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Alien: Isolation: One million sold, scared
Publisher Sega and developer Creative Assembly are indirectly responsible for one hell of a laundry bill, as it was announced today that Alien: Isolation has officially sold one million copies worldwide. Accounting for at least one million players, and factoring in regular sessions with Alien: Isolation's precision engineered terror, we're talking millions of soiled undergarments. We're not aware of any spikes in detergent sales, but it seems like a given. We're rather fond of Alien: Isolation here at Joystiq, where the game stealthily crept into our top ten games of 2014.
Alien: Isolation's third DLC adds one-life-only Salvage Mode
Are you a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality? If that sounds like you then maybe let's not do coffee... but you may want to check out Alien: Isolation's new Safe Haven DLC. The add-on's new Salvage Mode tasks you with completing ten challenges in a large map as you try to escape from You-Know-Who (not Voldermort) within the time limit. The catch? You've got one life. While dying does take you back to your last saved challenge, it'll cost your final score. So to really do the business on the leaderboards, you'll need to make it through all ten challenges without perishing. On the flipside, if you collect enough points you can trade them in to save your progress. Like the previous DLC, you get to play another new character in Safe Haven. This time around it's Hughes, Sevastopol's communications manager and one of the first unfortunate souls you encounter in the main game. The last bit of intel is that Safe Haven introduces another new mode, Marathon, letting you play Survivor Mode maps in the order of your choosing. For a glimpse at the seemingly misnamed Safe Haven, check out Sega's teaser trailer below the break. If you still want in, the DLC is due to hit all platforms today, except in Europe where PS4 and PS3 players are on standby 'til tomorrow. If you've got the $30 season pass then you have already paid for the pleasure, otherwise the asking price is $8.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2014: Alien Isolation
ATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris. I'm suspicious of Alien: Isolation as I play it, waiting for the leather shoe to drop and seeing a meddling executive come chasing after it. It's just a cartoon in my head, sure, but these games are made or broken by how well they can bend to the needs of the creator, the desires of the publisher and the expectations of a varied audience. A low-action survival game with a persistent stalker isn't usually where video game aliens end up - not even THE alien. You start questioning everything. There are too many jagged parts for a blockbuster game, too many harsh pitfalls for the easily frustrated player, too much smart enthusiasm for what is truthfully a tarnished property. And on top of that it's supposed to be an intimate horror game from Creative Assembly, the studio best known for giving you a god's view in the Total War strategy games. And yet few studios could have been as suitable as Creative Assembly, for fanatically recreating not only the look of 1979's 'Alien', but instilling the same vulnerability and paranoia that must have clung to the film's lone human survivor, Ellen Ripley. Alien: Isolation puts her clever daughter in a similar predicament, inherits a horrible monster with a matryoshka doll of mouths, and proves that authenticity is key not only in historical fact. Whereas Total War unfurls the history books as best it can, Alien: Isolation is devoted to recreating the timeless truths of Ridley Scott's film: its look, its unpredictable killer and the sigh of relief we share with those who survive.
