Hands-on: Alone in the Dark pg2
For those who could look past inventory inconveniences and control calamities, hunting down and burning roots was almost unanimously considered Alone in the Dark's most laborious and boring chore. If you count yourself among that woeful bunch, consider your problem mostly solved. A cutscene followed by a quick tutorial at the end of Episode 3 instructs players on exactly how to dispose of the roots, which are now found throughout the game instead of scattered across one lengthy location. Best of all, only 50 percent of the roots need be extinguished instead of the Xbox 360's 75 percent.
Our demonstration ended with a massive explosion (several of them, actually) as Emile loaded a scene in Episode 6 that will be exclusive to the PS3 version of Alone in the Dark. Edward stood in an abandoned subway tunnel. A train, rusted and cold from disuse, lay before him. The machine was functional, but the last car dangled over the edge of a dark pit, preventing the car from moving. Tossing an explosive on the linking gear solved that problem while simultaneously creating another: the present of a huge beast rearing up from the hole, obviously perturbed due to his slumber being disturbed.
Edward turned and ran back through the car, punching a panel that caused the door to slide open. As he stepped through, the beast brought a giant claw smashing down onto the last car. Ruined, the hunk of metal fell disconnected and was left behind as the subway car sped onward -- but the beast continued to pursue.
Edward can slow the creature by turning and tossing an explosive, but Emile turned off the television before the monster's true weakness could be discovered. He replaced the controller, turned to us, and said, "We love this game. We spent a lot of time working on it, and it's too bad that many flaws caused it to be unplayable for many players."
Will Xbox 360 owners still jaded over their broken copy of the game ever receive restitution? Emile hinted that a patch was possible, but for now, PS3 owners can boast that they will soon have access to what Eden Studios feels is the true version of Alone in the Dark when it releases later this fall.
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