Alien Isolation is a great survival-horror packed together with an interesting story and a terrifying nigh-invincible antagonist stalking your every move. Level design is tight and well thought out with plenty of room for a smart player to maneuver themselves safely amidst the constant alien threat.

A lot of the more interesting environmental elements and storytelling take a backseat once the Alien comes into play since after that you never really get any time to take in the area. This is a plus on the survival-horror side but for me takes away from the exploration aspect that I tend to enjoy from these games.

Graphics are surprisingly great for a 2014 game with some of the best lighting and reflection detail that I've seen even today. Audio design is also amazing with some great performances from the voice actors alongside a stunning soundtrack that while sometimes drowning out important sounds (like footsteps for instance) always intensify the already terrifying atmosphere.

Yeah I really enjoyed this game. Though I can't say I was ever a massive Alien, Predator, or AVP fan I will say that this is the best game to come out of that mix of franchises and far exceeds your typical movie-game tie in. At least in my eyes it definitely does its franchise justice and is a must play for fans of Alien or just survival-horror fans in general.

3.5/5

Honestly I don't really have much to say about Resident Evil Village. It's very similar to Resident Evil 4 Remake in it's action-horror approach and that style of gameplay doesn't vibe with me at all. Whereas I was able to enjoy RE4 for the most part due to how masterfully crafted that game was, I don't think the same can be said about Village. Village kind of feels like a bootleg version of Resident Evil 4 Remake as it does a lot of the same things -just worse.

I don't want to harp on the game though, as it's clear that my expectations were way too high coming from Resident Evil 7 -expectations that an action-horror Resident Evil would never be able to match. The story was pretty interesting at the start and I think some of the areas were pretty fun like Castle Dimitrescu or House Beneviento. I also found Ethan's characterization in Village to be a large upgrade over how he was in RE7 so that's also a plus.

Overall Village was a serviceable game. I can't say it was masterful in it's approach like RE4 or that I loved it like any of the other RE games I've played. Village certainly wasn't a bad experience however, and I would definitely recommend it for fans of Resident Evil. This is especially true if you enjoy the action-horror style gameplay that Village contains.

3/5

I've heard many things about Resident Evil 7 since its release back in 2017. Words like 'savior', 'masterpiece', and 'renaissance' come up whenever RE7 is mentioned. Feelings of worship and thankfulness seem to resonate with fans of Resident Evil when talking about RE7, but are these words of praise justified?

As a new fan of the series who has only touched the remakes of 2, 3, and 4: I can't quite relate to the history of the Resident Evil franchise or how it may have fell or rose in quality over the years. What I can do though is play the game myself and report on my feelings and I'll say this: the praise is much justified.

Resident Evil 7, apart from one aspect, is everything I wanted in a Resident Evil game. Survival-Horror is back, and it's never been so beautiful. Slow and suspenseful exploration where you're encouraged to check every nook and cranny, not just for items that can help you but also to sate your curiosity through environmental storytelling. Combat is just how I like it with a steady methodical pace. Resources are scarce but so are enemies, so long as you play skillfully you shouldn't get overwhelmed.

The general atmosphere is amazing in this game. The level design grounds and pulls you in immediately with a stunning attention to detail in sound design and ambient music -all working together to create a world that keeps you on your toes like any good horror should.

The story is interesting and pushes you forward at a good pace to sate your curiosity. Puzzles are well made with some really great sections and the environments are always visually interesting -especially so the starting area. Boss fights are also some of the best in the series, never once feeling frustrating or unfair yet still being difficult enough to be enjoyable.

If I had to find one issue with the game it would probably have to be with the cast. While I found the cast of antagonists both entertaining and interesting, I can't quite say the same about the protagonists. Particularly Ethan as a character is honestly lacking to the point of feeling hollow -almost as if he is simply there not as his own character but as a point of self-insert for the player.

Perhaps this is fitting in a way given the point-of-view change from the traditional third-person to RE7's first-person view. Either way he is far less interesting than a Leon, Claire, or Jill... not to say that I disliked him, just that there was nothing particularly interesting about him and he was regularly outshined by other members of the cast.

Though I still have many other games in the franchise to play (I plan on going back and playing RE0/1 Remakes as well as RE5 and 6 with a friend when I can after Village), so far Resident Evil 7 is my favorite game in the franchise. It takes everything I like about Survival-Horror and packs it into a nice and tight experience that never overstays it's welcome. A stunning atmosphere, an interesting story, and a set of great areas: what more could you want? I highly recommend this game to anyone who hasn't already played it. Seriously, it's great.

4.5/5