It's now been three months since the release of this video and I've learned a lot during this time. I honestly didn't expect this video to get any views (which has been my previous experience with KZread), so this reaching over 6k views surprised me. What's unfortunate about this newfound success (at least in terms of my batting average with these videos) is that there are many mistakes in this video. As I'm probably not going to cover Alien: Isolation in the future, I thought that I should talk about the things that I got wrong on this video. 1. 6:07 Molotovs require batteries and sensors as you can place them as a trap. I meant this as a joke, but I can totally see why it would be frustrating for me to not actually explain why they are there. 2. 6:35 The Flare can distract the alien. I have text that shows this, but it is confusing that I didn't include it here as it would have clarified this much more. 3. 16:10 You don't have to use the motion tracker. In fact, the harder difficulties restrict its use. Many have pointed out that the player can just listen to it's footsteps. Does that work without headphones? I don't know. 3. 22:32 The alien can be **technically** killed if you stack gas tanks and blow it up. It's possible, just not something that most players (an overwhelming majority I'd argue) would think to do. 4. My problem with the manual savepoints is linked to the other issues I had with sneaking / not being able to use weapons in the game. I would like to clarify that manual save points in themselves are not a problem. Many horror properties like Resident Evil use them really well. My issue with Alien: Isolation stemmed from the combination of the sneaking mechanics being unclear to me (you might know them, but consider how they are told to the player), and the manual save points. What I tried to express in the essay that often the deaths in this game didn't feel like I messed up. It felt more like I was being punished for not playing the game the correct way. As far as "punishment" goes, there's a difference between Super Meat Boy's 0.5 second load and Alien: Isolations death screen -> load screen -> and then backtracking to the place you were originally. I should also clarify that this is not an issue that is specific to Alien: Isolation. It happens in many games that have manual checkpoints. The reason why Resident Evil 2 Remake (for example) gets away with it in my head is because the gameplay elements have been communicated to me clearly, but then again Resident Evil is so different from AI that they shouldn't even be compared. I could explain further but I get the feeling that this system just "wasn't my thing". However, if you enjoyed it, more power to you! This means that you can clearly deal with the stress of the game better than me. 5. 29:10 In the essay I bring up that the game was designed around stealth rather than gunplay. I also note that they should have given the alien "cone of vision" or something like that. There's no denying that this would be a terrible and gimmicky way to do this. Unfortunately I don't know what the correct solution to this is. The game that I keep thinking about in this regard is Outlast. I should immediately clarify that I don't think that game holds a candle to AI, but I didn't find the "stealth" in that game as frustrating as in AI. A few elements affected my enjoyment: 1. the shotgun and the revolver exist in the game, but cannot be used that often. What I would have preferred was that these wouldn't be in the game at all. Go full Amnesia/Outlast and take the weapons away. This is how I as the player will know that sneaking is a must. 2. As the weapons have been taken away, put more time into showing when the player is hidden/when noise is made. These could be implemented into the tracker for example. No need to give the alien a cone of vision ( :D ), just give the player more tools in the stealth department. The noisemakers, flares, etc. can stay as they are already there for stealth. Once again, I'm not asking this game to become Metal Gear Solid, but the combination of the "Resident Evil" experience with the "Amnesia" experience didn't work for me. Do one or the other. 6. Some have mentioned that shooting the alien with a shotgun to stun it has worked for them. I didn't manage to get any benefit from this. However, I did see a speedrunner use this recently and it was when he was just about to use an elevator and he momentarily managed to stun the alien before it could get in there with him. So there are moments where it can be used and I was not aware of this during the writing of this essay. I'm sure there are other things that could be pointed out as well, but these are the most common things that are brought up about this essay. Hopefully this clarifies some of my thoughts about the game. I appreciate all the corrections and hope that this comment doesn't sound overtly salty :D This video taught me that I should spend more time doing background research on any topic that I cover and that I should spend more time elaborating on *why* I feel a certain way rather than just stating something as if it were an universal experience that everyone had. With all that said, I once again thank you for watching this video/reading through this comment. My video on Firewatch should be up later today, so hopefully I'll see you there. Thanks! Edit: Said Firewatch video is now up! kzread.info/dash/bejne/Zp-I2KV-msfan7Q.html

@youngspecial64

Жыл бұрын

Are you going to review Amnesia: The Bunker? Friction Games did something ALMOST similar to a point that gives you a terrifying experience. It's really good.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

@@youngspecial64 prolly not going to review it but I'm definitely excited to play it!

@youngspecial64

Жыл бұрын

Damn. Well, i hope to see a video that talks about the monster because it's pretty freaking stellar.

@handrewmillan4293

2 ай бұрын

hope u stopped crying like a little girl in your more recent videos

@claudeJUNIOR

2 ай бұрын

Why not pin this comment??

As a huge fan of 1979's Alien, I loved this game. My son had to encourage me out of the lockers to move forward. At times I was paralyzed with fear. For this 47-year-old lady, it was an immersive and terrifying experience👵🏻😜

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

I also had moments where I got stuck in the lockers :D But I'm glad you made it through, the game is definitely worth it. Thank you for watching!

@chrisrosenkreuz23

Жыл бұрын

also in the same vein are the games Soma and Outlast 1 and 2, check em out if you liked the feeling of existential dread this game relentlessly provides

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

@@chrisrosenkreuz23 Soma is a fantastic game

@alexandernorman5337

11 ай бұрын

The game is much easier once you learn to not use the lockers. Ducking behind various equipment and always keeping on the move work much better. You can test this. If you're ducking behind a crate, under a table, or some other equipment and the alien comes into a room then it just roams normally. But if you are in a locker then it hisses and immediately goes into a search mode. The programming makes it know that you are hiding in the room. The double desks and the corner desks are the best hiding places. You can leave the game running *on nightmare* while hiding in most of those locations, go make dinner, and when you come back the alien is still roaming around none the brighter. Yeah, I've played this game a lot...

