Alien: Isolation

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2310 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,921 out of 2310
  2. Mixed: 226 out of 2310
  3. Negative: 163 out of 2310

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  1. ChunkySaurus
    Nov 11, 2014
    7
    The atmosphere in this game is great. The visuals and sounds all fit very well with the situation. I often found myself getting anxious just from the environment or the ambient noises. They did a great job on that part of the game. The rest of the game is just so-so.

    In terms of story, it is OK. I wanted to see what happened to Ripley in the end. Sadly, the ending was very    The atmosphere in this game is great. The visuals and sounds all fit very well with the situation. I often found myself getting anxious just from the environment or the ambient noises. They did a great job on that part of the game. The rest of the game is just so-so.

    In terms of story, it is OK. I wanted to see what happened to Ripley in the end. Sadly, the ending was very underwhelming. After several earlier crescendos that seemed like the end of the game, the final scene was a low point. Instead of a dramatic user-controlled action scene, they went with a short quick-time event. They literally paused the action and said "Press Button X". The rest of the ending was left open-ended. They were either planning for a sequel/DLC or they expect you to be familiar with the Amanda Ripley story from the Aliens movie.

    The scripted encounters with the Alien felt pretty forced. The Alien from the Alien movie is a stealthy predator that ambushes people one at a time. The scripted encounters in this game had the Alien drop into a room and walk around in erratic patrols. As you moved on from room to room, the patrols moved with you. It always felt like the Alien knew where I was, it was just waiting for me to break a rule before it attacked. Sort of like, "I know you are in that locker, but you haven't made a loud enough noise yet so I'll just circle 'round again.".

    Speaking of circling around again, the backtracking got a little silly. No device on that station worked with any less than three switches in three separate corners of a room. You could never walk down a straight corridor, you would always get to the end to find the door locked and need to take the long way around. I get that it was meant to drive the tension when trying to avoid the Alien but it got annoying pretty quickly. The "You mean I have to go back?" moment loses some impact after the tenth time.

    If you like stealth games you will like parts of this game. If you like the Alien franchise, you will like parts of this game. I enjoyed most of my experience; maybe some DLC will fix up the ending but I hate paying for a better ending.    … Expand
  2. damianshrinivas
    Jan 26, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game is OK. Very nice graphics, feeling of Alien movies and interiors. Seriously not scary at all (scared once - it was explosion, not an Alien) but I like that kind of games. Game can be pretty hard sometimes but also frustrating because of the bugs but it happened to me few times only. I have just one thing that I hated in this game: backtracking. So go to a room to hit the switch that opens the door in next room -> go to that door and open them (2m), power down ->go to the same previous room to just power on generator(2m) -> go back to open the door(same 2m)...seriously?… Expand
  3. Captain_Chaos
    Feb 24, 2021
    7
    Alien: Isolation is a first-person survival horror game set in the film franchise of the same name, specifically, 15 years after the events of the first film- and still some decades prior to the second. Broadly speaking it is in the style of the Amnesia games and Outlast, the former I have played before.

    The player takes the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Sigourny Weaver's character    Alien: Isolation is a first-person survival horror game set in the film franchise of the same name, specifically, 15 years after the events of the first film- and still some decades prior to the second. Broadly speaking it is in the style of the Amnesia games and Outlast, the former I have played before.

    The player takes the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Sigourny Weaver's character Ellen and only mentioned in passing in the films. It was made clear in the director's cut of Aliens that Amanda never saw her mother again. But did she ever even get to know what happened? Isolation seeks to answer that question. Amanda, a Wayland-Yutani employee like her mother, has received word that the flight recorder from the Nostromo, the ship her mother was aboard, has been found and brought to a far-flung space station called Sevastopol. Together with two WY reps, Amanda sets out for the station aboard the freelance ship Torrens.

    Before Amanda can even set foot on the station things go awry, and as soon as she is aboard, she enters a nightmare on a scale unrivaled by the films. Not only is there a Xenomorph on the loose, the station, having been decommissioned by its failing company Seegson, is already in a steadily declining state of disrepair, and surviving personnel have given to lawlessness and disorder. Critical systems are down, supplies are scarce, people are panicking and shooting anything that moves, outside communication is all but impossible, and the stations creepy, rubber-forehead androids are not doing anything to help, slaved as they are to an unresponsive AI called APOLLO.

    Using engineering tools, scant weaponry and improvised explosives of various types, Amanda must make her way through the station, engaging or preferably evading threats, in an attempt to reestablish communications, find out what happened to her mother, and maybe get off the station alive.

    Of any newer adaptations of the Alien franchise, Isolation is far and away the the highest achievement in capturing the zeerust of the original film. This is a future where the internet and the ipod never existed, a future of mechanical keyboards, toggle switches, cathode ray monitors, wired phones, tape deck servers, cassette boomboxes and radio communications, not to mention synthetic jackets and white high-top sneakers. Sevastopol is not only a flying relic of the late 1970s, it's considered a piece of **** in-universe besides, a truck stop at the ass end of known space left behind by a now-long-past boom of interstellar exploration.

    The primary threat to you in this game, the Xenomorph, cannot be defeated or even effectively combatted. The most you can hope for is to drive it away with flame, and your best option is simply to evade it at all costs- taking alternate routes, using distractions, or even just hiding in lockers and cabinets. A two tiered adaptive AI ensures that the alien "learns" as you progress, making it harder to avoid as the game goes on.

    And the game does go on, perhaps a bit longer then it needs to. A number of reviews for Isolation complain of padding- the game is tense and thrilling sometimes, but between major events are many moments of slowly creeping through corridors and rooms, using the motion tracker and audio cues to avoid the alien, the androids and the trigger-happy survivors, and sometimes shooting it out with them when no other option presents itself. These encounters are interesting at first, but there end up being a few too many of them.

    The tension extends itself into places it probably shouldn't. You are almost never safe in Isolation, even while saving your game. There is nothing stopping the alien from dropping down right next to you and eating your face while you're saving, cutting a panel with your torch, hacking a console or keypad or just walking down the stairs to the transit station. It might make you jump out of your pants the first time or the first dozen times, but as you play, die and reload your save for the nth time you will notice an element of randomness to the game- contents of item boxes, enemy placement and movement and so on. The game is deliberately designed to prevent you from getting trapped in an unwinnable scenario, but you're going to die a hell of a lot anyway. Eventually you might turn the difficulty down out of boredom rather then frustration. Where Alien: Isolation succeeds brilliantly in presentation, visual and audio design and film accuracy, it suffers a bit in actual gameplay.

    It is far from a terrible title, and I suppose it is inherently better then Colonial Marines, through in spite of that game's problems and shady development history I found it a little more entertaining to actually play. It has more in common with Aliens: Infestation on the DS, however, such as finding engineering tools to access new areas. For its flaws however, Isolation was tense and compelling. It is a game worth at least trying.    … Expand
  4. glinski
    Oct 13, 2014
    6
    Why they have to do this ? The game have fantastic graphics, great atmosphere (that make envy to any survival horror ) and fidelity to the movie series in every aspect, BUT they almost destroyed the game trying to make it last longer.

    The game, from the middle on forward, gets really boring, with stupid missions that make you do the same thing twice. Literally. You know that the game    Why they have to do this ? The game have fantastic graphics, great atmosphere (that make envy to any survival horror ) and fidelity to the movie series in every aspect, BUT they almost destroyed the game trying to make it last longer.

    The game, from the middle on forward, gets really boring, with stupid missions that make you do the same thing twice. Literally. You know that the game don't have more "content" to show off, but keep pushing you to play without fun or a good reason.

    And the AI could be better. Sometimes, is like you're playing a Playstation 1 game. The enemies find and see you in unbelievable situations. This work kinda OK with the Alien or the robots (as they aren't human and could have better 'senses'), but the humans make it clear that the AI is not ok.

    Yet, I think Alien Isolation is a good game, but with STUPID things that make it a 6/10. It's like they had to finish the game in a close deadline ?    … Expand
  5. Apolsc
    Oct 25, 2014
    7
    The environment stands out, that 70s future. The tension the game generates is intense, and the scenarios are huge and dark. There is a good story well narrated. Its real survival horror. The down part is this forced stealth, you can confront and kill your human enemies with a tool, even when they are shooting at you, it is not hard. When you kill them they don't let you grab their guns,The environment stands out, that 70s future. The tension the game generates is intense, and the scenarios are huge and dark. There is a good story well narrated. Its real survival horror. The down part is this forced stealth, you can confront and kill your human enemies with a tool, even when they are shooting at you, it is not hard. When you kill them they don't let you grab their guns, how fake is that?… Expand
  6. Quink666
    Oct 13, 2014
    6
    So the game start of kinda slow and keeps on going slow for quite a few missions. After that its exciting for 2-3 mission, then suddenly its just repetetive and not scary anymore. Way to much backtracking. 6/10
  7. TomasLacerda
    May 2, 2020
    7
    I really tried to play this game, it's gorgeous, the mood is absolutely fantastic. It can really be a terror experience sometimes which is awesome. The latest part of the game is absolute crap, it's the typical scenario where everything goes wrong and your character is a god. Really bad script at the end of the game, which is unfortunate. At the beginning I was loving it, but the curveI really tried to play this game, it's gorgeous, the mood is absolutely fantastic. It can really be a terror experience sometimes which is awesome. The latest part of the game is absolute crap, it's the typical scenario where everything goes wrong and your character is a god. Really bad script at the end of the game, which is unfortunate. At the beginning I was loving it, but the curve kept going down. I felt that most of the gadgets and weapons were dispensable, only 3 to 4 weapons were worth using it, they could have gone more strategic options. The alien AI was a bit off, he was always around your areas despite one not doing any sound. Too forced.
    Cool game though.    … Expand
  8. xZippy
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    Time to break the chain of positive reviews and end up making this one an "unhelpful" review. This game has excellent atmosphere, and the stealth survival horror element is well placed here. The story holds up alright, but isn't the greatest.

    Despite the game's beauty, there's a lot of things that really drag it down. The worst of it is the repetitive tasks. "Alright run across the map    Time to break the chain of positive reviews and end up making this one an "unhelpful" review. This game has excellent atmosphere, and the stealth survival horror element is well placed here. The story holds up alright, but isn't the greatest.

    Despite the game's beauty, there's a lot of things that really drag it down. The worst of it is the repetitive tasks. "Alright run across the map and hit this switch and come all the way back to run this generator ok ok now run across the map two more times because the lights suddenly went out and you need to find a hidden keycard to-" Yeah, painful.

    Another downside is the layout of some of the maps. You can find yourself running into tons of locked doors and going in circles just finding that 100th generator you need to turn on. Though this is redeemed by the atmospheric design of everything, so at least you're running around pretty well-lit maps and crawling through convenient rewarding vents anyway.

