www.CentralDark.com
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/a...rt&om_clk=tabs
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Update: Review
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3168398&p=4
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/acti...result;title;1
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/a...rt&om_clk=tabs
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LYON, FRANCE – 7 February 2008 – Atari today announced the launch of the official website of forthcoming action survival game Alone in the Dark, featuring a series of fascinating and intriguing facts, legends and stories which reveal the myriad strange and unexplained happenings which have dogged the history of New York's magnificent municipal parkland, Central Park. Visitors to the site at www.CentralDark.com will begin a journey into the murky past of New York's backyard and see how the park's chequered history has influenced and inspired the production of Alone in the Dark. With new facts, park lore and more scheduled every Thursday up to launch of the game in May, visitors can already learn a great deal of incongruous information gathered by a group of amateur researchers and drawn from historical documentation, newspapers and the work of scholars. Facts suggest there's more than meets the eye behind the design and perfect preservation of this enormous parkland in the city that never sleeps. The implication is that considerably different motives were at work than just the desire to create a grand public parkland for the people of New York. Here's just a taste of the questions posed: In a city with debts of $4.8 Billion, who has the power to ensure that Central Park's $528 Billion of prime Manhattan real estate has remained completely untouched since its creation? What were the suspected political motivations behind the complete decimation of Seneca village, Manhattan's first African American community, during the park's construction? Why was the topsoil that was used to construct Central Park not from New Jersey as recorded, and according to micro-chemical analysis not even from America? Who built the existing tunnel network under the park that was used for Oppenheimer's Manhattan Project of 1853 that led to the creation of the atomic bomb? Featuring a gripping story, design inspired by contemporary TV action dramas, and original gameplay based on real world rules physics, Eden Games' action survival opus Alone in the Dark is scheduled for release in May 2008 for Xbox 360, PC, Wii and PlayStation 2, with the PlayStation 3 version following later in 2008. |
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Previews: Alone In The Dark We try our hand at destroying New York City.   Click the image above to see us interview Phil Harrison on Alone in the Dark.Manhattan is on fire, and Phil Harrison, president of Infogrames/Atari and former head of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, is onstage at a press event talking about Cloverfield. "They beat us to it," he jokes. Maybe the timing didn't quite work out, but when it comes to destroying a virtual New York City, Alone in the Dark looks like it can compete with what J.J. Abrams can dish out. Eden Games' pedigree is V-Rally and Test Drive: Unlimited, both games that are pretty light on survival-horror. But based on what we saw earlier this week, the team seems to have a pretty good grasp on the genre conventions -- and a presentation style that we haven't really seen applied to videogames before. It's ready-made episodic gaming: the entirety of a normal-length game that's already split up into "episodes" and "scenes" that roughly mirror the narrative structure of serial television. Every episode begins with a "Previously on..." recap, and ends with some sort of action climax or plot reveal. The actual game contained within these episodes is appropriately dependent on thrilling moments. Dramatic camera angles position themselves to perfectly capture scripted explosions, changing the view up so you can see and avoid falling debris, and then swooping it down so you can watch the wreckage fall onto the street below...as well as increasing the vertigo factor. Environmental hazards dominated the levels we tried, with a heavy emphasis on fire. Eden has created a fire system that spreads throughout rooms and hallways, catching onto materials and surfaces designated as "flammable." Armed with a fire extinguisher, you need to put out the flame to clear pathways. You also need to use fire as a weapon, as it's the only way to permanently eliminate the shambling enemies (bullets and blades only work as a temporary knockdown effect). After knocking someone down, you can either drag them over to the flame to disintegrate them, or pick up a flammable object, light it up, and bring the party to them. (Another neat trick is to lace your bullets with alcohol, which gives you flammable ammunition...though the scientific plausibility of this sounds like a case ripe for an episode of MythBusters.) But getting back to the Cloverfield comparison, the plot of Alone in the Dark essentially amounts to "New York is screwed." An intense chase scene near the beginning of the game has you driving a taxicab around Central Park as the city gets destroyed around you. Whatever evil is plaguing this reincarnation of Edward Carnby has got a major ax to grind with the five boroughs, and that sense of imminent destruction on a large scale definitely brings to mind classic monster movies (while still