ALIEN: ISOLATION Hands On Impressions - E3 2014
In space no one can hear you scream, but they certainly can at E3. The objective seemed simple, "escape the area." But dammit if Alien: Isolation isn't the hardest game I've played at E3 yet. It was incredibly masochistic and I loved every tension filled moment. You play as the daughter of Ellen Ripley who is on a mission to find out the whereabouts of her mother. You find yourself stranded on the space station Sevastopol which has been overrun by a single Xenomorph.
This game is one of the most intense experiences I have had in a long time. The game is more about survival and getting from point a to point b than it is about combat. You can use a flame thrower against the Xenomorph which only makes the creature retreat rather than killing or injuring it. It can go anywhere too — underneath the floor, which is shown by having dust rise from the ground and hearing scurrying beneath you; in the vents above you, which was the scariest way I died, actually. I walked underneath an open vent and the Xenomorph just snatched me up and killed me. I died a lot and almost every time I did, it was in a different way. One time the alien impaled me with it's tail. Another time I was crouching and maneuvering around a room and the Xenomorph walked in and I thought that it hadn't sensed me but alas it moved at an almost super speed and grabbed me and absolutely destroyed me. Another time it came up behind me and snapped my neck.
The motion tracker is your best friend. But they're optional objectives that give you rewards for completing them, one of them being "don't use the motion tracker". With the motion tracker in hand, your vision of your surroundings is blurred a bit. It is subtle but drastically ramps up the tension. The UI is fantastic, very retro-futuristic.
Scavenging and crafting are also great features to use. You can create flares and similar objects to light up dark areas or create distractions.
The best part of Alien: Isolation is of course the alien. The AI system is almost flawless. It is superbly smart and overtly vicious. This game is not for the faint of heart.
This looks like this may be the Alien game we deserve, especially after the abysmal Colonial Marines. I can't wait to get my hands on it when it's released on October 7th for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.