1/18/2008 - Ure "Vader" Paul of Action Trip writes:
"Yep, we're still in the realm of monster-killing, bloodshed, guts spilt everywhere, murky corridors, screams echoing through the night, and all that jazz. (That's not jazz. - Ed.) Basically, everything that makes a good survival horror game. Now, in that domain, any veteran PC gamer should recognize a brand like Alone in the Dark. It's actually one of the pioneering games in the genre, if we don't count pixelated oldies like Atari's Haunted House (Atari 2600) and Capcom's Sweet Home (NES)."
"The original Alone in the Dark game was created by Infogrames and has seen several sequels. So, what's all the fuss about the first Alone in the Dark game? Well, although it didn't exactly revolutionize gaming as we know, it did set standards for modern-day type horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill."
Alone in the Dark developer Pieces Interactive has been hit with layoffs a month after its release, as per the latest information.
That genuinely, genuinely sucks. The reboot has clear flaws, but it really felt like a solid first step for this team to receive *greater* investment.
That's standard. Teams are together for a Project, after its done some..and sometimes most devs are fired until the next Project is in the works and people are needed again. Only the core members stay in the time between the hot phase of the game development.
VGChartz's Lee Mehr: "In one sense, it feels strange to even think Pieces Interactive had big shoes to fill with this series' legacy. Given what's come before, did it really? And yet, even when considering the last two flops over a two-decade span, there's still something about Alone in the Dark emblazoned on a title screen that carries a sense of revered history. In that respect, perhaps this reboot's best accomplishment is in honoring that spirit through its inventive world. It's also fair to emphasize knocks against its survival-horror design, some puzzle-solving, and so on; it certainly won't be considered a trendsetter like the 1992 classic. Still, the amount of goodwill wedded to its brighter qualities makes for something that dawdles the line between unfortunately-flawed and impressively-enticing."
The new Alone in the Dark remake doesn't do anything especially noteworthy, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just... cromulent.