retaining the intimate, classic horror feel as Edward navigates through spooky buildings). We have a few concerns at this point, mostly dealing with that close-quarters exploration and the required switching between first-person and third-person perspectives to see where you're going and to perform certain maneuvers (for instance, you can only use the fire extinguisher as an extinguisher in first-person, while you swing it around like a weapon in third-person). That'll take some getting used to, as will the controls and significantly scaled-back appearance of the Wii version. (It's unfortunate that many of the dramatic angles and background effects seem to be missing from the same part we saw in the 360 version of the game.) It's been a while in the making, and even longer since Alone in the Dark has been a bankable name, but it's promising to see that Eden definitely has the cinematic approach in mind -- not just in the episodic approach they're taking, but also inside the game itself. |
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3168398&p=4
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Reviews: Alone In The Dark It's hard to feel truly alone with such deliberate design decisions nipping at your heels every step of the way. > Reviewer's Blog > Review Crew Profile  It's hard to feel truly alone with such deliberate design decisions nipping at your heels every step of the way. Atari's Alone in the Dark is so busy being experimental -- giving players the tools and rules to solve problems on their own -- that it neglects the alluring experientialism of earlier titles in the series, which set a tone and pace that sparked the survival-horror genre off years before Resident Evil hit the scene. Still, this new Alone in the Dark has enough variety, creativity, and downright commendable ambition that its myriad structural and mechanical misgivings are mostly forgivable. Set in present-day New York City, AITD casts players as series mainstay Edward Carnby (looking more like a disgruntled Harrison Ford, and less like the horrible 2005 film adaptation's desperate Christian Slater) -- riddled with amnesia and somehow still kicking, far from his usual 1920s stomping grounds. The pulp-horror plot revolves around solving the "mystery" of Central Park, which seems to be causing apocalyptic chaos throughout the city. An underdeveloped love story is stuck in there somewhere, and something about "ancient evils," but the narrative explanations are generally punchy enough to keep things moving along nicely. The heart of the game lies in its stalwart level design; enemies and obstacles take turns acting as seemingly insoluble barriers to your progress, and besting them requires some (relatively) creative thinking and a bit of memorization. Think Half-Life, only not as clever...or Condemned, only not as obtuse. You can mix up various tools and explosives by combining items in your inventory -- cleverly displayed as the interior pockets of your coat -- which are put to use as situations require. Out-of-reach giant bug nest one room over with only a crack to crawl through? Combine a liquor bottle, a bandage, and some double-sided tape into a sticky, slow-burning Molotov cocktail and attach it to a critter on his way back to the nest to take them both out. Pile of fallen boards blocking up a necessary passage? Spread some flames around with any wooden object, and watch them eat away the offending obstacles. If only the solutions were as organic as the methods. Most situations have exactly one way out...and with the necessary materials always right where you need them, it's not too hard to guess your way out of most problems. Perhaps the biggest double-edged sword is the complete reliance on fire to truly finish off most enemies in the game -- it makes for some clever puzzles when you don't have it handy, but also artificially extends most battles when you just want the damn monster to die already. And considering how much work went into making sure that fire propagates realistically over flammable surfaces -- and it does -- next to nothing is done with this potentially neat game mechanic. That same "realism" certainly shines through elsewhere, even if it's sometimes taken a bit far. When getting into a car, you can check the glove box for items, flip open the sun visor in hopes of finding a stashed key, or turn on an overhead light to make hotwiring easier if it comes to that. From the outside, you can jimmy open the gas tank (with the right tools) to fill up any empty bottles you may have, or shoot the gas tank to send the whole thing up in flames. One of the game's coolest moments took place while driving through Central Park: Two mutants jumped onto my car and started to smack me around, so I bailed out of the vehicle while driving toward a wall of shrapnel. The car kept going, pinned my enemies against the wall, and I turned the whole thing into a fireball with a bullet to the gas tank. Such actions are rarely as smooth as they look, though; for all its cleverness, AITD is downright clunky. A poorly oriented camera renders the third-person view almost entirely worthless, and the first-person view -- which you'll use constantly for shooting -- feels more like a last-minute addition than a dedicated vantage point. Such control-related frustrations pop up regularly; manipulating held objects with the right analog stick is a fine idea, but -- again -- the design doesn't allow for as much flexibility as it should. And, to account for the time it takes to mix items