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Alone In The Dark (2024) |OT| Christian Slater and Tara Reid Not Included

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Bummer. Do you have anything in quick resume hogging resources or are you playing on PC?

PS5. actually lol. I put both versions on the queue on game fly and that was the one which shipped (advantage of having both consoles :p)

So far, I like the atmosphere but technically this seems like an early to mid PS4 era game. Not sure why this wasn't cross-gen, there's nothing here that couldn't be done on older consoles.

Also, for a game that has so far mostly comprised of small, thin corridors, there's very frequent streaming stutters.
 
PS5. actually lol. I put both versions on the queue on game fly and that was the one which shipped (advantage of having both consoles :p)

So far, I like the atmosphere but technically this seems like an early to mid PS4 era game. Not sure why this wasn't cross-gen, there's nothing here that couldn't be done on older consoles.

Also, for a game that has so far mostly comprised of small, thin corridors, there's very frequent streaming stutters.
It is not fully optimized, but it does run and look a generation ahead on a decent PC.
 
I'm enjoying the thinking-style puzzles like SH2/3. You don't get a lot of games these days (outside of small Indies) which do that anymore.
Honestly, the puzzles are not that complicated. None of them stumped me like a focused adventure game or even the piano puzzle in Silent Hill. The one in the shipping company is the most challenging, but they put the answer inside the cabinet with the clue. I have never seen something like the temple puzzle from an aesthetic and environmental story telling perspective.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Some screens from the PS5 version (Performance mode)


LfkyRBR.jpeg


7CsHFEt.jpeg


pN4mS0q.jpeg


oVDAIpj.jpeg


TtsUdNA.jpeg
 

Flabagast

Member
Honestly, the puzzles are not that complicated. None of them stumped me like a focused adventure game or even the piano puzzle in Silent Hill. The one in the shipping company is the most challenging, but they put the answer inside the cabinet with the clue. I have never seen something like the temple puzzle from an aesthetic and environmental story telling perspective.
Do you play with hints disabled ? Still we don’t get any puzzle in third person survival horrors nowadays, those in ALan Wake 2 were really easy
 
Do you play with hints disabled ? Still we don’t get any puzzle in third person survival horrors nowadays, those in ALan Wake 2 were really easy
Yes, I play with hints disabled. I do not think survival horror needs puzzles. Diverse keys and locks with backstory are more than enough.

Some screens from the PS5 version (Performance mode)


LfkyRBR.jpeg


7CsHFEt.jpeg


pN4mS0q.jpeg


oVDAIpj.jpeg


TtsUdNA.jpeg
The performance mode looks a bit washed out and flat. Does quality mode look any better on PS5?
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The performance mode looks a bit washed out and flat. Does quality mode look any better on PS5?

Not really, the IQ is probably better but on my monitor, it looks about the same so I'm sticking with Performance.

It's nothing like the extreme difference in Rebirth's Quality vs Perf. mode.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I'm in the sunken boat area, and these annoying little beetle enemies are making me want to rage quit the game.

The fact that the halls are so thin and the camera is frequently going inside the black walls (and thus preventing me from seeing anything) is also annoying.

There's a distinct lack of polish in the games execution.
 
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I'm in the sunken boat area, and these annoying little beetle enemies are making me want to rage quit the game.

The fact that the halls are so thin and the camera is frequently going inside the black walls (and thus preventing me from seeing anything) is also annoying.

There's a distinct lack of polish in the games execution.
What is your FoV setting? It seems to be free of this issue at 70. Also, the beetle enemies are easy pickings if you use the machine gun and are ready for them to be around every corner.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
What is your FoV setting? It seems to be free of this issue at 70. Also, the beetle enemies are easy pickings if you use the machine gun and are ready for them to be around every corner.
I have the FoV at 75.

And i don't know if it's something with my game, but I shoot them square in the heat and 2 out of times there's no blood spurt that's the telltale sign that you've hit something.
 
I have the FoV at 75.

And i don't know if it's something with my game, but I shoot them square in the heat and 2 out of times there's no blood spurt that's the telltale sign that you've hit something.
I think the hitboxes are a little unforgiving. Shooting center mass is best.
 
2.5 hours in and loving this so far. Has the feel of one of those old Graphic Adventures - Colonel's Bequest/Cruise for a Corpse, but obviously with modern action controls. The story/writing is pretty decent - as is the atmosphere.

I can see why games journos slagged it, as there is no skills tree for the shotgun or loot mechanic, but this is great old school gaming.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Looks like the achievement / trophy for finishing the game without healing is bugged. I just finished my Emily run without doing that and it didn't pop.

