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Disaster from start to finish- Avoid It. You've been Warned!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 16 / 22
Date: July 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been reviewing games for Amazon since 1999. I've seen the worst of games...Daikatana, most especially. Now, after many moons have passed, I have come across one of the worst, if not, the buggiest, most annoying piece of program I have ever encountered in my life. Alone in the Dark is a major disaster, from it's storyline, dialogue, annoying voice acting, frustrating controls, unforgiving checkpoints, and the most buggiest collision detection EVER! The only PLUS in this game are the graphics but that's about it. So I'll keep my review straight and to the point:

GRAPHICS: Excellent. No complaints

CONTROLS: Main character moves like a tank with a bad engine. Controls are completely unresponsive. Some buttons do not function as stated. For example, you press A to turn off a flashlight. If you're holding a gun in one hand and holding a flashlight on the other, you can't press A to turn it off. You have to press the gamepad down, open your virtual jacket and then unequip from there. HOW TEDIOUS CAN THIS GET??? Another example: you're standing next to an object your wish to pick-up, an "pick-up object icon" appears telling you to press A. To pick up an object, press A. The problem with this is that turning off the flashlight you need to press A as well. So if you're holding a flashlight and you need to turn off it off (it has limited battery life by the way), you'll have to move away from the pickable object so you can turn off the flashlight.
Here's another example again: You have a zombie attacking you, controls say you have to double click the left analog stick to do a quick turn. If you're holding a gun or a melee weapon, quick turn won't work, but then sometimes it does!!!
And here's another example: Driving a car is like driving a bar of soap on a smooth glass. A slight turn on the stick will spin your car uncontrollably. There's an action sequence in this game that requires some driving. I will warn you now, prepare to do this about 200 to 500 times because you will fail.

BUGGY ACTION SEQUENCE: There's an action sequence on Episode 2 where you have to escape an earthquake. The entire driving sequence requires you to get away from the earthquake before ti swallows your car. Unfortunately, the car is just completely unresponsive. Second, there's a jump that you have to make before the entire road cracks open. Sometimes you'll make the jump sometimes you won't. What's weird is that once your car flies over the cracked road, the game will turn into a full motion video showing your car making the jump. But once your car lands, somehow the game randomly decides whether the earthquake catches the tail end of your car thus killing you instantly or by some algorithmic calculation, you do make it. But that's just half of the problem because this action sequence will continue for the next 10 minutes and if you fail halfway or even on the last part of this sequence, the game will throw you back to beginning of the sequence. TOTALLY UNFORGIVING CHECKPOINTS. By the way, you can't skip the full motion videos which means you'll be forced to watch cheesy FMVs over and over again everytime you fail an action sequence.

How about weapons you ask? Forget about using guns. Guns are completely ineffective against zombies (which you will be battling the entire game). So if ever you decide to collect ammo, well...it's pretty much useless and waste of space. Zombies can only be killed by fire. If you do have to use your gun to kill zombies, you'll have to find gasoline or any flammable liquid, combine it with your bullets, load your gun with said "gasoline dipped" bullets and then shoot the zombies. But wait, you can't just shoot them anywhere. Zombies have this glowing yellow areas of their body that's vulnerable to fire. So on top of mixing and matching items to make fire, you'll have to be a sharpshooter to hit the zombies where it hurts. Otherwise, you'll just be wasting time and ammo.

I think I've said enough. This game is the worst ever for 2008. Do not waste your money on this. Believe me, when I read the poor reviews, I told myself "Nah, I don't believe these reviews, I will buy it and try it myself." So now, I am $60.00 poorer, and my blood pressure just skyrocketed after playing this game. Avoid this game. Stick to the DOS version of Alone in the Dark.

A pretty good sendoff for a classic series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: June 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Okay let me first state that this is a thinking man's survival horror, not a balls to the wall action title. You should expect exploration, puzzle solving, story, dark atmosphere and some scares/suspenseful moments. Where this AITD differs from its predecessors is the level of story telling and the inclusion of some action sequences that usually start run of the mill casual and suddenly jump forward when you start to get comfortable, but the major action sequences are heart racing and challenging ( i.e. Racing full speed through a collapsing New York City while an primordial evil tries to tear the very street out from underneath you, or platforming your way around the outside of a burning New York sky rise while it collapses around you.).

