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Alienation |OT| They're coming outta the goddamn walls!

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Alienation
Developer: Housemarque
Publisher: Sony
Platforms: PS4 exclusive
Release date: 26th April 2016 (NA, EU)
Price: $19.99 USD, £15.99 GBP, €19.99 EUR (10% discount for pre-orders)
Players: 1-4 (online only for now - local co-op to follow; drop-in, drop-out co-op supported)

What is Alienation?
Alienation is a top-down twin-stick cooperative shooter where you play as marines in exoskeleton suits driving back an invasion force of alien hordes, known as the Xenos. It is the latest release from Finnish developer Housemarque, and is a spiritual sequel to Dead Nation in a similar way that game was a spiritual successor to Super Stardust HD.

Key features:
  • Three classes, each with individual attacks and abilities - the Tank, the Bio-Specialist and the Saboteur
  • Online multiplayer: co-op and PvP
  • The ability to go rogue and fight against other players in a mode influenced by Dark Souls' invasions
  • A brand new loot system; kill enemies for drops, find and upgrade the coolest weapons and gears for a truly custom play style
  • RPG-lite progression: gain experience and advance the world state
  • Enjoy a full campaign, challenges and procedurally generated levels
  • Realistic fluid tech, badass explosions and the biggest, most colourful game world ever made by Housemarque

Meet the classes
Bio-Specialist:
Every game this brutal needs at least one class that heals other players: that’s the Bio-Specialist. That said, she’s also very competent at creating areas of damage using a poisonous trail, or take control of powerful nanomachines to swarm enemies and chip away their HPs.
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Tank:
The Tank is all about protection and splash damage: if you’re under heavy fire you want one next to you sharing his shield, or if you’re overrun by too many enemies he can blow everything away and give you room to maneuver. Plus, he’s the only character able to command a devastating death ray piercing everything in a straight line!
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Saboteur:
If you like swift characters you’re gonna love the Saboteur. He becomes invisible, and uses his plasma sword to clear the area in front of him with ease. When some help is needed, he can also call in deadly airstrikes to open paths through a sea of Xenos.
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Each class has passive abilities that are divided into three ‘tracks’: Athlete, Warrior and Survivor. Like the active abilities, each track can be upgraded several times. Each time an Ability point is spent, you’ll be asked to make a tough decision between two possible upgrade options. For example, do you want the Health orbs to give you back more HP or extend the duration of the Xenoflowers boosts? And if you’re worried about spec’ing your character in a way that will bite back during missions down the line, fear not! You can always re-spec your UNX soldier to suit your playstyle.

Media:

@Housemarque
Official forum
Review topic
 
Pre-loaded and ready to go. Just gotta finish cleaning up some R&C trophies so I can dedicate my time to this game fully.
 
Housemarque is great and this looks amazing, but I'm gonna wait for singleplayer impressions since that's likely how I'd be playing it.
 

Wollan

Member
Great reviews. First game I've pre-ordered on the system. Should be pre-loaded and ready to go as soon as I got a few hours off.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
In Housemarque we trust.

Pre-loaded and ready!

First game I've pre-ordered on the system. Should be pre-loaded and ready to go as soon as I got a few hours off.

Same, lol.

(Side note... what was the pic EviLore was talking about that lifted the ban... saw it pop up on Twitter not to long ago, but did not see the pic, and the link is no longer in your title?)
 
if I liked Dead Nation but didn't like Helldivers, will I like this?

This is me, and I've pre-ordered.

Thirdeded on the 1st pre-order, at least digitally, never pre-ordered from PSN/SEN before
almost typed SNES there :p

Quite happy with the countdown shenanigans on the front page of the OS, down to the second.
 
Looks fantastic and a perfect new game for my group of irl friends who I've been playing Division with. We need a break from that game until it gets some major fixes and updates. D3 + Helldivers in an XCOM like setting with drop in drop out co-op? Sold. Pre-order and ready to go. Now to get my three other friends to buy it ;)

Housemarque posted a local co-op confirmation today. It's coming in a patch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDRlG4fo5YU

This should probably go in the OP, yeah?
 
I'm ready for this as it is right up my alley. I hope the loot-game is expansive enough to serve as an addictive end-game.

In any case I love me some isometric shooter action. Killing aliens is just an added bonus.
 
if I liked Dead Nation but didn't like Helldivers, will I like this?
Considering it's made by the developers of Dead Nation and not the developers of Helldivers, I would say yes. If the idea of a Dead Nation with more open levels, RPG elements, and 4 player coop appeals to you, then I think you would love it.
 

Triz

Member
I played this at the Playstation Experience and loved it. The Diablo loot drops, and developer pedigree really sold me. Pre ordered and ready to go tomorrow.
 
Housemarque posted a local co-op confirmation today. It's coming in a patch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDRlG4fo5YU

Great stuff; I have added to the OP.

If anyone has any gifs I will add them as well - I think this is a gorgeous game and I love its use of colour.

Also, sorry that the OP is a bit sparse. I didn't have a lot of free time and had to throw it together in a hurry.

Great reviews. First game I've pre-ordered on the system. Should be pre-loaded and ready to go as soon as I got a few hours off.

In Housemarque we trust.

Pre-loaded and ready!

Same, lol.

This is me, and I've pre-ordered.

Thirdeded on the 1st pre-order, at least digitally, never pre-ordered from PSN/SEN before
almost typed SNES there :p

Quite happy with the countdown shenanigans on the front page of the OS, down to the second.

Yeah, this is the first game I've ever pre-ordered from PSN as well. I normally never would, but Housemarque are extremely trustworthy when it comes to twin-stick shooters.

Just over five hours to go before it goes live in the UK!
 

aka_bueno

Member
So excited to play this tonight! If anyone is down to play around 8pm PST, add me! Or I'll add you, whatever.

I loved Helldivers and this looks to be just as awesome if not more, cause it has loot!
 

Bucca

Fools are always so certain of themselves, but wiser men so full of doubts.
Man I had somehow completely forgot about this game.

Catching up on all the gameplay vids and this looks fucking amazing. Definitely preordering tonight.

Will this unlock at midnight?
 

bombshell

Member
Great stuff; I have added to the OP.

If anyone has any gifs I will add them as well - I think this is a gorgeous game and I love its use of colour.

Also, sorry that the OP is a bit sparse. I didn't have a lot of free time and had to throw it together in a hurry.

Cheers about the add :)

There's 2 gifs made by Housemarque themselves in the official forum that you've linked to.

3-19-500_1.gif


2-18-500_1.gif


Thread source: http://www.housemarqueblog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=495&sid=6762c5f34980692d4f5457b7c5a56bb7
 

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
I'll be starting Saboteur or Bio-Specialist. Never been a Tank guy.

Welcome Back, Housemarque. Seems like forever since Resogun.
 

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
It pains me that I preordered this ages ago, and now it's coming out and I'm away for a family emergency. No return date set, but the danger's over, so I can care about petty things like video games again. Can't wait to play this. Love all of Housemarque's stuff.

Are there any kind of permanent unlocks/upgrades or does everything always start fresh each playthrough?
 
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