Alien: Isolation

[DragoFireheart]

Fuck everyone that keeps asking for a Alien that can be killed. Go play Colonial Marines if you want that shit.

 

[chestburster]

I find it remarkable that people have no qualms firing same same guns for entire campaigns against same same monsters in linear corridors (aka Dead Space).

The first Dead Space also became extremely repetitive and tiresome after the point where you leave Sevastopol Ishimura and board another rescue ship Anesidora USM Valor and then return to Ishimura. Actually this part of plot sounds exactly like the one in Alien Isolation since Creative Assembly openly stated that Dead Space is their main inspiration.

But to be fair, at least in Dead Space's lore, you're supposed to have been driven mentality unstable at that point so the stress and repetitiveness and the unwieldy control scheme only work to reinforce the notion that you're insane and your girlfriend was only a hallucination. It's a rare instance of the holy union between gameplay and plot, just like in Max Payne where the joy you feel after the slow motion kills actually mirror the euphoria from painkiller pills.

 

[Metro]

So this is little more than a big publisher trying to cash in on the 'not-games' Amnesia craze?

 

[MapMan]

Fuck everyone that keeps asking for a Alien that can be killed. Go play Colonial Marines if you want that shit.

What about you fuck off and take a break, during which you can play AVP and see how scary a killable alien can be.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

So this is little more than a big publisher trying to cash in on the 'not-games' Amnesia craze?

Nah, it's actually a bit like Thief crossed with System Shock, certainly part of the reason why I'm enjoying this loads for the most part (apart from the licensing which, this time obviously was treated by massive fans in the team itself). But with a main enemy that can neither be killed nor black jacked, which in parts depending on your playing style isn't an active immediate threat throughout the entirety of the campaign either.

I find it remarkable that people have no qualms firing same same guns for entire campaigns against same same monsters in linear corridors (aka Dead Space).

The first Dead Space also became extremely repetitive and tiresome after the point where you leave Sevastopol Ishimura and board another rescue ship Anesidora USM Valor and then return to Ishimura. Actually this part of plot sounds exactly like the one in Alien Isolation since Creative Assembly openly stated that Dead Space is their main inspiration.

Interesting. I'm actually a lot more reminded of Shock 2, which initially received the same back tracking criticism as A:I due to its very similar world map structure but also to the tension that is build (it's not all 100% terror and tension, but the curious silence in between, one of my fave memories of Shock 2 is searching the crew quarters and always listening to androids or mutants that would and could sneak up behind me -- you're never ever really safe, and the game reminds you of such, despite there being minutes of total silence and not much happening in a visceral sense, which is beautiful). To me, if you solely follow the main mission objectives, there isn't even much in terms of backtracking, but from a lot of points during your quest, the central hubs that can lead you to any tower of the station are frequently available -- and enemies can respawn and even the alien surprise you occasionally (which is also a lot like Shock 2).

 

[Sodafish]

I have to say the idea of a bulletproof alien is incredibly derpy in and of itself. The Aliens film put paid to that idea, but of course if you could kill it you would need multiple aliens and also have to deal with the acid blood in space problem. Alternatively you could just have no firearms in the game, or at least only non-lethal types, but that would hardly be a credible scenario on such a station either. The original film got around this simply by having no weapons which could damage the alien, and with them basically being truckers in space this was not at all out of character.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

I have to say the idea of a bulletproof alien is incredibly derpy in and of itself. The Aliens film put paid to that idea, but of course if you could kill it you would need multiple aliens and also have to deal with the acid blood in space problem. Alternatively you could just have no firearms in the game, or at least only non-lethal types, but that would hardly be a credible scenario on such a station either. The original film got around this simply by having no weapons which could damage the alien, and with them basically being truckers in space this was not at all out of character.

In the initial script-writing process it appeard O'Bannon and company actually wanted to avoid the cliche of a bullet-proof enemy, but still wanted it to make an unstoppable threat. That, apparently, was in parts how the idea of blood being able to damage the ship's hull was born. Apart of scripted scenes not actually filmed, in the final film to me it always appeared as even regular weapons wouldn't stop the beast though. Most telling was the rather climatic scene where Ripley and Parker enquire Ash, and he openly tells them they cannot kill it, and how it would be the perfect killing organism. I saw Alien first and part of the thrill anticipating Aliens was thinking about how anybody would cope with dozens of the things when just one of them killed off an entire ship's crew within hours.

I think that is why in Aliens it is established early on how superior the fire power of the marines is, I think it is even openly stated that the marines are carrying armor-piercing ammunition to avoid too much conflict with the portrayal in the original movie. Still, the portrayal of the thing in the original compared to Aliens, even moreso in Resurrection, is hugely different. To me each film is actually a re-interpretation of the same source material anyway, rather than merely a movie sequel. Naturally this was hugely influenced by each film both directed and written by completely different people.