    Despite the fact that I didn't enjoy the game as much as everyone else, I would STILL recommend it to ever other gamer out there.    … Expand
  9. Tscherni
    Oct 13, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The atmosphere at the beginning of the game is really quite something and when the alien first shows up it's pretty terrifying. You probably will try to hide a lot, crouch and go very slowly the first few times you strive to circumvent the beast and provided that you play this game on hard difficulty setting (as you should), you will die rapidly and frequently. This is due to the omniscient AI, which somehow always knows where you are (even if you clearly tricked the alien into going in a totally different direction) and is glued to the player, while mostly ignoring other survivors and completely ignoring Androids. It goes from terrifying to frustrating all too quickly here.
    After a while I figured out that not going slowly, breaking the line of sight and only hiding as a last resort is much easier, which is counterintuitive and not really what a stealth game should be about. The game still manages to built atmosphere and tension though.
    At the midpoint of the game you'll be introduced to the flamethrower. As soon as you acquire this gadget, the Alien is not a threat anymore. You just hit it with a burst and it flees. Now the alien is no more than a chore to be dealt with. It will pop up every once in a while, sometimes as soon as 15 seconds after you last repelled it. This can get quite tedious. You will still die to some of those unfair alien appearances though.
    I've read some reviews where people claim the flamethrower fuel is scarce. Not true in the slightest; it only takes one gush of flame to repel the alien, which consumes about 6 or 7 points of ammo. I stopped hiding as soon as I got the flamethrower and never had less than 400 fuel for the rest of the game ...why they would add a weapon this gamebreaking I do not know.
    After you deal with the alien for the first time, the game evolves into a mediocre shooter during the midgame. A barrage of angry androids are thrown at you to disassemble, which is very easy to do, because they don't have any weapons and can't shoot back. 2 shotgun rounds to the face, 6 pistol shots, 1 stun baton hit followed by 7 melee attacks, EMP's, Molotovs, Pipebombs, and the OP bolt gun, all of these deal with them very quickly and with close to no risk. Even human enemies are more dangerous, they at least shoot back. I found this part of the game to be overly easy; on hard difficulty.

    After experiencing all these flaws, I still found Alien Isolation to be a good game. The graphics are good, but nothing special, the sound is amazing and so is the voice acting. The story is a bit lacking, but it stays close to its role model and I especially enjoyed the flashback to the movie plot. The level design is also quite good, there is a lot of backtracking, but I didn't mind it that much (it would be a little odd to be wandering around a confined space station for 15+ hours and never see the same place twice).

    All in all it's a game worth picking up. It's certainly not a perfect game and whoever rates it at 10 really needs to come down from that acid trip.

    Ps: what's up with all those devices to open certain doors, it felt like playing Legend of Zelda from time to time.    … Expand
  10. xDaudex
    May 25, 2015
    6
    Pros:
    Atmosphere
    Keeping technology to the right time period The aliens animations Cons: Game is too confusing before you get the motion sensor Once you get the motion sensor it becomes a follow the motion sensor game The aliens actions do not seem organic, he's always hanging around where you are. I know it's a game but it kind of breaks the illusion when it seems like he always    Pros:
    Atmosphere
    Keeping technology to the right time period
    The aliens animations

    Cons:
    Game is too confusing before you get the motion sensor
    Once you get the motion sensor it becomes a follow the motion sensor game
    The aliens actions do not seem organic, he's always hanging around where you are. I know it's a game but it kind of breaks the illusion when it seems like he always knows where you are but he's following the games rules and won't come after you unless you do something stupid.    … Expand
  11. Erobouzu
    Oct 13, 2014
    5
    Alien: Isolation is a faithful recreation of the original movie and captures it's spirit perfectly. Everything about the game practically screams dedication and love towards the original movie. All props, environments and actors feel like straight from the original set and is a delight to look upon for a hardened Alien-fan like me. The game looks graphically good and performs well.Alien: Isolation is a faithful recreation of the original movie and captures it's spirit perfectly. Everything about the game practically screams dedication and love towards the original movie. All props, environments and actors feel like straight from the original set and is a delight to look upon for a hardened Alien-fan like me. The game looks graphically good and performs well.

    Ambience in the game is excellent, with various machines whirring and clicking about, dark corridors with flicking lights and rooms that always feel slightly too small. The space station is claustrophobic and well executed.

    But that's about as far as the good things go. For the developers have forgotten one very basic thing: unknown scares you. And trust me when I say, the Alien will not be unknown to you. Not in the slightest. Always crawling around the vents, guided by an erratic "hunter a.i." the alien will kill you. Several times.

    Practically, after the two first encounters with the alien, I grew so jaded towards it, that I no longer felt even a tinge of fear when it was prowling around. Especially as the game progresses and you will learn to know how the alien acts, you will most likely start to get annoyed by it.

    And that is the greatest downfall of this game. The Alien, one of the greatest movie monsters around, has been reduced to an annoyance. A nuisance. After clocking several hours in to the game I am having serious doubts about whether or not I should bother to continue. In fact, I was forced to lower the difficulty from the hardest setting, because of the sheer tediousness of having to dodge the alien. This decision had nothing to do with the game being too difficult, and everything to do with the fact that the alien encounters are so tedious they were boring me to death. There is no tension, no horror, no thrill. It's simply business.

    All in all, Alien: Isolation turns into a boring game of hide and seek, where if you fail, you are given few seconds (if that) to use up resources to scare off the aggressor, or you die and load the latest save.

    It's a decent game with good graphics and awesome atmosphere, but it gets absolutely murdered by the developer's idea, that having to constantly dodge something is scary.

    I can not with good conscience recommend this game, unless you're buying it somewhere cheap.    … Expand
  12. Avadon
    Oct 12, 2014
    6
    Graphics: Atmospheric but dated. Especially the NPC models have a strong air of X360 to them. Antialiasing seems to be a big problem, because every option you pick makes the game extremely blurry.

    Sound: Good stuff. Good use of positional audio and great dynamic music that also warns you of danger. Voice acting is really good. Fear factor: Some people think that the alien takes too    Graphics: Atmospheric but dated. Especially the NPC models have a strong air of X360 to them. Antialiasing seems to be a big problem, because every option you pick makes the game extremely blurry.

    Sound: Good stuff. Good use of positional audio and great dynamic music that also warns you of danger. Voice acting is really good.

    Fear factor: Some people think that the alien takes too long to appear. I disagree. Buildup is really important in proper horror games. I found the introduction well done and effective. Up until the mid game, everything is well designed and tense. Then it goes downhill for a few hours, but picks up again towards the end. The game could have been slightly trimmed down and lost nothing, in fact it would feel more tightly paced.

    Optimization/bugs: People are praising this game for its polish. Maybe they played a different game than me, or are judging it by usual CA standards of releasing a mangled carcass of a game and fixing it in a year or two. Yeah, for CA standards it's good, but it's nowhere near polished. In several occasions, events failed to trigger for me, which left me stuck, wandering around, trying to find out what I missed. Turns out I missed nothing and I had to reload the last save, go through another 30 minutes of sneaking and then pray the events would trigger properly this time. NPC's would not open elevators, the med lab white board would not update my objectives, and other things. As for optimization, the game runs well but it was EXTREMELY crash happy on my system. After several hours of experimentation, I eliminated the crashes by lowering my screen's refresh rate from 144hz to 60 hz, and playing the game in Windowed Fullscreen mode with Vsync on. If I tried increasing my refresh rate again, the game would promptly send me to desktop. Not acceptable. It's not 2007, people use varying refresh rates. Do some basic stability/compatibility testing, not go "it works on 60hz, it's a wrap". Ridiculous that I pay full price for a game and then have to test it for 3 hours to find a setup that stops it from crashing.

    In conclusion, it's worth playing, but I suggest you wait. It's shaky and needs several patches, you may have problems that will test your patience.    … Expand
  13. Jonathan117
    Dec 11, 2014
    5
    Although a lot better than last years Alien Colonial Marines I must say this was a disapointment for me, the game was just a huge hide and seek game with the Alien with regular interruptions combating annoying AI's . The game would have been way better off if it included multiple Aliens that you could tackle with methods other than hiding in cabinets, a real shame I must say. A decent butAlthough a lot better than last years Alien Colonial Marines I must say this was a disapointment for me, the game was just a huge hide and seek game with the Alien with regular interruptions combating annoying AI's . The game would have been way better off if it included multiple Aliens that you could tackle with methods other than hiding in cabinets, a real shame I must say. A decent but repetitive and sluggish survival-horror, basically Outlast in space but with less originality.
    Pros:
    - The graphics are spectacular
    - Love the 80s film grain
    - Nice looking environments
    - Interesting Characters
    Negatives:
    - Way, way too long
    - Repetitive
    - Gets extremely annoying getting glitched out and caught by the Alien
    - Bad story
    - Bad enemies    … Expand
  14. Silentway
    Oct 11, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off the game is visually amazing. The graphics and environment are top notch and the sounds and lighting are great, but gameplay is extremely lacking. I'm surprised it got such high reviews but then again, most people like games that require very little thought. The game forces you to play the way they want you to and you can't progress unless you meet the checkboxes the developers put in. If you just want a walk-thru game with a predetermined path that the developers hold your hand through then this game is for you.

    The game is very linear and scripted to the point of predictability which I will explain more. Subtle things are quite annoying such as not casting shadows while standing in front of lights or unable to step over suitcases. Literally you are prevented from walking down a particular hallway because a small row of suitcases block the way, thus making the game feel even more linear and controlled. The story is driven by waypoints meaning as soon as you enter the area either a small cutscene or event occurs but only when you enter that specific spot or area. Another item I thought was silly was after blugeoning a person I could not pick up their pistol, odd right? Well you can get a pistol but a specific one the game tells you to pick up..

    Adding to the scripting and predictability you will quickly learn when and why the alien appears. My first play through was on hard and after about 3 hours I figured out how to avoid ever seeing it. Additionally you will learn quickly where and when the alien is active. This predictability essentially made the game unplayable to the point that it wasn't scary nor tense at any point of the game.

    *SPOILER BELOW*

    Basically the Alien operates only in areas where drones aren't and only comes out if you run or shoot so you can walk around freely without worry..Yes as long as you walk and not run you'll never be attacked by the alien.    … Expand
  15. CasperRosewater
    Oct 20, 2014
    7
    Everything about this game is good or very good: graphics, gunplay, story, voice acting, and sound design with just a few lapses ('fair' rather than 'good' or 'very good'). It's playable on my PC but it's a rushed release. Wait a few weeks or months until they resolve the many bugs and story issues. Two weeks after release there has been only one update and that was a "day one" update.Everything about this game is good or very good: graphics, gunplay, story, voice acting, and sound design with just a few lapses ('fair' rather than 'good' or 'very good'). It's playable on my PC but it's a rushed release. Wait a few weeks or months until they resolve the many bugs and story issues. Two weeks after release there has been only one update and that was a "day one" update.

    Bugs I have encountered:

    1. Game occasionally/frequently freezes after reloading from last checkpoint (after dying).

    2. A few game device called 'rewire boxes' are supposed to be hackable but some will freeze the player (not the game) if you attempt to hack them (requiring game restart).

    3. Doors that are needed to continue the story, that should be open, are locked tight. This is interesting. On the AI site people are experiencing this at random places and, as it turns out, are sometimes a result of player error (player failed to hack a terminal, rewire box, press a switch or whatever). However at least one is the result of the developers' failure. The objective indicator shows two different paths to reach the objective yet one path leads to a locked door that will only open if the other path was taken with no game message/cue/explanation offered at the locked door. It looks like a bug. If one looks at youtube walkthroughs it would appear that the door should be open by default and one is left scratching one's head. Its a story logic issue. So I spent an hour in-game trying to figure out what I did wrong, then spent a half-hour watching youtube videos and came away empty without a solution. It wasn't until my second playthrough that I payed close attention and came to understand that the objective indicator was faulty, was the source of the problem. I have a hunch that many of the bugs are really similar 'gameplay' story problems.

    These are the bugs I have experienced but there are myriad more on the AI web. The bugs seem to be random.

