alone in the dark
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Atari lost another $70 million this year
Atari Inc. plans to report a loss of $71.3 million for their fiscal year which ended March 31. This is up from the $69 million loss from the previous fiscal year. Most of the loss is due to some jargon regarding an "impairment of goodwill," relating to a significant erosion of their market capitalization in which Atari lost an extra $54.1 million -- otherwise they would have only lost $17.2 million. In May, Atari cut 20% of their workforce and parent company Infogrames hasn't seen a profit in seven years.It's kinda sad seeing what Atari has become. Instead of being the granddaddy the industry looks up to, they've become the worthless geriatric that's been locked away in the state-funded old folks home and forgotten. Although, the upside is that Atari actually has some stuff we're looking forward to with Alone in the Dark and The Witcher. We'll find out next week if there is some hope for the future or if we can already begin reporting another $70 million loss for next year.[Via Gamasutra]
Alone in the Dark releasing this November
ProG says they've got some release dates straight from Atari UK, with the shocker being Alone in the Dark scheduled for release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this November. We haven't heard about that game in ages, other than a mention that the author of Sleepers had come on board, but we'll take this as a good sign. Alone in the Dark, which was announced last year, was previously revealed to contain episodic content and wasn't yet in playable form. If it is releasing in November, there's a good chance we'll learn a great deal more at the upcoming Min-E3. The ProG article also gives the dates for some other games: The Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion, Mask of the Betrayer, will release on October 12, Tamagotchi Party On! for Wii on August 31, Dungeons and Dragons Tactics and The Witcher on September 14, and Godzilla Unleashed in November. [Via Xbox360Fanboy]
Alone in the Dark 5 set to release this November
Previously, we've gushed about the game's visuals and fell head over heals for the trailer. And now we have a release month for when we can expect more. Atari just announced that Alone in the Dark 5 will release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC sometime this November (with its buddy Assassin's Creed). If you aren't familiar, Alone in the Dark is set in present day New York where you head off to investigate paranormal activities relating to the afterlife in a very Resident Evil kind of way. Typical horror game? Possibly, but did we mention the graphics this game offers? Yeah, we're in graphical love and will definitely be checking out Alone in the Dark 5 this November. Will you?
Alone in the Dark interview: tech to advance the horror genre
The upcoming Alone in the Dark title has a lot to compete with when released late this year or early next year, but it still looks like a step in the right direction for the original survival horror game. Presented in New York with a fictional story ... timeline ... thing, the game sounds kind of like an interactive film noir. Game director David Nadal recently talked about the technology used to make the game a whole new kind of horror. Since we love doing it, we'll summarize the important points below. As always, read the interview if you're particularly interested in the subject. AitD relies on the Twilight engine used in Test Drive Unlimited. This engine will help build a very realistic New York City and it also allows the development team to alter whatever it needs to between consoles and PC with ease -- meaning everyone gets a very professional and polished port. The team has built a completely new rendering engine that delivers "photographic" features for lighting (since the game isn't exactly daylight-friendly), giving an extremely cinematographic look to the game. Physics is key, so advancements have been made on the Twilight engine to take this into consideration -- AI has also been ramped up. The musical score is interactive -- based on what you do, the music will shift. Fire off a shot, and the music will raise in tempo. Explore a dark corridor, expect slow, low-noise suspense music to take over. A nice effect. As we've said, this is a simple summary. Nadal goes into much more detail about the lighting and physics engines, but we won't bog you down with a bunch of terminology here. The game sound excellent and we're very excited to try it out. Time will tell how it progresses!
Some Alone in the Dark screens -- candy for your eyes
As I've probably said before, prior to this installment of Alone in the Dark, I was never really interested in it. Sure, it was the original survival horror title, but it just wasn't Resident Evil. Anyway, someone over at the PS3 Forums took it upon themself to up two wallpaper-worthy crazy/beautiful screenshots (no, not the awful Kirsten Dunst movie). Since the game is more of an interactive novel than a "health-bar, ammo display" action game, we're not entirely sure if the screenshots are pre-rendered or in-game. We'll side with logic and reason and assume they're pre-rendered.The game is due out around January of 2008, so we're expecting some details of the game to surface closer to the big shows in the coming months. If you're itching to read something about the game, refer back to some of our other screenshot posts on the subject. Or one of those times we talked about the story. Either way, prepare for this franchise to take a different step, moving itself into the light of success. Or something else epic, dramatic, flashy, and poetic.
