Highest rated reviews for Alone in the Dark (2008)

Good

Maseio from Birmingham , 20/01/2008

Good The Best Game Ive Played In A While

Terrible!

Kalclash from Birmingham [Highly rated reviewer] , 24/06/2008

I only find myself writing reviews for games that have really angered me recently and this is one of them. This game is so broken and frustrating it will add years onto your life (my control pad took the brunt of my anger).

If anyone rents this game thinking it will be good (like I did) then you are in for a big suprise! This game is unplayably bad! Anyone that reviews this game highly has either not played it or needs their head testing.

A mixed bag

Flameswordsman from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 25/06/2008

I liked this game. I really did.

It has its faults, like a few in-game bugs where a computer controlled character might pin you into a wall etc.... and the game does have scripted moments that forces you to know what is going to happen to react in time, often leading to you dying a few times to get things right, but its also a great game that has tried something new.

'Real-world laws'. If a door is locked, bash it through with a heavy object, shoot the lock, set it on fire and wait a minute for it to crumble, or just blow it up.

Every problem has a solution. The enemies in the game don't like fire, so you have to use what little you have to your advantage. Pour alcohol on your bullets to give them a fiery kick, combine a flammable spray with your lighter for an instant mini-flamethrower, set a trap by pouring alcohol all over the floor and light it at the right time, or just shoot the gas-tank on a nearby car or shoot that liquor-bottle when its right in front of their face.

The game is like a Puzzle/Survival game, with no horror. You get problems, and basically you solve them using the enviroment and what you have in your inventory. Some of these puzzles can be quite hard [got an undead bug constantly drinking from a pool of blood, then running back through an air-vent to its nest thats blocking your metal-grated exit door? Simple, just tape up a bottle of flammable liquid with double-sided tape, pierce it with a knife, attach it to the bug, then when it runs back to the nest it leaves a flammable trail for you to use your lighter on!]

The music throughout the game is epic orchestral stuff that is amazing, the story looses its steam a bit when your required to free-roam all over Central Park for reasons you shall know if you ever play the game, and overall the game is a 'flawed masterpiece' that could have been Game of the Year except for a few problems like the in-game bugs and slight frustration [I do not like to hear people complaining about the controls. Every game has a different control lay-out, once you've played the game for 10 minutes you get used to it, just like you do with this game]

good but has control flaws

DA200 from Cambs [Highly rated reviewer] , 24/06/2008

Was looking forward to the game but am disappointed with the end product. I got use to the on-foot controls but the car driving is utter crap. The car sections are painful to play and I thought it was just the end bit on chapter 2 then it forces another section at the start of chapter 4! God know why the developers thought they were good enough for the end product.

As mentioned I got use to the controls but they are not as well done as Resident evil 4 (a game that is about 3 years old now) The on foot controls are a bit clunky at times but there is no real excuse for them apart from Atari wanted the game out now and got rushed out.

The story is very cinematic with some good voice acting. Shame the controls and the god awful driving brings the game down

Graphically mint but strange control system

A customer from Marlborough , 12/07/2008

First of all i did like the overall feel of the game weather its fairly nice graphics to the fire physics, but the bigest let down being the half boiled control system, controls realy did feel inresponsive and inaccurate often leading the system into confusion (going in the wrong way you sent it) the other let down is the depth of storyline leaving the game kinda short lived. overall the games come along way from previous titles in the franchise but still fails to leave an inprint that other franchises have left (metal gear solid, grand theft auto) but graphically boarderlining the next gen era,

Graphics: 7/10 showing some nice textures/lighting in hd from time to time

Gameplay:5/10 some nice combo weapons that can be used agenst enemys

Sounds: 3/10 some missing sound effects now and then

Controls 2/10 terrible controls but playable

Lifespan: 3/10 completed in a day

overall: 5/10 some goods and bads in this game but brings out the best in the alone in the dark series

I'd Rather Be Alone In The Dark

Midnight from Croydon [Highly rated reviewer] , 19/08/2008

Eden Games allegedly spent 4 years producing this game and the level of interactivity is incredible with the player being able to combine objects, hotwire cars, blink (yes you can make the character blink), and much more. The problem is that they have been so ambitious in trying to cram all this in that they forgot the basics.

The controls that make the character move are so awful that it makes the game unplayable, or if not completely unplayable, certainly bad enough to be frustrating, tedious, and psychosis-inducing. The character turns so slowly in third person mode that the much faster creatures in the game finish you off very quickly. It moved so slowly that I thought perhaps I needed to adjust the sensitivity setting from medium to high, so I went to the options to find it was on maximum. No salvation there then. The first level is quite entertaining and as it is a training level you can cope quite easily with it, but once beyond this the controls start to feel the strain, and so does your blood pressure.

I was stupid enough to buy this game and to say that I feel angry and cheated of my money is an understatement. And I only had it two days!!!! A gripping storyline and high level of intricacy mean nothing if you cant control the character efficiently enough to get through the game and reveal the story in the first place. This game has been reduced to a waste of a DVD by this and I would say never, ever, buy this, and certainly don’t waste your time renting it. Eden Games should never be allowed to do anything more complex than the scenery in a game ever again.

Alone in the dark? Or Alone in a FARCE?