 

[DeepOcean]

I watched a few streams and shit is wrong right on the start. On Alien:
You have the heavy and tense as fuck foreshadow to the Alien appearance until the chestbuster scene.
The chestbuster scene is the inciting event of the movie, the Alien is stabilished as an evil presense that corrupts their most sacred place, the dining table.
The Nostromo stops being their home and become a technological hallway nightmare, the Alien corrupted their home and assumed control. There is an evil and unstoppable force of nature on the loose.
The characters after being on the defensive for some time, go on the offensive and show they are willing to do anything to survive. They show they are clever, get the flamethrowers and the motion detector and use them to try to fight the alien and have a plan. They prove they are clever, resouceful and creative, worthy of survive and we really hope they succeed even if we suspect they won't.
Dallas abandon the safety of the company of the other characters, underestimating the power of the thing, place the plan in practice with perfection and try to trap it, the thing is too clever and strong now, he pays with his life. After this point, all hope is lost. Any feeling of safety the characters had is deteriorating fast.
The alien starts hunting each one of them, it takes it's time, it's unsure if it acts on instinct but there is the big suspicion that it is more than just a creature. It could be an evil intelligence playing hide and seek with them with them at that point.
The characters seeing the writing on the wall, know it's time to abandon ship. They cling together as they know that separated they are no match against it. They try to get the oxygen to flee.
The alien crush their hopes and show that the evil presense is just too strong now.
Ripley could flee but she does a decision that could mean her death, she activates the self destruct protocol on the ship. She doesn't want the thing escaping the ship and reaching earth and wants revenge for the people it killed. This act makes us respect her and want her to survive.

Is there any gut punching, thrilling, emotional moment or setpiece on the game? Is there any connection with the place and people you are knowing? Ripley feels too much detached from the Sevastopol as a place and the people that live in there. From what I seen so far, the idea of Amanda being an outsider to the Sevastopol seems a dumb decision as a strong theme on Alien is the pervertion of the safety of home that becomes a prison where the charcaters are tortured and "raped" (the Alien has alot of sugestive biological attributes) by an evil presense. Sevastopol doesn't achieve the illusion that Nostromo did, it isn't a place but just a video game set.

 

[Mandora]

I have to say the idea of a bulletproof alien is incredibly derpy in and of itself. The Aliens film put paid to that idea, but of course if you could kill it you would need multiple aliens and also have to deal with the acid blood in space problem. Alternatively you could just have no firearms in the game, or at least only non-lethal types, but that would hardly be a credible scenario on such a station either. The original film got around this simply by having no weapons which could damage the alien, and with them basically being truckers in space this was not at all out of character.

Completely agreed. In fact, the idea of tinkering around and haphazardly making items is a superb one. They should limit it to stuff like flamethrowers, tasers and the like. Things that will not kill the alien but make it flee. There also won't be acid blood to deal with. This fact can be balanced by making ammunition/fuel limited and the chance the item could malfunction at any time, making it a last ditch resort.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Good post. To answer your question, there is ONE brief scene towards the end that could be described as "gut punching" or "emotional moment".

That scene is...

...when Amanda Ripley finally gets her hands on the data from the Nostromo flight recorder and finds what she was looking for.

If you're lucky you can catch it on a livestream somewhere, and hopefully everyone shuts up right then.

 

[Caim]

I never quite understood just how intelligent the Aliens are. Are they just apex predators or do they get giggles out of putting their prey in pants-shitting fear before killing them?

 

[Mandora]

They are whatever the plot wants them to be at that moment.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Dunno. Maybe brains taste better to them once adrenaline has been rushing through them or something.

That reminds me of the joke of the daddy shark teaching his son the best way to eat people.

The daddy shark said that the proper way was to first circle around them three times with the fin showing above the surface, before moving in for the kill from below.

Reason? By that time the people are no longer full of shit.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

I got the feeling from Aliens that yes, Ripley can kill them - but at tremendous personal risk, and with great physical and emotional difficulty.

We don't know how many it took to take out that entire platoon of Marines, but those Marines were the best. The fucking A-Team. All of that stuff they do on the ship, at the start of the film, isn't bluster. They know they are the best fighters in the universe and they get off on it.

And they get fucked over by the aliens.

That Ripley managed to take out so many of them says a lot about her character, but she would have been taken down eventually.

