ONCE AGAIN ALONE IN THE DARK
It all starts in a dark and stormy night ... The shady but experienced private detective Edward Carnby (33 years old, long hair blacks and trench Humphry Bogart) is hired by archaeologist Aline Cedrac (27 years old, red and a breathtaking body capable of ridicule the much-vaunted Lara Croft) to accompany her on Shadow Island. The goals are twofold: first, Aline wants to see three old stems, encrypted with the characters of the Indians Abkanis, the second is to test his theory that Professor Obed Morton, the owner of the island and stems, may be its unknown father, as she holds a picture of him with his missing mother.
During the trip, however, their plane is attacked by an unknown entity which also killed the pilot, and the two are forced to jump with a parachute, landing at two different points of Shadow Island.
It is at this point that we interact for the first time with the game, making what will be our most important choice: will prefer to wear long trench Edward Carnby, armed with a revolver with two barrels and two drums, or will opt instead for practical blue jeans Aline Cedrac in search of a truth far more complex than we think?
In any case, we will face the complex and intricate puzzles of the house of the accursed family Morton, Indian legends, a mysterious and centenary powwow with its legends, as well as several of the creatures of darkness born out of hell or a sick mind. In our help we will have only a flashlight, a walkie talkie with which we sometimes communicate with the other protagonist of the story and the many objects (including many weapons) that we will find our way. But otherwise we're alone ...
Alone in the Dark ...
ALONE IN THE DARK RESIDENT EVIL SILENT HILL
Many of us expected that this game came out on the market under the name of "Alone in the Dark 4", as there were already three other AITD in 1990, 1992 and 1995. The reason to get rid of the number in the title, except perhaps in the program files, I think has a name: Resident Evil. But let's start from the beginning ...
The first Alone in the Dark, released in 1990, was a small masterpiece for the first time the players were composed of polygons and moved in 3D. The high-resolution graphics and the use of texture were pure science fiction at the time, so the success of AITD was immediate. Less successful was its sequel in 1992, bringing almost no innovation in technical and while offering a storyboard less appealing. The third episode, tagged 1995, instead of the proposed massive graphical improvements, because it was enough to raise the esteem of the players against the "title" AITD.
For a while 'not spoken more, until it appeared on the first mythical Playstation Resident Evil, closely followed by two sequels RE2 and RE3-Nemesis, and the various Dino Crisis, Silent Hill and so on.
Only after this series of "clones", they would all have been called AITD followed by a serial number, it was decided to create the fourth episode of "official" AITD, and to do that you have chosen to use a graphics system and control, however, much closer to the three that the old RE AITD.
For this and other reasons (not least the possibility to choose between two main characters, something unthinkable at the time of the first three AITD) has chosen not to display the number in the title, adding only the word "The New Nightmare": the new nightmare.
I fully agree ...
GAME SYSTEM
The gameplay is exactly the same as that of Resident Evil: must guide their chosen character through the various locations killing or avoiding the blasphemous creatures you will meet and at the same time solving the puzzles of various kinds, but basically summarized in the canonical sentence "Use-Object-Just-In-Place-Right," while not missing some exceptions. One very important thing to note is that, unlike other games of this genre, the stories of the two protagonists are "parallel" there will be in the game, numerous references to the activities carried out by our virtual business partner, and sometimes we are called to "lend a hand" or to ask ourselves if we can not help coping with an intricate situation, there will be situations in which the two characters will meet for the sole purpose of exchanging objects, useful for the mutual research.
This implies that, although many locations are common, things to do will be completely different, and the same items to collect or interact with will be different, and the story will go in basically the same way, whether you're playing with Aline whether you're playing with Carnby. What to expect from certain, however, is at least a differentiation of the final ...
During the game, as mentioned, we will face some fighting, some are, so to speak, mandatory (so-called Boss, which if defeated will allow us to continue), but most you can groped to avoid. Also note that, ammunition permitting, it will be advisable to clean up the various rooms of their occupants uncomfortable, because very often you will find yourself to go over the same point, and a dead enemy, as you know, is an enemy that we are not wasting precious medkit. Sometimes, new monsters return to occupy rooms previously cleared, while others still have the nasty tendency to "respawnnare", that is to reappear even if you already killed.