AndyRooooo from Leeds , 21/07/2008

I remember all the hype over this game, it was a lot to say the least....maybe not as much as say GTAIV but it was a lot never the less, I always though the game looked like it COULD be good, when it was first released all i heard about it was that it was about 6 hours long...then i heard the controls were bad...very bad...then i heard problem after problem after problem.

I rented the game not expecting much, i put it in, turned on my XBox...and what can i say? I was pleasantly surprised, Ok the controls weren't the best i've ever seen but the graphics we're very nice, the inventory screen was...different..but a good kind of different, you see Edward Carnaby opening his very small jacket...to see about 5 million items taped inside. The combining of items is very good, not really been seen to this extent in a game before so it's nice to see the developers trying new things, the fire physics were great aswell, setting fire to things is always a nice thing to do, i'm not an arsonist, but who doesn't love burning things?

The story is probably the strongest thing in the game, especially if you've read about Central Park conspiracy theories, I'll warn you though, the ending is VERY baffling, it seemed more of a badly made youtube video by an angry nerd than an ending to a big blockbuster game...anyways, i think i've wrote enough, hopefully you'll give this game a chance and rent away...i did...don't believe most of the reviews, i've seen a 3/10 by a certain magazine, just because it's not Halo, doesn't mean it's a bad game.

Well....

MrWard from Swindon [Highly rated reviewer] , 10/10/2008

Im kinda dissapointed in this one. Ive hardly played it but it hardly seems worth it. I was expecting alot more. The characters kinda seem really cheesey and dialogue and what not is pretty crappy the story doesnt seem all that great. its not that grabbing. Its a shame cause they had some real good ideas and effects in this one.

Alone in the dark!

damon from Berwick-upon-Tweed [Highly rated reviewer] , 27/07/2008

My favorite game of the year so far!

I have never played any of the othe AITD games before but after looking at the videos at this one i thought it looked amazing and i am not wrong.

Gameplay-9 (absolutely amazing story line and gets your attention right at the start)

controls-8 (yeh the controls take getting use to but it doesnt take long to do so)

graphics-10 (best graphics i have seen on the xbox so far without a doubt!)

sound-8 (sound of the pistol, explosions all amazing)

replay value- 7

overall rating- 9

definately worth the rent!

dont listen to the other reviews!

i never!

Could have been awesome, turned out to be awful.

Sephz0r from Aberdeen , 27/08/2008

'Don't go into the park alone at night. You'll find all sorts there. Muggers, tramps, sexual deviants, and... maybe something a lot, lot worse'

What, like cracks in the floor that don't like fire?!

Seriously - what there Eden thinking? This game has ruined the Alone in the Dark franchise moreso than Uwe Boll's movie - at least I enjoyed that, bad controls and horrible camera stopped me from enjoying this game.

If the camera and player arent positioned right then you cant do some of the jumping sequences such as from platform to platform. Even just running down a corridor and jumping becomes a hard task.

As inventive as it was the inventory system needs a lot of work, I found myself trying to select a certain item by pressing the right direction (ie if i needed something that was at a diagonal from my current highlighted item, and pressed diagonally it should ready the x/y axis input and highlight that item) but the game only recognised 2 points on each axis... left, right, up and down meaning that you found yourself spending too long trying to select items.

Couple this with the fact that it is realtime meaning you are busy messing around trying to select the bottle with alcohol and trying to pour it on your gun to make 'fire bullets' while that creepy bitch of an npc tries to nom nom nom munch on your neck!

And speaking of getting hurt, the real-time damage effects on the character when you look at them (yes you can look first-person at your own wounds, but back wounds make you feel like you're spinning your head 180 degrees) just look like bits of raw ham left out of the fridge for a day or two with a line of tomato sauce on them slapped on top of the clothes. Very good idea for spraying your own wounds with medicine spray - I liked that.

Driving wasnt that bad, but was poor. Very GTA like and the driving in GTA is very poor in my eyes. No bike though! :(

On a funnier note, this game should have been called 'The Adventures of a Pyromaniac, Alone in the (not so dark, now!) Dark wth Edward Carnby' - and that describes the game... just a way for Eden Games to show off that fancy fire effect which up close on a HD monitor doesnt look that great... Older games have done it much better and newer games will do it even better.

Anyway, 2/5. It wasnt too bad.

Summary? Repetitive, irritating and angering. Had it been more sandbox orientated it would have been a lot of fun.

not scary

jen2000 from Fraserburgh [Highly rated reviewer] , 29/07/2008

this will not scare you in the slightest.the graphics are okay and quite bleak.story is a bit daft in places (evil trees just dont seem to be all that scary to me)it looked like it would be a great game but to be honest you might get fed up with it before the end.a lot of survival horror games do this so much better but it,s still okay -just not very good.

HUMMMM

maddish from Castleford , 11/07/2008

It wasn't my cup of tea, to dark and gothic for me.

Scary and ridiculous at the same time..?

A customer from London , 22/10/2008

The game starts in a building that is being wrenched apart by some malevolent force that tears through the walls and floor. It also possesses the living, causing them to become Evil Dead.Dragging yourself through the collapsing structure - shooting, jumping, hacking, flaming. Soon enough you're dumped in Central Park with a gun, a flashlight and a ready supply of explosives and scavenged first-aid kits. You're then instructed to head off to various locations to do something to someone.

