It is the first time that i give 1 star for a game and i hope this is the last because i give money for them not copy as a lot of people do.
Where from can i start? The game is horrible! I have been waiting for months to play it, i pay it a lot of euros and i can't play it. Controls sucks! You can't run while you have the camera at 1st person because you dont have 3 hands to move the right analog and the "A" button! You cant "turn off the torch or shoot if there is an object because when you press button it ignores that you want to shoot a bad monster and eg. grab the object. When you are in the third person you cant move the camera!! The fighting system is also sucks! You take chairs, keyboards etc and you have to move the right stick with absolute way down to up, or left to right but most of the time you miss it and you do nothing. Also if you are in the middle of a fight you cant view your inventory as the game dont pause and you lose. Graphics are just OK, not great for the XBOX360 system. I give only 1 star because i cant play it and there is no 0 stars. I was trying 6 days because i pay for that but most of times i am in the middle of nothing eg. while i am driving the light goes absolutely dark and for 2 minutes i press random control keys to found that i am outside of the car. If you were a friend, i absolutely advice you to do not buy this.

When I first played the demo of this game on Xbox Live I was impressed - it was innovative and different and had a good atmosphere to it. A lot of work had obviously gone into making the environment realistic and engaging and the storyline seemed promising. And so I decided to ignore the harsh reviews it had received and give it a go. However, after a few hours spent plugging away at it last night, I can't help but feel a little disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, the game does have it's good points. As I said, the environment is very impressive and the terrified reactions of the NPCs as an unknown supernatural force takes hold of New York help to immerse you into the game world. Also, the ability to make use of items in the surroundings to defeat enemies in a number of creative ways steers the title away from becoming simply another generic monster-ridden shooter.

So why only give this game 2 stars then? In short, I believe it to be a fabulous concept which has been poorly executed. Edward (the game's foul-mouthed amnesiac hero) is slow and clumsy to control and this can become very frustrating, especially when you have several enemies in pursuit. The camera seems to have a mind of it's own and though the game gives you the option of first or third person view, there are points at which this option is taken away for one reason or another. Combine all this with an inventory which is, to say the very least, difficult to navigate and what you have is a game experience which, once the initial novelty has worn off, inevitably becomes irritating.

As I mentioned earlier, I have played this game only for a few hours so far and so it may be that in the later chapters it will redeem itself. But then, given the gameplay so far, can I really find the motivation to pop it back into my console and give it another whirl?

this game is probably one of the the best on the 360 great layout graphics and lighting the controls are great and the combat feels really realisticthis is for me a 10/10 game

It has outstanding graphics but it lacks a gripping story line. I tried on several occasions to play and get lost in the story, but I just ended up turing it off. Hugely dissapointing.

This is a good game which so far i have enjoyed.
The camera can be shoddy though which ive found as the only flaw so far.
Good lighting and graphics, amazing gameplay and the story is intriguing and gets you hooked.
I recommended this as a buy as it is a good steady game any gamer should own =]

Ever since the game was announced, along with all of it's awesome features and pioneering gameplay mechanics, the media and public elevated this game to a pedestal of incredible hype. Naturally, when a game like that finally arrives, it's never going to live up to that hype, and Alone in the Dark of course is one of those - What I can tell you, is that like any game, it's a flawed gem. If you stick with it through the odd flawed moment, then you'll find a rewarding and deeply immersive experience.

In this game, you follow the story of long time series protagonist, Edward Carnby. In a fusion of 1st Person and 3rd Person gameplay, you must save New York from the horrors and demons that are popping up from all over central park.

From the get go, this game screams one thing at you: EPIC. There are so many brilliant set-pieces (which I won't spoil), which see you climbing or running from your life from various creatures or hazards. The noises and soundtracks are fantastic and fit the bill perfectly, drawing you right into the tense story and action scenes that are offered to you.