PSN Store Update: Alien Isolation, Diablo 3, more
In a last-ditch effort to get in your wallet before the end of the year, the PlayStation Store has a number of good deals on games this week. Among the many deals for PS4 players at the moment, Alien: Isolation is $35.99 ($29.99 for PS Plus members), while the game's season pass is down to $14.99. Additionally, Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition is $39.59 ($35.99 on PS Plus), Escape Goat 2 is half-price ($5, $4 on PS Plus), Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is just $6.80 and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is $25 ($20 on PS Plus). As for Vita, players can download Danganronpa 2 for $27.99 ($23.99 on PS Plus), Nidhogg for $10.49 ($8.99 through PS Plus), Thomas Was Alone and Stealth Inc. for $3.99 each as well as Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut for $5 ($4 via PS Plus). A number of games, such as Nidhogg and Thomas Was Alone, are Cross-Buy compatible, so those with multiple systems only need to pay once to access each version. That includes Flippfly's Race the Sun, which is down to $6.99 at the moment across all three PlayStation platforms ($5.99 on PS Plus). Head over to PlayStation Blog for a full list of the current deals. [Image: Sega]
Green Man Gaming holiday sale: Alien: Isolation, Evil Within
Today marks the start of Green Man Gaming's annual Green Grogre holiday sale, where the digital games retailer offers hefty discounts on a wide range of games, both recent and not so recent. Highlights of the sale include intergalactic survival horror gem Alien: Isolation at $25, while the terrestrial horror of The Evil Within is priced at $20.39 and sizable strategy hit Total War: Rome 2 Emperor Edition is $14.98. If buying one game at a time seems terribly inefficient, you can choose from either the massive Half-Life Complete Edition compilation or the Tomb Raider Franchise compilation. Both have received 75 percent discounts. The Green Grogre holiday sale is scheduled to run until January 2. Prospective buyers should check the site regularly, as Green Man Gaming plans to add new discounts each day. [Image: Green Man Gaming]
C-3PO made to suffer through Alien: Isolation
Being fluent in over six million forms of communication looks great on a résumé, but it's oddly useless when dealing with something that snarls through two mouths. C-3PO, the precious protocol droid from Star Wars, learns this and a few more things on his trip through the intolerable Sevastopol station in Alien: Isolation. And just like in the game, it takes a while before the odds of survival really start dropping off. Let's play with C-3PO!
Alien: Isolation adds difficulty modes for two extremes
Do you like Alien: Isolation but wish the xenomorph was hard of hearing? Or maybe you found Creative Assembly's survival horror such a breeze that you could've beaten it with a busted motion tracker? Sure, you can already choose from Easy, Normal and Hard modes, but what if you're hiding in a vent sitting on the extremities of the star-ship Bell Curve? If any of the above applies to you, you should check out today's update which adds Novice and Nightmare difficulty modes to the game for free.
Step into Alien: Isolation's 'Trauma' center in second DLC
Alien: Isolation's second survivor mode pack is now available to download. Dubbed "Trauma," the add-on introduces Sevastopol's medical officer, Dr. Lingard, as a playable character. Lingard explores three new maps in the game while seeking to destroy her research on the Alien, witnessing the consequences of bringing the creature onboard the station. The DLC is now available for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC with PS3 and PS4 downloads opening to PlayStation owners tomorrow in Europe and Thursday in North America. Trauma is one of five Survivor Mode add-ons for Alien: Isolation, the first being Corporate Lockdown, which launched in October. The next three pieces of DLC for the mode are Safe Haven, Lost Contact and The Trigger. All five packs are part of the game's $30 season pass, which happens to be half-off on Steam today along with the game itself ($25). Each pack is available for purchase individually for $8. [Image: Sega]
Devs pull problematic Alien: Isolation patch from PS4
Following reports of glitches caused by the recent 1.02 update for the PlayStation 4 iteration of Alien: Isolation, developer Creative Assembly has pulled the patch from the PlayStation Network. "We've discovered an issue with the latest patch (v1.02) for Alien: Isolation on PS4, where some users are having difficulties with playing Mission 5," reads the studio's forum notice. "We're currently working with Sony on a fix and will have that available as soon as possible." While there's no word on a new, functional update, Creative Assembly urges anyone who updated to 1.02 to roll their game back to 1.01. For those playing Alien: Isolation from a disc, this is as simple as deleting the 1.02 patch from their console, but those using a digital version of the game will need to delete the game itself (making sure not to delete game saves in the process), then download the whole thing again, along with the 1.01 patch. [Image: Sega]
Alien: Isolation is haunted by more than Xenomorphs
You might think that the scariest part of Alien: Isolation is, you know, the alien, but you would be wrong. There is something darker that lurks within Sevastopol station's cramped corridors, something altogether more sinister. If you don't believe us, see it for yourself in a video we captured this morning. Don't worry, it's spoiler-free, though we can't promise it won't fuel your nightmares for months to come.