@HugoStiglitz88

3 ай бұрын

That's sick you played it though I too spent a bit too much time in lockers at first. The funny thing is eventually, the alien himself will force you out 😂😂 he will recognize patterns so you actually can't use the same tactic too much or he will figure them out fast

I got to play this game every 2-3 years. It is just too amazing to be played just once or twice.

@OdinSmilesRavensLaugh72051

Жыл бұрын

Oh fuck aye mate I still go back to this quite frequently, my Mrs gets a lotta visitors so it's good to put on and see who lasts the longest without freaking out 😂

@xgamerunknown6414

8 ай бұрын

​@@OdinSmilesRavensLaugh72051I know I'm late to this comment. But honestly when I get closer to the end of this game I always feel like I want to play it again. Some people may have a problem with it being too hard. But that's what I love about it

@perrycarters3113

6 ай бұрын

I haven't touched it in 5 years almost. The sound of a charging Xenomorph's swiftly approaching footsteps still haunts my fucking dreams.

@Jose10614

2 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠​⁠@@xgamerunknown6414 I really don’t understand why people give this game so much Shit for its second half(meaning that this game is too long, it doesn’t end) and the ending(when Ripley is floating in space, so many people were angry about how the game ended) , but to me the ending perfectly conveyed what most Alien movies did and that is that the Alien ALWAYS Wins.No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, the Alien will Always Win!

@xgamerunknown6414

2 ай бұрын

@Jose10614 the second half you mean when you escape the alien for a little bit?

One of the best games ever.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Definitely an experience I've had with this game that I haven't had with any other. It does have its issues (which I talk about in the video) but then again the combination of atmosphere and immersion is unbelievably good. Anyway, thanks for watching!

The word 'masterpiece' is used all too often when describing art, but in the case of Alien: Isolation it's absolutely warranted. It's unsurpassed, even after a decade. I dearly wish they'd make a sequel.

The reason for all the extra gadgets on the molotov is so that it can be placed on the ground and used as a proximity incendiary bomb.

@wildcatnkb

6 ай бұрын

Exactly! It wasn't just designed to be thrown.

@bugtogs9344

Ай бұрын

I thought the batteries lit the rag

my favorite part of the alien is how inconsistent and fuzzy its AI is, makes it almost impossible to plan ahead and leaves much up to improvising

@Neo_Vandole

Ай бұрын

it's attached via a invisible leash to you which gets shorter the harder the dificulty is. While it is on a set path and just reacts whatever it encounters. It's rather easy to outmaneuver really and it's often better to stick to it than run around not knowing where it is. Most deaths just happens if you unknowningly cross its path. And even that is nullified by the flamethrower later on.

"You are very dependent on the motion tracker" Nightmare Mode : "ARIOUS, FATAL ERROR"

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

I really regret not covering that difficulty for this video but I guess the boundaries have to be set somewhere. I can't even imagine how punishing it is as I am already complaining about the normal difficulty :D

@hatad321

Жыл бұрын

@@criticalcoffee If you know the map decently it's not too bad. There's no map anyways, the waypoint on the tracker works but the alien can hear it much better.

@HugoStiglitz88

3 ай бұрын

Tbh I barely used it because I knew rhe alien could hear it. I didn't realize he needs to be really close to hear it thoug

@handrewmillan4293

2 ай бұрын

​@@criticalcoffeeu good bro. only mentally ill psychipaths play nightmare mode. normals humans do not.

@thejackal9834

2 ай бұрын

@@criticalcoffee I'll be honest dude, I think if you're committed to making a one hour video about the game you should really cover all the difficulties prior. I started the game on the recommended hard mode and it sounds like we have two completely different takes on the gameplay.

The alien can hear the motion tracker. It’s not good to use it all the time.

I didn't find the Alien frustrating in the least, I think, because I took it as a serious threat to be genuinely respected rather than viewing it the way I have viewed every digital antagonist I've encountered throughout my life playing video games. That is to say, every antagonist I've ever encountered in a game operates on rails that create certain expectations in the player, expectations that, I might add, have engendered in us all a privileged sense of "fairness". We as players expect the enemies to behave in a certain way because we learn by observation how it behaves, and we assume that it will then ALWAYS behave that way. So when we come to Alien Isolation, those expectations are just shredded, and people don't like that. The Alien is entirely unpredictable, and that goes against every bit of experience, every learned assumption we gamers have. It was for me, therefore, the most realistic and visceral gaming experience I've ever had. I was being legitimately hunted, and there's nothing in the history of life in this universe that is fair about being hunted. As the prey, you either get away by outsmarting your predator or getting very lucky or....you die. Operating with that mindset, it made learning to hide, learning the Alien's mood based on sound, learning how to outsmart that thing and understand it endlessly satisfying. Working my way through the whole game then genuinely became the most satisfying gaming experience I've ever had. I hear the complaints in this video, and I just want to play the world's tiniest violin. This guy didn't buy in because the game didn't suit those expectations I mentioned earlier, and so he lost all joy in the experience. In a comparably simplistic way, this game presents the player with much the same reality that every day life does. What I mean by that is that the world operates the way it does, regardless of whether we approve of the realities we're presented with. It doesn't matter that I "think" something hunting should operate a certain way, what matters is that it operates the way it does, and now I, if I want to stay alive, I have to learn to adapt to it or I die. Period. It's that simple. If you embrace that relationship between you, the player as prey, and the Alien as the predator hunting you, then you will enjoy the experience. If you in any way come to that relationship with any expectations at all, then it will frustrate you, you will get angry, you will resent the game and it will suck all of the enjoyment out of the experience because you will die A LOT, either way. And it should be that way. This thing should be lethal, and we, the player, should be all but entirely defenseless. Otherwise, the Alien would just be your average gaming antagonist and the experience would have been boring to go up against.

this game is one of my all time favorites thanks for covering it!

