We haven't played Alien: Isolation, but over the last year, we've poured over hours of demos and behind-the-scenes vignettes online... and we haven't heard a single negative thing about it. It's no secret how badly Aliens: Colonial Marines melted our dreams, like so many screaming faces drenched in acid blood, but Isolation seems fit to deliver the bona fide antithesis to that soulless experience. So many hardcore Xenomorph fans complained, and rightfully so, that Colonial Marines lacked any of the tension found in James Camerons Aliens, let alone Ridley Scotts paralyzing original. Granted, it seems Gearbox was shooting for something closer to the action-focused sequel, but whatever they and their many outsourced minions meant to do, they failed miserably on all fronts. The priorities in place for Creative Assemblys attempt to revive the original Alien name can perhaps be best explained by the fact that their game only has one Alien. Following the powerless victim concept of titles like Outlast, Amnesia, and the aforementioned Slender, Alien: Isolation uses this design philosophy to capture the singularly focused, nerve-wracking terror that Ridley Scott intended. You are Ripley, Amanda Ripley the daughter of the legend searching for her Mum. Youve got a crew of your own, and some of them are losing their minds. Good luck with that. Youve got a big, fat, CRT motion-scanner, maybe a few weapons here and there, and no HUD. The lo-fi, sci-fi palette dictates gameplay and level design, as clunky 80s buttons and interior ship designs straight out of Alien add authenticity to the nightmare, even if youre just hiding behind a desk. If Alien: Isolation really is everything previews suggest, it will set a new standard for the Alien license, film tie-ins, ludonarrative clarity, and scary games that dont let you fight back. Were just psyched were getting a playable sequel to the godfather of all survival-horror. Did we forget to mention you're favorite scary game inspired by a horror movie? What creepy film do you want to see as a video game? How could their onscreen formulas provide thematically consistent and compelling gameplay? Let us know in the comments!
Real Science Magazine called James' addiction to video games "sexually attractive." He also worked really hard and got really lucky in college and earned some awards for acting, improv and stand-up, but nobody cares about that out here in LA. So... He's starting over fresh, performing when He can. His profile picture features James as Serbian, vampire comic Dorde Mehailo with His anonymous Brother and Uncle at the Nerdmelt Showroom in West Hollywood. In James' spare time, he engages in acting, writing, athletics, hydration, hours of great pondering and generally wishing you'd like him.
