The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
DLC has become a contentious issue recently. It used to be that you might get new mission packs being released for games, but the norm now seems to be for companies to take a game, yank a part of it out, and sell that same at an inflated price.
This isn't quite the case with Alien Isolation's DLC, but there's no reason why at least some of the maps included in the five downloadable content packs - four released so far - couldn't have been released free with the game. Oh, wait, there is - it's because the company wanted the cash.
Not to have a go at Alien Isolation itself - the core game is great. The company behind the title recently released a free update which added a harder difficulty mode, which cranks up the AI of the monster that pursues you, and I'm currently playing through the game again with that.
This DLC, on the other hand, focuses on Survival Mode. This mode - the game itself only including one survival map - has you roaming around some smaller levels trying to accomplish various objectives. Typically this is pushing some button, and your results get uploaded to an online leader board. This DLC - which costs about twenty quid for all five packs - introduces about twelve new small levels where you can do this.
Except there's a problem. Two problems in fact. All the levels are made up of existing content from the game, so while they may be laid out differently, you're still roaming through halls that you've seen before. This would have been a great opportunity to include some classic Alien levels and make them non-canon - the med lab from Aliens for example. The only real variety is the inclusion of Salvage Mode which has you visiting two levels alternately through a single hub.
You do get some new characters, but they mostly all play the same, the only difference being the equipment they start with, which again is from the main game. There's supposedly some story going on here but in fact it doesn't really add anything to the game's main plot. And here's the second problem - you can only play these levels with one difficulty level. You can't play the levels using the super-hard difficulty level the game's last update added, which makes them less of a draw than the main game itself.
Alien Isolation's DLC isn't awful, but it doesn't really add much to the game unless you're desperate to see your name up on some online leaderboard. You're better off playing the main game through again on super-hard difficulty. It's a lot scarier, and a lot more entertaining.
This isn't quite the case with Alien Isolation's DLC, but there's no reason why at least some of the maps included in the five downloadable content packs - four released so far - couldn't have been released free with the game. Oh, wait, there is - it's because the company wanted the cash.
Not to have a go at Alien Isolation itself - the core game is great. The company behind the title recently released a free update which added a harder difficulty mode, which cranks up the AI of the monster that pursues you, and I'm currently playing through the game again with that.
This DLC, on the other hand, focuses on Survival Mode. This mode - the game itself only including one survival map - has you roaming around some smaller levels trying to accomplish various objectives. Typically this is pushing some button, and your results get uploaded to an online leader board. This DLC - which costs about twenty quid for all five packs - introduces about twelve new small levels where you can do this.
Except there's a problem. Two problems in fact. All the levels are made up of existing content from the game, so while they may be laid out differently, you're still roaming through halls that you've seen before. This would have been a great opportunity to include some classic Alien levels and make them non-canon - the med lab from Aliens for example. The only real variety is the inclusion of Salvage Mode which has you visiting two levels alternately through a single hub.
You do get some new characters, but they mostly all play the same, the only difference being the equipment they start with, which again is from the main game. There's supposedly some story going on here but in fact it doesn't really add anything to the game's main plot. And here's the second problem - you can only play these levels with one difficulty level. You can't play the levels using the super-hard difficulty level the game's last update added, which makes them less of a draw than the main game itself.
Alien Isolation's DLC isn't awful, but it doesn't really add much to the game unless you're desperate to see your name up on some online leaderboard. You're better off playing the main game through again on super-hard difficulty. It's a lot scarier, and a lot more entertaining.
pb wrote:
A DLC review? Shows how prevalent it's become, I suppose.
Correction, it shows how nothing has really changed...
"Enemy Territory" for RTCW, anyone? Fourteen years ago, a multiplayer expansion/ map pack for a popular FPS.
The only thing that's changed is the delivery method...
A DLC review? Shows how prevalent it's become, I suppose.
Correction, it shows how nothing has really changed...
"Enemy Territory" for RTCW, anyone? Fourteen years ago, a multiplayer expansion/ map pack for a popular FPS.
The only thing that's changed is the delivery method...
