1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Gaming Alien: Isolation Review

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Dogbert666, 7 Oct 2014.

  1. Dogbert666

    Dogbert666 *Fewer Lover of bit-tech Administrator

    Joined:
    17 Jan 2010
    Posts:
    1,678
    Likes Received:
    181
  2. Pookie

    Pookie Illegitimi non carborundum

    Joined:
    4 May 2010
    Posts:
    3,565
    Likes Received:
    172
    Nice review. Finally a decent Alien Game too.
     
  3. t5kcannon

    t5kcannon Minimodder

    Joined:
    7 Jan 2011
    Posts:
    140
    Likes Received:
    2
    Good review. There was a time when film tie-in titles were usually not much good (ie, they traded on the success of the film title, and therefore developers put less than sufficient effort in). Of course there have been exceptions, like Robocop on the ZX Spectrum (anyone remember that? was great!), Goldeneye on console, Star Wars RPGs, and other titles. Now there looks a decent LotR game around (Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor) and a decent Alien game. I might just buy the latter.
     
  4. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    17,421
    Likes Received:
    5,795
    Nice review - I was almost afraid to read it, so high were my hopes for a good Alien game.

    I do have a question and a complaint though...

    I read one review suggesting the AI was severely broken and unbalanced. Did you notice any flakiness?

    Now for the obvious complaint:

    It's not a Xenomorph! The name was suggested in the film Aliens, by Lt Gorman, when they weren't sure what they were likely to discover on LV-426. It quickly became clear that the marines hadn't encountered this species before so previous assumptions were obviously ruled out, including the Xenomorph.

    And relax. [/pedant]

    :p
     
  5. RichCreedy

    RichCreedy Hey What Who

    Joined:
    24 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    4,698
    Likes Received:
    172
    I am just downloading it for free, thanks to amd radeon rewards :)
     
  6. Dave Lister

    Dave Lister Minimodder

    Joined:
    1 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    880
    Likes Received:
    12
    Nice to see an Alien game getting all positive reviews (from what i've read so far) so I am now logging into steam and adding this to my wish list !
     
  7. Pookie

    Pookie Illegitimi non carborundum

    Joined:
    4 May 2010
    Posts:
    3,565
    Likes Received:
    172
    I really want to play this now :sigh:
     
  8. Phil Rhodes

    Phil Rhodes Hypernobber

    Joined:
    27 Jul 2006
    Posts:
    1,415
    Likes Received:
    10
    I get the impression he liked it.

    I suspect I need a better computer to play it properly. Core i7 950, GTX 470?

    P
     
  9. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    17,421
    Likes Received:
    5,795
    The recommended spec is ~ Q9650 and a GTX 660. Your GPU will likely be short on legs for all the pretties at a decent frame. Anandtech clicky
     
  10. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,090
    Likes Received:
    6,639
    I hate to out-pedant you (lies), but even in the Alien universe there's no such species as a "Xenomorph." It's a generic word meaning "alien life-form," not the name of the species - and if you pay attention to the dialogue in the films, that's exactly how it's used: as a generic word no different from when Hudson asks if the mission is going to be "a stand-up fight or another bug-hunt." The grunts even mock Gorman for using a ten-dollar-word ("a xeno-what?!") instead of just saying "bug" or "alien." So yes, the creature in Alien (and creatures in Aliens, and the one in Alien: Isolation) is a xenomorph - but not a Xenomorph-with-capital-X. The word actually comes from geology and means "strange form," used to describe minerals that have been affected by pressure and distorted from their natural crystalline state.
     
  11. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    17,421
    Likes Received:
    5,795
    While I agree with you, the review does capitalise xenomorph.

    Wired made a much better job of saying what I was trying to - Clicky
     
  12. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,090
    Likes Received:
    6,639
    Then that is a mistake, but so is your claim that the Alien is not a xenomorph; it absolutely is. You even prove so with the Wired article you link. You wrote:
    In other words, "Gorman suggested the creatures were an alien species called the Xenomorph which had been previously encountered, but it quickly became clear this species was new so it can't be a Xenomorph." Wired writes:
    Which is exactly what I said: the article is wrong for capitalising the X, and you're wrong for saying there is a species called a Xenomorph and the Alien isn't it.
     
  13. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    17,421
    Likes Received:
    5,795
    I'm not calling it a Xenomorph and I'm not saying there is an alien called a Xenomorph. I'm saying the the film misused the term to suggest that a xenomorph was a specific type of alien; and that has caught on.

    If you read the script you could argue either way, to be fair, but it's ambiguous at best. Although, for the pedants present, the script does not capitalise the word.
     
  14. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,090
    Likes Received:
    6,639
    I hate to argue, here, but that's exactly what you said when you wrote: "It quickly became clear that the marines hadn't encountered this species before so previous assumptions were obviously ruled out, including the Xenomorph." If there's a way of interpreting that sentence that doesn't indicate that you're arguing that there exists a known-species in the Alien universe called the Xenomorph that Gorman suggested the Alien might be I can't see it, I'm afraid. You might not have *meant* to say that, but that's what you did indeed say.
    And my point is that it didn't - a point entirely validated by the Wired article to which you linked, that also says the film never used 'xenomorph' as a proper noun.
     
  15. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    17,421
    Likes Received:
    5,795
    I really ought to know better than to argue about words with you.

    It is indeed what I *meant* to say, but I was aware that I was being inarticulate, which is why I linked to the Wired article. My only argument with the article was the bit about Gorman not specifically meaning xenomorph was a type of alien. I didn't get that feeling from the film, despite the intention of the script.
     
  16. johnnyboy700

    johnnyboy700 Minimodder

    Joined:
    27 May 2007
    Posts:
    1,554
    Likes Received:
    18
    Good, I'm glad you gave it a good review. I thinks its great, although I haven't spent too much time on it so far and probably won't until the weekend but I'm going to enjoy it.
     
  17. loftie

    loftie Multimodder

    Joined:
    14 Feb 2009
    Posts:
    3,173
    Likes Received:
    262
    Nice review guys.
     
  18. Corky42

    Corky42 Where's walle?

    Joined:
    30 Oct 2012
    Posts:
    9,648
    Likes Received:
    388
    Not that i care much, but isn't xenomorph a portmanteau of the Greek words Xenos and Morphe ?
     
  19. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,090
    Likes Received:
    6,639
    Yup! "Xenos" meaning "stranger," "foreigner" gives us "xeno-" as a prefix meaning "different in origin" or "strange," and "morphe" meaning "form" or, more accurately, "external appearance." Thus "xenomorph" meaning "foreign external appearance" - as indicated by its use in geology to mean "strange form." Aren't words grand?

    (For more 'xenos,' try "xenophobia," fear of foreigners, and its antonym "xenophilia," or "xenogamy" from botany. For more 'morpe,' look at "polymorph" which literally translates to "many forms.")
     
  20. RickLane

    RickLane Staff Lover of bit-tech

    Joined:
    4 Aug 2013
    Posts:
    62
    Likes Received:
    8
    In my experience the AI was fantastic, especially on Hard. Basically, if you're within line of sight of any enemy, and they are facing your way, there's a good change they will spot you, even when you're leaning out of cover. Being in shadow and using smoke will help you evade detection, but there are no guarantees.

    As for the use of Xenomorph, I'm fully aware that in the fiction of the films the word is used to describe a general group of alien life. In terms of real-world culture, however, it's generally accepted that this specific alien is THE Xenomorph, hence capital Xenomorph.

    Hope that clears things up.

    Rick
     
Tags: Add Tags

Share This Page