{"id":3166,"date":"2015-12-29T19:47:30","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T00:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/wordpress\/?p=3166"},"modified":"2019-01-06T20:01:25","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T01:01:25","slug":"alien-isolation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/alien-isolation\/","title":{"rendered":"Alien: Isolation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2015-12-26_00011\"<\/a>

Aaagh, my vacant eye sockets! Who has the laser pointer?!<\/p><\/div>\n

Game Name<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Alien: Isolation (2014)
\nDeveloper<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Creative Assembly (from the awesome Total War Series)
\nPlatform<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0PC, MAC, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One (reviewed on PC)
\nCategories<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Single Player, Pure-Stealth, Cat-and-Mouse, True Horror, Repeated and Violent Deaths, Crafting, Sci-Fi, First\u00a0Person Shooter, Mini-Games<\/p>\n

May Appeal To<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0fanatics of the original “Alien” movie, retro-future nostalgics, stoic horror aficionados, self-flagellation enthusiasts, art lovers, chaoticians, atheists, completionists, the unphased, and\u00a0those with thick thick skin
\nMay Repulse<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0fans of the “Aliens” second movie, run and gunners, the squeamish, the anxious, the impatient, the gung-ho, pattern-seekers, the aloof, the undedicated, the rage quitters whom are secretly terrified, IGN employees, and everyone who isn’t strictly in the “May Appeal To” section<\/p>\n

Comparable\u00a0To<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>(better theme, monster, and environmental interaction than) Amnesia: the Dark Descent, (trickier stealth than) the Thief series, (reminiscent of the first couple Human missions of) Aliens Vs. Predator original, (less BFG and more in line with the intro to) Doom 3<\/p>\n

Learning Curve<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Despite preparation,\u00a0you may never become truly comfortable eluding the Alien -possibly by design. A couple\u00a0hours in\u00a0and the gist of it all should sink in.
\nGame\u00a0Length<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>About 25\u00a0hours\u00a0if you don’t lose too much progress from deaths, under an hour for the bonus missions together
\nDifficulty<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Variable. From what I can tell, it’s high to severe for players depending on the appropriately selected difficulty in the beginning. This includes stress\/emotional taxation.
\nMastery<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>If you’ve got the right stuff, good for you Space Marine. There are four main difficulties in\u00a0story mode and leaderboards for the timed trials\u00a0-which are distilled down to just the bare\u00a0mechanics. If you play past campaign mode, you’re a master in my book.<\/p>\n

Story<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Do you remember when Lieutenant Ripley mentions a daughter named Amanda in the movies? Me neither. This is her story though, how a 10 year old’s mother mysteriously disappears and the girl is all grown up\u00a0fretting\u00a0about just what the hell happened fifteen years past. Lured by promises of recovering the ill-fated Nostromo’s flight recorder, Ripley junior signs up for a small crew funded by the Weyland-Yutani corporation (the next best Company to work for besides Umbrella or Aperture). Docking with the Sevastopol -a dark,\u00a0decomissioned\u00a0space station orbiting\u00a0a gas giant- doesn’t go as planned and Amanda is forced to deal with murderous scavengers, an army of second-rate synthetics with a hive mind, and an\u00a0invincible Xenomorph (whom you become more intimate with than the alien’s dentist).<\/p>\n

Presentation<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0A perfect organism. This is the one feature that\u00a0is indisputable (unlike the rest which is divisive and a popular target for flamers and flakkers). The late 70’s vision of interstellar colonization has never been more realized\u00a0or oppressively immersive than the agonizing load screens of Sevastopol’s monochrome CRT monitors struggling\u00a0to boot four folders and an audio log’s worth of text. Similar to Fallout 4’s clunky\u00a0-though characteristic- technology, Alien:Isolation masterfully captures its own merging of eras with flickering hallways of pale yellow buttons, plush leather bulkheads, walk-in computers, a classic arcade humming a soft glow through protective plastic covers, and the nightmarish whirring of disk readers crackling their hisses and purrs in protest of your presence.\u00a0This artstyle is painstakingly crafted from a reported terabyte of production footage logged from\u00a0the original Alien movie -a simultaneous blast from the past and a giant leap\u00a0into the future all at once. The orchestral queues, sound effects, prop design, fog\/smoke, fire, fathomless shadows, electrical cackle, lighting, textures and tools\/devices blow me away in how “right” they feel to both the source material and this game’s mood. (The devs used Betamax as part of their animation pipeline, for crying out loud.) There is no other environment like this -and it is thoroughly exploited\/explored to its fullest potential.<\/p>\n

