So, now we have topics about what's good in Resurrection, AVPR, The Predator and ACM. I think it's time to turn things on their heads a little and actually start to talk about what things considered as masterpieces by majority actually did wrong. I think it will be good to begin with Isolation.
So what the problem?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7g9TZwfbPI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7g9TZwfbPI)
I mean particularly 0:26 - 0:32. I think final product really lacks episodes like this. Isolation is definetly full of tension. But horror? Don't know. You can see Alien fully, in bright light, you have clear audio clues of it movements and motion tracker. There's really not much (if any) bits where you totally don't know where Stompy is right now (and that is what make Alien SO scary, isn't it?). Also if Stompy sees you he screams, attacks and kills you straight away like mindless beast. I would love to see Alien actually playing with player as psychopatic serial killer playing with his victim, so you never know whether Alien aware of your presence or not. I think, it would make death moments more sudden and powerful.
And there really not much playing with darkness. I mean, in trailer you see the situation when player forced to use flashlight to navigate in the darkness but the flashlight is the thing that rise Alien attention to you. I would prefer if game would show player only small glimpses of Alien hiding in the dark right till moment of it killing the player.
I understand that developers probably didn' t make these decisions just to avoid massive waves of heart attacks but...
So that's the issue i have with Isolation. Do you have any?
No
Come on people. Change your minds for second :)
I adore the game. I play it often and I think the game is one of the best additions to the franchise in recent years.
Though, not perfect. In-game human facial animations and lip sync are horrible at times. I really wish that was done better.
Not too fond of the pig squeal the alien makes when he starts running. And to not have the option to soften Stompy's stomp is bad. It's too loud sometimes IMO.
I would've loved to have the option to calibrate his senses. He does seem completely blind sometimes and it breaks the immersion for me. I should not be able to hide when his head is turned towards me and should see/smell me. Stompy shouldn't act like the Rex from Jurassic Park, with piss poor vision.
And having two aliens show up was great. I love that in the salvage mode especially because we spend more time with them than in the campaign. On higher difficulties we should have the option for more time with them, or even more of them. Imagine having the option to face off of three aliens. Though that's really getting nitpicky...
Having said that, those things are so minor (yet still noticeable) compared to the rest of the things I appreciate that was done. That's all the problems I can think of.
That's better.
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AllEcstaticBichonfrise-max-1mb.gif)
It has one glaring flaw near the end.
Spoiler
It ends. Seriously, it's flawless to me.
I never liked the idea of Ripley's daughter or other family members fighting aliens, also having it set between ALIEN and ALIENS. But due to how good it was as a game I dealt with it.
Good idea this topic !
Of course the game is not perfect and like Samhain13, I don't like the fact that it's about Ripley's daughter. Okay Amanda can be here, it's explain and it's logical. But why she became a survivor just like her mother ? Coincidence is almost ridiculous.
After have doing the game about thirty times, I'm agree that it's not so terrifying. We can lean every tips and now the Xeno does not see me anymore.
Overall it's a really good game but like A:CM he has its defects.
Too long, too padded, feels like a door simulator at times, the silly little elementary computer puzzles, androids become annoying and a chore after a while, alien sounds like a dinosaur and stomps loudly around (wrong sound effects used).
The length and the original/default version's Director A.I.
The Alien always is noisy.
If the player is unaware of the Alien films or is unattached regarding Ellen Ripley-
The characteristation of the protagonist is shallow.
Near perfect though.
Quote from: The Old One on Mar 25, 2019, 09:56:44 PM
The length and the original/default version's Director A.I.
The Alien always is noisy.
If the player is unaware of the Alien films or is unattached regarding Ellen Ripley-
The characteristation of the protagonist is shallow.
Near perfect though.
The length and the crappy cliffhanger ending were my biggest complaints. I think if it had been maybe cut down by 4 or 5 hours it would have felt a little better paced.
The DLC while adding some extra play time, felt very shallow. I think I would have preferred that the effort that went into those were allocated to a separate story based DLC.
I really enjoyed all of the DLCs but I do agree that if we had more story instead of them, it might've been even better. More separate story pieces is definitely something I wouldn't say no to.
- The alien's sounds don't match the movie-authenticity of everything else in the game. It never roars and snarls like that in the film, the game's sound design makes it seem too animalistic. In the movie you often hear a weird hissing and gurgling when the alien is close, which is a key part of why it's so weird. When it does vocalise, it's an unnaturally high-pitched shriek... again, amplifying the weird factor. I wish we'd had that in the game instead, maybe with the occasional Aliens-style hiss when it hears a potential target. And to give an audio signal to the alien's movement, maybe it would have been better to use the harsh scraping of its tail dragging over metal, rather than the more Jurassic Park-esque stomping.
Generally the sound in Isolation is amazing, but the alien itself left room for improvement IMO.
- There's a weird balance of power in the game, with the flamethrower being too effective, but the player being excessively vulnerable before acquiring it. This means that the difficulty curve is effectively backwards in Isolation.
One way of tackling this would be to make it easier to escape from the alien after it's detected you. Make the alien move more slowly (as it does in the film!), make more of the doors sealable - this way you can find somewhere to hide before it finds another route into the room. When you have a flamethrower, make the alien more aggressive and faster moving, as it sees you as a genuine threat rather than something to toy with. Currently, wielding the flamethrower makes it cautious, which only compounds your advantage in the second half of the game.
- Extend the alien's 'leash', allowing it to roam further away from the player, but improve its hearing so the leash shortens if it detects you shuffling around. The leash feels a bit cheaty IMO - the game plays better when you mod it away, but ideally we still need SOME mechanism to keep the alien on your tail.
- Aesthetically, I'd rather the alien was darker-coloured and a lot wetter. Keep its lips sealed until it's game time. And the movement, again, feels a bit too animalistic in the game. I'd rather it moved upright, stiffly and slowly with weird arm movements, like it does in the film. That all-important weird factor.
- The kill sequences leave a bit of room for improvement too. The only time the game looks less than amazing is when the alien's right up in your face, because the mouthparts need more detail when you see them so close. Aside from adding more detail, I'd also bring the alien's head even closer to the camera, filling your view and making it look massive.
I'd also like some Dallas-style kill sequences when you're caught from behind - quickly whip the camera round and catch a momentary glimpse of the alien before the screen abruptly cuts with a high-pitched noise. Adding a jumpscare to the death sequence seems like a good way of further increasing the player's fear of dying.
- Last thing, I disagree with the initial post, regarding the jumpscare in 0.26-0.32 of the trailer. What makes Isolation great is that it doesn't rely on scripted jumpscares to generate fear, they're not effective for replay value. I've now played through Isolation several times, and a lot of that is because it relies on adaptive AI rather than scripted scares.
These are all nitpitcks though. It's easily my favourite game of the last few years, an immense achievement by everyone involved.
Agreed Vertigo.
I think it also will be good to say that admiting flaws of something not necessarily automaticaly turn it into "bad". It still can be a masterpiece
Quote from: Kradan on Mar 31, 2019, 12:52:39 AM
I think it also will be good to say that admiting flaws of something not necessarily automaticaly turn it into "bad". It still can be a masterpiece
Definitely. I'm pretty hard on most Alien/s games but I still love them all.
