Alone in the dark on 360 [Archive]

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theman

18-06-2008, 23:08

I have to say its a disgrace - the driving scene is AWFUL - the camera angles and the functionality of the game is terrible - you should have NEVER allowed this game to get to a stage of such disgrace you took an amazing game and totally destroyed it.

The driving is pathetic - i mean did you even have a proper QA Tester for this game? If so - **Tip Of The Day** Drag him/her/them outside and line them up and shoot them all as i can not believe you will alone a game to go gold and its in this state - for god sake you seriously need to make this game budget already.

The action is linear - the talking aspect to the game well lets just say - its like watch someone read from a cue card with a speach problem. Music is corny i mean did you lot not realise that children of the corn is over?

No wonder people are giving this game a terrible rating and it really does deserve this.

Also you can lock this thread do whatever you wish but by god is this game getting sent back and i WILL make it my job to make the gaming community know about this piece of useless trash known on every gaming board im on from N4G to CVG as you really cant expect payment for it - tbh i want to be payed to play it as its that bad.

Sort your QA and designers right out as my god is the camera angel terrible and the entites that is implemented into the game well there awful lol.

Men and women with a scare omg - come on whats that about?

Atari no wonder the Jaguar failed miserably when you have this sort of vision.

balthazaer

18-06-2008, 23:18

dude, you fail @ flaming.

First of all the driving scene was hard but didn't had anything to do with the camera.
Second the music is not cory, it fits!

The voiceacting good be a bit betteri agree, but the story, the scenery and the action makes up for that minor flaw.

I am playing AITD on the pc, and i freaking love it!
The only thing i dislike is what i adressed in the previous post and that's the random black screens with no apparent cause.

To say this game sucks, show's what console users want, they want simple, with mindblowing graphics and no story.

I'm sorry m8, but i totaly disagree AITD is a great game!

theman

18-06-2008, 23:37

ROFL

1. Camera Angles
2. Random movement to move you into sinked postions
3. Driving is NOT good at all - no direction shown, there is even a stage were you have to guess were to go.
4. Voice overs OMG
5. Stupid cut scenes which are awfully dialoged

Also to say that console gamers want mindblowing graphics is BS - MGS4 and GTA4 rules and they have all the best aspects of gaming and please dont try and say they dont as your a pc fan.

I also play wow and AoC - so i aint no console fanboy - like you are a to PC's

Im here because i payed for the game and entitled to say what i think and what alot of other people believe as well.

But its still going back and no more Atari games for me as they make way to many mistakes for my liking and obviously many others

tenebra

19-06-2008, 00:10

Hi theman. I'm a bit perplexed about your comments - corny music? I think it was all over the trailers, the soundtrack shouldn't really come as a surprise.

It's not a driving game, the driving is really an option, not a main feature.
When you have a story, the action necessarily has to be linear...I think? Open to discussion. If you are telling a story, you have to control the camera or you give people a chance to see the story from a different angle, which makes the story different.

What do you think about gameplay? Do you think the physics are innovative?

defiant1337

19-06-2008, 12:43

I have to agree with everything theman has said thus far. The game is horrible to play in regards to the control system, camera angles and the driving scene is a ruddy joke for a Alone In The Dark series game. This isn’t GTA and yet the programmers have tried to be funny by putting this in the game and unless you know exactly where you should be (in the dark) you have to keep on starting the scene over and over again. Now do the programmers think it would be fun to folk out £30/£40 a game to go through this rubbish all the time?

I know the staff will of course stick up for the game but I think they know the reviews are going to slate this game

theman

19-06-2008, 13:03

The QA Testing should have easy picked this up as with the driving aspect you have MASSIVE collision detection problems.

The Lead designer surley should have noticed these floors ? i mean this game had so much promise - and its broken and now im very very disappointed and if this is what you can do to an amazing brand - well god help future games projects.

But i and the person who agree's with me, know that you will have the fanboy's and the mods trying to basically say im wrong - sorry im not its plain and simple to see.

Im going to if i can finish this game and then if i get time with things i need to do in RL - i will create a blog about bad games and how they are bad and allow a section for people to put in there opinion's on were it went wrong and i will use this game as the starting point to it.