Unique Features<\/strong><\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Aside from the stellar theme, Isolation\u00a0plays it pretty safe in terms of gameplay. One could argue that the simplified mechanics allow for a focused (and thorough) love letter to the sheer terror that has been\u00a0successfully captured here -though there isn’t much complexity that fetters the flow or to speak of. The Alien’s adaptable and chaotic hunting AI is notable however, since most stealth games are rudimentary once patterns are recognized. You’re always on your toes because of this.<\/p>\n

Ah, I almost forgot because it isn’t implemented to good effect: there are power distribution nodes that are supposed to shift the battlefield by allowing you to make sound remotely, kill the lights, and clean the air…. but it’s too damn realistic and the affected areas are far too\u00a0localized to be any good. It is a brilliant idea, though, that I want expanded upon.<\/p>\n

\"2015-12-26_00041\"

To be, or not to cave your skull in? -that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows, for I can absorb shotgun shells to the face and am the stuff of nightmares.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gameplay<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Survive by dodging line of sight and crafting a handful of things that flash or go bang. And turn on a zillion generators while you’re at it. Duck and Hide are the orders of the day and you’ll be scrambling for cover every several minutes. More often than not, some villainous biped stands between you and the dull ache to press the next button that represents your current objective and the options are narrowed to either distraction, dispatchment, or hunkering down until the problem resolves itself (the Alien can inadvertently trump\u00a0human obstacles). Often, you’ll have to bust out a welding torch to cut a hatch open, pour through logs for a 4 digit password, and crack open a wall-mounted engineering station to readjust the power distribution to dim the lights, create fog, or open a sealed door. Judicious use of the motion tracker sketches\u00a0the lay of the land and although its alarming pings can be detected, it’s your best friend besides scattered caches of electronics parts and the promises of salvation manifest as Emergency phone booths for saving. Data logs and audio clips flesh out what little your infrequent acquaintances don’t fill you in on story-wise, and are the true purpose of playing to some degree; the fun is in isolating yourself in this world after all. The terrors are real, and not just cheap jump scares -a facet of this game I can’t stress enough. It’s quite clear what you need to do and how to survive, but do you have the mental fortitude and dexterity to follow through?<\/p>\n

Additional Comments<\/span>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Oh, you have guns but may not feel as power-giddy\u00a0long after first acquiring\u00a0each new heavy piece of shiny metal. Your run-of-the-mill red eyed\u00a0synthetic can take 6 bullets OR 3 shoutgun blasts directly to the face\u00a0before profusely spewing ranch dressing and giving up all pretense of strangling you, forever.<\/p>\n

What I Liked<\/span>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>I outright love that a game like this can get modern accolade since I was convinced we were done with the pure stealth genre; and what a horrifying experience it was!\u00a0Not for a long time have I had such trepidation about loading a game and traversing the next hallway, a testimony\u00a0on\u00a0how unpredictably scary the main antagonist is.\u00a0I like that the maze of hallways was smartly created with purpose while still exhibiting character, itself, and that it is dripping with the ambience that made this series what it was supposed to be. I can also appreciate the little artistic and conceptual touches that were added for no other purpose than that fans would want to see them.<\/p>\n