A DLC review? Shows how prevalent it's become, I suppose.
I got this half price in the recent sale but I've yet to play the base game, so it was an interesting read. The Ripley Edition included DLC looks better than the season pass stuff, but I do like the idea of the survival mode that these new maps are for, which I why I went for it at half price.
Interesting read, anyway.
I got this half price in the recent sale but I've yet to play the base game, so it was an interesting read. The Ripley Edition included DLC looks better than the season pass stuff, but I do like the idea of the survival mode that these new maps are for, which I why I went for it at half price.
Interesting read, anyway.
DLC has become a contentious issue recently. It used to be that you might get new mission packs being released for games, but the norm now seems to be for companies to take a game, yank a part of it out, and sell that same at an inflated price.
This isn't quite the case with Alien Isolation's DLC, but there's no reason why at least some of the maps included in the five downloadable content packs - four released so far - couldn't have been released free with the game. Oh, wait, there is - it's because the company wanted the cash.
Not to have a go at Alien Isolation itself - the core game is great. The company behind the title recently released a free update which added a harder difficulty mode, which cranks up the AI of the monster that pursues you, and I'm currently playing through the game again with that.
This DLC, on the other hand, focuses on Survival Mode. This mode - the game itself only including one survival map - has you roaming around some smaller levels trying to accomplish various objectives. Typically this is pushing some button, and your results get uploaded to an online leader board. This DLC - which costs about twenty quid for all five packs - introduces about twelve new small levels where you can do this.
Except there's a problem. Two problems in fact. All the levels are made up of existing content from the game, so while they may be laid out differently, you're still roaming through halls that you've seen before. This would have been a great opportunity to include some classic Alien levels and make them non-canon - the med lab from Aliens for example. The only real variety is the inclusion of Salvage Mode which has you visiting two levels alternately through a single hub.
You do get some new characters, but they mostly all play the same, the only difference being the equipment they start with, which again is from the main game. There's supposedly some story going on here but in fact it doesn't really add anything to the game's main plot. And here's the second problem - you can only play these levels with one difficulty level. You can't play the levels using the super-hard difficulty level the game's last update added, which makes them less of a draw than the main game itself.
Alien Isolation's DLC isn't awful, but it doesn't really add much to the game unless you're desperate to see your name up on some online leaderboard. You're better off playing the main game through again on super-hard difficulty. It's a lot scarier, and a lot more entertaining.
This isn't quite the case with Alien Isolation's DLC, but there's no reason why at least some of the maps included in the five downloadable content packs - four released so far - couldn't have been released free with the game. Oh, wait, there is - it's because the company wanted the cash.
Not to have a go at Alien Isolation itself - the core game is great. The company behind the title recently released a free update which added a harder difficulty mode, which cranks up the AI of the monster that pursues you, and I'm currently playing through the game again with that.
This DLC, on the other hand, focuses on Survival Mode. This mode - the game itself only including one survival map - has you roaming around some smaller levels trying to accomplish various objectives. Typically this is pushing some button, and your results get uploaded to an online leader board. This DLC - which costs about twenty quid for all five packs - introduces about twelve new small levels where you can do this.
Except there's a problem. Two problems in fact. All the levels are made up of existing content from the game, so while they may be laid out differently, you're still roaming through halls that you've seen before. This would have been a great opportunity to include some classic Alien levels and make them non-canon - the med lab from Aliens for example. The only real variety is the inclusion of Salvage Mode which has you visiting two levels alternately through a single hub.
You do get some new characters, but they mostly all play the same, the only difference being the equipment they start with, which again is from the main game. There's supposedly some story going on here but in fact it doesn't really add anything to the game's main plot. And here's the second problem - you can only play these levels with one difficulty level. You can't play the levels using the super-hard difficulty level the game's last update added, which makes them less of a draw than the main game itself.
Alien Isolation's DLC isn't awful, but it doesn't really add much to the game unless you're desperate to see your name up on some online leaderboard. You're better off playing the main game through again on super-hard difficulty. It's a lot scarier, and a lot more entertaining.