Also, I think the breed of alien in the second film was a lot different. They were smaller and more vulnerable - which explains why they can get taken down by flamethrowers and pulse rifles.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Yeah, great and interesting post. The narrative isn't exactly the game's strongest point, but as argued, there is a moment that connects directly to the stakes that were at risk for Ellen Ripley in the first movie. As soon as you board the station, the game quickly becomes a matter of just survival first, for both Amanda and for the player, which works in a way, but Amanda's primary motivation takes a back seat for a bulk of the show in favour of busy work. In her case and situation, that may seem realistic, but naturally, from a narrative point of view, it's gamey. Apart of that, for long spells the game ticks the boxes of everything that appeared in the movie, in a lot of cases outright mimicing it for long sequences, which is typical for a movie tie-in or video game based on a franchise. Even the voice over work of original movie cast, it's hidden in optional logs or introduction movies for most of the show. To me it is the overall experience that counts though. There are scripted sequences, but the strongest parts to me all happen dynamically, which the game allows both through the map's structuring, as well as the different (though not unfaulty) AI aboard the station, which is (comparably) open already early on. Also this mostly ties in rather well into the movies, actually, Colonial Marines, cough.

It's also a surprisingly cruel game, as testified by various reviews, on the recommended hardest difficulty anyway. And there is also surprisingly little hand-holding for what essentially is an AAA production that obviously has seen little in terms of focus testing at all. The behavior of the alien itself, which might be complex or not so much, also challenges the notion of typical video game enemies, as contrary to some reviews it doesn't just appear behind you just cause, but such can happen, naturally. The movement of it can always be tracked when it's there, either in the vents or already down below where it can hunt you down, but as it is an active hunter as opposed to a passive guard, it can and occasionally will find you in spots in which you thought to be safe.

 

[Sodafish]

Also, I think the breed of alien in the second film was a lot different. They were smaller and more vulnerable - which explains why they can get taken down by flamethrowers and pulse rifles.

The fuck am I reading? No, they're exactly the same as the one in Alien, except now the protags have guns. The only time in the film when a flamer kills an alien is when they roast the newborn one, presumably because it doesn't have a tough exoskeleton yet.

 

[chestburster]

I never quite understood just how intelligent the Aliens are. Are they just apex predators or do they get giggles out of putting their prey in pants-shitting fear before killing them?

They rape their victims and then turn them into goos and eggs, if you go by the first film (and the deleted scene). They're a walking penis.

But then in the second film they're just big space bugs.

 

[chestburster]

Interesting. I'm actually a lot more reminded of Shock 2,

Yeah. They also said SS2 was an inspiration. And, the first Dead Space was at one point developed as a sequel to SS2. It was only when EA couldn't get the Shock's IP right did they change that into a new IP.

 

[barker_s]

I never quite understood just how intelligent the Aliens are. Are they just apex predators or do they get giggles out of putting their prey in pants-shitting fear before killing them?

According to the expanded universe (some comic books etc.) and depending on how do you interpret a certain scene in the original Alien, they're both apex predators and cruel motherfuckers. It might be that they enjoy the fear and suffering of their victims. In the final moments of the Alien, once the monster quickly kills Parker, it turns to Lambert and certainly takes its time with her. It puts its tail between her legs and slowly works its way up. Then we can hear some pretty sickening sounds and once Ripley arrives on the scene, you can see Lambert's naked leg dangling from the vent. It's one of the most disturbing scenes in the movie IMO.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Playing on Hard.

Fuck this Alien, he's such a neurotic asshole. Can't walk/run without instant death, can't hit anything, Can't be seen except a couple times where I thought it saw me but it didn't. It's so god damn stressful. I want to keep playing.

What about you fuck off and take a break, during which you can play AVP and see how scary a killable alien can be.

Why don't you fuck off while I fuck off and we can fuck off each other, eh, eh!

Which AvP game? (I think I played AvP 2 2001)

This one isn't scary but it's a lot of fun.

I'm not buying a Jaguar for this.

I saw a couple for the Mobile phone...

Jesus Christ there's so many.

I don't think you meant the 2010 one.

 

[MapMan]

 

[Lyric Suite]

Surely, you can't be serous.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Surely, you can't be serous.

I'm assuming he meant the 1999 PC/Mac game. I was being a bit facetious by listing the nearly dozen AvP games/expansions.

Unless it's scarier than AvP2 then I don't agree anyways.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Unless it's scarier than AvP2.

It is.

It is also a better game, despite being made by an unknown (who apparently hasn't done anything else that is worth a shit) with what i'm assuming was a smaller budget.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Unless it's scarier than AvP2.

It is.

It is also a better game, despite being made an unknown with what i'm assuming was a smaller budget.

Ok fine I'll try it once my Laptop is fixed.