Im deeply disappointed tbh. You even took an idea from resident evil and broke that (first aid cans). So many underlying factors that are soooo wrong for a game its unreal tbh :(

kalniel

19-06-2008, 13:17

Thanks for the feedback - but can I point out a few things? Saying a game is broken is not the same thing as saying the game has awkward contols, annoying camera angles and a hard driving section. Broken indicates that it's not possible to play, and is something that would be picked up by QA. More subjective measures such as the things I think you are talking about are harder to pick up, and in some ways will only come to light when the game is released.

I'm not making any excuses for it of course - if you don't enjoy the game then that's disappointing, and giving your feedback into the elements that you don't enjoy is useful both for the developers and for other people reading the forums.

But your feedback is more helpful if you don't keep repeating it, and if you keep it accurate rather than using phrases like 'broken'.

Cheers,

kalniel.

PS, it's 'flaws' not 'floors' ;)

theman

19-06-2008, 13:27

Hey you can point out all the spelling mistakes you like but its simple as this.

The game is sad and i will enjoy show the gaming community just how bad it truely is.

Anyway one thing i have always learn't from using forums Moderators always have a big voice and can shout the loudest.

No point carrying this on - have fun with this game Atari - you have finally created something equal in level to the Jaguar were you suckered us all in with the tech talk and never delivered on that either.

You took a great brand and mad a mess of it - role on Silent Hill / Resident Evil 5, as they will deliever as long as atari dont have any impact on them it seems.

kalniel

19-06-2008, 13:32

Well you see from where I am it just looks like you're not actually interesting in providing helpful feedback, and you just want rant about the game repeatedly. That's not showing the gaming community anything helpful. But anyway, we've got your point, please don't disrupt the forum experience for other people by spamming it.

theman

19-06-2008, 13:49

[mod edit]Please read the forum rules.

Enkeixpress

19-06-2008, 13:58

defiant1337

19-06-2008, 14:35

This guy is obviously a troll. dark:

I also dared to give negative feed back therefore I must be a troll too in your warped little mind. Atari are in debt for a reason and this game isn't going to help when the programmers have decided to wind people up rather than give them enjoyable game play!

Ps theman the Jaguar wasn't this Atari's creation. A French company bought the Atari name a few years back, yep say no more.

kalniel

19-06-2008, 14:52

Easy guys please.

There's a difference between respectfully expressing negative opinions and trolling. Theman crossed that line (certainly in the post I edited), but there's no need for anyone else to.

It's also worth doing some research before bandying about 'Atari debt' as you'll find Atari Inc had nothing to do with the developers of this game.

burgessjw

19-06-2008, 14:56

hey moderator guys, can you give this thread a rest and answer my question maybe on the other post??? im not a troll, i actually want to play the game i am just confused on why i cant preload the game yet??

release_15

19-06-2008, 15:33

It all depends on whether or not the game feels broken, or just demands a certain style of play. If killing enemies is plain frustrating rather than challenging, and the controls are rigid and hit 'n miss instead of adapted to the gameplay, then Alone In The Dark has a serious problem.

I'm still rather optimistic about it. Granted, I'm concerned about the camera and movement. In fact, I've always been concerned about them. Turning and seeing where you're going should always be core aspect of the gameplay. How are they going to do that with the right stick assigned to be a Wiimote replacement? Without a decent camera and responsive controls, a game can be as ambitious and layered as it wants to be, but it will never evoke a satisfactory sense of fun. If your character controls like a truck, your game's a bust. But here's the thing: They've worked 4.5 years on this game. Surely they must have considered the controls and responsiveness at some point during that impressively long development cycle. Reviewers tend to blow through a game in a day or less, sometimes that's just a requisite of their deadline. Perhaps Eurogamer and X360 Magazine didn't have time to get used to the controls. Granted, that still makes them sorta flawed, since a game should, first and foremost, control well to be fun to play.

So here's the 80 Euro question for me: Will I get used to it after a few hours of play, or will it continue to hamper my enjoyment, even after a week of playing it? It is fundamentally broken, or does it just have a very steep learning curve? Because the latter, I can handle. I usually spend a week on my first playthrough anyway. Assassin's Creed, BioShock... I like to explore. I like to get a feel for the game. I don't rush through it. I couldn't care less about the graphics. They look extremely impressive, regardless of a few minor flaws. The voice acting isn't the best in the business, but I don't have a single problem with it. It's convincing enough for me to suspend my disbelief.

