Alone in the Dark (XBox 360)

One of the more controversial games coming out this year is Alone In The Dark, the survival-horror title from Atari Games.  The latest in a long series of games dating back to the early 1990s on the PC, the game features Edward Carnby, the protagonist from the original, as he investigates the supernatural events taking place in Central Park.  Unfortunately, this latest entry in the series offers little in the way of real innovation, and Atari's hostile response to the poor reviews it has received so far has stirred up the controversy.

The gameplay is similar to other games in the survival horror genre, with the protagonist collecting weapons and other items to fight his supernatural foes.  One problem shows itself almost immediately - in order to appear "realistic", the player is limited to carrying what items he can fit inside his jacket, placing a strict limit on inventory space and forcing considerable item juggling during the game.  Also, the only way to kill the monsters is through fire, so through much of the game the player is simply reduced to setting wooden items ablaze and beating enemies with them.  

If the combat wasn't repetitive enough, the storyline is dull and uninspiring.  The anti-hero with the questionable past is right out of any other entre in the genre, and the character shows little personality outside of cursing a blue streak.  On the plus side, the game's graphics are amazing, especially the fire effects, but only die-hard fans of survival horror will want to spend their time plumbing these depths.