I recently picked up a copy of Alone in the Dark and to my surprise I have found it quite entertaining. Before the games release in June I actually had anticipated it’s release for two reason - survival horror is one of my favorite genres (the original 1992 release invented the genre) and I really enjoyed Eden Games last release (Test Drive: Unlimited). Of course my expectations diminished greatly after reading the mostly mediocre and negative reviews that rolled in. If you were like me you may have missed out on a great game.

Atari released Alone in the Dark on multiple platforms - Wii, 360 and PC (with a PS3 version due later this year) so please keep in mind the following are my impressions of the Xbox 360 version.

The game has a medium learning curve and except for a few times early in the game while I was getting the hang of it, I actually found the controls for each mode of play to be intuitive and well thought out for the most part. You might consider them quirky since some of the actions are unique to this title. I recall the classic Alone in the Dark forced you to use the keyboard and I remember that I preferred to use a joystick or gamepad for control, but once I familiarized myself with the controls they actually worked surprisingly well.

I found the variety of gameplay elements to be well done - I like the realistic physics and detailed character interactions. Eden introduces a unique inventory system that allows you to access your inventory without pausing the game. Thankfully you can combine items in logical ways and having to manage the limited space inside your jacket does make it more realistic. Keeping Edward from bleeding to death by spraying medicine to areas injured and having to apply bandages made certain parts of the game quite intense. Action sequences played well and I liked how the camera switches to over the shoulder Resident Evil 4 style when you fire your gun.

The driving in the game was a bit of a disappointment. The instruments on the dashboard surprisingly didn’t function while driving and the segments themselves were quite linear.

The characters voice acting quality varies widely, but for a video game is adequate. I also found the story to be pretty good - not nearly as good as the originals Lovecraftian goodness but certainly comparable to the typical Silent Hill and Resident Evil fare. I also noticed that those who observed me playing the game appreciated the recap of key events and liked how when I finished an episode it was like it they were watching a show on TV.

I didn’t skip any sections via the DVD style index that turns each level into a episodes split into evenly spaced sections although I was very tempted to during a couple of the segments. Having this option available makes the game even more accessible and should help lower frustration levels for most and is a welcome feature.

Nintendo, hey Nintendo! It’s me. GlossGreen. Remember me? We used to play together as kids. Remember the time we used to play Zelda? No? How about Metroid? You don’t remember that either? I know, it was a long time ago, but you seem different these days. It seems like you’re trying to be someone else these days. What happened to you? I remember first meeting you way back in grade school. You were there to pick up the pieces after the whole Atari thing. Damn E.T., why did it have to be that bad? Luckily, you were there to swoop in and pick up the pieces. Seeing you in the store for the first time, I think it was a Sears, I remember being excited (as only a grade schooler could). I used to spend hours looking at the box art of games, heck, I even thought R.O.B. looked cool. I know, I was young and didn’t know better. Playing the games were great, I could actually tell the difference between my character and a rock. That was a huge improvement over the other guys stuff. We spent hours and hours having fun, and then things got better.

A few years later, you got a slight bit more mature and grew a tad bit bigger. You got smarter and became able to do some pretty cool things. Zelda looked better, Mario could do more things, and Samus had more toys. Those were the good old days, some say the best. I have many good memories playing through those years, but changes were on the wind. A new media for games was on the horizon and you tried to join in. CDs were going to be the next big thing for games. They were cheaper, had more storage, and hell, people just thought they were cool. Too bad you made the wrong choice.

I still stuck by you…for a while. I didn’t care that you still used cartridges while the other systems started using CDs. You still had some great games. All the usual suspects were there, and some new ones too. I spent many, many hours playing Rogue Squadron, my favorite Star Wars game to date. Unfortunately, all was not well. At the time, I was starting a family and had a job that didn’t pay so well, and there in lies the rub. New games for you ended up costing nearly $70. I couldn’t believe it. Why the heck were you so expensive? I know things weren’t going well for you against your former partner, but did you really have to cost so damn much? Were you trying to alienate all your friends? Let me tell you, price gauging is not cool. After that things got worse.

I didn’t even recognize you the next time you hit the spotlight. You went from a cherished family friend to…a toy. That’s what I thought. Sure, Resident Evil looked pretty good, but a cube shape? With a handle? Let’s get one thing straight, you were not a portable system. The handle was just stupid. What really got me was the fact that you didn’t learn your lesson from the last time. Hello, remember the CD fiasco? Anyone? Why the miniature discs? That’s just like a racehorse on the track with a broken leg. You can get some mileage out of it, but it won’t go far. I an not ashamed to admit that I turned my back on you then. I thought you’d be done for sure.

Revolution. Now that was a cool name and it showed that you were going to try something new. I was interested, even though I’d sworn you off the last time. You had some big plans and ideas that really impressed me. But you let me down again. What did you choose instead? Wii. What the hell were you thinking? Underwhelming hardware with a stupid name. Looking back at it now, I’d say you were in it for the money. Go cheap with the hardware and take advantage of everyone with garbage software. Even with the occassional Mario, Zelda, or Metroid game you have still lost me. I know you are making money hand over fist these days, but let’s be honest. How long do you think this can possibly last? I can see it now, death by shovelware. With games like Gingerbread Man, who needs enemies?

Things aren’t over yet, I know you are only half way into your second year and there is still plenty of time to fix things. First, get quality back. Remember the Nintendo Seal of Quality? I took heart knowing that you actually looked at the games that developers were trying to get on your system. Sure, the occassional bad game made it through, but nothing like the old 2600 days. Nothing like an E.T. to be seen. Second, get some games that people like me would actually play. Wii Sports? No. Cooking Mama? Hell no. Ging…Stop right there. You see my point? Remember the old days. Strive for excellent, fun games. Don’t just do it because you can. I know Nintendo could slap the Wii name on a rock and sell millions of them, but it doesn’t mean they should.

In this week’s Sessler’s Soapbox, Adam previews the highly anticipated co-op FPS title ‘Left 4 Dead’ from Valve.

Adam addresses the issue of racist and homophobic comments that are seemingly running rampant on Xbox Live. The Sess is asking anyone who feels this behavior to be appropriate to write in and let him know why he or she thinks so.

This week, Adam explores the movement for video games to tell their stories in episodic segments, much like a season of a television show.

This week, Sessler talks about the game that is so addictive, it made him put down GTA IV. That’s right; it’s Boom Blox for the Wii.

In this Special Edition of Sessler’s Soapbox, Adam addresses some factual errors made by Jack Thompson during Talk of the Nation on NPR on May 1, 2008.

When the Wii first hit shelves in November of 2006, everyone was excited about the door of motion control that had just been opened. According to the commercials we saw leading up to that holiday season, the possibilities seemed endless.

Now, we’re a year and half in and it seems that aside from Nintendo, developers seemed to have been more interested in wedging in motion-controlled moments to otherwise conventional videogames rather than trying to get the heart of what the Wii can actually do. Well, that’s why WiiWare is here, and that’s what’s got Adam excited in this week’s Sessler’s Soapbox.

No doubt some of you read about the recent controversy regarding Newsweek columnist N’Gai Croal’s statements regarding the trailer for Resident Evil 5.

Well, in this week’s Sessler’s Soapbox, Adam’s got something to say on the issue.

Last week, X-Play reviewed Crisis Core for the PSP and, well, apparently the review generated a little controversy amongst fans of the show and the Final Fantasy franchise. In this week’s Sessler’s Soapbox, Adam takes on his critics and explains why he gets so worked up about being accused of “not being in line with other reviewers.” 

Read the rest of this page »