Isolation is still fantastic.
Being not only Alien fan but also WH40K I must say: This thread is a heresy!
But on the serious note: Every game has its flaws but for me Isolation is a masterpiece and one of the best and most important games in my 33 years of life. Right next to UFO Defence, Master of Orion 2 and WH40k Dawn of War.
The Alien might be more sneaky though and rewiring more useful.
The game has several flaws, i cannot remember all them well, but:
-The story was mediocre and anti climatic, it starts pretty good and engaging, then it goes nowhere.
-The game is too long, it drags and is not justified by anything within the game to be like that, at the end you just wanna get over it.
-The AI of the Alien is broken, i get what they were going for, making it as relentless as in the movies, but they forgot to make it fair:
For it to be realistic, the Alien should be hunting everyone at the station, not just your character.
It is constantly above you and always gets you and knows where you are, it makes zero sense, it would have been harder and more suspensful if it was extremely smart and aggresive but not omnipotent, that turns the Alien from a threat to an annoyance really fast.
Anyway, the game is good, is decent, but with some tweaks it could have been great.
I'm currently on my second play through. ...this time on Playstation 4 (yes, i have purchased it twice now and 'new' each time, rather than used)..having previously completed it on Playstation 3.
Now I know what to expect vs all the hype which i went into my original play through with, i am more forgiving of the game than i was originally, but it's still very reminiscent of my experience with The Thing game on the original Xbox, which i so wanted to love.
Whilst i cannot fault the ambition, the actual play mechanics sadly fall way short for my liking, far too often.
With The Thing..It was the trust mechanic..great in principle, weak in practice...
With Alien Isolation. .it's the Alien A.I for starters that let's the game down and to be fair, i had the same with titles like:Soma, Evil Within and Outlast, so I'm not singling Isolation out.
It's just too scripted to live up to expectations built by the hype...
I have no idea if using a Playstation camera and having the microphone pick up noises in your room effects it, but under normal conditions, i have had the Xeno and human characters, literally walk straight past me at point blank range...then in other areas have an almost 6th sense and know exactly where i am, even in full stealth mode.
Turning systems like air purification. .alarm systems on as a means of drawing attention away from me, never seemed to work and thus became pointless.
I have actually flat out ran to next checkpoint, knowing game would consider me safe and anything. ...human..Xenomorph or Synthetic pursuing me, would simply abandon the chase.
It's still an area in games that needs working on, to be far more believable for myself.
Other minor gripes...bodies occasionally dissappear as soon as i took them out..so couldn't be searched and I hate QTE's in modern games..
I'm a gamer from the 1980's and thought i had seen button prompts dissappear during the Sega Mega CD era of Laser Disc conversions. ..
The A.I isn't scripted, whatsoever.
It's directed.
Ok so it's directed, but it has not made for a playing experience anything radically different to the other games from these generation i listed earlier...Soma, Evil Within and Outlast.
The same principle of ensuring the player will always be safe if they reach a checkpoint in time, has fundamental flaws.
On my PS3 play through , the game had an internal conflict with itself. .having originally triggered the player death sequence, it then decided i was safe and ended the death sequence and let me progress.
Even the video you kindly put up, admits the A.I is still "fake"..the Alien does not evolve or learn as the game progresses, skills are just unlocked the further into the game you reach.
It was also curious to hear the narrator saying the Alien is trigger by noises like:Gunshots. .The Motion Tracker and the players footsteps.
Nothing said about the environmental systems, which do appear to make the rewiring subgame elements obsolete. .if it's not going to be drawn to a new event in the environment or you can't use an alarm klaxon to mask the sound of your own movement, seems pointless to have the ability to turn systems on/off other than to juggle power resources.
At least the designers are honest enough to admit it they have to have the Xenomorph effictively "teleport" twice during the game.
I'm still of the belief whilst the A.I in Isolation has been treated with far more respect than countless Alien games before it (Alien Trilogy, Aliens:C.M, AVP 2 PC..Rebellion's last AVP game...) we still have a way to go before we reach the level where it can induce a feeling of utter horror as the player realises it's facing a creature that is adapting to both the environment it finds itself in and the tactics the player uses and our reliance on technology won't be enough to save us this time.
It was the pre-release hype about the games A.I that meant i will always have an issue with it.
When Creative Assembly folk were giving out quotes to the press like:
"THE ALIEN IS SYSTEMIC ACROSS THE BOARD. WE CAN JUST DROP THE ALIEN INTO AN AREA AND SEE HOW IT BEHAVES. IT KNOWS WHEN IT SEES SOMETHING AND IT KNOWS WHEN IT JUST SUSPECTS SOMETHING... OBVIOUSLY, WE BOOKEND CERTAIN AREAS TO GIVE YOU AN OBJECTIVE, BUT MOST OF THE TIME THE ALIEN IS IN THE WORLD AND IT'S HUNTING YOU. YOU'LL ACQUIRE SOME ABILITIES YOU CAN USE TO DEFEND YOURSELF FOR A WHILE, BUT THEN SUDDENLY THE ALIEN STOPS ATTACKING YOU. IT STOPS DOING WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO DO. YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS ALIEN AND SOMETHING'S CHANGED. IT LEARNS."
Only to now admit it doesn't actually learn at at, it just has further skill sets unlocked to keep the player cautious the deeper into the game they go...it jars a little.
ThE above quote was followed by:
"YES, IT'S A PIECE OF AI AND IT HAS PARAMETERS WE CAN TUNE, BUT THE ALIEN'S NETWORK OF BEHAVIOURS IS SO INSANELY COMPLICATED, THE THING IS ALMOST SENTIENT. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, WHERE WE KNOW WHAT ITS PARAMETERS AND BEHAVIOURS ARE AT A GLANCE, AND IT BEING SO SENTIENT WE HAVE TO DIG INTO THE CODE JUST TO FIND OUT WHY AND HOW IT DID WHAT IT DID DURING OUR PLAYTESTS."
Again, a bold statement, almost sentient, when they've later admitted it's not really anything close, it's very advanced compared to other titles and has been built around tried and tested A.I routines..
It just felt oversold to myself.
Creative Assembly should be proud of what they've achieved, but a little restraint when talking to the press would of been helpful.
For myself, as soon as the feeling of total immersion is shattered, a game has lost so much of what it had painstakingly built up to that moment.
A QTE sequence alone is a real killer...nothing like a big button prompt icon to remind you your very much at the mercy of a development team..
But with directed A.I , i had set my hopes beyond normal Aliens games.
A prime example is when the medial bay evacuation has been triggered...a lot of environmental chaos going on..lights flashing, klaxons sounded, ideal conditions to mask my actions as the evacuation message, alarm blaring etc would drown out my footsteps, sound of motion tracker etc. .
Yet the game decides it'll have the Alien perched in 1 set area..an overhead vent and give the player a very clear visual clue...Slime dripping from said vent...as long as i don't trigger the proximity trip but straying too close to the vent, i am in the clear..