Survival horror creeps onto the DS
Rumours are going around the internet that Alone in the Dark 5: Near Death Investigation will be heading to the DS, along with versions for the home consoles and PC. The latest entry in the survival horror series sees Edward Carnby fighting for his life in Central Park. We'll get an episodic story and the chance to hot-wire a car in a minigame.Atari is also bringing at least five other titles to the DS: Tabaluga 2, Lucky Luke: Go West, Asterix Olympic Games, Cooking and Fashion Academy. Something for everyone then, and a real treat for image conscious chefs who like French cartoons.
Awesome Alone in the Dark trailer, nuff said [update]
It's time for another flowery post on a game that I'm personally excited about. We're talking about Alone in the Dark -- headed to the PS3, 360, and PC "later this year". We've talked about it a few times before, but we haven't had anything really exciting to show you other than our fantastic mad writing skillz. The "z" makes them more extreme... or X-treme, as the case may be. Now things are changing -- we've got a trailer for you to download and it's pretty excellent (you'll have to click the "launch player" button on the right of the website).It starts off with a "everything you see is real-time gameplay footage" disclaimer which makes the following scenes all the more impressive. Taking place around events focusing on the pseudo-mystery of Central Park in New York City, something supernatural is out to get you! Whatever... the trailer does a much better job of setting the story up. Anything that gets an insane choir singing in some other language (reminded me a little of the Ghost in the Shell movies/series... and a bit of Suikoden III's opening) is going to get gamers pumped. Let us know what you think.[update: apparently the trailer is really old, but it doesn't change the fact that it's cool, right?]
First Alone in the Dark 5 footage
If there is one thing that the Xbox 360 needs more of, it's survival horror games. Today, we're proud to display the latest trailer for Alone in the Dark 5. We've shown off some creepy screens before, but it's always better to see a game in motion, especially when it's this pretty. You'll probably see the note at the beginning of the trailer, but we have to point out that this video is taken from real time game footage. In other words: wow. Alone in the Dark 5 looks very nice. The facial detail alone is staggering, from the scarring to the glistening eyes. So let's see, we have Alone in the Dark 5, Alan Wake, and Resident Evil 5 all coming eventually. Add Silent Hill 5 and Eternal Darkness 2 to that list and we'll be happy terrified.Check out the official Alone in the Dark 5 website for screens and a downloadable version of the trailer. Alone in the Dark arrives later this year.[Thanks, Machiavelli 420]
Alone in the Dark screens are always awesome
On a personal tangent, I'm really excited about this game. Lately, I've been very interested in the more "adventure" side of things -- it was the crux of my decision to purchase a DS Lite (games like Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk, Lost in Blue really influenced and affirmed my interest). With that in mind, whenever I think about a next-gen game building off of that successful formula and twisting in some realistic horror, it's practically awesome personified. On an impersonal tangent, a pocketful of new screenshots were released for the game. These are listed under the XBox 360 heading, but the game is headed to the PS3 also. Alone in the Dark has been around for ages (but we've blocked out that awful movie... who was it in that? Christian Slater? Pssh), encompassing all of four canonical titles since its inception in 1992. It's about time we got a new one. Agreed?
