Thank you for this. For me, this game was so terrifying it reminded me when I was a kid and watched the original Alien and being just as terrified. For a game to be able to reproduce that same feeling, makes for a great game. One of the few I'd played where the atmosphere was very frightening to me. Several times, I had to walk away just to catch my breath and let my heard rate come down. The hospital missions were the most intense, imo.
I also loved how they nailed the atmosphere of the Alien movie in this game. Fox gave the developers access to about 3 Terabytes of movie and production data: textures, sounds, effects and schematics and the developers really made full use of it. This game actually has two AI's. There's the "Alien AI" which controls how the alien reacts to its immediate surroundings. Then, there's a separate "Director AI" (like in Left4Dead) which manages the overall tension in the game. For example, if you haven't seen the Alien in a while, the Director AI will nudge the alien to look in your general area, but it won't tell the alien exactly where you are. The Director AI also controls when the alien is allowed to enter certain areas and at what times. ruclips.net/video/Nt1XmiDwxhY/видео.html
I remember spending an upwards of an hour and thirty minutes just appreciating the desolate Sevastopol and the torpor of the living, mostly whom are turning on each other, so overwhelmed by their futility in existence. Finally, I saw the first Alien drop from the vent in front of me, Amanda screaming inside her head, desperate to hide--I remember having to pause and question whether I was ready for this game. It is the only time I have ever been fortunate enough to experience one with an excellent sound system. The subwoofer's thud as the behemoth would come near me was utterly unnerving. Did I mention I suffered playing through the recommended Hard difficulty in its entirety? Playing this, you can really tell that from beginning to end, the game was thought out intimately with regards to the first two movies; much like you say they were the two defining applications of the Xenomorph, I really appreciated seeing them play out here, though the latter was on a much lesser scale. Glad to hear your thoughts on this title, knowing you aren't a big horror fan. Thanks Arche!
The game recieved mixed reviews, and I think it's because of the difficulty settings. Playing it on easy will turn the alien into a fool who'll let you survive/escape in situations that would mean certain death on the highest difficulty. The alien isn't scary anymore, the game loses tension, and people complain that all you do is solve mini-games to open doors. The developer recommends playing on the highest difficulty to get the intended experience. But that's probably too frustrating for many players.
Holy crap you actually managed to keep the hood up the entire time! you must have been roasting by the end xD By the way I have bought This war of mine do to your recent stream of it and look forward to playing it!
Hello! I recently found this channel thanks to your rumination series (big MGS, Deus Ex fan here), was going thru your past work too. Lots of depth. Good stuff. But I had a question regarding what you repeat in several vids. So you ONLY take subject suggestions from those who pay via Patreon? Does this mean you ignore any and all suggestions posted here in YT comments? :( Just curious.
Unfortunately yes. I get so, so many requests that a system had to be put into place to keep things organized and manageable. I barely keep up as is. To give you an idea, right now my queue for Ruminations goes out to about May'ish of next year.
:o I see. Thanks for the reply. Also a suggestion if you don't mind. I think its better if you keep the hood off on your anime jacket thing lol. Like your past videos. I think being able to see your face and expressions while ruminating adds to the subject and more for the viewer to relate to. Otherwise it would feel more like other channels who only narrate over an image or background gameplay footage etc.
Hey Arch, great rumination. Couple of questions: 1. You didn't speak about pacing and that was one of the major issues I had with this game. Was the speed at which the plot progressed also a problem for you or not at all? 2. Regarding jump scares, can you elaborate on that? Do you have any videos where you went into more detail about it? For example, the usage of a jump scare in The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf snaps at Bilbo at Bag End, or when Bilbo tries to quickly snatch the Ring out of Frodo at Rivendell. Those two are at their core meant to startle you yet they also serve a more meaningful purpose on both occasions (establish character in the former and build on the persuasive effects of the Ring on the latter.) Would those still not count as just well made jump scares?
1: The pacing never really bothered me, it felt like a fairly stark contrast between slow paced then fast, and repeating. I've come to believe I'm weird about pacing though. 2: Usually when I call something jump scares what I mean is "cheap jump scares". So the examples you give wouldn't qualify as cheap, for the reasons you outline. I've never really sat down and just talked about them as a concept though.
