Alien: Isolation

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1445 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,198 out of 1445
  2. Mixed: 142 out of 1445
  3. Negative: 105 out of 1445
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  1. Carlitoxic
    Feb 18, 2015
    10
    The great Alien Isolation is the Goldeneye 007 of Nintendo 64 with the Alien movie franchise. A terrifying survival horror and the best adventure of 2014.
  2. Sookilala
    Feb 15, 2015
    8
    One of the best games i played last year, not without its flaws, but excellent.

    Atmosphere, tension, gameplay, graphics all really good... a truly enjoyable experience...

    Lacking was the narrative content and the the game length, the game dragged on a bit with an obvious ending to the central story occurring 2/3rds of the way through...
  3. Twentyand1
    Feb 15, 2015
    9
    After reading IGN's review of Alien: Isolation I found my excitement for this game quickly waning. Fast forward a few weeks and I continued to see positive reviews from players flooding in here on Metacritic and also on Reddit. Enough so that the life-long Alien nerd inside me finally won over and convinced me that I must try this game. I am beyond ecstatic that I did. Not only was IGNAfter reading IGN's review of Alien: Isolation I found my excitement for this game quickly waning. Fast forward a few weeks and I continued to see positive reviews from players flooding in here on Metacritic and also on Reddit. Enough so that the life-long Alien nerd inside me finally won over and convinced me that I must try this game. I am beyond ecstatic that I did. Not only was IGN dead wrong, leading me to new sources for my reviews from now on, but I am also extremely proud to report to fellow Alien fans that this is an experience that belongs right up there with the first two films in the franchise. If you grew up lovig the movies as much as I did then you absolutely owe it to yourself to experience this game.

    The graphics and visuals are gorgeous, perfectly capturing the look and feel of the first movie. Despite all the terrifying things occurring around me I could not satisfy my desire to explore this world enough. I felt literally transported into the movies I have loved for so long.

    The gameplay takes many of the things you expect to find in good horror games and combines them with very strong stealth elements. You will find yourself scavenging for scarce supplies forcing you to make your shots count and think strategically about each encounter and what to craft to get through it. There are a myriad of tools and weapons you will find and upgrade as you progress, slowly giving you more and more strategic options as you near the end of the game. But enough about all that, lets get on to what separates this game head-and-shoulders above the rest.

    The Alien.

    The presence of the Alien is what turns this game into a masterpiece of the survival horror genre. Unpredictable, invincible and always hunting you, the Alien makes every encounter feel dynamic and every save point feel like a glorious and hard earned achievement. Ive seen a good many people complain about the Alien's aggressiveness and the lack of automatic checkpoints...but these elements turn this game into something special, an experience that I have never had in any game before, which is a good thing. With how well executed this game is from start to finish it becomes a great thing. After completion I fully realized how I wouldn't have it any other way and how accutely these elements combine to make it an experience unlike anything else out there. As a gamer I want more experiences that strive to separate themselves from the pack and this one fully delivers.

    The only negatives I had revolved around character and backtracking. Some of the characters are a little flat and some of their animations can be a little stilted, but the overall quality of everything else tends to drown these nitpicks out. There are some sections where you will be required to backtrack, enough where I feel it needs to be mentioned. However, that being said, by the time you get to these areas you will have upgraded your tools and found new equipment that will allow you to access new areas all together. So as soon as I began to recognize the area I was in I would soon find myself accessing something brand new making this a minor grip at best.

    If you are a fan of survival horror and have been looking for a new experience that drives the genre forward, then look no farther. This game is well worth the investment of your time and money. If you are a die-hard fan of the first two Alien movies then you are simply doing yourself a disservice by not playing this. I cant wait to see what Creative Assembly will do next.    … Expand
  4. dunnyone
    Feb 15, 2015
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I signed up on Metacritic just so I could educate my fellow gamers on this over-hyped nonsense. So please, stay far, far away from it. Let me begin with the positives:

    Graphics: Quite fantastic. Lighting effects are smashing, along with smoke, fire and water. The way everyone casts a realistic shadow and the design of the Alien, humans and robots are stellar. But sometimes, you'll see a bolt made up of four polygons or a weapon floating in the air. Regardless, it looks incredible.

    Sound: incredible, perhaps the best sound design in a modern game. The Alien thumps around, hissing and slithering just like in the films. And those with Dolby Surround will know exactly where it is based on the direction of the game audio. Soundtrack is sparse and drives the terror home like a rusted nail through your finger.

