most folks, myself included, actually have to step away from that world for a while. I wonder if developer Creative Assembly realized that a lot of players would end up feeling that they had to step away from the game because it is so terrifying and stress inducing? I wonder if they intended the game to be played for long stretches, or if they didn't realize that they made the game so damned well that long-stretches are almost impossible to ask of even the hardiest players. (reviews by IGN and GameSpot are total garbage...and I doubt they even actually played the game). In any case, CA need to pat themselves and each other on the back for a job very well done.
I watched part of a twitch stream last night, and the game looks amazing and damned creepy and amazingly intense. Just watching it had me on the edge of my seat. Not necessarily my kind of game, mind you, but I do love what they've done in terms of lighting and aesthetics, and that the technology is in line with what you'd expect from the 80's view of the future.
I just bought the game on Friday. Not only are the graphics amazing, but the atmosphere is incredibly realistic. I just love that everything looks like the future that 1979's Alien presented us with. There aren't wide, flat touch-screens anywhere. Big bulky monitors and huge keyboards with primitive graphics are what make up this universe. I haven't played much so far, but I love how there is lots of exploration involved and not much combat. I'm not used to survival-type games, so this is very new to me, but I love it! Every once in a while you just hear noises and you're just prepared for anything to happen, but it doesn't. This game fits right in with the tone of the original Alien movie. I can't wait to keep playing.
Very nice job on the review, martok. The game seems like it's a blast to play. Did a nice job describing the pros and cons of it. Only issue I had reading the review, was some of the length of the paragraphs. For example: I gave this game a graphics rating of 4.5, docking it a half a point only because the characters look not quite up to snuff with what I've seen from other games like "The Last of Us" or "Beyond: Two Souls". The Alien looks and moves appropriately menacing. (Part of the sell of the original film was that you never really saw the Alien in its entirety. Sadly that was a motif that they could not quite recreate in the game, as the Alien is often out in plain view, but usually obscured a little by particle effects from steam pipes, or lighting effects that only serve to strongly accentuate its terrifying silhouette. ) The corridors and set pieces, however, are so well done that when certain lighting and particle aspects come into play, it looks as if you're walking on an actual set as opposed to a CG set piece. The views of the Sevastapol station from any window you can peer through, as well as the gas giant beyond, and the blazing sun (you actually see solar flares on the local sun) are also quite gorgeous to behold. You also get the sense that Amanda, like Ellen before her, grew up to be about 6 feet tall. (Trivia note: Actress Sigourney Weaver was 6 feet tall at 12 years of age.) The ceilings and door overheads sometimes seem very low when viewed in the first person perspective. Creative Assembly also went to a lot of trouble to make the tech of this world look like something that would appear in a 1979 film. The recent movie of Prometheus had technology that looked far more advanced than in a movie that was made in '79, yet took place 30 years after. CA really got the "dirty, used" look of Alien down to a tee....even down to the cassette drive based computers and terminals on the ship and station. (Remember Atari 64 and Commodore 64?) In it's original form, it's easy to just go over this paragraph. Breaking it up into more than one can make it a little easier to read. Same with a few of the others. I gave this game a graphics rating of 4.5, docking it a half a point only because the characters look not quite up to snuff with what I've seen from other games like "The Last of Us" or "Beyond: Two Souls". The Alien looks and moves appropriately menacing. (Part of the sell of the original film was that you never really saw the Alien in its entirety. Sadly that was a motif that they could not quite recreate in the game, as the Alien is often out in plain view, but usually obscured a little by particle effects from steam pipes, or lighting effects that only serve to strongly accentuate its terrifying silhouette. ) The corridors and set pieces, however, are so well done that when certain lighting and particle aspects come into play, it looks as if you're walking on an actual set as opposed to a CG set piece. The views of the Sevastapol station from any window you can peer through, as well as the gas giant beyond, and the blazing sun (you actually see solar flares on the local sun) are also quite gorgeous to behold. You also get the sense that Amanda, like Ellen before her, grew up to be about 6 feet tall. (Trivia note: Actress Sigourney Weaver was 6 feet tall at 12 years of age.) The ceilings and door overheads sometimes seem very low when viewed in the first person perspective. Creative Assembly also went to a lot of trouble to make the tech of this world look like something that would appear in a 1979 film. The recent movie of Prometheus had technology that looked far more advanced than in a movie that was made in '79, yet took place 30 years after. CA really got the "dirty, used" look of Alien down to a tee....even down to the cassette drive based computers and terminals on the ship and station. (Remember Atari 64 and Commodore 64?) Other than that, it's all good. Looking forward to future reviews by you.
Thanks, Zombie. I'm glad you liked the review, and I thank you for you constructive view on my paragraph structure. I'll try to be a bit more breakish in the future, and try not to let too much subject matter run together. Truth be told, this is the first time in a good long while that I have done a video game review. I hope folks get as much enjoyment out of the game as I have. The main campaign is nothing short of frighteningly awesome. Now, my views on "Crew Expendable". So, I played and beat "Crew Expendable" on Alien Isolation. It is a small game. Only around 300+ MB. It is fun, but it is sort of patterned. After a couple of go throughs on Medium difficulty, if you are careful, you can win it fairly easily.....and winning the game is a loose term. You can choose to be Ripley (called "Ellen" in the game), or Parker, or Dallas. I beat the scenario with Ripley. You have a series of tasks to accomplish, all the while being stalked by the Alien. If you move cautiously, you can evade the Alien. If you're forced to face it down, make sure you have plenty of flamethrower ammo. You can be quite conservative with the ammo in dealing with the creature. Overall, I will say it was pretty fun, but it (the scenario) is over relatively quickly. Best way to put it is that this is an interactive version of a smooth combination of two scenes from the film. One where Dallas goes into the vents to try and force the Alien to the airlock. The other is representative of a scene that was only partially filmed, and never completed for the movie, where Parker happens upon the Alien near the main airlock. If you do not know the scene, I will not spoil it for you. I'll give the add on game a 3/5 rating. I don't know if it plays out any differently with the other characters, but I'm going to presume not.
You're welcome, martok. I'm in the same boat to be honest, been working on shaking off some of the rust off of my reviewing skills. Well it's a good first step back in .
I've heard the game has a mode called "Microphone Mode". If you turn it on, the game picks up any sounds your mic hears, and it's just like Ripley is making the sounds. So if your sitting at your keyboard and you cough, the Aliens going straight for you.
Yeah, it has that mode for PS4 also, as well as a camera mode that allows you to use your head to peek around cover in game. One day, I'm gonna try the game with mic mode. Ought to be interesting.
A game so good I gave it an eight out of ten… but than I realized something that jumped the score up to nine. No mentions of Prometheus or ALIEN3, the two films that destroy the franchise for me in so many different ways. I'm was so happy that Jockey looked like the Jockey from ALIEN.
The funny thing is the disaster that was Aliens CM had one really decent level in it, and just like A Isolation, you had to creep about without alerting the aliens and you had no weapons, so i wonder if they got this AI idea from the feedback that was quite positive about that one level in that game.
Lol...I actually enjoyed that level as well. Especially the banter between Winter and O'Neil when Winter notices something a bit distressing about the aliens....not that they weren't distressing enough already.