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GoldenRivet
11-22-14, 02:36 PM
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131211095303/avp/images/3/36/Isolation_small.jpg

Alien isolation is the newest addition to the line of video games for 20th Century Fox's ultimate Sci-Fi Bad guy.... and i am beyond impressed with what Sega has done with this entry into the series.

Some back story: Fans of the series and films will recall that Ellen Ripley initialized the self destruct mechanism on the Nostromo and escaped into deep space on the shuttle craft. In the sequel Aliens, her craft is discovered 57 years later. In the sequel, James Cameron had hoped to paint Ellen Ripley in a "motherly" light lending to the relationship between Ripley and Newt in the second film, thus she was given a daughter "Amanda Ripley" who had lived a long life and died before ellen was discovered in deep space. What James Cameron didnt realize is that in creating the Amanda Ripley Character from Aliens, he created a plot opening for arguably the best video game adaptation of the entire series; Alien Isolation.

Alien Isolation takes place in the span of time between the two films, when Amanda Ripley is a grown woman, working for the company following in her mother's footsteps in the hopes that she can find closure and perhaps solve the mystery of her mother Ellen Ripley and her ship the Nostromo's dissapearance years before. (unbeknownst to Amanda, her mother Ellen is still alive in hypersleep adrift in deep space)

One day she is approached by a Company Employee with the news of a lifetime. The flight data recorder from the Nostromo has been found on a planet near where the ship was last heard from, a salvage crew located it and has transported it to Sevastopol station, a massive deep space transit hub where it waits for the company to retrieve it and finally determine what happened to the Nostromo and it's crew.

Naturally, Amanda Ripley jumps at the offer to ride along to Sevastopol Station and be there for the collection of the flight data recorder, she sets out with a trio of company representatives.

Upon their arrival it becomes obvious that things arent right on Sevastopol station, The docking port is non responsive and damaged forcing the trio to space walk to the air lock, but an accident separates them.

Upon arrival, it becomes immediately obvious that the salvage crew brought more to the space station than a flight data recorder. among a rash of killings, and sightings of a "killer beast", civil unrest has ensued and Sevastopol Station is reduced to a ruin of broken down systems, cordoned off areas and dead bodies. Your attempts to find help produce mixed results, as the social order aboard Sevastopol station has broken down into cliques and gangs bent on killing anyone or anything that threatens another day of survival. To make matters worse, APOLLO, the master computer that runs Sevastopol Station has re-tasked the worker androids with rounding up or killing humans that resist or threaten APOLLO's secretive plot.

Alien Isolation almost perfectly recreates the feel of the original alien movie, sneaking around, experiencing close calls with the Alien as it passes by that locker your hiding in. The tension in the game is palpable, and even as a grown man playing Alien Isolation in the dark of my home office i find myself physically holding my breath when the alien is right upon discovering my hiding place. The game is also mixed with its share of jump at you moments with the sudden falling debris or busted hose typical of the series.

Personally, Having played virtually every alien game since he original AVP, i can say beyond any doubt that this is the very best the series has to offer, and scores above and beyond any of its predecessors.

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkPajk8Z61U

IGN Employees play to see how scary it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EWe69vP1pA

Aktungbby
11-22-14, 02:40 PM
Personally, Having played virtually every alien game since he original AVP, i can say beyond any doubt that this is the very best the series has to offer, and scores above and beyond any of its predecessors.
Your strong recommend; I'll have to give a look then thanks!:salute:

Nippelspanner
11-22-14, 02:59 PM
You got facehugged (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=210456)

GoldenRivet
11-22-14, 03:11 PM
You got facehugged (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=210456)

This is intended as a review more than an announcement

Jimbuna
11-23-14, 06:26 AM
Nice review John, loved the IGN footage :cool:

Skybird
11-28-14, 12:24 PM
A very different (and critical) view on the game. The author is a gamne developer himself (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter).

http://www.theastronauts.com/2014/10/alienating-player-first-60-seconds-alien-isolation/

I love the title of that essay: "Alienating the player". :D

Platapus
11-28-14, 07:44 PM
It does look like an interesting game. I like the aspect that you have to hide and avoid the alien instead of just gunning and running.

Bilge_Rat
12-01-14, 02:05 PM
50% off on Steam for the next 24 hours.

tempting.

GoldenRivet
12-04-14, 04:59 AM
Just an update:

I have played the game the whole way through, and even played a small add on entitled crew expendable - it is fun and only a few dollars, but the add on doesnt offer a lengthy play time

my final conclusion on the game

It is fun, terrifying, excellently written, character development is right where it needs to be, story line is just to the point that it could pass off as a sequel film worthy of the "alien" name... and any fan of the series will tell you, we have seen some garbage infiltrate the series.

This game offered me a good 50 hours of play time, more than enough tense sweaty palmed moments, ergo - the level where part of the space station loses gravity and is spinning out of control with lots of windows with whirling space all around you is disorienting, and terrifying, youre in a small space with no gravity, alarms going nuts, at last sighting the alien was only in the next room, your disoriented, panicked... its intense.

Every time i thought the intensity of the game was such that this must surely be the last level of the game as it couldn't possibly get ANY worse, i would make it through, and the game would deliver worse in spades... there would be more still to endure. By the last few "missions" - I had stopped thinking "surely this is the end" and started thinking "I just need to survive this" LMAO

this game - i swear - the hits just keep on coming

I offer it a solid 95% rating, and I might be being a little hard on it there LOL

Its hands down the best Alien video game of the entire series... period