Alone in the Dark set for simultaneous multiplatform release
Are you ready for some business-related math? While it may be attributed to the translation of the page (my browser screws up... if yours pauses for a minute and asks you to stop the script or continue... just stop it), the release date for the upcoming title Alone in the Dark is difficult to understand. The fourth trimester of this year, meaning the fourth quarter, right? But the slated date is the first quarter of 2008, which is the fourth fiscal quarter of 2007. Seriously, let's just expect it around the holidays.The game is coming along nicely, it seems. Set for simultaneous release across the major next-gen consoles (except Wii, because this game is just too damn pretty for a motion-sensing GameCube) and PC, the game is set up similar to a Noir film, or a mystery novel. Heck, we could even say it's an interactive miniseries. There are about 12 episodes, each "running" approximately 40 minutes (but your explorative nature could run the "show" over an hour for each episode) and concluding with a cliffhanger. Looks sweet. We'll keep an eye out.
Uwe Boll does something awful to another critic
Anti-filmmaker Uwe Boll has beaten another one of his critics completely senseless -- and this time it was in a boxing ring, not a darkened cinema. Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka of Something Awful infamy was the second to fall to the raging Boll's flying fists in a PR-driven series of boxing matches. Like any dignified artist, Boll vowed to silence critics by punching them in the face, proving once and for all that ... well, we're not sure what exactly this proves. We know he's a good boxer, at least. In a video interview after the match, Kyanka amusingly points out that he now detests Uwe Boll not as a movie misdirector, but as a human being. According to the pummeled pundit, Boll offered to give his victims training beforehand and promised that his punches would be just for show. Quite apparently, that was not the case (video embedded after the break). Regardless, it now becomes clear that critics played right into Boll's gloved ham-hands. The selected participants arguably never stood a chance, something the video game violator well aware of in his struggle for Pyrrhic victory. Punching out a critic does not make his films any less craptacular and the whole fiasco has made him look like a fight-makes-right psychopath. 1UP contributor, Albert Art, snapped some pictures at the event and even conducted a brief interview with Boll. When asked why he continues to make video game films, Boll responds with an enlightening, "I keep doing video game based movies because look why not, all the comic-book get made into movies, even comics that sold 2000 copies there are movies out from it, why like big famous videos games shouldn't turn into movies." That about says it all. [Thanks, albertart and VGM!]Read - Something Awful's forum respondsRead - Albert Art's event coverage and interviewWatch - Video interview with Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka after the matchWatch - Boll's previous boxing match
Alone in the Dark isn't survival horror, actually...
According to Eden Studios, the term "survival-horror" needs to be replaced with story-driven action. At least for Alone in the Dark, which is shaping up to be very, very cool looking. Why? It takes player immersion to the next level with the inventory pocket system -- the main character has a gun in one pocket, and the other pocket(s?) hold all the items you pick up. The game moves forward by allowing the use of cars, making it intuitive and easy to move to the passenger seat, back seats, etc in order to avoid attacks or get a good shot off. A bunch of fantastic effects were shown in a technical demo, as the screen clearly illustrates. A story surrounding conspiracy theories about Central Park in New York City really brings the story to life, as opposed to a fictional setting.Finally, the episodic release idea. Imagine the game more like a television series: you can buy the first piece of the "series" in stores (since it's not a complete game, let's hope it's not a complete price...) and then download future episodes from the internet. If the downloads are free, then a complete price may be worthwhile. Maybe. You might also be able to buy the "complete season" in stores. It's up in the air. This game looks awesome. Look for it on the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360 next year.
