This 15-year-old game, with its terrific atmosphere and art direction, still holds up surprisingly well today!
It's not perfect though, the PC version has terrible aiming controls, the writing is good but not perfect, and some plot twists are predictable. I feel like Isaac is not the protagonist here, neither is his crew, and neither is Nicole, it's the Ishimura itself. The USG Ishimura is one hell of a setting, the way the ship was designed, all of its industrial spaces, crew quarters, the bridge, all the small and claustrophobic spaces are absolutely incredible.
Overall, the game manages to surprise with various combat scenarios but falls short of its full potential due to the lack of a complex narrative, a silent protagonist, and a lack of meaningful boss encounters.
Still, it's a remarkable horror game. I do hope the remake will be more of a reboot than a graphical upgrade.
It's not perfect though, the PC version has terrible aiming controls, the writing is good but not perfect, and some plot twists are predictable. I feel like Isaac is not the protagonist here, neither is his crew, and neither is Nicole, it's the Ishimura itself. The USG Ishimura is one hell of a setting, the way the ship was designed, all of its industrial spaces, crew quarters, the bridge, all the small and claustrophobic spaces are absolutely incredible.
Overall, the game manages to surprise with various combat scenarios but falls short of its full potential due to the lack of a complex narrative, a silent protagonist, and a lack of meaningful boss encounters.
Still, it's a remarkable horror game. I do hope the remake will be more of a reboot than a graphical upgrade.