Ransome was a jerk. But the one time I agreed with him was his Audio Log about him getting attacked by the Joes. Those A holes have became My most hated enemies in gaming.
Personalty my favorite alien movie is Alien 3 assembly cut, closely followed by original Alien. Generally I think Aliens is overrated. Sure it is a good popcorn action flick but it really can't hold a candle to Alien or Alien 3 when it comes to atmosphere. Also Alien, and even more so Alien 3, have more interesting characters, better camera work, better writing and better direction. Also that alien not killing you is not a bug, it actually means there is alien queen growing in you:P ruclips.net/video/DNuzmKc7mq4/видео.htmlm56s
I've always preferred Aliens with 3 being my 2nd favorite, I'm pretty surprised that most people I've talked to tend to think 3 is the worst or 2nd worst in the series.
unexpected surprise maybe I should check the website more, played this game(or I should say tried to) at a friends and I cannot play it loved what I did but scares the crap out of me even just opening doors the atmosphere is to strong, also noticed you referenced doom 3 and that had the same effect on me as this game but I still try to play doom 3(made it to hell still progressing.....).
should add on Doom 3 might be the longest for me to beat a game ever it has been like 10 years now(on the same save file)? I'll get there eventualy its always play a bit get freaked out save and quit pick it up a week later X.X
can you play and do a rumination on Soma? it's an excellent game too and somewhat similar to alien isolation. It is not that scary though but the story is top notch.
Really liked the rumination, but wearing the hood makes it really distracting, and I had to switch to another tab and listen to the video like a podcast instead of watching it because of it. Not sure if I'm alone in this, but I thought I should share.
YAY! I was pleasantly surprised by this low-key success. Granted, it unfortunately had a number of flaws that kept it from being as wonderful as it _could_ have been (HEAVY reliance on synthetic enemies, questionable Alien AI when you really stop to study its behavior, INCREDIBLY powerful flamethrower effectively neutralizing the primary horror aspect of the game). That said, after Colonial Marines, this could have been so much worse. The voice acting was spot on, as was the immersive world design (keeping to the pseudo-future tech circa 80s cinema), solid music track and queues and more or less believable story (if a little spartan).
It's so odd to hear your position on jump scares. As someone who's tolerant of most things, and understanding that even if they aren't to your liking, they still have a place. Would've thought they'd simply be coffee to you. Jumps scares might be cheap, but there's a market for cheap. They're just simple burgers, not prime cut steaks. I too enjoy dread and suspense and atmosphere more. Hell Pergagus is one of my favorite locals from any video game ever because of the suspense it just drowns you with. But burgers don't all have to be McDonald's tier. You can have a real nice pub burger with really good meat and toppings. A quality burger. So it goes with jumpscares. They're nothing more than cashing in on that primal suspense that has been - or should have been - building up for a set amount of time. They're effective more often that not for a reason. Because we humans have a flight or flight response, and those jumpscares put a stimulus right up in our faces to trigger that.
You may remember me bringing up Strike Legion (a pen and paper RPG for all your superpowered crossover needs of ultimate awesome) before. Not!xenomorphs are a faction on a galactic scale in there. Theocratic and prone to disregarding commonly accepted rights of sentient beings, if I remember right.
I know this is an old video but just at the start of watching it Lore talks about how the Alien is "alien"... Well look at it now, how it has been ruined from that with freaking Alien: Covenant. SPOILER ALERT but that according to that movie the alien was made by a human-made android, who genetically altered an alien virus, using HUMANS... so it is now not just that it is human-like when it comes out of humans because it takes human DNA, but it is generally human-based in a way... There is a cool sci-fi concept that first it was alien technology, but at the end it is just the genetical experiment of an android, who used human parts to perfect it. That is why I and a lot of people thinks Covenant ruined the Alien as species...
That's... wow. That's such a disappointment. I mean it was already kind of eyebrow raising when they were implied to be built by the Predators as perfect prey.