Apparently the only solution at this point is to delete all your saved data and start like a brand new game (cause even if you use New Game from the menu, the game keeps most of your collectibles, which some have theorized also keeps the data of if you've used health in previous games).
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I enjoyed Emily's story more than Edwards, it's her uncle and crazy family backstory afterall and it factors more into her game.

A couple of more pictures. Should be done with a clean-save no-health run later today and platinum this.

PS5 - Performance Mode.

R8p7mhk.jpeg


0m6IW66.jpeg


5Ns2xML.jpeg


F1X84ck.jpeg


bv2F1vF.jpeg


9kurhuG.jpeg


1JbDSWN.png
 
I enjoyed Emily's story more than Edwards, it's her uncle and crazy family backstory afterall and it factors more into her game.

A couple of more pictures. Should be done with a clean-save no-health run later today and platinum this.

PS5 - Performance Mode.

R8p7mhk.jpeg


0m6IW66.jpeg


5Ns2xML.jpeg


F1X84ck.jpeg


bv2F1vF.jpeg


9kurhuG.jpeg


1JbDSWN.png
Not bad for performance mode, but I opted for quality.

Looks better, albeit a bit sluggish.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Not bad for performance mode, but I opted for quality.

Looks better, albeit a bit sluggish.

The game looks fine, I had no problem with the visuals. In-fact, I quite enjoyed the atmosphere. It's other things where I feel the game is a let down, some of which are:

- Mediocre combat
- Little to no enemy variety
- Streaming stutters and hitches (I would like to see how the Xbox version performs here)
- Camera control related issues
- Default FoV is *way* too claustrophobic and the game warns that increasing it can lead to performance issues ..
 
I enjoyed Emily's story more than Edwards, it's her uncle and crazy family backstory afterall and it factors more into her game.
I think her story makes far more canonical sense, but I strongly prefer Carnby's handgun and investigation segment to Emily's handgun and trenches segment. I also find Carnby's dialogue with characters more interesting.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
And done.


EKeet5j.jpg




Can confirm that the 'finish game without using health' trophy was bugged for me on existing save data. I had to completely delete all game data and do a fresh new game without using health even once, that's what unlocked it.
 

keefged4

Member
PC version has extremely bad stuttering every time I go into a new room or start a cutscene, Is anyone else having this issue? I have a 4070 and a Ryzen 5 5600 with 32gb ram so it's not like the game should be bringing my system to its knees. Hopefully the devs will patch this because it's nigh on unplayable in its current state for me.
 
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s_mirage

Member
PC version has extremely bad stuttering every time I go into a new room or start a cutscene, Is anyone else having this issue? I have a 4070 and a Ryzen 5 5600 with 32gb ram so it's not like the game should be bringing my system to its knees. Hopefully the devs will patch this because it's nigh on unplayable in its current state for me.

AFAIK, everyone is having the stuttering issue on PC. The devs are supposed to be working on a patch to alleviate it. I just hope that it happens given that the game doesn't seem to have sold amazingly well.
 
PC version has extremely bad stuttering every time I go into a new room or start a cutscene, Is anyone else having this issue? I have a 4070 and a Ryzen 5 5600 with 32gb ram so it's not like the game should be bringing my system to its knees. Hopefully the devs will patch this because it's nigh on unplayable in its current state for me.
One thing that helped is adding these lines to Engine configuration file (C:\Users\???\AppData\Local\AloneInTheDark\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\Engine.config):

[/script/engine.rendersettings]
r.CreateShadersOnLoad=1
r.UseShaderCaching=1
r.UseShaderPredraw=1
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
PC version has extremely bad stuttering every time I go into a new room or start a cutscene, Is anyone else having this issue? I have a 4070 and a Ryzen 5 5600 with 32gb ram so it's not like the game should be bringing my system to its knees. Hopefully the devs will patch this because it's nigh on unplayable in its current state for me.

No PC here, but console version was definitely not immune to stuttering either.
 
This is a typical game I put on easy due to the shitty combat and therefore can still enjoy. Finished it in three sittings.
Lmao Lol GIF

It has better direct combat gameplay mechanics than Evil Within 1/2, Resident Evil 2/3 Remake, and Resident Evil 7/8 so I have zero idea what you were expecting. Gears of War?
 