The weapons at our disposal will be of the most varied kind: it will be the typical three-barreled revolver rifles, grenade launchers, flamethrowers and a thousand other things, to shotguns to lightning or something. The inventory is unlike RE, free: there is no restriction to the number of items, weapons or ammunition that you can carry around.
The bailouts are limited for each save will wear a "medallion rescue." The supply of medallions increases collecting them on the street, and playing without too much caution will prove to be more than enough (I got to the point that, with 20 saves, I still had 70 medallions spare ...). The only unpleasant thing is that the game will save the situation as it was when you entered the room in which you save: if there were monsters (and did you kill them) you will find them waiting for you, as you will have to re-trieve any objects just taken. To avoid the problem (it is definitely not a bug: it took!) Anyway just leave the room and re-enter before saving (... when possible or when there are no monsters that respawnnano ...).
WHAT TO SEE MY EYES
The game runs a hybrid graphics engine, that is formed by two-dimensional backdrops on which moving three-dimensional models. The backdrops are completely static: when the hero moves close to the edge, the frame will switch to the "frame" next. Same thing, if you properly start a door or a ladder.
The character models and monsters are all very well made and covered with highly detailed textures and high definition, only flaw: it lacks the movements of the faces. The resolution of the game, in fact, applies only to models: the backgrounds are always in 640x480 ... yet they are very well made, and this idea also allows PC owners do not properly "ninja" to play at high resolutions (up to 1600x1200) without any annoying delays (after all, only move the characters and monsters!)
To accomplish this, programmers have preferred to "snub" support Direct3D and OpenGL libraries work only.
As is well known, these libraries are performing better graphics, make sure it is supported by your video card, otherwise you can not play!
The best thing that distinguishes the graphics engine from that, very similar, RE is the fact that this will react very fluid and faithful exposition of some of its section in the light of the torch, making use of this tool to say lifeless, while creating a more "true" to "false" 3D environment. It is primarily this innovation to bring out this game from the scene of adventure.
WHAT MY EARS hear
The realization of the sound effects and excellent: shots, steps (different depending on the floor), verses of monsters, voiceovers (in English) and all the different sounds you will hear are recreated state of the art.
The music, though it is composed in MIDI good, in my opinion too: it is present throughout the game so to put it mildly obsessive, and just lowering the volume will be able to enjoy the rest of the sound, do not confuse it with the sounds rhythmic accompaniment. Too bad, would have been enough little music, but better treated and concentrated on certain key points, to give the whole look better ...
FIRST IMPRESSION, GAMEPLAY 'AND LONGEVITY'
I must say that the first impression I was a little 'disappointed at first glance, in fact, I could not figure out what the story (which also has some points in common between the various clich?) differentiate this title from the first RE. In addition, the fights start really prove challenging due to the small number of weapons and ammunition (part Aline totally unarmed!).
Going forward, however, I realized the beauty and innovation of the use of the torch that was nothing short of fascinating that the (beautiful) story go on according to the same events regardless of the character. The atmosphere of terror and tension, which only made me feel Undying after the first RE, is made in a way excellent, including monsters that appear out of nowhere behind us, noises heard through doors to empty rooms, cupboard doors that move by themselves, pictures that change appearance from dark to light, and so on.
In the end, I was long attached to the screen, determined more than ever to move forward to see what was behind the next door, and adirandomi with my stupidity when I could not solve that damn puzzle (and to think, almost always, the solution was in front of my eyes and I could not see it ...).
A game to finish and play again with the other character ... practically two games in one, to finish in succession or in parallel, depending on how preferred.
CONCLUSION
Who recommend this game? The answer is obvious: to all fans of the series AITD and RE. Not recommended, however, to those who dislike these titles: innovations are so few as not to constitute a very significant difference.
comment
In many ways, we are faced with a masterpiece! I do not say that the title "Alone in the Dark" is usurped, however, because at the beginning of the story will be "Alone in the Dark": I'm just saying that this game is more like Resident Evil than I remember the first AITD ... but here, at least, do not we talk about viruses and organizations unclean, but remains in the field of the paranormal. However, this is a product of high technical and storyboard. I highly recommend it to all lovers of this kind of game and the general horror.
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