    Gameplay: horrendous. Alien: Isolation is a survival horror game like Outlast or Amnesia. So in other words, you're powerless for 99% of the game, barring those rare situations when you're loaded up with ammo, which is almost never, save for specific plot points. The game, as it begun, recommended that I played on hard, which was the highest difficulty and was "the only way to experience the game" it told me. Liars.

    What followed was 40 hours of frustration. Alien: Isolation is a game that could have been cut in half as it drags with endless fetch quests, punctuated by a teleporting Alien that knows exactly where you are, unless you hide for minutes at a time, which drastically slows down the gameplay and after 5-10 hours of hiding, the concept grows stale. You can't distract the Alien, it'll pinpoint your location and kill you. You can't outrun it, it'll find you and kill you. And you most certainly cannot kill it.

    "So what's the issue? I like it like that." Wrong - no one sane likes it like this. The Alien seems to teleport from one location to another, seemingly able to find you by glitching to your spot. It's pretty unfair. When you're trying to run away from the Alien and androids (who can be killed but are best avoided because they're bullet sponges) get in your way, you're dead again. There's no flow to Alien: Isolation because it's a constant cycle of backtracking. Push a button and oh, the powers off. Better return back to where you were five minutes ago to restore the power, while avoiding the Alien again. Fun? No. This happens constantly and near the end of the game, becomes an insanely frustrating chore as the manual save points are spaced so far apart. That's right. You can only save manually (which I actually enjoyed as it heightens the terror). But again, and after hours of this concept, it grows shockingly stale.

    Speaking of terror, there is none. Everyone knows the look and design of the Alien by now, so there's really little to shock. It's become such a pop culture icon that it's seen like a cartoon character. It's kill animations are canned so you'll see the same one again and again. The single jump scare I had was when my roommate screamed as a high-speed train whizzed by.

    Oh, and get used to crawling everywhere. Since the Alien has supersonic hearing, even walking will alert it to your presence. I bet that Alien: Isolation really only takes under 8 hours to finish if you'd be able to sprint.

    One thing redeems it and that's a "cameo" of sorts by Ripley's mom. It saves it from getting a 2/10.

    Being forced to crawl, having to follow mindless objectives that bear no fruit and not having any fun. If that's your idea of a great game then go ahead and grab Alien: Isolation. It boggles my mind how these reviewers managed to give this game such polished scores. The game is technically sound, I certainly can't fault it there but the gameplay is archaic and any serious gamer looking for a fun challenge won't find it here. Only endless, ENDLESS hours of frustration. F--k this game.    … Expand
  5. JacklegJack
    Feb 9, 2015
    10
    It's been a long time since a game has instilled such a genuine sense of fear and trepidation in me, but playing through Alien Isolation provides those feelings in spades. Creative Assembly have done a phenomenal job recreating not just the sets and physical elements from the original Alien movie, but also the tense atmosphere and edge-of-your-seat thrill the whole way through. This isn'tIt's been a long time since a game has instilled such a genuine sense of fear and trepidation in me, but playing through Alien Isolation provides those feelings in spades. Creative Assembly have done a phenomenal job recreating not just the sets and physical elements from the original Alien movie, but also the tense atmosphere and edge-of-your-seat thrill the whole way through. This isn't a mindless first person shooter, you need to carefully plan every course of action and always have a Plan B and C prepared. CA has certainly put the "Intelligence" back into "Artificial Intelligence" as encounters with enemies will rarely turn out as straightforward or simple as you might've hoped going in.