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keefged4

Member
One thing that helped is adding these lines to Engine configuration file (C:\Users\???\AppData\Local\AloneInTheDark\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\Engine.config):

[/script/engine.rendersettings]
r.CreateShadersOnLoad=1
r.UseShaderCaching=1
r.UseShaderPredraw=1
Man, thanks for this. It's not 100% resolved all the stuttering but has greatly reduced it. Much better now.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Nice. And this is how it should work. I have no idea why isn't this the gold standard for the premium classics, so many missed opportunities following gaming zeitgeist
Yeah they should release Classics to coincide with new releases.
Like RE1/2/3 when RE4Remake came out for example
 

Isa

Member
How was that PS1 game? I never played it.

My thoughts on the game after a few weeks of having completed it are ... well its ok. Its definitely rough around the edges and has a few issues presumably due to low budget/time restraints. I didn't hate it. I liked it but probably won't return sadly. Geometry bugs and bland combat were kind of off putting but the story just kind of went places with some areas leaving me wishing they were far more fleshed out. It felt like a Lovecraft reference-a-thon with little connection between the areas that reminds me of why less is often more. A more focused narrative might have helped, though I did appreciate the variety.

In regards to survival horror I think Echoes of the Living is far more to my taste and felt more fun to play and explore. I guess I've always been an RE guy. I do wish the devs the best though and hope that find better results in the future.
 

mansoor1980

Member
How was that PS1 game? I never played it.

My thoughts on the game after a few weeks of having completed it are ... well its ok. Its definitely rough around the edges and has a few issues presumably due to low budget/time restraints. I didn't hate it. I liked it but probably won't return sadly. Geometry bugs and bland combat were kind of off putting but the story just kind of went places with some areas leaving me wishing they were far more fleshed out. It felt like a Lovecraft reference-a-thon with little connection between the areas that reminds me of why less is often more. A more focused narrative might have helped, though I did appreciate the variety.

In regards to survival horror I think Echoes of the Living is far more to my taste and felt more fun to play and explore. I guess I've always been an RE guy. I do wish the devs the best though and hope that find better results in the future.
it was excellent , up there with RE1 and silent hill1
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
How was that PS1 game? I never played it.
I remember liking it, it's got it's problems like all games from that era but I got it again on the PS2 and that version was a lot better.
The torch tech they used at the time was cool.
Sadly the PSX version is gonna suffer from worse backgrounds and character models and loading screens
Be interesting to see what the emulation does to improve this.
And if I remember correctly you can't see the monsters in the dark.
Some gameplay of the PSX version emulated
 
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RagnarokIV

Battlebus imprisoning me \m/ >.< \m/
pissed atm on a Johnny depp wine bender and bought it on PC to support the game. Once I platinum the PS5 one I’ll use PC for any future replays.

Thank god for these AA non woke games. Labour of love with beautiful imperfections. I’d take one of these over a hundred shitty AAA Ubisoft/sony/microsoft game.
 

Alan Wake

Member
I remember liking it, it's got it's problems like all games from that era but I got it again on the PS2 and that version was a lot better.
The torch tech they used at the time was cool.
Sadly the PSX version is gonna suffer from worse backgrounds and character models and loading screens
Be interesting to see what the emulation does to improve this.
And if I remember correctly you can't see the monsters in the dark.
Some gameplay of the PSX version emulated

The New Nightmare is pretty cool. I played the Dreamcast version and replayed it last year. The lack of lip synk (they're not even moving their mouths) is a bummer, but the atmosphere is great and I'm still a bit impressed with the sound. At the time I played as Carnby and now as Aline, which was a different experience (less combat focused) so kudos for that.

I think the new Alone in the Dark is quite good, certainly a 7/10. The end felt rushed, though. I wished they had spent more time to get it all together.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
The New Nightmare is pretty cool. I played the Dreamcast version and replayed it last year. The lack of lip synk (they're not even moving their mouths) is a bummer, but the atmosphere is great and I'm still a bit impressed with the sound. At the time I played as Carnby and now as Aline, which was a different experience (less combat focused) so kudos for that.

I think the new Alone in the Dark is quite good, certainly a 7/10. The end felt rushed, though. I wished they had spent more time to get it all together.
I would actually really like a Remake of New Nightmare to be honest.
I think it would fair a lot better with todays tech
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
You can get The New Nightmare on Steam. I have only played the PS1 version, but I own it on Steam. The series has been interesting to mess around in, but I’ve never been a die hard fan. There’s other franchises that took its place for me.
 

Alan Wake

Member
I would actually really like a Remake of New Nightmare to be honest.
I think it would fair a lot better with todays tech

I wouldn't say no to that. It would be interesting to see how they'd approach different aspects of it. But they would have to do something about the combat here too.
 
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