Alien Isolation discussion topic

[max_cady]

I remember Aliens:CM and the Aliens RPG being announced pretty much on the same day. This was somwhere around 2007 when SEGA got the rights to the Aliens franchise.

And there were already problems brewing with Gearbox, very early on. Randy Pitchford was bitchin' about SEGA announcing the game way before they started proper production.

Something must've gone horribly wrong because SEGA acquired the rights to both Aliens and the AVP universe and decided to get AvP out as soon as possible and the fact that they had announced this Aliens game even before Aliens: CM was pretty much a subtle giveaway that SEGA didn't have any confidence in that project.

Having said that, so far SEGA's is promoting the Aliens: Isolation game the right way. Also, one very important detail: Why did nobody ever think of this before?

For years, we've had nothing but Aliens game that were action shooters, even the early Genesis games, for cryin' out loud!

Again, how come nobody ever though of this? And frankly I like it.

You are terribly underpowered, you have to find ways to outsmart your foe and use tools in your enviroment to get around those hurdles. It's the perfect concept for an Aliens game!

[Pao]

This is also the first in-house Alien game from SEGA, so I suppose they are keeping an eye on it's development closely.

Anyway, from what I've seen, it looks really great and I'm not even a big fan of the Alien franchise (Only saw the first movie when I was young).

I just hope it won't be all run 'n hide like the recent indie horror games. They need to have some sort of a combat system that allows you to fight back (albeit still underpowered).  Like the classic Resident Evil games and Silent Hill.  Having the means to fight back will add a lot to the tension and spice up the gameplay considerably, especially if the game is lengthy (10+ hours).

[Emmett The Crab]

This is also the first in-house Alien game from SEGA, so I suppose they are keeping an eye on it's development closely.

Who made Alien 3 for the Genesis?

[Ben]

I'm not sure whether in-house or out of house makes much difference; Sumo Digital isn't in-house and ASR:T's a ton better than some SEGA games released in-house.

Plus, in-house in this case refers to a UK studio, so mainly it would be under the supervision of Sega West....

yeah...

Like I said, not trying to be negative. But Sega has to prove to me that they won't be making these same mistakes. Letting it be playable now (though from Destructoid......?) is a start, but it would also be nice if Sega were to explain why CM is the way it was and why this game would be different.

I don't expect them to, but it would at least be assuring for Alien fans (which I am not) to hear that Sega knows where they went wrong with Colonial Marines. Sega used fake footage with CM even the day it was released in their marketing, so it would be good of Sega to explain why they felt it necessary to mislead the public in that case but why in this case what we're learning is the truth.

[MadeManG74]

As Max said, this is a perfect style of game for Aliens franchise. I think nobody did it before because shooters have a wider potential market, COD Audience etc etc.

In any event, if this turns out to be an ACTUAL SURVIVAL HORROR GAME, then I'll be pretty happy. I don't think people will immediately think of Colonial Marines, just because they are both Alien franchise games, but maybe I'm giving the gaming public too much credit. In fact, I probably am.

[Pao]

Who made Alien 3 for the Genesis?

EDIT: Oh wait,  Just googled that:

Developed by Probe Entertainment (later Acclaim), the British developers also worked on the Mortal Kombat series and Primal Rage

..

Letting it be playable now (though from Destructoid......?) is a start

I'm pretty sure a lot of outlets got to play the demo, and not just Destructoid.

[Ben]

Here's hoping, lol.

edit; not that I'm bashing Destructoid, but they definitely have a certain...relationship with Sega, lol. Both good and bad I realize, but still...it'd be great to hear as many impartial impressions as possible.

[Aki-at]

Been really excited about this game for a while and have full faith in The Creative Assembly to deliver at least a good title. The fact they are ignoring a multiplayer mode just gives me more faith they'll be putting all their resources where it matters.

Good to know the Alien will be used sparingly though, that at least tells me that we should have a bit more varied gameplay and eager to see what else they have in store. Hoping for limited gunplay so it can stay as close to the original film as possible!

Letting it be playable now (though from Destructoid......?)

I'm not sure how you could have overlooked all these other impressions;

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/07/bringing-1979s-hide-and-seek-horror-to-2014-with-alien-isolati/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-07-how-alien-isolation-restores-the-horror-of-the-1979-original
http://www.videogamer.com/xboxone/alien_isolation/news/alien_isolation_confirmed_for_late_2014_release_on_ps4_xb1_and_more.html
http://www.oxm.co.uk/68973/previews/primal-scream-alien-isolation-xbox-one-hands-on-and-commentary-video/
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/07/alien-isolation-preview
http://www.gamefront.com/alien-isolation-preview-where-everyone-can-hear-you-scream/
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/01/07/alien-isolation-the-most-authentic-alien-game-ever
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/07/alien-isolation-pc/

[TimmiT]

Like I said, not trying to be negative. But Sega has to prove to me that they won't be making these same mistakes. Letting it be playable now (though from Destructoid......?) is a start, but it would also be nice if Sega were to explain why CM is the way it was and why this game would be different.

Considering that at Gearbox they outsourced almost everything to outside studios, used a lot of the money meant for A:CM for Borderlands 2 and take no criticism at all, they'd have to try really hard to match Gearbox at ruining their game.

[Barry the Nomad]

Ben, I would have thought you knew why CM was the way it was. As Tim said, Gearbox outsourced the development to lesser studios and used SEGA's money on other titles. It's not something SEGA wanted, and while I don't think SEGA is 100% free of blame (they really should have kept a closer watch on Gearbox) the situation with Alien: Isolation is very, very different.

How could they make the same mistakes with Isolation? The Creative Assembly isn't farming out their work, development money is going solely to Isolation, the core game has been put in the hands of journalists at an early stage. Really, they're doing everything Gearbox didn't do!

[Happy Cat]

Colonial Marines is selling really well in the UK right now for all the negative press it recieved. I'd say if Isolation is good game it's going to be a major hit, at least in the UK!

from the latest UK charts

[Pao]

^ The question is: Will those people buy the next Alien game after experiencing Colonial Marines? 
I feel that game did a considerable damage on the franchise and SEGA's name overall.

I don't really think there's a reason to be skeptical about Isolation, but I think the average gamer will be.

[Chaosmaster8753]

If it really was true that Gearbox used some of the money from SEGA for Colonial Marines on Borderlands 1+2, shouldn't something be done about that?

[Ben]

Ben, I would have thought you knew why CM was the way it was. As Tim said, Gearbox outsourced the development to lesser studios and used SEGA's money on other titles.

Allegedly, yes. I don't believe Sega ever officially confirmed that? (Unless I missed it.) Anyway, regardless that doesn't really change the fact though that, if that was happening, Sega should have throughout its development...well....noticed.

the situation with Alien: Isolation is very, very different.

Indeed. Or at least, we hope so. Where Alien Isolation instead needs to prove itself (as far as I'm concerned) is in Creative Assembly's inexperience in the genre. I know the situations are far different. The only reason Colonial Marines makes me skeptical of this game (and again, this is all in my opinion) is because I'm not sure that I can necessarily trust Sega to notice that something's going wrong in its development.

[mylifewithsega]

Neither SEGA nor Gearbox confirmed the anonymous whistle blower's alligations. If I remember my research materials, the money went towards the first Borderlands and Duke Nukem Forever. SEGA supposedly realized Gearbox fucked up, but figured they had past the point of no return and released the game anyway. Again, none of this has been confirmed by either party.