    Alien Isolation will completely absorb you right from the start and with strategically placed save points scattered throughout the game you will truly learn to appreciate the value of survival. The visuals are stunning and the Alien is an unpredictable and terrifying monstrosity. My only qualm about the game? No free-roam mode. I would have loved to be able to go back and marvel at the beautifully detailed work that went into the environments. Unfortunately for me I was far too terrified to stand still for more than a moment to do any sight-seeing during the campaign.    … Expand
  6. dantesoo
    Feb 9, 2015
    9
    Great atmosphere
    Great experience
    Great visuals with many details
    Great sound effects.
    Greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat game !!
  7. JayLightBar
    Feb 9, 2015
    8
    The industry used to say horror wasn't a profitable genre....yeah, right. Anyways for the actual review. Alien Isolation is probably the best game I own on the ps4. The game looks great, runs well, all of course is important with it running as smooth as butter. The sound design is probably the best part, really bringing in the same cheesy sci-fi vibe that the original Alien did. I loveThe industry used to say horror wasn't a profitable genre....yeah, right. Anyways for the actual review. Alien Isolation is probably the best game I own on the ps4. The game looks great, runs well, all of course is important with it running as smooth as butter. The sound design is probably the best part, really bringing in the same cheesy sci-fi vibe that the original Alien did. I love this game to death, and the length for me anyways was just right. A lot of filler parts, but for me personally I loved all of it. Though the games ending is garbage, noticing that a lot with recent games, but other than that this game was completely worth every penny I dropped for it.… Expand
  8. Taggen86
    Feb 7, 2015
    10
    One of the best games for ps4 this far. The atmosphere is amazing and captures the film almost perfectly, The gameplay is awesome aswell and you really need to manage your resources on the higher difficulties. Do not listen to the people that tell you that the game is too long or too hard, the game is awesome! Currently on my second playthrough.
  9. Shynmas
    Feb 4, 2015
    9
    Wow... This game remembered me the exact reasons why I love SO much the Alien universe (probably the my favourite one all time)!

    At start, you could say that graphics are not that impressive.. then you quickly realise that this is exactly the same universe that you felt in love some 20y ago. The visuals of the PCs, the emergency alarms, the creepy but realistic sounds, the monumental    Wow... This game remembered me the exact reasons why I love SO much the Alien universe (probably the my favourite one all time)!

    At start, you could say that graphics are not that impressive.. then you quickly realise that this is exactly the same universe that you felt in love some 20y ago. The visuals of the PCs, the emergency alarms, the creepy but realistic sounds, the monumental structure floating in deep space that you are exploring... and of course this fantastic creature that has never been so well rendered.

    This is an epic game! The storyline captures all the best moments of Alien and Aliens. The atmosphere is great, the path-finding very good and the creature's reactions are so natural.

    My only wish is that I would have had to play more with all the toys... but as in many other games, I'm so much thrifty that I ended up the game without having really tested some in real case situation.    … Expand
  10. allanon04
    Feb 2, 2015
    4
    A new stealth game...! This time part of the Alien franchise. I could not wait to play :) The beginning was great - no ammo, I need to build everything, scattered and scarce resources - perfect! Then I saw the BAD "guy" - awesome. My hands were sweaty! So everything good up until this moment. Then I played at least 5 hours straights, and I died so many times and couldn't squat about it.A new stealth game...! This time part of the Alien franchise. I could not wait to play :) The beginning was great - no ammo, I need to build everything, scattered and scarce resources - perfect! Then I saw the BAD "guy" - awesome. My hands were sweaty! So everything good up until this moment. Then I played at least 5 hours straights, and I died so many times and couldn't squat about it. This actually destroyed the gaming experience completely! Bottom line - Alien Isolation is a poor implementation of a great concept!… Expand
  11. pjcritic
    Jan 31, 2015
    9
    Alien Isolation es un juego alucinante e imprescindible para los fans de la saga Alien. Recrea perfectamente los escenarios de las películas y genera la misma sensación de miedo y opresión de las películas, a lo que ayuda una magnifica banda sonora, y en esta ocasión eres tu el que dirige los pasos de Ripley decidiendo cuando esconderte, qué camino tomar y como afrontar cada situación. UnAlien Isolation es un juego alucinante e imprescindible para los fans de la saga Alien. Recrea perfectamente los escenarios de las películas y genera la misma sensación de miedo y opresión de las películas, a lo que ayuda una magnifica banda sonora, y en esta ocasión eres tu el que dirige los pasos de Ripley decidiendo cuando esconderte, qué camino tomar y como afrontar cada situación. Un juegazo.… Expand
  12. deaner
    Jan 30, 2015
    9
    Fantastic game. eerily quiet, then BAM alien in your face! Scares the hell out of you! Best played alone in the dark! Frustrating at times and then when you figure something out, its a sense of achievement. Worth the time for sure.9.5! May be too slow for the shoot-em-up gamers, but for those that don't have the quick trigger skills for those games this one is great. I loved the wholeFantastic game. eerily quiet, then BAM alien in your face! Scares the hell out of you! Best played alone in the dark! Frustrating at times and then when you figure something out, its a sense of achievement. Worth the time for sure.9.5! May be too slow for the shoot-em-up gamers, but for those that don't have the quick trigger skills for those games this one is great. I loved the whole concept, still not done it yet...… Expand
  13. johnbman11
    Jan 30, 2015
    10
    WOW. That's all I kept thinking as I played this game. I loved EVERYTHING about this game. The gameplay, mechanics, hiding, advanced AI system... ALL OF IT was seriously incredible.
  14. markelfo
    Jan 25, 2015
    10
    El mejor juego del 2014 !! Su nivel de detalle es enfermizo . Con unos buenos cascos puede llegar a ser peligroso para la salud de nuestro corazón !Un juego muy bueno.
  15. sejanus
    Jan 22, 2015
    10
    I like Ridley Scotts Alien and have been waiting for a great game adaptation to come along and now its here.yeah so first thing creative assembly did great was the design. They totally recreated the world from the movie and gave it a retro sci-fi feel makes the experience, authentic. Secondly, they managed to make the alien as frightening, and as menacing as it was the first time weI like Ridley Scotts Alien and have been waiting for a great game adaptation to come along and now its here.yeah so first thing creative assembly did great was the design. They totally recreated the world from the movie and gave it a retro sci-fi feel makes the experience, authentic. Secondly, they managed to make the alien as frightening, and as menacing as it was the first time we encountered it.Thirdly this is not a FPS shooting gallery, where you can plaster the air vents with acid blood. The alien is almost invincible and if it comes for you , you cant outrun it. Your only option is to hide which creates a lot of tension.One thing I didnt like was the cliche game objectives(get this keycard to open this door and restore power to this door) and the story is typical tie in canon. none of the characters except Amanda are very interesting. But all in all A great game for fans of the series.I hope they come back with a sequel and give Amanda a pulse rifle.… Expand
  16. swotam
    Jan 22, 2015
    9
    A great game for fans of the Horror Survival genre and an excellent offering for fans of the Alien universe. Creative Assembly have delivered a top notch game that is incredibly faithful to the look and feel of the original Alien film and right from the start you feel as if you have stepped into the world created by Ridley Scott in 1979.

