Alone in the Dark demo impressions

Below is the text of the Gaming Age article, which reads like a press release. It sounds like the team has tried to address the issues gamers had with the X360 version (though object handling is still real time, which is a bit of an eyebrow raiser). Should be interesting.

http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2008/10/30-58

The PLAYSTATION 3 computerentertainment system demo of Atari and Eden Games' innovative action survival creation Alone in the Dark: Inferno is now available on the PLAYSTATION Network. Atari and Eden Games have given the title a blazing rework for its PLAYSTATION 3 system debut on November 18. Responding to the feedback of media and gamers, the development team has turned up the heat to deliver an even more entertaining, immersive and action-packed blockbuster experience with a host of sizzling gameplay enhancements, red-hot content and an even more hellish storyline which has inspired the name Alone in the Dark: Inferno.

Gameplay elements including camera, inventory system, and hero control have all been reworked to maximize story immersion and atmosphere. In addition, Alone in the Dark: Inferno will include an all-new action sequence revealing a previously unseen enemy of epic proportions and an intriguing upgrade of the game's exhilarating 59th Street level featuring much improved driving dynamics.

The PLAYSTATION Network demo enables PLAYSTATION 3 system gamers - for the first-time - to experience the innovative storyline and gameplay. The demo features selected playable levels from the first and second episodes as well as a sequence from the 59th Street level and the game's captivating end cinematic. Through the demo, players will be able to get a true feel of some of the game's unique elements including: creating unique and powerful weapons; using fire as a devastating destruction device; and experiencing real-time handling of objects to overcome enemies and obstacles.

It will be interesting to see if they really made it better. I'm skeptical.rragnaar

So am I, but at least they are responding positively to criticism (as opposed to starting a Dyack style flamewar) and have enough faith in their efforts that they are offering up a demo so that we gamers can judge the quality of their revisions for ourselves.

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]It will be interesting to see if they really made it better. I'm skeptical.CarnageHeart

So am I, but at least they are responding positively to criticism (as opposed to starting a Dyack style flamewar) and have enough faith in their efforts that they are offering up a demo so that we gamers can judge the quality of their revisions for ourselves.

Definitely. I'll give it a shot for sure. The game seemed like it had a lot of really cool ideas and just lacked polish. I'll be curious to check out this and the Mirror's Edge demo.

The demo has some interesting ideas, but the gameplay just isn't all that fun and there are some glaring design flaws/mistakes. Swinging a weapon (which required holding a shoulder button and manipulating one of the analog sticks) always feels awkward, though the shooting bits work fine (enemy reactions to being shot are nothing to write home about though). The enemy design (spiders and mutilated humans) is uninspired. Also, the character faces aren't convincing in terms of how they express emotion or even shift from one expression to the other (good acting is welcome in any genre, but especially important in horror games).

The hero goes through some unique (in the context of survival horror games) stuff, such as escaping an apartment which is falling out of a building, putting out fires, going down an elevator shaft and driving avoiding cracks in the road (which aren't realtime and just play out the exact same way each time) but none of those sequences really brings anything to the table (aside from the mediocre driving sequence, the experiences I mentioned are really brief).

Its worth noting that I didn't have a problem with the infamous inventory system, which could mean that its better, or could reflect the fact that I was carrying fewer items than one usually does in the main game.

Judging by the preview video, most of the game is structured quite a bit differently than the demo (it looks there is a lot more freedom of action and movement) so maybe the game is better than the demo but the demo is pretty bad.

Its a shame they couldn't release an improve version for Xbox 360... So I could take part in this.Fredrick2003x

They were supposed to patch the core gameplay improvements in to the 360 and PC versions, but later said they would only do that if the PS3 version sells well. Which is a disgusting stance for them to take. They obviously have absolutely no pride in their work if they're willing to leave those versions of the game in such a sorry, horribly designed and executed, buggy, and infuriating half completed state. Likely because they want people to pay sixty bucks for the PS3 version, rather than twenty or so for one of the thousands upon thousands of used copies of the 360 version, and then get a patch. The PS3 version of course, will crash and burn, so if they stick to their guns they will be purposefully leaving the 360 version crippled. Eden Games, at this point, really deserves to be put out to pasture.

Its not a good idea to release a demo of a game like this during a time where incredible game after incredible game are coming out. What happens is that all flaws get magnified, this demo really felt bad and I actually dont think the game is that bad. This game clearly does not have the polish or the care put into it that so many games coming out now do. Gameplay was rough, graphics iffy, controls not that good, enemies boring. Even the epic driving scene felt bland. I did like some of the camera angles, very cinematic at times. Combining weapons seems like it can be fun. Seems ok but ok right now feels like poop cause of the quality I am used to.dvader654

I actually found AitD do be a tad better than what the reviews said. I went in expecting a truly crappy game that just interested me because of some of the ideas they had but was surprised when it played better than I thought. I think it's worth at least a rental