First Bits of Alien: Isolation Footage
Okay, so we’ve been here before. The months and weeks leading up to the turdening that was Aliens: Colonial Marines, I just about posted and gabbed over every shred of media trickled by that game’s superb marketing team (superb because they tricked me into thinking I wouldn’t regret buying that game).
So let us walk with trepidation. That being out of the way, good golly Miss Molly does Isolation look enticing. A sequel to Alien and not Aliens means Creative Assembly’s take tosses you into the shit nary a weapon. This demo shows young Ms. Ripley skulking through the dark – though our narrators try to kill the mood of the footage with their nonstop jawin’, the gorgeously realistic lighting salvages it – and gathering up supplies to push her way forward through an abandoned space station.
Did I say “abandoned”? The hissing, hulking xenomorph makes up for any loneliness you may encounter. Because it’s always there. Constantly looking for you. The brief few moments Ripley runs into the creature during the playthrough raised a sense of tension completely missing from the last umpteen Alien games. My heart skipped seeing that bastard just standing there, fucking scanning the room for Ripley.
We’ve been here before. The game isn’t in our hands and, so far, it’s just (likely prettied up) footage. But this footage is compelling. Is it really so bad to hope for Isolation’s success instead of bracing for disaster?