There's no sense of fear the Alien will grow impatient or curious (hate to say bored) and decide to drop down and investigate the area...It's waiting to be triggered.
#Disclaimer:I assume this is the same on the higher difficulty levels?
If the game mixed it up somewhat by added a random element to this stage and had the Alien dropping down to investigate why a previously calm environment had suddenly gone to sh#t. ..something trigger that off..It must still be near by and Alien wanted to find it, before it moved on, I'd feel a greater sense of urgency.
No, the higher the difficulty- the higher the aggression of the Alien. 'Hard" is ideal.
Additional information:
The Alien does learn dynamically, it learns against investigating flares etcetera.
Depending upon the player's item utilisation.
And I recommend;
Unpredictable Alien
https://www.moddb.com/mods/unpredictable-alien-mod/downloads/unpredictable-alien
Realistic Weapon
https://tinyurl.com/Realistic-Weapon
No Lensflare
https://tinyurl.com/No-Lensflare
Arcade Cabinet
https://tinyurl.com/Arcade-Cabinet
Exit Option
https://tinyurl.com/Exit-Option
I'd be interested to see what Creative Assembly could do with a sequel on PlayStation 5,but once again Sony seem to be putting emphasis on visual improvements over existing hardware.
Talk of Ray Tracing and 8K support, more power for advanced A.I just does not seem to be sent for marketing, sadly :'(
Noticed another inconsistency with the game.
The description for the Molotov points out Synthetics are very resistant to fire, yet after the scripted explosion at Lorenz Systech Spire..the game has a Working Joe on fire collapse before even the skin and clothing has burnt away..
Nothing major..just a curio.
Another instance of the game conflicting with itself just occurred..
So, i enter Lorenz Systech Lobby,only to be spotted by a human-Woman, baseball cap, ponytail, packing a shotgun, she shouts that she's seen me and i need to be more careful with my flashlight...
Said flashlight was OFF..
Hmnnn..
So i retreat, re-enter, throw a Mk II noise maker, which draws. Attention of not only her, but her 2 Revolver packing male companions and the Alien.
She legs it,her male friends open fire on the Alien and i swear there's green,acidic blood spurts from the Alien,where bullets impact..yet from early stages of the game, your told via the dialogue you overhear from survivors, it's bullet proof...
So the slugs should just mushroom on impact and be incapable of penetrating the Aliens hide as it were.
It's the little things that are starting to become more noticeable, further in i get.
When I first saw the Alien I thought it was damn near perfect. If they were to have better movie tech in those days of the first Alien, I'd always imagined this being what it'd look like.
However the more I saw it the more something bugged me, as if it was missing a detail. Finally realizing it's mouth has no lips nor cheeks like the original. Always in a constant rictus which is unfortunate because seeing it slowly pull back it's lips and opening it's mouth to reveal the inner jaw has always been a staple to the creature.
Oh, i used to watch these videos so much. Memories, good ones.
Biggest flaw is that it's probably the most faithful recreation of both the environments and the creature itself, but in a comparatively hard to access medium compared to say, a more passive film experience.
Quote from: Kradan on Apr 24, 2019, 11:31:25 PM
Oh, i used to watch these videos so much. Memories, good ones.
They feel like ASMR to me.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Apr 25, 2019, 08:54:17 AM
Biggest flaw is that it's probably the most faithful recreation of both the environments and the creature itself, but in a comparatively hard to access medium compared to say, a more passive film experience.
What's worse is that some gamers won't even care.
As soon as i started mission 13..The sense of regret buying this again kicked straight in and there's no way i am going to complete it a second time around.
From here on in, it descends into an utter slog fest and i grew bored sh#tless of trudging here..activating this...use of security tuner was overplayed..as was ion torch and despatching Working Joe after Working Joe was a bore.
Get through all that and game wants to strech itself out even further so it has you backtracking to escape the station..oh no..the generator you passed 5 mins ago just failed. .best backtrack and restart it..then trudge all the way back.
All these sections do is show the games flaws up..
Can't out run the Alien game tells you..yet you can do just that...run and reach an elevator in time with Alien hot on your heels? Game decides your safe...
Alien is afraid of fire is it? Seemingly not as it was happy to run past a Working Joe which was on fire and in process of strangling me, to trigger the Alien kill sequence itself. .
Plus..it's happy as Larry to constantly appear and patrol areas of the station which are on fire..
Yeah, the ending is extraneous.
Yes, the elevator (loading screen) is safe.
Of course it is.
As for fire, it's basically down to Player utilisation.
Use it often enough and there comes a point when it realises fire can't kill the Alien, only hurt it.
For me, the man problem originally was that I installed it on xbox 360, which caused it to freeze during most loading screens which was a highly painful experience, once I unistalled it and kept playing, it worked and it worked well.
Otherwise, there is lots of lag when hitting working joes, otherwise, all's good.
Too long. Too many Working Joe encounters later. I know it's one of my favorite games ever, but I could never play all the way through again
This game has checkpoints? I don't remember that.
The only flaw I ever honestly noticed was when I would watch it attack somebody. It would get right up on them and then the animation would skip forward so it could load the character physically interacting with the monster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9OH0h6v8no (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9OH0h6v8no)
I have always been bothered by aspects of Isolation's gameplay design and story. For one I think there is a lack of interactivity in the environment that hurts some of the immersion. You look at a horror game like Amnesia or Soma, you can pick up individual items and observe every inch of them. You can manipulate the physics of the environment to complete tasks or deter the monster. With Isolation everything feels pinned down, and the game limits what you can perform. You can't pick up any weapons except in scripted locations, and you cannot jump over objects. As a result the game also feels clunky and slow.
The design of the vents also stuck out on repeated play throughs. They often felt like random connecting hallways between rooms that didn't exist for a practical reason, instead of their own vast network that could have acted like another sub level to the map.
I thought the creature itself was excellent, and I only ever became aware of the rubber-banding occasionally, although the loud footsteps did remove some of the stealthy mystique of the original monster. However, there are mods out there that fix both of these issues, so it's not a huge negative.
The story was the weakest aspect of the game for me, although it had an intriguing setup with finding the Nostromo black box and investigating its disappearance. However, I think the plot would have been more novel if the initial infestation was a result of the original "Big Chap" Alien from the first film making its way on board Sevastopol, and not just the result of people going down again to the Derelict. And if Amanda hadn't been related to Ripley at all.
Quote from: Jonesome on Jun 23, 2019, 08:29:42 AM
...I think the plot would have been more novel if the initial infestation was a result of the original "Big Chap" Alien from the first film making its way on board Sevastopol,..
Yeah, i think that would be cool indeed 'cause Big Chap is still floating somewhere in vacuum.
Novel, but ridiculous.
The Amanda connection works in story so it doesn't bother me. Someone in the company was being nice for once. Her mother went missing. Easy connection.
I think it fits nearly. I scoffed.at the idea when the game was announced. The implementation was fine.
Agreed.