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

No problem chief, thanks for watching!

Always surprises me when a nobody (subscriber-count-wise!) just appears from nowhere with an highly professional and detailed essay on one of the subjects I love. I'd love to see one on the Resident Evil 1 Remake for the Gamecube. Incredible horror game that absolutely defies it's age

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! Haven't played that one unfortunately (was like 10 when I had my Gamecube).

The part where you mentioned games no longer are scary when you get killed over and over. This is why save points need to be sparse. All of us know that if we die to the alien we can just return to the last save point. One of the things that makes the alien scary is how the progress gets barred. However the game can be made significantly scary by having save points be sparse. After all. In real life Amanda Ripley would only get one chance.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the critique, this is an interesting viewpoint. I personally don't feel like the sparsity of the checkpoints adds that much dread to the game. The using of the checkpoint is intense for sure but apart from that I don't feel "more scared" because I might lose significant play time. The only feeling there is frustration. This wouldn't be a problem if the alien's movements / "way of thinking" was more apparent to the player. I neither would enjoy if the game gave you a checkpoint every 5 minutes or something like that. I think there is a middle ground to be found. I do appreciate the studio's attempt to make a "realistic Alien experience" (see 31:50). However, Amanda Ripley doesn't have just one chance (unless you're going for the one-shot achievement), the checkpoints give her many, many attempts. For me personally, it didn't feel all that scary after a while. Although I disagree, I also appreciate that you took the time to critique my viewpoint. It's really important that I'm called out if I say something that doesn't ring true. Thank you, for real.

@chexfan2000

Жыл бұрын

nah in real life Amanda Ripley wouldn’t walk by pushing her left thumb forward either. Being forced to play for an extended period to progress is exhausting and i stop being immersed because im so focused on when i can save my progress. Alien Isolation has pretty much perfect save station placement, any time i started to get antsy abt where the next one is, it would appear like magic and scratch that itch for me. Besides AI has basically no downtime, or at least not that you can see on a first run, there’s always something making noise above and below you and even if the alien won’t show up, as far as you know it COULD. i get it’s trying to feel like the movie but the movie isn’t like eleven hours long. so i ended up taking breaks at every save station and played the game really slowly, like a month or two to finish it cuz it was so stressful but that little chunk of terror and perfectly realized world design was a treat every single day and i was genuinely sad to reach the end and say goodbye to those kickass 70s airport vibes

@knellycornnan5132

Жыл бұрын

@@chexfan2000 Well sparse save points as a way of making alien isolation is something any one can choose to do right now but just not saving. However I only recommend this for people who think they can play very very cautiously and smartly and I also would not recommend this on nightmare. Hard tops. It makes the game challenging in a very specific way.

@OdinSmilesRavensLaugh72051

Жыл бұрын

I..... sorta agree however gotta say I agree more with the frustration part than anything, I absolutely detest getting killed by the alien if I've not had a save for a while and gotta go back and do everything allllll over again it's just a drag and time spent hiding from vlad all the while avoiding androids (humans are the least problematic) as well as tedious little puzzles man that save point every time is a eureka moment like you know if you get impaled at least your not backtracking a half hour at a time with shiploads of progress lost... honestly was convinced the game was fuckin trolling me on the nightmare difficulty 😂😂

@youngspecial64

Жыл бұрын

Ya'll played Amnesia The Bunker, right? Yeah... they fixed that real quick.

I disagree completely on the point that the Motion Tracker needs to be out at all times in order to play the game. Yes, it's really useful. But only when the Alien is in the vents. Once the creature is on the floor with you as it prowls, your ears become much more important. When you're in that situation, sound becomes essential. You can hear where the Alien is long before you actually see it. This is why you should play this game with headphones. And remember that the Tracker makes noise when you pull it up and it detects movement. And yes, it can hear it. This is especially effective when playing in much harder difficulties where the Tracker is glitched. Superb video, BTW.

@MrJordwalk

Ай бұрын

I don't pull the Tracker up when I play, finding that relying solely on my ears enhances the immersion and the music also conveys the Alien's proximity... swelling when it approaches/gets close, and fading when it moves away.

@bleakcognitivefuture7913

17 сағат бұрын

Also the Alien can hear the tracker beeping.

Thank you for your video. Another KZreadr once said it takes 1 hour to produce 1 minute of video taking into account the idea, script, capturing footage, recording the script, editing, rendering, uploading. It looked very professional, In my humble opinion.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

thank you so much for the kind comment! Fortunately I have some experience in writing but the editing definitely was the most difficult part. I have a lot to learn but I guess the best way is to keep doing this :) Thanks for watching & commenting. It means a lot to me for real.

For a video from someone with 107 subscribers is this high quality, I take notice.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

bout 3/4 of the way through Nightmare and I rarely use the motion tracker. That’s not to say I couldn’t have saved myself a handful of deaths by using it but I’ve actually had more success listening to where he is. It beeps automatically when someone is close and multiple times when getting closer and/or if there are multiple hostiles, so I got into a sweet spot of using that in conjunction with sounds from my surroundings. Also, in Nightmare he can hear the beep of it when taken Out from further away and I’ve been picked off a few times like that. It was more useful for me in hard mode than nightmare, but I’m sure there are people that are much better at the game that have a better feel for using it without alerting anyone. All that being said, this game is amazing and any flaws pals in comparison with the hair raising, unsettling terror it made me feel. Can’t wait for the sequel

@AAhmou

5 ай бұрын

It can hear the beep no matter the difficulty (except maybe novice), however what it does is that the more you use it, the more it becomes a pavlov's bell warning the Xenomorph about the presence of a tasty Ripley in the area. In nightmare, the Xeno just gets used to your tricks much more quickly.

Best Alien franchise game ever made.

My favorite game of ALL-TIME! I love seeing that Casio A-100 on Amandas wrist just like Ripley had in Alien. They got it spot-on. 🔥

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Damn didn't even spot that! The level of detail is truly incredible.