    It's a little irresponsible to not have fixed one bug over 13 days since release. The AI website is a POS, too. I was trying to help by posting my bug experiences and solutions but today the 'login' link is broken (on both IE and FF) so i say ef it. It's playable on my PC but check the AI website for an indication of the scope and randomness or the bug.    … Expand
  16. Hogwa
    Oct 10, 2014
    5
    I have bought Alien Isolation and now I am asking myself will I bother. The fact is that there is nothing to give me an incentive to play the game because I can see it getting a bit boring. It seems from what I have been reading that without any means of protection one is supposed to try and out wit this scaly long in the tooth down in the mouth off worlder and in the end do what, perhapsI have bought Alien Isolation and now I am asking myself will I bother. The fact is that there is nothing to give me an incentive to play the game because I can see it getting a bit boring. It seems from what I have been reading that without any means of protection one is supposed to try and out wit this scaly long in the tooth down in the mouth off worlder and in the end do what, perhaps shove it out the back door and hope it gets caught in one of the boosters? Collecting bits and pieces and knitting them together to form some sort of defensive weapon whilst trying to stop your butt getting a going over from your only passenger and ending up as a giant easter egg somehow has no appeal. At the end of the day I suspect this game will get a vote of not that exciting. Oh I have gone through the opening sequence of the game and I suppose now that I am searching for my alien spotting thingy I shall be safe to head out and hunt or be hunted!?… Expand
  17. TyrannicalDonut
    Oct 9, 2014
    5
    This game is far too long and repetitious. Many parts of the story are entirely unneeded and felt like they were added simply to hamper the player while adding nothing to the story. Some parts are fun, others drag on for hours. While you do get weapons in this game, you will find yourself fighting synthetics the entire game, while aliens are impervious to damage (except for face huggers).This game is far too long and repetitious. Many parts of the story are entirely unneeded and felt like they were added simply to hamper the player while adding nothing to the story. Some parts are fun, others drag on for hours. While you do get weapons in this game, you will find yourself fighting synthetics the entire game, while aliens are impervious to damage (except for face huggers). In short, pacing was awful and I would not recommend purchasing for $40, maybe $20.… Expand
  18. compooter
    Oct 8, 2014
    7
    7... seems harsh for a game that appears as polished as this, but there is a good raisin for giving Alien Isolation a 7.
    This game offers fantastic environments, I mean talk about experiencing the movie franchise we have enjoyed for so many years in a whole new, immersive way. It’s the polished, well executed graphics and character movements that really bring this game to life. One can    7... seems harsh for a game that appears as polished as this, but there is a good raisin for giving Alien Isolation a 7.
    This game offers fantastic environments, I mean talk about experiencing the movie franchise we have enjoyed for so many years in a whole new, immersive way. It’s the polished, well executed graphics and character movements that really bring this game to life. One can tell that a lot of effort was put into cooking this visually stunning smorgasbord to the player.
    But does it really matter how much energy was exerted in bringing a visually engaging game to the player if the players avatar lacks some basic human capabilities. If I cannot scale a couch in order to traverse from one part of the room to another than this entire beautiful virtual reality becomes a real life frustration. Ok, so I can't jump... but what about all of those useless little items that are scattered throughout. That box on the floor, the cute little monkey wrench, the coffee cup on the counter, why can I not lift these things? Why is the cup on the counter if I cannot throw it onto the floor? What is the purpose of these freely moving items that seem to all have physics when I run into them, but I cannot be interacted with using my hands.
    OK, so I can't pick up useless junk... how about emptying my hands. I have been holding this med-pack for an hour, why can't I place it back into my pocket? Let me 'holster' stuff.
    Look, the game is gorgeous, no doubt about that, the game-play even feels good, but immersion suffers from some goofy things your character just can't do.
    Sorry guys but you have to be able to jump. If you design a level and then figure out that jumping from point A to point B circumvents some gameplay triggers then you should redesign the level or put up some invisible walls... idk if less of two evils is removing ability to jump... arg why does not jumping bother me so much? I'm not a very active person in rl so... well the character is a young woman, she looks fit. I just think she should be able to lift things like coffee mugs, or scale over a couch. What's the point of these amazing environments and graphics if the basic human movement is unrealistic?
    So 7 it is.    … Expand
  19. CnlSandersdeKFC
    Oct 9, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's not that this game is bad, for quite a bit it's actually pretty amazing. It's visually stunning, engrossing with atmosphere, and for a good bit of it absolutely terrifying. However, my main beef with the game isn't as some major outlets have said it's length, which is perfect. Any game should be this long, and it's a shame that anything can be considered "too long." My main beef has to do with the acquisition of a certain weapon, that may count as a small spoiler, be warned, but shouldn't to any seasoned fan of the franchise. That weapon is the flame thrower. The flame thrower thoroughly ruined this game. It turned the menace of the Alien into an annoyance. Instead of something that made me crawl everywhere from fright, the Alien became something that I was forced to repetitively deal with every time I heard him stomping around. Instead of being something I ran from it was something I went toward in order to flame him back into his hole, but this happened all to often. I found that after setting fire to the beast he would reappear not 30 seconds later in some cases, and force me to deal with him again so that I make any progress on the objective. It went from frightening, and fun to annoying and tedious all with the addition of one item to my inventory.… Expand
  20. kuehnau
    Oct 10, 2014
    6
    Alien: Isolation should be proud of the technical work they did with the game, it runs fantastic even on aging hardware. The graphics look superb and you can tell the developers really optimized the software for the PC platform. This is what it is about for PC gamers, right here.

    With that being said, when you first start Alien: Isolation, you'll enjoy it and be genuinely interested in    Alien: Isolation should be proud of the technical work they did with the game, it runs fantastic even on aging hardware. The graphics look superb and you can tell the developers really optimized the software for the PC platform. This is what it is about for PC gamers, right here.

    With that being said, when you first start Alien: Isolation, you'll enjoy it and be genuinely interested in the environment and feel a need to explore. Unfortunately this will fade away quite quickly and give way to repetition. The game is largely a stealth based game, it fools you into believing there's some form of combat survival by supplying a paltry amount of weapons, but don't be fooled, combat is never a good option in this game.

    The game gets stale quickly as you sneak through halls, avoid androids and hope to god you don't fall victim to another alien. And while I think that is measured doses, this would have been great, I think largely ignoring the action element from the 'Alien' series was a big mistake. Alien was a Sci-Fi horror movie, but it also had strong bits of action as Ripley fought back for her life.

    This is a good game for short bursts of game-play, but as soon as you feel frustrated, walk away, take a break and come back later. It could have been better, but it could have been worse. A average survival horror game at best, which is sometimes the best we can hope for.    … Expand
  21. llamayarmybar
    Oct 15, 2014
    6
    To be blunt, Alien "Isolation" is a pretty boring experience. Creative Assembly could've released anything, but as long as it functioned (to some extent and didn't deeply anger players) it was already miles ahead of the infamous "Colonial Marines" fiasco. This is troubling since for one, not one person that claims to adore the game, seems to want to mention how terribly paced it is, orTo be blunt, Alien "Isolation" is a pretty boring experience. Creative Assembly could've released anything, but as long as it functioned (to some extent and didn't deeply anger players) it was already miles ahead of the infamous "Colonial Marines" fiasco. This is troubling since for one, not one person that claims to adore the game, seems to want to mention how terribly paced it is, or how the dialogue is awkwardly written or how the cinematic sequences are deeply underwhelming. Even worse than that, they fail to mention how unbelievably silly of a notion it was to place Ellen Ripley's daughter in as the main character and give her an equally silly motivation such as: "My Mother has been missing for 15 years, guess its time to fly out on the same looking ship, meet a bunch of generic characters in space on another ship and ultimately get nowhere in the search for my own Mother."

    This is that entire plot, excluding the Alien, and of course the other humans on board this theoretical "Station," who will stop at nothing just to kill you and only you (unless they spot the Alien of course or by proxy are spotted by it). You can dress up the ugliest little girl in the whole wide world, teach her how to play the Violin like a grandmaster, and at the end of the day someone is still going to call her only "passable" on of those abilities. That's what this whole game feels like, they borrowed the look, the sound, the music (which I'll give them a pass on since it actually involved some of the composers from the film itself) and of course the actual Alien just to smack it all together to form a boring re-envisioning of the first film. Its not even shocking how lazily this was thrown together, but looking back at the seminal Aliens versus Predator 2, a game that embodied the second Aliens film amongst other things, wrestled three intertwining story lines, three races with individual player campaigns and managed to make the whole thing immensely original to boot- its easy to see just how terribly unoriginal Alien: Isolation is at its heart. It mimics a time and a place that some people feel is where the series began and ended. However, their is a balance that other titles in this sub-genre have managed to lock down to some degree, whereas Isolation seems to be focused on some rather poor stealth sections in stiff, metallic, dark, dull environments that unbelievably DON'T provide you with any cover from the laser beam eyes of the humans and Alien alike. Amnesia gave you a stealth system that made sense, it even slapped you on the wrist if you hung around the shadows for too long by winding up your insanity meter, you got into a room, you analyzed what the objective in said room was, you completed it as quickly as manageable and stayed out of the sight of the wandering monstrosities. It was tense, it was interesting and you were unarmed throughout. Which is why the "crafting" in Isolation seems like a chore. Most of the times the Human artificial intelligence is lacking to a degree that would make the rent-a-guards from the Thief series blush. They sometimes see you and then sometimes... they just don't. Doesn't even matter how close you are to them in some situations. The Alien itself is equally as stupid. Either that or its a "clever girl" super genius that will sniff out your location in a millisecond and kill you. I found this garbage stealth system to be a failure, the crafting to be ultimately pointless in many situations and on the whole the game itself is deeply in need of a patch to address these issues. What they implemented only works correctly something like 75% of the time and that's not good enough. I understand that they wanted to play it safe, especially with the brilliantly stupid casting decision of "Amanda Ripley" as our protagonist, but it stands out and speaks volumes about the team behind all of it. Its like reading fan fiction, Alien fan fiction and that's been done to death (thanks comic books). What I would've really liked to have seen here was a stealth and A.I. system that actually worked, but mostly what I really wanted to play was less rip-off material incorporated from such games as Dead Space, System Shock, Amnesia, and Bioshock. However it ultimately doesn't matter what I think about the game, its getting loads of positive feedback from most sites just from its "atmosphere" alone, but I still think it needs a patch as soon as possible.    … Expand
  22. DKCasus
    Oct 20, 2014
    5
    Alien Isolation

    In space, no one can hear you scream at the repetition. Well, talk about a MASSIVE disappointment. The first third of the game is superb, the middle section is mediocre, and the last third is terrible. This is a 6-8 hour game with, literally, 10 hours of completely superfluous padding that does absolutely nothing except serve as a major source of deja vu and    Alien Isolation

    In space, no one can hear you scream at the repetition.

    Well, talk about a MASSIVE disappointment.

    The first third of the game is superb, the middle section is mediocre, and the last third is terrible. This is a 6-8 hour game with, literally, 10 hours of completely superfluous padding that does absolutely nothing except serve as a major source of deja vu and frustration with the lack of imagination demonstrated by the developers.

    You won't believe how many times you have to go back and restart a generator or something similarly uninteresting - because the game has no more tricks up its sleeve after the first handful of hours. It's the way they try to create tension and it works in the beginning.

    But as the game progresses, you adjust to the Alien and it's no longer as scary as it is at first. This means that every implausible accident causing a delay becomes ever more about despising the process and ever less about appreciating the tension.

    The exploration is mostly linear or deceptively non-linear at places, and you find very little of interest. The audio logs are there just because that's what these games have in them, and not because the developers had something interesting to say.

    Same goes for the crafting system, which is perhaps the least interesting crafting system I can recall. I didn't use half the things I could craft - because the game gives you very few opportunities or reasons not to use the much faster and more efficient approach of your normal weapons.

