Alien Isolation Survive Trailers

One of 2014's most-anticipated titles (especially after many releases were bumped into 2015), Alien: Isolation received an overall mixed-to-positive reception from critics and gamers. As addressed in our Alien: Isolation review, SEGA and Creative Assembly have crafted a grueling experience - one that will please certain fans while frustrating others. Despite advanced A.I. in the Xenomorph antagonist, many players were letdown by the game's over-reliance on cat-and-mouse gameplay (especially considering Alien: Isolation features a 15 hour campaign).

Still, to their credit, the developers have crafted a much better product than recent failures, Aliens: Colonial Marines as well as Aliens vs. Predator, and lovingly created a survival-horror sandbox that "feels" true to the franchise - while also offering a stiff challenge for dedicated gamers. For those hearty players who enjoyed the main story missions and are looking for further trials aboard Sevastopol Station, Creative Assembly is set to release five pieces of downloadable content. After months of speculation, we now have the first details on what to expect in the first of the post-release offerings - titled "Corporate Lockdown."

In a press release SEGA revealed that "Corporate Lockdown" will follow Seegson executive Ransome - who, as the situation at Sevastopol deteriorates, decides to escape on the Torrens and steal Nostromo data.

Check out the full story below:

In "Corporate Lockdown," Seegson executive Ransome has learnt that he has been abandoned by his paymasters. Knowing that the Torrens is on the way, he decides to make his escape and hitch a ride on board, taking decoded Nostromo data with him. However, while escaping he wants to tie up a few loose ends.

See full versions of the Corporate Lockdown images below (click to enlarge):

[gallery link="file" columns="1" ids="241443,241444"]

As indicated, "Corporate Lockdown" is the first of five pieces of DLC that Creative Assembly has prepared for Alien: Isolation owners but, even though we've known about the game's Season Pass for months, it was never entirely clear how all of the post-release content would fit into the core storyline. Now, the new press release confirms what many had suspected - that the packs will all follow events on Sevastopol prior up to Amanda Ripley's arrival:

Each challenge pack offers a new perspective on the events on-board Sevastopol Station in the days before the arrival of the Weyland-Yutani team, with a new playable character, a unique set of objectives and a new game mode.

"Corporate Lockdown" will be available to download via online marketplaces for available platforms from October 28, priced at MSRP $7.99/€6.99/£5.59 and will be followed by four more packs: "Trauma", "Safe Haven", "Lost Contact", and "The Trigger." Each will feature a new playable character alongside a mix of new maps, objectives and game modes to challenge even the most proficient player.

At this point, we do not know which characters will be featured in each of the subsequent four packs - which the publisher promises will all be released by March 2015. That said, early details suggest that Isolation's DLC will essentially feature challenge maps that have been stitched together with a relatively thin story. As a result, much like the larger title, Alien fans who were put-off by the stealth gameplay will likely have little reason for a return trip to Sevastopol (especially at $7.99 per pack) - whereas players who enjoyed Isolation's mechanics will be afforded further objectives to conquer.

Alien: Isolation - Close-up of Alien Creature

"Corporate Lockdown" alone features three new maps and an exclusive Gauntlet Mode:

  • Across three new challenge maps, "Severance", "Scorched Earth", and "Loose Ends", players are challenged to compete against others through Alien: Isolation’s online leaderboards, to escape the station in the fastest possible time or attain the top score through numerous side quests and hidden bonus objectives.
  • New to ‘Corporate Lockdown’ is the addition of Gauntlet Mode where players are challenged to top the Gauntlet Mode leaderboards by completing all three challenge maps back-to-back without dying.

Individuals who have already tinkered with Isolation's Survivor Mode should have a pretty clear idea of whether the DLC packs will offer enough content, relative to their high price points. For that reason, gamers would probably be smart to play through the entire campaign and explore included retail leaderboard challenge maps before committing to Isolation's season pass (which costs $29.99) or any standalone packs.

Of course, some Alien fans managed to fight their way through Isolation in spite of their frustration and were rewarded with an immersive and interesting addition to the franchise mythology - but, at this point, it does not sound as though Isolation's DLC offerings will provide enough meaningful backstory to incentivize any who were very put-off by the core game experience.

After all, anyone on the fence about more Alien: Isolation can always start with the "Crew Expendable" pack - which was free (but not exclusive) to those that pre-ordered the game. The add-on features the same challenge map-based gameplay but with the added bonus of revisiting Ellen Ripley and the rest of the Nostromo crew.

That said, this is all just speculation until the DLC is actually released. We'll keep you updated as we hear more about "Corporate Lockdown" as well as "Trauma", "Safe Haven", "Lost Contact", and "The Trigger."

MORE: Alien Isolation Review

Alien: Isolation is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The "Corporate Lockdown" DLC will be release on October 28th for $7.99 (or as part of the game's season pass).

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