Alone in the Dark

It really is a shame because, this particular aspect of design stupidity aside, Alone in the Dark really does deserve the somewhat overused accolade of ‘flawed masterpiece’. Sure, its plot is hugely contrived, it’s occasionally frustrating and really lacking in the kind of polish we expect from big-name games in this day and age. However, it’s also undoubtedly one of the most imaginative, ambitious and exciting titles to hit a console in the last few years. It’s frequently astonishing in its approach to oft-used action tropes and genuinely progresses a whole host of well-worn conventions in the process. Up until that point, we were more than happy to offer our recommendation to anyone that appreciates gaming innovation as long as potential players were prepared to endure its occasional experimental failures alongside its many successes. In fact, that’s still pretty much true, although the recommendation is tougher to justify. Ultimately, in 2008, the most terrifying thing in an action horror title really shouldn’t be the resurrection of long-since abandoned game contrivances. Unfortunately, with Alone in the Dark, it is.

I thought i would give this game a try as i never take reviews seriously. Boy was i wrong, this game sucks big time. Controls are frustrating, gameplay is not of usual Xbox 360 qualitity and after playing this for several hours i was still none the wiser as to what the whole thing was about. To anyone that is like me and ignores reviews from other people do not waste your time with this game, i have had more fun at the dentists, you have been warned.

Film scenes were the best bit but found controls very frustrating and thought the character was difficult to control either in 1st or 3rd person & ended up getting fed up with the game so returned it about quarter way through.

This, the fifth installment in the Alone in the Dark franchise, has a lot to offer, but at the end of the day, fails to deliver most of them.

You play as Edward Carnby, yet again, as he's thrown into a mystery which, after the first episode, is based solely around New York's Central Park. To add to it, he's also suffering from amnesia and, with the help of Sarah, slowly recovers it as you venture through the game.

The visuals are glossy enough, detailing on the characters are accurate, and New York and Central Park have never looked better...until the darkness, which plays a major part in the game, appears, and it becomes a turgid mess while it's there.

The music's dark and eerie, which fits in perfectly with the moderately entertaining story, but its the voice-acting which lets it down somewhat. With uninspired dialogue you wouldn't even hear in a no-budget horror movie, and terrible acting from the actors, you soon start to realize why this game has its faults.

Which leads me to its gameplay; the camera angles are faulty, never pointing in the direction you want it to go, and you end up getting killed. This is entirely frustrating when you're trying to enjoy a game such as this. The controls are overly-complicated, with so many buttons to remember you're having to pause the game to look at the control system that it becomes tedious, and feels awkward as you're playing. The fighting system's sloppy, the inventory restrictive so you're having to backtrack constantly throughout the game, and the shooting is pointless, but I will say that the combining items and the healing elements are a nice touch even though they're heavily overshadowed by its cumbersome control structure.

FInally, its lifespan value. Played out in seven 'episodic' levels, much in the same way like a TV series or the vastly superior Siren: Blood Curse on the PS3, you'd be soon to complete this game within a weekend's worth, if you're not phased by its frustrating controls, as the earlier levels are very much linear.

Alone in the Dark is a noticeably underwhelming survival horror/adventure game, and is sadly the weakest in the otherwise enjoyable horror franchise. Maybe next time, they could gives us gameplay that's easy enough to remember, like in previous installments, and we may have ourselves a winner. For now, if you're still interested, rent it, but otherwise leave this one be to dwell in the darkness it's shrouded itself in.

First off, the game looks great and there's some great ideas in there. I really wanted to like this game.

BUT, 2 nights of playing and I couldn't take anymore. The control system is one of the worst and most frustrating I have seen in a long time. How they thought this worked I will never know. I had to send it back before I broke something out of frustration.

Avoid like the plague and try something like Alan Wake instead.