Since this is a flaws thread... I understand why Stompy is so stompy, but they should've given us an option, a slider for how loud or silent his footsteps are. I will never get over that. :laugh: And it's not bad, but out of all the alien noises we've heard, in game or movie, the pig sounding scream the Alien makes when he charges you is definitely not my favorite.
And the obvious ingame facial animations and lip sync were just bad for 2014. We don't have a lot of time close to other characters in the game and the dark lighting does help, so I understand why they didn't want to focus their resources there, but when you do see those faces, it is hilarious sometimes.
Yeah, it's unfortunate about the cutscenes, rendered @ 30FPS, undeniably not a good decision.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Jul 20, 2019, 10:45:33 AM
And the obvious ingame facial animations and lip sync were just bad for 2014. We don't have a lot of time close to other characters in the game and the dark lighting does help, so I understand why they didn't want to focus their resources there, but when you do see those faces, it is hilarious sometimes.
Were any of these issues fixed for that
Isolation web series?
Unbelievably, no.
The cutscenes are gold in comparison to the gameplay faces, tragic is the soul of the person who looks upon those dead eyes. Extreme doses of Botox must be popular in the future.
I prefer the gameplay face animation, purely because it isn't as upfront.
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 20, 2019, 02:58:06 PM
Unbelievably, no.
If anything the web series was worse...
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 20, 2019, 08:30:51 PM
I prefer the gameplay face animation, purely because it isn't as upfront.
You're right there, in such instances I can turn away and pretend the speaker is actually emoting with that poor poor face.
And it's reminiscent of older games,
so I don't care as much- but the rendered video cutscene framerate? No excuse.
And they could fix all of that, if only they had a chance to make a sequel...
It's not really a flaw per se but not being able to jump in Isolation always bother me a bit
Honestly, living in that world... No, Creative Assembly knocked it out of the park.
I can't agree with the notion that "it being Amanda" somehow makes it bad. If it had been done poorly, then yes, but it wasn't Amanda's involvement not only in the story is justified from the character side of things, but also from a story side. It's logical, it's justified, and for me, wanting to know what happened to her mother was more than enough motivation for the character. The Alien films have always had a subtext of maternity.
My gripes though relate to Stompy. They nailed Stompy almost perfectly. Almost. I hate the extra jointed legs, and wish it had been a perfect 1:1 translation of the Giger design. I also wish they had gone into the Fox archives and dug out the vocals done for Alien for the creature sounds. The two shrieks, the cries of pain when it's getting hit with the gas, the drooling, hissing, gurgling noises it makes when its killing Brett and laying in the shuttle. You take all of that and you'd have plenty to work with and expand on. Plus the game already relies heavily on very subtle sweetner sound effects for everything else, including as someone else said, the Alien's tail. You change those two things and you'd have an almost 100% puritan experience with Alien Isolation.
As it stands though, the game is great. It tells a simple story and it does it very well. Does it get a little long in the tooth sometimes? Yes. But i'll take more of something good, than less.
Quote from: OpenMaw on May 19, 2020, 01:45:45 AM
My gripes though relate to Stompy. They nailed Stompy almost perfectly. Almost. I hate the extra jointed legs, and wish it had been a perfect 1:1 translation of the Giger design. I also wish they had gone into the Fox archives and dug out the vocals done for Alien for the creature sounds. The two shrieks, the cries of pain when it's getting hit with the gas, the drooling, hissing, gurgling noises it makes when its killing Brett and laying in the shuttle. You take all of that and you'd have plenty to work with and expand on. Plus the game already relies heavily on very subtle sweetner sound effects for everything else, including as someone else said, the Alien's tail. You change those two things and you'd have an almost 100% puritan experience with Alien Isolation.
Legs: Devs explained that Xeno just doesn't look right running with these human legs and honestly I can't imagine it too
Noises: I like them, but wouldn't have minded something more authentical
We've had proper bipedal aliens in previous Alien games. AVP and AVP 2 both have standard humanoid drones. It was primarily an artistic choice, and they should have just owned it as such instead of trying to justify it.
Doesn't xenos run on all fours in previous games though ? IIRC, of course
Also AVP and AVP 2 have less realistic graphics so they can more easily get away with clunky animations. Stompy's movements in Isolation are much smoother, more fluid.
And have we ever seen Xenos running on two legs in any of the movies ? In Alien Big Chap moved pretty calmly, in Aliens they jumped from wall to wall, in Alien 3 Runner ran on all fours, in Resurrection and Covenant they had double jointed legs. In AVP pretty much as in Aliens. In AVPR ... I can't see.
For once, I'm really glad it's too dark to see what's going on. And yeah, I refuse to buy the Bluray to find out. :laugh:
And as for Stompy, its movements are much smoother, more fluid but still looks like a velociraptor, and not like Giger's Alien. It's a suvirval horror game, not action one like Colonial Marines. I'll never agree completelly with the staff behind Isolation. In fact, I once read a ridiculous excuse stating that "it looked like a man in a rubber suit with thehuman legs" or something. :P
Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on May 23, 2020, 10:43:12 AM
In fact, I once read a ridiculous excuse stating that "it looked like a man in a rubber suit with thehuman legs" or something. :P
So, you want to argue it didn't look so ? It didn't look so
in the movie because of the way Scott shot it not because of the suit's qualities itself.
Quote from: Kradan on May 23, 2020, 02:50:00 PM
Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on May 23, 2020, 10:43:12 AM
In fact, I once read a ridiculous excuse stating that "it looked like a man in a rubber suit with thehuman legs" or something. :P
So, you want to argue it didn't look so ? It didn't look so in the movie because of the way Scott shot it not because of the suit's qualities itself.
The suit, in terms of visual design, was fine.
It was just too constricting for any kind of fluid movement.
In a game, that can be completely the opposite.
Some elements of Isolation I don't get:
1. Why Company would want Amanda on the station in the first place? How can she be useful ? All she did is interfered with Company's plans. Why such generosity ? And why they sent "good" android with her ? I understand it in Aliens because Burk acted on his own (at least movie presents it that way - I don't care what TCF says about the matter) and Bishop is likely military's property not Company's. But in Isolation Company clearly wants Xenos - so why not send android with hidden directives ?
2. How the f**k that facehugger got on board of Anesidora if Marlow wanted to destroy Xenos so much? If he wanted to sell it he should've just fly away. Did it come on the shuttle with him ? Then why he wasn't facehugged the moment he landed on the ship?
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 14, 2020, 11:25:34 AM
Some elements of Isolation I don't get:
1. Why Company would want Amanda on the station in the first place? How can she be useful ? All she did is interfered with Company's plans. Why such generosity ? And why they sent "good" android with her ? I understand it in Aliens because Burk acted on his own (at least movie presents it that way - I don't care what TCF says about the matter) and Bishop is likely military's property not Company's. But in Isolation Company clearly wants Xenos - so why not send android with hidden directives ?
2. How the f**k that facehugger got on board of Anesidora if Marlow wanted to destroy Xenos so much? If he wanted to sell it he should've just fly away. Did it come on the shuttle with him ? Then why he wasn't facehugged the moment he landed on the ship?
