The story begins with an excellent cinema. Edward Carnby, the supernatural detective, finds out that his best friend, Charles Fiske, has been found dead off a mysterious island off the coast of Maine, Shadow Island. Carnby's investigation quickly leads him to Fred Johnson who informs him of Fiske's search for the three ancient tablets which, when placed in a specific location, will unlock an incredible and dangerous power. Carnby accepts the mission to find and destroy the murderer of Fiske and avenge his death. It is on the flight to the island where Carnby meets up with Aline Cedrac who is interested in Indian anthropology.

The plane enters a storm and the passengers are forced to parachute down to the island. This is where our game starts proper. You are given the choice to play as Edward or Aline, each possessing their own storyline and gameplay details. Aline starts on the roof of a mansion, while Edward is outside on the perimeter. The two of them are in radio communication, and they will appear in each other's stories to provide information and hints to further progression. The two branches really go the extra mile to provide added reply to an otherwise single play genre.

The first thing you'll notice is how great the series looks on a next generation console. The environments are highly detailed as are the 3D character models. The protagonists animate relatively well. There are low points, such as when they start walking or turn while standing. Then there are the high points, like how the head turns while looking around with the flashlight. Ah yes, the flashlight is good. Not only is it a nice little lighting trick that makes the environments and setting feel more real, but it also allows you to see important items. This was achieved in Silent Hill 2 by having the character's head turn to look at the item, but in Alone in the Dark: TNN, when the flashlight comes across an item, it gleams. This makes hunting for treasure much less tedious than in other, similar series.

"On top of the creepy graphics, one must supply creepy music and sound effects," states the template for survival horror games. It's funny how sometimes that is over looked, but sound plays such a very important part in the genre. I'm happy to report that the sound effects and music are both very moody and help to build tension. After all, the tension is what needs to rise in order to scare someone. The dialog isn't half bad either. There is a fair bit of voice thrown in throughout the game, and outside of Edward (which I didn't care for), it was near professional sounding.

Outside of the flashlight, there really isn't anything new to report on. If you've ever played a survival horror game, then you can jump right in. This is the game's only real drawback. For instance, when you play the game as Edward, you start with a handgun. You have the obligatory status screen that lets you equip weapons, view/use items, and read through literature that you've found. You travel through the game looking for keys to locked doors or objects that will solve a puzzle, all the while fending off the evil and the undead. The fighting is somewhat awkward, but that's to be expected as long as the control stays the same. It seems that if you change the control scheme, as in Devil May Cry, then you've almost left the genre entirely. It's kind of a catch 22 in that regard.

The game does offer original and engaging puzzles with clever solutions, and the story is compelling enough to keep you pressing on. Even the long diary entries are highly readable, if you're into that kind of work. Lack of originality aside, this is still a good and highly playable game. Sure I prefer other types of control to this structure (either Parasite Eve or Devil May Cry for example), but I know a good creepy romp through a mansion when I see one. If you are a major fan or collector of survival horror games, then bump up the score on this one, but if you aren't into the whole Resident Evil thing, then Alone in the Dark: TNN won't be the one to change your views.