1010°
5.9

IGN | Alien: Isolation Review

IGN: "Thanks to a slick opening that includes nostalgic narration and busted-tracking-on-the-VCR visual effects, the first five minutes of Alien: Isolation are far and away better than any piece of last year’s dreadfully disappointing Aliens: Colonial Marines. But by the end of the 15-20 (!) hours I spent with the mano-y-xenomorph survival horror show, I wish I’d stopped after the first half-dozen. That’s not to say Isolation is anywhere near as bad as Colonial Marines, but its crime is equally egregious: it is a great idea that, in practice, not only wears out its welcome, but drags on so long that it almost completely erases any trace of the fun I once had. Which is a whole different form of horror than I was expecting."

Neonridr3513d ago

ouch... I saw a few 9's earlier and got excited.

Not that IGN is the "be-all-end-all" for reviews, but seeing a score like this has me a little worried..

sobotz3513d ago

Gamespot 6/10

I saw piediepie (yeah, sue me!) playing it. It's so boring, and the UI looks really really ugly. And graphically, it's not as pretty as Destiny.

Neonridr3513d ago

I didn't know it needed to look like Destiny. Different styles of games though. I think the look of this game perfectly captures the look of the original Alien. Everything fits in that universe.

Korix3512d ago

lol, comparing it to Destiny. Completely different kind of games and visual styles.

Gazondaily3512d ago

Ouch! I was confident this was going to be decent after my hands on but I guess the title couldn't hold its own over the length of the game.

GarrusVakarian3512d ago

Wait...what the hell does Destiny have to do with anything? How random.

SuperBlunt3512d ago

Cause destiny is a real looker...I mean I was playing the xb1 ver so who knows but it was far from impressive

nX3512d ago

Well is anybody surprised? After seeing the first footage they released I knew this would be disappointing. I just hope The Evil Within manages at least a 8/10 ...

SuperDan-Dare3512d ago

That's a real shame about the score. I sense that IGN were probably being overly harsh. I would say that in our hands on preview of the the game, I did have some concerns on what was reported to be a 10 hour scarefest:
http://www.gameondaily.com/...

styferion3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

actually both gave the early gameplay good reviews, but because it kind of drag on the hide-and-seek for too long the gameplay and atmosphere lost its charm later on. Maybe it performs well on the hands-on because of that very reason.
Seems like horror hide-and-seek type of games can't have too long game length, especially if the baddie is already world famous. Maybe it'll be better if it's like amnesia where the hunter is mysterious and of unknown origin, not something starring in hollywood movies.

Antifan3512d ago

If it was CoD, 9s and 10s cross board. Never trust IGN 'paid' reviews.

XB1_PS43512d ago

If IGN/Gamespot/Polygon hate it. I'm probably going to like it. I'm not worried about their scores, because almost every game I play I disagree with their reviews. It's a game that's not for everyone. I think it would bee better to experience it for yourself.

UltraNova3512d ago

So the evil within is our last hope for some scares..still buying this when its at half the price.

morganfell3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

What happened? Didn't the check arrive in the IGN offices?

http://www.ign.com/articles...

http://www.ign.com/videos/2...

http://www.ign.com/articles...

http://www.ign.com/articles...

Add to this their shallow review was a mere page.

"Let's damn a AAA game we praised earlier when they were giving us inside info and let's do it quick because I have to get out of the IGN offices and go seek fame and praise from the worshipping fans who know I am more important than the game I am reviewing. My opinion matters all over the world."

I really laughed at this remark:

"the alien’s unpredictability is both Isolation’s greatest strength as well as its most crippling weakness."

So he wants that AI like you see in Splinter Cell where the enemy walks 7.63 meters, waits for exactly 6.68 seconds, then moves on a 30 degree angle to a point near the door and faces away for 11.44 seconds, then returns to the original location and repeats this patter.

DevilOgreFish3512d ago

"I didn't know it needed to look like Destiny."

they even gave that game a poor score, so i don't know what this has to do with anything.

