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Alone in the Dark (PS3) | 
| From: Atari Category: Video Games
Buy New: £44.99
New (7) from £31.76
Avg. Customer Rating: 3 reviews Sales Rank: 1411
Platform: Playstation 3 Media: Video Game Number Of Items: 1 Age: 11 - 18 years Operating System: Playstation 3 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3 Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: AITDPS3 EAN: 3546430127278 ASIN: B000E6DYYY
Release Date: November 14, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days) Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk There's something strange and frightening happening in the middle of New York City's Central Park; something whispered to have been intentionally kept secret; something that players are compelled to explore in Alone in the Dark.Known today as a safe haven for New Yorkers yearning for relief from the stresses of their chaotic metropolis, history records that Central Park was built on a useless swamp, yet as the New York City skyline hurtled towards the sky over the last 150 years, making the city the most expensive real estate in the world, the park has remained untouched. Why? Civic pride? Perhaps, but the recent strange happenings in and around the park are casting doubt on that, doubts that require investigating.
The return of an iconic series |
 Paranormal PI Edward Carnby. . |  Stunningly spooky views of NYC. . |  The odd wildlife of Central Park. . |  A whole new inventory system. . | Enter Edward Carnby, Paranormal Investigator Despite the title, Alone in the Dark is actually the fifth game in a series that dates back to 1992 and centers around the experiences of Edward "the reptile" Carnby. A paranormal investigator by trade, Carnby is looking for answers to the strange events and horrific creatures reported in and around the park, but gets more than he bargained for when all the mysteries and terrors of the park spill out over the course of one apocalyptic night. It's the player's task to avoid the new frightening dangers of the park as you search for the answers to what these supernatural occurrences mean and why they are happening.Gameplay Based on Full Player Immersion Packed full of action and vivid in its realism Alone in the Dark goes to the extreme to keep players engaged and immersed by plunging them into the heart of the action in real-time at every turn and challenging them to survive using full movement control. The goal here is to allow players to do or at least feel that they can do more or less whatever is possible in real life, within the game.Need to avoid a blast of steam or an eruption of fire that has shot up in your path? You can simply side-step it or you can handle the obstacle with a little more panache by using the environment around you, for example by swinging around it using reachable pipes or wires. In another situation you may be challenged by attacking monsters. No problem. You can take the path of least resistance, again by side-stepping them or placing an obstacle between yourself and them, but if you are feeling like taking out a little aggression you can pick up a board, chair, box, etc. and have at it. Nearly anything that you come across that would be usable in real life is usable in game and can be wielded in several different ways.In addition, game developer Eden Studios has done away with a few in-game conventions in favour of real life upgrades. Instead of old-fashioned health bars Alone in the Dark uses realistic body damage and physiological effects to show players how much damage has been done to Carnby by the new dangerous nightlife of Central Park. Basically this means if Carnby has been taking a licking he's going to be a little bloody. Monsters use sensory perception of all kinds to find their victims, so players need to keep aware of Carnby's physical state, as well as the impact he has on his surroundings. Also gone are traditional inventory systems that take players out of the game while you switch or check items in your possession, replaced by an in-game inventory system where items are carried in the folds of Carnby's trench coat. This allows you to stay in the action the whole time. Sticking with the realism theme, the number of items that Carnby can carry is limited, but since ingenuity is built into the system, items can be combined or their uses altered, mostly with tape, so players can adjust as challenges arise.TV Style Intensity That Keeps You Hooked Built around a unique television style episodic narrative game structure, the storyline of Alone in the Dark is split into a number of distinct 30-40 minute episodes, doled out one at a time as you play. This new way to progress through the storyline ensures that players can enjoy the game regardless of the amount of time they have available without ever feeling lost. Each time a saved game is launched, the episode will begin with a video summary of the previous episode to quickly re-immerse the player in the story, removing the need to remember where you were or what you were doing at the end of your last play session. In addition, every episode will also close with a nail-biting, cliff-hanger ending to rattle players' nerves. And when you choose to leave the game, a video teaser of the next episode will play to leave players always wanting more.Vivid Photographic Rendering Even on a bad day, and this will be a bad one, Central Park and New York City are something to see. With Game developer Eden's proprietary Twilight technology and rendering engine, players can expect to see everything from the City's famous landmarks to the manifestations of the evil that have been festering in Central Park come to life as if you were there. This lavishly detailed game world takes advantage of highly realistic and advanced cinematographic effects including depth of field, camera focus, numerous light sources, moisture, reflections and High Dynamic Range effects.Whether it's the innovative game play, the unique episodic game structure, the advanced physics or the return of a ground-breaking protagonist recast in the modern era, Alone in the Dark holds something for players willing to take on the mysteries and dangers at the heart of Central Park.
