Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Excellent atmospheric sound
With minimal music, this game generates much of it's atmosphere from the miscellaneous background noises. The audio generally in the forefront is the titular Alien, which loudly thumps along the ground and through vents. This game also uses directional audio as a tool both for and against the player. It uses it to scare the player, but it simultaneously gives the player more information to survive with.
Pro Creates a lot of tension
Intelligent A.I. is capable of keeping the game unpredictable. As soon as the Alien starts stalking the player, the game can easily become tense with player never knowing what the Alien will do since the majority of interactions with it are completely unscripted. Especially in VR, you get the feeling like you are actually being hunted.
Pro Excellent, nostalgic design
Environmental design very closely resembles Ridley Scott's Alien. It has the same retro design of the computers as well as a chilling soundtrack. It still works well in the modern age too - the 3D is on point, and the designers have gone into detail. If you dare to spend time exploring, it's a very cool experience wandering around a spaceship and looking out into space.
Pro Dynamic AI
Alien: Isolation is a breath of fresh air. So many Western horror games work by learning the AI's path, proceeding accordingly and rely heavily on jump scares that only work the first time. That simply isn't a horror game; that's a crouching/walking simulator that is only effective on the first play-through. Alien: Isolation offers true horror; no matter which way you go or tactic you use, you can still be royally screwed if your luck runs out. While Alien: Isolation relies on scripted scenes for theatrical effect, they come by rarely in comparison to when the Alien is let off it's leash to go wherever pleases it. The Alien learns and adapts, and if you play the game on the nightmare difficulty some of the usual hiding spots are only effective depending on the Alien's perspective; if you can see the Alien the chances are it can see you too. The AI isn't perfect by any means, but it is one of the best AI in the horror genre. While Creative Assembly recommends playing on the hard mode, the true way to experience Alien: Isolation is on the nightmare difficulty setting.
Cons
Con You always know a working Joe...
From mission 11 to mission 13 the working Joe's are the main antagonist. That's three out of the nineteen missions two of those missions could have been (and should have been) axed from the game completely. If Creative Assembly had let some of their darlings die and left those mission in their archives, the fatigue some players experienced would have definitely been lessened.
Con The game progresses slowly, and you can lose interest
The game is too long and quickly loses its charm and tense feelings as the game drags. Too many hours of even the best game can become a chore more than an enjoyable experience. Whats worse is that a bunch of the length is incessant back tracking, which frankly is just a lazy way to prolong a game.
Con Some of the tools can feel rather pointless
There are only a handful of times that the rewire points actually make a difference. Creative Assembly had a golden opportunity, but they missed the mark with the rewire points. Imagine having the option of going down multiple paths? Path A is shorter, but the Alien appears more often, is more aggressive, there's less places to hide, but there's more items and crafting materials available. Path B is longer, but the Alien doesn't appear as often, is less aggressive, there's plenty of places to hide, but there's fewer items available. By it's nature, Alien: Isolation was always going to be a somewhat linear game; the rewire points could have solved that issue or at least hidden it to a degree.