1. Nobody at Weyland-Yutani anticipated what Amanda was going to do on Sevastopol. They figured she's going to get closure on her mother's disappearance, and that's it.
Quote from: TheSailingRabbit on Aug 14, 2020, 12:48:29 PM
1. Nobody at Weyland-Yutani anticipated what Amanda was going to do on Sevastopol.
OK, fair point
Quote from: TheSailingRabbit on Aug 14, 2020, 12:48:29 PM
They figured she's going to get closure on her mother's disappearance, and that's it.
Again, what's in that for them? Why would they give a damn about such thing ? Company in these movies was always portrayed as hearthless coldblooded profit-seeking machine - so why would they care about some low-rank engineer getting information about hers mommy? I understand it in "because game needs to happen" way and I can easily close my eyes on it because the game itself is amazing. It's just thread being called "Flaws of Isolation" that makes me a bit more nitpicky
Amanda was sent because Samuels was tasked with investigating and asked her - for closure as he later says.
The Company is a vast organisation with millions of employees. Most of them aren't money grubbing 'profit before people's arseholes.
OK, fair enough
But what about bloody facehugger on Anesidora ?
Isolation's gameplay is what killed it for me.
I absolutely hate the hide in locker for five minutes every thirty second games. It's not scary, it is f**king annoying.
The worldbuilidng was top notch, and the story was pretty good all things considering.
I rate it still an 8, but 8 is for the worldbuilding alone. What could have been the best Alien game of all time, is killed by just sitting around, waiting for the always present Alien AI to f**k off so you can actually progress more than 30 feet before repeating the process.
I guess, many people enjoyed sitting in lockers for five minutes. Myself included
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 14, 2020, 11:25:34 AM
Some elements of Isolation I don't get:
1. Why Company would want Amanda on the station in the first place? How can she be useful ? All she did is interfered with Company's plans. Why such generosity ? And why they sent "good" android with her ? I understand it in Aliens because Burk acted on his own (at least movie presents it that way - I don't care what TCF says about the matter) and Bishop is likely military's property not Company's. But in Isolation Company clearly wants Xenos - so why not send android with hidden directives ?
There's an underlying story thread in the stories subsequent to Aliens about synthetics gaining independence and acting on their own behalf, so it definitely seems like Samuels was sincere and acting out of compassion for Amanda when he discovered her file. I think he and Taylor were already booked and ready to go and Amanda was added at the last minute. By the time of the Torrens departure the company didn't have confirmation yet that there were actual living specimens onboard, so the stakes weren't high enough yet for them to disapprove of Amanda's inclusion, if they did suspect then they may have seen Amanda as a loose end and potential liability that would be taken care of if an outbreak were to occur. Regardless, shortly after the Torres crew went into hypersleep the company did receive confirmation of specimens aboard and almost immediately purchased the station and uploaded the 900 series directives into Apollo, locking down the station. Everything pretty much went to hell while The Torrens crew slept.
Quote
2. How the f**k that facehugger got on board of Anesidora if Marlow wanted to destroy Xenos so much? If he wanted to sell it he should've just fly away. Did it come on the shuttle with him ? Then why he wasn't facehugged the moment he landed on the ship?
Marlow's wife Foster got facehugged back on the derelict, the Anesidora booked it to Sevastopol and Marlow got her aboard the station under false pretenses so the doctors aboard could possibly help her. Spoiler alert, they couldn't and the infestation began with her. It was after that that Marlow was locked up for intentionally circumventing contamination protocols and it was fosters death and the infestation of the station that drove Marlow over the edge just like Ellen went.
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 15, 2020, 05:41:33 PM
I guess, many people enjoyed sitting in lockers for five minutes. Myself included
If that's your taste, good for you.
Would've been a whole lot better if the Alien wasn't ALWAYS around. I enjoyed the game much more when it wasn't.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 15, 2020, 06:39:52 PM
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 15, 2020, 05:41:33 PM
I guess, many people enjoyed sitting in lockers for five minutes. Myself included
If that's your taste, good for you.
Would've been a whole lot better if the Alien wasn't ALWAYS around. I enjoyed the game much more when it wasn't.
It wasn't always around for me. Came and went randomly.
PC supposedly has it modded.
Higher difficulty on the console is maddening. It is ALWAYS around except for story "safe" parts.
I hardly even used the lockers, once in a while maybe and usually only have to wait a few moments. I can usually sneak around fairly easily with the distractions on hand.
I enjoyed the game play, was the most intense/stressful game I've played. My only gripe about the game is that it outstayed its welcome a bit. Just a tad too long.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 15, 2020, 06:39:52 PM
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 15, 2020, 05:41:33 PM
I guess, many people enjoyed sitting in lockers for five minutes. Myself included
If that's your taste, good for you.
Would've been a whole lot better if the Alien wasn't ALWAYS around. I enjoyed the game much more when it wasn't.
Personally., I think game did good job balancing Alien and non-Alien parts
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 14, 2020, 11:25:34 AM
Some elements of Isolation I don't get:
1. Why Company would want Amanda on the station in the first place? How can she be useful ? All she did is interfered with Company's plans. Why such generosity ? And why they sent "good" android with her ? I understand it in Aliens because Burk acted on his own (at least movie presents it that way - I don't care what TCF says about the matter) and Bishop is likely military's property not Company's. But in Isolation Company clearly wants Xenos - so why not send android with hidden directives ?
It should also be noted that it's very likely the Company sent two ships. One official, the Torrens, and a decidedly unofficial ship directly afterward. Space is really huge and in the Alien universe, during this time, human travel takes weeks, if not months, to get anywhere. So arrivals that happen within a couple days of each other, to somewhere that's not an active busy hub, are not likely to be a coincidence.
It's left to our imagination who picks up Amanda from the wreckage at the end and eventually transports her and live xeno specimens to the WY genetic research station Mendel. But since she was picked up from the floating wreckage, on Dec 14th, just 3 eventful days after arriving at Sevastopol, we can probably assume she got picked up by a Company ship sent tailing the Torrens on silent running. Combing through the rubble to recover any viable specimens, they found not only full sized drones, but perhaps at least one egg as well as a barely living Amanda.
Quote
2. How the f**k that facehugger got on board of Anesidora if Marlow wanted to destroy Xenos so much? If he wanted to sell it he should've just fly away. Did it come on the shuttle with him ? Then why he wasn't facehugged the moment he landed on the ship?
I just realized you probably meant later on in the game when Ripley gets aboard the 'Dora. The only way It makes sense is that the lil scuttler stowed away with Marlow and Taylor. If the little dudes are walking around outside of their egg, I think they have to preserve their energy and get a little sneaky to ensure successful implantation of a host, so they probably naturally hide in some dark space when multiple creatures are free roaming around and only go for it if the host is either restrained, or isolated and alone.
Quote from: SpaceKase on Aug 16, 2020, 05:42:50 PM
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 14, 2020, 11:25:34 AM
2. How the f**k that facehugger got on board of Anesidora if Marlow wanted to destroy Xenos so much? If he wanted to sell it he should've just fly away. Did it come on the shuttle with him ? Then why he wasn't facehugged the moment he landed on the ship?