But will the controls hamper the gameplay in an irredeemable way, or will they require a different mode of play? I've always been a cautious gamer, and I've never considered fiddling with my inventory in the heat of battle (Although I would have appreciated it if they'd given us an option to pause the game while doing so. Immersion is not just about doing away with unrealistic menus, since games and movies are surreal to begin with. It's also about functionality and avoiding frustration. In that sense, most of AitD's design decisions have always been controversial in nature. There are just so many pros and cons to its gameplay aspects.)

It's clear to me that "theman" is very unforgiving when it comes to the gameplay. His frustration can very well be rooted in truth, but his refusal to adapt to the gameplay is not to be underestimated. Nevertheless, judging from the early reviews, he does have a solid point. I'd like to point out a review from my country. It's in Dutch, and it's fairly concise.

http://www.9lives.be/gamereview/111983/alone-in-the-dark

As you can see, they've given the game 87%, which is excellent, but bear in mind that the guy reviewing it is quite forgiving, judging from his previous scores. He also notes the control issues, but doesn't consider them broken or frustrating enough to hamper the gameplay in an overly significant way, and says they're easily redeemed by everything the game gets right. Graphics, sound, physics, overall gameplay are said to be innovative and very enjoyable. It's a by-the-numbers review with no real depth to it, at least not to us, since most of us already know what the game is about, how it will control, what makes it stand out, etc. The key part is that he doesn't consider the gameplay beyond redemption, but ambitious and occasionally flawed.

So the question remains: how forgiving is the gameplay, and how forgiving are the people playing it? I've deduced that AitD might be well on its way to becoming a love-it-or-hate-it game, depending on your standard gaming disposition, your patience, your approach to horror games, and your willingness to forgive. I've always considered AitD a slower-paced, more adventure-style game that forces you to weigh your actions before rushing into the next room. But what happens when you're faced with a group of vicious enemies? Is the gameplay balanced enough to allow you to take them out after a careful assessment of the situation? Or does it end up ruining your experience, seeing as no action you choose, no amount of planning you've made will benefit the coming scenario? That's the question, and unfortunately, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out the answer. Anyone willing to give an earlier assessment of the gameplay has my thanks. I've been looking forward to this game for a while now, and like Assassin's Creed, it seems to have its share of flaws. But nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed AC regardless of the monotony. And Eurogamer wasn't overly kind to that game either.

I can get used to questionable controls, as long as they don't unbalance the entire gameplay.

vIoleNt_G

20-06-2008, 10:47

I agree with Theman, but only on one thing the dirving section, yes it is frustrating and there are a few problems but not enough to stop me enjoying this game.
to say the game is linear, well what do you expect from a classic adventure horror game? to go off down the street to the nearest club and dance with loads of hot women? :P (joke)

In my opinion games are becoming more and complex (creating and developing) and with that you will get more problems.
Which is OK by me, i dont want the Bug free (possibly?) times of doom and Mario, been there done that :P

I Say good Job Eden and Atari

defiant1337

20-06-2008, 14:43

Looks like one of the biggest gamesites agree's with us

http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/aloneinthedark/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabs&tag=tabs;reviews

What were the dev team doing for the 2yrs this was being made ?

kalniel

20-06-2008, 14:58

Looks like one of the biggest gamesites agree's with us

What do you mean? Gamespot haven't even reviewed it yet, the user score you link to is something like 9.3 out of 10!

vIoleNt_G

20-06-2008, 15:01

while the site gives it a good, not the Disgrace the op gave it.
while it does have its bugs and problems, some of which sould of been picked up through testing and 7/10 in my view is a decent score.
and yes the Driving scene is the most frustrating part of any game ive played (and ive played a few, must of tried over 100 times) but its still a good game IMO, and thats what it all boils down to opinions.
What were the dev team doing for the 2yrs this was being made ?

While i have no answer to that, im pretty sure they've been working hard on this and its easy to miss the most obvious flaws / mistake when you've been working on a game / project that long

P.S i dread to think what the Elusive Duke nukem forever will be like, with over 10 yrs in the making :P

defiant1337

20-06-2008, 15:16

What do you mean? Gamespot haven't even reviewed it yet, the user score you link to is something like 9.3 out of 10!

Did you have problems reading this bit "This game is a great and scary game BUT there is a problem and that is the camera"

defiant1337

20-06-2008, 15:19

while it does have its bugs and problems, some of which sould of been picked up through testing and 7/10 in my view is a decent score.
and yes the Driving scene is the most frustrating part of any game ive played (and ive played a few, must of tried over 100 times) but its still a good game IMO, and thats what it all boils down to opinions.