As far as control goes, AITD has two different scemes: FPS (which works fine) and an over the back camera (A little frustrating). You can switch between the two at will, which lessens the hurt of the camera issues. While fighting with a me lee weapon, the camera fixes itself behind your back, but it pulls back to give you a wider viewing area. You control the me lee weapons with the right stick in this situation, pulling it one way, then another to get the desired swing; You can also lock on to a desired enemy in order to strafe him. This in my opinion is not too bad, and definitely a step up from traditional SvH combat.

The ability to combine items on the fly (Two sided tape, flamible oil) opens up a lot of combos for combat and puzzle solving (Take the taped oil, puncture it an toss it where you want it, then light the oil trail on fire) This definitely adds to the strategy department here,and allows for creative ways to solve your problems.

The story telling is taken up a noche, and is on par with many of the current Gen games in that area, the graphics are beautiful, and the ability to finally bash down the infamous indestructible locked door that has plagued gaming for nigh over a decade or more are all nice features that update traditional SvH for the current Gen. The music is spectacular whether its your mood setting background for SvH segments, the sudden dangerous shift for fight sequences, or the Hauntingly beautiful choir music that sets the pace for the major action sequences.

What blows me away the most is the presentation of AITD. Combining all the best elements of Survival Horror, dark atmosphere, rich story telling, mystery, amazing action segments, and some disturbing enemies, accompanied by one of the most beautiful sound tracks in gaming history, this game is a solid title that is a good buy.

Again I state this is not a Balls to the Wall action game. If thats what you want, go play Halo or Gears of War. This is a solid SvH with Appropriately placed action segments that help keep the pace of the game from going stale. This game is 4 stars easily. I would give it 5, but there are occasional glitches, but they are forgivable.

Loved it, from start to finish.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: July 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I pre-ordered this game back in February when I bought Test Drive Unlimited. When the game was reaching it's release date I checked out game sites to see if any early reviews were posted, and of course I eventually ran into the numerous reviews on Amazon and have also seen the reviews from IGN and GameSpot. Now, I after beating the game I can fully understand why it is getting so much flak. Alone in the Dark is a game that requires the player to actually think, to use common sense. Alone in the Dark is not your simple shoot em' up game, it's not Halo, or Call of Duty. The problem I am reading most is the controls, and this is what I don't get, if you have played Resident Evil (any of them). then you should be ok with this game because they are the same as any Resident Evil game with the exception of switching between first and third person. Other complaints span to the infamous 59th Street scene when your driving through New York City. Once again I see no problem with this as I completed it in one try, and during that one try I encountered no such things that ive been reading like ''invisible walls'' or ''bottomless pits.'' In fact, I re-did the part in cockpit mode which actually made the scene easier. I am actually glad I decided to go ahead and buy this game even with all the negative press, because I am so sick and tired of all the sequels we keep getting every year (I.E. Halo 3, GTA4, MGS4, COD4, DMC4, Resistance 2, Gears 2, Resident Evil 5). Now, if you are reading this, you might be asking ''Mr. Vereb, why did you add Resident Evil 5, Gears 2, and Resistance 2; they are not even out yet!'' Well I just added them because they are in a long line of a list of sequels that I am talking about. What I like about Alone in the Dark is that it is new, it's not just a sequel to the franchise; it's more like a reboot. You know what, I may as well be in the minority here, but I damn well loved Alone in the Dark; from start to finish. This game is truly a AAA title. However, like any other game it has it's faults and I will point them out. The first fault being that some objects are nearly invincible when you are driving through Central Park (branches, light polls, benches, etc) if I know better these things should be pretty easy to run right through with any kind of car. The second fault being that the game does not pause when you go into you inventory (which means an enemy can still attack you while you are checking your inventory). The final two faults are the annoying repetitive evil roots you have to burn unless your an achievement whore like mean, then by all means there good, and lastly this game has no replay value. Everything else from the graphics (especially the fire effects) to the DVD-style chapters to the incredible soundtrack done by The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices and not to mention the realism that was put into recreating Central Park in it's entirety makes the game top notch. Even with my review I do not recommend this game for everyone, I strongly recommend it to gamers who are willing to take a chance with something new and I also highly recommend this game to survival horror fans in general. Overall, if you are looking for a game to hold you over for more survival horror games or for something else in general, then Alone in the Dark is a satisfying adventure. I can safely say this in case you want your own opinion, there is now a demo available on XBL if you want to play through the first two levels from what I have read at least. Even though the game has no replay value, I am not going to sell it because the game was that good for me, and I plan to pick it up and play again sometime in the near future.

