Great read about the new Alien release, Alien: Isolation, that apparently is nothing like Alien: Colonial Marines. In fact, it will be more a first-person survival horror game.
RPS: Hi guys. That Alien: Isolation is being billed as a survival horror game is going to be important for fans, considering the latest game Colonial Marines, which went in the complete opposite direction. Is that something you have to think about?
Hope: Absolutely, I mean Ive been thinking about this game for a very long time, having read the Alan Dean Foster novelisation as a kid before I even saw the film and thinking, wow, this characters cool and then seeing the film and thinking, wow, this is an amazing visual world. I mean, weve been working on this for over three and a half years. I think for us from the outset the goal was always really clear. The vision was crystal clear, so we just stuck to that. That hasnt changed over the course of development, so were kind of blinkered in that respect but were doing our own thing, were taking the franchise in a completely different direction.
RPS: When you say that the Alien is low frequency and that it wont show up too often, what other kinds of threats or challenges will be there for the player?
Hope: So the game is very much about you surviving and your journey through the [station], its about that whole space. Its not just about you and the Alien. The demo today was very much about giving you a very small glimpse of what its like. Which was basically a test for us, you know whats it like to put a player in a space with Ridley Scotts original Alien and a motion tracker? What is that like? I mean, one of the first things, before we had anything on the screen, Id be talking to guys in the studio, going Okay, were going to release Ridley Scotts Alien in the studio. What you gonna do? It was a cool jumping off point because people would be saying, Okay well Im gonna crouch under my desk make sure he cant see me! Cool. Then what are you gonna do? It was kind of a nice concept, you know But to go back to your question, its very much about surviving against all the obstacles that the player is up against. The world itself is very dangerous and its physically dangerous, the world is kind of a puzzle in some respects. There is a small group of inhabitants on that station and theyre in a similar situation to you and how they react to you varies sometimes positive, sometimes negative. Theres a large number of combinations of things that the player needs to be thinking about all the time to survive and its very much about surviving. ...
I know Aliens: Colonial Marines wasn't that long ago and it's soured many on this franchise in general. But Alien: Isolation makes me realize that what I have always really wanted is a game based on the first film, not the second. Something that focuses on tension, horror, and survival. With too much run-and-gun and typically overpowered arsenals in most Aliens games, the xenomorphs lose their fear factor and become blasé cannon fodder.
So from what I've seen of Isolation, I'm very hopeful. I also get the impression that Sega may have learned something from the Colonial Marines disaster; according to Jim Sterling, they required Creative Assembly to supply them with a section of playable, real, representative gameplay before showing anything to previewers. Also, Creative Assembly is an in-house studio at Sega, so that says something too.
It looks nice so far... but it's by The Creative Assembly, so I'd be wary of the game for the first few months. As far as I know, they do not really have any experience with FPS games, and their last couple of releases were a bit too buggy for a release.
Well, this game looks very interesting. I remember years back when I preordered and bought Dead Space. That game still is the best survival/horror/science fiction game I have ever played. Dead Space 2 and 3 were solid as well, but 3 was more action oriented and not survival like the previous 2 were. Of course, 2 was not as survival oriented as 1 was, but I digress....
When I see this game, it reminds me of Dead Space, but I am very hesitant after seeing the reviews on Colonial Marines and seeing how that game bombed. I am going to pick that game up on a steam sale eventually, but the point is that the alien franchise hasn't had a solid game come out since Aliens vs Predator back in the day, and even that game was just ok.
I am hopeful that this game is a good one. I am going to wait for the reviews though before I purchase.
Well, this game looks very interesting. I remember years back when I preordered and bought Dead Space. That game still is the best survival/horror/science fiction game I have ever played. Dead Space 2 and 3 were solid as well, but 3 was more action oriented and not survival like the previous 2 were. Of course, 2 was not as survival oriented as 1 was, but I digress....
The very beginning of Dead Space 3 is pretty action oriented. After that, it gets right back to being a creepy survival horror game. Some of the close quarters, dim lit areas are really well done. DS3 has some of the best lighting I've seen in a game. I don't get where all the hate came from for DS3, I must be playing a different version then everyone else?
Aliens Isolation looks simliar. If they do this game like Outlast/Amnesia style, it'll be amazing. You guys need to give Outlast a try though. It's one of the best survival horror games out there.
Colonial Marines was a game if I remember right that started with a shitload of potential but then due to lots of bad happenings became too many chefs in the kitchen and turned to crap.