Combat is brutal and unsustainable. Possessed former New Yorkers take a dozen bullets to dispatch, and the more exotic enemies - the fissures that carve bloody scars across every surface, and the black ooze that pools in the dark, swallowing you whole if you set foot in it - demand desperate violence and navigation to evade. Enemies can be shot, but you can also toss explosives in their direction, watching them arc in slow-motion before firing a Magnum round to detonate in mid-air; or you can sprinkle accelerant across a doorway, and back off and fire an incendiary bullet into the puddle as a monster crosses the threshold.

Alone in the Dark is ultimately likeable, even lovable, there's a game there that every gamer would want. Inventive, flexible, considered. It's stunning to look at it in places, too, and it's capable of classic gaming moment.

Fun 7 (elements to hold onto..RPG, fighting, driving, climbing)

Graphics 8 (characters 6, monsters 7, environment 8, fire 10)

Sound 6 (no big explosions or screaming monsters guess it adds to that Alone feel)

Gameplay 5 (really bad driving, clumsy shooting, frustrating inventory)

Overall a game to rent till Resident Evil5 comes out.

Very Average

RealToughCookie from Winsford [Highly rated reviewer] , 09/08/2008

The 3rd person view sucks, it has bad cameras and the graphics are very average. Story is ok and i like the way you use the right analogue to move your hand around, e.g if you have a flash light you can point it anywhere around the room.

Overall an average game that gets boring quick, there's only so many times you can use a fire extinguisher to put out flames before it gets dull and repetitive.

awesome

A customer from Abergavenny , 06/08/2008

this is the best rental game i have had yet

a load of boring $!*&

lizturner from Milton Keynes [Highly rated reviewer] , 12/07/2008

boring, boring, boring, i played it for one night and nearly threw the controller, i would seriously give this a miss unless you want an urban tomb raider like game that is impossible to control and has limited roaming. it reminded of a PS2 type of platform game. Poor quality for the highly powerful Xbox!!

A little gem

Grummy from Wrexham, North Wales , 17/03/2009

Alone in the Dark. Quality game. Only good for one playthrough really, once you've done it all and experienced the story, there really isn't any drive to do it again, but that one play through is qualty. Controls are nowhere near as bad as made out, I found them very easy to manage. A couple of irritating parts, but they're quickly over with. Overall, a great game imo. 8/10

A quick list of the good and the bad imo.

Good.

Visually its excellent, sure, not the level of detail thats gone into the character models of Marcus Fenix in Gears of War, but they aren't poor by any standard either. If GoW was 10/10 for visuals, I'd give Alone in the Dark a solid 8/10. And thats not taking into consideration one of the best aspects of the game. Fire.

The fire is the best I've seen done in any game. Its an integral part of the game (monsters can only be killed permanently by using fire), and as such the physics behind it are second to none. The weay it looks, the way it acts and reacts, all of it is of the highest quality.

The game is suitably creepy. Its not so spine tingly creepy as the SIlent HIll games, nor as 'jumpy;' as the Resident Evil series, but its has a constant undertone of creepy, you find often that you are quite tense whilst playing this game. There's not really any risk of something jumping out at you, although on occasion when you are playing in first person perspective you can turn around and be suddenly face to face witha monster, that can be quite disconcerting. However it is the design of the game and how the story plays out that keeps you on your toes.

The story is stellar, a truly excellent story and the episodic nature of the game (the game is presented like you are watching a tv show, it plays like a proper video game, but the story and cut scenes are presented like a tv show) is such that you can never be sure whats coming next and what each progression of the 'episode' will bring. Every cutscene brings you both more story and new objectives or directions for you to follow, and every time that happens, what you are doing changes. You can never be sure if a cutscene is going to lead you to fighting a big demon baddie, or lead you through some dark tunnels infested with little creepy enemies. ITs a very clever method actually. In most games you play, you get a cut scene, and then carry on doing the exact same thing. In this you can never be really sure whats coming next and that leads to a constant measure of nerves whilst playing the game.

Something else of note is the inventory system. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Essentially its not that new, you carry what you can, combine certain items to make new or improved items, its fairly common place. but its presentation here is very clever and fits so well with the story. Its not like in other games with inventory systems where you pause, bring up a menu then look through your items, you see your items in real time secreted on your belt and in your coat pockets and can swiftly pick them and use them as you need allowing you to do what you have to and keep on going. The way it is designed is such that it doesn't break the natual flow of the game, but is not so clunky as to make things awkward for you and put you at a disadvantage.

The healing system works along similar lines. You can get different levels of damage requiring different types of healing, whether a simple medical spray or a bandage. Its a simple little change from standarad healing packs heal all, but it adds a level of strategic thinking 'Do I sacrific this healing can and take this extra bottle of flammable liquid, or play it safe with the hextra health and hope this liquid is enough for what I have to do?', 'Do I take these bandages, or leave them and take extra ammo and hope I don't get too badly injured?'.

Fortunately the game never leaves you without a fair chance. If you DID leave behind that bandage and take the ammo, but you need the bandage, there is always a first aid box somewhere near by that will have one, o r you can find an overturned ambulance that has bandages near by.

The achievements in this game are very well thought out in my opinion. I've always been an advocate for achievements putting the game in the players hands, and focussing on things a player can do either in single or multiplayer, never one or the other. This game has no multiplayer to speak of, however the achievements are such that, after allowing for the story based ones, the rest are made up of achievements that would fit nicely in a multiplayer deathmatch mode f there was one, but also adds a nice extra dimension to the game. I like achievements that give you leave to do more than what a story requires of you, but is not a chore nor overly taxing or boring. The achievements here are exactly that. They can all be done (except 1) ioin one single play through (that 1 can be done by picking the very last scene of the last episode and making an alternative choice), but they add more play time to the game without ever seeming like they are asking too much of you.