in your coat (during which the game doesn't pause), all of the enemies are turned down to half-speed and switched to idiot mode...which carries the side effect of alleviating any real sense of danger, since you can dance endlessly between your foes. In a rather innovative touch, you're able to freely skip around between AITD's eight "episodes," with only the very last few scenes locked until you've finished a percentage of the rest. I played through linearly, but it's an appreciated "out" if you get stuck or tire of any given stretch. A TV-style "Previously on..." sequence rolls to catch you up when you resume play, though I found myself also wanting a "Next time on..." after the Quit screen, to tempt me into one more play session. Oddly enough, the structure of the game changes quite completely in the seventh episode, shifting from a fairly linear adventure to the far more open-ended task of driving around Central Park, destroying a batch of evil roots (don't ask) in whatever order you like. The sandbox-style design shift allows the more creative elements to shine, and while the pacing takes a hit, it really ties the game together. As a lesson in ambition and creativity, AITD is an awkward (but welcome) role model. Though no one element is particularly polished, the game's plenty varied, and it happily defies genre characterization wherever it can -- racing segments, rappelling, and a handful of great ideas keep things fresh. Though with such methodical, purposeful design every step of the way, it's tough to sit back and enjoy what's otherwise an engaging, surprisingly cinematic caper. You likely won't be thrilled by the time you sit through both of the equally lame lose-lose endings, but I can't imagine you'd regret your time in the Dark. |
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If you can endure some vexing technical flaws, Alone in the Dark can be a clever, satisfying adventure. The Good
var emblemTogglers = function() {$$('#review_proscons .review_emblems').each( function(emblem_group) {new emblemToggler(emblem_group);});};var initEmblemTips = function() {var reviewEmblemTips = new emblemTips($$('#review_proscons .review_emblems li'), {'maxTitleChars': 50,'fixed': true, 'className': 'review_emblem', 'parentNode': $('main_col_wrap')});};window.addEvent('domready', initEmblemTips);window.addEvent('domready', emblemTogglers);Game Details | About Our Rating System Playing through Alone in the Dark, you begin to feel a creeping sensation that something is not quite right. This unease is not born of the dark, sinister plot or engendered by your unholy, malevolent foes; rather, it is spawned from the sizable rift between the game's celestial aspirations and terrestrial execution. There are a number of great elements here that are regrettably hampered by pervasive technical shortcomings. This disconnect keeps Alone in the Dark from reaching its full potential, but doesn't keep it from presenting a unique and often rewarding action adventure experience for those with the patience to stick with it. As the gruff, amnesiac protagonist, you make your way through a disaster-struck New York City into Central Park, where you begin to unravel the many mysteries before you. One of the most intriguing and well-executed elements of this adventure is the inventory and item system. The game allows you only as many items as you can fit in your belt and jacket pockets; and, in a move that visually subverts the convention of the vast yet unseen inventory, you literally open up your jacket and look down to see what you've got. While it's never quite groundbreaking, this subversion does appear in myriad ways throughout the game, and creates the feeling that there is something novel about Alone in the Dark. You experience this feeling of novelty the first time you look down at your limbs to heal your gaping bloody wounds with medical spray, but some of the thrill will dissipate when you watch your blue jeans regenerate along with your flesh.  Sticking a hideous demon with a Molotov cocktail is ever so fun. The limited array of items you can pick up as you move through the world belies the complexity with which they can be combined to serve your purposes. The explosive power of a plastic bottle filled with flammable liquid is obvious, but what if you wrap it in double-sided tape, stuff a bandage in it, light it, and stick it to an enemy? Then you've got a slow-burning Molotov cocktail perfect for blowing up the hive that your spidery foe is returning to. Tape a box of bullets to the bottle, chuck it at a cluster of enemies, and shoot it midair to unleash a decidedly nasty explosion. Poured out all your liquid while immolating downed demons? Grab your knife and puncture the gas tank on a car for a quick refill. There are multifarious possible item combinations, and while you'll generally stick to a select few for killing enemies (flaming bullets, midair explodables, spray-can flamethrower), the game makes you flesh out your repertoire by demanding specific actions to solve certain puzzles. Most of the puzzles in the game involve vanquishing the evil beings that are now the main inhabitants of Central Park. Since all enemies can only be permanently offed with fire, you'll have to find a way to make them burn, baby, burn. The most straightforward method is to grab a flammable object, like a chair or a broom. Then walk over to any open flame and set fire to the object by inclining the analog stick toward the flame. Wielding the blazing object, you target your