RedDevils3512d ago

And I prefer Middle earth to destiny, better game

XBLSkull3512d ago

Knew this game was going to either be great or a flop. Flop confirmed. On the bright side, just saved myself $60 this month, and able to relocate 15 or so gaming hours elsewhere.

donthate3512d ago

I find it kind of ironic that before Destiny, it was developers/publishers buying reviews from so called journalists. Now instead, it is the opposite.

Their standards aren't good enough anymore. Their taste is different, when they give a game a crappy score.

mikeslemonade3512d ago

Haha who was dumb enough to give hope to this game. Licensed games are still questionable. I don't care if you say Batman, Kung Fu Panda, Spider-Man, hulk, and Mordor. They are still overated.

SilentNegotiator3512d ago

You'll be hearing from my lawyer. :)

MRMagoo1233512d ago

"I saw piediepie (yeah, sue me!) playing it." You mean the screaming massive chin ?

TheXgamerLive3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

Whaaaa???? Since when is Destiny pretty?
Destiny is a last gen design and considered rather mdiocre especially by current gen standards. Also imo destiny is a 6/10 at best.

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 3512d ago
Perjoss3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

Eurogamer 8/10

I trust Eurogamer way more than IGN

edit: ok it looks like more than 1 review has complained that its too long, I think the best way to play this is not to try and smash it in 1 sitting, maybe spread the first play over 3 or 4 days.

bunfighterii3512d ago

3/4 days? Dude.... that's nothing....

Where do you get the time?

It takes me weeks and weeks to finish a game like this. Dead Space took me like 2 months.

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Bobby Kotex3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

I reported all of you spammers.

Eamon3512d ago

wtf?

Why did this guy post the same message on so many accounts?

MRMagoo1233512d ago

all those spams ??? I guess some accounts got hacked ?

xxchicago33xx3508d ago

Not spam or account hack...just a group of folks starting the worlds shortest internet meme.

Guess the internet wasn't ready for that one...every one has their serious pants on today.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3508d ago
TheFirstClassic3512d ago

Seems like the main criticism was just that it was too long and got really stale by the end. 15-20 hours for a horror game? That does seem like a bad decision, but there's a huge jump in score just from the limited criticisms.

Perjoss3512d ago

In the Rock Paper Shotgun review they say that there is some nice variety and you're not always doing the same thing at all, so 15 to 20 hours might be fine.

morganfell3512d ago

I am picking it up. I could care less for reviews.

As a true afficiando of Middle Earth - I didn't just see the movies or read the two main books - I am enjoying the game. But I will take a break from Shadows of Mordor sometime next week...if I can tear myself away - and crack the seal on Alien. I also have to check out Styx.

I understand some people are on a budget when it comes to games. I am not one of those people. I want it, I get it, so I'll purchase regardless. But for those people, is IGN the one stop shopping source that has suddenly changed your decision 180 degrees?

Crazyglues3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

Well to be honest with you that's what I expected to happen, I had high hopes...

But then again, I had high hopes for Alien Colonial Marines and that game was a disaster...

This one Looked like a much better recreation, but once they took away the shooting part, and went for a one alien scare tactic, instead of a ton of aliens coming for you, I knew they were in trouble.

-having just one alien forces you to try to create stuff for the player to still be entertained when there is no action, and in a video game that's going to be really hard..

-Well sadly I was on the fence about getting this, but now after watching the video on the review I think I'll just pass... /the things he talks about are exactly what I worried about with this one..

Might still be a good game/ just not the Alien game for me, I would get bored with this too fast..

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Neonridr3512d ago

fair enough, but there are quite a few very positive reviews of the game too.. so I guess it comes down to personal tastes.

warczar3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

Thank god you and IGN aren't game designers, we'd have even more COD's. The IGN's and gamespots of the Internet need to go away because you cannot trust them anymore.

Crazyglues3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

@ warczar

LMFAO... well your entitled to your opinion

if you actually read what I wrote, you might have noticed I never said it was a bad game, I just said it's not the game for me.. (based off of the kind of games I like to play) and based off of the problems the IGN reviewer was having / those kinds of things drive me crazy in a game.. -but

I know, I know, the NERVE! how dare I actually have an opinion on a game based off of what I like to play, what in the world was I thinking.. LoL

I see the error of my ways, oh mighty game god Warczar please forgive me, and will you also send me the 60 dollars that this game cost so I may agree with your opinion more often, and not go off on my own like that again..

you can just send me a PSN code for 50 and then one for 10 dollars thanks, I'll wait for the PM..