You need 100x the subs you have right now. This video was such a treat and I'm so happy to see people still talking about my favorite game nearly 9 years later. I remember launch day like it was yesterday. Good luck in the future!

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Ah fellow coffee enthusiast, I thank you for your kind words! Thanks for watching!!

Nice review mate. One topic missing is the three levels you can play (easy, normal, nightmare mode) and the huge differences between. Each person can find a level they may be comfortable with. Btw I managed to kill the alien by hoarding a stack of red gas tanks (lok like fiire estinguishers) in one place, then blowning it up with a pistol when the alien is next to it.

10 years later and this is still the best horror game I've ever played. Resident Evil 7 comes in a close second.

12:39 thank you for saying this, I've seen so many people say this section is completely safe

42:24 that sounds like exactly what happened with Security Breach... makes for a good cautionary tale for game designers, I suppose

Tremendous video even though I loved most of the parts of the game all the criticism that you leveled is completely valid even though it may be valid from a different perspective than mine. Keep up the great work.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching!

Great vid, keep 'em coming!

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!!

Mate that’s a belter for a first effort! Well done!

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! (TIL the word 'belter')

I've been playing this game every year since it came out around halloween for the vibes and spooks. I love the setting and the 1980s style of a futuristic space station. It's a love letter to the original Alien film. I hope someday we'll get more like this

I love how you said Ripley's stay on Sevastapol, like she's checking into a hotel. Lol. I finished my first playthrough yesterday. My heartrate rose rapidly with the Alien jumping out out out of line of sight right to the end.

A:I is an absolute masterpiece, my game of the gen last gen. It's a shame hacks like Ryan mccafree at ign gave it shitty score like his 5/10 which is just flat out wrong especially when he gives garbage like halo 4 a 10. I blame those hacks for launch sales being low and us not getting a sequel

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

reading the subreddit I've only heard about this review. I should check it out tbh. 5 is insanely low for this game.

Trying this out for the first time in 2023 since I o ly played like a hour when it came out. Man it's so immersive its crazy. Seeing the alien's saliva drip from the vents is nice 2

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

The level of detail is insane for sure

If you enjoyed this video do consider subscribing! I plan to make more videos like this. All support is greatly appreciated!

@dylanking9646

Жыл бұрын

great job! im a super huge fan of this game so im always fiending for more video essay content of it.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the positive feedback!

I decided to subscribe since I love Alien Isolation which gives me 79s vibes from retro times.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thanks ! Much appreciated!

@SkyFly19853

Жыл бұрын

@@criticalcoffee You are welcome!

One of my favourites that I return to a few times every year. So immersive!

Just a note, flares work just as a noisemaker for enemies, bein it so flashy makes enemies look out for it (alien mainly) so it is quite useful

The analysis of the AI was pretty spot on, Although I didn’t find that it took away from my enjoyment. Obviously understand why it would for some people but it just didn’t make me feel like that. Sure I got frustrated that even if I was crouched In perpetuity, it would almost always be in the vicinity. I’m curious how they update the AI for the sequel

fantastic video on one of my favorite horror games. Deserves way more views!

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! (I'm honestly really happy about the current views)

The flares primary function is to freak you out with how noisy it is when you have to use them 😂

The pacing could have been improved (ending, a bit repetitiveness, also in the tasks you perform.) But I still cringe to this day over all the professional reviewers as well as players who -- to this day -- claim the game was largely unfair or a good deal of simply luck. If it were, nobody told anybody completing "no get killed" runs on Nightmare difficulty for sure. This is an indie game in concept, ready to piss off a good deal of its potential audience, in the skin of an AAA-production. It's thus one of a kind. And doubly glorious just because of it.

Nice video. Keep it good, don't quit. The quality is awesome. Hope you can give a try to the "infamous" Colonial Marines and the currently underrated Aliens Fireteam Elite.

The alien can see in the dark and is not affected by darkness at all. The design of the alien generally gives you the idea that it senses in a non-visual way that wouldn't be affected by darkness so it should be obvious.

I have to dispute some of these criticisms - but I confess I am doing so as a massive fan of this game with a bias towards it. The narrative complaint, in my view, is missing the point of what this game is. What this essay seems to be calling for is more character-building moments/scenes, more times for the game to allow the characters to interact, react, and generally progress some sort of arc or drama for their character for the viewer to invest into. But this is an immersive survival horror game, which is absolutely nailing what it is trying to do, it would necessarily make sacrifices to that intended experience to inject more character moments because we don't want to be trapped in a cutscene and we're *isolated* in the immersive horror, where characters keeping you company would take away from it. This is why its narrative is nothing compared to Last of Us, but it's survival horror gameplay is light years ahead of it. Yes, Bioshock had a setting with lots of personality, a massive twist for the central character, and a roster of hugely colourful characters, but Isolation is religiously tied to the setting of the first Alien film, where there is no such room for quirky magical sociopaths - and we get that setting brought to life and given personality *beautifully* in just about every possible way that it could be. The story of Sevestapol is written amazingly in the environmental story telling, and it makes the station a delight to explore. The story does what it must - which is to set up the intended experience with believable characters and give the story clear, coherent direction to progress. I get the complain about 'fetch quests'... but each of these objectives always made sense in the story, and are no different at all to the objective progressions of system shock 2 or any of the Bioshocks, or really any survival horror game - all these games require that the player has something to do/overcome, and a reason for doing so, and this is no different. With the unfun gameplay complaint... I hate to be like a dark souls player, but I just don't think this essay 'gets it'. The whole point of this experience is that you do not have agency or certainty, and the game will punish you for playing it like Dead Space. But if you go with the intended play experience, accept your limited agency, and play cautiously. then you will go through the game dying rarely even on the hardest setting. I sense the complaint here is that 'playing cautiously' is not fun, but that would be totally missing the point of this play experience - where the game builds tension and makes you feel dread, even in an empty room, like nothing else I've ever played. If the stealth mechanics were stronger, and you had more certainty about being safe, then the game loses so much of its tension. It goes back to the lessons learned from Amnesia - having less agency can add to the intended play experience. I put my hands up to the rubber banding complaint - but I can also see why they put that in there to keep the oppressive feeling of being hunted going. I do think it may have been nice if you could turn the rubber banding off, but I suspect the play experience would be worse without it. There aren't many games that I think could be totally perfect at what they set out to do, but Alien Isolation is right up there for me. It's easily the best survival horror game out there, and it's the best thing done with the Alien lore since the first Alien film. I'd still put in my top 5 games of all time.

