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Alien: Isolation

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Alien: Isolation
Developer(s)The Creative Assembly
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Alistair Hope
Producer(s)Jonathan Court
Oli Smith
Designer(s)Gary Napper
Clive Lindop
Programmer(s)Clive Gratton
Artist(s)Jude Bond
Writer(s)Dan Abnett
Dion Lay
Will Porter
Composer(s)Christian Henson
Joe Henson
Alexis Smith
Jeff van Dyck
Byron Bullock
Sam Cooper
Haydn Payne
SeriesAlien
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Release7 October 2014[1]
Genre(s)Survival horror, stealth
Mode(s)Single-player

Alien: Isolation is a first-person survival horror stealth game[2] developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega on 7 October 2014 for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It was directed by Alistair Hope and produced by Jonathan Court and Oli Smith.

Part of the Alien series, the game is set in 2137, 15 years after the events of Alien and 42 years prior to Aliens. The game follows Amanda Ripley, who is investigating the disappearance of her mother. Amanda is transferred to the space station Sevastopol to find the flight recorder of the Nostromo only to discover an Alien has terrorized the station and killed the vast majority of the crew.

Alien: Isolation gained favourable reviews from critics, and is notable for receiving a much more positive reaction than Sega's previous Alien games such as Aliens vs. Predator and Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Gameplay

The Creative Assembly described Alien: Isolation as a survival horror game as opposed to an action shooter, designing the game more in line with Ridley Scott's Alien, as opposed to James Cameron's more action-oriented Aliens.[3] Unlike most other video game adaptations of the Alien franchise, Alien: Isolation features a single Alien for most of the title's duration that cannot be killed, requiring the player to use stealth tactics in order to survive.[3][4][5] Although the game features some weapons, they will be lethal only against the human occupants and android "Working Joes".[6] The player may finish the game by not killing any humans using non-lethal methods, like other first person shooters such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dishonored.[7]

Instead of following a predetermined path, the artificial intelligence of the Alien has been programmed to actively hunt the player by sight, sound, and smell.[8]

The Alien AI was programmed with a complex set of behavioural designs that unlock as it encounters the player, creating the illusion that the Alien learns from each encounter with the player and appropriately adjusts its hunting strategy.[9] This includes the ability for the Alien to investigate "secondary sources" of disturbances. For instance, if it notices a locker or air lock is open, the Alien will search for who opened it.[9] The Alien also emits specific vocalizations depending on its intent: a scream may indicate that it is about to attack, while other sounds may indicate that it is searching, that it has seen something, or that it lost the trail of its prey.[9]

The player has the ability to crouch to hide behind objects to break line of sight with the Alien, and the player can then covertly peek over or lean around to gain view.[4] The player can also run and possesses both a flashlight and a motion tracker to detect the Alien's movements. However, using any of these creates noise or light, which increases the chance of the Alien finding the player.[4] The player can go under tables[4] or inside lockers to hide from the Alien, and will sometimes have to press a button to make Amanda hold her breath to avoid making noise.[10] Levels are designed to be non-linear, with multiple entry and exit points for each room providing alternative routes for the Alien to attack or the player to escape.

In-game screenshot showing the motion tracker which informs the player of any nearby movement. The player can either focus their vision on the tracker or the foreground.

The game has a minimal heads-up display, instead requiring the player to use their inventory to acquire information, such as bringing up the motion tracker to locate the Alien. Using the motion tracker triggers a depth of field effect so the player can focus on either the tracker or what is in front, but cannot focus on both at the same time.[11] The motion tracker is only capable of detecting the Alien's approximate location when it is moving; it can neither detect the Alien's specific location nor locate the Alien when it is not moving.[9] The game features a crafting system which allows the player to create weapons and tools to defend themself. Crafting objects appear in randomised locations, forcing players to explore the level on each playthrough instead of memorizing the locations of previously found tools.[9] Players also encounter computers and other devices that they can hack to access information or trigger in-game actions, using a system similar to video tape tracking.[9]

The game also features a minimal amount of music, more relying on ambient sound to make the player notice what may be happening and to also enhance the atmosphere. However, there are some scripted sequences of music, as well as rising noise whenever the Alien may be nearby.