Well, Predators were USING them as perfect prey, they could have gotten them from a planet as already existing species...but than again if you count Covenant as canon, you cannot count Aliens vs Predator as canon... because according to Covenant the Alien's species did not even exist until that time it plays(which is in the future 2100something), and AvsP plays in modern day. Which also makes Predator 2 noncanon, because the Predators in that movie also could not have had the skull of an Alien queen on the throphy wall of their ship, if the Alien species did not even exist yet
Damn.. I was looking forward to watching it until now. I'll still watch it when it comes on HBO but I won't be expecting much from it nor will it be in my headcannon
Arch your amazing I don't care for this game personally but I love your analysis in general so just watched and enjoyed it :) Just bout to finish deus ex MD Hope your having a great day arch - twitch thaneKrios25
CJ Ware im a big wuss, while it may be a good game, i may even get it just to support the devs like i did with amnesia the dark descent (a game i still havent played) with the Alien game its the sound of it running that bothers me more than anything.
permeus2nd Lol, yeah thats awesome then, its different when its just too scary.. That means the Devs did their job, I love Amnesia also, such a fun atmospheric and tension filled game.. Same with Outlast..
permeus2nd That Alien running after you, clanking on the metal and steel panels is one of the most unsettling things ever.. That tingle in your spine when its right on your ass... I would pause the game sometime.. Hah!
It's a shame the publisher considered this game a failure thus will never get it's deserved sequel.
Thank you for this. For me, this game was so terrifying it reminded me when I was a kid and watched the original Alien and being just as terrified. For a game to be able to reproduce that same feeling, makes for a great game. One of the few I'd played where the atmosphere was very frightening to me. Several times, I had to walk away just to catch my breath and let my heard rate come down. The hospital missions were the most intense, imo.
Agreed about the hospital, it was like before you had lots of weapons but where you had still seen the alien enough to kind of know how it worked
I also loved how they nailed the atmosphere of the Alien movie in this game. Fox gave the developers access to about 3 Terabytes of movie and production data: textures, sounds, effects and schematics and the developers really made full use of it.
This game actually has two AI's. There's the "Alien AI" which controls how the alien reacts to its immediate surroundings. Then, there's a separate "Director AI" (like in Left4Dead) which manages the overall tension in the game. For example, if you haven't seen the Alien in a while, the Director AI will nudge the alien to look in your general area, but it won't tell the alien exactly where you are. The Director AI also controls when the alien is allowed to enter certain areas and at what times.
ruclips.net/video/Nt1XmiDwxhY/видео.html
I remember spending an upwards of an hour and thirty minutes just appreciating the desolate Sevastopol and the torpor of the living, mostly whom are turning on each other, so overwhelmed by their futility in existence. Finally, I saw the first Alien drop from the vent in front of me, Amanda screaming inside her head, desperate to hide--I remember having to pause and question whether I was ready for this game. It is the only time I have ever been fortunate enough to experience one with an excellent sound system. The subwoofer's thud as the behemoth would come near me was utterly unnerving. Did I mention I suffered playing through the recommended Hard difficulty in its entirety? Playing this, you can really tell that from beginning to end, the game was thought out intimately with regards to the first two movies; much like you say they were the two defining applications of the Xenomorph, I really appreciated seeing them play out here, though the latter was on a much lesser scale. Glad to hear your thoughts on this title, knowing you aren't a big horror fan. Thanks Arche!
Yay, Alien: Isolation ^^ Been waiting a LOT for this one.
The game recieved mixed reviews, and I think it's because of the difficulty settings. Playing it on easy will turn the alien into a fool who'll let you survive/escape in situations that would mean certain death on the highest difficulty. The alien isn't scary anymore, the game loses tension, and people complain that all you do is solve mini-games to open doors. The developer recommends playing on the highest difficulty to get the intended experience. But that's probably too frustrating for many players.
Love the Look Arch. I haven't picked the game up but I plan on it soon. Another great video.
That hoodie/glove combo reminds me of a "bad boy" Final Fantasy character, OR a Sith. I think its the big zipper.
Kingdom hearts Villian
Holy crap you actually managed to keep the hood up the entire time!
you must have been roasting by the end xD
By the way I have bought This war of mine do to your recent stream of it and look forward to playing it!
Beating this game on hard was one of my favorite game experiences of all time.
Something that is just as amazing is the alien out of the shadows audio drama. The novel is excellent. But the audio drama absolutely nails it.