    Clearly, the game was NOT developed by people who understood the games they were inspired by. System Shock 2, for instance, has more interesting choices in the first hour of the first level than the entirety of Isolation. That's no exaggeration.

    It's very unfortunate, because the game CAN be a masterpiece. The atmosphere and level of immersion is perhaps the best I've ever experienced in a game. It's just that good. The sound design is also on a level that's hard to recall in any other AAA game. The sound is so good that it ends up being your primary tool, because you NEED to know where your enemy is at all times - and your motion tracker, as useful as it is, is not as efficient as your ears. Just make absolutely sure you're playing with surround sound!

    The level design is fantastic when it comes to recreating the Alien film - but it's also lacking in originality for the same reason.

    To me, the game feels like the developers wanted to have sex with the Alien movie, but since they couldn't quite have that - they chose to make this game instead.

    What I mean by that is that they bring almost NOTHING of their own to the table in terms of story or imagination. It's like they're idolizing the film to such an extent that they consider any deviation sacrilegious.

    Such a slave-like disposition is not how you create strong art. You have to use your own vision, and they should have let the movie serve as inspiration - not a rigid blueprint.

    To make my point clear, I have to say that Aliens: Colonial Marines had more original material than this game does, and as terrible as that game was, at least it tried to expand a little upon the familiar stories.

    Isolation does NOTHING without it having been part of the source material, and everything you see can be traced back DIRECTLY to Scott's film.

    Maybe a lot of the fans just want to exist in that environment, and nothing more. That's cool - but I was never really into seeing the same things over and over.

    After I got used to the strong sense of place and ambience, I started hungering for something interesting to happen in the story - and nothing ever really did. It doesn't help matters when the game gives you more "endings" than you can count, and each of them more ridiculously drawn out than the next.

    Near the end of the game, it becomes a big "experience-fest" - like you'd recognise from the worst AAA titles - with explosions going off everywhere you go and constant little QTE triggers that you have to do.

    It's like they had too much money and they felt like throwing in a pointless and trivial action movie at the last minute.

    Oh well. It started on such an unbelievably high note - and I've never been that scared of a computer game in my entire life. I guess there was no way it could sustain that throughout - but I must say I couldn't have imagined the negative direction the game starts taking around halfway into it.

    The ONLY reason this game doesn't get a lower score from me, is because it did something no other game has done in terms of atmosphere and immersion. During the first hours of the game, I was THERE. In that place. No barrier.

    That's too rare for me to ignore, and so it gets a higher score than it might deserve.    … Expand
  23. Wolverinemetacr
    Oct 10, 2014
    6
    This is a stealth game not a horror game. If you figure out the pathway you can get through it pretty easily its okay worth a playthrough but I wasnt scared. Maybe bored a little I dont have headphones maybe that was the problem. Everything looked great except the humans and androids why scimp on that? Buy on sale for a playthru.
  24. savionen
    Dec 30, 2014
    5
    Amazing environments and visuals, but gets repetitive quickly and overstays its welcome. The game is about 5 hours too long and the story plods along for hours and hours, and is nothing you haven't seen before.
  25. Jetpil0t
    Oct 16, 2014
    6
    Overall the game makes great use of the license and introduces a few really great mechanics into the non combat horror game formula, while allowing you light combat options in limited situations.

    I did however find the level design and encounter design to be very linear and repetitive. Animation quality isn't great. The small amounts of combat that are in the game feel very poorly put    Overall the game makes great use of the license and introduces a few really great mechanics into the non combat horror game formula, while allowing you light combat options in limited situations.

    I did however find the level design and encounter design to be very linear and repetitive. Animation quality isn't great. The small amounts of combat that are in the game feel very poorly put together. The save system can create huge frustrations with infrequent checkpoints placed behind quick time events and story components. This type of game is generally quite short and available for less than full retail, thus with this title coming in at full price it feels extortionately padded out to justify it's price. This in turn reduces the quality of the game considerably and is probably one of it's most noticeable lows with some sections dragging on into an hour or more of walking around. There really isn't any replay value here and the DLC is both short and overpriced.

    On the plus side it looks great, highly atmospheric and true to the genres well executed formula.

    If you don't already enjoy games like Outlast or Amnesia, you really won't enjoy this one. However if you do enjoy this type of game, Alien Isolation adds a few interesting chemicals into the mix and makes good use of the Alien License. Fortunately too it is a strong PC release with plenty of graphics options, very few bugs and performance is excellent.    … Expand
  26. xTobyMc
    Oct 22, 2014
    7
    For me this game was a 50/50, there was a lot I liked about the game, but also a lot I disliked. Firstly, the atmosphere is amazing. Playing on PC in max settings, which the game is very well optimised for, the feeling of isolation really is apparent. Quite a few times I jumped like a little girl when the alien found me and there are plenty of jump-scares throughout. I also like theFor me this game was a 50/50, there was a lot I liked about the game, but also a lot I disliked. Firstly, the atmosphere is amazing. Playing on PC in max settings, which the game is very well optimised for, the feeling of isolation really is apparent. Quite a few times I jumped like a little girl when the alien found me and there are plenty of jump-scares throughout. I also like the fluidity of animation and the real emphasis on stealth and movement tactics. I often found myself pausing to think about my next move and the game does a nice job of guiding you, but not making it too linear. Lastly, the game also follows the story very well and those who have seen the films will feel the nostalgia.

    In terms of the game's negatives, for me the biggest one was story length. The game took me 17 hours to complete and felt (surprisingly) too long. I feel like the developers have tried too hard to extend the game length by adding in more and more and more and more inconveniences forcing you to do missions which seems pointless. For example, you'd be told to open a door, only to find the door has no power. The game will then send you back the entire route you've just travelled to activate the power. Upon returning to the door, you require a keycard or pin code... everything in the game was like this. It was just fetch mission after fetch mission, and something would ironically always go wrong the moment you got close to completing an objective.

    The alien also gets extremely annoying. At first I was scared of it, but after 7 hours or so I was just fed up of it. I was constantly having to stop and just wait for the alien to walk around the scripted route it was given before it went back into the vents, making it safe to move. I also find it silly how the alien follows you EVERYWHERE, despite going up and down elevators, across rail networks and keeping almost silent compared to other noises on the ship. Of course I understand the point of the game is to hide from it, but the realism of it just following YOU everywhere is frustrating.

    Overall the game is worth the buy if you've got 15-20 hours spare, but personally I think the game is far too stretched, it would have been ideal to me as a ~12 hour game instead.    … Expand
  27. 8bitg33k
    Feb 28, 2015
    6
    It's alright. Mildly entertaining. mostly because it's a great genre. SciFi Horror, who can argue with that. If it wasn't for the fact that you're mostly hiding in closets when not sneaking around or clumsily attacking Androids, it might actually make the leap from ok to great. But all in all, it's gets the job done if you have nothing else to play and just to get the next piece of theIt's alright. Mildly entertaining. mostly because it's a great genre. SciFi Horror, who can argue with that. If it wasn't for the fact that you're mostly hiding in closets when not sneaking around or clumsily attacking Androids, it might actually make the leap from ok to great. But all in all, it's gets the job done if you have nothing else to play and just to get the next piece of the genre collection under your belt. Just don't spend more than 20 bucks on it.… Expand
  28. aciphex
    Oct 11, 2014
    7
    Alien isolation fundamentally achieves what is set out to do. Put you in an almost powerless position and toy with your senses. This however comes mostly from the fear of jump scares which definitely adds to the experience, but you can't help but think its too easy...nonetheless the game had me frantically searching the screen and pausing quite a fews times. The experience is quiteAlien isolation fundamentally achieves what is set out to do. Put you in an almost powerless position and toy with your senses. This however comes mostly from the fear of jump scares which definitely adds to the experience, but you can't help but think its too easy...nonetheless the game had me frantically searching the screen and pausing quite a fews times. The experience is quite emersive and fans of survival horror where quick thinking is your best weapon than this will definitely tickle your fancy… Expand
  29. Osmanecek
    Oct 30, 2014
    7
    I like it, yet I do not feel this games is something out of ordinary experience in genre to give higher result.

    I have been really hyped about the Alien and the "scariness", but to be perfectly honest - been playing on my own in midnight, and I was actually looking forward to meet alien and than been little bit dissapointed about it. Alien is randomly spawning around, and therefor many    I like it, yet I do not feel this games is something out of ordinary experience in genre to give higher result.

    I have been really hyped about the Alien and the "scariness", but to be perfectly honest - been playing on my own in midnight, and I was actually looking forward to meet alien and than been little bit dissapointed about it. Alien is randomly spawning around, and therefor many times it is completely unlogical and impossible.

    I really feel that design of Nostromo is perfect, graphics, sound and atmosphere of this game is well optimized and looking really good. I even watched Alien straight after game and the job done in movie and in game is amazing - like a twins. Well done guys!

    Game design and AI (understand the core gameplay) is on the other side weeker point in this game. And lowers the general result really high. It´s simply feel like Call of Duty, without enemies, weapons, and rambo style - which is cool and I am happy about it.. Though, what else is in this game left than? Minigames are repetitive. Hiding - understand crouching and Alien which sometimes see you where no-one else could and overlooked you in situation where half-blinded person with 2 promiles would see you just prooves one thing - AI is the weakest link in this game. If Alien was more "intelligent" it could be much more interesting and build on this would be much more easier. First Half-life for example had an amazing AI. Where army guys were talking to each other and seeking tactically thru the enviroment - that was something amazing at that time - and that is something I would really love to see in this Alien game.

    My result to this game is 7/10:

    10/10 for perfect graphics, sound and atmosphere
    4,5/10 for gamedesign and ai

    My final thought is - check it out later, when price is little bit lower - but you should not miss it completely.    … Expand
  30. nitorita
    Jul 29, 2020
    7
    A relatively solid space horror game that does not bring shame to the original movie franchise. Unfortunately, despite wanting to give this game a higher score, I was not able to do so due to the lack of a "wow factor" to the game, some unnecessarily difficult parts, and an incredibly cheap ending. The story and dialogue is rather scripted, the underlying gameplay is repetitive, the aliensA relatively solid space horror game that does not bring shame to the original movie franchise. Unfortunately, despite wanting to give this game a higher score, I was not able to do so due to the lack of a "wow factor" to the game, some unnecessarily difficult parts, and an incredibly cheap ending. The story and dialogue is rather scripted, the underlying gameplay is repetitive, the aliens aren't all that scary, and you never once feel an emotional attachment with the protagonist. However...

    Don't let the first paragraph dissuade you from playing. The AI is good enough to provide a challenge that you cannot Rambo through, although it is a bit primitive and possible to cheat once you understand how it works. The game forces you to be patient and play smart in order to avoid detection, and there is a lot of freedom for you to choose how you want to approach the game with many tools at your disposal. This game is focused on stealth, so if you were expecting an FPS, you're looking in the wrong place.

    The save points could have been placed more reasonably, since there are lengthy sections in the game where it is easy to get cornered and then have to reload your save, losing every bit of progress up until that point. The rubber band AI of the alien also makes it difficult to achieve meaningful progress at times, since it constantly spawns near you. Plus, the alien seems to have a hard lock on you, seemingly disregarding any other people in the game just to hunt you down. Shooting itself is pretty pointless as well since the moment you fire a single shot, the alien will hear and kill you instantly.

    I think, above all else, the biggest peeve I have about this game is that the core gameplay boils down to sneaking your way to one end of a map to fetch or activate something, and then often times having to backtrack to where you came from. The bulk of the game recycles this over and over, and what would theoretically be a quick game ends up being slowed by necessity due to the presence of an alien that forces you to be stealthy.