Ultimately this game is fairly short, 8 episodes, each around 1hr long making for around a 10 hour game. If you aim for all teh achievements, that can add a couple of extra hours play time so about 12 hours, 15 at the outside depending on the pace you play at (which you can choose, the game never rushes you, its always up to you how you want to pace your progression through the game and story), but that is fairly standard for this generation of games, andit is in the quality of teh experience rather than teh quantity that lies the heart of this game. It may be reasonably short, about a weekends worth of playing, but it is an excellent and very entertaining experience.

Saving and loading is also very well done. The game has regular triggered checkpoints (never pops up saying checkpoint, but the game retains the information for your save) so when you save, it remember everything you've done up to that point, but it moves you to one of those checkpoints to restart. It sounds like a hinderance, but it really isn't. The game never leaves you without necessary items to be able to progress, so very time you load in you always have some health spray, some ammo and a bottle of flammable liquid, and when you load in, whilst you may be at times acertain distance from when you last were, everything you did up until the point you saved is still done, so there is no need to repeat things you've already done, puzzles completed or enemies killed.

Bad.

On the negative side, the story is such that it really intrigues you from the start, and as you play you pay great attention to what is going on, however this means that once you have finished the game you have no need to replay it, meaning it is only really good for one play through. Although, as I said earlier, that one play through is truly excellent.

And yes there are some parts that may well irritate you. It is well documented that some people find the cotrols to be very fiddly (I don't, I find that give a few minutes to familiarize myself with what everything does and the control scheme is quite intuitive). Some find the driving sections to handle badly and be awful to play (again, I don't, sure this is no Forza or PGR, but then neither Forza nor PGR requires you driving at high speed through a city being torn apart from the ground up with buildings collapsing around you, I'm a fairly average player of racing games at best, but I found the driving sections of this to be fun, tense and exciting, and at no point did I find the controls poor, far from it).

However, for me, there are 2 things that did very much irritate me. Firstly the combat. The combat is such in this game that every enemy you face ultimately needs burning to kill. Now you have options, create fire bullets and get very precise shots at specifc locations on your enemy to cause them to burn, or knock them out witha melee weapon then set them alight with fire (or use the fire bullets again). This sounds interesting, and at first it is, but quickly you get to find that the enemies are stupidly quick meaning getting your precise shot with a fire bullet is as much about luck as it is skill, plus the melee is very clunky (the one thing I find really did handle badly) and is incredibly difficult to do when faced with more than one enemy, especially considering most enemies take a few hits to knock down and generally speaking, by the time you have one a 2nd enemy down, the first is getting back up again, plus some enemies can knock your melee weapon out of your hand from distance, not even allowing you to get close enough to swing, on top of that some enemies won't die, even when you clearly hit the repeatedly in the specific locations with fire bullets. It all adds up to being very frustrating and irritating. Personally I only fought when it was absolutely necessary, the rest of the time I ran or drove past enemies and ignored them.

The other irritating thing is the black slime. I won't go into too much drtail, but you come to certain sections when you need to get past black slime, you need lto use light. But such is the nature that every step you take during these sections is very tense and on tiny mistake will kill you. Fortunately when you die you are never sent too far back from when you last were, so its not a huge issue, but it becomes quickly irritating to repeatedly try the same thing over and over again. Fortunately these sections, thought hey can be repetitive, are not at all long, and once you are through, you are through in a matter of moments and that section is dealt with.

Ultimately, with all that said, Il refer you back to my opening brief summary, quality game, a couple of irritating parts which are over quickly. Overall a little gem.

better than i thought

kenz from Redruth , 23/08/2008

After reading the reveiw on ign.com i was rather disheartiened about this title, but after playing this game for an hour i found my self intreged.

The controls take a bit of getting used to but after ten minutes you get a use to it.

I count myself as a serious gamer, but i like this game.

Given a month or two to perrfect itself this could of been the next game of the year but i will let do as it is,

A good rental.

Also the driving bits arent as bad as people say.

all in all, a good rental.

A work of art - broken! But a great effort

Jaknory from Ware , 24/07/2008

Gaming has moved with the times....for those of you that got into gaming with a Spectrum/vic 20 etc and have watched as games improved - This is for you. A game targetted at the older market, one with a very strong story, great game play and some very clever ideas. It's structured in a manner that you can get to the end even if you're not a patient player, and therefore is as challenging as you wish it to be. Some great APs....many easy to get by progression, some are a little more stubborn. Ignore the constant slating this received on message boards - And GO make your own mind up. An inventive set of puzzles, a great inventory, some nice little attentions to detail, very good lighting effects - ok - the voice acting is not the best, and the driving sections are frustrating....but all in all, this is how games should be written - with consideration of all those of us that have stuck with gaming for many years.

errrrrrrrrrm

teeoknee from St. Albans , 05/11/2009

errrrm well thought the graphics and everything were fab only let down is the controls its very complicated only played for 1 day just didnt enjo it and found it wierd how u cud skip to the end of the game jus wierd but u never know mayb 1 of use guys might like it there is wierd people out there lol

So close

DanRhodes from Atherstone , 11/10/2009

This game was a real shame. If only Atari didn't push it out the door so soon before it was ready. The game does some of its ideas very well, such as blinking and even a bit of rope play. Sadly, the driving, camera, ending and many glitches ruin what could have been an excellent game.

alone in the dark

CITYGILLS from Aylesford , 22/09/2009

havin recieved this game we were looking forward to playing it but to be honest it was so badly scratched that it could only be played up to a certain level ,this was our first game we had through since up grading to films and games NOT A GOOD START.