Hello! I recently found this channel thanks to your rumination series (big MGS, Deus Ex fan here), was going thru your past work too. Lots of depth. Good stuff.
But I had a question regarding what you repeat in several vids. So you ONLY take subject suggestions from those who pay via Patreon? Does this mean you ignore any and all suggestions posted here in YT comments? :( Just curious.
Unfortunately yes. I get so, so many requests that a system had to be put into place to keep things organized and manageable. I barely keep up as is. To give you an idea, right now my queue for Ruminations goes out to about May'ish of next year.
:o I see.
Thanks for the reply. Also a suggestion if you don't mind. I think its better if you keep the hood off on your anime jacket thing lol. Like your past videos. I think being able to see your face and expressions while ruminating adds to the subject and more for the viewer to relate to. Otherwise it would feel more like other channels who only narrate over an image or background gameplay footage etc.
Hey Arch, great rumination.
Couple of questions:
1. You didn't speak about pacing and that was one of the major issues I had with this game. Was the speed at which the plot progressed also a problem for you or not at all?
2. Regarding jump scares, can you elaborate on that? Do you have any videos where you went into more detail about it? For example, the usage of a jump scare in The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf snaps at Bilbo at Bag End, or when Bilbo tries to quickly snatch the Ring out of Frodo at Rivendell. Those two are at their core meant to startle you yet they also serve a more meaningful purpose on both occasions (establish character in the former and build on the persuasive effects of the Ring on the latter.) Would those still not count as just well made jump scares?
1: The pacing never really bothered me, it felt like a fairly stark contrast between slow paced then fast, and repeating. I've come to believe I'm weird about pacing though.
2: Usually when I call something jump scares what I mean is "cheap jump scares". So the examples you give wouldn't qualify as cheap, for the reasons you outline. I've never really sat down and just talked about them as a concept though.
Ransome was a jerk. But the one time I agreed with him was his Audio Log about him getting attacked by the Joes. Those A holes have became My most hated enemies in gaming.
Lorerunner please do a Rumination of the 90s Batman Movies Please.
Personalty my favorite alien movie is Alien 3 assembly cut, closely followed by original Alien.
Generally I think Aliens is overrated. Sure it is a good popcorn action flick but it really can't hold a candle to Alien or Alien 3 when it comes to atmosphere. Also Alien, and even more so Alien 3, have more interesting characters, better camera work, better writing and better direction.
Also that alien not killing you is not a bug, it actually means there is alien queen growing in you:P
ruclips.net/video/DNuzmKc7mq4/видео.htmlm56s
I've always preferred Aliens with 3 being my 2nd favorite, I'm pretty surprised that most people I've talked to tend to think 3 is the worst or 2nd worst in the series.
unexpected surprise maybe I should check the website more, played this game(or I should say tried to) at a friends and I cannot play it loved what I did but scares the crap out of me even just opening doors the atmosphere is to strong, also noticed you referenced doom 3 and that had the same effect on me as this game but I still try to play doom 3(made it to hell still progressing.....).
should add on Doom 3 might be the longest for me to beat a game ever it has been like 10 years now(on the same save file)? I'll get there eventualy its always play a bit get freaked out save and quit pick it up a week later X.X
The Untwist is the New Twist. Yeah!
can you play and do a rumination on Soma? it's an excellent game too and somewhat similar to alien isolation. It is not that scary though but the story is top notch.
Aliens isolation was great. I never finished it though. You know what, maybe i'll start a new game!
The first time I saw alien, I didn't lie it: I didn't like the idea of bilbo baggins doing the magazine thing ( I was 11 at the time. )
Random question Arch, but are you familiar with the fantasy novels of Brandon Sanderson, and if so what is your opinion of them?
Will you ever do a rumination on Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines?
Yep.
Are you gonna do a rumination on witcher 3 loved your ruminations on 1 & 2.
I have a feeling this game will be totally forgotten.
You may be thinking of 'Aliens: Colonial Marines' ;)
Were you going to a party?
Really liked the rumination, but wearing the hood makes it really distracting, and I had to switch to another tab and listen to the video like a podcast instead of watching it because of it. Not sure if I'm alone in this, but I thought I should share.