crazy camera, crappy controls

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: July 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

One of the most disappointing titles of 08 is Alone in the Dark.

Pros:
- good visuals (but you often won't be able to appreciate them due to a crazy camera)
- good effects (fire and electrical)
- good soundtrack
- good (looking) inventory (it's only good conceptually though, NOT good in practice)
- a nice rebuild-a-world concept. Eden did this incredibly well with Test Drive Unlimited. I suggest you buy that game instead.

Cons:
- EVERYTHING ELSE
- the camera/view/perspective is insane and simply uncontrollable. This game has a 1st person/3rd person/3rd person (forced) perspective. It switches back and forth between these perspectives every 5 seconds against your will (you have no choice), disorienting you, and when the perspective changes the control layout also changes which is even further disorienting. This means that if you are looking around in 1st person (with right thumbstick - like every other game in the world) and the game sudden changes to 3rd person (because they think it's a neat cinematic gimmick), that right thumbstick no longer functions as it did before. In combat, it gets worse. that same thumbstick changes yet again depending on the weapon. Wow, that, is, nuts.
- first person view is too slow
- controls are insane and uncontrollable. As described above, they keep changing and you have to unlearn everything you just learned and relearn what the h*ll everything does based on what perspective you are in and what the situation is. That's the problem. Your brain will still be using the layout you were able to use 2 seconds ago, because that's natural, intuitive and the way most good games work. h*ll, even really bad games have consistent controls.
- there is NO option for the gamer to map the controller as in other games. If they'd put the controls in the gamer's hands, maybe this would have been a 2 or a 3.
- even if you master the constantly changing controls, they are still slow, clunky and unresponsive. Doing things like jumping and just trying to pick something up can be goofy.
- While the inventory system is interesting and has a professional looking interface, it functions like everything else in this game, with poor unintuitive controls. Beyond that, the inventory doesn't pause the action, so you'll get your butt kicked in combat trying to figure out what to do with the inventory...nice
- the use "fire to kill everything" gimmick is overused and seems a bit silly. Fire isn't ubiquitous in real life.
- dialog not really inspired
- story not really engaging
- don't really care about the characters
- driving is horrid. I won't even talk about it.
- combat is tedious, long, difficult and silly using the clunky controls. and again, UNINTUITIVE and utterly inconsistent.
- All of the above means POOR GAME TESTING. Somebody, somewhere at some point must have mentioned the camera and controls. My guess is that somebody did, they weren't the boss, and the boss never played the game.

Usually with bad games, you have things like bad AI which runs right at you, low-rez textures, bugs, poor collision detection, stuff like that. These are hallmarks of low budgets, rushed titles, noob programmers, etc...Alone in the Dark is very bad is UNUSUAL ways. Like they had a big budget, decent developers, and had good tools in their hands, but still managed to create a monstrosity. That crazy show "Cop Rock" comes to mind. A complete disaster.

A New Reality Series: The Back-of-the-Box Reviews #1

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: July 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

IMAGINE A WORLD: Where a puzzling control scheme is your own bittersweet ally! As boardroom-approved, scar-laden and anti-hero-riffic Hasselhoff look-a-like Eduard Carnby, you are now on the run through a Central Park haunted by glitches! Behind every gloomily-textured corner lies a confusing death that will have you glued to your TV in controller-twisting anger!

