Alien: Isolation - Trailer First Impressions - Can Anyone Hear You Scream in Outer Space?

Aliens: Isolation - Trailer Impressions

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 1/7/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 When it comes to the Alien universe created by Ridley Scott, I'm a stickler for detail, atmosphere, and true-raw-fear. Unfortunately the last installment into the Alien universe concerned me after having seen multiple delays starting back with the announcement on PS2 by publisher SEGA. Over the years the game had gone through multiple transitions of what we would consider development flops. After having gone through so many, it was clear on launch something went wrong, and we got to experience it first hand. Aliens: Colonial Marines, was what I considered an absolute abomination graphically, atmospherically, and play wise. The story one the other hand was the only redeeming factor behind it. After having put my distaste back into place for the damage it suffered, I was truly able to enjoy it, and unfortunately not as much as I had hoped.

  This afternoon though that hope was reignited when the trailer for the new horror survival title, "Aliens: Isolation" premiered on SEGA's YouTube page, I was amazed, and left truly shaken. The fear I had once had instilled into me by the original movie, once more returned, and left me weak at my core. It left the fact that the first time I saw a chest buster, Xenomorph, and crazed robot forever stained in my head become renewed. With the work Creative Assembly and SEGA have put into it in coordination with Century 21, we can only hope to get a true Alien movie experience. Seemingly taking place sometime between Alien and Aliens or maybe even Aliens and Alien 3, we can assume that we are taking on the role of someone in Ripley's family and are looking for a mother, sister, grandmother, and or aunt only to start uncovering a truly gritty, fog filled, light flashing, pulse pounding, scream filled, metal clanking, outer space horrorfest. Why do I say this? With the history of the Alien series, I can only suspect a few things, SEGA will not disappoint (or so we hope) and give us an authentic game that isn't focused just on dark corridors, Xenomorph nest like areas, and of course awkward human like Alien creatures. As a fan of the series, it's hard not to be a bit disappointed in the past few (AvP or Aliens: Colonial Marines anyone?) installments. With a restored hope, it can only be wondered how this will go down, how we can see things going, and the direction it takes. My own questions are still the following:

• When is this taking place?
• If it's a horror survival, which it appears to be, what game mechanics will be present?
• Will the story be told through voice over communications, data logs, and or video recordings?
• Where is the game taking place? LV-92? The starship? Mother (the original ship)? Earth? A moon? A Weyland Corporation base? Too many scenarios for this one.
• Why are we there? Are we looking for Ripley and the missing team? 
• How will the game place itself in a cannon like setting story wise or will it be its own thing?

 With the game having been in production for over 3 years, we can only hope that Sega and Creative Assembly can restore the player fan base, and of course faith in the Alien games. Only time can tell. Stay tuned as we have reached out to Creative Assembly for more information on this game.

 Official Trailer will require a log-in via YouTube, and also requires verification that you are at least 18 years of age or older. Alien: Isolation - Official Trailer