Alien: Isolation

Greetings from Lithuania.

If you are a fan of "Alien" / "Aliens" - grab this video game immediately. If you are a fan of "Call of Duty" type shooters, think twice before getting in this world.

"Alien: Isolation" (2014) is hands down the best Alien theme game ever - period. It's all here - claustrophobic settings, sense of true terror, exploration, crafting, searching, shooting (a bit) and the star itself - Alien. And what a star it is. After you will encounter it in the game, every single minute of the rest of the experience will be true experience - the presents of this creature in the game changes everything - can't remember the last time in VG i have been hiding in looker room for 10 minutes just to safely crawl out of the room. The experience is mesmerizing. The AI of the creature is astonishing - no same patterns, every single time you will get the different encounter with "it" and it's only up to you on how this encounter will end.

This is the game based on "Alien" theme i've always wanted. Overall, if you like Video Games / survivor horror / "Alien" - do your self a favor and try this game. It's the ultimate "Alien" experience.

Opinion is divided on Alien Isolation. You ever love it's inch-by-inch stealth, occasionally frustrating unscripted events and lack of combat, or you hate it. Certainly, if you have been raised solely on 1080p exploding uber-monsters, plasma turbo-cannons and a body count higher than a city-wide zombie apocalypse, you may well fall in the second category.

But that's not me and so I can only speak from what I have seen of the game.

The developer knows their audience, that is for sure. Even the grainy VHS tape appearance of the 20th Century Fox logo when you insert the disc is pitched at a male gamer who was too young to watch Ridley Scott's original Alien in the cinema, but who fell in love with it at home on video. This is no Alien Resurrection with its throwaway CGI and ugly evolutions of the original monster. Forget the lame AVP franchise with their atmosphere thinner than LV426. Last year's Colonial Marines? Nope, never heard of it. There isn't even a smart gun on show here. Instead, Alien Isolation is a faithful attempt to tie a loving companion story to the original film and amazingly it is done with completely authentic and painstakingly recreated music, sound effects and interiors.

So, forget your expectations of what a modern action game should be and join Amanda Ripley as the search for her long missing mother leads her to space station Svenstopol, where on arrival it is immediately obvious that, in this run-down backwater, something has gone badly wrong. Aboard the station the atmosphere is truly frightening. Chokingly tense, it's as visually creepy as Doom III with sound design to rival the high points of the Silent Hill series. Forget that you know exactly what the Alien looks like, forget that you've seen it do it's stuff a million times. It won't make any difference. When it finally does appear, the effect will be as great as it was all those years ago, watching the film. It is elegant, beautiful and utterly lethal.

So what does it play like? While this game is in the first person, make no mistake, this ain't Call of Duty. This is old skool survival horror, complete with a clunky movement system that all but forbids you to out-gun or even out-run trouble. Progress is gradual, movement halting. The first lesson the game will teach you is to slow down, be prepared, never rush in. The puzzles and tasks reflect this. You are required to use observation and lateral thinking rather than a volatile trigger finger. As the story unfolds you will be reminded of those halcyon days of Resident Evil I and II when searching for keycards and missing components from broken-down machines to further your progress was the glue that bound the set-pieces together. None of the puzzles are prohibitively hard. But trying to execute them while you are being actively hunted, is.

But the granddaddy of survival horror is not the only touchstone here. There is a thoroughly modern sheen on this game, not just in terms of graphical detail and environmental effects but also features. Indeed the game owes a great deal to the original Dead Space, not just in the crafting system but also in overall atmosphere. The post Resident Evil 4 staple of strategically placed button bashing cues are present too and used to strong effect – always furthering the action, never impeding the story. It's a masterpiece of storytelling and like the genre-defining The Last of Us, it allows the other non-player characters to tell much of the story. Hence the action blends seamlessly with the cut scenes.

While these may sound like the doe-eyed ramblings of a super-fan, Alien Isolation isn't perfect. The very nature of the alien's unscripted arrivals can be frustratingly difficult, particularly early on when you have no defence against it and don't really know what you can get away with. If it sees you, you die. If you sprint, you die. If you make a noise, you die. In short, you will die a lot! Several hours into the narrative, I began to try and use the technique of making a noise on purpose and then relocating quickly to draw the Alien away from an area I needed to access. Even this, is very hit and miss as the creature can negotiate the air ducts so quickly that if it is hunting you, it can be on you in a matter of seconds. No doubt, this makes for a pulse pounding ride, but it can be frustrating too and were the makers not so generous with save points, I believe the game would be basically unplayable. The load times are also a little lengthy in places, although to be fair, the payoff is that the game looks incredibly beautiful.