Creative Assembly announced two pieces of pre-order DLC. All pre-orders received a free upgrade to the Nostromo Edition, which includes the Crew Expendable mission featuring the original crew of the Nostromo. Additionally, by ordering the Ripley Edition from selected retailers, players received the Last Survivor mission, which features Ellen Ripley attempting to set the self-destruct system and escape aboard the Narcissus.[12]

Although the support of Oculus Rift was dropped on the late stage of development, it's possible to unlock the option by changing the config files of the game.[13]

Plot

In 2137, fifteen years after the events of Alien, Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, is approached by Weyland-Yutani synthetic Christopher Samuels, who informs her that the flight recorder of the Nostromo was recently located by a ship named the Anesidora and is being held aboard Sevastopol Station, a remote free port space station owned by the Seegson Corporation, in orbit around the gas giant KG348. Samuels offers Amanda a place on the Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve it, so that she can have closure regarding the fate of her missing mother.[14][15] Ripley, Samuels, and Weyland-Yutani executive Nina Taylor, travel to Sevastopol on board the courier ship Torrens, owned by Captain Verlaine. The group arrive at Sevastopol to find the station damaged and its communications unreliable. Ripley, Samuels, and Taylor attempt to spacewalk over to the station to investigate, but their EVA line is severed by debris, and Ripley is separated from them and forced to enter the station on her own.

Ripley, attempting to find a way to contact the Torrens, finds that station-side civil order has broken down completely. Seegson has been trying to sell off Sevastopol for years and reduced the station's complement to a skeleton crew; today that crew has been reduced to small groups of frightened, paranoid looters who hoard scavenged resources and shoot non-group members on sight. Ripley is confronted by a man named Axel, but convinces him to help her in exchange for a ride off the station aboard the Torrens. Axel explains that the current situation is due to a "killer" loose aboard the station, and soon after assisting Ripley, said monster—the Alien—appears and kills him. Ripley eventually finds the Nostromo's flight recorder, but to her dismay discovers that it contains no data. Ripley then attempts to contact the Torrens through Sevastopol's communications centre, however she soon discovers that the station's android workforce have turned hostile, killing anyone that attempts to send a distress call. Ripley manages to contact Samuels and Taylor, discovering that Taylor has been injured, forcing Ripley to retrieve medical supplies from the station's medical bay to treat her.

Ripley reaches the medical bay and is assisted by a Dr. Kuhlman (who is later killed by the Alien), before making her way to the dispensary. Recovering the supplies, she later reunites with Samuels and Taylor, where the team has been taken into custody by the station's Marshal, Waits, and his deputy, Ricardo. Waits explains that the Alien was brought on board the station by Henry Marlow, captain of the Anesidora who is now in Waits' custody. Ripley speaks with Marlow and learns that the Anesidora crew discovered the flight recorder near the planetoid LV-426, where they also discovered a derelict ship previously found by the Nostromo crew and the nest of Alien eggs contained within. Marlow's wife was attacked by a facehugger, and seeking help, Marlow brought her aboard Sevastopol for treatment. The Alien which hatched from her is the one terrorizing the station. Waits convinces Ripley to help him contain the Alien by luring it into a remote section of the station and sealing it inside. Ripley is successful, but Waits neglects to mention that he was planning to use Ripley as bait, and ejects the module with her still inside of it. As it careens into space, Ripley manages to find an EVA suit, eject from the airlock and space-jump back to Sevastopol. The Alien is left behind in the jettisoned module, and both are sucked into KG348's gravity well.

With the Alien disposed of, the situation aboard the station appears back under control until the station's androids abruptly starts slaughtering the remaining crew. The casualties include Waits and his men, though Ricardo survives. Ripley tries to find Samuels and discovers he is attempting to interface with the station's controlling artificial intelligence, APOLLO, in order to cease the slaughter. APOLLO's defensive countermeasures deactivate Samuels, but not before he manages to open a path for Ripley into APOLLO's control core. Upon reaching the core, Ripley discovers that Seegson has finally found a buyer for Sevastopol: Weyland-Yutani, who instructed APOLLO to protect the Alien regardless of any human casualties. When Ripley demands to know why APOLLO is continuing to kill the crew when the Alien is no longer aboard, APOLLO directs her to the station's reactor core, where Ripley discovers an entire hive of Aliens. She uses Sevastopol's reactors to destroy the hive, but not before multiple Aliens escape into the station.

