Alien: Isolation launch trailer warns that some things are better left lost

Alien Isolation gallery 4

Alien: Isolation came out today, but reviews have been kicking around since last week—ours is here—and so the odds are are good that you've already decided whether or not this game belongs on your must-buy list. But if you're somehow still on the fence and looking for something to give you a push one way or the other, this launch trailer could be just the thing.

The video is a bit light on gameplay, although we'll have that base covered for you tomorrow with in-game footage taken from our Large Pixel Collider. But if you're looking for Alien—the terror of being trapped in a dark, decrepit cage with a perfect, unstoppable killing machine—then I think it very much satisfies.

Most Alien games are actually Aliens, which is an important distinction, because the presence of that "s" affords players the means to fight back. Alien: Isolation is a different beast entirely because, as our review notes, it's "the first game—and it’s amazing it’s taken this long—to make H.R. Giger’s alien every bit as formidable and intimidating as it is in the films." I'd add that it's almost as amazing that it took a studio best known for making grand strategy games to put together a proper Alien experience.

Alien: Isolation is out now.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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