    Despite some sites giving this game less than    A great game for fans of the Horror Survival genre and an excellent offering for fans of the Alien universe. Creative Assembly have delivered a top notch game that is incredibly faithful to the look and feel of the original Alien film and right from the start you feel as if you have stepped into the world created by Ridley Scott in 1979.

    Despite some sites giving this game less than stellar reviews (IGN), the game itself if solid and appealing. The Alien is merciless, relentless, and terrifying. Survival isn't just a matter of hiding in a closet until it goes away, it's a matter of situational awareness, response times, and threat management.

    Personally I loved the game and had no issues with the difficulty level (easily adjustable if things get too tough) or the length. The story was solid, the gameplay enjoyable, and the attention to detail was incredible.

    If you've been holding off on this because of a couple of misguided reviewers I'd suggest looking at the overwhelmingly positive reviews from actual players here and elsewhere. Very few who own the game dislike it, so odds are if you pick it up you'll like it too.    … Expand
  17. Darko84
    Jan 20, 2015
    8
    Alien: Isolation is with no doubt the best survival horror game available for next gen consoles as of today.
    However I must say this is not a game for everyone, it takes a lot of patience and planning.
    The atmosphere and graphics are amazing. The sensation to be in danger all time is just unique (it does not matter if it is humans, synthetics or the Alien). If you are a survival horror    Alien: Isolation is with no doubt the best survival horror game available for next gen consoles as of today.
    However I must say this is not a game for everyone, it takes a lot of patience and planning.
    The atmosphere and graphics are amazing. The sensation to be in danger all time is just unique (it does not matter if it is humans, synthetics or the Alien).
    If you are a survival horror fan, you must play this game.

    Positive things:
    + Next gen graphics.
    + Survival horror elements.
    + Crafting and saving system.
    + Alien design is terrific!

    Negative things:
    - It may became a little bit repetitive/predictable after the second half.
    - AI can be improved.    … Expand
  18. seitlen
    Jan 15, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is one of my personal favorite games of all time. However, many people will not like it, or even hate it. It is a stealth/strategy game with a huge emphasis on the stealth. To start off, it is not an FPS, you want a good Aliens shooter, sorry. Colonial Marines is the best one, sadly. This game requires a tremendous amount of wits and skill to outsmart your opponents (do not go in guns blazing). AI is unscripted to keep you on your toes and make the experience deadlier; this works well for the Alien, not the humans. Humans are also unscripted, which is cool, but their AI can be silly. They randomly patrol and do not notice you in plain sight. This is the only major con about the game. The others being the android only levels, and the ending... we'll get to that.

