I'm not sure why footage on the previous three videos drops frames when it's not supposed to. I know 100% that Alien and Calico didn't drop any while I was playing. And going back to the footage reveals a solid framerate where the final renders have drops, meaning it's down to either something in my editing settings, or my rendering settings. I'll try to figure it out as soon as I can. If you're someone find it distracting, rest assured that I do too :)

I liked your discussion about length and players possibly exploring too much. Personally, I can see an argument either way... fully exploring or just trying to quickly survive into the next area. I tend more toward the completionist side of things, so each time I play, it takes me around 20-30 hours or so. It's kind of funny because many gamers today complain about games being too short, yet here they complain about it being too long when it's still much shorter than many games. As you talked about near the end of the video, my take on why some complain about THIS game being too long simply has to do with how heart-stoppingly intense it can be. Whether your play style puts you at 12 hours or 30, it's easy to feel emotionally drained because I've never experienced a game this intense where I can hardly breathe and get a fitful nervous laughter every time I die. That's just a really heightened emotional state to be in for such a long stretch. That said, I feel like every moment of this game is carefully crafted and deserves to be part of the experience. I've played through it multiple times and consider it one of the most flawless games I've played.

Yes, especially with the Alias Isolation and High Detail mods. Looks even more awesome.

IMO, this is the best Switch port that it exists. They somehow made it an upgrade from playing it on PS4. I once played this on a very long overnight flight, on my Switch, with headphones, in the dark, cramped into my tight seat, in the dark, trying not to scream every time the xenomorph got the jump on me. Good times 😱

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

I didn't look too far into it, but I think they also released it on Android and iOS, which is genuinely impressive as well. It IS a game that was surprisingly optimized and light even at launch. So it makes some sense. But for how good it looks, it's still super impressive.

Heh. I think KZread is trying to push me toward first person horror stealth titles, what with my finding this video, several on "SOMA," and seven some on "FNAF: Security Breach" (primarily meme content there, but still). Didn't realize there was a substantial contingent of players with much negative to say about this game. Though I have never played it, I remember effusive praise for this title when it came out because it was such a huge leap above Gearbox Software's awful, money-laundered "Aliens: Colonial Marines." SEGA may be a pretty crap company in most regards, but I still feel a little bad for them over how they basically got conned with that whole fiasco. That this game was released eight years ago was a surprise for me to remember because like you said, it still looks utterly gorgeous. This is up there with the sorts of titles that I think look almost supernaturally good for the times they're released, to the extent that it'll take a long while for them to appear dated ("Sonic Unleashed," "Kingdom Hearts III," "Kena: Bridge of Spirits," etc.). And I appreciate the advice you gave about exploration, in case I ever do get around to playing this. When it comes to the sort of person who spends too much time exploring areas under the assumption that most developers are the sadistic kinds of folk to hide interesting content in every nook and cranny, look no further than I. Like you said, it's actually rather clever that the creators of this game intentionally tried to design it in a way that the player would ultimately strategize the same way the character in-universe would.

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

Ahh, I really enjoyed SOMA too. It's one of the only other 'helpless stealth horror' type games that I've really gotten into. And to be crystal clear, most criticisms of Alien: Isolation end up seeing it as more middling, but it was still seen relatively positively. I think now that it's gained distance from the trend that it was lumped in with, people are more willing to overlook the stuff they didn't like before. Kind of like how everyone thought Resident Evil 7 was just trying to be a P.T. ripoff when the Beginning Hour demo came out, and yet they've only continued to look more and more favorably toward it as it's aged.

@majine.2606

Жыл бұрын

@@LibraScope Yeah, that makes sense. When a game is released is almost as important as what the game itself is on its own merits. I guess I didn't realize just how many of these sorts of games there were in the mid-2010's, but now that I think back on it, there were quite a few. I think sparked by "Amnesia: The Dark Descent"? It certainly wasn't the first of them (I know "Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth" came well before), but I guess it popularized the genre around that point.

I keep trying to play this game, but I'm a giant baby and get heart palpitations when I have to deal with Xenny. It's really freaking stressful for me.

