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After being whisked away to the past for the last couple games, Edward Carnby gets a taste of what supernatural beings in the 20th century must be like. Let me tell you, they are spookier than he’s ever encountered. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare brings more eerie surprises than the Resident Evil series could dream up. Aline Cedrac comes along for the ride, meeting up with Edward throughout this 2 disc affair, i.e. RE 2. Honestly folks, this game’s story works on its "jump factor" far more than its flesh-eating cousin. On the Playstation though, is this game still worth playing? The answer is still a big YES! AITD: The New Nightmare has enough graphical flair, intriguing storylines, and just down right creepiness, to make you forget this is being played on a 6 year old system. If you have the PC to run it, however, you’ll get a graphical powerhouse and the same great game. Visually AITD has some of the most spine-chilling environments found in any survivor horror title to date. The whole traditional haunted house feel gives a fresh spin on a somewhat old genre. Even more surprising is the amazing lighting effects which are sure to give the heeby geebies to even the most solidified backbone. Throw plenty of demonic creatures in the mix that lurk around corners, drop from the ceiling, or confidently wait in the open, and you have yourself the first game since Silent Hill to make you second guess looking around the corner.
To add to the shock factor is the engrossing soundtrack, the disturbing sound effects and a very solid effort in the voice and dialog department. The band Low Distortion Unit composed the musical tracks, but Stewart Copeland, who not only did some big movie soundtracks, but was also the former drummer of the Police, composed the end credits. Overall you’d being lying to yourself if you didn’t feel the least bit haunted by the audio displayed here. Controls will be a pick up and play affair for fans of the Resident Evil series. While some may find that style of game play a bit sluggish, I found few quirks in the whole maneuverability. Sadly, nothing new has been brought up in this department, and it may feel like a "been there, done that" type of game play after a while. Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare provides a lot of bang for the buck. Not only do you have a well told 2-disc storyline unique to each character, but also you have big plot twists and many puzzles to solve along the way. What makes the clues and puzzles so appealing is that they entangle and enhance the storyline as well. In the end you should have no quarrels playing throughout each character’s story, as the game is just that darn strange and enjoyable. All in all, if you need to get your survival horror fix before a new Resident Evil or Silent Hill 2 hits, you could do a whole heck of a lot worse than dig deep into this haunted house from hell. Welcome back Alone in the Dark, we missed you.
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