Alien: Isolation

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

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

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

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

11 out of 10. That game is just amazing. One of the best video game experience I ever had. But it's not just the amazing game, but it is one of the best thrilling blockbusters in comparison with top Hollywood movies. It's an absolute must have for every gamer, Alien franchise fan and horror/thriller games/movies fan. I'm really looking forward for the sequel.

After many games that ranged from horrible to decent, Alien fans have finally gotten the game they deserve. Alien Isolation is an excellent survival horror game that nails the atmosphere, mood, and paranoia from being on a derelict ship like the first alien.

The gameplay is great. Moving around feels natural and using items and weapons is nice and efficient. You get a wide variety of tools and weapons to help you survive, and they all can be useful rather than some being completely useless, and you can use great strategies with these items. The graphics and sounds are great too.

The survival element is the strongest. The game nails the mood and atmosphere and really makes you feel like your on that ship, especially when the Alien is around. The Alien has an amazing AI and is completely unpredictable. So you always have to be on your toes when it's around. There are also androids (which are pretty creepy) and paranoid survivors you have to deal with and while you have weapons to defend yourself, gunfire attracts the alien, so you have to be careful.

The only negative part about the game is that the later parts have many false endings and involve a lot of backtracking, which can get tiring for some. The game could have easily been 2 hours shorter, but overall, Alien Isolation is a great game and something Alien fans will love. highly recommend it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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