Ripley learns from Ricardo that Taylor was sent by Weyland-Yutani to retrieve the Alien, and that she freed Marlow in exchange for the location of LV-426. However, Marlow took her hostage and fled back to the Anesidora. Ripley and Ricardo pursue them in hopes of using the ship to escape. Upon exploring the Anesidora, Ripley discovers an additional message from her mother after her initial report of the events on the Nostromo. They then discover that Marlow is attempting to overload the Anesidora's fusion reactor to destroy the station, thus ensuring that the Aliens do not escape. Taylor knocks out Marlow while he is ranting at Ripley, and the two together attempt to prevent the detonation. An electrical overload kills Taylor during the process; even worse, while they succeed at reducing the force of the blast, Sevastopol's gravity stabilizers become damaged, and Ripley escapes to the station whose orbit is now rapidly decaying.

Ripley and Ricardo manage to contact the Torrens for extraction, but Ricardo is attacked by a facehugger and Ripley is forced to leave him behind. After letting the ship dock, Ripley prepares to space-jump to the Torrens, but she is attacked by an Alien and taken to another hive, which she escapes. She then makes her way outside to help the Torrens detach from the station via a controlled explosion, but is soon surrounded by Aliens and then thrown into the ship due to the blast. Sevastopol then begins to plummet towards the gas giant and burns up in its atmosphere. Aboard the Torrens, Ripley makes her way to the bridge to reunite with Captain Verlaine, but is confronted by another Alien. Still in her EVA suit, Ripley is cornered into the airlock and is forced to open it, jettisoning both herself and the Alien into space.

The final shot of the game depicts Ripley, adrift in her spacesuit, suddenly awakened by a searchlight that crosses her face.

Development

The Creative Assembly, best known for their work on the Total War game series,[16] began work on the game after completion of Viking: Battle For Asgard.[17] A six-person team developed a small multiplayer game to pitch the idea to Sega, a "hide and seek" game where the Alien role had to be controlled by one of the players. The game "went a bit viral within Sega", and the project was approved. The developers were frustrated at being unable to talk about their own game during Aliens: Colonial Marines's troubled release.[18] The game will only feature limited gunplay as the studio feel that action-oriented games such as Dead Space have "marginalised" real horror games.[9] A substantial number of former Crytek staff are working on the project.[10]

We had this rule: If a prop couldn’t have been made in ’79 with the things that they had around, then we wouldn’t make it either.

—Jon McKellan, Lead Art Design[19]

Though it is set in the future, the technology of the game is modelled after the first "Alien" film.[10] To accomplish this, the studio emulated the creative processes used in the actual movie, and what was available at that time.[20] The game's artists studied Ron Cobb's original concept art and used tablet computer versions of his drawing implements.[21] In-game objects must be derived from items available to the film's production,[22][23] while computers have monochrome displays and simple graphics.[24] To create period authentic distortion on in-game monitors, the developers recorded their in game animations onto VHS and Betamax video recorders, then filmed those sequences playing on an "old curvy portable TV" while adjusting the tracking settings.[9] The Alien itself was designed to look similar to H. R. Giger's original design for the creature from the first film, including the semitransparent head with visible skull underneath, as opposed to the designs that were used for the film's sequels.[4] However the developers did alter the Alien's design to feature recurved legs as opposed to the more humanoid legs the monster had in the original film, in order to provide the Alien a walk cycle that would hold up to scrutiny during longer encounters with the player.[25] The Creative Assembly created between 70 and 80 different sets of animation for the Alien.[9] 20th Century Fox provided The Creative Assembly with three terabytes of archived data related to the original Alien film, including notes on prop and set design, behind the scenes photos, videos, and the film's original sound effect recordings, to help Creative Assembly authentically recreate the atmosphere of the film.[4][9] Among the source material provided by 20th Century Fox, was the film's original musical soundtrack, to which the developers re-recorded several of the original cues with a full orchestra, including some of the musicians who worked on the first film’s soundtrack.[9] Alien: Isolation features a dynamic sound engine which causes the music and sound effects to appropriately change based on the players actions, such as whether they are hiding or fleeing from the Alien.[26]

