Alone in the Dark: Inferno (Playstation 3)

Wow, this game took me by surprise. I first played the demo and then picked up the game on discount. It's much better than the reviews would lead you to believe!

First off, I think the graphics are very impressive; it might not be Uncharted or Killzone 2, but there's an undeniable artistry in the game designers' post-apocalyptic version of New York City. The lead character, Edward Carnby, also looks really cool, and the monster designs are exceptionally scary.

Like a big summer movie, the action set-pieces in this game are astounding! The designers were obviously influenced by Spielberg's popcorn films, as well as disaster movies in general, as many of the situations you come across seem pulled right out of the cinema (try not to shout "cool!" when you dangle from a wire outside a crumbling skyscraper and the camera pans down to show exploding vehicles from the street far below being flung upwards and nipping at your heels). I particularly liked the final level, which seems like it was pulled straight out of the Indiana Jones/Mummy films.

Alone in the Dark: Inferno is also wildly innovative, which is where you might argue that it falters from time to time (thus some of the scathing reviews)--personally, the unorthdox game design is what impressed me the most with this game. The inventory system in particular is very unique: anytime you need to use an item, weapon, etc, you press a button and the camera switches to a 1st person "inside your jacket" view, where you look through the character's eyes as you pull items from your jacket pockets and equip/combine them on the fly. True, this happens in real time, and it's possible to be attacked while you're doing your doing it, which is why some people might not like it; I think it adds intensity and sets this game apart from others (side note: you can reload without going into your jacket, so combat still works without being too much of a chore).

Another awesome innovation is the DVD-like chapter system that the game employs: it's like when you buy a TV series on DVD--every level of the game is broken down into different episodes and chapters. There's even a cool wrapup every time you resume a saved game: "previously, on Alone in the Dark..."

The writing is a bit juvenile at times (what with the overuse of the "F" bomb), but the story itself is very intriguing, concerning you-know-who (the big bad man with the red horns) attempting to make a comeback and plunge the world into darkness. (Another side note: this game is absolutely for mature audiences, and it does deal with the occult, but without getting into too much gory/incantation reciting details).

"Alone in the Dark" definitely stuck with me after I finished playing; it's an intense experience that I rank up there with the best gaming experiences I've had. It has its flaws here and there, but the good overwhelmingly outnumbers the bad in this case. If you love action/adventure games, I highly recommend it. (Final note: do yourself a favor and start killing the evil weeds AS SOON as the game gives you the opportunity--it'll make the final sections of the game much easier to complete, and you definitely want to see the incredible last level!)

• from

This game was killed with the reviews the first go and now that it has been rereleased the critics seem to hate it just as much. I was expecting a decent game for the $16 I payed for it but the truth is that this game is excellent. This is the first game I have played in along time that I would actually call hard. Not frustratingly so but it is a good challenge. Another good aspect is that there are times in the game where you will not advance if you can't think. Yes that is right, you must think. I know, it sounds strange given todays shoot 'em up action style of games but this one is so much more. Besides, this game is so cheep that if you are thinking about getting it then just buy it, for 16 bucks this game can seriously surprise you, now that I have played it I would have payed the full 50-60 buck for it. In short, it's a steal.

The bottom line is that this game is a gem and most people will never know...tragic.

• from

i fell for the demo from PSN and knew that this game had a lot of potential in spite of the other low ratings. So decided to invest in it. But after playing it, i can say that it had a lot of potential that was not utilized. While story background was told with an innovative in-game cell phone text messages, it did not do justice to the story as it almost seemed unnecessary to read the text messages to progress further. Instead they should have used cut scenes to explain the background and for that matter how to progress in the story. While the idea of making your own weapons is innovative, once you know what the few options are, it gets boring. Instead they should have kept it interesting by making them more complex as the story progresses, but the enemies also don't progress in complexity. The boss battles were a joke (the last one is a total let down). The +s are graphics are decent and game tries to achieve theatrical feel that is worth experiencing. The music is also interesting as it tries to be dramatic in many places. In general this would have worked well for cut scenes that don't repeat. But the music gets dramatic even in game play, this does not work very well because every time you repeat a scene, the dramatic music keeps repeating like a broken gramophone record and this sometimes sounds hilarious.

• from