Horrible, Worst Ever

Neronix17 from Huntly, Scotland , 08/09/2009

This game was almost as painfully boring to play as watching the movie, i like this sort of thing but this has ruined it for me, I havent played a game this bad in years.

Average survival horror game, not bad but nothing special

SilentOblivion1 from Newton Aycliffe , 25/08/2009

ive heard some good reviews for this game but plenty more bad ones. and i agree with both in different ways.

this game can be pretty fun to play, lots to do like create your own weapons, drive cars, the environment changes with parts being blown up, enemies destroying parts to make the game more realistic.

but then theres the bad points, cars are hard to drive, anything and everything can kill you, parts can be confusing as doesnt give any indication on what to do, aiming is quite hard at times.

id say for a survival horror its just average, nothing special. not a patch on old resident evil titles, so basically saying games on ps1 are better than this.

but this game sticks to the typical survival horror plot of games like resident evil, silent hill and previous alone in the dark titles which is good because i find games like left 4 dead and dead rising quite boring. no real objective apart from kill as many zombies as possible.

overall not the worst game on the market but not the best, play resi and silent hill if you havent already but this is worth a rent or a very cheap second hand buy (£5 downwards)

: )

TommyTankk from Harlow, Essex , 03/08/2009

Brilliant game, the graphics, plot and gamplay was superb, the visuals of this game are so cool had me amazed. gamplay was alright although the constant changing to first person and third person got annoying because of bad camera angles. Other then that though the game was brill with a good plot and an okay ending iI give this film two thumbs up : )

alone in the dark

CRAZiiUK from Worksop , 17/07/2009

alrite my first review on the website so lets hopefully start of with a good one. alone in the dark, boring, repetative cos you go over the same bit so much because of dying at stupid things. the up most rubbish bit about this is the third person view and controls, you dont use the right analog stick to rotate the camera no they are from weird angles and forever changing so you have an enemy behind ur stuffed because you cant swing ur head like you could on any other game. it aint to bad in first person tho thats one good point :) probably the best part about this game is the story line, given to any one else this would be epict and i would be on my knees with praise.

not bad

Domo87 from Birmingham , 09/06/2009

this game is quite slow to get into, and quite awkward to play. For example, you have to manually change the batteries in your flashlight when they run out, then u have to equip the flashlight, then u have to turn it on... all with different buttons, which can get a bit annoying after a while! and another bad thing about this game is the way it constantly switches from first person to third person views. but apart from those two problems, its not a bad game.... decent graphics, not a bad storyline, and quite easy achievements (i got 820 just playing thru the game without really trying for any achievement!)

Good Concept (but failed execution)

Marungu from Dolgellau, Wales , 06/05/2009

The game has a good concept overall, but the execution of the game was pretty awful. The controls are hard to use, missions are annoying, the enemies are even more annoying, and the game gets pretty repetitive a quarter the way through and pretty much drags on. I couldn't wait for the game to end.

If you like a game with a good concept to go by, and don't mind dodgy control setups then this is for you.

If you're a perfectionist and want games to be perfect this is not for you!

Refreshingly unique and enjoyable.

RetiredNinja from Hillingdon, England , 01/05/2009

First of all, lets get the controls out of the way - Yes, its different, yes it takes time to get used to but that does not make it a bad thing.

The control system is perfect for the type of game this is - it is not a run and gun game. I would advice you to get past the first level before judging it as it gets better as you progress further into the game. The game is very atmospheric and feels very much like an interactive movie - story is good and the score is awesome - really does add a lot to the tension.

Graphics are solid and the pacing is good - game lasts about 6-7 hours depending on how many achievements you want to get. For those of you who like your achievements, it is easy to get between 750 and 800 points without even trying for it and by by just playing the game.

The combining of items is a stroke of genius. I have not played any other game with this mechanic where by you can combine various basic items to create weapons for use e.g. pick up a bottle of alcohol and a handerchief - combine to make a molotov, combine the molotov with some sticky tape and a glowstick or flare to create an even more expolsive bomb - need something more powerful? remove the flare and add a box of bullets instead! Splash some fuel on your bullets to create fire bullets Run out of alcohol? puncture a car fuel tank with a knife and refill your bottle - genius.

The major disappointment for me was the lack of an option to switch on subtitles - there are a lot of sequences and moments you are instructed and or told vital information and I could not have the volume high up as it was late and as such could not hear what was said.

I would highly recomend this game if you would like a polished, survival horror game without too much fuss like side missions and collectibles and prefer a straightforward affair. Playing this game reminded me of the first time I played Resident evil 1 on the playstation 1 - A whole new experience altogether.

Alone in stressville

MattyNX from Chester , 22/04/2009

What can i say about Alone in the Dark? First of all although the controls are slightly irritating and a little cumbersome there are always options to alter the X and Y axis to make things that little bit more easier to control.

Graphically the game is stunning from the eerie mood lighting right down to the dimly lit locations, the storyline has been done to death in other similar games but otherwise AitD brings a fresh look to the genre.