Alien: Isolation goes into Corporate Lockdown next week
Corporate Lockdown, the first of five planned DLC additions to Alien: Isolation's Survivor Mode, arrives on October 28. Corporate Lockdown focuses on a Seegson executive named Ransome as he attempts to swipe classified data from the company and make his getaway aboard the Torrens. As with all things in Alien: Isolation, that plans goes awry when a horrible space monster appears, and Ransome's corporate espionage attempt quickly becomes a fight for survival. Come October 28, Alien: Isolation owners will be able to purchase Corporate Lockdown on their platform of choice for $8. Alternately, the $30 season pass offers access to Corporate Lockdown as well the four DLC episodes to follow, all of which publisher Sega claims will be available by March 2015. [Image: Sega]
Alien: Isolation debuts 2nd in UK charts, doesn't scare off FIFA 15
Again and again, the UK charts prove that when all is said and done, FIFA FIFA and FIFA some more. This time around it was Alien: Isolation that failed to prevent FIFA 15 from notching a third week on top of the country's retail sales charts. Still, Creative Assembly's zeal for xenomorphs was enough to take its newly hatched space horror into second place. Regular charters will remember FIFA 15 held off three major new releases last week in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Forza Horizon 2 and Super Smash Bros. 3DS. This week, EA's sportsball sim denied four new challengers. In addition to Alien: Isolation, PS4 racer Driveclub had to settle for fifth, as it didn't manage to overtake Forza in fourth. Like Mordor which placed third, the Xbox game dropped just a place in its second week. Meanwhile, basket case NBA 2K15 debuted seventh. As for the fourth challenger, PS4, Xbox One and PC remaster Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition fell short of the top ten in 12th place. As for what kept it out, once again if you regularly keep up with our UK charts posts, you won't be at all surprised to see the two entries sat in ninth and tenth place - as ever, check out the full top ten and customary music video below the break.
Alien: Isolation giveaway games and swag can hear you scream
While playing Alien: Isolation, a common pastime around Joystiq these days what with our playthrough of hard mode and our review, one thing is clear: Amanda Ripley does not get chilly thanks to her jacket. She may be hounded by murderous looters, androids, and one gigantic, exoskeletal monstrosity with shiny teeth and a drooling problem, but she is warm out there in space! It's all thanks to her snazzy Weyland-Yutani jacket, the same one sported by her inhuman pal Samuels. With fall deepening by the day, it would be nice to be that cozy whilst also playing Isolation, wouldn't it? Sure it would! Hence why we're giving away a replica of that jacket as well as three copies of the game! Between today and October 24, we invite you to enter our giveaway by liking Joystiq on Facebook and following us on Twitter using the Rafflecopter widget below. One grand prize winner will win a copy of Alien: Isolation on a platform of their choice as well as the $200 replica jacket. Two runners up will receive a copy of the game on a platform of their choice, and a third runner up will win a copy of the book The Art of Alien: Isolation. Follow the jump for a complete prize list and giveaway rules. Also check out the exclusive art from The Art of Alien: Isolation in this gallery. Joystiq Alien: Isolation Giveaway
How to ruin your pants, or get Alien: Isolation on Oculus Rift
A few questions before we get to the meat of the Alien: Isolation on Oculus Rift instructions: Do you own an Oculus Rift? Do you have Alien: Isolation on PC? Are you sure you want to do this? Like, really? Everyone still with us – let's do this thing.