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

It might be worth playing it in bursts then? I used to only be able to play the RE games in like 30 minute bursts. Then it'd get too tense, and I'd have to back off until the next day. It's totally worth it. But I can absolutely understand if it's ultimately too much :)

It's always a pleasure to find a video analysis on your favorite game that's positive on it and understands what it was going for. Ever so more especially when this sort of content on said game is not only quite rare, but also, at least on the KZread scene, seems to be rather polarizing. But what makes these sort of videos only better, is when they don't merely make you go "great vid, agree with all points", but engage you with it by raising certain interesting topics to think and talk about. You see, your experience with the game and thoughts on it really closely mirror mine - I didn't find it too long, pacing to be poor (for the most part), the fear of Alien wearing off, Humans and Working Joes annoying to deal with and the game becoming tedious and repetitive (or the repetitiveness not being a problem for me). Hell, like you, I also first time played the game only years after its release - altho, unlike you, it was out of ability, rather than deliberate waiting. However, in my first two playthroughs (that came one right after another) I very much went out of my way to explore for collectibles, and, while wouldn't abuse lockers, would play very passively and stick to other hiding places, all only giving the Alien more time to adjust, adapt and hone in on me, and that in no way worsened my experience with the game. Quite the opposite - the oppressive, almost constant terror and nigh-omniscience of the Alien would keep me on edge, all paranoid, anxious and terrified almost at all times, sometimes to the point of both physical and psychological exhaustion, and that only made the experience better for me. And, while yes, part of the reason why is just that I am very tolerant to long, tense, slow paced stealth games (and Isolation might be partly, or exactly the reason that is the case, but later on that). I only confirmed this to myself with my playthrough of Thief: The Dark Project sometime ago, where it took me 50 hours to beat it, where most of the time all I did was shoot broadhead arrows at stone walls to lure guards in and bonk them on the head with a blackjack. But the other, more crucial reason is because I would engage with the game and its systems only more. What I consider to be one of this game's strongest aspects is how your interactions and encounters with enemies would unfold both in short and long term over the course of the playthrough, and some of the fondest experiences came from when things just went wrong, small, or especially big. From small things, like it checking under the table I was hiding in, signifying that they are less safe now, learning to ignore a distraction, to how I would use a distraction only to see Alien not only ignore it, but bee-line straight to where it thought that item was thrown from, forcing me to react and do something, resulting in panic and waste of 200 fuel for the flamethrower. The short term ramifications were a waste of an item and tons of flamethrower fuel, but the long term were an even more aggressive and resistant to fire Alien, a useless item, lack of fuel, and, as such a need to adapt and change playstyle myself. And exploration directly ties into that, as a task for a search for more resources and/or ammo and fuel, or just for collectible lore can turn into a little story of struggle for survival of its own. Isolation is especially cruel, but also all the more special, because it isn't afraid to punish you for exploration, in a number of brutal ways. Let's just say dying isn't the worst thing that can happen to you haha. I perfectly realize not everyone would enjoy that, hell, probably most people just would eventually get tired and/or over-exhausted, but that is my jam. That is game's dynamic, system-driven beauty at its strongest, purest display. Oh, speaking of exploration - be ready to resort to doing that on Nightmare if you ever plan to touch that difficulty, especially if you are still not very well versed in the game. You might find both the AI of enemies, especially of the Alien, and resource scarcity to be suffocating and feel like it just took all your options away, hence why I don't recommend it to you, considering some of the things you said. Going into your opinion that the reason why many people would find the game too long and poorly paced is because they would try and explore every hook and crack, I must say I am conflicted, Initially upon hearing you talking about it I dismissed that notion, but as you carried on, I couldn't help but notice how what you say aligns with what Noah Caldwell-Gervais said in his review of the game (ling should be with a time-stamp, but if for some reason no, then 18:51): kzread.info/dash/bejne/e5anr8ebh9XOdKw.html Because of that, I do think you have a point there, but