As you man your human tank of a main character, you'll see that Central Park is not what it used to be. Where a typical day might lead to a leisurely bit of relaxing entertainment, or at the very least a humorous glance at a horse taking a poo, now you will find a gritty (nay, mega-gritty!) bombastic yarn that splits at the seams with inspiring ideas. Rather than offer you what you expect, however, the producers here have instead worked closely with programmers to distribute a game that throws each and every one of your preconceived notions to the curb. In other words, what sounds good on paper has blossomed into an EPIC FAIL! Take that, gamesite previews!

THRILL! to the anguished, profanity-filled cliches that litter the dimestore script.
GASP! as everything you thought you once knew about beta testers is defenestrated before your very eyes.
SASHAY! through the hidden mini-game breakdancing/epileptic experience! Any graspable ledge or mysterious wormhole will cause your character to twitch, stutter, and perhaps even mysteriously die! Keep your finger in the general vicinity of the reset button!
CRINGE! as you accept your 10-dollars-off the Xbox version at Gamestop...BUT AT WHAT COST?!

(hyphens are copyright Back-of-the-Box Reviews)

P.S. please buy my used copy, as I am very hungry right now.

Greatness yanked down by poor decisions

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Most people attribute the start of the Survival Horror genre to Resident Evil. While you can trace the birth of Survival Horror back far, far before that game (to Sweet Home or, if you want to stretch it, to Haunted House in 1981), modern Survival Horror games were firmly established by the first Alone in the Dark. Since that first game, though, the series has been an up and down roller coaster that never seemed to be able to outmatch some of the better known and more famous franchises like Resident Evil or Silent Hill.

So, when Eden Games started to work on reinventing the franchise, I was cautiously optimistic. A lot of the ideas and concepts they spoke of seemed like great ideas, and they seemed to be trying to Do Something Different. Unfortunately, the sum is not greater than its parts and Alone in the Dark, while reaching for the stars, can't stay afloat.

Things begin appropriately apocalyptic. Edward Carnby awakens in some hotel with some bad men arguing about cryptic shenanigans. Carnby, no longer useful, is led up to the roof to be executed but before that can happen, bad juju hits the fan as a "scar" tears through the building. From here, this first episode really picks up as you're trying to escape the building alive.

Here is where the goodness lies. Alone in the Dark has a great opening that's appropriately cinematic but in such a way that only games can do. The building starts to fall apart, you have to run and jump your way to safety, climb along the outside of the building while debris tumbles and while watching cars below you explode. You learn how Eden Games created some appropriately realistic fire for the game as you watch it spread and have to put it out or use it as a weapon. You'll see things happen to the various rooms you're in that will make you want to believe you're watching a cinematic, not playing through a game. It's very cool.

And then you try to move.

Movement is the worst part of the game. It's all controlled with one stick which makes actually moving feel as if you're controlling a drunk, disobedient person. Once you get a melee weapon in your hand, you'll see another problem: using the right analog stick to attack. You'll have to swing it one direction, then another just to attack. Unfortunately it's sluggish, as is the animation, resulting in you taking more damage than you should need to. Fighting monsters becomes a chore, one you'll grow to hate because as the game progresses, you'll learn that basically all monsters can only die via fire. So, grab that chair, light it on fire and swing away...hoping you hurt it more than it hurts you. Similarily, gun fights are also not terrific as you have to pop into first person whenever you want to shoot someone. No lock and pop here.

Likewise, if walking around makes you feel like a drunk, driving is a good approximation of drunk driving, I believe. The controls are incredibly loose and in the first driving portion of the game, loose controls isn't a good idea. What should be an exciting escape sequence that involves the ground behind you exploding, tears appearing across the streets, buildings collapsing, fire, death explosions, cats and dogs sleeping together turns into frustration as you'll probably find yourself repeating the episode. Over. And Over. From the beginning. It loses its fun and becomes a chore.

Towards the end of the game, the game pulls a Zelda: Wind Waker moment and has you hunting down certain things and destroying them in an effort, one has to assume, to artificially lengthen the game. If there's one thing that Alone in the Dark does exceptionally well, it's the pacing. When you hit this moment it's like running smack dab into a brick wall. It's sad.

