Alien IsolationBy Andy McVittie

Titan Books, out now

An indepth pictorial look at the development of the new Alien game.

I’ve never been a great gamer – I know I’d get sucked into spending too much time on them – but there are certain ones I’ve wanted to know more about, with the advance talk about Alien: Isolation putting it top of the list at the present time. Seeing some coded references to it in one of the Alien novels Titan recently released helped to whet my appetite, and if you’re an Alien fan, then this lavish tome will make you desperate to play the game.

It deals with the various aspects of the game – the characters, the situations, the weaponry etc. – showing many of the in-development stages as well as copious pictures from the final product. The material on the xenomorph is a good example – there are sketches, wire drawings, concept art, and images from the game, alongside text that explains the differences in the creature from other appearances , and teases some of what players can expect in the game.

The book is quite rightly picture-led, and designers Amazing 15 have done a terrific job in their presentation of the material. Despite the wealth of dark pictures, there’s a considerable contrast present throughout with textured backgrounds and the text often boldened or reversed out for maximum legibility – something that seems to have been forgotten sometimes by arty designers who perhaps forget that the main purpose of text is to be read, not just look good!

You may well get some clues for playing the game from this but it’s by no means a manual – this is a celebration of the visual world of the Alien franchise that shows how much potential still remains therein.

Verdict: Stunning imagery combined with absorbing text makes this a winner. 10/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Art of Alien: Isolation from Amazon.co.uk

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