Alone in the Dark 4: The New Nightmare
Front Cover
Medium:
GD ROM
Release Date:
9/28/2001
Date Imported:
4/24/2006
List Price:
$39.99
Publisher:
Atari
Studio:
Atari
Label:
Atari
ESRB Age Rating:
Mature
Platform:
Sega Dreamcast
EAN:
0020295150112
UPC:
020295150112
Description:

Amazon.com Review The fourth installment in the series that created the survival-horror genre, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare doesn't quite live up to its legacy, as it more often than not resembles a shoddy knockoff of the franchise that has since defined the genre, Resident Evil.

You can play The New Nightmare as either Edward Carnby, a paranormal private investigator and poster boy for the series, or Aline Cedrac, a college professor and requisite video game babe. As in Resident Evil 2, the protagonists cross paths but have separate adventures within the main story, which, in this case, involves evil supernatural forces at work on the appropriately (but unimaginatively) named Shadow Island.

Although The New Nightmare uses the genre-standard, third-person, fixed-camera viewpoint, it adds a twist by bathing most of its detailed, predrawn 3-D backgrounds in darkness, and then equipping the player with a controllable flashlight. Not only does this create some rather impressive lighting effects, but it also heightens the sense of fear that is further fueled by the game's ominous music and sounds.

Unfortunately, the rest of The New Nightmare isn't very inspired. Its underdeveloped controls are on par with the first Resident Evil, which might not be so bad if not for that fact that this combat-light game has you tediously running around looking for keys to match its many nondescript locked doors, as well as trying to find solutions to vague puzzles that all too often leave you in the dark. --Joe Hon --The text of this review refers to the PlayStation version of the game.

Pros:

  • Play as either of two protagonists, each in a separate adventure
  • Impressive lighting effects
  • Effectively ominous music and sounds
Cons:
  • Awkward viewpoints
  • Clumsy, underdeveloped controls
  • Gameplay is more often tedious than challenging

Amazon.com Product Description Edward Carnby, detective of the supernatural, returns to investigate the death of his best friend, Charles Fiske, whose body was found in the waters of amysterious island off the coast of Maine. Carnby's investigation quicklyleads him to his friend's search for three ancient tablets, which, whenplaced in a specific location, will unlock an incredible and dangerouspower. Armed with a flashlight and a pistol, Carnby must find the necessaryitems to survive as well as the clues that will help him escape hisultimate nightmare.

Alone in the Dark 4: The New Nightmare carries on the survival-horror series tradition of intense action and suspensefuladventure. Within its dark and strange atmosphere, conventional rules donot apply. The player must overcome his natural fear of the dark unknownand control Edward Carnby through the game's deep storyline.