by Abhishek Singh, staff reporter
Player using Motion Tracking Unit to find the Alien entity. The motion tracking detects all movement, and beeps loudly depending on how near the enemy really is. The motion tracker can sometimes be your best friend, but also become your enemy. Photo Courtesy by SEGA/ The Creative Assembly.
Game: Alien: Isolation
Developer: The Creative Assembly
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: 10/7/14
Availability: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC
Genre: Horror, Sci Fi
Rating: M for Mature (17+)
Following the disaster release of Alien: Colonial Marines in 2013, many fans have been left with no hope in the revival of a legendary sci- fi movie series, Alien. When it was announced that The Creative Assembly was working on the next Alien game, majority of fans speculated on what it could be about.
As frustrated and eager as fans were toward the announcement, so was The Creative Assembly. The community (fans of the game) is so proud to say that The Creative Assembly not only reaches for the revisitation of a masterpiece, but goes beyond that.
Alien: Isolation starts fifteen years after the event of Alien, Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, starts a hunt to find out what happened to her mother and tracks her lost locations. The story isn’t as fleshed out compared to gameplay, but is enough to satisfy fans for the real truth. Typically the game lasts about 15 hours, however it took me about 22 hours to finish the story.
The disappointing part was the ending of the whole game, It took away the immersion from start to finish. As the story progresses, nothing seems to progress other than real forms of fear and immersion to keep you on the edge of the seat. The funny part about that is I was sweating as if it was a summer day playing Football (This immersion, humorous as it may seem, can cause players to be sweating as though playing football on a summer day due to the game’s high intensity). The cold room got me sore, and scared enough to keep on wanting more.
The gameplay is what really stands out. It’s perfect. The environment is perfectly crafted as it was back in 1979. I felt I was actually in the real Nostromo. The really creative part about Alien: Isolation is that it’s always going to be a new scare.
“I love the way the game feels and play because it has a really suspense feeling when playing it,” junior Dean Zovoulos said.
The team at The Creative Assembly created Dynamic AI (artificial intelligence) which makes it so that the Alien isn’t always going to be in the same spot after one loads a game, dies, or reaches a checkpoint.
The real truth, is that a player is NEVER safe from the Alien. This can sometimes however be a really annoying way of playing. It may sound frustrating, but ulitmatly delivers the perfect Aliens experience players want.
Another game mode that was rather interesting is called Survivor Mode, which is a challenge mode to get the highest score and less time to get on the ranked leaderboard to compare yourself to the world. It’s actually a rather fun addition as it adds more to the overall experience.
The Creative Assembly has not only proven to be better than thought, knowing it is their first Alien game is just exciting. It makes it so exciting to know that an additional four pieces of DLC (Downloadable Content) are coming with it.
The future of the Aliens Franchise is slowly gaining hope after the solid game that was just delivered. Those who aren’t huge Alien fans, or even of the stealth horror genre, then this game is hands down not the correct game. Although if one is a horror fan, this is a dream that actually come true.
Final Verdict: 9/10 Must buy!
