Leaked artwork seems to confirm rumors that Creative Assembly has been working on a top secret "Alien" game called Alien: Isolation. Artwork from the Sega title has emerged on NeoGaf that appears to feature Amanda Ripley getting up to the same shenanigans her mother became famous for.
While it's only some initial artwork it's interesting in what it shows, as it could almost be a still from the very first "Alien" film. According to previous reports Alien: Isolation will be a first-person shooter but as the name indicates it will go for a more solitary experience, combining horror with stealth in a way similar to Dishonored and Bioshock. There might be only be one alien in the game, too, which could certainly make for more terrifying encounters.
As for the character, Amanda Ripley was only briefly mentioned in the special edition of the second film, "Aliens", and even then only as a passing reference. When Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) wakes up from being lost in space she's informed that Amanda died at the age of 66, three years before her mom was found in cryo-sleep. No films, games, or books have ever focused on the character so she seems ripe for picking, although it'll be interesting to see how she follows in those big shoes.
Now, despite a few titles (Alien Vs. Predator, both the PC and Arcade iterations) the "Alien" franchise has had a pretty sordid videogame past. Most recently Sega entered into a licensing deal with Fox that it's managed to fumble spectacuarly, first with Rebellion's needless Aliens Vs. Predator remake and most recently with Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines abomination. That latter title is an ugly and almost unplayable mess that shows everything that's wrong with first person shooters, a pretty shocking release from the creators of Borderlands.
But there's always hope! The Creative Assembly is a fantastic developer most well known for the Total War series (Rome, Shogun, etc.) and while Alien Isolation isn't the kind of strategy game they've perfected, a different take on the subject is sorely needed at this point. It's an issue the "Alien" series and indeed most other horror properties have faced- when you know what the scary thing in the dark is (and can kill them in the hundreds with pulse rifles) they're not scary anymore. Perhaps this will be the throwback title the film deserves.
Expect Alien: Isolation to hit all available platforms sometime next year.