    The pros of the game:
    -voice acting of all people (and androids)
    -dynamic AI
    -cool death animations (do get old after a while)
    -recreates the 1979 atmosphere
    -Monotone androids are scary
    -chapter 10, 14
    -old school save system feels rewarding
    -Ripley is a very likeable character, and her foul language is funny, yet not out of place
    -better than CM (not saying much, but still a pro)

    SPOILER******

    The ending is terrible. No, not the video. The build up towards the end. It should have been the most difficult part, yet I get a quicktime event?

    Well, there's my short review. It was near perfect, as almost every game fails somehow (besides Half-Life 1)    … Expand
  19. archonome
    Jan 11, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first 1/3 of the game was epic and you were led to believe that there was better coming... then you realise it's just a repetitive game with no substance that was dragged on for way too long.

    The game can really be resumed into: Run to boiler room to push lever. Oh wait lever is broke so go Get booster pack first....now go back to boiler room...open door... oh wait, you cant go through yet, theres no electricity...go push another lever.... ON AND ON AND ON AND ON..... NON stop!!!

    The game got extremely tedious and disapointing, I even finished it trying to see maybe if the story could deliver... but THERE WAS NO ENDING!!!
    Were you expecting a conclusion with some talking? A single scene? ANYTHING??? Nope.... NOTHING happens AT ALL.

    The gameplay is a serious repetition of going to a room and pushing levers.... I'm not joking!! This gameplay was CHAINED repetitively.. there was absolutely NO deviation from it... As soon as you got to a Lever... the mission asked you to go push another lever.

    Huge disapointment for me as the first 30 minutes, you think the game's gonna be so epic.... After the first 2-3 hours... just stop playing, I swear you've seen everything the game has to offer... there's not even a story to entice you... you will be disapointed as there was no story at all.    … Expand
  20. Miuku
    Jan 8, 2015
    7
    You don't need to be an Alien fan to play this nice horror game, but if you're familiar with the first movie, then you will definitely notice how the developers have nailed the atmosphere of the first film. Dark hallways with blinking retro computers, and creepy rumble on air vents will keep you at your toes almost all the time.

    If you liked games like Amnesia or Outlast, you will be in    You don't need to be an Alien fan to play this nice horror game, but if you're familiar with the first movie, then you will definitely notice how the developers have nailed the atmosphere of the first film. Dark hallways with blinking retro computers, and creepy rumble on air vents will keep you at your toes almost all the time.

    If you liked games like Amnesia or Outlast, you will be in love with this one. But if you dislike sneaking in video games, then you should pass this one.

    Game has a lot of variety. You will be hiding from the Alien. Avoiding androids. Exploring the station. Gun fights with human hostiles. Solving small mini-game like puzzles. Crafting items & equipment, and the list goes on. Also the Alien AI is great!

    But why I didn't give this game a higher score, is because of the pacing of the game, when you've completed the first half. And the ending that you'll see after all the struggle, isn't that great. At the final missions you will face a lot of instant death-scenes, which you will only solve by trial and error, it doesn't feel like a challenge. And after the game, you wont unlock any bonuses or new game modes etc. There isn't that much replay variety.

    The common complaint about the game is that the save stations are too far and between, but i greatly disagree. There are plenty of save stations making sure, that when you die, you wont need to start all over again. If player misses these beeping stations, they can only blame themselves.

    Over all its a good horror game.    … Expand
  21. AnimeUnknown
    Dec 30, 2014
    10
    Wow. I am blown away. This is a piece of art not just entertainment. This game isn't for everyone, its not perfect and won't hand feed you fun... but it will leave you feeling completely satisfied. I haven't felt this way after finishing a game since Mass Effect 2. Sometimes I was swearing at the screen in frustration, other times I was marveling at the smallest details. This is not forWow. I am blown away. This is a piece of art not just entertainment. This game isn't for everyone, its not perfect and won't hand feed you fun... but it will leave you feeling completely satisfied. I haven't felt this way after finishing a game since Mass Effect 2. Sometimes I was swearing at the screen in frustration, other times I was marveling at the smallest details. This is not for every gamer, but if you value the small details then this will provide it in spades. It won't get game of the year as it doesn't spoon feed entertainment to the masses.... but this is a masterpiece just like the Alien and Aliens movies.