This game is an ABSOLUTE BLAST in VR!!!!

Now we just need a this gen console update

this video is an hour long, a year old, and about one of my favorite games ever with 25k views and less than a thousand likes? super underrated!

its interesting how much our experience with the alien differs - I never found it unfair.. or un naturally tethered to me. Its also a bit interesting how you criticize it for not feeling like a an actual beast, and then criticize it for learning how long your flame thrower can reach. I understand why the weapons can be a bit frustrating that you cant use.. I don't mind... I mean I routinely used weapons, noise makers to dispatch human enemies via the alien. As I found it easier to just avoid it than the humans. - interesting thing, i found on my latest playthrough that a lot of humans i killed in previous playthroughs were friendly and Amanda even chat with them a bit. Warning them of the Alien... But its very much a me thing not needing to use all the tools. - its funny on my later playthroughs I found myself using the smoke bomb a lot. The danger is to get into a closet and not knowing where it is.. I feel I have most success when I'm cheeky and move around when its in the vicinity and I have a idea of were it is in the "dungeon" - Just at a distance were you also have time to get out of dodge if it turns around x) P.s. I dont like vision cones myself... it makes my game feel to gamey - I think the ambiguity of Alien Isolation helps wth the Immersion. I can make a plan, end in a gun fight with a human and then having to get out of dodge when the alien enters... I may get killed by the alien before escaping.. but when I do... its the best.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

"Its also a bit interesting how you criticize it for not feeling like a an actual beast, and then criticize it for learning how long your flame thrower can reach." note that I criticize it learning patterns from the perspective that it's not clear to the player when the flamethrower will work and when it wont. I'm all for the devs developing a model which adapts to the players choices. As far as it feeling like a chess robot goes, it boils down to it more being present at all times, even though it doesn't have any reason to do so. This is a common critique of the game and even a mod has been developed to unleash the xeno from the player. "interesting thing, i found on my latest playthrough that a lot of humans i killed in previous playthroughs were friendly and Amanda even chat with them a bit. Warning them of the Alien..." Yeah this is something that I noted in the essay as well. Everyone is a survivor aboard Sevastopol but not everyone is hostile. A very nice touch by the devs. "P.s. I dont like vision cones myself... it makes my game feel to gamey -" A cone of vision would have been TERRIBLE. See pinned comment above.

@Ph33NIXx

Жыл бұрын

​@@criticalcoffee "As far as it feeling like a chess robot goes, it boils down to it more being present at all times, even though it doesn't have any reason to do so. This is a common critique of the game and even a mod has been developed to unleash the xeno from the player." - I feel this is only true in some very specific chapters - like the hospital chapter. In the rest of them I feel the presence of the alien is very fair. Because you can be walking around for a long time if you dont make to much noise and be fine. But the game keeps forcing you to make noise.. or the human enemies will make noise etc. No hate.. its just an interesting observation to me, because I didn't make it myself. - I have also played the game a lot... So I may have forgotten the initial learning experience. idk. "A cone of vision would have been TERRIBLE. See pinned comment above." I read it - it makes sense. How ever, I think the aliens sound design kind of tells how well it sees you or not... Im no most recent playthrough (that i am still playing) I have played a lot more aggressive.. and I had some really close encounters with the alien, and now find that you can tell a lot about its state by listening to the sounds it make... But I agree, this is not something obvious. It takes multiple playthroughs to "learn that" - also I find that it depends a lot on what difficulty level you play. I remember when I played the game on release I could not get through the second half of the hospital, the level where you get doctor Lindhards (or what her name is) video log from the pc... I saw a walkthrough where the player could just walk through the level.. and i read in the description that he played on Easy - I realized that i could not use his "guide" to anything. HOW EVER! I found that it is actually better to let it pass, rather than distracting it. I cannot say this with certainty - but it feels like it has a casual search pattern and a hunt pattern. If you do not tell the alien you are in the level - it will pop down every once and a while, walk around and disappear. But as soon as you throw a noise maker, flair or it sees you etc. It will not stay in the vents for long. This means that I seldom uses tools to distract it myself... I just wait for it to walk away from the area i have to go to, and then move.. and if i can hear it come closer.. I dodge behind something and hope it doesn't see me - it works most of the time x) The weapons I solely use to dispatch working joes and humans.. But I only fight them when i have to. I do also some times find the save system frustrating. But i recently played Calisto Protocol.. and I think what killed the scare the most for me, was the generous save system and scripted encounters. The alien keeps me on my toes.. and i generally find that superior.. as i tend to save scum if i can.

I just replayed this game on hard, and I breezed right through it. You just have to keep moving and not hide for too long.

This was good overall. I listened more than watch as I was cleaning my oven. I'll watch again soon

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for listening! (I do the same thing with video essays). I hope the oven became squeaky clean.

I just replayed it for the first time in 6ish years and I can confirm it is a masterpiece. It respects the original material whilst maintaining its own sense of style, kudos to all that worked on for that. Gameplay wise, it builds suspense and instills fear in the player but gives many moments of downtime, allowing for an enjoyable playthrough. Its honestly up there with other survival horror classics like Silent Hill for me, as long as my love for the Alien films isn't blinding me.