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AsheXII3512d ago

Its a horror game, scores will be all over the place. Its no reason for anyone to be worried. Horror games will resonate differently with different people.

Neonridr3512d ago

true but take a game like Outlast and it was more well received across the board.

Irishguy953512d ago

Not really, anyone could look at a gameplay vid and see how crappy this game is. The Alien is terrible. It's like a poor rip off of amnesia, one that sucks

Mr Logic3512d ago

@Neonridr

Not really sure where you are getting that. I'm not a fan of metacritic, but I do believe it gives a good at a glance look.

That being said both Alien and Outlast sit at an 80.

Neonridr3512d ago

@Mr Logic - I didn't notice that Outlast sat at the same score. Thanks for pointing that out.

I just felt that people really seemed to enjoy what Outlast tried to do.

Regardless, I am getting this game and there are more positive reviews out there anyways..

Mr Logic3512d ago

No problem. Also reviews keep coming in so it could change, but I think they'll still end up only a few points apart.

I watched my gf play Outlast and I played some of it too. It was "okay". My biggest quirk with the game is that you could just run and run until you find where you need to go next. Then just respawn and sneak past. Where as with Alien I am excited that you have to be sneaky and smart.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3512d ago
Hold_It3512d ago

Remember, IGN gave Lords Of Shadow 2 a 4/10 which was a little extreme.

starchild3512d ago

Yeah, I don't like very many IGN or Gamespot reviews. They are entitled to their own tastes, but they don't coincide with my own quite often.

frostypants3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

That's it.

Stop trying to make Alien/Aliens games.

It's never gonna work again. 2 good games out of how many over the last nearly 30 years? Enough.

starchild3512d ago

I love how some of you are acting like IGN's word is gospel. You do realize there are lots of 9s and 8s too, don't you?

StrawberryDiesel4203512d ago

No matter what others say, the big outlets tend to be the most objective when they review the game. I like to look at IGN, Gamespot, Gametrailers. Then I look over all the critic reviews at metacritic, filter out the obvious troll reviews. Watch a bunch of gameplay videos and then make my decision.

Sir_Simba3512d ago

Watch a youtuber you trust reviews of or watch gameplay and judge for yourself, low score review can affect how you feel about a game even its good.

I would recommend Always do your own research

Neonridr3512d ago

oh I never trust one sites review. Especially since the game actually has way more positive reviews than negative/mixed.

D-riders3512d ago

IGn game destiny a 7.8 an di think its one of the best games I ever played

randomass1713512d ago

IGN counted the alien's unpredictable nature as a negative. I thought unpredictability in a horror game was supposed to be a good thing?

starchild3512d ago

For years we've heard stealth games get criticized for "predictable AI" in reviews and now that one finally manages to be unpredictable it's a bad thing?

MRMagoo1233512d ago

remember when ratchet and clank got points deducted by some site for too much variety lmao, it might have been IGN im not sure.

solid_snake36563512d ago

I guess their weren't enough explosions and guns for ign. I don't care I'm still buying this game.

OCEANGROWNKUSH3512d ago

How entertaining did people really think "Hide-and-seek" as a video game would be?

Whats next? "Red light, Green light"?

XxExacutionerxX3512d ago

Let me get this straight, the reviewer plays the game on hard. He gets kills so much that he is just mad at the game and now the game gets a 5.9 score. Wow But the Alien is 99 percent unpredictable al, the sets are perfectly recreated, the fear and tension is there. What's wrong again? Resident Evil 6 was a call of duty zombie quick time glitch fest that gets a better score than Aliens. I don't buy into this review but I will be buying Alien. Sorry ign, the game is not Call of Duty meets Alien first person shooter. You have to really use your brain to play.

SouljAx3603512d ago

If RE6 got anything more than a 4/10 than IGN has no credibility.

