I managed to get a hands on play of this game which is due out in June(XB360) & September(PS3):
Images & links can be found in original piece, linked below...
http://sweetflag.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/mcm-expo-alone-in-the-dark-hands-on/Saturday 24th May & while at the MCM Expo I had the chance to try the soon to be released, Alone in the Dark…OK PS3 owners you have to wait until later in the year for this one but there is a promise of a unique version of the game just for the PS3 with extra content.
So while trying to dodge as many Cosplay attendees waving free hug banners, I headed over to the Atari stand. With only 2 XBox360s running the first UK hands on of Alone in the Dark, there was bound to be a lot of watching before being able to get a chance to play the game itself. And with 1 XBox down for the start of the morning, it left the other machine to take the brunt of the interest.
Alone in the Dark hands onAlone in the Dark history makes it the granddaddy of the survival horror gaming genre. This 5th installment seeks to redefine the experience with a whole slew of new gaming mechanics & a cinematic approach allowing access to various points of the game via scenes.
What really got me at the very start of the game was the excellent use of the cinematic intro which still allowed you, in the first person, to interact in a limited way in keeping with your characters early condition. You can only muster a blink here & there to clear your blurred vision or to slumber forward when being lead from the first scene.
That first scene viewed, through blurred vision & muffled sound, is one of interigation of another character that you, as Edward Carnby, witness going on beside you in the same room. With the great use of camera angle & the blur between 1st & 3rd person only goes to enhance the brooding menace of the game. This is put to great use at the end of the first dramatic scene cinematic when you get to view Edward Carnby’s face in a mirror.
The movie feel to the game gets a further reel with the introduction of a DVD menu style access to the scenes that divide Alone in the Dark in it’s entirety. A neat touch which may sound a bit off putting to the hardcore gamer that don’t like to skip ahead but is really in place to help all gamers get access to what they want, when they want. However this doesn’t mean you can shoot straight to the ending of the game without playing a big part of the games storyline first.
Looking away from the storyline & visuals, Alone in the Dark has some very new ways for player interactivity with the gaming environment. Using all the environment can give you, within Alone in the Dark, will be required to let the player advance. This is not just some point & click frag-fest. Nope, instead with a limit to the amount of items that are able to be held by the player at any one time, via a nicely thought out inventory system, more thought is needed when approaching different areas of the game.
Looking at the environment with Alone in the Dark, you will see fire everywhere. This element will be a useful tool to the player but one that needs to be heeded. The spread of fire throughout the game is organic rather than scripted. Fire will take hold of anything that is flammable & can make manoeuvring Edward through New York just as difficult as the enemies he faces.
With a free roaming, usable environment that has a great edgy cinematic feel, Alone in the Dark is looking to strike all the right notes for the player. In some ways it reminded me of Bioshock in it’s approach & I think it’s learnt all the right lessons from that game. I was impressed by the thought & detail that has been infused to make the Alone in the Dark experience such an enjoyable one.
I dare you not to buy it on it’s release!