The first press coverage came in on 12 May 2011, when Ed Vaizey visited the studio and revealed on his Twitter account that they were hiring for an Alien game.[27][28] Neither the studio or publisher would be drawn on confirming a genre for the game, and wouldn't say if it was a strategy title - the category Creative Assembly is best known for. However, CA did confirm to CVG that the game would be making its way to "console", but didn't specify formats. Creative director Mike Simpson said that he'd been given the directive to win awards by Sega, but wasn't overly pressured because "we like winning awards". "This is very much a triple-A project", Sega West boss Mike Hayes added. "We want this to be a peer to the likes of Dead Space 2."[29] The game's name was anticipated following a trademark registration,[30] and the game was formally confirmed with the release of a trailer on 7 January 2014.[citation needed] The game went gold on 9 September 2014.[31]

The game is dedicated to Simon Franco, a programmer on the game, who passed away during development.

Cast

The actors from the original Alien reprised their roles in several recordings found in-game as well as the characters themselves in additional playable content missions.[12]

Ian Holm was unavailable to reprise his role as Ash, although he did allow his physical likeness to be used for the character model. Dave B. Mitchell provided the voice.

John Hurt's character Kane is the only member of the Nostromo not to make an appearance. He is only mentioned throughout the game and the events of the Crew Expendable mission happen after his character's death.

Most of the main characters were animated using motion capture of the actors playing them, and in most cases, their faces were captured digitally using high definition cameras.

Reception

Critical reception

Alien: Isolation received largely positive reviews, especially in contrast to Sega's previous Alien games, Aliens vs. Predator and Aliens: Colonial Marines. Many critics praised the environments, pacing, the effective nostalgic effect of Ridley Scott's Alien, stealth mechanics and the AI of the Alien whilst some critics noted the long story campaign and unoriginal narrative and poor acting from the voice actors. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 82.69% based on 16 reviews and 81/100 based on 40 reviews,[32][35] the PlayStation 4 version 79.72% based on 44 reviews and 79/100 based on 50 reviews[33][36] and the Xbox One version 78.95% based on 19 reviews and 78/100 based on 23 reviews.[34][37]

David Houghton from GamesRadar gave the game a 4.5/5, praising the graphics and its intelligent AI which keeps the game unpredictable. He described the game as "thrilling, engrossing, profoundly fulfilling" and he stated that the game will probably make players feel more alive than a video game has in years.[43]

Andy Kelly from PC Gamer gave the game a 93/100, stating that the game is the one the Alien series has always deserved. He praised the audio design, as well as the reactive AI of the Alien. He also stated that the pacing of the story was perfect, even though it took him about 25 hours to finish the game. However, he criticized the disappointing story as well as the flat voice acting and insubstantial characters, but he still summarized the game as a "deep, fun stealth game set in an evocatively realised sci-fi world."[50]

Alex Dale from Official Xbox Magazine gave the game a 9/10. He described the game as a "unique stealth-horror thriller that combines great pacing and smart design with razor-sharp AI that's unpredictable in all the right ways". However, he criticized the punishing difficulty of the game, saying players will suffer harsh punishment for small failures.[49]

Chris Carter from Destructoid gave the game a 8.5/10, praising the unscripted and dynamic Alien AI. He also praised the Survivor mode which could be unlocked roughly after 15 hours. He described it as the best part of the game because the mode offered different feelings and experiences for players every time when they played it.[39]

Dan Whitehead from Eurogamer gave the game a 8/10. He praised the superb lighting and unusually compelling environment design. He stated that the game has created some of his most tense and memorable horror gaming moments ever. He also described the Alien's free-roaming AI creation as "a stroke of genius". However, he criticized the crafting system as too simple to the point of being shallow. He also criticized length of the game as it is too long and felt that the game overstayed its welcome.[41]

