Alone in the Dark 3

The Good
Alone in the Dark 3 boasts as many areas to explore as Alone in the Dark 2, but I actually liked this one better. It has a perfect blend of action and puzzles, kinda like a unique combination of the first two games. The environments are about as linear as they have ever been, and I liked how it managed to be a creepy game without you constantly having to shoot every zombie in sight.

If you have eyes like a hawk, you may even spot some easter eggs that point to previous games, such as a gravestone with One Eyed Jack's initials on it. Emily Hartwood from the original game is also featured in a lesser role this time around, as the damsel in distress.

To play this game now though, is a bit tricky. It has lost a lot of the appeal it once had. In the 1990's, this kinda game could be excused. But now it's laughably pathetic, cliched and even a little on the boring side.

The Bad
Some of the puzzles aren't easy to work out, and the horrendous control system put me off of playing this game for more than 30 minutes at a time. I wish this had made it to the PlayStation like 2 and 4 did.

The Bottom Line
This was the last of the original Alone in the Dark games. They will always be known for being the "original" survival horror games, before Resident Evil was released.

The Good
Alone 3 is every bit as big as Alone 2 making for a large adventure. The ghost town environment works well and provides loads of different places to explore both above and below ground. The music is fabulous and the voices are again very entertaining and usually well acted. Puzzles are very tricky and often leave you stumped so a fair amount of patience is in order, while the action has been toned down to make for a creepier atmosphere. For those with keen eyes and who are familiar with the previous alone titles, the story contains some interesting connections with the other games.

The Bad
The story gets very silly at times with the worst instance being the section in which Carnby is transformed into a wild cat and rises from the dead. The puzzles also were non-sensical on occasion. One in particular involves performing the right actions prior to being killed. If you don't then you are shot dead, if you do then you are shot dead but you become ressurrected. This makes no sense at all and really detracts from the overall experience.

The Bottom Line
Tries to incorporate the best aspects from both alone games with some success. Fans of the series would be wise to get it ASAP as it's true 'Alone style' gameplay, but it won't convert non-believers.