YAY! I was pleasantly surprised by this low-key success. Granted, it unfortunately had a number of flaws that kept it from being as wonderful as it _could_ have been (HEAVY reliance on synthetic enemies, questionable Alien AI when you really stop to study its behavior, INCREDIBLY powerful flamethrower effectively neutralizing the primary horror aspect of the game).
That said, after Colonial Marines, this could have been so much worse. The voice acting was spot on, as was the immersive world design (keeping to the pseudo-future tech circa 80s cinema), solid music track and queues and more or less believable story (if a little spartan).
Agreed! Aliens Vs. Predator was pretty damn fun too. I actually played Isolation twice through.. Such a great atmosphere..
Game too long.
Evilknightz Yes, there was so much padding towards the final hours..
It's so odd to hear your position on jump scares. As someone who's tolerant of most things, and understanding that even if they aren't to your liking, they still have a place. Would've thought they'd simply be coffee to you.
Jumps scares might be cheap, but there's a market for cheap. They're just simple burgers, not prime cut steaks. I too enjoy dread and suspense and atmosphere more. Hell Pergagus is one of my favorite locals from any video game ever because of the suspense it just drowns you with. But burgers don't all have to be McDonald's tier. You can have a real nice pub burger with really good meat and toppings. A quality burger. So it goes with jumpscares. They're nothing more than cashing in on that primal suspense that has been - or should have been - building up for a set amount of time. They're effective more often that not for a reason. Because we humans have a flight or flight response, and those jumpscares put a stimulus right up in our faces to trigger that.
You may remember me bringing up Strike Legion (a pen and paper RPG for all your superpowered crossover needs of ultimate awesome) before. Not!xenomorphs are a faction on a galactic scale in there. Theocratic and prone to disregarding commonly accepted rights of sentient beings, if I remember right.
I know this is an old video but just at the start of watching it Lore talks about how the Alien is "alien"... Well look at it now, how it has been ruined from that with freaking Alien: Covenant.
SPOILER ALERT but that according to that movie the alien was made by a human-made android, who genetically altered an alien virus, using HUMANS... so it is now not just that it is human-like when it comes out of humans because it takes human DNA, but it is generally human-based in a way... There is a cool sci-fi concept that first it was alien technology, but at the end it is just the genetical experiment of an android, who used human parts to perfect it. That is why I and a lot of people thinks Covenant ruined the Alien as species...
That's... wow. That's such a disappointment. I mean it was already kind of eyebrow raising when they were implied to be built by the Predators as perfect prey.
Well, Predators were USING them as perfect prey, they could have gotten them from a planet as already existing species...but than again if you count Covenant as canon, you cannot count Aliens vs Predator as canon... because according to Covenant the Alien's species did not even exist until that time it plays(which is in the future 2100something), and AvsP plays in modern day.
Which also makes Predator 2 noncanon, because the Predators in that movie also could not have had the skull of an Alien queen on the throphy wall of their ship, if the Alien species did not even exist yet
Damn.. I was looking forward to watching it until now. I'll still watch it when it comes on HBO but I won't be expecting much from it nor will it be in my headcannon
Never got past medical
Arch your amazing I don't care for this game personally but I love your analysis in general so just watched and enjoyed it :)
Just bout to finish deus ex MD
Hope your having a great day arch
- twitch thaneKrios25
Was this your look for a while or are you dressed like this to resemble a Xenomorph?
this game nope just nope.
As far as being a fun/good game? Or just because its scariness? I thought it did some fun things.. I enjoyed my experience.
CJ Ware im a big wuss, while it may be a good game, i may even get it just to support the devs like i did with amnesia the dark descent (a game i still havent played) with the Alien game its the sound of it running that bothers me more than anything.
permeus2nd Lol, yeah thats awesome then, its different when its just too scary.. That means the Devs did their job, I love Amnesia also, such a fun atmospheric and tension filled game.. Same with Outlast..
permeus2nd That Alien running after you, clanking on the metal and steel panels is one of the most unsettling things ever.. That tingle in your spine when its right on your ass... I would pause the game sometime.. Hah!
Although it does get old dying for an hour straight in the medical ward.