gαмєѕ αη∂ gαмєяz: ALONE IN THE DARK™

ALONE IN THE DARK™

Posted by Shoaib Ahmed Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The classic Alone in the Dark franchise gets a next-gen makeover in Atari's upcoming game. Chills, fear, and lots of darkness usher you in to a world where evil knows no bounds. Turning on the lights won't save you now.

Alone in the Dark stays true to the storyline of previous versions in which you take on the role of paranormal investigator Edward Carnby who, over the course of one apocalyptic night, must fight to survive and uncover the earth-shattering secret behind New York's Central Park. However, this new edition will fully complement the intense storytelling and unprecedented environmental interaction with an array of improved gameplay elements that will give you the ultimate Alone in the Dark experience.

Sixteen years ago the original version of Alone in the Dark inspired a generation of copycat horror games. This new edition is set in modern-day New York and is a tale of evil cults and apocalyptic destruction. You play as a hero with amnesia who must explore, fight and solve puzzles to reveal the hideous truth.

The game is hugely ambitious and its recreation of a rotten Big Apple is admirable. Things kick off engagingly with a dramatic set-piece escape from a burning Manhattan high rise, and the vision of Central Park as an outpost of hell is truly unsettling. Alone in the Dark’s realistic approach to gaming – for example, every door can be bashed open – is also refreshing.

The television-inspired format works well and the game is divided into self-contained episodes, with sections you can skip. The problem is that a twitchy camera and wretched controls make it tempting to skip all too often. Tasks such as battling demonically possessed New Yorkers and hot-wiring cars are nightmarish for all the wrong reasons. Alone in the Dark should have been a stone-cold classic – if only it were more enjoyable to play.

Hardware Requirements

Operating System: Windows XP/Vista 32-bit & 64-bit
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or Athlon X2 +3800 (Intel Pentium 4 3.4 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +4000 recommended) *
Memory: 1 GB RAM (2GB recommended)
Hard Disk Space: 9.5 GB free
DVD-ROM Drive: 4X speed or faster
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or ATI Radeon X1950 or better (NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX or ATI Radeon X1950 XTX or better recommended)
Sound: DirectX version 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX: DirectX version 9.0c (included) or higher