Controlling the character with his different modes ie entering the inventory is amazing although it can be a little confusing to say the least but this approach brings a whole new level to the way the game plays and the character behaves.

All in all this game has something that most other games don't have and that's 'soul'

If your a fan of the previous games then this may be one you might want to pick up but i warn you if your easily stressed as i am take lots of deep breaths as some sequences in the game you may be destined to repeat for quite a long time...

Enjoy

Good game, but bad controls

mmuk99 from Oldham , 16/04/2009

I only played the game once and never played again. Not a bad thing necessarily. I just didn't find the game too appealing. The graphics are standard, but the controls are terrible. The 4 hours I played did have some fun moments though. Good thing I only rented it!!

Good game

A customer from Liverpool , 06/04/2009

Thought this was ok, worth a rental

not that good

KEZ234c from Hereford , 04/04/2009

The game starts very blury and you have to click your right stick in every 5 secounds to clear the screen, its quite realistic to start with but becomes very monotonous. the game camera is difficult to use, the overhead one doesnt show much of your surroundings and niether does the overshoulder one which makes the character very hard to control especialy when trying to aim weapons or objects. i was quite happy i rented this game because i came quite close to buying it and wasting my money.

disappointing

A customer from St. Austell , 03/04/2009

well. i enjoy many of these kinda games, but this just had me wanting to throw my x box out of the window! i am very disappointed in this games, the graphics and the concept were great, no fault, but the sound was awful had the telly on 40 just to hear them speaking. as for the controls. very frustrating, at time the game goes and does its own thing and so no idea if your supposed to control, and the camera angles at times got on my nerves (putting it politely). it was not easy to control at all. the config was horrible,

not something i would go out and buy. i expected a lot more from this!

Confusing

A customer from Southampton , 01/04/2009

Sounded like a nice idea for a game.

The whole mixture of 1st and 3rd person shooter is confusing and cumbersome.

Got through the first level, and couldn't be bothered to go any further.

Could've been fantastic

JediSi [Highly rated reviewer] , 26/03/2009

Although not the best game in the world it has got a fair amount of originality. Combining items to make weapons, the ability to switch from first to third person, jacket inventory system etc. It has a reasonably strong plot and graphics that aren't awesome but perfectly adequate.

However,the controls are quite clucky and the driving sequences were just awful. The cameras at times seem ridiculously positioned to make gameplay very difficult. It could've been very good, and most will get a good deal of enjoyment out of it if you can shut out the flaws and ignore the frustration. Its still worthy of a rent but can be quite infuriating at times simply because of a few defects. Shame really

not a good game

ZEROX from Cardiff , 19/03/2009

this game looks good but is poorley thought out. its not sure what kinde of geme it wants to be. and the controles are poor leveing you battling with them more than the enemy on the screen

Awfull!

cjlethal from Wilmslow , 11/03/2009

Just don't waste your time on this one. I send it back the same day.

www.twitter.com/cjlethal

Alone In The Dark 360

DISCOJamez from Portsmouth , 24/02/2009

A surprisingly enjoyable game, noteable for it's clever and unique use of fire as both a tool and weapon. You are encouraged to collect an assorment of items to create A-team style weapons to kill a range of zombie enemies and to burn the 'roots of evil'. Very enjoyable, challenging and not too stingy on the gamer points. Hope this was helpfull!

I made the mistake of buying it!

A customer from Herts , 02/02/2009

I thought that dispite the dire reviews it couldn't be that bad! It was!!

I dislike any game that is nedlessly frustrating! It wasn't too hard just the broken camera and control interface broke the game almost to the extent of it being unplayable.

Funnily enough, the game has a scene skip function. It lets you bypass sections of the game and see what is ahead. Its almost as if they game devs knew they made a poor game and are asking you to excuse them by giving you the option to skip the rubbish bits!!!

Wait for Resident Evil 5 or Silent Hill Homecoming. Atari were out of their depth with this!

Crazy thumbs

A customer from Hartlepool , 30/01/2009

Hmmm... very frustrating controls of main character and vehicles. Causes problems when you have multiple enemies. The movement and turn controls are rubbish.

Over complicated inventory... do we really need all that stuff?

Looks nice, sound nice and has good atmosphere.

I love survival horror games, but could'nt get far at all as controls make it impossible to enjoy.

Would not recommend for purchase or rental.

It's O.K

A customer from Bath , 24/01/2009

Ok.. so this game has its glitches, and yes it is really anoying at times. But I would still recommend this title for anyone who likes these types of games. There's puzzles to figure out, bosses to fight and lots of combinations of weapons to try on all different types of enemies found within the game.

I've read the bad reviews of this game and I have to agree, there are anoying aspects of it and to get around them I would highly recommend saving really often to minimize the time wasted if a glitch were to appear.

While playing this game I've encountered many glitches like others, for example - I was casually driving happily GTA style and oh.. this goblin thing wants a ride too? no ok so he's stomping on my car and sending me flying miles in the air and off a cliff. Ok.. that was kind of funny I spose, I would say I reacted laughing but still.. it dosn't make it ok to do that sort of thing, it's still anoying!

So So

A customer from Derby , 12/01/2009

Takes a while to get into, but once you start to get into details about the story its not too bad of a game, just awkward camera angles and equally awkward controls makes this game a 3 star game in my opinion. Is it worth buying, not really. Worth a few days rental, certainly and for achievements its quite good too, play it for 10 hours and you could have minimum of 700

Could have been great...

