I've been reading quite a bit of negative feelings regarding the design of the Alien, with a smattering of praise for it. I have to wonder though, if the unpleasantness felt at the design is due to the fact that up till now no medium has gone back to the origins as it is, using Giger's design, or if the past dismay at games which only built on the Aliens version and the downward spiral of B-grade films and games using the 'chisel chin, reversed joint' design has triggered a negative reflex.
Personally, I think I can understand the concept why the design down the years have slipped further and further away from the Giger original. It might be to distance the product (the alien) from the idea that it is a sexualized predator, a topic that causes discomfort even in the most liberal minded homes. Indeed, that might be the original 'scare factor' that Giger's design provided, but that factor can come in different forms, and the business needs of selling the product is what moves the factor away from the lewd sense, instead making it more reptilian and beast like. Making the beast 3 meters tall brings back the childhood fear of things that are bigger, taller, stronger and teethier than you. They are trying to get you to feel like you are being chased by the boogie man again.
One thing I would like to address to those who mentioned that CA isn't putting their money where their mouth is regarding the Alien design and how its said to be 'going back to the origins', I just want to point out that in the articles I read, they mentioned that what they did was to reapproach the design of the environment and the alien, trying to follow how the original designers and artists conceptualized it back in the 70s. This means that they tried to follow the thinking process of how those of yore came up with the design. That is
not meant to be taken as that they are going to be using the original design in full, but rather that they were trying to come up with their own design while attempting to think the way they do back then, but obviously the sensibilities of the current times would dye that process. The subjects that are considered taboo in today's society weren't as strongly frowned upon back then.
That said, I welcome any discussion on the design of the Alien, what works, what doesn't, and "how the heck can a 3 meter creature squeeze into a 1.5 meter airduct?" type of ponderings.