Review: Alone in the Dark stumbles blindly towards the light
A few bright spots can't save this survival horror sequel from a cold, dark grave.
Before there was Resident Evil and Silent Hill, there was Alone in the Dark, a classic PC horror game with amazing (for the time anyway) graphics and a spooky occult-based storyline. The hero, Edward Carnby, is back for another adventure on the next-gen consoles and while his reappearance should have raised the Alone in the Dark franchise back to its hair-raising heights, he instead staggers through an inconsistent and bitterly disappointing odyssey that's hobbled by a dreadful lack of focus.
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Your journey through the befuddled mess that is Alone in the Dark begins with a rough awakening in a room of mysterious thugs who are clearly up to no good. They escort you up to the roof where you're meant to meet your untimely end but before you know it, a disaster breaks loose all through New York City. Living scars begin to race across floors and walls, gobbling up innocents, and spitting them out as hosts for an evil that calls you by name. As the building around you starts to disintegrate, you'll desperately cling to its side while debris rains past you, and struggle to find your footing as the very floor tilts and shifts without warning. Survive that and you're on your way to solving a bigger mystery that, surprise, you hold the key to.
It's sequences like the opening act that showcases Alone in the Dark at its best. It's has a movie-like intensity that really draws you in and the vertiginous setting instills the hope that you're in for something promising and excellent. Unfortunately, as the story involving a nightmarish Central Park secret slowly unravels, the paper-thin characterizations and remarkably idiotic dialogue begin to obscure the game's shine.
Whack-a-Ghoul
You can also blame Alone's downfall on its endless rounds of monotonous and frustrating combat that will quickly become the bane of your existence. You can bash the world's paltry few species of zombies, bats, and bugs with a variety of ad hoc melee instruments, but winding up and smacking things with the right analog stick is surprisingly unpleasant. Whether you grab a chair or a shovel, Edward often harmlessly wiggles his weapon when you tell him to brain something with it, and there are only so many times you can watch a mace pass harmlessly through someone before you send your controller sailing through the television.
Fire plays a fairly important role in the game, so you'll also spend a fair amount of time playing firefighter with extinguishers, or vanquishing corrupted flesh once and for all as an amateur arsonist. This coaxes forth some minor strategy as you lure goons near an open flame for a quick barbecue, or prepare your favorite attacks in advance, but later stages rely so heavily on continually respawning stooges that running away whenever possible becomes the best way to retain your sanity.
Climbing to relative safety on a rope dangling from a fiery helicopter wreck is one of Alone in the Dark's most memorable moments.
With all the driving you're called upon to do, from the streets of Manhattan to the paths of Central Park, you'd think the cars would handle a bit better.
![Screen Update: Velvet Assassin [Xbox 360]](/screens/112821/206795-1-1.jpg)
![Screen Update: Heavy Rain [PS3]](/screens/116621/206765-1-1.jpg)
![Screen Update: The Wheelman [Xbox 360]](/screens/129321/206774-1-1.jpg)
![Screen Update: Fracture [Xbox 360]](/screens/133461/206788-1-1.jpg)
