alone in the dark
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Alone in the Dark demo still MIA, still coming
Your memory isn't failing you, way back in April Atari did promise to release an Alone in the Dark demo to the XBLM by the end of May. Thus far, we still haven't seen it even though the game hits retailers this week. But fear not, you can still safely hold out hope for an Alone in the Dark demo, because Atari has re-confirmed with Eurogamer that they still plan on releasing the demo in the "coming weeks". Honestly, we were excited to try the demo simply because we thought it would release prior to the game's official release, since then our demo excitement level has decreased a bit. We also don't know if we should trust Atari's word anymore, so we'll just have to wait and see if their latest promise ends up being fulfilled in the next few weeks.
Shipping this week: OMG Megaton edition
No, it's not a news related OMG Megaton. It's more like a "holy effing crap, look at all these games" kind of megaton. There are ten, ten games hitting the Xbox 360 this week. What's more, a lot of them look decent and, dare we say it, some of them even look good. Just look at all of 'em. Battlefield: Bad Company Top Spin 3 Supreme Commander Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Alone in the Dark Hellboy: Science of Evil Hail to the Chimp Wall-E Operation Darkness Gears of War Refresh (2-Disc Edition) It's enough to give someone googly eyes. Alone in the Dark has our interest piqued (and has thus far fared decently in Europe). Here's hoping it -- and everything else here -- is up to snuff.[Via Joystiq]
Wii releases this week: Alone in the Dark edition
This week, Atari's big title hits retail shelves. Will it be the scary and wonderful title they've been promoting it to be? Only time will tell. It's certainly not alone, this week, as the Wii gets several new releases. Let's check them out! Alone in the Dark Top Spin 3 Rock Band (apparently its release last week was false, despite just about everyone listing it for release) Wall-E Big Beach Sports Cocoto Kart Racer Myth Makers: Trixie in Toyland %Gallery-10200%
Deals time: Alone in the Dark, Battlefield and more
It's Sunday and that means it's time to open up the newspaper and analyze those Sunday retail ads. Joy! And if you're in the market for Alone in the Dark this week, you're in luck, because there are numerous deals to be had. So, let's get to it ...The only 360 deal Best Buy has going this week is a free $10 gift card with Alone in the Dark and, well ... that's it. Circuit City on the other hand is giving away a $10 J!nx gift card with Alone in the Dark, a free $10 gift card, weapon unlock code and grenade keychain with Battlefield: Bad Company, a free Hellboy II movie ticket with Hellboy: The Science of Evil, and either Bully: SE or SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 for $30. Also, if instant discounts are more your thing, Gamestop is offering Alone in the Dark for the discounted price of $50. Finally, (for our Canadian shoppers) Best Buy Canada is giving away Guitar Hero III with any Xbox 360 console purchase and either Shadowrun, Blue Dragon, Viva Pinata Party Animals or Project Sylpheed for $20. Enjoy Sunday and enjoy shopping.
The Wii owners' Sunday shopping guide
This week's Sunday ads bring some interesting sales and deals to the table. Most noticeably, it seems like Bully: Scholarship Edition has had a universal price drop, and now only costs $30. Circuit City is the only store to advertise this, but from checking around at other retailers, the slashed price seems like the rule and not the exception. While $50 for the port might have been too expensive for your tastes, $30 sounds a bit easier to swallow.All the other deals worth mentioning will probably only motivate folks who were already on the fence. Best Buy, for example, is offering a $10 gift card to those who purchase Alone in the Dark. As for Circuit City, the retailer has a handful of $20 games marked down to $15 (Balloon Pop, Furu Furu Park, and Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, namely).Topping it all off is Amazon's "Deal of the Day," which ends at 3am EST. Here you can find ezGear's Wii Rechargable Battery and Charger, which you can use to charge up your Wiimotes. We're not sure how reliable ezGear is when it comes to third-party accessories, but for $10, this dock might be worth a try.Hopefully your wallets will come out unscathed from this gauntlet of deals, but if not, feel free to rant at us for our evil, tempting ways.[Via CAG]Source: $10 gift card with purchase of Alone in the Dark at Best BuySource: Amazon's "Deal of the Day" -- ezGear's Wii Rechargable Battery and ChargerSource: Circuit City (for sales on Balloon Pop, Furu Furu Park, and Rival Swords)
Metareview -- Alone in the Dark (Euro edition)
Early reviews of Atari's anticipated frightfest, Alone in The Dark, have generated quite a bit of controversy. A couple of 3/10s will do that, most of all when the publisher's scorn comes from the suspicion that said European articles were based on preview or pirated code. Though several other sites have now chimed in with their thoughts and less dire scores, Eden's efforts seem to have fallen just short of the game's ambition and promise. It seems everybody wanted to love Alone in The Dark, but had their feelings rebuked by clumsy controls and obvious padding to the game's length. Xbox World 360 (73/100): "As much as Alone In The Dark deserves to be criticised for its problems, it equally deserves to be lavished with praise for some outstanding ideas and set-pieces. A gracious failure, AITD should stand as a lesson for other developers to see what they should be striving for." Eurogamer (70/100): "The problem is that every time you get excited about Alone in the Dark, it shuts you down. At times it's akin to Atari's Boiling Point: Road To Hell of three years ago; throw any score on the ten-point scale and it will stick to something, but there's so much friction on the lower end that it's often impossible to pull away and remember when you brushed past genius. You want to love it, but it just keeps letting you down, and in the end that's the impression that sticks to the wall and stays there." Gamer.nl (50/100): "The game can be compared to an aggressive puppy without potty training. You want to keep him so badly, but every time it seems to go right, it bites, scratches and shits on your carpet." (Translation)
Why Alone in the Dark was almost tossed in the garbage
Atari was pretty close to scrapping the Alone in the Dark game when it was in the beginning stages of development. We all know the game is done now (albeit still vague on the PS3 version's release), so that didn't happen. But why was it almost canned? Atari dismissed the original concepts as pitched by the game's director, David Nadal, calling them "too ambitious". You can hear more from Nadal regarding the game and how much he loves the series over at CVG, but we just want to know when we can get in on the action. The PS3 version is set for a Fall release while the 360 gets it this Friday.
