The Alien franchise has poured out some enjoyable games over the years. Even though these are mostly shooters. However, they are fun shooters. Games like Aliens versus Predator do a wonderful job of making you feel like a colonial marine, alien, or predator. Meanwhile, games like Alien Trilogy and Alien 3 do a decent enough job at putting you into the story and universe. But it can be agreed that no Alien game ever made has lived up to the tense and frightening atmosphere of the 1979 Ridley Scott masterpiece. Some games in the franchise can be scary at times. There's no denying that. But when it comes to portraying that "haunted house in space" atmosphere that made Alien a staple of the horror genre and coined the phrase "In space, no one can hear you scream", not a single game has embraced this. Why? Well possibly because most Alien games give you a pulse rifle (among other weapons) to kill a hoard of aliens that are supposedly "the perfect organism", but die in a short burst. They have never embraced what made Alien the terrifying sci-fi hit it was, or what makes horror games scary.

Make the alien pretty much invincible, and have only one. Give the player limited resources to craft items. Give the player few weapons, all of which aren't very powerful and low on ammunition.

This was the basic idea UK-based developer The Creative Assembly had in mind when crafting Alien: Isolation. Released on October 7, 2014, Alien: Isolation is the newest game to be based off of the popular horror franchise. Not only is it a wildly different game for the series, but for the developer as well. For the franchise, it's the first game to not primarily focus on shooting, as it is based around the Ridley Scott original and not James Cameron's pulse rifle-packing sequel. For The Creative Assembly, it's one of their first games to be set in a first-person perspective. In fact, it's also one of their few games as of recent that isn't a Total War game. So, it's a definite shift in both areas. But the game and its developer also had one big obstacle to clear.

Aliens: Colonial Marines.

The 2013 shooter by Gearbox Software and TimeGate Studios left a massive stink on the franchise's gaming reputation by disappointing many fans. While I liked the game enough (having given it an 8/10 in my review), I do have to admit that it underdelivered on the single-player content. This was due to its plot hole filled story and horrid friendly AI. So, as to be expected, many fans (myself included) were nervous about this new title. Now, I'm sure a few of you just want to hear my final opinion on the game because you're on the fence about buying it. You've seen other reviews and videos and just want to hear one last opinion. Well, while I will go into further detail, here's my opinion on Alien: Isolation.

Alien: Isolation is absolutely incredible. It's also the scariest and most stressful game I've ever played.

Alien: Isolation uses an in-house engine to power its "lo-fi sci-fi" world, and this engine delivers. Alien: Isolation looks amazing on all accounts. Great textures, amazing models, awesome dynamic lighting, and breathtaking environments are in abundance thanks to The Creative Assembly's engine. The engine also frighteningly depicts the signature Xenomorph as a 9.5 foot tall monster, who's as dangerous as it is graceful. There are also some great effects on display, ranging from amazing smoke effects from the flamethrower (that are almost photorealistic at times) to a depth-of-field effect that occurs when using the motion tracker. Every effect, model, and texture looks incredible. But the thing I loved the most about the graphics was the level design. Each level is approachable from different paths, which work great when hiding from the horrors of the Sevastapol. Even better is how the levels look. Everything from the Torrens to the towers of the Sevastapol looks like something out of the classic film, and there isn't a rivet out of place. Alien: Isolation may be set in the future, but it isn't full of hologramatic technology and touch screens. Instead, the levels are full of clunky terminals, chunky buttons, and CRT monitors. It's clearly the future from the perspective of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and it looks incredible. Plus, the game looks and performs almost identically on every platform. So it doesn't matter if you're playing on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, or PS4. You'll still get an incredible looking and performing game no matter the system.

The sound design in Alien: Isolation is also spectacular. The various sound effects you'll hear aboard the Sevastapol do a great job at immersing the player into the believable setting. From small effects like terminals and the drinking bird toy to larger sounds like the screech of the alien itself, it all serves to keep you on edge constantly. Does it succeed? Well, considering that I was gripping the Xbox 360 controller with sweaty hands and feeling my beating heart throughout the entire game, I would say so. It works well with the atmosphere to pull you in. The soundtrack to the game is also great. Not only is it amazing to listen to, but it's dynamic, meaning it changes depending on the situation. It also uses similar ideals to Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack for the original film, which is awesome. Then there's the voice acting. Like the rest of the presentation so far, it has really high production values. Taking part in the game include actors like Kezia Burrows, Sean Gilder, and William Hope. All of the actors do a great job. It may be weird to say it, but hearing a few British voices in the game seems right. Those who have seen the film know what I mean. But in terms of overall performances, Kezia Burrows steals the show as protagonist Amanda Ripley. She puts a brilliant performance into the game and gives Amanda her own identity, while still showing personality traits that are similar to her mother. But the biggest surprise when it comes to the voice acting is the return of the main actors from Alien in cameo roles in both the main campaign and the pre-order bonus missions. Alien fans will be both surprised and happy to hear Sigourney Weaver, who played Ellen Ripley in the film, open the game with the Nostromo's final log.

The story of Alien: Isolation is almost a 180 degree turn from what Aliens: Colonial Marines set out to do. Rather than being a full-blown sequel that returns to settings and characters we know, Alien: Isolation is more of a gap-filling sidestory that views an unexplored part of the series canon. It follows Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley. It's been 15 years since Ellen Ripley blew up the Nostromo and went into cryosleep at the end of Alien. According to offical files, she is missing, with no record of what happened to the Nostromo and its crew. Amanda, now working as an engineer in the area where her mother disappeared, is approached by Samuels, a representative for the Weyland-Yutani Corportation. Samuels, on behalf of the company, give her the offer to go with a crew to the Sevastapol space station, which is orbiting a gas giant. According to Samuels, the Sevastapol's crew have the Nostromo flight recorder on-board. Desperate to find out the fate of the ship and her mother, Amanda goes with a small crew to the station. However, something has happened at the station, and it's unclear of what the situation is.

