I am constantly amazed at the attention to detail in the game. It is a fantastic recreation of the look of the original Alien.
Style over content? I, personally, don't think so. Ot's the only game to in any way make the Alien frightening again, as opposed to cannon fodder. Alien was great, the one I like 2nd best is Alien3, no weapons, of any kind. Having said that, I always supported the Predators inthe (average) AvP films!
One thing about playing this game. Its made me want to watch the films. I bought alien anthology box set on bluray a weeks ago for a tenner which I thought was a good price. Might watch them at weekend.
I watched Alien before playing the game last week.
The Creative Assembly absolutely *nailed* the look of the original film.
I am constantly amazed at the attention to detail in the game. It is a fantastic recreation of the look of the original Alien.
Style over content? I, personally, don't think so. Ot's the only game to in any way make the Alien frightening again, as opposed to cannon fodder. Alien was great, the one I like 2nd best is Alien3, no weapons, of any kind. Having said that, I always supported the Predators inthe (average) AvP films!
Would actually love it if there was a predator game if it had the kind of detail this has.
I've recently got the flame thrower. Does that scare the Alien away if you shoot him with it? Everything in this game is making me jump, I'm constantly on edge, and I kind of love it.
Having just been killed in my very first encounter with the alien (on the way to hack the elevator, no less), I have to ask - are the encounters scripted a certain way (i.e you can't avoid getting killed if you don't rewire the circuits to use the air purification to hide yourself)? I surveyed the whole hall from above and couldn't see it anywhere, crept over to the staircase near the elevator whilst constantly checking behind me, then the next time I turned around it had magically appeared and was closing in on me.
Having just been killed in my very first encounter with the alien (on the way to hack the elevator, no less), I have to ask - are the encounters scripted a certain way (i.e you can't avoid getting killed if you don't rewire the circuits to use the air purification to hide yourself)? I surveyed the whole hall from above and couldn't see it anywhere, crept over to the staircase near the elevator whilst constantly checking behind me, then the next time I turned around it had magically appeared and was closing in on me.
No, you can still survive. I've gone through the whole game so far not knowing what the hell those circuit things even do!
Having just been killed in my very first encounter with the alien (on the way to hack the elevator, no less), I have to ask - are the encounters scripted a certain way (i.e you can't avoid getting killed if you don't rewire the circuits to use the air purification to hide yourself)? I surveyed the whole hall from above and couldn't see it anywhere, crept over to the staircase near the elevator whilst constantly checking behind me, then the next time I turned around it had magically appeared and was closing in on me.
No scripting, but the motion detector is pretty essential if you want to know when you should probably be hiding.
No scripting, but the motion detector is pretty essential if you want to know when you should probably be hiding.
Pretty sure the encounters are scripted. It's just the way that the alien responds during those encounters which are more variable.
I'm guessing that it's "scripted" in a similar sort of way to how Left 4 Dead deals with special infected and hordes though.
Rather than making it so that when you open a specific door or enter a specific area you do get attacked, they've created some sort of algorithm to decide whether you're "due" to be attacked or not.
Course, having said that, continually having to restart the game has meant that I'm not as far through it as I might be so maybe my opinion will change.
From seeing the first third of the game over and over several times, however, it seems like stuff always happens in the same places.
I love the detail and the feel of the thing- they've really gone to town on it. It really does feel like the future 1979 promised.
Heh, that's pretty much what I thought.
On the one hand, the whole "padded surfaces" thing isn't very plausible but, OTOH, it does have a very "Space 1999" or "Alien" vibe to it and they've done a terrific job of making it feel like you're inhabiting a world where it's normal for everything to be faced with white plastic panelling and padded vinyl cushions.
I kinda cringe a bit at the number of bobble-heads and dippy-birds that are around.
I mean, I get that we saw them on the Nostromo but, judging by this game, it seems like they were some sort of global craze.
There's a fine line between creating an authentic movie-style world and just diving right into fanboyism, where everything is some kind of reference to one of the movies, and they seem to be treading that line quite carefully.
The only thing (aside from the bugs) that I see being a problem with this game is that I'm pretty sure that once I've played it through the replay incentive is going to be absolutely nil.
First time around, it's actually kinda fun to leap into lockers every time something makes a noise but I think it'd just be annoying after that.
Pretty sure the encounters are scripted. It's just the way that the alien responds during those encounters which are more variable.
I'm guessing that it's "scripted" in a similar sort of way to how Left 4 Dead deals with special infected and hordes though.
Rather than making it so that when you open a specific door or enter a specific area you do get attacked, they've created some sort of algorithm to decide whether you're "due" to be attacked or not.
Course, having said that, continually having to restart the game has meant that I'm not as far through it as I might be so maybe my opinion will change.