To me, the part about the Alien seeming to know where you are but leaves before finding you always made me feel like it was pretending to be dumb in order to bait me out which I felt like added to its intelligence. There was one time where the alien saw me in medical so I tried to run into one of the patient rooms and locked the door, which worked, but since there was no other exit to the room and the lock was temporarily, I had to hide in a locker. Since the creature knew that I was in the room and didn't see me immediately, he determined that I must have been in the only possible hiding place. He came up to the locker and I had to pass the hold breath test and then it left. Before getting out, I had a feeling it wasn't done, sure enough, the alien returned a few moments later. This means he knew I had no where else to go so I must have still been in the room and wanted to see if I would come out, but after it left the second time, it didn't return, meaning that it must have believed I had escaped while he had left the first time. Anyway, this was just one of several encounters that made me absolutely love this game.

It's a crime for this game not to have an enhanced PS5 version.

@Weaselthebassist

4 ай бұрын

It deserves one 100%

There is actually a squel in the comics for Amanda and welp... that one is straight war with aliens in the middle. Quite a quest lol

It’s a shame you didn’t find the game fun at all, I can’t stop playing it. I always laugh at fan boys that attack other people that don’t like games they love so that’s not my angle here. I just found it interesting and fascinating that some of the things that turned you off were things that made me love it even more. And the cone of vision would’ve really given me the eye roll, I would’ve hated it. There’s more than a handful of moments to use weapons and you definitely can run but it really has to be so strategic and with a plan to get out of sight before the X shows up. I know that might ruin it for some people but I guess I just love games with details like that. Anyway, to each their own, still loved the quality of your video and detailed review.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

I'm glad that you like it! Yeah the cone of vision thing was just me spitballing ideas. I don't think it would have fit with the aesthetic or the tone (seems overtly video game-y). Maybe if it was something along the lines of Amanda's heartbeat rising when the Alien sees you? Once again not the best idea but something along those lines would have made the experience better (for me personally ofc). Thank you for watching and the constructive comments! I can see that you're not a fan boy "who's just out to get me" because I didn't like the game as much (so no worries on that front!)

@jerrydinoballs

Жыл бұрын

There's a ton of unfun/annoying parts but overall I enjoy the feeling so I play repeatly

The only times I genuinely got mad at the game was when I was trying to throw a noise maker behind a counter and then I hit a tiny piece of it so the noisemaker bounced back on my forehead

Wow I wrote a massive essay and accidentally deleated it lol. anyways I found this video quite well written and done, but of course I disagree with a few things. I'm paraphrasing and just quoting for my points (And also none of these are in order.) And some of this stuff is gonna be hearsay as it'll be from my personal experience with the game. "they might have well removed guns as they are useless." I feel like this is too harsh, as guns DO have uses, you just need to see them as tools rather then as weapons of self defense. To clarify because I know that sounds weird, instead of shooting the alien, I've seen people use clever tricks with the revolver, such as using it to lure the alien places (As it goes towards the noise not the player), or shooting nearby canasters in order to scare the alien off without needing to waste precious resources like flame thrower fuel or Molotoves. And as you said, the shotgun CAN stun the alien, even if it can't save you buy it's self, giving you a precious moment to pull out a smoke bomb or something so you can escape does help, and I feel like that was undervalued in your explination. Not to mention the segments of the game in which the Xenomorph doesn't patrol around and you have to fight working joes or humans, in which case Guns are very useful if you fuck up stealth. "It's impossible to know the Alien's fire resistance." From what I understand from expert speedrunner's explinations, the Aliens resistance to fire never actually changes, only how it reacts to the flamethrower in how aggressive or passive it is. It always takes three quick flamethrower bursts to scare the alien off assuming they all hit it. Of course if it's too close it's impossible to get those three bursts off before it kills you. "the alien always knows your location. and will pop out of the vents to keep up presser every few minutes" I Feel like this could have used a better explination, because it makes the Alien sound worst then it is, IMO of course. Because it simplifies the "Director" and Alien ai. the Director always knows the players location and gives the Xenomorphs AI hints at where they are but will never tell it the exact location unless of course you fuck up, AND I believe? at the same time the Alien will also fuck off into the vents for periods of time to give the player some leway. Though this is just something I've heard and could be wrong about. "Never run, always hide for extended periods of time." You can actually run when the Xenomorph isn't making noise in the vents. As that means it's safe to run generally (Unless the audio bugs out.) And Technically there are scripted moments (like the alien popping out of the vent in medical that you used) where it's stuck in an animation, and thus isn't actually active on the map. So you can absolutely run like hell. But that's abusing game knowledge not everyone is gonna know? So I can completely understand not counting it. however, you can walk a vast majority of the game the xenomorph can not hear walking unless your in the same room as it. this helps making you faster and getting things done faster. Making the time you risk the alien exploring minimal. in my recent playthrough I've actually been keeping hiding not as extream as in my first playthrough because I understand how my tools interact with the Xenomorph better. letting me get to exploring more easier. though as a note: I am playing on Hard mode not nightmare. "The Xenomorph will always go towards the nearest human when npc's shoot, which can feel unfair if that's you." Personally never experienced this, but I won't say your wrong. But this has a easy solution, Smoke bomb! it's silent so the alien can only hear it if it's nearby, AND it can't see through the smoke, so it'll always see NPC's first and not the player. I'd honestly look up "17 tips by a pro speedruner" by PsychoHypnotic It gives a lot of insight in the Tools you can use/abuse with the Alien. Overall again I'd like to stress this was a well made video, but there are parts of the gameplay section I disagree with And I understand that if you made this video again you'd focus more on the narrative, BUT I'd also like to stress, a lot of this stuff I disagree with comes from expermenting, which I Agree with the point that experementing is risky and leads to punishment discouraging experimenting unless you don't care about dying, which breaks the immersive atmosphere the game is trying to build. And i genuinly felt quite the same as you with a few points on the gameplay after finishing the game my first time. it's only in retrospect after asking questions and looking up stuff I disagree with them. But the fact I felt the same way does show these are at least in a way a problem. I fully believe this game has flaws as well, and I don't see it as a masterclass of horror other's see it as. But I do see it as a great horror game.

