The announcement about the changes was made during the Leipzig Games Convention this year. Following that, Strategy Informer managed to get some 1 on 1 time with some guys from Eden Games and they told us about the various changes that are coming to Alone in the Dark.
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First of all, most if not all of these changes are technical. The main story has been left the same, and none of the cut-scenes have been altered. The only real change on this front is the addition of an extra action sequence in Episode 6 which the developers felt would make it more exciting and cinematic. The rest of the changes deal with the way the game plays, and how some of the game mechanics are managed.
The biggest of these changes, the one that all the fans have been waiting for, is the camera. Before hand, the camera was managed by an AI similar to what Silicon Knights did with Too Human. This proved to be very unpopular with the players, as the camera often did weird and unexpected things, especially when it came to corners and tight spaces. This frustrated gameplay, and seemed to be one of the major criticisms in the reviews. From now on, gamers will be given more freedom, and the camera will now be player controlled. One of the thumb sticks will now give full 360 degree camera control, and even the first person mode will be tweaked so that it is less frustrating.
The inventory system has also been given a major overhaul. For starters, the game pauses whenever you 'open your jacket', making things slightly easier, especially if someone needed to make changes in a hurry. Combining objects has also been made easier and more intuitive, and has been mapped solely to the d-pad control wise for ease of movement.
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There have been several other tweaks as well, like a general fine-tuning of the controls and handling, including automatic running and other tweaks that Eden hope will make the game more immersive. The flashlight always being on, there are more checkpoints, some enemies are now easier to kill and Eden have re-tuned item generation and re-jigged car handling. The tutorials have also been improved to give players that extra bit of guidance and help.
Whilst we are on the subject of cars, Eden are reporting that the '59th Street' car chase level has also been revamped, with tweaked difficulty settings, added checkpoints and clear voice directions from Sarah. This is also good news, as that level is one of the more breathtaking sequences in the game that was also ruined by less then perfect handling.
These are just the main changes released by Atari. There are probably a few more minor or inconsequential changes that have been made to the code, but Eden has made sure that they've listened to the player feedback. Atari are probably hoping that these tweaks will improve on the overall dismal reception the other versions received. Even Strategy Informer's own Marco Fiori gave the game a 6/10. It's unfortunate, because almost everyone agreed that this game had one amazing story, which was spoiled by the technical difficulties.
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Although the PS3 version will not be coming with trophy support, and Eden Games will not even consider it for the future, which is a shame. It's unlikely that this will hinder the game in any way, but it would have been an extra dimension to the gameplay, so it remains to be seen how PlayStation owners react to this.
On the bright side, the developers have speculated that the more technical changes could be patched over to the 360 version, although it won't include the added cut-scene. Hopefully these changes will prove to be well implemented and thought out, and not simply a last ditch effort to up review scores. Consideration to fans who own the 360 version is always a good sign though. Stay tuned.
