By Reece Merryweather-Brown
Alien Isolation is the upcoming title from SEGA about, yes, you’re right, the Alien Universe. Yes. Again. But I think I really should attract your notice to the singular word there, ‘Alien.’ What does that mean I hear you shout? It means that this game is going to be about the Alien movie, not the Aliens movies. There’s a big difference. Now, instead of mowing down hordes of horrifically animated beasts, you’ll be fighting to survive a singular creature lurking in the halls of a seemingly abandoned space shuttle. Slightly interested? Good.
Alien Isolation is the upcoming title from SEGA about, yes, you’re right, the Alien Universe. Yes. Again. But I think I really should attract your notice to the singular word there, ‘Alien.’ What does that mean I hear you shout? It means that this game is going to be about the Alien movie, not the Aliens movies. There’s a big difference. Now, instead of mowing down hordes of horrifically animated beasts, you’ll be fighting to survive a singular creature lurking in the halls of a seemingly abandoned space shuttle. Slightly interested? Good.
‘I guess it all started because no-one had made the game we wanted to play, a game that really captured the spirit of the original movie’ said Al Hope, the Creative Lead from Creative Assembly, the developing team behind the game. Now that is a real statement to install some hope into the drones of horribly disappointed fans. Players will take control of Amanda Ripley, daughter of the famous and universally known Ellen Ripley, to try and find information regarding her missing mother aboard the space station Sevastopol. Except there’s something not quite right, and by that I mean…well see for yourself.
Say cheeeeese
‘The player isn’t equipped with incredible firepower or military hardware, they are isolated, they are vulnerable and they are just trying to survive moment to moment with whatever they can find in the environment that can give them some kind of edge,’ says Clive Lindop, a designer behind the game. This is how you really know that this is a survival game, not just some straight up shoot-whatever-you-see. And it just further cements the earlier statement, that no-one has made the game that everyone wants to play and it really does look like their trying to bring the original Alien movie back to life for a new audience and an entirely new way of experiencing it.
And, let’s not forget, everything looks gorgeous! The lighting, the Alien, the station, everything looks absolutely amazing. It’s hardly surprising for a game coming to the next gen but it’s still astounding. And everything just looks so…Alien! Now, I’m not old, I didn’t watch Alien when it came out. But watching that trailer, it brought back so many fond memories of my first viewing of the original film. Everything looks like the old 70’s view of the future, from the push-to-make-it-happen style machines to the gear that looks like it took a lot of thought and foresight for the people to create. It’s like trying to step back in time to make something futuristic and they look like they’ve done a fantastic job.
And, let’s not forget, everything looks gorgeous! The lighting, the Alien, the station, everything looks absolutely amazing. It’s hardly surprising for a game coming to the next gen but it’s still astounding. And everything just looks so…Alien! Now, I’m not old, I didn’t watch Alien when it came out. But watching that trailer, it brought back so many fond memories of my first viewing of the original film. Everything looks like the old 70’s view of the future, from the push-to-make-it-happen style machines to the gear that looks like it took a lot of thought and foresight for the people to create. It’s like trying to step back in time to make something futuristic and they look like they’ve done a fantastic job.
The trailer so far is the best way to see where the game’s headed and what it’s trying to do. Another designer, Gary Napper said; ‘We wanted to create an experience that was terrifying and claustrophobic, a game where you would spend the entire time wondering where the Alien is.’ Now, I don’t know, but does that sound sort of like there might be an even scarier concept at play here? Could there possibly be a Xenomorph AI? Could it be that the Xenomorph thinks and actively searches for the player? Instead of spawning in an area at just the right moment, could it actually be anywhere, at any time? Who knows but if you’re reading this Mr. Hope, think about it won’t you?
We haven’t seen or heard a lot so far from this title. It’s scheduled for a late 2014 release, but with all the problems with videogames we could well be looking at an early or even late 2015 release. But I don’t mind, I can wait, as long as they do it right. And so far, it’s looking like they’re on the right track.
To watch the trailer go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meNE4CPtnCo and click the link on the end to hear people like Al Hope try and tell you that you’re not going to sit down to another Colonial Marines when it eventually comes out.
We haven’t seen or heard a lot so far from this title. It’s scheduled for a late 2014 release, but with all the problems with videogames we could well be looking at an early or even late 2015 release. But I don’t mind, I can wait, as long as they do it right. And so far, it’s looking like they’re on the right track.
To watch the trailer go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meNE4CPtnCo and click the link on the end to hear people like Al Hope try and tell you that you’re not going to sit down to another Colonial Marines when it eventually comes out.
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