Alone in the Dark: Inferno
Alone in the Dark: Inferno
The frustration level with the Xbox 360 version became so strong and apparent that you would have ended up quitting the game, throwing the disc through the window and move on to something else. For the Playstation 3 version of the game, Eden Studios went back and tried to optimize many of the issues we originally had with the flawed and poor Xbox 360 version. And without re-inventing the whole thing, the tweaks are present and welcomed.
Here’s our review of Alone in the Dark: Inferno.
Gameplay
Alone in the Dark: Inferno is an adventure survival horror game based on a new concept of story telling using television style, episodic content. Through each episode you guide Edward Carnby through various locations, attempting to survive any numbers of horrors out to kill you while an evil menace is destroying part of New York and Central Park. Every episode ends with a cliff hanger and begins with a recap of what happened before in what will stand out as a true cinematic gaming experience.
Control wise, even if controlling Carnby around the levels still feels weird at times, it works so much better on the Playstation 3 thanks to an array of fixes. The oddly and restrained over-the-shoulder camera from the XB360 version was replaced by a 360-degree camera. Suddenly, walking around the environments was so much easier and less frustrating but I’m almost certain that they could have improved it a bit more. The item inventory system remains one of the coolest things to experience in Alone in the Dark. You can combe items together to make new ones such as Molotov cocktails or explosive bullets, which is a nice way to get creative and try new ways to defeat areas and monsters. The jacket inventory system in Inferno works well and feels more fluid than the Xbox 360 version.
One of my biggest complaints was the driving system which was horrible on the Xbox 360. Thankfully, Inferno has received the tweak and it feels so much better. No more over-steering and boat-like physics as the car actually feels heavier and more realistic and one of the game’s most exciting sequences (driving on the 59th Street) is less frustrating and more flexible. The addition of a checkpoint during the driving sequence won’t force you to restart from the beginning if you die and the difficulty has apparently also received a tweak. Does it have something to do with the driving physics fix? Perhaps. Nevertheless, the most exhilariting sequence also happened to be one of the most frustrating on the Xbox 360 version. Good thing they fixed it here. My other complaint was the forced backtracking to burn evil roots in order to obtain spectral powers, needed to finish the game. In Inferno, the task is introduced during the game so when you get to the end, you won’t have to return and waste time while you could have done it during the game.
Graphics & Sounds
Graphically, Alone in the Dark: Inferno looks very good. The level design, effects and character models are all well done. Character still have these weird looking facial expressions as the voice-over won’t quite match the animation but in general, it remains good looking.
Level design in an action game like this is possibly the most difficult aspect to the graphics in the game because they must make the level interesting, have cinematic moments work for that level and puzzles must be fun and not overly difficult. Most of the levels are extremely well done and have a character of their own. Special effects and physics are once again well done with nice particle effects such as fire growing in a realistic manner, fire extinguishers that put out fires as you would expect to name a few.
In terms of audio, Alone in the Dark: Inferno, just like the Xbox 360 version, is amazing. Music and voice over work are all over the game from simple sound effects for items, to stirring and creepy music. While some of the speech feels off-beat at times, the overall voice over work remains one of the key features of the game.
Value
Even though the game is quite similar to the Xbox 360 version, only with technical tweaks, the game remains the same in terms of replayability and enjoyment. If you really enjoyed the flawed Xbox 360 version, you will surely appreciate giving it a second try on your Playstation 3. Actually, this new version definitely deserves to be played. Eden Studios added some trophies as well which is rather nice knowing how thin the Trophy-supported game line-up is. And if you’ve never experienced Alone in the Dark yet, we strongly recommend to play this version, even if it has a few graphical glitches. Overall, the PS3 version of the game is just better. ’Nuff said!
Bottom Line
After playing this new version of Alone in the Dark, I was very impressed at how Eden Studios took the negative feedback from the Xbox 360 version and actually made this PS3 version better. While the Xbox 360 received an update to fix the issues, the damage was done, no one would touch the game. And even if the PS3 version is being released a few months after the Xbox 360, having the game with all the flaws fixed on launch date is quite nice. Hopefully, the developers learned a lesson from all this. Never release a broken game. Patching isn’t always great, especially with the popular and beloved franchises like Alone in the Dark.
Verdict: If you’re an Alone in the Dark fan and you have the two consoles, the PS3 is definintely worth picking up. But we strongly think that the game remains a good rental since once you’re done with the game, the interest to replay it again won’t be present. But please, pick up the PS3 version.
Pros
+ Physics and the environment effects remain interesting
+ Sound effects, music and voice over work is well done
+ Episodic idea is great
+ Item inventory system remains cool and fun
+ Controls, camera angles and car driving mechanics were tweaked
+ The need to burn roots of evil is explained early here
Cons
- Many texture tearing at different places during the game
- What to do or where to go is sometimes not obvious and you waste a ton of time trying to figure out what to do
- Character facial animations doesn’t always follow the voice-over work
- Autosave system still not fixed
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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