Ever since its release to MS Dos back in 1992, “Alone in the Dark” by the French software company known as Infogrames has undergone a transformation on graphics and game play. It was one of the first games to touch the game genre of “survival horror.” There was the game released by the Japanese game company Capcom called “Sweet Home” in 1989 for the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
In 1992, games were making the transition from 2D to 3D graphics. Alone in the Dark was the first survival horror game to use 3D rendered characters. Looking at the graphics of the first Alone in the Dark today, I would say that they were blocky. Back when I was eleven years old, I thought the game was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Alone in the Dark had that eerie and creepy feel to it.
Despite the look of the game, Alone in the Dark is considered the father of all survival horror games. It is still rated as one of the scariest games of all time according to the show X-Play on G4.
Alone in the Dark would be the precursor to current popular survival horror franchises such as “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill” which are just as scary and terrifying. However, both franchises shined on their own without ripping off concepts from Alone in the Dark.
In Resident Evil, there was the T-Virus that caused people to turn into zombies. Silent Hill revolved around the supernatural phenomenon of a town called Silent Hill.
Before there was Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark had spawned two sequels: “Alone in the Dark 2” and “Alone in the Dark 3.”
Around 2000, there was the latest sequel for Alone in the Dark called “Alone in the Dark: A New Nightmare.”
Now, there’s a new Alone in the Dark game that should give both “Resident Evil 5” and “Silent Hill 5” a run for their money. Both franchises have had their fair share of problems such as camera angles.
Resident Evil 4 had fixed that problem and enabled the player to control the camera angles.
Resident Evil 5 does the same thing with being able to control the camera angles. However, the fifth installment of Alone in the Dark had added a new feature called “Real World Rules.”
In a recent video, this feature shows how much freedom you have as a player to find solutions through puzzles and to fight enemies. One feature that the video revealed that was not even featured on either Resident Evil 5 or Silent Hill 5 was that you could grab nearby objects.
For example, one could grab a chair and touch a flame with it to create a makeshift torch. You can use the torch to light your way down a dark corridor or use it as a weapon to torch all the monsters in your way. The player has near complete freedom to manipulate the objects in your environment.
Unlike Resident Evil 5 and Silent Hill 5, Alone in the Dark’s “real world” rules leaves many possibilities for the player. The gameplay from what the trailer shows that there are many possibilities in finding a solution.
The game should be released this summer for the PC, PS2, PS3, X-Box 360, and the Nintendo Wii. Alone in the Dark looks well to reestablish itself as the father of the survival horror genre.
The video requires one to enter his/her birth date. However, there is nothing graphic about the demonstration video. But, Alone in the Dark is rated M+ because it is designated for mature audiences.
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