    Not perfect.... but I feel so satisfied it still deserves 10/10    … Expand
  22. ChaosBreakGamer
    Dec 22, 2014
    6
    Alien Isolation, a much anticipated title among all fans of the "Alien" and "Aliens" franchises. Taking a path reminiscent of survival horror games over 2013's disappointment "Aliens: Colonial Marines". The story is a very strong part of the game, following Allen Ripley's (Protagonist of all 'Aliens' movies) daughter, Amanda Ripley. Amanda has made it her life's mission to find out what,Alien Isolation, a much anticipated title among all fans of the "Alien" and "Aliens" franchises. Taking a path reminiscent of survival horror games over 2013's disappointment "Aliens: Colonial Marines". The story is a very strong part of the game, following Allen Ripley's (Protagonist of all 'Aliens' movies) daughter, Amanda Ripley. Amanda has made it her life's mission to find out what, really, happened to her mother during the events of the movies as she has gotten no word from or about her mother for 20 years. As she and her crew mates get a distress signal from a space station they rush to help as it is discovered that her mother's story may e intertwined with the distress signal from the station. When arriving you are separated from your crew, left to wonder aimlessly through the station's claustrophobic halls and breathtaking environments.

    The gameplay is solid and impressive, without many bugs to speak of and controls that keep you engaged through the entire story mode campaign (Approx. 13 hours). The atmosphere of the game is very clear and simplistic, yet, terrifying as you are always aware that the alien is - to some extent - always watching you. This causes you to never feel at ease (even in the air ventilation systems) as the alien has the ability to crawl into those as well, causing you to stay on your toes at all time. The game introduces another type of enemy, a 'Working Joe', which are androids who work for the station and attempt to 'assist' you on your journey; Unfortunately, as you soon find out, you have to sneak past them, causing them to consider you an 'enemy' and attempt to kill you on sight. The game also implements some clever mechanics when it comes to avoiding the alien: use the motion tracker when he is too close and he will hear you, when he is near the locker that you are hiding in you must lean back and hold your breath, and so much more. The atmosphere is also very tense and the art-style is very clear and unique, opting for the retro-futuristic view of the original movies; which in turn, only help in making the games that much more involving and enjoyable.

    The story mode is enough to pleasure all fans of the franchise, but that isn't nearly it. The developers have bothered to include some worth-while collectibles such as: ID Tags (Scattered around the stations with the faces of all of the developers on them) as well as, potentially, the most involving audio logs in any game I have ever played which has the original cast of the movies leaving behind audio logs for the distress team (you) to receive in due time.

    Some of the game's drawbacks, however, are sourced from the fact that you are facing off against malfunctioning androids as well as the alien (alongside the occasional humans) and sometimes deaths may feel cheap as supplies are scarce and may cause you to restart the game if you feel that you cold have resolved the situation more efficiently. The story also seems to focus a bit to much on the androids rather then the alien, whom the game is titled after, also, it seems as though the story drags on a bit and could have been a few hours shorter as the game is not only punishingly hard but also sequel baits in the end. I know many would argue that a survival horror game should, in fact, be very difficult and slow (The latter, I have no issues with) but the fact that the game seems to not reward you enough seems odd. I have also found many strange annoyances in the game, one of which was when i killed my first human, they had a fully functional hand-gun which (for some reason) I was unable to pick up (Neither the gun nor the ammunition) whereas a few minutes later i got the same gun, which used the same ammunition. which although being a minor annoyance, was seemingly very odd as you would assume that Amanda wishes to survive and therefore pick up the weapon.

    Overall I consider this game to be entertaining and very clever in execution as it is very clear that a lot of time and effort being put into it. However the drawbacks of the game seem to, for me personally, bring the game down a bit and harm its final verdict which was meticulously calculated to convey my feelings towards the game.

