RPS:
"This is the first entry in a new column called The Mechanic, where Alex Wiltshire invites a developer to help him put their game up on blocks and take a wrench to hack out its best feature, just to see how it works. It’s about the sweat, grease and genius behind the little things that make games special."
An opinion piece on the best Alien games. From arcade Alien vs Predator action to a terrifying Xenomorph stalker, these are the best Alien video games starring Ridley Scott’s chestbursting, acid-blooded nightmare.
My favorite Aliens game also, having the three campaigns to play was great. Scaling walls as an alien waiting to ambush anyone that came too close.
Only played a little of the horde mode but was still fun.
Aliens Fireteam Elite was my GotY in 2021, single player was kinda bad but playing that game 3 player with friends was so good and really challenging on higher difficulties
Massive shout out to Aliens Vs predator 2 (2001), a dialup lag filled fun mess in multiplayer and 3 great campaigns
Alien Isolation Grand Mother VR is an all new virtual reality experience for Creative Assembly’s best ever horror game.
I played through most of the PS4 version of the game but stopped because another game came out. I bought it last year for PC with the intention of using the VR mod but haven't gotten around to setting it up. I am glad I waited.
Great game, even better in VR. A little drawn out by the end, but I hope we see CA do something a little different with the sequel.
Sweet. I also rebought this game on Steam for the purpose of VR. I'll have to give it another shot w full immersive controls. I had only tried it out briefly before.
It's funny this was never officially released at retail as a VR game, bc it feels so perfect for it!
The Alien franchise has had a long history in video games, but few games have come quite as close to being perfect as Alien: Isolation.
I think another interesting mechanic that should be discussed, as it was used in this game in a really interesting way: ventilation shafts.
It affords you the ability to take shortcuts, but the second the alien notices you diving into what would seem like a "safe haven", it too will dive in right after you. I'll never forget seeing an alien, and toying with it's intelligence, trying to understand how it thinks and operates, and just when I think I've understood it, it does something no other game does: it knows how you play better then any other AI antagonist I've ever seen. It learns.
The ventilation area, for example, has several qualifiers. First, you must travel slow, make too much noise, and it will come in after you (and it's very fast), bang your weapon against the sides of the shaft, or against any wall or door, and it will come running. Another thing it will do is actually wait on the other side of the shaft that you are making an exit for. I actually got stuck in one section where the Alien actively pursued me by either climbing in the shaft near the exit, or running around an L shaped corridor to jump in behind me.
The fact that the thing was unpredictable, yet not "random" made the game that much more special to play.
If anyone has not played the game already. Do it now. If not for the outright tension/horror, then for the spectacular AI and atmosphere.