Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
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| Alone in the Dark 4: The New Nightmare | |
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 PC version cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Darkworks Spiral House (PC & PS2) Pocket Studios (Game Boy Color) |
| Publisher(s) | Infogrames |
| Series | Alone in the Dark |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color |
| Release date | March 30, 2001: GBC May 15, 2001: WIN June 27, 2001: PS1, DC 2001: PS2 |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror, Action Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ELSPA: 15+ ESRB: M ESRB: T (GBC) OFLC: MA15+ OFLC: G8+ (GBC) |
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is the fourth installment of the survival horror video game series Alone in the Dark created by Darkworks and published by Infogrames. The game was released on several platforms including Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Color. It was followed by Alone in the Dark.
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[edit] Plot
Edward Carnby's best friend, Charles Fiske, has been found dead off Shadow Island, a mysterious island near the coast of Maine. Carnby's investigation quickly leads him to Fred Johnson, who informs him of Fiske's search for three ancient tablets with the ability to unlock an incredible and dangerous power. Johnson pleads with Carnby to take the place of Fiske and reopen the investigation in order to recover the tablets. Carnby accepts the mission making it his life's goal to avenge Fiske's death and find the tablets.
Carnby isn't alone on his quest. Aline Cedrac, an intelligent, determined young archaeologist joins Carnby on the mission to Shadow Island. This high-spirited adventurer has taken it upon herself to find the missing tablets, but is there another reason she was so determined to come to Shadow Island? Time will surely reveal the secrets and the intentions, so on October 30, 2001 they approach Shadow Island.
From their first steps on Shadow Island in the chilly, autumn night, Carnby and Aline are immediately confronted by terrifying, evil creatures that are determined to halt their progress. Throughout the course of their investigations, every step they take, every corner they turn, they are met with suspense, intrigue and a sense of impending doom. Relying only on their instincts and limited resources, Carnby and Aline must destroy this sinister evil and uncover the truth.
The player soon comes under attack from Creatures of Darkness that appear out of nowhere and seem to be living shadows. These Creatures of Darkness are eventually revealed to be reptilian, silicon-based life forms from the center of the Earth, an enormous world of dark caverns known as the World of Darkness. Shadow Island apparently contains one of the many entrances to this underground world. True to their name, the game's enemies are averse to light (which apparently turns them into sand), and this figures heavily in gameplay. Players can use their flashlight to repel certain creatures, and killing them is accomplished with such light-producing ammunition as "magnesium bullets" and "phosphorus shells."
Light plays a significant role in this game. One of the game's main features is the flashlight that can be used to light up the game's darkened scenes, revealing hidden details and uncovering items. To this end, the developers crafted an unusual graphics engine which allowed the 3D player character's flashlight to properly illuminate and cast shadows on the 2D, pre-rendered backdrops. This was accomplished by rendering the backdrops at various levels of illumination and including information on the distribution of objects in the scene. The graphics engine could then properly use brighter versions of the backdrop where the flashlight was expected to be casting light, and leave shadowed areas dark.
[edit] Game Boy Color port
While older handheld systems would often abandon 3D environments entirely in favor of easier to render 2D sprites, the Game Boy Color received a relatively faithful port of the home console game. The Game Boy Color's cartridge-based format necessitated the loss of the full motion video cut scenes from the other versions, and many game play areas had to be shrunk in size while some were eliminated entirely. However, the basic pre-rendered environments and 3D character imposed over top of them remained. While the home console versions could be completed in six to eight hours, the Game Boy Color port could be completed in just one.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Some box versions of the game include a real flashlight branded with the "Alone in the Dark" logo.
[edit] Film
In 2005 a film adaptation was released called Alone in the Dark. It was directed by Uwe Boll and was a box office flop, costing $20,000,000, which was not recovered, although it made a profit on the DVD market. An Unrated Director's Cut was released in Germany, France and Australia and was #1 on the German DVD market for three weeks.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Imdb
- Atari
- Darkworks
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare at MobyGames
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare at Adventure Classic Gaming
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare at Game Spot
- Soundtrack of the game Alone in the dark : the new nightmare (MP3)
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