foe, set up your attack by tilting the stick in one direction, then strike by flicking the stick in the opposite direction. It's a lot of fun to smack monsters with chairs, shovels, baseball bats, tree limbs and so forth, and the analog stick actions you must perform to do so are a fun approximation of your in-game actions. Alas, this fun is hindered by finicky controls and inconsistent hit detection, so you'll often find yourself merely repositioning your weapon instead of striking, or clanging it off of a wall that you could have sworn wasn't so close. For practical reasons, you'll end up taking on most of the evil legion with your trusty handgun. Throwing an explosive bottle and shooting it midair is a cinch, thanks to the aim assistance in the form of a glowing trajectory arc and the slow motion that kicks in whenever you throw something. Alternatively, you can pour flammable liquid on your bullets and fire flaming rounds at your foes. Sure, this combo is a bit improbable and the gun should probably explode in your face, but flaming bullets will be the keystone in your monster-battling strategy so it's best to suspend your disbelief. However, firing these babies into monsters won't kill them unless you hit their fissures. These are the livid scars left on monsters by the evil that corrupted them, and hitting them can be a real pain. Combat certainly isn't anything to write home about, but there's definitely some satisfaction to be had in scourging your enemies with flame after bashing them stupid with a heavy pipe.  Free-roaming fissures are formidable foes. The few non-combat-related puzzles are clustered early and late in the game. Some of these creative platforming sequences are part of larger, dramatic set pieces, such as your escape from a burning, collapsing building. It's generally pretty clear what path you need to take, but figuring out the necessary actions and carrying them out is still entertaining. Puzzles in which you set fire to things are particularly fun, because the fire looks gorgeous and spreads realistically while the textures on the burning wood change accordingly. The only problem comes when you need to navigate precise paths, because you aren't exactly the most nimble fellow. Since you walk like a goon, you'll sometimes have to maneuver excessively just to interact with an object. This sort of technical awkwardness is not rare in Alone in the Dark. Maneuvering issues become particularly frustrating when you are trying to hop into a car. Once you manage this feat, you can do some neat stuff like check behind the visor for car keys or slide into the passenger seat to ransack the glove compartment. Actually driving cars is less neat, since the things handle like motorboats and will sometimes launch into the air when driving over the smallest curb. They do take damage, but they do so in such an unpredictable way that sometimes your car won't react much to bouncing off multiple trees, but the next impact will cause the hood, doors, and entire roof structure to explode off the car like a Mythbusters experiment, leaving you with a bizarro convertible. In addition to the vast and varied Central Park, you'll also adventure through a number of well-detailed indoor environments. These are all well done, and are at their best when integrated with one of the many dramatic set pieces throughout the game. During these events the camera will often pull out to a wider angle, giving you a greater sense of scope and harking back to the fixed-camera roots of previous Alone in the Dark games. There are definitely some missteps here as well, and the dynamic lighting can sometimes turn an immersive environment into a something's-not-quite-right environment. The aforementioned fire is definitely a highlight, but sundry inconsistencies keep the visual presentation from being as stunning as it tries to be.  1. Throw bottle. 2. Shoot bottle. 3. Enjoy the show. These visual inconsistencies carry over to the numerous cutscenes, so you'd better be ready for some for some strange hair and wonky aftereffects. Despite the occasional pop-in and imperfect facial animations, the cutscenes do a great job of adding weight to the already dramatic storyline. Playing as an amnesiac man who wakes up in the company of men who mean him harm, you manage to escape and make your way to Central Park where the dark, far-reaching story begins to unfold in earnest. The story doesn't break any new ground, but it's well scripted and provides a few intensely dramatic moments, which are enhanced by mostly on-point aftereffects that imbue them with a filmic quality. The whole game is segmented into chapters and sections so you can skip around to them as if it were a DVD, but with no replay incentives and achievements that reward not skipping, this feature will probably only appeal to folks who get stuck on a tough patch and don't mind jumping ahead. Skippers need not fear too much missed content--every play session and every skip treats you to a "previously on Alone in the Dark" segment that rehashes the pertinent story elements. Alone in the Dark is an ambitious game that features a lot of cool gameplay and bucks a lot of gaming conventions. Unfortunately, the technical execution does not match this ambition, and the resulting roughness will prove too high a cost of entry for many gamers. Still, if you are craving a game that tries new things with a reasonable degree of success, you'll definitely be able to get some enjoyment out of Alone in the Dark. |
You used to be optimistic.