Dave Meikleham from Computer and Video Games also gave the game a 8/10, praising its sound design and the horror moments, but noting he encountered occasional frame rate issues. He also thought that if the game were 30% shorter, it would be a much bolder and sharper experience.[38]

Jeff Marchiafava from Game Informer gave the game a 7.75/10. He too stated that it is the closest game to capture the promise of the Alien franchise and believed that it is the experience fans of the franchise have waited for a long time. However, he compared the game to Dead Space and believed that the environments and actions failed to instill the sense of dread that the movies or other horror games had delivered. He also criticized the 'wooden' animation of the characters, as well as the unhelpful map, unimpressive voice acting and dialogue.[42]

Arthur Gies from Polygon gave the game a 6.5/10. He stated that the fear towards the aliens soon became irritation due to the game's repetitiveness. He also criticized the irritating and frustrating save system, as the game doesn't feature a checkpoint system, forcing players to play the same bit over and over again, assuming they die a lot.[51]

Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot gave the game a 6/10. He thought that the game had made good use of the motion-tracking system, and the cat-and-mouse encounters with the Alien can be tense and frightening. He praised the retro-futuristic atmosphere in the game but criticized the inconsistent gameplay and frustrating distance between save points.[44]

Ryan McCaffrey from IGN gave the game a 5.9/10. He found it disappointing, despite being a perfect "Alien" game on paper. He believed that the genuine scares of being hunted by an unstoppable alien were diluted by repetition, and criticized the game's pacing and 'unpredictable' AI.[47]

Accolades

Alien Isolation won 2014 PC Gamer Game of the Year 2014, [53] GameFront's Game of The Year 2014, [54], Kotaku Australia's Best Console Game of The Year 2014, and Best Overall Game of The Year 2014, [55] [56] GamesRadar's Best Horror Game of 2014 (and was also considered the 3rd best overall game of 2014), [57] was considered The Best Game of 2014 by New Statesman's, [58] and the game also appeared on several year-end lists of the best games of 2014: was ranked 1st in The Daily Telegraph's top 25 games of 2014, [59] 2nd in Empire's top 10 games of 2014, [60] 2nd in Time's top 10 games of 2014, [61] 2nd the Associated Press's Top 10 games of 2014, [62] 4th in The Guardian's top 25 games of 2014, [63] was in The 10 best games of 2014 list by Daily Mirror's (not ranked). [64]

References

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  2. ^ Gaston, Martin (13 December 2013). "Leaked Alien: Isolation screenshots already look better than Colonial Marines". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 December 2013. Creative Assembly is hoping to forge Alien: Isolation into a first-person mix of horror and stealth, with BioShock and Dishonored cited.
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  5. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 70. February 2014. The working spaces are built as loops crossed with alternate pathways to give the massive alien room to hunt and players space to hide. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 64. February 2014. Yes, Alien: Isolation has a fire button, so yes, there are guns in the game, but you won't be shooting often. Ammunition is limited to a handful of rounds at a time and while gunfire might be useful against the inevitably homicidal humans or those Working Joes, the Alien shrugs off anything you throw at it. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ http://gamerant.com/alien-isolation-no-killing-required/
  8. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 64. February 2014. The alien is systematic across the board," [Gary] Napper says. "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. It doesn't have to be the player {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
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  19. ^ "Alien: Isolation is 'The "Alien" Game We've Always Wanted to Play' - Page 3 of 4 - GameFront". GameFront. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  20. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 63. February 2014. Alien Isolation's look is informed by one rule above all others: if it couldn't be built in 1979, it's not in the game. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  21. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 68. February 2014. Jon McKellan: "We decided to create all our concept art in the same style, using felt tips - or diginal versions of them - so that we could think the way he would think and maybe arrive at similar decisions." {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  22. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 63. February 2014. Props such as the game's hacking device and motion tracker were built they way they would have been built on the set of the movie, with virtual black paint and stencils and duct tape wrapped around handheld televisions or old war radios. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  23. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 69. February 2014. Jon McKellan: "There are no LED lights in our game." {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  24. ^ "Isolation". Edge. Future Publishing: p. 69. February 2014. User interfaces are all vectors and scan lines on displays often built to show shades of only one colour. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
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