A little over fifteen years ago (in 1992 to be precise) an as then mostly unknown video-game company by the name of Infogrames invented what we would later come to know as the Survival-Horror games genre.  Yes, that;s right, contrary to popular belief, Capcom were not the first to keep us on the edge of our seats and fighting for our lives against the worst that the realm on the supernatural has to offer us.  To be honest, neither was Inforgrames.  Games like Nightmare Circus had been around a lot longer.  But in so far as the modern form of Survival-Horror is concerned, Infogrames are undeniably the largest influence.

According to even Capcom themselves, a lot of their inspirations for the Resident Evil series even came from those early Alone in the dark installments.  Nine years later, when Alone in the dark resurfaced across the most current generation of games consoles (at the time) the favour was returned with Infogrames taking some inspiration back.  Most notably in the form of the way we would control our erstwhile protagonist, Mister Edward Carnby.

Unfortunately, Alone in the dark : The new nightmare was far from the resounding success that was hoped for.  Though, it obviously did well enough for the most recent offering, this time under the license of the parent company, Atari.  And it could not have come at a better time.  Atari have had a troubled history.  Disappearing from the video-game world almost completely for a number of years, only finally returning with the, again disappointing, Enter the Matrix.

Common consensus seems to be that Atari are, once again, on the verge of collapse.  At least, until Alone in the dark (2008) was released across all of the major platforms and the PC in the early stages of the year.  I can’t speak for the “next gen” or PC release of the game as the Wii version has some differences in gameplay to reflect both the unique control system and simple logistics of the console.  Much like most of the cross platform games in recent times.  However, the Wii version of the game is in now way diminished by this.

It’s a solidly built, and thoroughly enjoyable game.  Graphically it wouldn’t be put up as the poster child for Nintendo, it’s far from being a game that pushes the Wii’s capabilities to their limit, but it’s still a very pretty game in a lot of ways.  The animation of some of the characters, most notably Carnby himself, are a little clumsy, but the overall impression is nothing to be scoffed at.  The breadth of expression on the various people you come across along the way is truly a marvel to behold.  You can almost forget that they’re animations, even given the waxy look of their skin.  Their faces move like you would really expect of a real person.

The control system is simple and responsive, allowing you both a first and third person perspective to play through in most areas apart from some narrow sections of the game (limited to first person) and the climbing sections (limited to third).  Even whilst in the driving sections of the game you have the choice between the two.  Which is most decidedly a good thing as this is the one area where the game falls decidedly short.  Some of the physics involved in the car sections would cause even Rockstar to have a few giggles, and we all know how silly some of their collision physics can be.

Fortunately, the strength of the rest of the game is enough that we can put up with the aggravation and persevere.  Well, that and the fact that, with the game being split split into a series of ten, each split into three or four specific sections, chapters that are available to select right from the beginning, you can skip forward past any sections that you may be struggling with.  Quite an interesting idea, though not one I chose to make use of myself.  At least, not during the first play through.  But it certainly has it’s uses for when you want to nip back to a certain stage of the game that you liked, or to show your friends or suchlike.

I feel I should warn you however, the game is a little short.  Not likely to keep you entertained for much longer than four or five days on the first play through.  But it’s entertaining enough that it wouldn’t take much convincing to go back and play through again.  Though, unfortunately, there are no trailers or alternate costumes and suchlike to unlock so replay value comes solely in the strength of the game itself.  But the game is not a significantly difficult one to play, with the primary challenge being reserved for the puzzle sections rather than a focus on intense action.

An all around good game.  Suitable for both casual and hard core gamers alike, Alone in the dark is a good game to keep you happy for a while, and since it finishes on perhaps the most dramatic cliffhanger I’ve yet seen, you will certainly be waiting with baited breath for the next chapter.  Also, from what I understand, you could check out the “next gen” version for a more intense gaming experience.  Or purely for the pleasure of comparing the differences between the two.

Graphics : 8
Gameplay : 8
Audio/music : 8
Plot/scripting : 9
Overall : 8.5

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