Internet casino sponsoring "Raging Boll" event
Widely known for his anti-masterpieces, House of the Dead, Bloodrayne and Alone in the Dark, German film director Uwe Boll drew plenty of internet ire in June by sending out a public challenge to his (many, many) detractors. Like any civilized and intelligent human being, Boll decided that the best way to deal with those that disagreed with his artistic vision for videogame adaptations was to punch them in the face, grr! The invitation urged haters to fly to Vancouver and meet the German in the boxing ring for a one-on-one session of metaphorically rich pummeling. Internet casino Goldenpalace.com has issued a press release stating that they will be the ones to sponsor the event, now dubbed "Raging Boll."Naturally, the prestige gained from having your event backed by an internet casino cannot be overstated. The joint's CEO, Richard Rowe, notes that Boll's attention grab is refreshingly ridiculous. "We receive so many outlandish offers for advertising exposure that it is refreshing to see something that surprises even us. That is why we decided to get involved. This has gotten so much attention so far, and we can't wait to see how it will turn out." Before starting proper on 23 September, Uwe will stop off in Spain to battle Carlos Palencia Jimenez-Arguello, a critic who has already vowed to Kill Boll (challenge video embedded in the latter section of the post). After that bout, Boll will face Something Awful's Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka, Jeff Sneider from Ain't It Cool News, Chris Alexander of Rue Morgue and Nelson Chance Minter from Website Critic. All the fights will be filmed for inclusion in Boll's Postal film, no doubt rendered vaguely entertaining by showing his face deteriorating over the course of the event. It may even prove to be beneficial to his career -- a few brutal blows to the head might be just the thing to bring him to his senses. Perhaps then he'll realize how difficult it is to hold on to credibility when you've got boxing gloves on your hands.[Via GameSetWatch]
Alone in the Dark keeps the lights off a bit longer
Atari was dealt some pretty bad numbers the past year -- losses were at their highest in a while overall. This is partially why the next-gen iteration of Alone in the Dark has been pushed back to mid-2007, maybe into 2008. Atari does anticipate the title to be their big game for next year and let's hope they are right. Atari has even announced that the game will come to other formats not yet mentioned (and still haven't been named specifically) and that may help out. Not sure how a DS rendition of the game would do, but it's a cute idea.CEO Bruno Bonnell also talked about the likelihood of more console-specific titles and exclusives overall. He claims that "ports are going to be a little more difficult because the machines are becoming more and more specific." Ouch. That sounds like a shot at the cell processor for the PS3, but every machine is being built in very different ways (the Wii's gimmick innovative control style comes to mind). Also mentioned were game prices for the next generation. Surprisingly, Bonnell offered his thoughts that games won't cost much more other than a "massive title with crazy costs." If only he were right, but the 360 has already raised the bar by ten dollars and that will probably continue for a little while.
'Postal' creator bugged by Boll's boxing stint
A month ago, Uwe Boll put up a call to critics to "put up or shut up!" The plan was to have the ill-reputed game director fly the brave souls who "put up" to Vancouver to enter a boxing ring with him (so far, we know of one critic who took the call). The matches will be filmed, shown on the internet, and included in the upcoming game-to-film adaptation Postal.But Uwe Boll forgot to inform Postal creator Running With Scissors. In their latest newsletter, the company had this to say:Oh yeah, when asked if he had any comment to make on Uwe's latest PR brainstorm, Vince Desi had his head buried in his hands, muttering only: "I didn't know he was going to do this. He didn't tell me."The infamous developer does not sound too pleased. But in an e-mail exchange with 1UP, Boll conveys that "all is good" and that he has followed their notes for the treatment. We've got plenty of time to speculate, though: Postal will not start filming until work finishes up on the Dungeon Siege adaptation and a non-game film entitled Seed.[via 1UP]
New Alone in the Dark screenshots
Feast your eyes on some saucy new screenshots for Alone in the Dark. While Atari hasn't officially come out and confirmed it for PS3, other sources have hinted at it coming to the Sony machine. Taking that into consideration, we don't have a solid release date, but it'd be nice to see it in November.
Alone in the Dark to bite TV formula
Eden Games has decided to adopt an episodic format for its next-gen horror sequel, Alone in the Dark. The game will be chopped into episodes, each containing 30–40 minutes of gameplay that ends with a cliffhanger and a preview of things to come. In addition, each episode will be preceded by a brief video summary of previous events. Eden is hoping that this format, popularized by TV dramas, will get players "permanently hooked."Rather than digitally distribute each episode, the entire "season" with be packaged onto one disk. Players are free to play through multiple episodes in one sitting, but the idea is to approach the game in short bouts, as if following a weekly television series.It's different than what we've seen in most contemporary adventure games, which tend to mimic feature films, but Alone in the Dark is still biting from an established format. With that said, does the game industry need to stop holding the hands of the film and television industries and step, alone, into the dark?