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 3508d ago
MrSwankSinatra3513d ago (Edited 3513d ago )

oh no, please don't tell me it's happening again.

Edit: The reviews for this game seem to be at a serious disparity.

aviator1893513d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v...

Sorry...I had to post that after your comment. :p
But yeah, it's quite a shame history is repeating itself. However, the scores are ending up on either side of the extremes (from 6s to 7s to 9s).

edit: Aw, you edited your comment lol. You originally said something along the lines of "I can't believe it's happening again." My gif would have matched that comment, haha. Oh well.

edit2: sweet, you put your original comment back. Now, mine makes sense. :D

sobotz3513d ago

Not really as bad as CM. I bet the meta's score is gonna be slightly below Outlast.

StrawberryDiesel4203512d ago

That's because the smaller sites are more likely to take a bribe, they want/need revenue and they have nothing to lose. Why not rate the game high if that equates to future revenue for the amateur website? Big sites have plenty of revenue and in my opinion are less likely to do this. However, Gamespot's Kane and Lynch review from way back when has me second guessing my entire opinion lol.

kenshiro1003512d ago

Or maybe those small sites liked the game. Oh, the horror./s

warczar3512d ago

Or the big sites realized they get more his when a game that's expected to get good reviews gets below a 7. I'm willing to bet IGN cares more about there bottom line than some random YouTuber.

DarkOcelet3513d ago

This is getting mixed reviews from 9 to 5 , still day 1.

danowat3513d ago

Unpredictable alien AI is a bad thing?, yeah, right oh IGN, loonytunes!!!

danowat3512d ago

Perplexed by the disagrees.

So you'd actually want predictable alien AI?

grailly3512d ago

to a certain extent, yes.

You don't want the alien to turn around for no reason when you're sneaking behind it.

danowat3512d ago

Really?, you want to know it won't turn around?, bizarre.

CorndogBurglar3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

Actually, from what I've read, even in early articles, the big problem is feeling like no matter what you do, the alien can still kill you.

In games, you have to have some sense of stability with the enemy, otherwise no skill is involved and you only live or die based entirely on luck and what the enemy just decides to do.

I remember an article a month or so ago where the guy said he was hiding in a locker and he even held his breath exactly like you are supposed to, and the Alien still killed him. Yet another time it left him alone.

Again, there has to be some sense of strategy that you can implement, otherwise you are just crossing your fingers and hoping the AI doesn't decide to screw you. At that point, the outcome of the game and whether you beat it is taken entirely out of your hands and you might as well not even be playing anymore.

The gamer has to have some sense of control over the situation, no matter how little.

Fizzler3512d ago (Edited 3512d ago )

Unpredictable alien AI isn't always a good thing either.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

@danowat It was a joke.

danowat3512d ago

That's broken AI, rather than unpredictable.

xtremexx3512d ago

hahahahahahaha im laughing so hard.

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80°

The best Alien games to play while you wait for Alien: Romulus

If you've got an Alien itch you can't quite scratch until Alien: Rolumus releases, GameSpew has rounded up the best Alien games to tide you over.

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gamespew.com
banger8833d ago

Alien Trilogy is great as well and still holds up good even today.

60°

Why Alien: Isolation 2 Should Be the Next Entry in the Franchise

Fans (myself included) are clamouring for a direct sequel to this fantastic game and hope for an Alien: Isolation 2. But will this great game ever get another instalment?

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Rebel_Scum210d ago

tbh it doesn’t need a sequel. Fantastic game but not something to make into a long running series.

300°

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for October: Gotham Knights, Disco Elysium, House of Ashes

Also included are Alien: Isolation, Dead Island Definitive Edition, Outlast 2, and more.

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crazyCoconuts217d ago

Good month imo. I'll play Gotham Knights and House of Ashes. I'm finishing up Disco E on Steam right now - that's a superb game.

cthulhucultist216d ago

House of Ashes was weird but one of the good weird ones! Really enjoyed it

217d ago
Lexreborn2217d ago

I really enjoyed Gotham knights playing with my friend

217d ago
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