There's a lot going for Alone in the Dark, don't get me wrong. The inventory system is a cool innovation. The whole episodic "TV show/DVD" feel is perfect, with DVD-style menus complemented by the ability to switch to any episode you like. The graphics are pretty decent, as is the engine it's running on. Some cool, small features, like the ability to blink your eyes is very effective during some sequences. And the pacing--for the most part--is perfect; it can really get your adrenaline going...until you're forced to repeat the same thing over and over again.

I really wanted to like Alone in the Dark. I didn't honestly think that Eden Games would elevate the game to the front of the pack, but there was enough little things and innovations that I thought maybe it'd be a good game. When I played it, I was amazed. Eden Games wanted no less than to shoot for the moon and make the most ambitious Survival Horror game yet. Unfortunately, reality is sometimes like gravity and unfortunately Alone in the Dark isn't the masterpiece I, and Atari, I'm sure, was hoping for. Definitely give it a rent, but I'd hold off on purchasing it.

Could have been spectacular, but marred by technical issues

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: June 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The Alone in the Dark series goes back a long way (even pre-dating the Resident Evil franchise) in terms of pioneering the survival horror genre, with this new installment kind of being a re-boot for the series. Once again filling the shoes of paranormal investigator Edward Carnby, Alone in the Dark finds Carnby caught in the middle of an apocalyptic event while investigating strange happenings in Central Park. The first thing you'll notice is that Alone in the Dark boasts some wonderfully creepy and spooky environments that drip with eerie atmosphere. In fact, the areas are so well designed that you'll often find yourself admiring your surroundings while dodging demons and beasts. The game looks good in general as well, despite a few graphical glitches that occur, while the game's solid score adds to the overall survival horror atmosphere. What's really sad about Alone in the Dark is that the game's potential to be something special is marred by technical issues. Namely, just moving around can be a chore. The control issues that present themselves during combat and puzzle solving only add layers of frustration to the game, which is a crying shame. Despite it's flaws, Alone in the Dark does present some innovation in terms of it's item inventory use and some dramatic moments that will jolt you out of your chair. The game's story is intriguing, and there are some great lighting effects too. All in all, Alone in the Dark is a worthwhile trip that could have been something truly great, but in the end is brought down thanks to it's technical issues. Still, for survival horror fans, Alone in the Dark is definitely worth a look.

Good Looking But Not Fun To Me

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is very ambitious and stunning to look at; The locations and scenarios are impressive, but to me the game fails to deliver on the fun factor. I found myself either bored or frustrated half the time, and didn't really find it scary either. I have considered the possibility that after so many years of console gaming, it is harder to find something fresh and something that really grabs me. The first person control works the best, but the 3rd person is somewhat of a nightmare, esp in the era of 'next-gen'. Hand to hand combat is awkward, and while this game is very beautiful to look at, it just wasn't enjoyable. In many ways it reminded me of Condemned 2, which was also very hit and miss; But that's just me. It should also be noted that I have little to no tolerance for a game that doesn't control well. Decent story and voice acting, but the visuals are the best thing this game has going for it. Playable, but a mixed experience.

A Nightmare to control.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 10
Date: June 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game had so much potential. Production values are generally high, with some occasional glitch here and there. The main problem is that the game's pace is inconsistent. You should never find yourself bored in a game, and it happens more often then not in Alone in the Dark.

To make matters worst this might be the weakest controlled next generation game ever. It is not difficult in a way the ultimately rewards you with practice. From the start, until you get to the end, you will NOT like how the game plays. I felt like throwing my controller through the wall. Do yourself a favor, and skip this one until it drops in price. I assure you this one WILL drop soon.

Save your money!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've played some really bad games in the past, but I have to admit that AITD has jumped up into the top 5.

GAMPLAY: Absolutely horrid.
GRAPHICS: Actually, pretty good.
SOUND: There's sound in this game other than grunts?

Okay so, hands-down the absolute worst controls in any game -- ever! The first five minutes of this game alone, will have you wanting to throw your controller across the room! Just wait until you have to fight an enemy. Moving you character is such a chore that any hopes of enjoyment are soon done away with.

In short, I simply can not understand how a game that has been delayed as many times as this, can still be this bad.

TRUST ME! Save your money!

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