The very beginning of Dead Space 3 is pretty action oriented. After that, it gets right back to being a creepy survival horror game. Some of the close quarters, dim lit areas are really well done. DS3 has some of the best lighting I've seen in a game. I don't get where all the hate came from for DS3, I must be playing a different version then everyone else?
I guess I am comparing both DS2 and DS3 to the greatness that was DS1. DS1 was the ultimate in horror survival IMHO. I preordered DS3, and while I thought it was a great game, it just didn't get my spine tingling as much as the 1st game and less so than the 2nd game.
I do agree with you just how good DS3 was, and calling it the weakest of the trilogy isn't a bad thing. I still consider it a must buy.
I wouldn't compare this to Aliens:CM, as it's by a completely different studio.
The Creative Assembly are the guys responsible for all the Total War games and had nothing to do with A:CM
Very true, but the fact that a solid Alien's related game hasn't been released since AvP speaks a lot. I think gaming companies have been trying to make a quick buck off the franchise name and that has really caused more harm than good.
The original AvP was pretty awesome. Particularly the online gameplay through mPlayer. Multiple game modes, all enjoyable. Great memories. It's like $2 on Steam now, but I don't think anyone plays it.
I was big fan of AvP1 and AvP2. First one had horror elements as Marine, while AvP2 was more like puzzle FPS. Facehugger jumping on the screen threw me off chair multiple times.
I think the best method is have like FPS elements (with LIMITED ammo) and as you guys mentioned, survival horror. Aliens (movie) started as shootout but quickly turned into oh shit, we are screwed. I do have high hopes into that one
As a sound effects buff, I quite enjoyed this one. Always thought being a foley artist (like the woman stomping on vegetables) would be fun.
It's particularly awesome how the devs got access to original tapes from the '79 film that helped them discover what went into the original sound design. I've been part of a few archival digs for 30-40 year old recordings and am fascinated by the challenges involved.
As for the game, the more I see of it, the more I like it. I appreciate how the developers seem to be treating the subject matter, particularly after some of the more publicized recent uses of the Alien/Aliens IP.
As a sound effects buff, I quite enjoyed this one. Always thought being a foley artist (like the woman stomping on vegetables) would be fun.
It's particularly awesome how the devs got access to original tapes from the '79 film that helped them discover what went into the original sound design. I've been part of a few archival digs for 30-40 year old recordings and am fascinated by the challenges involved.
As for the game, the more I see of it, the more I like it. I appreciate how the developers seem to be treating the subject matter, particularly after some of the more publicized recent uses of the Alien/Aliens IP.
I really like what I see as well. However, they are going to really have a hard time beating what probably is the best sci-fi horror game I have ever played, which is Dead Space. That game scared the crap out of me and it still does when I replay it. What made it scary was the story and the sound effects. I certainly hope that Alien: Isolation lives up to its billing. I really would like to see something else in the sci-fi horror genre category.
I'll agree with you there. I'm not sure I've ever been as genuinely disturbed as I was while playing Dead Space -- perhaps during Condemned, but that's the only other close contender that comes to mind. Dead Space 2 was a bit less horrifying, except for the level where you return to the Ishimura -- that was the most frightening part of the game for me.
I somehow do not expect Alien: Isolation to surpass that, but I think for me personally that's because it's liable to lack much of a "body horror" element which Dead Space did so well.
In the same week that weve gone Gold, were also pleased to confirm the PC required specifications for our PC gamers.
Minimum PC Specifications are:
Operating System: Windows 7 (32bit) Processor: 3.16Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 RAM: 4GB RAM Hard Drive: 35GB required for installation Video Card: 1GB DirectX® 11 (AMD Radeon HD 5550 or Nvidia GeForce GT 430) Broadband Internet Connection
Recommended PC Specifications are:
Operating System: Windows 7 (64bit) Processor: AMD: Phenom II X4 955 4 Core, 3.2 GHz or INTEL: Core 2 Quad Q9650 4 Core, 3.0 Ghz RAM: 8GB RAM Hard Drive: 35GB required for installation Video Card: 2GB DirectX® 11 (AMD GPU: AMD Radeon R9 200 Series or Nvidia gpu: GeForce GTX660) Broadband Internet Connection
Prepare your systems and get ready for October 7th .
This looks so fantastic and real that I won't be playing it.
Seriously guys. It appears that I am programmed differently than other people, because I really don't enjoy having my adrenal glands work in overdrive while I play video games. Getting jump scared out of my wits really doesn't do it for me. Those fucking babies in Deadspace made me shit my pants so much it broke my anus.
I'm gonna leave the Amnesias and this game to the adrenaline junkies.