still think that largest two reasons why people would have that issue with the game are: 1. The other thing you said, being overreliance on lockers (and underusage of items), and partly that can be down to game maybe doing a too good of a job at scaring the player. With just how imposing and oppressive the Alien is, that can create a very strong feeling of apprehension. Doing anything in the game is a risk, and so with a small margin for error and huge possible punishment for failure, even if hiding places are a temporary solution that isn't 100% safe, it feels like the best place to stay in, especially considering that in your first encounter with the Alien your means of defending against it are either expensive to make, or not obvious at all, and one time use. 2. From what I personally read, and I read alot, for a lot of people the reason for that criticism is precisely because they felt over-exposure to Alien and tension, which resulted in it simply wearing off. It should be mentioned that the confusing thing about this criticism leveled against Isolation is that for different people that point came at different times. For some, it was at the end of the game, for others slightly sooner, and it goes as far back as half way through for some others. This sorta thing is a known issue in horror and is considered one of the most difficult ones for designers to manage and solve. Isolation's way of handling it was through the system driven and dynamic design of Alien's AI and the game as a whole to a certain degree. For some, like us, it worked flawlessly, for others it wasn't sufficient enough and as such they say it was too long. But why that is the case is anyone's guess to be honest. Anyway, last few things I would like to mention: 8:37 Ah, the infamous Corridor of Death and Suffering. I absolutely love it and that Mission as a whole. It is just such a small, but impactful curve ball to the game's level design, and an especially fitting one in how it feels. Even the environment can seem hostile to its inhabitants in Isolation, and seem like the creature made it fit them more than people, but at that point of the game, when the station is just falling apart, in its dying breaths and convulsions, that is in its brutal display, from the Hive, to this corridor. From the game's design point of view, that corridor is an enemy that you have to work, strategize around and take risks with as much as the Alien. And because you have to go through it, face it multiple times, you have to be really careful in how you manage it. Do you distract the Alien with an item to buy yourself time to safely go through the hall, or rely on your flamethrower this time, risking not having enough later? Just really, really good stuff that makes you think differently compared to most of the rest of the game. 10:28 There is literally a floor hatch for the vent leading out of that room RIGHT next to the console with which you turn off the generator. THAT was the intended way the devs wanted you to go, not what you said there. And they did teach you about the existence of those hatches too. I always find it funny when players struggle at that part, because the only way the game could of made the intended path any more obvious imo is if it literally pointed to it with a glowing arrow. guides.gamepressure.com/alien/gfx/word/376685208.jpg 16:17 Imo the reason people would have that complaint is because the game didn't handle its resource scarcity as well on lower difficulty, to some extend including even Hard, when it comes to Working Joes, and specifically it is too generous with ammo. I absolutely agree, the parts with androids weren't intended to play like a pseudo-FPS, and rather still stay within that stealth-survival horror blend of the game, but with a bigger lean on the latter. But, especially starting from Medium difficulty, it doesn't manage that because it just showers player in ammo. And considering how powerful the shotgun that you find there is (being able to one shot androids to the head, easily on Medium and lower, with risks on Hard), it can and does turn engagements with the Joes into a simple ordeal almost devoid of tension. And while you CAN try and stealth around them, as you said the game rarely forces an engagement on you, there is no even a slight bit of incentive to do that for the player if you have more than enough ammo to simply take on all of them, unless you are just particularly bad at aiming. Not only that, but I also think this ties into the grander criticism you could also quite often hear from people about how they just hate dealing the Working Joes, especially the advanced, Hazard models. They just become spoiled with the power they get earlier, and so when they are stripped of weapons which comes soon after, and have to deal with beefed-up Joes, they just struggle to adapt, in part because they just don't want to. Anyway, fantastic video, was an interesting watch and an even more interesting food for thought. I don't expect anyone to read this monstrosity of a comment, but ey, whatevs.