The Best Of Big Download: June 8-14, 2008
Did you have a good week? We had a terrific one at Big Download but with the release of Spore Creature Creator next week it promises to be an even busier time for our site. In the meantime here are the highlights from the past weekExclusive Features Interview: Vic Davis of Armaggedon Empires: We chat with the creator of the acclaimed indie turn based strategy PC game. MODverlous Monday: This week we examine two custom mad maps for Blizzard's classic RTS game Starcraft. Casually Speaking: We take a look at the "death" of the video arcade. Freeware Friday: This week's free featured game is the nearly graphics-free RTS/RPG title Dwarf Fortress Big Iron: Our regular hardware column takes you through some video card basics
Alone in the Dark with Wiimote and Nunchuk
A fresh take on Waggletech® as Alone in the Dark for Wii developer, Hydravision Entertainment, proves its penchant for virtual charades in this new trailer. Seriously, the "flasher" maneuver? Brilliant! Who knew the Wiimote and Nunchuk could be used to mimic the parting of a trench coat? Still, there's nothing quite as immersifying as the overhand bludgeon. Classic.
Don't watch this trailer when you're Alone in the Dark
Say what you will about Alone in the Dark's limited Wii features, but using the Wii's controls to bludgeon someone with a chair looks all kinds of fun.With that off our chests, this trailer did a good job of making us crave Atari's survival-horror title. While we can't help but be skeptical when developers implement an abundance of motion controls (only because games become more tedious than fun if things get too complicated), we're looking forward to seeing if Alone in the Dark hits the mark. Since we just rhymed, you know we're not lying. Gallery: Alone in the Dark [Via GoNintendo]
Alone in the Dark producer talks design
At a recent Atari event, the same one in which Phil Harrison stated that Atari would no longer pursue big budget, single-player titles, Gamasutra sat down with Nour Polloni, producer of Alone in the Dark. The interview focuses mainly on the gameplay and design choices that Eden made for the game. Of particular interest is Polloni's thoughts on the game's open design, which allows players to solve problems in ways that make sense to them. Said Polloni, "we didn't want you to search for the golden key to open the door." She emphasizes that players shouldn't be asking themselves what they can't do within the game. In other words, if a player thinks of a logical way to open the door -- smashing it with a fire extinguisher, for example -- it will work. It all boils down to logic and accessibility.It's really a refreshing idea, and one we'd like to see implemented in more games. The interview is a worthwhile read. We suggest you check it out. Oh, and just so you know Polloni isn't merely spewing hot air, check out Joystiq's (very positive) impressions of the game.
Delayed horrification: Alone in the Dark finished
Atari has sent along word that its entry into the next-gen survival-horror action-survival fray is all wrapped up and ready to (*fingers crossed*) scare up retail bucks on June 24. (For every platform but PS3, that is.)The oft-delayed Alone in the Dark series "restart" explores an even darker side of Silent Hill NYC's Central Park. Based on our recent hands-on with the Xbox 360 version of game, the unique "TV episode" style mission structure and varied gameplay situations (not to mention lots of pretty fire) should help it stand out during a relatively slow spot in the release calendar. PS3 owners will have to wait until "autumn" (we hear, November to be exact) for their share of scares.%Gallery-14429%
Alone in the Dark sees the light, goes gold
Exciting news Alone in the Dark fanboys, Atari just announced today that the Joystiq approved and fire friendly Alone in the Dark has wrapped up development and has gone gold. Currently being copied to DVD at some manufacturing plant overseas, Alone in the Dark will arrive on the Xbox 360 in Europe on June 20th and a few days later, June 24th to North America. And for comparison's sake, it will release to the PS3 sometime later his Fall. Central Park will not be the same later this month, so we advise walking your dog or doing the picnic thing in the park prior to experiencing Alone in the Dark.