    Overall, I'm not sure what magic the devs used, but this game never bored me even though there wasn't much in the way of story or gameplay. I feel that a score of 7 is fair due to having missed opportunities in an otherwise promising game. The game is optimized and runs great on modern PCs (although anti-aliasing is non-existent), and it has never crashed on me once. I'd say that it's worth a play if you can get it for cheap ($10-15 or less would be reasonable now).    … Expand
  31. Bloodnes
    Mar 9, 2020
    7
    Игра многообещающая была для меня, но в итоге проходится нудновато. Возможно если бы я её проходил несколько лет назад, впечатления были бы другие, но это не факт. Собственно графику опускаем и не берем во вникание, она там для своего времени нормальная. Но вот текстуры не впечатлили, корабль какой-то идентичный, все вокруг до финальных титров не меняется, бегаем по внешне одинаковымИгра многообещающая была для меня, но в итоге проходится нудновато. Возможно если бы я её проходил несколько лет назад, впечатления были бы другие, но это не факт. Собственно графику опускаем и не берем во вникание, она там для своего времени нормальная. Но вот текстуры не впечатлили, корабль какой-то идентичный, все вокруг до финальных титров не меняется, бегаем по внешне одинаковым комнатам, прячемся от монстра, истребляем андройдов, которые по непонятным мне причинам стали вражески настроены, в конце умираем и умирают все. Титры. Ну такое себе... 7/10, атмосфера для хоррора не тянет… Expand
  32. themediocritic
    Mar 10, 2020
    7
    A 2020 Review - Alien: Isolation (PC, 2014)

    Score: 7/10 Mediocrity Score: Not Mediocre Alien: Isolation is a death-by-alien simulator masquerading as a first-person survival horror game. Dripping with late-1970s tech-ambiance, Creative Assembly has produced a rather safe narrative that closely follows the original Alien's tale of Ellen Ripley. Not falling far from the tree, the    A 2020 Review - Alien: Isolation (PC, 2014)

    Score: 7/10
    Mediocrity Score: Not Mediocre

    Alien: Isolation is a death-by-alien simulator masquerading as a first-person survival horror game. Dripping with late-1970s tech-ambiance, Creative Assembly has produced a rather safe narrative that closely follows the original Alien's tale of Ellen Ripley. Not falling far from the tree, the protagonist you play is none other than Amanda Ripley - Ellen Ripley's daughter. In what must feel like the family curse, Amanda is stricken with a far-too-similar fate being stuck on a space station trying to survive against aliens. If you aren't a fan of the series or haven't seen any of the movies - don't sweat it. Just bring an extra pair of underwear and dive into this insanely atmospheric and engrossing experience.

    Quick Take: Alien: Isolated is not fun. It is not an enjoyable experience by traditional standards, but it is a horrifically beautiful and a completely immersive one. Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton said it better than anyone else, "While many a video game has been designed for people who enjoy killing aliens, Alien: Isolation can only have been created for people who derive some perverse pleasure out of being killed by an alien." This game in its purest form is an engrossing simulation of how it would feel to try your odds against the alien xenomorphs in a bout of survival. Your odds are very slim. Between the sound engineering and the visual design, the two complement each other like two peas in a pod or...two facehuggers in an egg-sack, if you prefer. Together the two bring about an utter sense of dread, panic, and stress. You can hear the alien scampering through the ventilation; you can see its slimy drool ooze down in wait. You can hear the rich pops and sizzles of the CRT screens and analog devices used throughout the game. From opening production credits to end-game credits, it's a technical marvel...but is it an entertaining one? Well, that's where things get complicated... That's where I begin to feel the ol' quote "I want to get off Mr. Bones Wild Ride" becomes relevant again. At 16 hours in, I decided that's all the thrill I'll be getting out of that ride. Are you ever 100% glad you did or tried something, but wouldn't ever do it again? I appreciate Alien: Isolation for having done so much, so right - but I can't say I enjoyed or had fun playing it. It's stressful. I'm a huge horror film buff, yet this is a much longer and interactive experience - one that did not give me that "just 5 more minutes" feeling. It was more of a "where the hell's the savegame telephone at?"

    Pros:
    - Scarier than I expected. Panic-inducing experience, as designed.
    - Completely engrossing experience thanks to the top-notch audio and visual quality.
    - Alien AI is something to behold. Something other developers should aspire to accomplish.
    - Great map design and setting. The rough state of things on the Sevastopol station really add to the effectiveness of the game's darker, more dreadful tones.

    Cons:
    - Boilerplate story that does its best to imitate its original source rather than set itself apart more meaningfully. Doesn't hold together the weaker points of gameplay, but sags down with them.
    - Second half of the game becomes incredibly tiring and tedious when managing your alien woes mixed with having to frequently backtrack the map in order to accomplish new goals.
    - The feeling of powerlessness and stress become exhausting. The trial-and-error quality to survival leaves me feeling like I've wasted a lot of time.
    - No replayability.

    Concept: You're Ellen Ripley's unlucky daughter, Amanda - who also finds herself face to face with the same alien species that cost her mother's life. In a fight for survival, will you lead Amanda to her victory or just die 1,000 times trying? Yes. The answer is, yes.

    Graphics: Impressive. Certainly so by 2014's standards but even for 2020 standards, this offers a high bar to pass. Compliments the audio design incredibly well - both pairing together to reel you into the space-station, Sevastopol, along with all its horrors.

    Sound: It breathes life into nothingness and fills the space with dread. Hearing the alien bang around the ship or scamper about in the ventilation is disturbing when you've been hiding in a locker for ten minutes contemplating what actions led you to this awful place.

    Entertainment: Did you like the movies Source Code or Edge of Tomorrow? Then you'll enjoy experiencing it first-hand in an interactive simulator game, only with Aliens and Facehuggers. I found Alien: Isolation to be akin to a thrill-ride. A lot of fun in short bursts, but it is not something most people would enjoy for long stretches.

    Replayability: How enjoyable is revisiting the same haunted house over and over again? Sure, the actors will always do things a little differently but it's always the same song and dance in the end. For me, it does not have replay value.    … Expand
  33. RobertWhitlet
    Sep 7, 2020
    7
    Good game but the controls are absolute sh!t. The hit box is terrible and damn near impossible to pick up items. Assures me that FPS games just aren't that great. I get what Creative Assembly were trying to do by creating a scary and dark atmosphere, which they achieved but they have to do better. It's either Creative Assembly's fault with the controls or Xbox. You decide. The game is alsoGood game but the controls are absolute sh!t. The hit box is terrible and damn near impossible to pick up items. Assures me that FPS games just aren't that great. I get what Creative Assembly were trying to do by creating a scary and dark atmosphere, which they achieved but they have to do better. It's either Creative Assembly's fault with the controls or Xbox. You decide. The game is also way too long and I feel the mission become redundant by the 5th mission. I get they're trying to give the player the full experience but I can see the clear difference between this and an RE game so far as replayability. A 10 hour first run should be enough. They definitely want the player to not revisit the game with gameplay cutscenes and long drawn out missions. Overall, it's a good game and the ending is pretty phenomenal but hopefully when they remake this game, they can work on the areas that need improvements.… Expand
  34. ldub
    Oct 7, 2014
    5
    Tense yet sluggish and ultimately mediocre. The visuals are stunning which seems like where the majority of the budget for this rushed title came from. Sadly, Alien Isolation could have been something great if it wasn't marred by "cheap" moments that just screw the player over, endless waiting when you've obviously dodged an opponent, and a flimsy story full of more holes than a piece ofTense yet sluggish and ultimately mediocre. The visuals are stunning which seems like where the majority of the budget for this rushed title came from. Sadly, Alien Isolation could have been something great if it wasn't marred by "cheap" moments that just screw the player over, endless waiting when you've obviously dodged an opponent, and a flimsy story full of more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.… Expand
  35. Sawt00th
    Oct 10, 2014
    6
    I need to iron out a gripe a lot of people are having. In ALIEN it walked on two feet and did not scale walls or move on all-fours. The evolution of the Alien and it's movements evolved through the films. Albeit I find this element a let down as it would have added to the immersion and threat level. However it is true to the film in this respect. Somewhat to it's detriment.
  36. metascifi
    Oct 11, 2014
    5
    worth a rent. no more. for me was scary and tense but got old fast. it's nothing but crouch walking and sneaking past enemies. a.i. is strange in that the alien might track you down hidden in a closet yet you can crouch walk right next to it. there's really nothing to do but walk and search. maps and nav system are sketchy not always showing objectives so you may be caught wanderingworth a rent. no more. for me was scary and tense but got old fast. it's nothing but crouch walking and sneaking past enemies. a.i. is strange in that the alien might track you down hidden in a closet yet you can crouch walk right next to it. there's really nothing to do but walk and search. maps and nav system are sketchy not always showing objectives so you may be caught wandering complex maps trapped in a room with the alien never leaving the exit path. then your save will leave you in the same predicament or go back 30 min of gameplay. design and sounds are great but the graphics quality by current standards i find average or poor. partly i like more action and not a game of exclusive sneaking but i did love earlier resident evil 4,5 style survival horror and this does not come close.… Expand
  37. Markiniezter
    Oct 7, 2014
    6
    A good game, to take a few scares, but in many parts of the touch of horror game is lost.
    It also has a horrible artificial intelligence, the characters do not look very real, sometimes it can be lost in history.
  38. PowerGamer
    Oct 17, 2014
    7
    Fun for a while. The atmosphere is good, initially capturing the spirit of the 1979 classic movie.
    But the game became a chore of trying to avoid the Alien-some times making to the next objective and saving, then more then often getting killed, only having to repeat to try again.
    One of those points where it feels more like a job/chore then something fun to do..
  39. pansarskott
    Apr 5, 2016
    7
    This is a fantastic horror-game. The feel, the enviroment, the alien, everything pulls you into that world that we first saw back in 1979.
    I just love that retro future universe, and to be honest, I haven't been able to finish it yet, becuse i'm **** my pants.
    Yes, there are som quirks like stiff animations and the crafting system but overall a great game and experience!
  40. Alexaphysician
    Oct 13, 2014
    7
    Stunningly beautiful and atmospheric, although boring sometimes and having-some-plot-holes troubled. Ending is protracted and not surprising at all, game mechanics looks like rather fresh first, like, 10 hours, then it becomes flat and routine.
  41. skarvika
    Oct 27, 2017
    7
    PROS:
    - Great atmosphere makes Sevastopol seem truly unsafe
    - Solid visual & sound design - Gameplay encourages players to be smart & keeps them on their toes - Smart level design encourages players to backtrack for rewards later in game - Well designed AI always makes sure the player can only succeed by playing smartly; the alien in particular is more threatening due to its    PROS:
    - Great atmosphere makes Sevastopol seem truly unsafe
    - Solid visual & sound design
    - Gameplay encourages players to be smart & keeps them on their toes
    - Smart level design encourages players to backtrack for rewards later in game
    - Well designed AI always makes sure the player can only succeed by playing smartly; the alien in particular is more threatening due to its unpredictability and the fact that it learns the player's patterns i.e. if you always hide in lockers, it will start looking for you in them

    CONS:
    - Overexposure of the alien eventually turns it into something irritating rather than scary
    - Some poor voice work; Ripley's VA in particular had some questionable delivery at times
    - Cliche, unsatisfying ending
    - Can be buggy - suffers from floating object glitches and occasionally loot will bug, making it so that all containers / bodies appear empty
    - Bad hit detection, particularly on heads; once, a shot from my Bolt Gun went straight through a Working Joe's head and hit the enemy directly behind him
    - Long animation times / audio logs are counter intuitive to the stealth based gameplay

