Alone in the Dark game review

Name: Alone in the Dark (2008) a.k.a. Alone in the Dark 5
System: Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 2, Wii
Rated: M for Mature
Publisher: Atari
Genres: Survival horror, Psychological horror, Action-adventure
Release Date: EU June 20, 2008, NA June 23, 2008, AUS June 26, 2008, PlayStation 3 November 21, 2008

-I played the 360 version-

Ronan's first impressions: I was surprised at first to see the Atari logo on the game cover, I always felt they stuck to making Dragon Ball Z games or something. Being a huge gamer of games that screw with your mind I was always curious about where the survival horror genre came from. The answer is the original Alone in the Dark for the PC. Released in 1992, it was the first survival horror ever invented and it was widely liked by all gamers. Alone in the Dark (2008) got many mixed reviews and many said this game was stupid but I decided to brave the darkness and rent this game.

Plot 8/10: I found this to be a very original plot, mabye that is just me. I will try to not spoiler the plot for you, but it was a great way to bring the original game series which took place in the 1920's and 1930's and bring it into the 21st century. I plan on buying the original game for my pc if it will be able to run on it. I am very curious about the whole plot of this series and believe that this series could make a very good book.

Voice Acting 9/10: What can I say, terrific. It is hard to come across a game now that has good voices in it. They actually felt in character and felt like they enjoyed being part of the game. The graphics sometimes went out of sync with the mouths of the characters, but I will say again, I found the voice acting quite good. This proves that if you are really into the work of the game, then it will come out extremely well.

Music and Sound Effects 10/10: I absolutely love the soundtrack in this game, makes me want to actually go and buy it, hoping that the profit it will make will go towards the making of the sequel and iron out all the bugs in the future game. The music is creepy and sounds like an action flick when it comes to the exciting parts. The sound effects are good, hearing something just randomly fall or growl in the dark will make you jump. All the sounds were realistic and quite enjoyable.

Graphics 8/10: Pretty good for the Xbox 360. Obviously they were not trying to focus on the graphics too much. If you are looking for a high graphic game do not play this, however, if you want to play a game very decent graphics then this is for you. I mean I really enjoyed the graphics, I gave it a seven since it is 2008 and on an Xbox. The graphics for the Wii and PS2 I hear are good too.

Gameplay 5/10: The worst part in this game ever. It would be easier to play this game with a joy stick instead of a control and instead of hands you have chopsticks. I have played a lot of sucky games before, but I haven't seen one bad for a bit, so I was hoping that people have stopped doing this. Like many horror games (Resident Evil and Silent Hill) it is in third person and offers some scary camera angles. Scary indeed, I feel like beating the camera instead of the monsters! I should mention however that you can change to first person view, which makes it feel like a really good shooter game. I did however like the realism in it, you can find weapons laying all around the ground. It is quite fun combining a bottle of rum with napkins to make moltvol cocktails. The other thing I found amusing actually was the healing system. You get first aid sprays and must spray the areas of the cuts. Neatest thing is, it leaves scars on your skin and holes in your clothes for the rest of the level.

Did it stick to its genre? 8/10: I felt that his was a nice addition to horror games. Do not expect this thing to be really scary or something that you will not play a lot from the fear of dying in it. I was not wetting my pants like I would if I was playing fatal frame, but, it does have its "WTF OMFG" moments; ghost and man eating floors are crazy. This may result from it being realistic in the sense as real as a horror game can get. I suggest playing it alone in the dark, ha, pun.

-Overall 80%-

Rent, Buy, or Burn it: I would suggest renting it, quite a fun game. I suggest you rent it and if possible play it with a bunch of friends while taking turns, but play it by yourself first before you do this.

Other Reviews:
http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/774/774387.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/2582.html
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/alo...dark/index.html