Video: Finally! Some Alone in the Dark enemies
Until now, there hasn't been much talk of the enemies Edward Carnby will be facing in Alone in the Dark. We've seen a few random enemies, but thus far, no real details have been revealed. Thanks be to Eden Games then, as they have released a new developer video that explains the game's enemies and what you'll be doing to combat them. You'd better learn how to dispatch them too, as the video explains they will track you down, even following your trail of blood to do so. Thankfully, Edward can come up with plenty of impromptu weapons using his inventory and the environment. Enough talking about it though. Go ahead and watch the video.Getting excited yet or do you still need convincing?
Alone in the Dark Wii cuts some corners
We already have an idea of what the Wii controls in Alone in the Dark will be like, but how about the rest of the game? We knew there'd be a few things scaled down from the 360, PS3, and PC versions, but what? MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek has the dish on that, and we're not too disappointed with what's been left out.First and most obviously, the Wii version's graphics won't be as pretty. Aside from that, though, some of the environments had to be changed, and according to Klepek, some new levels were constructed for Alone in the Dark Wii. (We assume that means there are new levels remodeled on the old levels, not that there are new levels.) For example, Central Park is a large, open world on the HD systems, whereas it's not on the Wii. With changes in the environments also came slight changes in the story, but we're not sure how significant these alterations are.You can also expect some gameplay elements to disappear, like dynamic fire. Things can still light on fire, but not, uh, dynamically. Losing the open world scenarios is what hurts the most, but the other changes don't seem too bad. Are these cuts enough to scare you away from the Wii version, or is it all just sausage to you?%Gallery-10200%
PS3 version of Alone in the Dark getting a frame rate fix; not cancelled
You'd certainly be forgiven for believing that the release of the PS3 version of Alone in the Dark was looking a little unstable. There's been no real word on it for a while, despite the 360, Wii, PS2 and PC versions hitting store shelves next month. Thankfully, Eden Games have gone on record to say that a PS3 version is "not that far off." Claiming that they are having some frame rate issues, the game is still being fixed and tweaked in order to make it ready for public consumption. The game will definitely be coming out this year, according to Eden Games' Nour Polloni. It's good to know Alone in the Dark hasn't been cancelled on the PS3 as many had feared. Being the cynics that we are, however, we can't help but think this is another one of those strategic delays, considering that the game was due out a week after arguably the biggest PS3 release this year: Metal Gear Solid 4. Just a thought.
Don't fear these new screens from Alone in the Dark
Click for larger image Atari has dished out some new screens from upcoming title Alone in the Dark. Most of the shots feature protagonist Edward Carnby navigating dark and spooky environments. We even get a glimpse of old Ed's car, as he speeds around the abandoned streets bordering Central Park. Personally, we like a good scare every now and then. What about you?You can check out the new images in our gallery below.%Gallery-10200%
Harrison elaborates on the future of single-player games
Infogrames president Phil Harrison made some eyebrow-raising comments last week, claiming that following Alone in the Dark, his company would move away from "huge-budget, single-player games." Speaking to videogaming247, Harrison went into more detail on what he described as not just a shift in direction for Infogrames, but for the entire industry as well.While suggesting once again that Infogrames will be moving away from single-player console titles, Harrison elaborates that those games will still have a place in the market, but will have to begin integrating connectivity and non-linearity to survive. We'll have to see if there's any truth in these sooth-saying words.
No more big budget games for Atari
Phil Harrison, recently appointed president of Infogrames (parent company of Atari), has gone on record stating that Atari isn't likely to pursue any more big budget, single-player games after Alone in the Dark. Harrison told Gamasutra, "I don't see that we're going to be making huge-budget, single-player games in the future." Harrison did add that the company will still pursue "really incredible games that have high quality, high execution, and high innovation, but they won't be one-player, narrative-driven, start-middle-end games." Harrison sees online, socially driven games as the future for Atari and places emphasis on episodic content.So, while a direct sequel to Alone in the Dark sounds unlikely, it's possible we might see similar games released in an episodic manner instead (as was the original plan for Alone in the Dark, which still incorporates an episodic structure). Harrison sees episodic games with integrated community features as a new direction for Atari and the games industry in general, giving video games the kind of "water cooler" effect that television shows enjoy. Sounds interesting to us.[Via Joystiq]
Joystiq is impressed by Alone in the Dark
One lucky Joystiq blogger managed to get some extensive hand-on time with Alone in the Dark, the upcoming series revival being created by Eden Games. When all was said and done, Joystiq got to sample three hours of gameplay, giving them the chance to try out the combat, driving and platforming elements present in the game. The verdict: it's good. Surprisingly good, actually, with Joystiq equating the game to "a great season of 24, albeit one with a supernatural twist." Head on over to Joystiq for their full impressions. Hopefully, we can all get some hands-on time with the game ourselves soon, as a demo should be arriving any day now.