I could go on but, really it's better that you experience the game for yourself. But make no mistake, this is high budget, high concept fan fiction pitched at the older gamer. Their mission statement was obviously to deliver not just an exciting experience but also to add to the Alien universe rather than detracting from it as, in my opinion, everything from Alien 3 onwards has done. And in this, they have succeeded utterly.

Unlike most reviewers I have read from, I have neither played Aliens: Colonial Marines nor watched the original Aliens movie, so I do not have any real references to compare to. The only "horror" game I had played before this was Alan Wake - an excellent game in its own right. Alien: Isolation, however, is something else. It is not just a horror game, heck, it is not even just a game, it is an experience that has to be felt to be believed.

I started off at Medium difficulty, which I bet is the perfect choice for your first playthrough. Judging by the atmosphere and the survival-oriented resources, I quickly understood I had to play an excellent stealth game, which I did - crafting items, conserving ammo, never making a sound. All good until the Alien took me down for the first time - I was creeping through a vent, but with the Alien lurking around, I had made a bit too much noise before entering it. Suddenly, the Alien hopped down behind me with that terrifying metallic thud. It uttered its customary terrifying squeal and dragged me by my feet before I knew it, game over! I had headphones on with the volume turned up and it was 3 in the night, so it was apt that all my composure went for a toss - I was short of breath, my hands were suddenly cold & trembling and I could not resume playing without taking a break. No game has ever done this to me, and I doubt any game ever will. It is so good! The game is challenging, and I'd definitely say it is not meant for everyone. But, it is a masterpiece, there is no doubt about it. I have never played a game with such depth of atmosphere - the excellent graphics (e.g. the most realistic rendering of fire ever, period!) and the unbelievable sound design come together to create one of the best game worlds I have ever experienced. If nothing else, this game sets the precedent for truly immersive worlds in the gaming industry. Combined with the stealth-oriented crafting-based survival gameplay and an intelligent, deadly monster, this game is a blockbuster of sorts.

The game is not perfect though - the story could be much more taut and the human character models could be more lifelike. But, these factors take away only half a point from what is essentially a 10/10 game, just for the experience it provides.

I highly recommend this game to not just survival horror fans, but also anyone who wants to have an other-worldly, surreal experience in a game. Play before you die!

Just wow... why the hell people overlooked this game when it camed out? i mean yeah it got some problems (some people may not like heavy stealth and backtracking) but dear god this game is terrifying.

the game is so aggressive with it's gameplay and setup that always leave you at the edge of your seat the entire time and that can be frustrating sometimes but never have i ever felt the game was unfair because anytime you die, and you're going to die a lot it feels like you did a mistake and it's not the game being cruel.

without any question it's one of the best horror tension field games you'll ever play specially if love the 1979 alien movie or if you are a fan of the franchise in general it's a must play for you, it's easily the best alien experience out there.

What can be said about Isolation that hasn't already been said by the big video game reviewers? This game is terrifying! And an incredibly faithful entry to the Alien Canon, I won't concentrate too much on story but obviously you are Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen, you find yourself on Sevastapol station in search for the Nostromo flight recorder to find out what happened to your mother who has been AWOL for 15 years, that's all I'm giving away.

What makes Isolation so special isn't its story, it's the un- predictable, radiant gameplay, one of my favourite moments so far was being spotted b a working Joe in an area I wasn't supposed to be in, they all start chasing me, I think I'm safe hiding in a corner until I turn around and find 7 of them staring at me, one grabs me by the neck and throws me into the wall and proceeds to beat the crap out of me, I whack him with my wrench ad run away into a locker, they give up looking for me, why this was so special is it only happened to me, did it happen to anyone else? Maybe, but certainly not in the exact same way, but it felt scripted, like it was supposed to happen, but it was pure chance and everyone who lays will have their own horrific story to tell that others would not have experienced.

This becomes more frightening when the Xenomorph makes his grand entrance.

The Alien in this game (There is only one) is un-scripted 95% of the time, it hunts you down like a real beast and is truly a complicated AI, and a true and horrific work of art, whenever you see it your skin will burn you will panic and find the nearest hiding place, don't bother fighting it, it will only become more aggressive, don't bother running away, it can run faster, hide or accept death and rethink your strategy.

Forget everything about last years Colonial Marines, if you're a fan of RIdley Scotts 1979 Alien, or survival horror in general, this game is essential, you will scream, panic and sweat but every survival will be something you laugh at and cherish in the end and this is easily the best £35 I have spent in a long long time, buy this game now!