    Before anyone outrages at me for only giving the 'Masterpiece of a game" a mere 6, please consider the following, 5 is an average game which means that a 6 (At least by my standards) is a game that is slightly above average as I have annotated all that i consider good and bad with the game.    … Expand
  23. elMorseman
    Dec 21, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first thing that grabs you is the presentation and attention to detail, then the atmosphere and pants soiling intensity of the sound design really puts you into the game, the first few hours had me impressed and gleefully terrified, this only ramped up when Sevastopol's guest made an appearance. Overall, Alien:Isolation is a stellar survival sci-fi game with an excellent not over the top smattering of horror. Tension is the name of the game and its delivered in spades.
    There were a couple of sequences which degenerated into shooter territory that had me worried if not annoyed until I figured out how to use stealth to my advantage, the game gives you more than a few options in that regard.
    Many complain the game was too long but that's not strictly true unless you burn out on it by playing too long a session. The Xenomorph is a true delight, unpredictable, deadly and bloody clever at higher difficulties. The other foes you face range from creepy to occasionally annoying, but it depends on your approach. This is a game for patient, slow and careful play, you CANNOT blaze through this game unless you intend to die a hell of a lot.

    My only criticism was that in some instances I would have liked to spend a little more time with the supporting cast.Amanda is a great protagonist to play and I really connected with her felt for her plight, but I feel we could havhad some more development in other characters too, instead there is s tantalising glimpse of them but maybe that was by design.

    Bugs were mostly in the cutscenes initially but this has since been rectified and wasn't quite as intrusive as presented as the cutscenes generally didn't happen that often and the majority of the story is nicely told during gameplay, I only encountered one crash through 2 playthroughs.

    For fans of Survival horror, the Alien franchise, science fiction done right and great atmosphere, Alien: Isolation is my Game of the Year and an exceptional entry in the Alien Saga.    … Expand
  24. STEPHpunisher
    Dec 18, 2014
    9
    A sci fi-horror game faithful to its movie counterpart, dripping with creepy atmosphere, constant suspense, and retro-futuristic scenery. This game has all the chest pounding (and bursting) that you could possibly endure. The tension I experienced while playing it for the first time, tiptoeing around and hearing my friend shout "look out!," could never be recreated. Cowering in a locker,A sci fi-horror game faithful to its movie counterpart, dripping with creepy atmosphere, constant suspense, and retro-futuristic scenery. This game has all the chest pounding (and bursting) that you could possibly endure. The tension I experienced while playing it for the first time, tiptoeing around and hearing my friend shout "look out!," could never be recreated. Cowering in a locker, climbing into a vent, hearing a save station beep when you're defenseless and you can hear the hiss of the Alien-- these are memories I will never forget. If played on a normal or hard difficulty, Alien: Isolation has the feeling of an old-school game: it doesn't hold your hand, the enemy is truly powerful, and the only way to survive is through quick thinking and luck.

    Also, the Xenomorph AI is actually incredible. The Alien will learn your typical mode of escape -- and adapt. A perfect organism indeed.    … Expand
  25. 670Gamer
    Dec 15, 2014
    8
    Love hide and seek when you were a kid? I loved it and still play it with my son. This game is well done. The action is not much, but the stealth and suspense/horror I believe makes up for it. Enjoy this and the Evil Within as much as you can cause we probably won't play good horror games like this for a while.
  26. fijiboy
    Dec 8, 2014
    8
    alien isolation is a very unique experience and I think that's the best word to use to describe this game, an experience. one of the most immersive games I have ever played, and is genuinely frightening at least for the first half of the game, and then often the challenge of the game over takes the horror sometimes, which is ok because I enjoyed the challenge, but unfortunately there isalien isolation is a very unique experience and I think that's the best word to use to describe this game, an experience. one of the most immersive games I have ever played, and is genuinely frightening at least for the first half of the game, and then often the challenge of the game over takes the horror sometimes, which is ok because I enjoyed the challenge, but unfortunately there is not enough variation to hold the frightening tension through this surprisingly long game. the thing that this game does best though is that it truly recreates the atmosphere and setting of the first alien movie to perfection. the AI of the alien has been fine tuned to near perfection, but the humans in the game frustrated me a little bit. in the game tips are given during loading screens stating that some people on the ship will leave you alone if you back off, but never have I had a person not try to kill me after they have seen even when I tried walking away from them, so I feel that the people could have had a bit more work done on them. the ending of the game wasn't anything special infact it was a little underwhelming considering how grand and climatic the game had been so far. the characters are pretty well lifeless except for your character Amanda ripley, who ever did her voice acting did a really good job in my opinion, because I felt I was really able to empathize with her fear and other emotions. there is a lot to say about this game but in the end I found that this game is definitely worth playing especially if you are a fan of the alien franchise.… Expand
  27. angryw0mb4t
    Dec 4, 2014
    5
    Very fun and thrilling for the first hour or so... then quickly devolves into a repetitive stealth game. The good: Fantastic atmosphere, the sounds and design really feel like the original alien movie, the first hour or so of the game has the all-alone and claustrophobic feel of the movie. The bad: once you actually get past the awesome intro and into the meat of the game it's frustrating,Very fun and thrilling for the first hour or so... then quickly devolves into a repetitive stealth game. The good: Fantastic atmosphere, the sounds and design really feel like the original alien movie, the first hour or so of the game has the all-alone and claustrophobic feel of the movie. The bad: once you actually get past the awesome intro and into the meat of the game it's frustrating, there's so much potential, but no story, poorly designed AI (humans repeat what they are saying about every 30 seconds when you are hiding) and nothing that really motivates me to keep playing.… Expand
  28. OutDorJustice80
    Dec 2, 2014
    9
    First off please disregard the first day reviews if you have any sense of intelligence. The game is well presented in many ways. The atmosphere, sound, intuitive AI just to name a few. In my opinion this is a must buy for an Alien fan or a fan of adventure, horror and sneaking around. I applaud the devs for making a truly amazing IP.
  29. Turbodowg
    Nov 28, 2014
    9
    Real Alien fans rejoice! We finally have a game that is worthy of the Alien name. This is one hell of a scary game. The graphics are stunning, the sound is perfect and the mechanics work beautifully. The story line works well and the characters are memorable. Everything has that retro Alien feel from the old school computer screens to the swipe card save points. Alien is tense and usingReal Alien fans rejoice! We finally have a game that is worthy of the Alien name. This is one hell of a scary game. The graphics are stunning, the sound is perfect and the mechanics work beautifully. The story line works well and the characters are memorable. Everything has that retro Alien feel from the old school computer screens to the swipe card save points. Alien is tense and using skill and intelligence to outwit the alien and other 'life forms' on the ship makes for some real heart-out-of-your-chest moments.