    OVERALL:
    Despite its faults, Alien Isolation is a more than capable survival horror game that could have benefited from the devs tightening a few loose screws. If you're looking to satisfy a craving for on-edge nervousness that something is always around the corner, Alien Isolation is sure to satisfy.    … Expand
  42. NKOxAce
    Jan 22, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I will start off by saying I love the Alien franchise and was very disappoint by Colonial Marines. This game came out and it gave me hope again. The game is awesome during the first half. Making you feel like you are in the ridley scott universe all over again but you get to be the one chased by the alien this time. Spoiler alert: the end of the first half you killed the alien but yet you still have more to do. At this point in the game you feel relaxed, like you can finally stop collecting the ammo you got and finally let yourself go. Big F**king mistake I'll tell you. Because after your character get the idea to blow the station up you find out that the title lied to you. This isn't "Alien: Isolation" This is "Aliens:isolation" Now don't get me wrong I had no problem at first having to evade one unkillable alien at first. But when their are 5 aliens stalking you going the same path and you can't even get your objective and die over and over again. Please let us have a way to kill the 10 aliens chasing after you. By this time when you have to go up against more than one alien, it starts feeling less as horror and more of a chore. As you die over and over again. You get the shotgun after dealing with the first alien. I get the other weapons not doing much to the xenomorph. But a flamethrower and shotgun do absolutely nothing to them even when there are 5 of them. All they do is force one to run away while the other 4 murder your face. And those facehuggers are the only you can kill but when you do kill them guess what you attracted the other aliens. Get really annoying in the second half. 10/10 for the first half and 4/10 for the second half… Expand
  43. johnmyersj
    Mar 8, 2016
    7
    Too much Alien, not enough Isolation

    At the beginning of this game--say, halfway through--I was so impressed with the visuals, the gameplay, the sound design, the story, the dangers, the mechanics and the rules that I wrote a short review on Steam stating it may be the best game I've ever played. One other reviewer stated what I was thinking about the game after that point: "Finish    Too much Alien, not enough Isolation

    At the beginning of this game--say, halfway through--I was so impressed with the visuals, the gameplay, the sound design, the story, the dangers, the mechanics and the rules that I wrote a short review on Steam stating it may be the best game I've ever played. One other reviewer stated what I was thinking about the game after that point: "Finish chapter [blank], put the game down and walk away with a smile on your face."

    The problem is all the sweaty tension of creeping around with the threat of a relentless Alien dropping in on you is erased by repetition; as I progressed the alien became more of a bother than a threat. It wasn't long before I was looking up how many chapters I had to go and wondering, "Please tell me THAT was the end of that chapter so I can be one closer to the finish line!" I just wasn't having fun anymore. It's much like the tendency in Hollywood to muck up horror these days by giving away too much too early: having an antagonist that's fully revealed delivering absolute gore from beginning to end--more, bigger, badder is not necessarily the ingredient for better. Many people do like that kind of thing, but I ask you: what do you do for an encore?

    The more I think about it the more I could see Alien Isolation as a sequel to a much shorter Alien game--a sequel in which creators are trying to up the ante simply by doubling or tripling what had been done before. I started the game out on "hard" at the developer's recommendation, but after the middle (or so) moved my skill level down to "novice" so I could play at a pace much more in keeping with the beginning. By the end I just wanted it to be over, and that's too bad for such a beautifully-designed game in every other respect. Perhaps someone else will take what can be learned here and make a title that maintains that "terrorific," trembling tenseness throughout its length . . .    … Expand
  44. ColinHeico
    Aug 4, 2015
    6
    The game has a lot going for it visually, and does a very competent job of setting tension through details. However I was only able to get 4 or 5 chapters in before I was annoyed into quitting. The game had devolved into one long stealth mission. Which can be good when done right, I loved the Thief and Hitman franchises and the accomplishment of working through your surroundings toThe game has a lot going for it visually, and does a very competent job of setting tension through details. However I was only able to get 4 or 5 chapters in before I was annoyed into quitting. The game had devolved into one long stealth mission. Which can be good when done right, I loved the Thief and Hitman franchises and the accomplishment of working through your surroundings to accomplish your goals. But in Alien there really wasn't much to DO other than creep from one side of the room to the other to go to the next macguffin. By the time I quit, the opponents were cyborgs and the namesake Alien.

    Cyborgs are slow and slow-witted, more an annoyance than a proper enemy. I spent a lot of time sneaking past them, but realized it's just more effective to run past them and get to your objective. They have very uneven levels of intelligence, sometimes you can duck under an open table and they can't find you sitting right in front of them, sometimes you can hide inside of a closet after losing them around several turns and they just b-line straight to your closet, open it up then beat you. Just... so annoying and dumb. So maybe I'll try and take one out? Oh, I unloaded all six shots of this revolver into your face and it didn't matter? That's great. Why do they even give you the pretence of holding a weapon?

    Then there's the Alien. Once he joins in, the never-ending stealth mission now has frequent random losses where he appears from nothing and stabs you for instant death. So you end up creeping along very slowly to make less noise which helps a small amount, except now you're moving so slowly he'll just wander over you and kill you because apparently he wants to kill you more than everyone else combined. So it's a slower, more boring death that takes way more time to get to. Despite the hugeness of the station there's never a moment where this #*(@ is more than a room or two away from you. Why is he camping my character specifically? How is he able to always be around me even if he can't find me while sitting under a desk the same room? Do I have some sort of Ripley connection to the monster that makes him so much more interested in me than everyone else? What was I supposed to know to avoid these obnoxious instant lose surprises? Why do all doors open automatically if you're on their half of the room, announcing to the Alien that here you are, please kill me now? How is any of this avoided? How long does it take for him to leave a room when you're hiding in a locker? 5 minutes? 10? He just endlessly keeps pacing back and forth in front of you, prolonging this failed attempt.... ugh.

    So between dumb, slow and pointless or dumb, fast, magnetically attracted to your location and instantly game ending, the enemies are not satisfying to work against. Tension gives way to frustration which gives way to annoyance. Plus the game ONLY saves when you specifically go to a save terminal. You will have all your progress rewound to the previous zone if they don't give you a save point in a sensible location before your next alien one shot death. If I had to describe this game in one word, it would be "annoying". Lots of potential, lots of atmosphere, but the game just isn't fun or satisfying to play.    … Expand
  45. Hack
    Feb 17, 2017
    6
    I can't recommend it as it's simply not very fun and by the end I just wanted it to be over so I could say I finished it. I actually finished it quicker than the average and still felt it dragged on. Overall the game is quite repetitive, once you've opened your 100th door using the hacking mini game you will be sick and tired of it. Plus there's just a lot of waiting around and a lot ofI can't recommend it as it's simply not very fun and by the end I just wanted it to be over so I could say I finished it. I actually finished it quicker than the average and still felt it dragged on. Overall the game is quite repetitive, once you've opened your 100th door using the hacking mini game you will be sick and tired of it. Plus there's just a lot of waiting around and a lot of loading screens (I have an SSD so they were fast, but there's still lots of them). I would also like to comment on the heavily compressed, 30fps pre-recorded cut scenes, they are just horrible and laggy, whereas the main gameplay was super smooth at 60fps without a single drop on max settings, this is a common problem with console ports and cut scenes unfortunately.

    The voice work, story and visuals were all good but the gameplay was just slow and boring and dragged on, plus there was one very length section that was frankly terrible, after Google'ng the area it's considered by most just an awful experience (not because it's hard, it's just long and dull), it was at this point I almost quit the game entirely. I will also applaud the overall atmosphere as it was good and very scary at times.    … Expand
  46. ShawnD
    Oct 5, 2017
    7
    It's definitely an intense game. It should be played with headphones so you can hear which direction things are coming from. The "working joe" robots are creepy as hell, so that's a surprisingly well done part of the game. It's almost like being in a Jason movie because they walk slowly but are virtually indestructible. They look like someone put a cheaply made rubber skin over aIt's definitely an intense game. It should be played with headphones so you can hear which direction things are coming from. The "working joe" robots are creepy as hell, so that's a surprisingly well done part of the game. It's almost like being in a Jason movie because they walk slowly but are virtually indestructible. They look like someone put a cheaply made rubber skin over a terminator skeleton.

    There are also a few mods available if you feel like changing some of the rules. One of them makes the alien completely ignore you, so you can venture around and explore. There is also a mod for unlimited pistol ammo, which is a lot of fun because shooting a gun attracts the alien.

    The game loses 1 or 2 points because it crashes often. This happens to a lot of people, and nobody seems to know why it crashes. My computer is not overclocked, all of my drivers are up to date, and this is the only game I have a problem with. This can be enraging because I just spent about 20 minutes wandering around in some unskippable story bullcrap, and then the game crashed right at the end. I need to do that entire space suit thing a second time.    … Expand
  47. dogget76
    Sep 22, 2016
    5
    Alien Isolation è senza mezzi termini un ammasso di errori di design conditi da un anacronistico 'trial & error'; e i (pochi) grandi momenti si perdono nella casualità e nella reiterazione delle meccaniche.
    Gran parte del gioco consiste in un estenuante backtracking alla ricerca della leva/pulsante di turno, nella speranza che il puro caso ci tenga alla larga dalle grinfie degli androidi    Alien Isolation è senza mezzi termini un ammasso di errori di design conditi da un anacronistico 'trial & error'; e i (pochi) grandi momenti si perdono nella casualità e nella reiterazione delle meccaniche.
    Gran parte del gioco consiste in un estenuante backtracking alla ricerca della leva/pulsante di turno, nella speranza che il puro caso ci tenga alla larga dalle grinfie degli androidi e dalle fauci dell' alieno.
    A poco servono la minuziosa ricostruzione degli ambienti e dell' alieno: la frustrazione è sempre dietro l' angolo e lo sviluppo della trama raggiunge 'vette' di fantozziana memoria. Peccato perché l' atmosfera c'era tutta.
    Un' altra occasione persa.    … Expand
  48. Dunge
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    One day a brain-dead developer woke up and thought: "Hey, it would be great to lock the player in-place while it is in an animation. Let's make these animations super-slow and long, and let's do that the enemy can spawn AND kill the player while he is locked in place and he can't do anything! He will die even if everything was safe before he started pressing the button!". Seriously, forOne day a brain-dead developer woke up and thought: "Hey, it would be great to lock the player in-place while it is in an animation. Let's make these animations super-slow and long, and let's do that the enemy can spawn AND kill the player while he is locked in place and he can't do anything! He will die even if everything was safe before he started pressing the button!". Seriously, for this fact alone, **** that game.