I just realized you probably meant later on in the game when Ripley gets aboard the 'Dora. The only way Incan figure is that the lil scuttler stowed away with Marlowe and Taylor. If the little dudes are walk-in around outside of their egg, I think they have to preserve their energy and get a little sneaky to ensure successful implantation of a host, so they probably naturally hide in some dark space when multiple creatures are around and only go for it if the host is either restrained or isolated and alone.
Yes
Quote from: 426Buddy on Aug 16, 2020, 01:37:01 AM
I hardly even used the lockers, once in a while maybe and usually only have to wait a few moments. I can usually sneak around fairly easily with the distractions on hand.
I enjoyed the game play, was the most intense/stressful game I've played. My only gripe about the game is that it outstayed its welcome a bit. Just a tad too long.
I used them sparingly, but I mostly just continually walked with the motion detector out and just backpedaled to and fro.
Equally annoying.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 17, 2020, 01:06:20 AM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Aug 16, 2020, 01:37:01 AM
I hardly even used the lockers, once in a while maybe and usually only have to wait a few moments. I can usually sneak around fairly easily with the distractions on hand.
I enjoyed the game play, was the most intense/stressful game I've played. My only gripe about the game is that it outstayed its welcome a bit. Just a tad too long.
I used them sparingly, but I mostly just continually walked with the motion detector out and just backpedaled to and fro.
Equally annoying.
K, I thought you didn't like spending so much time in lockers.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 15, 2020, 03:39:12 PM
Isolation's gameplay is what killed it for me.
I absolutely hate the hide in locker for five minutes every thirty second games. It's not scary, it is f**king annoying.
I'm thinking it's not so much a fault in the game as it is that you would just prefer a more traditional gameplay style.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 16, 2020, 01:30:24 AM
PC supposedly has it modded.
Higher difficulty on the console is maddening. It is ALWAYS around except for story "safe" parts.
Have you tried it on "easy" ?
I don't do easy. My anger has to be deserved.
Well, then try it on "easy" first and then complain about frustrating gameplay, OK ? I mean, "hard" is supposed to be "frustrating", otherwise - what's the point of calling it "hard"?
It wasn't hard. It was boring.
https://youtu.be/hOrphBFlDsg (https://youtu.be/hOrphBFlDsg)
Managed to get half-way though the video and then my Inner Fan Boy said: "Well, f**k these guys" :D
I didn't mind the hiding in lockers stuff. Occasionally got annoying but only occasionally. The only bit where I really said 'Oh, come on!" was when Amanda got nabbed and taken to the hive.
Look man, I get that it's possible... I just don't see why the Xeno would leave her alive. Just one headbite, all it would take. Hell. one facehugging, more alien friends. It's the only instance of true plot armor I get in the game and it's so blatant, it just disappoints me.
There's some degree of suspending disbelief required - even with the hiding under the tables - but damn if it isn't 100% effective for atmosphere.
I felt the hiding in lockers was pushing the envelope a bit. Considering they've been able to track and outmaneuver people in the films from all kinds of distances. Suddenly one can't detect you 3 inches from its face? It's a tough sell, but it does add alittle fear to the mix.
Amanda being used as a host instead of being killed made sense to me though, given the circumstances. She was young, healthy, and easily captured in that instance. Prime candidate.
I love Isolation but on repeat re-playings it's more apparent to me that game has some pacing issues
The biggest one is that notorious section of the game in between Stompy being ejected and The Hive.. I understand its purpose - it's release of tension from an Alien that can insta-kill you and it's fun to kick the shit out of some Joes and hostile survivors for a change. But after a while it gets tiresome - game just keeps on throwing Joes at you and you don't have much choice other than to waste your ammo and resources on them to progress. And then game introduces these f**king raincoats. Just F.UCK THEM.
It works fine for a first-time playthrough 'cause it helps to build the anticipation of "When Alien is gonna come back ?". But when you already played the game and know all of the plot points - man, I do want that section to be just a bit shorter
Still not a fan of the gameplay. It will probably keep me from ever playing the game again after the first initial gameplays. No matter how well the presentation and worldbuilding work in its favor.
It's the same reason I will never play Outlast or any of those other run from the attacker type of games, no matter the classic level they achieve.
It would have been creepy is Amanda chestburster inside.
The game truly deserves next gen updated edition. Alien Isolation is great, for it's time it was phenomenal but it does have its flaws.
Luckily a lot of these can be fixed relatively easily, for example the questionable alien creature sound design choices, tweak/add alien animations, more death animations (both player and especially npc) etc.
I'd personally be happier with updated/remade first game than a mediocre sequel.
In terms of replayability, there is only one. Nostalgia. Other than that there are no rewards for finishing the game once am I right?
Quote from: acrediblesource on Jul 26, 2021, 03:00:46 PM
In terms of replayability, there is only one. Nostalgia. Other than that there are no rewards for finishing the game once am I right?
I don't know, I've replayed it like half a dozen times now (can't do it very often 'cause it LONG) and I still find new things in it
It is the best Alien related media not named Alien that captures the feel of the first movie. It is almost worth it just to delve in for that immersion.
To me, it just isn't worth it to play through the whole game again to experience it. It takes too long to play through and I don't have the time to devote to longish games like that anymore.
It is the ultimate Alien simulator. There is no better game to experience that first film than this. There's much replayability in wanting to experience that again.
Exactly!
I would gladly pay full price again for the next gen update where the flaws have been ironed out.
I can't argue with the complaints that Alien Isolation framework was too long. The game would have been way better served if they eliminated all these Atari mini puzzles games to make equipment work, and eliminated all the silly locked doors that you culmatively spend hours to figure out how to unlock. That isn't horror, that's monotonous.
The perfect execution of this game in my opinion, truly capturing that Alien experience, would be to make each game playable in 60 minutes. I don't have a modern day game to compare it to, but there was an old Atari 2600 vintage game called "Adventure" where the object was to find the Enchanted Chalice. There were dragons that attacked you. There were three keys that opened three small castles. And each time you played, all the items and the villains were randomized. You didn't know where the threats were and where the items were to win the game each time you played. Now apply that to an Alien game.
60 Minutes. The ship is going to blow. Object is to survive the Alien and escape on a shuttle before the ship blows, and every time you play, all the components you need are randomly placed, even the escape shuttle hatch on the ship. The ship is falling apart. Lights are flickering. Just being against the clock is pulse pounding enough. 5 minutes left. "The ship will automatically destruct in "T-Minus 5 Minutes" you hear over the ships speaker system. You're running around not knowing where the Alien is. Opening and closing doors behind you. Holy shit the Alien is in the corridor you need to go! Now that's the Alien experience I want!
Sounds a little like what I've heard of the Atari game.
Just play Crew Expendable and Lone Survivor back to back.
But I know you mean a Roguelike basically.
But I liked the Metroidvania nature of Isolation.