A customer from Nottingham , 04/01/2009

This was a dissapointment. Imagine that Eden Games grabbed the character of Edward Carnby and wove a fantastic storyline around his confusing appearance in contemorary NYC, involving monsters, cults and huge fissures in the ground. They split the story in to episodes that make you feel like you're watching a series like 24 every time you load up your save. Then imagine they decided to attach the most needlessly awkward control system known to man and a difficult camera and sections that the aforementioned problems make almost impossible... oh, wait, stop imagining. That part is reality.

This game could have been great. I really wanted it to be. But after grappling with the terrible controls, the 2 different views, the parts where you can't see your enemies or have to fight them off by swinging a wooden stick around like a blind, confused and drugged chimp; FOR 2 HOURS, I just gave up. I skipped most of the scenes, including ALL of the frankly shocking driving sections, just to see how it all turned out in the end.

I think if Eden had dropped the dodgy but vaugely intuitive control system early and gone for a simpler, more effective system, Alone In The Dark would've done the franchise well and been a game that felt like playing a really great TV show. But the fact is, they didn't, and that knocks that game down a good few pegs. If you want pin-sharp control and a good playing experience, avoid this like the plague.

your not alone, and its not dark

A customer from Redhill , 23/12/2008

the old alone in the dark games had something more to them, in this game you start of in a hotel and the walls are killing people and the place is on fire and well you just basically spend about 15 minutes putting out fires. this game for the start at least should just be called 'fireman 2008' as along with putting out fires, your rescuing people to dumb to do it their selfs.

at one point you have to smash down a flimsy wooden door for a perfectly able bodied man who then ends up dying 60 seconds later along with some other bint you have to look after.

i could not play more than an hours worth of this game as it just gave me headache and mad me feel angry that i wasted the time i could of spent playing something better.

Hope this was helpful

average

A customer from Hyde , 21/12/2008

not my game didnt enjoy this one but worth renting to see if u like it

Game review

A customer from Scarborough , 18/12/2008

Visually stunning but a little too realistic and hard to get into for me!

Absolutely appaling

A customer from Warrington , 11/12/2008

This game held so much promise but the fixed camera angles and control system really let it down i would have to say this is the worst game on x box THANK GOD I DIDN'T BUY IT

alone in the dark

A customer from Leek , 05/12/2008

this game is ampered by the poor control system ,graphics are okay decent story.

dare you, double dare you

A customer from Macclesfield , 05/12/2008

To rent this and enjoy it, ive tried twice, not got past the first level both times.

I rented it again after 3 months because i thought i must have over reacted the first time and it couldn't have been as bad as I remember.

It was as bad as id remembered. Poor camera, poor perspective, odd controls and so buggy, at times the camera is so bad that you cannot see anything at all.

Maybe the later levels are better but i didnt have enough invested in this to find out

Leave this, get condemned (first title) its still the best 'horror' title out on the 360.

Ok

A customer from London , 29/11/2008

The game is not bad. The graphics arent great seeing as it is a game for the next gen. As for the controls, they are just bad at times. The best thing is the fact he stores everything in his coat and u can see what he has stored and select the items you wanna use this way. So if thats the best thing it shows how good the game must be.

Good but flawed

A customer from Reading , 13/11/2008

Im gonna make this quick, the story is good except for the 2 strange endings, gameplay is good but controls are clunky, graphics are good but their are alot of glitches. I basically pwned this game for achievements (950/1000 points) with one completion. the other 2 achievement left were simple enough to do but i could be bothered.

Overall, a good try on a multi-person game with different gameplay elements yet should of been polished up and not so rushed

P.S. i dont know if this is a part of the series or is the first part to another sequel but the 2 endings in the game made no sense at all, theres no final boss.

Huge Disappointment

A customer from Wrexham , 09/11/2008

I'm amazed this game has got so many positive reviews. I'm fairly easy going when it comes to games and will play most things through to the end, even flawed and poorly rated titles. However AITD is appallingly bad, the controls are just clunky and frustrating, the inventory system is dire and the gameplay is very very average at best. OK it may have a nice story and cut scenes are ok but on the whole it's a huge let down.

I'd read a lot of negatives comments prior to renting this and for once they were all correct.

Rubbish

A customer from Mold , 30/10/2008

Overall just disappointing. don't waste your time renting. played one level and sent it back. waste of time...

Alone in the world of good controls...

A customer from Portsmouth , 29/10/2008

To be honest, to begin with, I hated this game, I screamed things at the TV, cursed the developers, swore I would burn the disc to get it back for opening a whole in front of my car, but you know? Through it all, me and alone in the dark had one hell of a ride.

Admitevely it takes a lot of getting used to, a lot of wondering why the hell just happened and at times the game isn’t very clear on what you need to do, which is often a downfall of all the great puzzle/action games. But the thing that stopped it from being game of the year was on simple smack in the face you got every single time you turned the game on; the controls. I think you’ll all agree with me that a game often plays well when you can imagine yourself playing it in real life, but it’s impossible to do in alone in dark, the clockwork movements that get repeatively annoying when trying to dodge/run/kill.