    Also, this game is NOT hard. It's just luck-based. Random 1/10 that the enemy spawn in your back. Did not reach the checkpoint? Reload savegame and do the exact same thing, you'll get it someday. No gameplay at all.    … Expand
  49. BRubble
    Dec 17, 2014
    5
    I dont really get the hype over this one. Am I too 'old' to appreciate this game? Why am I not scared or startled like everyone else seems to be? I suppose I must be on camera to play it up and ACT scared? I feel its all a rather boring and repetitive death after death slog fest just in hope of reaching the next very distant checkpoint. Is the flamethrower effective? Once in a while, butI dont really get the hype over this one. Am I too 'old' to appreciate this game? Why am I not scared or startled like everyone else seems to be? I suppose I must be on camera to play it up and ACT scared? I feel its all a rather boring and repetitive death after death slog fest just in hope of reaching the next very distant checkpoint. Is the flamethrower effective? Once in a while, but not often as most of the time the alien ignores it and kills you anyway regardless of draining a tank on its hide. I cant even be bothered to pick up any items as once you die you must tread down tht esame corridors etc etc and rummage around all over and over and over again again to pick up the same crap...and did i mention you die again....and again....and again? The deaths, and hundreds of them, can seem so random and quite unwarranted which I find beyond annoying. Its so damned tiresome to repeat the same scenario over and over again due to lengthy checkpoints, to the point where I just dont give a sh!t about playing any longer. This annoyance ruins any sense of possible fun and furthermore, killing any desire to want to persevere through the endless deaths bullsh!t. All in all plodding through this game gets REALLY old REAL fast.
    It's a nice EFFORT and deviation from the run and gun style one would expect from this theme but for the love of god make the next one with some marines and battle rifles. I hope this 100% locker simulator style nonsense is just a passing fad.    … Expand
  50. Zeusbot48
    Sep 10, 2018
    6
    A good looking game with an interesting and atmospheric world, flawed by often repetitive, boring and frustrating gameplay.
  51. BSim500
    Jan 18, 2015
    5
    Game starts out very atmospheric and promising. Lighting and shadows are great. Audio, soundtrack & voice casting well done. Unfortunately there are a number of issues that spoil it. First of all as many others have commented on, the game is basically a 10-12hr game that's been artificially padded out to 20-22hrs via a combination of level/mission over re-use and checkpoint save systemGame starts out very atmospheric and promising. Lighting and shadows are great. Audio, soundtrack & voice casting well done. Unfortunately there are a number of issues that spoil it. First of all as many others have commented on, the game is basically a 10-12hr game that's been artificially padded out to 20-22hrs via a combination of level/mission over re-use and checkpoint save system that adds nothing to gameplay or challenge by forcing you to backtrack or replay large sections over & over and just gets very tedious very quickly. Many objectives you have to do twice, other levels you have to backtrack all the way to the start - when this is done sporadically it works, but when it gets overdone it becomes boring, obvious "filler" and breaks immersion when you look upon the next chapter as a boring chore to be "grinded" rather than a game to be immersed in.

    The gun's hit detection vs humans can be iffy, whilst QTE's (Quick Time Events) and "over-scripting" (endless unnecessary micro-cutscenes that "snatch" control away from the player) are another pet hate and this game is replete with them. Almost every single simple action from pulling a lever to removing a door lock involves a "simon says" QTE. Combat often involves button-mashing QTE's. Another point gets deducted for the most ludicrous "penguin in a neck-brace" overdone side-to-side head bob that can't be disabled. It doesn't remotely represent reality of how you see / perceive your own body movement even when sprinting. In real life your neck & eye muscles automatically compensate for most of it, whilst your visual cortex filters out most of the rest (same way you don't consciously notice your own nose even though you're "seeing" it all the time). Your head sure as hell don't snap violently from side to side just from jogging in a straight line.

    Overall score is about a 8-9 for the first 20-30 mins but then rapidly drops to a 6-7 when you realize half the game involving backtracking & replaying checkpoints is far more "filler" than plot and done in the most annoying way possible. Multiple other annoyances (no quick-save with checkpoint only saves too far apart, QTE's that are more annoying than immersive, absurd motion sickness inducing head-bob, etc) further reduce it to a 5 for me. I really wanted to give it more but it can be so frustrating & boring to play beyond the first 1-2 hours (and replay... and replay... and replay...). If this were about 5-6 hours shorter in length minus the above annoyances, I'd have probably given it a score of nearer 8-9.    … Expand
  52. SuperNaiv
    Oct 22, 2014
    7
    This game isn't perfect. Although, it's a great fun. I really enjoy it. I hear people say it's a bit repetetive and maybe it feels like a "open this door" simulator at times, but I still enjoyed most of the game. Although, the ending felt anticlimactic. And, yes, the game is really long. That might be a good thing, but somehow that made the game more boring and very repetetive at the end.This game isn't perfect. Although, it's a great fun. I really enjoy it. I hear people say it's a bit repetetive and maybe it feels like a "open this door" simulator at times, but I still enjoyed most of the game. Although, the ending felt anticlimactic. And, yes, the game is really long. That might be a good thing, but somehow that made the game more boring and very repetetive at the end. But, like I said in the beginning, the game is mostly very enjoyable. Buy it! Play it!… Expand
  53. Vilio
    Jan 13, 2016
    6
    Game is interesting in the beginning, because you are expecting alien somewhere. But when alien is still around you, you will see cheap way how to scary you: Alien is still around your hiding place, no matter if you change hiding place. Still only around you. There is simple formula. He is usually looking for you 1 minute than you have 10 - 20 seconds to change your place. When you are inGame is interesting in the beginning, because you are expecting alien somewhere. But when alien is still around you, you will see cheap way how to scary you: Alien is still around your hiding place, no matter if you change hiding place. Still only around you. There is simple formula. He is usually looking for you 1 minute than you have 10 - 20 seconds to change your place. When you are in one place hidden too long, he will moving and looking close to you and you will have to hold breath. And because controls don't help you, you will be sometimes killed, because pressed key is not registered by game. This "hiding game" is interesting in the begging of the game. But later, when you are send to some place, you know - again some alarm will be triggered and you will have to play again cheap "hiding game".
    This is boring and game is missing something else. Some better idea and not only repeating hiding game with unreal alien behavior.
    And Im not talking about mechanoids. They are not able to hear you (breath, steps) behind small wall, 2 meters away, while you are watching to his eyes, but mechanoids are able to hear you in locker. How ?
    Another black point: keyboard. Why do I have to press and hold key, when I want to hide ? Game is sometimes not able to recognize pressed key. Situation: alien is in your back, you press E and you holding the key 1 sec, 2 sec. Nothing. You press E again and finally after 1 sec, Ripley is hiding. But you lost 3 - 4 seconds and alien is now able to see you. GAME OVER and start again from last save. Why keyboard control is killing the game like this ? Stupid "hold key" rule is making game not more scary, but more unplayable.
    This unreal alien, mechanoid, humans behavior, sometimes not working keyboard (bug ?), boring "hiding games" with alien are killing the game.
    If keyboard is fixed, alien has better and real moving script, mechanoids and level design is better and there is some story, game deserve 10/10. At this moment, game has good draft, but bad design killed good game.    … Expand
  54. davisath
    Oct 17, 2014
    6
    Half way on asthetics plus one for interesting explanation to extend the original story. Failed on AI and general behavior of the O'Bannon, Scott, Brandywine concept of the alien. If they had hired me to develop the AI it would be the least completed game due to sheer player anxiety of having to contend with a creature that is more unpredictable. The alien would optimize it's survivalHalf way on asthetics plus one for interesting explanation to extend the original story. Failed on AI and general behavior of the O'Bannon, Scott, Brandywine concept of the alien. If they had hired me to develop the AI it would be the least completed game due to sheer player anxiety of having to contend with a creature that is more unpredictable. The alien would optimize it's survival through silence and stealth which is what every prime predator relies on. It would have certainly used a fuzzy set over all of it's unidentified signals and would have dedicated more time to simply waiting on model optimization constantly reevaluating it's priority locations with each time it receives new information and assigning a best choice based on signals.

    Manual doors would account for active analog control, meaning player controls speed of opening and closing ultimately entry to hide providing a balance of security over speed. Shifting to change view angles in hides would also be analog as they currently are but would emit sounds depending on how rapidly player shifts weight.

    I would have excluded the involuntarily squelch of the tracker which destroyed the game. The tracker was an obvious stop-gap for an AI model which was under developed for some reason and the tracker was the real nemesis in the game leaving the alien reduced to it's determined and persistent henchman. The tracker would also require batteries just like the flashlight, only both would last longer, certainly the flashlight would considering what year it's supposed to be in the story (you'd think they would have figured out the longer lasting light bulb).

    The critical path would have remained focused on the mission which was to understand what happened to the Nostromo and hence Ripley's mother. Instead the flight recorder was discovered surprisingly early in the game and Ripley just seemed to give up on finding the contents in hopes of having it spoon fed to her by a third party. Then again I might be wrong on this and have missed important points in the plot because I had to run through the game thanks to a very poor design decision. Also, considering how much more effective the alien could have been I would have allowed for the player to turn down objectives in lieu of staying focused on investigating the Nostromo event and getting off Sevastopol as quickly as possible.

    For me I was more alert and apprehensive up to the point where I had the first encounter with the alien, which again, I understand the designers probably wanted to ease the player into the reality there is an alien, but it only highlighted the fact that the scariest room in the game was also one of the first on Sevastopol. Why? Because I didn't know if the alien would come for me or not, I was expecting it since the docking procedure would certainly have been noisy. Also, firearms should have hurt the alien, only that the alien would bleed and compromise the integrity of the ship rendering the player as good as dead. But I would have preferred no firearms on Sevastopol because any one of the NPCs who were armed could have just as easily shot at it and again, ship has hole, everyone is exposed to conditions of space and die. So they don't shoot at it because they're programmed not to? Breaks immersion. No firearms except perhaps Marlows ship that would have introduced firearms later when necessary to the plot.

    Advice: never use tracker and never hide in lockers or cabinets from alien, simple place concealment between you and the alien because it's practically blind and stupid. I literally did circles around a mini zamboni and similar objects to shake the stupid thing. Walk almost everywhere and so long as you aren't making tight circles, it outpaces the alien most of the time. I recommend when first entering a level study the map, make a plan for how to get to your points and move. The designers apparently thought it was more terrifying to be forced to constantly move instead of losing your sanity in a locker over several hours planning your survival. Never use firearms while you know alien is on Sevastopol. Don't use flashlight in ducts, instead use molotov or flamethrower. Don't use devices like noise maker, it only agitates the alien and escalates it's sense of your presence from mere suspicion to certainty.

    Other than that I do commend the Creative Assembly folks for giving us what they labored over and I really only experienced one minor defect. As a software engineer myself I know that alone is a testament to how effective the development process was. But it lost it's potential through pinnacle design choices that stifled the games success as a horror game. I really enjoyed the attention to detail, but the set of "Alien" invokes dread because of it's affiliation of the alien character not the reverse despite Cobb and Foss having fabricated a rational explanation for a vessel that complimented the alien.    … Expand
  55. AresOfThrace
    Dec 4, 2014
    5
    Got the same problem as apparently some other people as well. The game keeps bugging and crashing. The atmosphere and everything around are great, but as long there is no fix for that cra*, I'll give it a 5.
  56. TROLLeyBOSS
    Feb 6, 2015
    5
    I will not talk about pluses of this game, everyone already know them.
    They know because every freaking journo or youtube reviewer praised this game to heavens.
    But in game that put it all on immersion (to really frighten you) there is too much immersion breaking moments. If anyone wrote in hisher review that i can't pick up enemy gun, but i can KICK it all i want, i will never bought    I will not talk about pluses of this game, everyone already know them.
    They know because every freaking journo or youtube reviewer praised this game to heavens.

    But in game that put it all on immersion (to really frighten you) there is too much immersion breaking moments. If anyone wrote in hisher review that i can't pick up enemy gun, but i can KICK it all i want, i will never bought this game. Because it is so tremendously stupid and lazy that it breaks immersion for me on one-two.