Good work! I for one didn't even realise the tracker makes noise and attracts Steve. I only found that out afterwards and it made sense cos it prevents overuse. I only used it sparingly so I never had the problem which is why I didn't even realise lol.

@hatad321

Жыл бұрын

It's not much an issue on lower difficulties (it has worse hearing). On like nightmare though it can hear the thing from rooms away lol.

I will say you can actually just shoot it with the shotgun and run away, it will eventually lose you even if you don't hide in a closet. It's hard to do but I've had some daring escapes this way.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

never worked for me

I didn't even realise Samuels was a synth until quite late, so I didn't expect him to be a traitor at all.

I also love how the motion tracker also randomly beeps ALL THE TIME throughout the game. Sometimes due to the alien coming into range, and sometimes due to humans or other shit you don't care about. It is helpful, but also super stressful! And later the alien can hear it beep when it is close by and then kill you. So it's a double-edged sword. ;)

I believe the Molotov requires sensors and batteries because it can be placed down as a kind of trip-mine.

Bro the flares are a distraction tool . The Droids ,the Alien, and Humans wil go and investigate a thrown flare, giving you time to sneak by.

This game is amazing. Just absolutely amazing. One thing I have noticed that really ramps up the immersion is playing the game without music. Yes, the music is awesome, but, just it being there kills the immersion. It plants that subconscious tick that it's not real. If you think about it, being in a situation like that, you wouldn't have suspenseful music playing in the background. All you would hear is the defunct station around you, people in the distance, the sounds of your own motion, and the alien scuttling along through the vents.

@criticalcoffee

7 ай бұрын

Interesting take, I'll implement this next time I play! That being said, they did a fantastic job imitating the original Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack. I really like the music.

@arveranteos712

7 ай бұрын

@@criticalcoffee I agree, they were spot-on recreating that ominous feel with the music. I need to get my hands on the OST, for sure.

@MariusPartenie

Ай бұрын

Hmm... interesting idea. I just finished my first playthrough of A:I on Hard. When I'll play the second time, I'll have to try it without music, maybe on Nightmare difficulty. I did mute the music when playing System Shock 2 because I really thought the techno music didn't fit the atmosphere and that was a good decision. The game transformed into a more suspenseful experience. Thanks for the suggestion!

bro I fucking love this game should have made this video longer

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

I should have fr. However, I knew literally _nothing_ about editing with DVR so this was mostly to learn the software.

@Moscoe...

Жыл бұрын

@@criticalcoffee what's DVR

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

DaVinci Resolve

@Moscoe...

Жыл бұрын

@@criticalcoffee that thing is garbage don't use it it destroyed my computer for a while just use premiere pro

Sidenote: near the end when you talk about how Ellen Ripley isn't a engineer. Warrant Officer is a rank, not a trade; as well, third-in-command is an appointment rather than a trade. So it is entirely possible that E. Ripley is a Engineer by trade, her rank is simply WO, and she has been appointed as 3iC. So, you may have been entirely correct when you say that A. Ripley is like her mother.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Okay! Didn't have the word 'engineer' on her wikia page, so I just assumed that i messed up :D

@kylkim93

Жыл бұрын

Ellen's backstory got canonized within the Alien anthology DVD extras and in the Alien: Isolation novelization (based on Riddley Scotts notes, from what I could gather). E. Ripley wasn't an engineer, she graduated from a Evansbrook Academy "showing aptitude for ethics, law and corporate affairs", then moving on to W-Y:s "Horizon Beyond" officer training. 🤓

I only gound myself using the kickers twice. You can just evade the alien by obstacles like tabkes and beds like in the medical area. Other than that, you can walk, even run when it isn't around. There's no need to keeo tracker up either. Just occasionally check it, and you're good. I also yse most of the stuff i have for distraction, so i have no complaints of not using my stuff. A humble noisemaker can help you a lot. Maybe that's why you feel you get stuck hiding for long. Just throw a niisemaker far from you and find the next hiding point to go to until you get far enough to walk/run

read through the alien isolation reddit and saw your comment with link to this so checking it out. I'm still playing the game and have bookmarked this vid so i can come back to it later, but will watch some of it now. I'm on chapter/level 14 or 15 at the moment and don't want any spoilers but should be able to watch the beginning of this at least.

@rljpdx

Жыл бұрын

I watched up to 17:33 when I posted above so i wouldn't be exposed to any spoilers. I've completed the game and am now on my second playthrough on the hard setting with all intentions of also doing nightmare once hard is done. i am in completionist mode mode now and want to make sure I search every available area as I still have a few Nostromo Logs to find (6) and about 20 more of those NPC Identity Cards or whatever. I 've purchased the Last Survivor, Crew Expendable, and Safe Haven DLC's so I still have a lot more of the game to play and explore. Alien Isolation was a great game, it has many fans, it did well for Sega as for as sales, and it actually tops a lot of lists in survival horror and other genre's it's associated with. It's definitely one of my personal all time favorites, and I easily see myself playing AI all through this year. Yeah, it's a beloved game so it kind of makes sense to me the huge response you got on the video. Plus it let's me in on the excitement for the content creators as I 'get' something now. Putting out KZread video's is very much a hit or miss kind of thing. You roll the dice, playing video roulette etc etc and it's great to win sometimes lol.

@rljpdx

Жыл бұрын

now i'll go watch the rest lol

Needs a remaster.. great underrated game ..

Loved this game and wished they would make a sequel, we need alien isolation 2 !!

A love letter to the first movie!