The rest of the time, you will be solving environmental puzzles using your intuition and a selection of handy objects, driving around central park, eliminating some of the beasties, or fighting bosses. It's certainly an eclectic mix of gameplay, and the switches between always work really well, not just introducing a variety of gameplay skills to you, but constantly keeping the experience fresh and interesting.

One of the real hallowed features of this game is the chapter select, allowing you to skip bits that are "too hard", or too difficult. I would severly advise against this though. I'm not a hardcore gamer and I don't get to play often, but I managed it all, and found that sticking with a puzzle or a particularly difficult section was rewarding and incredibly satisfying - barely ever do you require trial and error, you just need to use your brain.

Which is where the frankly superb item combination and inventory system comes in. Throughout the game, Carnby's awesome leather jacket allows you to hold a gun and flashlight, 5 small items in the left side, and 4 bottle like / large items in the right. Whether it be for fights or to solve puzzles, you are continously encouraged to improvise with the little items you pick up around the environment and use them for survival. You can make petrol bombs, sticky bombs, flamethrowers, Glowstick bombs, fire bullets...anything you can imagine. Since many of the puzzles can be solved by more than one combination, it's up to you to experiment and use your brain. The system doesn't let you pause to do this, so it can be a bit clunky in the heat of combat, but a shortcut system allows you to store your favourite 4 combinations, and if you have materials handy, make them at the press of a button.

So now I've raved, I unfortunately have to come to the few flaws. My first is that sometimes, the game does not actually give you infinite items for a situation, so using your items inefficiently can get you stuck and you have to restart. The healing system is also good, but can be annoying if you have no bandages to hand (giving you 6 minutes to live). Chapters 8 and 9 also represent a bit of a dull time, where you have to drive around central park solving numerous puzzles in aid of burning roots, and this section is not just difficult, but a bit more boring that the rest of the game.

However, if you stick with the game past these few flaws you'll no doubt find a deep and enriching experience that is not just satisfying to play, but also fresh and new, and you know what? Atari deserve praise for trying to revive such a convoluted games market.

Wow what a game, better than just the usual shot em up`s. If you like resident evil games then this is you kind of game.You have to kill but there is also a bit of thought required at times.Is also good that you can not just blast things away and that be it. Will keep me going until the long awaited release of Resident Evil 5

The game is beautiful, the textures the lighting, and characters etc. the story is mediocre, the scripting is terrible!!! And is as wooden as the acting. The game physics are constructed to be as "realistic" as possible, however this prevents you from multi tasking ie: switching inventory item while running. Added to that the monsters are far more agile than it is possible for you to be. This is an action game, with a point and click adventure game lead character. It is difficult to give good points, the score is good, but repetitive, the variation on game play (driving, puzzles, shooters) is clever and consistent, but mired but the unconventional controls, and slow response times. The episodic structure is kitsch but not a reason to make a game. Who byes a game and doesn't finish it?!?!?!?

why 2 stars and not 1? it is the best game you will never play!

I liked this game thou it was spoiled by little things that prevented it getting that 4th star. The driving bits are anoyingly hard but i didnt find them particularly glitchy like other have described, ocasionly id get chucked miles by a tiny dip but not often. Controls are fiddly and the need for fire to kill any enemy sometimes leads u to be cheesing it when ud rather be hitting things with a shovel.
The TV series style story layout was genious. Each level acts as a episode and when loading a episode will trigger a 'previously on Alone in the Dark' video which shows the relevant or most exciting bits which i felt really gave the story depth and kept it fresh.
There are better games out there but for those of use that have played them all or horror mystery fans this is worth the play but mabey wait for it to become a bit cheaper.

Note: Always read reviews before buying or play the demo before buying games. I didn't and now I am the owner of this poor game.
Yes I will agree that it has nice cinematic scene's and the weapon combo is a good touch but this is all undone by the very annoying control layout and the poor playability which shows in the driving stages and I feel the epsiode structure was just added to cover over the poor playability.