What I Disliked<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>This mere\u00a0alien drone is tough…. ridiculously tough. I sprayed the damn thing with napalm enough times it should have erupted in a fiery burst of yellow, bubbling froth instead of bowling me over and hastily evacuating through an air duct (all other weapons barely phase it as well). The flamethrower allows you to go toe-to-toe with the creature [finally], but this also alleviates most of the suspense\u00a0for the latter half of the game (unless your chosen difficulty provides little ammo). The whole situation\u00a0echoes Ripley Senior’s own disagreement with the black, penile bastards rather strongly and that could be considered yet another gripe (although the fine line between an homage and plagiarism\u00a0is indeed tricky to walk).<\/p>\n

\"2015-12-27_00020\"

WHEEEE! Space roller coasters are certain to end well.<\/p><\/div>\n

Glitches Experienced<\/span>:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Alt+Tabing away from the PC version gives the game windowed mode that you can’t undo. The alien’s locker detection seems awfully bugged, especially the tiny lockers in my playthrough -the alien zeroes in on them and opens without delay (seems independent of its learning mechanics and the motion detector).\u00a0A small quibble: there’s no way to initially “put away” whatever item you’re holding early in the game.<\/p>\n

Hours I Played<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a027 on Hard\u00a0difficulty –\u00a0which includes the Lone Survivor and Crew Expendable missions<\/p>\n

My Personal\u00a0Reaction<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>Many reviews will tell you that the game suffers from bad pacing and too many situations with the Working Joes. Personally, though, I’m a bleeding advocate of suspense building and a false sense of security. In my opinion, the journey was a complete experience of highs and lows with an undercurrent of foreboding dread and everything deserved to be included, as it was. I’m not going to say that the game has never cheated or killed cheaply, though I will explicitly state that the alien’s sporadic behavior is a breed of chaos that instills the lingering doubt it plays by the same rules. This fact\u00a0adds a nonquantifiable element\u00a0to the enjoyment of the\u00a0cat and mouse engagements. Despite loving it, I was so keen on\u00a0extracting myself from its\u00a0emotional torture that the ending couldn’t come soon enough; though in hindsight, the journey was long and fulfilling and\u00a0worth slipping past\u00a0every obstacle it threw at me.<\/p>\n

Noob Tips<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The alien has a near-laughable inability to see over tables: crouch behind low obstacles and dance around until it bounds\u00a0away. Computer terminals don’t pause time:\u00a0log in, access each note, then pull them up within your archive to read\/listen at your leisure. Do not get overconfident with that flamethrower; just like everything else, the alien builds a tolerance. Lastly: never run and never use the lockers.<\/p>\n

Depth and Replayability<\/span>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>None. Unless you played on Normal difficulty and found it lacking. There are time-attack challenges and bonus missions but the former didn’t appeal to me and the reality of interacting with glassy-eyed versions of the alumni cast in a single jaunt across the Nostromo wasn’t very appealing.<\/p>\n

Suggested Value<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> I bought this, the two story DLC missions, and a season pass\u00a0for $30 on a Steam sale though I would have gladly paid $60 for the main game, alone.<\/p>\n

Where to Buy<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Steam,\u00a0Gamestop, most common retail Outlets<\/p>\n

Subjective Categorical Ranking<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>
\n(Platform capabilities are considered for Graphics and Sound)<\/b>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0| poor \u00a0|<\/span>| \u00a0bad \u00a0 |<\/span>| average |<\/span>| good |<\/span>|\u00a0great\u00a0|<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Fun Factor |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\nUnique Gameplay |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Controls & UI |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Story & Lore |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 Graphics & Style |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Sound & Music |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n—————————————————————————————\"Alien:<\/a><\/p>\n

\"2015-12-26_00008\"

Serene. Tranquil. An uninterrupted moment of reflection…. Unrelated, I literally watched this NPC get snatched by long black fingers two minutes later.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Game Name:\u00a0Alien: Isolation (2014) Developer:\u00a0Creative Assembly (from the awesome Total War Series) Platform:\u00a0PC, MAC, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One (reviewed on PC) Categories:\u00a0Single Player, Pure-Stealth, Cat-and-Mouse, True Horror, Repeated and Violent Deaths, Crafting, Sci-Fi, First\u00a0Person Shooter, Mini-Games May Appeal … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vg-quick-reference-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3166"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3907,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions\/3907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}