It was nothing what so ever to do with Alone In The Dark. The Dev Team could have only put that rubbish in the game to wind people up because you have to keep starting from the very beginning each time you crash which is easily done with that mess.

On another note I can say the game does actually start feeling much more like an Alone in the dark game after you get into the park which is the only reason I haven't binned it yet

vIoleNt_G

20-06-2008, 15:25

It was nothing what so ever to do with Alone In The Dark. The Dev Team could have only put that rubbish in the game to wind people up because you have to keep starting from the very beginning each time you crash which is easily done with that mess.

On another note I can say the game does actually start feeling much more like an Alone in the dark game after you get into the park which is the only reason I haven't binned it yet

i did have the feeling that they put they driving section in to Lengthen "gameplay", which to me is a cop out hence me agreeing with the 7/10 (10 -1 for camera -2 for driving section) so ok my score is for only part of the game but i may recorrect it once ive finished it (if i finish it :P)

kalniel

20-06-2008, 15:31

Did you have problems reading this bit "This game is a great and scary game BUT there is a problem and that is the camera"
Where do Gamespot say that? Maybe my page is out of date or something. I can only see a player saying that as a comment, not a big gamesite.

defiant1337

20-06-2008, 15:34

Where do Gamespot say that? Maybe my page is out of date or something. I can only see a player saying that as a comment, not a big gamesite.

Well okay as you are the mod (clearly biased) we'll wait to see what Gamespot themselves say shall we because you seem to think it will be good :laugh: I have to say I'm a little surprised because I'd have kept stum in your position

vIoleNt_G

20-06-2008, 15:35

Where do Gamespot say that? Maybe my page is out of date or something. I can only see a player saying that as a comment, not a big gamesite.

i believe its the critic score, but dont hold me to that

kalniel

20-06-2008, 15:36

Well okay as you are the mod (clearly biased) we'll wait to see what Gamespot themselves say shall we because you seem to think it will be good :laugh:

I've no idea what they will say, but I think it's a bit off if you're trying to pass off the comments of a user as that of a major gaming site. I could sign up and say 'This is the best game ever' but would you then say that one of the biggest game sites thinks it's the best game ever? :nuts:

I don't know what the final game is like yet, I've not played it. And as I said before I think all feedback is good, as long as it's accurate.

vIoleNt_G

20-06-2008, 15:38

ok i looked in to gamespot and its one for the xbox world magazine and one for eurogamer so i dont know if gamespot reviewed it yet

Fred_DM

20-06-2008, 16:38

kalniel

20-06-2008, 18:27

well gamespot obviously haven't reviewed it yet or you could click on the "review" tab :rolleyes:.

i'm kinda surprised that the driving part is so frequently criticised. i thought with Eden's background (Test Drive Unlimited) at least the driving would be decent. weird.

It sounds like there's one driving scene in particular that's frustrating simply due to difficulty/trial and error factor. I think I know the one they mean because I remember the product manager at Atari failing to complete that section during the demo. At the time we just thought he was rubbish but maybe not :nuts:

I think the more open driving outside of this section is probably fine.

banksrob

20-06-2008, 21:56

well i think the game is awsome in my opinion sure it has a few bugs in plaes however thease can be patched up. Plus gamespot suck and are completly bias, OXM.co.uk review it 8.0/10 which is a pretty decent score, read a real review then make ur mind up.

release_15

21-06-2008, 16:14

I agree with the 7's. I even understand the 6's. Personally, I wouldn't feel able to justify an 8, given the game's various problems. However, it's ambitious, it's unique, and it's worth playing for just about anyone. There just isn't anything else quite like it out there. I don't regret my purchase in the least, but I do regret its lack of polish, which is prevalent in just about every aspect of the gameplay. It feels broken in many, many ways, but it's still immensely enjoyable. It would be a shame for it to be labeled a failure and for the franchise to end up axed, since the fire / object manipulation / setpiece sections / lighting / episodic structure aspects are picture perfect examples of what modern gaming needs: innovation and the guts to divert from stereotypical game development.

vIoleNt_G

21-06-2008, 17:41

Well i suppose it boils down to personal views of the game, one mans enjoyment is anothers torture or something like that..

well we can expect the Uwe Boll sequel next year or so :cry::cry::cry::laugh: