GC 2008: Alone in the Dark PS3 Hands-On

Earlier today, while visiting the Atari booth at this year's Games Convention in Leipzig, we had an opportunity to meet with members of the development team that's working on the PlayStation 3 version of Alone in the Dark. The Xbox 360 version of the game that was released in June had some flaws that prevented it from realizing its full potential. The good news for PS3 owners is that the team at Eden Studios has paid close attention to all of the feedback in reviews and in forums and has spent the past three months making some significant improvements.

The most immediately apparent change to the PS3 game is the camera, which on the Xbox 360 defaulted to a position looking over the protagonist Edward Carnby's shoulder. On the PS3 you'll play from a more traditional third-person perspective, with the camera pulled further back and Carnby always in the center of the screen. You can also move the camera manually with the right analog stick now, so the end result is that you're afforded a much better feel for your surroundings at all times. Pushing the right analog stick in will let you look behind Edward--a feature that you'll be familiar with if you've played any of the recent Grand Theft Auto games.

Now, if you're familiar with the Xbox 360 version of Alone in the Dark you're probably wondering how the right analog stick can be used for both combat and camera control. The answer is that holding the L2 trigger, which is normally used to lock on to targeted enemies, disables camera control, and lets you use the right stick for combat and item use.

One of the biggest complaints leveled at the Xbox 360 game was that Carnby moved and turned too slowly. After spending a little time with the PS3 game we can confirm that's no longer the case. Without wishing to give too many nods to the superb GTAIV, Carnby now controls a lot like that game's Niko Bellic. Your movement speed is determined by how far you move the analog stick rather than using a button to alternate between running and walking, and you can run around in circles on the spot if you want to now that Carnby's turning radius is less tanklike.

The improvements don't end there. One of Alone in the Dark's most unique features on the Xbox 360 was its inventory system, which switched the camera to a first-person perspective as Carnby looked down at and reached into his jacket's numerous pockets. That's still true on the PS3, but now you can select items simply by flicking the D pad to move from one to the next rather than having to move a cursor around and target the items you want to use. Combining items to make new ones will also be easier on the PS3, because you don't need to select the ingredient items in a specific order anymore. Any items that you no longer need can be dropped from your inventory instantly, and you'll no longer have to concern yourself with carrying batteries around for the flashlight because it never needs them.

That about wraps it up as far as the control improvements go when you're on foot. The driving sequences have also benefited from some attention, though, and to paraphrase one of the developers that we met with, the car no longer handles like a box. The vehicle that we took for a test drive during today's meeting had independent suspension on all four wheels that made it feel much more responsive, and our female passenger (who was no help at all on the Xbox 360) was yelling directions at us, which made navigating what was left of the New York streets much easier.

Before our meeting was over, we had time to take a quick look at a new action sequence that's being shoehorned into Alone in the Dark's sixth act. It involves a subway train, a large enemy, and lots of explosives--we'll say no more about it for now, for fear of spoiling it for you.

Answering a few of our questions, the developer confirmed that Alone in the Dark for the PS3 will not support trophies when it's released, but that it hasn't ruled out the possibility of patching them in at a later date. If you're an Xbox 360 owner, you might also be interested to know that some of the PS3 improvements might be headed to the Xbox 360 game via a patch as well, though the upgrade might be limited to just making Carnby faster and more agile.

Alone in the Dark is currently scheduled for release on the PS3 in November. We'll bring you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.