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Jul 27, 2021, 01:47:22 PM
I can't argue with the complaints that Alien Isolation framework was too long. The game would have been way better served if they eliminated all these Atari mini puzzles games to make equipment work, and eliminated all the silly locked doors that you culmatively spend hours to figure out how to unlock. That isn't horror, that's monotonous.
The perfect execution of this game in my opinion, truly capturing that Alien experience, would be to make each game playable in 60 minutes. I don't have a modern day game to compare it to, but there was an old Atari 2600 vintage game called "Adventure" where the object was to find the Enchanted Chalice. There were dragons that attacked you. There were three keys that opened three small castles. And each time you played, all the items and the villains were randomized. You didn't know where the threats were and where the items were to win the game each time you played. Now apply that to an Alien game.
60 Minutes. The ship is going to blow. Object is to survive the Alien and escape on a shuttle before the ship blows, and every time you play, all the components you need are randomly placed, even the escape shuttle hatch on the ship. The ship is falling apart. Lights are flickering. Just being against the clock is pulse pounding enough. 5 minutes left. "The ship will automatically destruct in "T-Minus 5 Minutes" you hear over the ships speaker system. You're running around not knowing where the Alien is. Opening and closing doors behind you. Holy shit the Alien is in the corridor you need to go! Now that's the Alien experience I want!
(https://i.imgur.com/FhMnvGn.gif)
Honestly, when news of Isolation being developed only started to appear and all we had was couple of screenshots I thought game was gonna be just that: you going around big-ass station in non-linear fashion with Alien being able to randomly appear in any part of the station so there's 50/50 chance of it appearing or not appearing at all. It would've been cool to have trully deserted station without any survivors or synthetics whatsoever. Just one Alien and you. You learn what happened from occasional logs you find. You have shelter to hide and save your progress (kinda like Safe Haven/Lost Contact DLCs) but you're forced to make trips to find food, water and other resources. Ultimate goal of the game would be to find a way to escape. Or you can just explore station sections infinitely if you like so
I would like Isolation sequel to have more of a "open-world" feel to it
That's basically the Unpredictable Alien modification.
Quote from: Trash Queen on Jul 27, 2021, 01:58:26 PM
But I know you mean a Roguelike basically.
Yeah, sort of. I think it could also work with the layout structure of the ship always staying the same and only the locations of the interactive/completion items being random. Just think of the replay value! :)
Quote from: Kradan on Jul 27, 2021, 03:20:48 PM
It would've been cool to have trully deserted station without any survivors or synthetics whatsoever. Just one Alien and you.
Yes! Just that statement alone gives me the chills! :)
----
With all that said, I do like Alien Isolation. It just needs some refining to me, to really capture that 1979 Alien experience and become that Perfect-10 Alien game.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 27, 2021, 01:56:54 PM
Sounds a little like what I've heard of the Atari game.
That's exactly it. You control the crew. Air is running out. One person randomly dies first, one person is randomly the android. Multiple victory conditions. Good luck.
There was a fan game doing the rounds in about 2010 that was just one randomised alien, in a randomised network of vents. Graphics were pretty naff tho.
This all kind of reminds of me of this game.
I know it's the central point of game's narrative and it may sound as total blasphemy to some but Ripley's recording to Amanda never sat quite right with me. I never sit through a whole thing, usually I skip it. I don't know, it just doesn't sound like Ripley to me. I used to Ripley being somewhat cool and collected and hearing her being so emotional and soupy (even if if towards her own daughter) rubs me the wrong way, it feels off to me
Quote from: Kradan on Jan 01, 2022, 06:09:40 PM
I know it's the central point of game's narrative and it may sound as total blasphemy to some but Ripley's recording to Amanda never sat quite right with me. I never sit through a whole thing, usually I skip it. I don't know, it just doesn't sound like Ripley to me. I used to Ripley being somewhat cool and collected and hearing her being so emotional and soupy (even if if towards her own daughter) rubs me the wrong way, it feels off to me
Is it because the message has been retrofitted to contain a bit about Amanda? Personally, it felt off to me too.
Yeeeeah
https://youtu.be/_iV0DV0O2Ks (https://youtu.be/_iV0DV0O2Ks)
Courtesy of DarthJoker45
I love it and I will claim it was the best game of 2014 and probably in the top games of all time.
Maybe a bit long but then that would make me wish it was longer. xD IF one is unhappy with the sounds of the xeno, then you have mods on pc :)
And not scary? Most people I know especielly those using VR claim its too scary and only played like 20% before deciding its too scary, to us hardcore xeno fans its different as the creature isnt scary to us, only scary stuff is when the xeno will show up and get away and not die, heck even myself who play it for the 5 time cans till be surprised by the xeno: not hearing it until its behind me and I die xD
I've never found any game on the planet earth too scary to play.
I've got too much of that Cr1TiKaL personality I guess.
https://youtu.be/hOrphBFlDsg (https://youtu.be/hOrphBFlDsg)
So, I decided to try to watch this review again, sort of as a fun challenge to myself - whether or not I would be able to sit through it. Now, as my initial angry reaction and frustration are long gone and I'm more in capacity to hear them out I must say - I can't really disagree with anything they say. Most of the game does consist of opening doors, playing laughably simple mini-games and sitting in lockers until Alien or a synth goes away. Game does fill a bit too long. Alien does have very narrow vision field sometimes and its AI patterns not that hard to figure out. Amanda does act kinda selfish deciding not to let Marlow crash Anesidora into the station
I still think they come down too harsh on the game, ignoring most of its positives (attention to details, world-building, score and sound design etc.) , almost as if trying to show "We're edgy, we're not gonna follow what crowd says !". And I still love Alien Isolation, flaws and alll, nothing will ever take away from the fact that it's the best Alien game and just in general, alongside Portal 2, the best game I've ever played
Quote from: Kradan on Jan 11, 2022, 10:41:26 AM
https://youtu.be/hOrphBFlDsg (https://youtu.be/hOrphBFlDsg) I can't really disagree with anything they say. Most of the game does consist of opening doors, playing laughably simple mini-games and sitting in lockers until Alien or a synth goes away. Game does fill a bit too long. Alien does have very narrow vision field sometimes and its AI patterns not that hard to figure out.
I would agree with that. All fair criticisms.
QuoteI still think they come down too harsh on the game, ignoring most of its positives (attention to details, world-building, score and sound design etc.)
I would agree with that too. While the perfect Alien game is still waiting to be made in my opinion, in the showing-the-IP-love category, Isolation gets a 10 our of 10.
Thinking back, my favorite moment was from playing one of the expansion packs as Ripley (Crew Expendable I think) and Lambert is guiding me through the ducts and her panicking made me panic. At that moment I was like
Ohhh yeaaaaah, that's the feeling I'm looking for! So good.
What is your review of my
Alien Isolation screenshot.
