{"id":2109,"date":"2014-10-06T14:40:23","date_gmt":"2014-10-06T14:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=2109"},"modified":"2021-08-11T09:50:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T08:50:06","slug":"is-alien-isolation-the-scariest-game-youll-ever-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/10\/06\/is-alien-isolation-the-scariest-game-youll-ever-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Alien: Isolation The Scariest Game You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll Ever Play?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The hype around Alien: Isolation <\/i>has been massive: it\u2019s a survival horror game based on the first movie, you play as Ripley\u2019s daughter, and you\u2019re stuck on a spaceship with a single indestructible xenomorph that can kill you before you\u2019ve ever seen it.<\/p>\n

In short, Alien: Isolation <\/i>\u201d\u201c which comes out tomorrow – is the game fans of the franchise have been waiting to play for years. But has it lived up to expectations, or is it another *shudder* Colonial Marines<\/i>?<\/p>\n

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What the critics have said<\/h4>\n

The good news is that Alien: Isolation<\/i> is ridiculously terrifying (according to critics at least). PC Gamer, who gave Isolation<\/i> 93\/100<\/a>, claim it\u2019s \u201d\u02dc…a thrilling, drawn-out game of cat-and-mouse with the scariest cat imaginable\u2019, before adding: \u201d\u02dc…the presence of the alien makes almost every moment exhilaratingly tense. After getting through one particularly long, difficult section, my palms were sweating and I had to go for a lie down. This is not a game you want to play just before bed.\u2019 Yikes!<\/p>\n

Destructoid wrote in their 8.5\/10 review<\/a>: \u201d\u02dcWhether it’s chilling bits of the game’s soundtrack or classic horror movie sounds, odds are you’ll be feeling a bit on edge the entire time.\u2019 Sounds…erm, fun?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Joystiq said:<\/a> \u201d\u02dcAlien: Isolation<\/em><\/a> is a trauma machine masquerading as a video game… it’s unpleasant, stressful and rarely merciful. Yay!\u2019 They still gave it 9\/10, mind \u201d\u201c apparently unpleasantness and stress can be fun too!<\/p>\n

\"Ripley\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t guessed by now, Isolation <\/i>is tense. Some reviewers have even claimed that the sheer amount of tension put them off the game. Writing for The Huffington Post<\/a>, reviewer Michael Rundle says: \u201d\u02dcIt’s terrifying. Tense, stressful and horrible. It gave me literal nightmares.\u2019<\/p>\n

‘Alien Isolation’ is one of the best games I have ever played. It is so intensely scary, atmospheric, frustrating and addictive it’s almost unbearable.<\/p>\n

The problem is that it is unbearable. For me.\u2019<\/p>\n

Oh boy.<\/p>\n

There have been a couple of negative reviews, however. IGN gave Isolation<\/i> 5.9\/10<\/a>, claiming that the game was too long, while Gamespot wrote in their 6\/10 review<\/a> that Isolation<\/i> \u201d\u02dc…is four hours’ worth of a great idea stretched into 14-plus hours of messy stealth gameplay, creaky video game cliches, and limp exploration.\u2019 Ouch!<\/p>\n

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Why is it so scary?<\/h4>\n

Where do we even start? First of all, there are hardly any weapons in the game so you\u2019re largely defenceless \u201d\u201c not good when you\u2019re being chased by a hulking great alien.<\/p>\n

Secondly, the Alien: games like Colonial<\/i> Marines<\/i> have cast the famous xenomorphs as cannon fodder, but the Alien in Isolation<\/i> is near-indestructible, clever and always looking for you. It\u2019ll get you more often than not too…<\/p>\n

Basically, the game switches the traditional gaming power relationship. Rather than arming you with more guns than the entire US Army and making you fight baddies who would explode if you poked them in the tummy, you\u2019re being hunted by a merciless killer and your only option is to hide.<\/p>\n

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Should you buy Alien: Isolation? <\/b><\/h4>\n

We\u2019d recommend Alien: Isolation<\/i> if:<\/p>\n