    It is nice game if you can close your eyes on horrifying immersion breaking design decisions, i know that i can't.    … Expand
  57. carlito26
    Jun 29, 2016
    5
    As a fan of the original Alien, I found this entry to be incredibly immersive and true to the film, Visually beautiful but they got the Alien's movement wrong.it's just a long, boring,
    You will have to repeat each kind of QTE around 100 times
  58. UncleEd
    Feb 14, 2021
    6
    Alien is one of my favorite movies and I love horror games. So, when I’ve read this was the best Alien game ever made and perfectly captures the spirit of the original Alien movie, my expectations skyrocketed. And it did start good. I was very impressed with the sound design. Visually, it’s equally impressive and the setting really feels like the original movie. However, the more you playAlien is one of my favorite movies and I love horror games. So, when I’ve read this was the best Alien game ever made and perfectly captures the spirit of the original Alien movie, my expectations skyrocketed. And it did start good. I was very impressed with the sound design. Visually, it’s equally impressive and the setting really feels like the original movie. However, the more you play it the more problems surface.

    Alien: Isolation plays like Amnesia so at its core it’s a hide and seek game. However, it is at least 10 hours too long and it starts feeling extremely repetitive after a while. The level design doesn’t change, you are expected to do the same things over and over in prolonged corridors, plenty of backtracking and unfair difficulty. I liked it the first few hours, but it did not hold my attention for long to the point I have decided to call it quits.

    I can’t really recommend Alien: Isolation. And I believe the best alien game award still belongs to Aliens vs Predator 2.

    PS: The game recommends you to play in hard difficulty. Don’t do it. It is already an unfairly difficult game and hard difficulty will make your experience unnecessarily more frustrating.    … Expand
  59. 4ya5h1
    Feb 12, 2022
    6
    game looks beautiful, its like movie and it feels like a movie, almost everything that relates to Alien or any enemies is scripted you just go and do things game wants you to do and im not sure that i liked it cuz it was pretty annyoing sometimes. as a horror this game is not good cuz it have litteraly zero of horror atmosphere it works only by jumpscare **** and screamers its not scary.game looks beautiful, its like movie and it feels like a movie, almost everything that relates to Alien or any enemies is scripted you just go and do things game wants you to do and im not sure that i liked it cuz it was pretty annyoing sometimes. as a horror this game is not good cuz it have litteraly zero of horror atmosphere it works only by jumpscare **** and screamers its not scary. plot is ok fights too but again sometimes it was too scripted and game used to try to force me to fight even if i dont want to.… Expand
  60. Angrytiger
    Jul 15, 2021
    7
    Graphics = 3 of 3
    Story = 3 of 3
    Gameplay = 1 of 3
    Music and Sound = 2 of 3
    Wow factor = 2 of 3
    Total = 11 of 15 or 7 of 10
  61. AlexeySoltan
    Oct 14, 2021
    6
    great optimisation. sometimes boring and difficult. monotonuos. stupid story. disapointing final
  62. ghosttoyou
    Oct 13, 2021
    6
    Хз , не смог доиграть нормально, просто сгорел с *интелекта* чужого и андроидов. А так в целом игра страшная, очень крутые атмосферные звуки, локации тоже на уровне, но к сожалению больше в 6и все таки не могу поставить, так как сам геймплей не особо хорош.Хз , не смог доиграть нормально, просто сгорел с *интелекта* чужого и андроидов. А так в целом игра страшная, очень крутые атмосферные звуки, локации тоже на уровне, но к сожалению больше в 6и все таки не могу поставить, так как сам геймплей не особо хорош.
  63. Bodislav
    Jan 16, 2022
    7
    Torture .
  64. GreenPufferFish
    Jan 12, 2021
    6
    i personally think this game is ok i havent completed it because its not a hard game to say but the checkpoints are way to spread out which makes it annoying when you do a good 40 mins worth of progress but get killed by the alien which was hiding in a vent what you could not see it seems fun but the checkpoints are a major problem in the game.which makes the game pretty boring.
  65. madugms
    Mar 23, 2021
    5
    The game is too long, the plot is secondary, the only scary moments are screamers.
  66. Nilondon777
    Jan 21, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. alien islation is a good game ending was a bit disjointed and was not the best , alien is no longer in game after level 12 or so which is a good idea , no real diagloge where more talking would have been better , no ammo no items no cheats , you can play any level after you have finished the level which is a good idea… Expand
  67. Eskellz
    Oct 30, 2021
    5
    ALIEN: ISOLATION - невероятно красивая игра, к сожалению это все за что ее можно похвалить. Я проходил ее на предпоследней сложности и что я могу сказать? ИИ не впечатлил, он крайне предсказуем и спустя час ты уже привыкаешь и понимаешь как он работает. Страх рассеивается тоже через час игры, особенно когда нам выдают прибор с помощью которого мы можем отслеживать местоположение Чужого. ЯALIEN: ISOLATION - невероятно красивая игра, к сожалению это все за что ее можно похвалить. Я проходил ее на предпоследней сложности и что я могу сказать? ИИ не впечатлил, он крайне предсказуем и спустя час ты уже привыкаешь и понимаешь как он работает. Страх рассеивается тоже через час игры, особенно когда нам выдают прибор с помощью которого мы можем отслеживать местоположение Чужого. Я ожидал большего.… Expand
  68. djalex
    May 11, 2015
    7
    overall I think this game is good but it does have some disappointing flaws. What's great is the tension of being stalked by the alien. They incorporate the need to sneak away and hide very very well. There was a similar aspect to the game The Evil Within but in that game it was wholly unnecessary except for one level. Alienn Isolation, on the other hand, creates awesome tension andoverall I think this game is good but it does have some disappointing flaws. What's great is the tension of being stalked by the alien. They incorporate the need to sneak away and hide very very well. There was a similar aspect to the game The Evil Within but in that game it was wholly unnecessary except for one level. Alienn Isolation, on the other hand, creates awesome tension and great moments of being scared very much like watching a good horror movie. You will be on the edge of your seat i almost every scene/ chapter. However, the game doesn't have a very solid story line throughout and what little substance there is of a story is protracted through a very long game with "additional tasks" added on on the very moment you complete a task. So, my biggest problem with the game is that the main character you play has to solve a single problem in the chapter and when you as the player reach that goal the chapter is stretched out by additional tasks that are contrived to create more game play. so for example if my task is to get a medical kit to bring back to someone its not that I just get through the obstacles and the enemies to get the medical kit and return but that once i get it there I will be presented with one more problem that will turn out to be 10 more problems with getting back to complete the overall goal. This is annoying because when you feel like you are going to reach a point of accomplishment and satisfaction the game is contrived to stretch it out and give you more to do. This wouldn't be a problem if it only happened a couple of times. However, The game uses this design of taking every single task you are presented within the story and fixing some broken computer or powered down generator to get to yet another contrived problem. This is a clear sign that they didn't have much of a story to work with so they tried to take a very simple premise of getting from point A to point B and back to A and stretch it out by making you go to additional points A.1 through A.9 before you even get to point B. Its frustrating because the game is fun otherwise and scary but i wanted a better more thought out story to support the illusion of being in this world and being this character. the game could have been very very short with this story they wrote for it and it felt like they needed it to be longer so they just made every thing you work with turn out to be broken. The other problem I had was one that I'm sure pertains to most 1st person shooter games. when you want to turn your head top look around you seem to move in slow motion. This does't reflect anything IRL at all. If I hear a sound IRL I can look to my left in a fraction of a fraction of a second. So That means in this FPS game you end up dying because the game mechanics are sluggish. Another really irritating part of the game is the confusing design of the ship and the maps... Even after you have the maps and have been through several levels you can be totally lost as to where you are in relation to where you need to go. There's a function that allows for you to see your goal on a map but since you dont know what floor you are on in relation to the goal you can end up lost trying to figure out how to go down or up on the ship. I spent several hours walking around in circles trying to figure out how to get off a level or two and this was not fun. getting lost for an hour is a waste of time that could have been avoided if the maps built to show you the full layout of the ship had clear indications of levels through a vertical standing map as opposed to an overhead view only. I hated this aspect of the game. Lastly, the logic that the Alien's senses are more acute and can find u better than humans can is false. I can be hiding behind a block and the humans instantly address me and shoot at me but the alien is clueless unless hes looking right at me. It does come runnning for sounds and if your anywhere in sight when he hears you then you are dead but other than that its a false premise in the game advice. But I was fine with it once I figured that out. This game is still not up there at the level of The Last Of Us or Tomb Raider reboot but its pretty dam good overall. I just wish the story was better written.… Expand
  69. hileger
    Nov 1, 2022
    6
    аутласт на максималках атмосферы не дожали чувство будто не в космосе находишься а на складе на земле геймплей- раздражает прятаться стрелять тут тоже кал сходи за пропуском заебало
  70. ErayTellezi
    Mar 28, 2023
    5
    Saklan, çömelerek ilerle, saklan, loot yap saklan, havalandırma borusundan geç saklan, craft yap saklan. Başka hiçbir şey yok. Alien'ı ilk bir kaç görüşümde gerdi ama sonrasında ertafta dolaşması gerginlikten çok can sıkıyor. Çekil de işimize bakalım diyorsun. Ses dizaynı iyi oyunun, hakkını yemeyeyim. Sürekli bir yerlerden mekanik veya başka türlü sesler geliyor. Kulaklı oynayıncaSaklan, çömelerek ilerle, saklan, loot yap saklan, havalandırma borusundan geç saklan, craft yap saklan. Başka hiçbir şey yok. Alien'ı ilk bir kaç görüşümde gerdi ama sonrasında ertafta dolaşması gerginlikten çok can sıkıyor. Çekil de işimize bakalım diyorsun. Ses dizaynı iyi oyunun, hakkını yemeyeyim. Sürekli bir yerlerden mekanik veya başka türlü sesler geliyor. Kulaklı oynayınca gerginliği sağlayan tek unsur belki de. Ama bırakmamı engelleyemedi maalesef.… Expand
  71. Ratingss
    Apr 20, 2023
    7
    The presentation is amazing with just a few weird fast cuts when it comes to the cutscenes and sometimes the objectives are too obtuse and you have too look at the map all the time. But the game was only designed to be played as a total ghost avoiding everything, and thats a boring walking simulator that focuses to much on terminals, doors, power this, power that, plus hide n seek with theThe presentation is amazing with just a few weird fast cuts when it comes to the cutscenes and sometimes the objectives are too obtuse and you have too look at the map all the time. But the game was only designed to be played as a total ghost avoiding everything, and thats a boring walking simulator that focuses to much on terminals, doors, power this, power that, plus hide n seek with the Aliens hanging out forever in some sections and being completely absent from others for no reason. So if you try to play as a murderous psychopath its when all its flaws slap you in the face, like how stiff and dumb the humans AI is, being unable to pick up a gun dropped by someone carrying before you find it in an specific location, the mediocre gunplay, the slow item selection, it just becomes more evident the further you go.
    I still think AVP 2 is the best Alien game but this is not bad at all.    … Expand
  72. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best PC Game of 2014
9
#9 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
8
#8 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 13, 2014
    90
    This game makes you crawl like a goddamn worm, in constant fear of being squashed. I was scared to leave the closet I was hiding in, because the monster was somewhere out there. [Dec 2014, p.68]
  2. Digital Trends
    Nov 25, 2014
    60
    The Creative Assembly’s game, however, is cooked; left to boil so long it loses all flavor and texture. For 10 hours, Isolation is one of the best horror games ever made, until a second, poorly made game bursts out of its heart.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Nov 15, 2014
    87
    Alien Isolation can be frustratingly difficult at times, but nevertheless it’s easily the best game in the Alien franchise since the original Aliens vs Predator. The fact that the game mimics perfectly the 1970s look and sci fi stylings of Ridley Scott’s Alien film makes the experience even more endearing. By featuring absurd number of “surprise” twists, Alien Isolation’s final act could’ve used some trimming. [Nov 2014]
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