PSN Tuesday: Driveclub, Alien: Isolation, Vib-Ribbon
It's a big week for the PlayStation 4, as Sony's newest console adds Alien: Isolation, Driveclub and NBA 2K15 to its complement of big-name game offerings available through the PlayStation Network. The system is likewise well-represented among smaller-scale games, including Dust: An Elysian Tail, Pix The Cat and Spelunky - all of which are available as free downloads to PlayStation Plus subscribers. The PlayStation 3 also picks up Alien: Isolation and NBA 2K15, but the console's most enticing additions are two PlayStation One-era classics: Capcom's 2D action platformer Strider 2 and bizarro cult rhythm hit Vib-Ribbon. Both games can be downloaded for $6. The Vita handheld has received the fewest number of notable additions in this week's PlayStation Network update, but it too now offers access to Vib-Ribbon, as well as Pix The Cat. If your tastes run toward anime-styled action adventures, Bandai Namco has launched One Piece Unlimited World Red - Prestige Edition, an enhanced, content-rich redux of the 3DS' One Piece Unlimited World Red. As with each weekly PlayStation Network update, you can find full details on each of these games, as well as information on how to purchase them, on Sony's official PlayStation.blog. [Image: Sega]
Joystiq Streams: First date with hard mode in Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation is a brutal affair, wrought in the hues of '70s filmmaking and '90s PC gaming. "Checkpoints? We don't need no stinking checkpoints!" says Alien. That's just before it bites your face off, forcing you to start that whole story sequence over again, hiding under desks and in lockers, while a terrifying, two-mouthed freak stalks you around every corner. As Ludwig Kietzmann describes in his Alien: Isolation review, the game's scares and difficulty can be exhausting. Just imagine what it's like on the hardest difficulty. Let's find out together. Starting at 4:00PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, we'll be streaming the middle chapters of Alien: Isolation on hard mode, doing our damndest to sneak past the xenomorph. Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello) will play while Jess Conditt (@jessconditt) offers moral support and hangs in the chat. Anyone who swings by early will get to partake in the usual pre-show tomfoolery. We broadcast live on Joystiq.com/Twitch every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00PM EST, but we also stream on other days at unusual times so make sure to follow us on Twitch to know when we're on! [Images: Sega]
Alien: Isolation on Steam today
Sega and Creative Assembly's sci-fi horror game Alien: Isolation is now available on Steam, arriving a day in advance of its scheduled multiplatform retail release. Taking place 15 years after the events of the film Alien, Isolation pits players against a bloodthirsty xenomorph aboard a decommissioned trading station. Joystiq's Ludwig Kietzmann described Alien: Isolation as "a trauma machine masquerading as a video game" in his review, praising its tense stealth-focused gameplay and unpredictable antagonist. Alien: Isolation had planned to hit retail for the PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC platforms tomorrow. [Image: Sega]
Metareview: Alien: Isolation
The good news is Alien: Isolation is far from being the disaster that was Aliens: Colonial Marines. Isolation delivers plenty of what franchise and survival series fans would hope for, with the consistent criticism brought up across reviews that it just. Keeps. Going. Our 4-star review was right on the critical average mark, with our Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK) saying, "Instead of completing the game, it feels more like I've escaped it and the nightmare it put me through."
Alien: Isolation review: Escape claws
Alien: Isolation is a trauma machine masquerading as a video game. Only in the realm of horror could this be seen as a compliment, and only with horror games in particular is this worthy of nervous applause. Say this about any other kind of game and you'd mistake praise for insults: it's unpleasant, stressful and rarely merciful. Yay! The game's success hinges on its meticulous interpretation of 1979's Alien, which it effectively recreates in both look and premise. Instead of the intimate confines of a lousy spaceship, however, Alien: Isolation strands you on Sevastopol, a neglected station deep in its decommission throes. You arrive there as Amanda Ripley, pursuing information about your mother and her last known ship, the Nostromo. Aside from being a biological connection to the original Alien film, Amanda is also heir to the universe's most horrible stalker. Sevastopol's sad disrepair and in-fighting can be traced back to the Xenomorph, a destabilizing creature that intimidates to this day with its skeletal figure, eyeless gaze and unmistakable hiss. The alien is a black cloud hanging over the entire game, with its arrival signaling the end of your hunky-dory skipping-down-the-corridor ways. Actually, just never do that. Ever.
Pre-order Alien: Isolation digitally, watch it download in terror
Digital pre-orders for Creative Assembly's frightful first-person game Alien: Isolation are now available. Players can put money down in advance of the game's impending launch in one week on Steam, PSN and Xbox Live to pre-download the game and pick up its season pass. Xbox One players can pre-purchase the game's Nostromo Edition on Microsoft's store, which includes the full game as well as the "Crew Expendable" bonus content. PS4 and PS3 players can scoot over to PSN to pre-order either the Nostromo Edition or the Season Pass bundle, with individual passes available on launch day, October 7. Likewise, the Nostromo Edition as well as the Digital Deluxe Edition are available to pre-purchase on Steam, the latter of which also includes the game's season pass. The $30 season pass give players access to Alien: Isolation's survivor mode map packs. [Image: Sega]