STEVE! :D i love this game, i play it time and time again. :) I finished my last playthrough last week, i think it was the 6th time. I beat it on nightmare difficulty twice, but i enjoy playing on hard the most.

Alien Isolation is easily in my top ten best games I've ever played. An in terms of the movies, it is easily the best sequel to the original Alien - in terms of tone and sensibilities. I think the only way to make it even more stressful/fear-inducing would be in VR. Really enjoyed the review by CriticalCoffee.

22:34i think the alien does have a health bar but we will see flying pigs before we see the death of one

I feel like I haven’t seen many videos that critically assess the game like this, this was a great watch. For me atmosphere 10/10, visuals 9.5/10 (the anti aliasing and some of the smoke effects letting it down), and yes the story is lacking, and gameplay can get a bit repetitive. I think they could’ve cut the campaign down by 25% and it would’ve helped with both of those. Love the game, always find myself coming back to it, either in VR (Use a mod called Mother VR) or recently using the Alias Isolation mod which helps with the jagged edges. Unfortunately you can’t run both of those together!

The team that put this game together are truly talented. I wish they would come together again and make a predator or the thing game. They understand what fear is. I never get scared but this game terrified me at times. My favorite thing to do was shoot my gun and then hide in a locker knowing humans, and the alien would converge on my location.

30:50 Inho San Cristobal is the biggest offender. Long corridor loops with no save points.

Literally forgot to feed my dog while playing this

I called my alien vlad... which suits him better than steve considering the fucker was impaling on a daily basis 😂 Edit as for the video you did great man, hope you keep up the great work 💪

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

thank you!

I love the alien franchise, and have owned the game for a while now... And I am kinda terrified to actually play it... I will eventually, but will never 100% really really want to!

Poker is a real word. It's a metal bar with a small hook on the end and a wooden handle. It's for poking fires.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Fair enough. I tried to say "I'm not going to touch that thing with a ten-foot pole" but then I forgot the idiom and ended up with "long poker" which nobody uses.

@robdead4550

Жыл бұрын

@@criticalcoffee I guessed it might be that, but thought I'd let you know anyway. Ok have a sub and I'll check out your other stuff when I have the chance.

6:34 flares are used to distract enemies, amongst other things

You can use a lot more stuff to hurt the alien than just the gun, FT, or Molotov

Actually this is an excellent review and you should continue moving forward.👍

@criticalcoffee

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I’m halfway through? The game, and the alien is by far the most irritating to deal with. I sent him into space last night, and now am on the android seige part. I’m lost now, but now I’m worried they’re gonna be even more of a nuisance 😂 it’s worth it, though. What an incredible game. A masterpiece, imo. It takes forever, and Everytime I play, I end up with a severe headache from running in circles, lost for an hour. But the fact that it’s worth it says it all

17:20 made me jump 😂

It never felt unfair to me.....the Alien is amazing and i love it 😊

underrated video u deserve more

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

On the funny side, you can break the Alien AI by just by walking. If you are completing too many tasks too quickly, the alien won't be able to keep up. I think someone did a playthrough like that.

The Dead Space remake has a somewhat similar atmosphere to this game. One reason why it's so good. Unfortunately this game ends on a cliffhanger and there won't ever be a resolution to it.

Amanda: *Running and hiding from a Xenomorph* Ellen: 🧊🧍‍♂️🧊

I played this when i was 8 and i was terrified😂

Like commented and subscribed 👍

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

It's been on my list since release, but I've finished only today. Loved it a lot. But I think the creators trapped themselves in a situation where the idea justifies a superb 8-10 hour long game, while a triple A needs to be 18-20. It just doesnt want to end in time. In the second half the Alien - and the obstacles in general - turns from "threat" just an "annoyance". I know it's a common criticism that the game is too long, and I also feel the second part is rather frustrating than enjoyable. The "fun" is from the core idea but it gets exhasted after 8-10 hours. I will always fondly remember how much fun I had, and it's among the most fun I had games, but I dont want to replay this game.

@criticalcoffee

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! It's always felt weird to me to say that the game is too long. It's more bang for your buck which should mean that it's good, right? But I agree wholeheartedly with you. The first time that I played the game during launch I felt so exhausted by the end. The nest level "should" be near the end but there's like 4 to 5 hours even after that. It leads to the narrative losing its momentum. The xeno really does feel like it becomes an unscary annoyance rather than an actual threat. The facehuggers especially were just annoying. I think a shorter, more focused experience with different tools/level design could have been cool. Something like Portal 2's design of giving the player a new tool every "chapter" could have been interesting although in this context very gimmicky. Idk, I really do not envy the choices that the devs had to make for this game.

If the alien sees a flare it will investigate, that is the main purpose of it.

Great video. To your point about the alien ai. it's not an alien that why he always seems to be where ever you are.

I feel like we two played two different Games.

The game was so effective, I had to stop playing it. It was just too much stress.

Bit late to the game on this video, but A I've only just watched it I'll comment anyway. I don't understand the big where you said the alien comes after Ripley and not the other humans - I've used the pistol and firing it to draw the Alien on human enemies plenty of times. It doesn't automatically come right for me. I managed to get the no killing human achievement, and used both the other humans itchy trigger fingers and my own pistol to get the alien to do it for me

I think my only thing I would “critique” is that I’d love to be able to hear perhaps a bit more of the sounds from the thing you’re talking about however I know you were talking about dmca and all that so I totally understand.

I can understand why people get put off by this game. It can be frustrating at times. Sometimes it feels unfair. As an Alien fan, I cannot stress enough how much we needed this game. It offers hands down the best, most immersive Alien experience out there. It seems like they tried to put you in the game. They make you feel as helpless as you'd feel in that situation if it were really happening. It would feel frustrating. It would feel unfair. You would most likely die screaming.

Aliens is named in such a strange way, because before Cameron shot his movie, Italians made some non official alien 2 movie in caves. It was weak but Fox studios did not want to burry themselves in some legal battle over the name.