Product Description Paranormal investigator Edward Carnby finds himself inexplicably cast into the eye of the storm as, over the course of one apocalyptic night, he must uncover the earth shattering secret behind Central Park's spooky goings-on. New York will never be the sa
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| Customer Reviews:
Not as good as it used to be November 15, 2008 3 out of 8 found this review helpful
I don't want to be critical about the game as it has only just arrived for us to purchase. However, I personally find myself - as a survival horror game lover - that it is too flawed for me to want to go out and buy it. Firstly, I want to start out with a positive because when Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare arrived on the PSone I was astounded by the level of detail, gripping sound effects and awesome playability in contrast with the year it came out. One thing that always stands out with the Alone in the Dark series is the constant reaping sound and lighting details. And it's not very often that a game has made me jump - this game created that feeling for me that I did not want to carry on incase an event triggered diasterous affects or something jumped out at me! And awesomely, this feature in the series has still kept that concept and the dynamics combined with better graphics on the PS3 system have made it even more intense. BUT, and this is a big but. Graphics-wise I am not entirely sure they are cutting edge and next-gen. Cutscenes tend to look very detailed and crisp, but in terms of initial gameplay, for me personally, they are nothing special, and in some ways bug me immensely. I wish I wasn't so apprehensive about realism and minor details that make games almost life-like, because I know it is already difficult enough for game developers to create realistic situations and even those details where you don't really realise but they make everything so much more identifiable. BUT I am in particular always noticeable of these details, and the amount of it lacking in the gameplay really bugs me out! When I look at the faces of those I am trying to help, or of those that I am up against, I am not wowed by the level of detail in their facial features and their expressions, I am not wowed by the general movements of the characters and enemies, and I find it rather slack and as if it hasn't been produced to the best of their abilities. I am not wowed by the detail in the weaponry. When a gun is un-holstered it is not specular and realistic, the sound is poor and the lack of blood that arises from enemies you've shot? What's up with that? There's plenty of it to be seen in and around the environments but surely when I shoot someone I wanna see a bit of reaction, a bit of pain, a bit of gore? And this game doesn't give that realism for me. One thing that bothers me alot is the camera angles and control movements, they are difficult and create awkward situations for yourself. Once again, I feel they have not worked on the sensitivity and other issues surrounding the controls and it is rather slack. The types of environments get very tedious as well, and I find myself twiddling my thumbs at some of the more intense areas where creatures leap out at you, or something or someone vaguely in the distance is screaming for their lives while you cautiously make your way through a passageway and then, the trivial cliché arrives, which you expected anyway, but with no sense of originality! *gasp* So ... with that in mind, this seems like a very negative review, and I suppose, in turn it is - mostly. But, this is just my personal opinion which I am sharing with the public to consider. And it's a shame really that I can't get into the game and really accept it for what it is because I really like the series and I like how particular concepts in this game have reached there peak and other elements haven't quite been captured in other horror games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil. But, alas, I cannot like it for what it is. When I compare it to the previous edition in the series which I loved, this strikes me as a dissapointment. As for the gamers that thoroughly enjoy this game, I wish I could be in your shoes! =)
Demo thoughts November 11, 2008 2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Hello
Ive been playing the PS3 demo and i must say its got me hooked into buying the game the end of this week (14th). I dont tend to rush and buy anything that feels or looks good as a game is from start to end, not just a demo.
Ive played the 360 version and this PS3 version felt better, much better.. Item selection was much quicker, the driving section in the demo felt good and responsive for the most part and the whole feeling of control and movement felt better overall...
There is said to be more content tweaks in the PS3 version and this can only be a good thing as this game has alot of promise.. The demo will pull you in if you like action suvival horror!!.. Its got great set pieces and some cool and interesting ideas for combat and escaping the enemy...
Ive def got my eye on the full games release... Im a fan of these types of games also i must add... If the story and action continues like the demo starts then this should be a decent game indeed?..
Thanks for reading
Dave
PS3 version might make it much better September 23, 2008 9 out of 20 found this review helpful
For those of you who got to play the game earlier by buying the game for different platforms (Xbox 360 etc)you may be aware that the game received some critical reviews and you may have experienced some faults with the game yourself. This PS3 version, however, WILL have some changes and fixes, including:
Enhanced camera controls allows complete 360 freedom of the camera and better handling of first person view camera movement for even more immersive gameplay;
Quicker and smoother reactivity of the hero's movements in third person view make for more rapid movements in nail-biting situations;
More logical jacket inventory system with the ability to combine objects using only the D-pad, and more fluid hero movement makes item selection a breeze.
Players will get all the help they need to get through every situation and get the most out of the game;
A tutorial explains the need to burn roots in order to gain spectral vision and difficulty tuning means less spectral vision is required to reach the end of the game;
Car handling has been tuned to make driving a car a walk in the park in every situation, including increased suspension and reduced drift;
59th Street has been tweaked for a more satisfying race against the fissure with difficulty tuning, an added checkpoint at Columbus Circle and clear voice directions given by Sarah;
An exclusive new sequence has been added in Episode 6 for even more pace and variety of gameplay in the episode.
A patch for the Xbox 360 version relies on the success of this version. Just thought I would let people know who were basing their purchase on the other versions that this game will have improvements and to give it a fair chance based on that.
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