I loved the puzzles which incorporate real world laws into themselves, door shut, use fire extinguisher to bash open then put out the fire. These puzzles get progressively harder leading to my early point of, just what the hell. But if you play these types of games on a regular basis, then yeah it becomes easy. Most, if not all of these challenges incorporate the games amazing invountory system and its ability to combine and evolve your weapons. So when you have to somehow burn a humanz dead corpse but you have no fire, simply pour alcohol on your gun and bang, fire bullets, need to blow up a wall, make a plastic molotiv cocktail and strap double sided tape to it, the possibilities are endless.

NOTE THERE IS A FINITE COMBINATION

One thing you can’t fault is the music. Bloody hell the game uses music extremely well, you actually feel scared at points. Albeit sometimes repetitive. Which I guess would be a fault, an epic fault, like the music itself.

So when you ask me for a definitive answer, it’s hard to completely give you an answer, on the one hand, the completely flawed control system, annoying inventory menu and a slightly shaky code that sometimes glitches, and on the other you have the compelling storyline, great character relation, music and a completely in depth game. If this story was a novel it would be one of our times classics, but it’s not, and that’s what I think the developers have missed here, its not a story but a game, too much thought went into the surrounding parts of the production, and the core itself. Which is why I’m giving this game a disappointing 6 stars. But as the ending leaves it open for a sequel, perhaps the next alone in the dark will blow us all away.

Do not waste a rental on this!

A customer from Liverpool , 23/10/2008

This is probably one of the worst games i have ever played in my life and i have played some clangers over the years. This game shows that graphics are not everything as they have got even the most basic controls completely wrong. Combat system and movement controls make this game so difficult it is unbeleivable. Shame because i was actually looking forward to playing this. Much better games to rent instead.

Rent this if you want to smash your pad in anger!

If i could give minus stars i would.

Not as bad as the reviews say

A customer from Swindon , 21/10/2008

I was expecting this game to be really bad after reading alot of bad reviews on the website but they was wrong, This is one of the best games i have played in a long time. Sure the controls are abit awkward and could of been better but the gameplay and story make up for this.

At times i got stuck as some puzzles are difficult but this games physics seems so realistic, The way the fire spreads rapidly if you don't put it out and if a peice of wood burns long enough eventually it will crumble

The grpahics are really good aswell i dont want to tell you the story and spoil it for you but you will be blown away by the ghraphics you see on screen.

Other reviews on here say the driving sections are terrible but i like it, you have the choice of driving the car in first person ( inside the car view) or 3rd person ( outside the car view) and you really cant survive without a car because its too dangerous to walk everywhere.

This game is PERFECT for renting :)

good game

A customer from Scotland , 18/10/2008

i found this game initally quite hard to get into, i think it was down to the controls and the way you utilisize both first person and third person but after about 4,5 days of casually playing this game i got into it and ended up completing it within the next week and getting 700 odd acheivement points.

great story, great graphics, great gameplay...

lights'CAMERA'action..bloody CAMERA!!!

curt1s from Hertford , 25/09/2008

my bloody god!!! this look gr8 on sceen shots!!! but they needed to sort out that bloody CAMERA!!! its ok 1st person but when u need to turn in 3nd person.. its really bad.. i turn off after 2 mins!!!!!! but its looks gr8.. i'm gutted!!!

ALONE IN THE DARK

HARGREAVES from Saltburn-by-the-Sea , 15/09/2008

THE GAME WAS GOOD A BIT DIFFICULT BUT I TRY THE GAME AT THE END . SHOULD MAKE GAME A BIT EASYER FOR KIDS. THAN GOWN UP.

2 words driving sections

onlytoeknee from spalding [Highly rated reviewer] , 12/09/2008

have got to be the most annoying parts in any game ive ever played

Almost a great game

stig79 from Exeter , 29/08/2008

This Alone in the Dark game comes from a proud heritage, Alone in the dark was the inventor of survival horror, not Resident Evil. Having played previous games in the series many years ago, and seeing videos of this game before release I was expecting great things. The way you can open a door with fire, by shooting the lock, smashing the door in or simply turning the handle looked great, it promised so much.

When this arrived I was pretty chuffed, the first level is amazing, several times I had just said wow to myself, it was like playing a film, the camera angles used were superb. The action non stop, I was grinning ear to ear, I beat the first few levels with little or no problems. But once you are in the park or driving it just gets stupid. The car is very hard to control and you sometimes die at the merest of bashes whilst other times you can pile into several cars with no punishment.

The inventory mode on paper seems great, mixing the different items together, need to distract the bugs, simply pierce a blood bag and throw it over their heads. want to beef up your bullets, soak them in booze. but I found this fiddly to control and a chore.

Some of the levels give you no clue as to what to do or where to go. Some of the baddies are very easy to kill some are nigh on impossible. Yes you can skip sections of the game, Ubisoft obviously realised it was broken and this seemed the best way to deal with it. If this game was done properly it would have been the game of the year, no questions asked. In places it still is. But playing it as a whole it's a disgrace it got released. It was so obviously rushed out.

The car sections are a joke, but not a funny one, who ever decided they should be in the game should be sacked. The sections in the park are just no fun.

Worth a rent, worth playing for the first level alone, but don't expect the game to keep up with your first impression.

What A Shame

burntbridge from Pontefract , 23/07/2008

This game is amazing, I love the puzzles, cut scenes, the ideas, the storyline, it is a great game but..... Just one thing knocks it down to one star, the horrible controls, just too frustrating to play. such a waste of a great game.