u/Asche_zu_Asche_

11 years, I've known this game and in those 11 years I've grown so much as a person, made so many experiences yet never found any single game that can replicate the gameplay loop and perfection of Isolation

I tried Outlast, Amnesia the Bunker, Fnaf, Silent Hill, Resident evil, so many more, these are just the ones on top of my head and while these are great games on their own, none ever came close to Isolation's gameplay loop

The atmosphere is one part i really don't need to talk about. (It's simply Superb, i could fall asleep to it)

The gameplay is what i am far more focused on

So what makes the gameplay so special?

The answer is simple: It makes you grow not just as a player but also as a person, it rewards skill, boldness and quick thinking. Isolation as opposed to other games doesn't allow you to just hide in a closet and wish the monster away, it demands you to confront it. It demands of you to do something about the Alien and that creates a predictable, rewarding gameplay loop that rewards players that experiment, adapt and keep their cool

Other games often introduce difficulty via resource scarcity, Isolation doesn't do such a thing. It instead throws tools at you and tells you "Here are your toys, now play and experiment with them" Isolation doesn't become a slug fest because you ran out of flamethrower fuel. There are so many ways, tricks and strategies one can use to avoid the alien, even without direct ways to fight back

Simply said it throws you into the cold water and demands of you to learn how to swim, it puts you under a lot of pressure, it ends up having the effect of not only making you a better player at horror games, but it also trains your ability to think fast and act fast.

There are weaknesses off course. After a while you hit a wall where the game becomes too predictable and easy, the humans are stupid and the Joes can be annoying. But you know what? This downside only exists due to the player memorizing Sevastopol, throw yourself blind into a challenge map with no idea what to do and it's the first few hours all over again.

Another thing that makes the game a bit too easy is the motion tracker. But if you think that's the case, just don't use it.

Overall this game is just special. There's nothing else like it out there and if 2 improves further upon this formula, we will have the pleasure and honor to experience an even perfected version of this gameplay loop

I also think,i already put in so many hours (300) in the game without mods or extra maps, i can't imagine what I'd do if there were custom maps or community generated content

I just love this game. There isn't anything else like it out there.

I quit my run after this cause i was lowkey too scared

of randomly dying

Explanation:

So on this challenge map where is an odd bug that spawns 2 aliens early on but one is in a very odd vent/invisible state. It will follow you through the vents like crazy and make it's ambient sounds and no footstep sounds. I tried luring it but it doesn't seem to be able to drop

I think this bug is triggered if you make the alien drop out of the vent behind the locked door in the reactor that opens up when you need to get the coolant

I recently spent a lot of time switched over to top tier ARB to get a better understanding of aircraft and to become a better cas player and this has really led to the realization that GRB Air to Air combat and the general CAS balance is a disaster.

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Here's a list of things:

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-The airfields are WAY too close to each other and to the battle in general. This leads to people just launching off FnF Ordnance from their Helipads or Airfields like it's nothing and then landing again.

-The airfield SPAA doesn't function

-People can spawn trap you in your air field with no way for you to defend yourself

-The B.Rs are an absolute disaster. How is an F18C on the same ground B.R as an SU30MK2 and an F15E that can carry far more ordnance? (I play both so i have made an experience with both)

-Far superior aircraft directly eats anything up, Gaijin really thinks that an F15E which gets AIM 120s is up to par with an SU25 that gets 2 R73s to defend itself

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(There are probably far better examples as to horrible B.Rs on planes in ground however these are the ones that come to mind)

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Final point is I'd say Helicopters, although this is more of an annoyance over something that ruins everything.

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Due to the lack of missile indicators, Helicopters can launch missiles at Aircraft that they can never see coming. A lot of my kills in Apaches is due to this cheesy tactic of just waiting in a corner and firing off Stingers at people who fly over the battlefield.

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And for last, Helicopters also often put you in a lose lose.

Helicopters with LDIRCM or IRCM make heatseekers useless, but their radar signatures are too small for radar missiles. LDIRCM also makes IR guided missiles useless. This forces you to either use TV ordnance or get in close which can make you easy picking for their cannons they just need to lock onto you.

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As a side note because i feel the need to say this, no CAS is not perfect either and can feel insanely unfair to fight and die from. However this doesn't mean we can't look at some issues around it that we could fix to make the game more enjoyable. A top tier aircraft that rushes the enemy spawn, kills anyone that can shoot it down then proceeds to farm your team is also part or the issue that can be looked at

I am really wondering where exactly the lab ended up falling upon. Could it have been one of those 3 moons or could it have been salvaged and dropped off somewhere completely else? If there was a Weyland-Yutani facility on one of those moons, shouldn't we have known already? I also don't think i saw the Gas giant on any of the promotional material so far either.

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I really wonder where the lab actually ended up, do you guys have any ideas or thoughts?

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Also gah damn this game still looks so pretty. It's a shame i can't stare at Sevastopol blowing up for hours upon hours and instead need to hurry up before a group of Steves eat me.

I wonder what's on the other side of that door for this Joe to be so eager to get in.

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Also over 10 years watching others play these game and 200+ hours on my own and never seen this animation before.

I cracked my best PR today on Lost Contact. Which makes me wonder if Alien Isolation 2 will have such Challenge maps. I hope it does. They're such a blast to play and it's good to just enjoy raw gameplay without interruptions or cutscenes in-between.

The ones in Isolation are fun, but besides the endurance mode and the 2 challenges with the safe rooms, they feel dry. Like repurposed cut content after Sega claimed theg were "unhappy" with the numbers

I must admit i actually really enjoyed him as a villain. Far more than his father who while somewhat interesting and complicated, still felt as if he was holding back.

Damien feels like a dark version of Bond, who instead took his parents deaths, the trauma and suffering and turned himself into a blunt instrument that is guided by duty and principles. While Damien fell of the deep end and allowed his impulses to take over and turn him into this violent, psychopathic killing machine that's still incredibly charismatic and entertaining. He genuinely respects Bond's combat prowess and his witty remarks. So far as to admit himself that Bond is hilarious.

Their chemistry is also very enjoyable. While Webb Senior is delusional and living in his own world of hypocrisy and moral la la land, not really mirroring Bond. Damien seems to be Bonds shadow, seeing how they clearly were shaped by similar circumstances and events. Both are tools dispatched to clean up their respective handlers mess.

He strikes a good balance between strenght, charisma and madness. In the final Boss fight i really liked how he pulls back his mask and reveals the damage Bond did to him. It made me respect him a bit more for not giving up and straight up attacking MI6 while he still has stitches on his head

Do i hope he returns? Maybe? I think he is way too entertaining to just be killed off, however at the same time, pulling a "Oh he actually didn't die" twice is kinda weak (You only live twice after all)

Also obligatory Kuhlman death scene

I remember the first few times i played this game, i shit myself and struggled so much and now i breeze through Challenge maps, have played the story tens of times in hard and nightmare and have a bunch of top 20s and top 50s on survivor mode. I cannot wait for the next game. If this has given me over 200 hours of fun and it still gives, i can't imagine what the second game will offer.

I hope we see Amanda again, i hope the game will be even more fluid than this one. Imagine a map creator.

I could play this game forever if it got new challenge maps or DLCs.

I am tired of fighting 9/10 games vs Russia, BMPTs and Pantsirs that see me through trees, boss.

My heart may have skipped a bit and my pants may have had a change of color