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

I really appreciate such a long and thoughtful comment! I don't have a ton to say on most of it, but I'll touch on a few things. Firstly, I definitely understand and agree that to some extent - as with basically every horror game - the way the horror itself is delivered will eventually run dry for players. And it'll be different for everyone. My personal issue with how people treated Isolation in that regard, is mostly just based on the fact that they didn't seem to give the same criticisms to games like Outlast or Amnesia. They're shorter games, yes, absolutely. But they're also so much more mechanically simple, and with so much simpler threats, that I feel like there should be some internal consistency there for when people got used to each game's horror. I for example found Outlast's horror so simple and bland, that it wasn't more than a half an hour before it couldn't even get close to creating tense situations for me. As for the floor hatch in that early stealth tutorial, that's interesting! But I feel like if I'm not the only one who misses it, and that's kind of a common thing, the onus is on the devs to have placed it in a more obvious way, or hinted at it in some way. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would be the first floor hatch you will even find, with no indication that floor hatches are even a thing before that, right? Not to mention, the game hasn't let you interact with much at that point, leading to many new players likely assuming you can't interact with the environment to that degree yet, if at all. At very least, since that's a tutorial, I'd have liked to see them spell it out for you if you fail the section a couple of times, or at least force a tool tip about floor hatches to show up on the game over screen every time you die at that section. Your last point is also totally fair, though I would argue that - considering the game recommends Hard as the intended experience - the mistake is still ultimately the player's fault if they pick Medium or lower, and then the abundance of resources colors how they play the game. The game SHOULD still ultimately be balanced for roughly the same type of experience on every difficulty, unless otherwise specified. But I don't think it's fair for people to criticize the game, they chose to play it on an easier difficulty than recommended for the most focused experience. That's kind of like turning on an Accessibility option that one hit kills every enemy or something, and then complaining that enemies die too quickly. Also, it's worth mentioning with that specific criticism of the game, in relation to the IGN review, he specifically mentions he chose Hard because it was recommended. He then proceeds to suggest that was a terrible idea, and he should've gone for something easier. So at least for him, I don't think those criticisms of the game 'turning into a shooter' were about the abundance of resources. I think it was carrying subcontext related to games like Outlast and Amnesia, which had popularized this sort of stealth horror with no combat mechanics to speak of. I think he was comparing Isolation to them when thinking about the combat, rather than comparing it more to something like classic Resident Evil, which is clearly more of what they were striving for with their combat in Isolation. Anyway, again, I really appreciate the long and meaningful comment! And I appreciate you watching the video. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!

@user-kt3qs9ki8p

Жыл бұрын

@@LibraScope Sorry for the late response, busy shift. What makes the difference for the people in question imo is that not only are Outlast and Amnesia shorter, but they also were aware of their simplistic design, and as such tried to space out and limit the stretches of time one would spend dealing with those game's threats. That way they tried to obscure their limitations and went about dealing with the overexposure problem. And folks were successfully fooled by them! And I say this, because I liked those games too, just not nearly to the extend of Isolation, and in part because I was fooled too...to a point. Amnesia ended up being too formulaic - at about half-way point I begun to confidently notice and call out patterns in which it was structured around, which was a problem, because the enemies and encounters with them make up a small portion of the game, and their main purpose was to break up the pacing and engage in Smoke 'n Mirrors - gaslighting the player into scaring themself when there was no real danger. As such, most of the 2nd half I spent walking around solving puzzles almost completely unfazed, as its stellar atmosphere was carrying the game on its back. Also the last two encounters with enemies were just trash. Outlast I liked more, and really because of its bigger focus on enemies and sections with them, but I also think that overall they did mostly a solid job at spacing them out, so that they didn't overstay their welcome and lost all appeal. Mostly. But other people may not have had those issues, and instead found Isolation overwhelming, which I can understand why honestly. In direct contrast to Amnesia and Outlast, which way too many people compare it too, Isolation bangs on its system driven design and dynamic AI of Alien, with confidence: entire Missions dedicated to you having to deal with Alien + smaller threats, with it being a speedy one-shot menace that is tricky to track, understand and deal with, with a save system that isn't safe, in a large, somewhat convoluted environment. Aaaaand nope, that is not the first time the game introduces floor hatches. You come across and need to use them earlier on. Remember the Space Flight Terminal, where at the start of the game you see the Torrens fly by you, only for shutters close shut, and have to find a way forward. I wouldn't say it is common for people to miss that hatch, but you aren't lonely in that either. I think this was what folks like to call a brainfart moment, and it happens to the best of us. Altho I do think it would have been better if it was less scripted in how you are supposed to go past them. Thankfully you CAN just distract them with a flare and make your way to the door tho, which is cool. What is actually common is for people to struggle at Mission 3 stealth section with human survivors, the one where you find your hack tool in Lorenz Systech Spire, and it is justified because it is not a well designed tutorial section imo (to make things immidiately clear: I think that way not because I personally struggled with it, but because just how many people did struggle and ended up turned away from the game as such. My consensus on it is that it is a fine stealth section in isolation, just a terrible as a tutorial). There is more to the difficulty debate, because, except for Nightmare difficulty, you actually can change your difficulty mid-playthrough without having to start it all over. But to be fair the game also could have made it a tad more obvious tho, even if it does mention that in a loading screen tips. You might be also right on that notion, I mean I did mention myself that people way too often bunch Isolation up within defenceless horror sub-genre, together with Amnesia and Outlast etc, and that perception of it not only existed back when it was revealed, but still persists today. While I think that, while it certainly took quite a bit of inspiration from Amnesia, it isn't accurate to suggest that it is almost exactly like them. Isolation really sits in the middle between those types of stealth-centered, defenceless horror games and survival horror, which what lead me to define it as stealth-survival horror - an even blend of the two. But I still stand by my belief that it is too generous with resources and ammo on lower difficulties, on some more on some less.

