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Games based on the Alien franchise don't have the greatest track record for turning out well, with Colonial Marines leaving an especially sour taste in the mouths of many. Alien: Isolation has looked promising in the lead up to its release, and earlier today, its first reviews hit the web. Isolation is developed by The Creative Assembly, the UK-based developer best known for the Total War strategy series. That puts Isolation, as a survival horror game, somewhat outside of its usual wheelhouse. In recent months, we've learned about how a playthrough of the game will clock in at around 15 hours (which may not be for the best, if some reviews are any indication), and that it will even be possible to complete the game without killing anyone. Below, you'll find a sampling of the first reviews of Isolation. For more, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic. GameSpot -- 6/10"...it's the endless meandering in between that proves troublesome, much of it intended to build tension, but most of it falling victim to a neverending sameness. I say neverending, but in reality, Alien: Isolation limps to its frustrating ending after many hours more than it can support. This is four hours' worth of a great idea stretched into 14-plus hours of messy stealth gameplay, creaky video game cliches, and limp exploration." - Kevin VanOrd [Full review]  PC Gamer -- 93/100"It's ridiculous that it took the developers of a historical RTS to finally create an authentic Alien game, but The Creative Assembly have managed it. They've succeeded where countless others have failed by treating Giger's monster with the reverence it deserves: as something to be feared and respected, not faced head-on with a pulse rifle. Isolation is a taut, confident, and electrifying horror game that perfectly captures the essence of Ridley Scott's legendary film. I just wish they'd been braver with the story." - Andy Kelly [Full review] Polygon -- 6.5/10"In the process of contriving story twists and turns to support this spectacle, Alien: Isolation ruins the unique focus of its premise and moves away from the inspiration of the first film. It becomes something depressingly predictable for fans of the property who have been hurt again and again by underwhelming video game representations. Alien: Isolation isn't the worst Alien game, but thanks to its unrealized potential, it just might be the most disappointing." - Arthur Gies [Full review] IGN -- 5.9/10"It may seem strange to complain that a game's too long, but when the genuine scares of being hunted by an unstoppable predator are so diluted by repetition and padding, Isolation's epic length really does work against it. Someday, someone is going to make an incredible Alien video game that checks every box. But, sadly, Isolation is not it." - Ryan McCaffrey [Full review] The Escapist -- 4.5/5"Alien: Isolation can be frustrating, but it's mostly terrifying in a near-perfect way. The Alien is scarier than it's been since Ridley Scott first showed it to the world, and the atmosphere is thick enough to cut." - Jim Sterling [Full review] Eurogamer -- 8/10"Unlike the creature it so lavishly recreates, Alien: Isolation isn't quite a perfect specimen--but the things it does get right, it gets so brilliantly right that it will give you some of your best gaming memories of the year. There are a few too many repetitive lows in between those dizzying highs, and some teeth-grinding moments of unfair instant death, but as maddening as they are in the moment, those will be forgotten in time." - Dan Whitehead [Full review] Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
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