(https://s10.gifyu.com/images/a0558c29-8900-44c1-95e6-987b56aa4ec5.gif)
I am very dissapointed. In you
My gripe with the game is that I just held the motion tracker out, crouched, and literally backed up the whole game away from the alien. I was almost always outside of its periphery doing this, and could make adjustments to my strat on the fly by looking at what stompy was doing on the radar. Of course you can't play the whole game this way, this strat doesn't work (easily) when there are more than one alien present, or in vents, and you have to drop it when in proximity the the alien, etc but I used it to clear and had a fairly easy time doing it.
It's just...................that is not very exciting or thrilling gameplay.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jan 12, 2022, 02:32:30 AM
My gripe with the game is that I just held the motion tracker out, crouched, and literally backed up the whole game away from the alien. I was almost always outside of its periphery doing this, and could make adjustments to my strat on the fly by looking at what stompy was doing on the radar. Of course you can't play the whole game this way, this strat doesn't work (easily) when there are more than one alien present, or in vents, and you have to drop it when in proximity the the alien, etc but I used it to clear and had a fairly easy time doing it.
It's just...................that is not very exciting or thrilling gameplay.
What difficulty did you play on? As far as I recall, the alien can hear the motion sensor pips.
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jan 12, 2022, 02:32:30 AM
It's just...................that is not very exciting or thrilling gameplay.
I think it affects people differently, but I personally agree.
And I couldn't disagree more. I've never had such a physical or visceral reaction to a game.
Yeah, I enjoyed the shit out of that gameplay
Yeah, it's all about the style of gameplay and how it appeals to you. There's no wrong or right answer. I still enjoyed the game, happy I purchased it, and while I liked it, I can't say I was very excited or very thrilled playing it. But I had mostly fun (and adored the respect it gave the IP).
Nah, you hated it, no need to be shy
Quote from: Kradan on Jan 12, 2022, 03:17:28 PM
Nah, you hated it, no need to be shy
Would rate the game a solid 8/10. And their love towards the IP gets a 10/10.
Now...
(https://media.tenor.com/images/78e81757e90dc6044c4c307af556fc64/tenor.gif)
This
Quote from: Stitch on Jan 12, 2022, 01:05:08 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jan 12, 2022, 02:32:30 AM
My gripe with the game is that I just held the motion tracker out, crouched, and literally backed up the whole game away from the alien. I was almost always outside of its periphery doing this, and could make adjustments to my strat on the fly by looking at what stompy was doing on the radar. Of course you can't play the whole game this way, this strat doesn't work (easily) when there are more than one alien present, or in vents, and you have to drop it when in proximity the the alien, etc but I used it to clear and had a fairly easy time doing it.
It's just...................that is not very exciting or thrilling gameplay.
What difficulty did you play on? As far as I recall, the alien can hear the motion sensor pips.
Whatever the second hardest one was. But I already mentioned that you have to drop the radar occasionally. Usually you are far enough away that it doesn't notice. When it does it's nifty, "you are too far away from me so I'm going to climb the vents, and drop down in front of you," trick then you just shoulder it when its in the vents, get some distance and start again. It's weird backing up an entire game, but it worked. Or did when the game first came out maybe they modded it out after updates or something. Its been awhile since I played it.
I think also some of it is my personality. I'm way to combative in real life to be running around afraid all the time. I fought all the time as a kid, and joined the Army for more than a few years, was in combat arms the entire time, and just don't like games that force the character to play scared with no ways to kill back the killers. I'm not saying if I was actually in the situation that Ripley is in that I'd behave any different before anybody argues, I'm just saying as a person playing the game..........it just annoys me to play that way because I think I would.
I still maintain that the worldbuilding in the game is top notch. It looks and feels like Alien. I just hate that style of gameplay. If it wouldn't have had Alien in the title there is zero chance I would have bought it knowing what style of game it is.
That said, all the talk is making me want to try it again just for the worldbuilding. But I almost guarantee this will happen. I'll be impressed with the look and feel of the game, the lore being solid, but then actually back pedaling from the Alien the whole time will annoy the shit out of me and I'll stop halfway through. Just like the other half dozen times I've tried to replay it.
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Jan 11, 2022, 01:16:56 PM
...
Thinking back, my favorite moment was from playing one of the expansion packs as Ripley (Crew Expendable I think) and Lambert is guiding me through the ducts and her panicking made me panic. At that moment I was like Ohhh yeaaaaah, that's the feeling I'm looking for! So good.
Me too.
Imagine Crew Expendable but with NPCs (Lambert, Dallas, Ash etc) that you could really interact with--converse, coordinate attacks, give instructions too, etc. As it is, the other characters are kept at arms length in fully scripted (and very brief) "walk ons". If CA had lopped off half the length of the main game and poured that savings in time and effort into Crew Expendable instead, that would have been my ideal game.
TC
Quote from: TC on Jan 26, 2022, 03:06:22 AM
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Jan 11, 2022, 01:16:56 PM
...
Thinking back, my favorite moment was from playing one of the expansion packs as Ripley (Crew Expendable I think) and Lambert is guiding me through the ducts and her panicking made me panic. At that moment I was like Ohhh yeaaaaah, that's the feeling I'm looking for! So good.
Me too.
Imagine Crew Expendable but with NPCs (Lambert, Dallas, Ash etc) that you could really interact with--converse, coordinate attacks, give instructions too, etc. As it is, the other characters are kept at arms length in fully scripted (and very brief) "walk ons". If CA had lopped off half the length of the main game and poured that savings in time and effort into Crew Expendable instead, that would have been my ideal game.
TC
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/TJ9MxwF3KibO3bfhxY/giphy.gif)
It was a bit too long, and should have had the ability to clamber over obstacles, but I don't have any real complaints. The genre dictates certain approaches to strategy and tactics. It's not meant to be an action game, even if it uses action elements. I wouldn't complain that Doom makes me shoot too much. The length with the style of gameplay given is an issue though.
9/10
That is a fair point.
But I don't buy outlast style games.
Alien Isolation wouldn't have been bought had it not had Alien in the title.
After beating it I have never completed it again because of the style of gameplay. Now if I have a hankering to give it a shot I just watch highlights on youtube.
Yeah, as much as I love it, I haven't done a second full playthrough. I screwed around with the VR mod and my heart literally couldn't take it haha
Is now on my fourth playthrough :D
(https://i.gifer.com/R2yR.gif)
I've played it lots, twice I beat it on hard and twice I beat it without ever dying because I did it first on Xbox One then did it again on PC.
I still need to attempt that one. I've replayed the game 3 or 4 times. f**king love this game.
I adore the game and Platinum'ed it on PS4 when I good it way back when.
But something must be said for the fact that I have never been back to it. Not sure why.
I replay AvP 1999 at least year (which still scares me). I know they are very different.
I would rank Isolation up there as a favourite.
Maybe it is just a demanding game.
Quote from: Russ840 on Feb 26, 2022, 06:57:00 AM
Maybe it is just a demanding game.
For sure. I always say it's one of those games you sit down for 2 or 3 days and immerse yourself in, start to finish. Not bitting and bobbing Isolation. With Classic you can spend 20 minutes on one of the missions, and come back to the next one again later when you've got another 20 minutes. I don't think you can do that with Isolation and still appreciate/enjoy it.