    The level design is imaginative and the game looks so authentic. It feels like the original Alien movie. And the Alien! Oh the Alien! You will **** it every time you come across the super tough super intelligent creature.

    This is survival horror at its greatest. Buy it now!

    The DLC is also great as it has the original cast and allows you to play through missions from the film. All look realistic and make you feel like you are in the movie.    … Expand
  30. cstrang
    Nov 27, 2014
    5
    Alien: Isolation is a bleakly beautiful game that makes the player feel like prey. It does a great job of presenting a strong survival horror atmosphere by making the player feel constantly under-equipped, overwhelmed, and sometimes out numbered. And, to the game's credit, there are transcendent moments of heart-pounding tension and relief. However, that tension quickly turns to tedium andAlien: Isolation is a bleakly beautiful game that makes the player feel like prey. It does a great job of presenting a strong survival horror atmosphere by making the player feel constantly under-equipped, overwhelmed, and sometimes out numbered. And, to the game's credit, there are transcendent moments of heart-pounding tension and relief. However, that tension quickly turns to tedium and frustration. The name of the game here is stealth, but there are no mechanics here to help. The first time you get grabbed by your stalker, the xenomorph, it's startling. Maybe even the second and third. By the fourth or fifth, it'll become annoying. It would seem that the perfect hunting machine is a little too perfect, seemingly having ESP or a Lojack chip implanted in your character, so it can sniff you out no matter where you are, how little your moving, or how quiet you're being. Couple this with a ridiculous and archaic checkpointing system, this game is not for those with less-than-saintly patience. The story is flat and degrades to Ripley running errands for her worthless comrades, and the game runs far, far, far too long, probably clocking somewhere between 15 and 20 hours for first-time completion. I'm sure fans of the Alien series will be satisfied if they're willing to put up with the rough patches but for the gamers with no investment in the series to this point, it'll probably be a hard sell to finish.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best PS4 Game of 2014
14
#14 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
12
#12 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 50
  3. Negative: 1 out of 50
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 16, 2014
    80
    A beautiful game that captures the essence of Alien and even expands its fiction. There are some cracks under the polish, but it gets more right than it gets wrong. [Dec 2014, p.91]
  2. DarkStation
    Nov 8, 2014
    90
    Alien: Isolation represents a strong return to form for an ailing franchise.
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  3. Edge Magazine
    Nov 5, 2014
    80
    Unlike the creature at its centre, Isolation isn't structurally perfect, but it is brilliantly hostile in a way that's likely to shock many players. [Dec 2014, p.102]
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