From seeing the first third of the game over and over several times, however, it seems like stuff always happens in the same places.
It's a mixture, AFAIK.
There are certain scripted encounters, such as when you are going to hack the lift or when you are in medical, but it is also possible for the Alien to just pop out "at random" - e.g. you could attract it with noise, or another survivor could, or it may just be out on "patrol".
Once it is out and about, whether due to a scripted encounter or just random bad luck, the AI is meant to mean it does not always follow the same path, and combined with the difficulty affects how easily it detects you.
The only thing (aside from the bugs) that I see being a problem with this game is that I'm pretty sure that once I've played it through the replay incentive is going to be absolutely nil.
First time around, it's actually kinda fun to leap into lockers every time something makes a noise but I think it'd just be annoying after that.
That's what the Survivor Mode is for - to keep you playing once you've done the story, because, as you say, there's not a lot of replayability to it.
Not sure if anyone else has said this but there are times when I'm playing where the whole environment doesn't load and I'm left running through space, waiting a ridiculously long time for it all to pop in, bit by bit. I'm on PS3. The amount of times this glitch has gotten me killed is crazy. Amazing game otherwise.
Just had two close shaves with the alien. One of them I went into a room just as it was coming out. It was turning to go down a corridor as I walked in so was just out of its eye line. The other was when I went into a room it dropped down from a vent right in front of me. I managed to hide behind a desk but it didn't look round anyway.
Have I missed picking up the "Ion Torch" somewhere, fairly early on?
I'm coming across lots of doors which give me the message "You need the Ion Torch to open this door".
I was crawling down a duct and I came to an exit that required me to open a door to get out again.
It turned out to be a yellow hatchway and I realise that I've seen heaps of similar hatchways previously in the game and I wondered if they are entrances to ducts that I could have used if I'd had the mythical "Ion Torch".
Secondly, is it just me that's finding the motion-tracker almost useless?
In open areas you can see further than the MT's range, if you want to know if there's something inside another room you have to get so close that the door opens and if you want to know if there's something around a corner, it's just as easy to peek.
I had a bit of a play with it by deliberately following the alien into a room and, after the alien went into the room and the door closed behind it, I moved closer and closer without getting a reading and the MT, literally, only started to detect something just as I got within range of the door sensors, the door opened, the alien ran at me and I died.
Have I missed picking up the "Ion Torch" somewhere, fairly early on?
I'm coming across lots of doors which give me the message "You need the Ion Torch to open this door".
I was crawling down a duct and I came to an exit that required me to open a door to get out again.
It turned out to be a yellow hatchway and I realise that I've seen heaps of similar hatchways previously in the game and I wondered if they are entrances to ducts that I could have used if I'd had the mythical "Ion Torch".
Secondly, is it just me that's finding the motion-tracker almost useless?
In open areas you can see further than the MT's range, if you want to know if there's something inside another room you have to get so close that the door opens and if you want to know if there's something around a corner, it's just as easy to peek.
I had a bit of a play with it by deliberately following the alien into a room and, after the alien went into the room and the door closed behind it, I moved closer and closer without getting a reading and the MT, literally, only started to detect something just as I got within range of the door sensors, the door opened, the alien ran at me and I died.
No, you can't miss the ion torch when you eventually get it. And I agree about the motion tracker, it's more of a nuiscance for me with it's constant beeping.
Did the mission where marlow tells Amanda the whole story about the alien. That mission looked awesome going on the alien ship. Detail on that was jaw dropping. I've finally got the flame thrower. Don't know whether I'm coming to the end or not, hoping not because I'm enjoying it too much.
Looking forward to it... really hope it doesn't dissapoint.
Might watch the first Alien film tonight so that I enjoy the game more.
For me its great. As long as you don't like saving every 5 mins especially just before something big happens. I actually like how it saves. Certainly adds to the tension.
Looking forward to it... really hope it doesn't dissapoint.
Might watch the first Alien film tonight so that I enjoy the game more.
You should definitely watch the first film beforehand, IMO.
As for whether it disappoints you or not... All depends on how you find the save system etc., I think, along with the Alien's appearances and certain other aspects.
Some people (myself included) found the game became very frustrating, plus later also tedious.
Other people *loved* it.
It looks great, the sound is awesome, it fits the original film's look and feel perfectly, and the atmosphere is really bloody good... but it is not a game for everyone.
Comments
Style over content? I, personally, don't think so. Ot's the only game to in any way make the Alien frightening again, as opposed to cannon fodder. Alien was great, the one I like 2nd best is Alien3, no weapons, of any kind. Having said that, I always supported the Predators inthe (average) AvP films!
I watched Alien before playing the game last week.