Alien: Isolation takes a different turn by focusing on Amanda. Beyond brief mentions of her in the director's cut of Aliens and a few novels, her character and history haven't been explored at all. Now, with this game, we're given a part of her life. A missing piece to the puzzle, you could call it. After all, the events aboard the Sevastapol may be crucial to the series. Now what's most surprising to me is how the story is handled. It doesn't mess with the series canon at all. Instead, it extends it, adding in new characters and settings while sticking to the source material. It's a really good story, and remains focused throughout the game's 20+ hour campaign.

Another fantastic thing about Alien: Isolation's story and writing is the strong sense of setting that is presented. Between various audio logs and advertisements throughout Sevastapol, you're really given the sense that this was a place were people worked and lived their lives. Not since 2007's Bioshock and its dystopian city of Rapture has a game done it this well. Unlike most modern games, the setting doesn't feel like a bunch of disjointed locations placed together for the sake of extending the story. It all feels correct and in-place, and amplifies that sense of immersion The Creative Assembly aimed for.

So I've pretty much banged on about how amazing a job The Creative Assembly have done with Alien: Isolation's presentation. It really is top-notch. But as Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw said in his Zero Punctuation video on House of the Dead: Overkill, "A game must have gameplay, otherwise it's just machinima that you have to press buttons to watch." Thankfully, Alien: Isolation succeeds in gameplay as well. It strives to be a return to old-school survival horror tropes, with fixed save points, limited resources, and weak weaponry with limited ammunition. So in some ways, it's similar to games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. But it also feels like modern horror games like Bioshock, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Outlast, with the latter being a clear influence. Like Outlast, players will often end up avoiding combat to run away and hide under desks and in lockers.

As I mentioned, Alien: Isolation features some weapons, which typically means there is combat in the game. Sure enough, there is. But it isn't against the alien. Also populating the station are former crew members turned looters and synthetics called Working Joes. These enemies don't go down easily or without a fight. They prove to be a worthy challenge if you decide to engage. Thankfully, you have some good tools against them. Weapons include the maintenance jack as a melee weapon, a stun baton for non-lethal takedowns, and guns like a revolver, shotgun, and flamethrower. There are also various craftable items like EMP mines, flashbangs, molotov cocktails, and more. But there are catches to each of these. Resources and ammo are limited and weapons are weak. Plus, the noise from each one attracts your real enemy: the Xenomorph.

Like the story, Alien: Isolation's depiction of H.R. Geiger's monsterous creation is the opposite of Aliens: Colonial Marines. Rather than being a horde of aliens with a weakness to bullets, Alien: Isolation has only one Xenomorph hunting the player for the whole game. This is obviously one way to make the game feel like the film it's based on. It definitely looks great, capturing the graceful movement and look of the alien. But the most impressive thing about the alien is its dynamic, randomized AI. Since it's unrestricted by long lines of code, the alien is attracted by noise, light, and smell. That's why you need to be careful with weapons and light. This is where the game almost turns into a heavy game of cat-and-mouse. If the player is caught, it will end in death. The only exception is if you hit the alien with the flamethrower (the only useful weapon against the alien) before it attacks. Even if you succeed in scaring it away, you'll still take damage.

Unlike Aliens: Colonial Marines, Alien: Isolation won't take the matter of 6-8 hours to beat. In fact, escaping Sevastapol will take at least triple that time. Playing through the game on Easy difficulty took me more than 20 hours to beat. It's certainly a long game, which is sensible given that it's single-player only. Even if that was allto Alien: Isolation, you'd still get your $50 worth. But there's still more. After the campaign, you can play the Survivor Mode. This mode has players attempting to complete a series of objectives in a level while hiding from the alien. The game comes with one level, with more coming via DLC. Needless to say, I'm buying all the DLC.

The final questions a lot of you may have revolve around whether Alien: Isolation uses the original film's atmosphere, how it handles it, and how well it sticks to source. Well firstly, yes. Alien: Isolation does use the original film's "haunted house in space" vibe. Secondly, it handles it quite well. Thanks to the presentation as well as perfect pacing, Alien: Isolation is a really stressful and even terrifying game. It's easily the scariest game I've ever played. As for its faithfulness to the 1979 original, it really sticks to it. It gives fans something to appreciate, while not overdoing it to the point of blatant fan service. Plus, it's still largely enjoyable if you haven't seen the film. Sure, the fans will get the various references back to the original story, as well as similar cinematic shots. But even if you're not a fan, you'll enjoy this as a great sci-fi thriller.

I'm going to be perfectly honest. I did not expect to enjoy Alien: Isolation as much as I did. I just expected something better than Aliens: Colonial Marines and the horrible Aliens versus Predator: Evolution. But what I ended up getting was an excellent sci-fi horror game that does justice to Ridley Scott's classic film. The Creative Assembly have more than lived up to the hype that was created with this game. There's nothing bad about this game, in my opinion. From a gaming perspective, it's an excellent horror game. From a nerd perspective, it's a brilliant continuation of the series canon. From a critic perspective, it has flawless presentation and excellent gameplay. But no matter how you look at it, Alien: Isolation is a masterpiece of survival horror. It's a masterpiece that will make you cry out in fear. But it's a masterpiece none the less, and easily the best game of 2014.