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

@@user-kt3qs9ki8p I'm glad you enjoyed Amnesia and Outlast so much. I like Amnesia's ideas, and I haven't tried the most recent one yet, nor Outlast 2. But I pretty definitively disliked both the original Amnesia, and Outlast 1/Whistleblower. A Machine for Pigs was the only one I got much out of, and it's purely because out of all of them, I feel like it stayed the most out of its own way. It was okay mostly just existing as a horror walking simulator, with occasional stealth bits and puzzles. So I didn't find it grating, unlike the others.

@user-kt3qs9ki8p

Жыл бұрын

@@LibraScope the whole defenceless horror sub-genre has seen a drop in popularity and handful of criticisms ever since tbf. I think part of their early success can be attributed to how saturated the AAA horror scene was with popular franchises just becoming action flicks, as such titles like Amnesia were a much needed breath of fresh air. But sadly not much was done with the concept and idea of defenceless horror ever since (apart from Isolation taking inspiration, but as I said you can hardly classify it as such). All they did was just go in the direction of stripping gameplay and depth of interactions further in favor of the narrative, whereas noone tried to push and explore the concept within gameplay. Keep the inability to defend yourself in focus, but build out on ways you can interact, solve problems and avoid enemies. Speaking of which, considering how Frictional back in the day were strong on the idea of "inclusion of guns ruins horror", I find the irony of latest Amnesia title going for guns and offensive measures all the funnier. But being serious, Amnesia: The Bunker looks very promising, how'd you think if you know anything about it?

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

@@user-kt3qs9ki8p Honestly couldn't have said it better myself. I don't mind defenseless horror in theory. And I think games like The Dark Descent had a rough outline for a game that was really engaging. My problems with it specifically came down to the balance (and the repetitive, bland environments). I like the sanity meter in theory. I like the limited light. And I like the fact that lighting torches and such gives you visibility and light to refill sanity, but makes it harder to hide. But I think the puzzle design didn't work well with the idea that you have to stay out of the light to stay safe. It ends up causing the player to just run around in the dark, hoping to find puzzle items they can barely see, all while their screen starts to get blurry and their controls degrade as their sanity goes down. But if you bathe everything in light, there's really no hiding, and therefore no value in TRYING to hide from the creatures. Especially with the way the respawns work, you're legit just better of sprinting, lighting everything you can, and looking for the puzzle items that way. The dichotomy between wanting it to be light for certain reasons, and wanting it to be dark for certain reasons is great in theory. And it's not as binary as the night vision/batteries is in Outlast. But it falls apart too easily. I go into a bit more detail in my video on Dark Descent, Justine, and A Machine for Pigs, though it's a bit of a clunky video since it's so old. As for Amnesia: The Bunker, I wasn't aware that was a thing, honestly. Maybe I'll take some time to look it up :)

You reminding me this was 8 years ago makes me very sad

@LibraScope

Жыл бұрын

Yeah... reminding myself of that fact does the same to me, lololol.

@BenjaminRodriguezReyes

Жыл бұрын

Yeah I did a double take when I saw the title