The Creative Assembly absolutely *nailed* the look of the original film.
Would actually love it if there was a predator game if it had the kind of detail this has.
Absolutely. Predator doesn't have the same following but it would be awesome. The series doesn't have as much unifying imagery though.
Having just been killed in my very first encounter with the alien (on the way to hack the elevator, no less), I have to ask - are the encounters scripted a certain way (i.e you can't avoid getting killed if you don't rewire the circuits to use the air purification to hide yourself)? I surveyed the whole hall from above and couldn't see it anywhere, crept over to the staircase near the elevator whilst constantly checking behind me, then the next time I turned around it had magically appeared and was closing in on me.
No, you can still survive. I've gone through the whole game so far not knowing what the hell those circuit things even do!
No scripting, but the motion detector is pretty essential if you want to know when you should probably be hiding.
Pretty sure the encounters are scripted. It's just the way that the alien responds during those encounters which are more variable.
I'm guessing that it's "scripted" in a similar sort of way to how Left 4 Dead deals with special infected and hordes though.
Rather than making it so that when you open a specific door or enter a specific area you do get attacked, they've created some sort of algorithm to decide whether you're "due" to be attacked or not.
Course, having said that, continually having to restart the game has meant that I'm not as far through it as I might be so maybe my opinion will change.
From seeing the first third of the game over and over several times, however, it seems like stuff always happens in the same places.
I love the detail and the feel of the thing- they've really gone to town on it. It really does feel like the future 1979 promised.
Heh, that's pretty much what I thought.
On the one hand, the whole "padded surfaces" thing isn't very plausible but, OTOH, it does have a very "Space 1999" or "Alien" vibe to it and they've done a terrific job of making it feel like you're inhabiting a world where it's normal for everything to be faced with white plastic panelling and padded vinyl cushions.
I kinda cringe a bit at the number of bobble-heads and dippy-birds that are around.
I mean, I get that we saw them on the Nostromo but, judging by this game, it seems like they were some sort of global craze.
There's a fine line between creating an authentic movie-style world and just diving right into fanboyism, where everything is some kind of reference to one of the movies, and they seem to be treading that line quite carefully.
The only thing (aside from the bugs) that I see being a problem with this game is that I'm pretty sure that once I've played it through the replay incentive is going to be absolutely nil.
First time around, it's actually kinda fun to leap into lockers every time something makes a noise but I think it'd just be annoying after that.
It's a mixture, AFAIK.
There are certain scripted encounters, such as when you are going to hack the lift or when you are in medical, but it is also possible for the Alien to just pop out "at random" - e.g. you could attract it with noise, or another survivor could, or it may just be out on "patrol".
Once it is out and about, whether due to a scripted encounter or just random bad luck, the AI is meant to mean it does not always follow the same path, and combined with the difficulty affects how easily it detects you.
That's what the Survivor Mode is for - to keep you playing once you've done the story, because, as you say, there's not a lot of replayability to it.
Have I missed picking up the "Ion Torch" somewhere, fairly early on?
I'm coming across lots of doors which give me the message "You need the Ion Torch to open this door".
I was crawling down a duct and I came to an exit that required me to open a door to get out again.
It turned out to be a yellow hatchway and I realise that I've seen heaps of similar hatchways previously in the game and I wondered if they are entrances to ducts that I could have used if I'd had the mythical "Ion Torch".
Secondly, is it just me that's finding the motion-tracker almost useless?
In open areas you can see further than the MT's range, if you want to know if there's something inside another room you have to get so close that the door opens and if you want to know if there's something around a corner, it's just as easy to peek.
I had a bit of a play with it by deliberately following the alien into a room and, after the alien went into the room and the door closed behind it, I moved closer and closer without getting a reading and the MT, literally, only started to detect something just as I got within range of the door sensors, the door opened, the alien ran at me and I died.
No, you can't miss the ion torch when you eventually get it. And I agree about the motion tracker, it's more of a nuiscance for me with it's constant beeping.
IGN weren't paid enough money to give it a good review, same for Gamespot
Looking forward to it... really hope it doesn't dissapoint.
Might watch the first Alien film tonight so that I enjoy the game more.
For me its great. As long as you don't like saving every 5 mins especially just before something big happens. I actually like how it saves. Certainly adds to the tension.
You should definitely watch the first film beforehand, IMO.
As for whether it disappoints you or not... All depends on how you find the save system etc., I think, along with the Alien's appearances and certain other aspects.
Some people (myself included) found the game became very frustrating, plus later also tedious.
Other people *loved* it.
It looks great, the sound is awesome, it fits the original film's look and feel perfectly, and the atmosphere is really bloody good... but it is not a game for everyone.