If not for poor controls, Alone in the Dark: Inferno would actually be a pretty awesome game.

User Rating: 6 | Alone in the Dark PS3
By newkillerstar27 | Review Date:
I played the demo of Alone in the Dark: Inferno off the PSN, and one problem stood out to me about it. That was the controls. Not only were they unresponsive at times, but they were unnecessarily complex for the tasks being performed. I had read somewhere that the actual game fixed these control problems, so I went out and bought the game only to find that it was the exact same controls. My guess is that they were referring to the 360 version, but despite that, Alone in the Dark actually can be a pretty good game if you can get past the clunky control system.

GAMEPLAY - This game, although not too refined, has a lot of variety as to how you can play it. You can do first person or third person, combine different weapons and items, and have a variety of different weapons at your disposal. However, most of the enemies only stay dead by fire or tons of gun shots. Thankfully this game is a survival horror game, and the amount of enemies you actually run into isn't very high compared to other games of the type. I think that makes enemy encounters in this game mean more, and the rest of this game is spent doing platforming and puzzle solving exercises. So yeah, this game actually succeeds with what it wants to do. The only downside, and believe me it is a big downside, is the control system. - 7.5/10

STORY - Not a lot is known about the story early on. Just that there are these fissures ripping into everything with possessed humans running around, and somehow you're the one who can stop it all. The story is actually pretty well done, if short. - 7.5/10

GRAPHICS - These graphics are really outdated for what should be expected on the PS3. The character models up close look like they're made out of wax or something. There are also very awkward animations that, unless executed correctly, make your character look like a giant dork who's leaping 6 feet into the air for nothing. - 5.5/10

SOUND - The voice acting isn't bad, but not outstanding. Most of the sound effects are unsatisfying. What really shines in this category is the music. 90% of the time you get some great background music to really set the mood for what's going on. The other 10% it just seems like overkill. The music is actually one of the better parts of this game, however. - 7.5/10

LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE - This isn't a very long game by any means, and the only replay value is to play through the story again since most of the trophies can be picked up as you go along. Even if you're not in this for the trophies, you can skip to any chapter you want at will from the very beginning. Personally, the control scheme is too much to make me want to play through more than once. This game feels more like a chore than something I'm actually enjoying, and I really hate the slow pace this game has also. - 2/10

BOTTOM LINE - This is a game that I would really only recommend to rent in most cases, because the controls really bring this game down in just about every way. Don't get me wrong, this game has a great story and sets a great mood, but it's not fun to play through at all. If anything, get your friend to struggle through this tug-of-war with the controls while you sit back and watch. At the very least, this is a fun horror movie experience put into a game. I just wouldn't want to be the one controlling the main character. - 6/10

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