Presentation wise Alone in the Dark does a lot of impressive things. Immediately when the game loads to the main menu gamers can select to begin from the beginning of the story (Episode One as it were) or load any other Episode in the game (eight in all) and select any checkpoint in each episode (save for the final one). Essentially it's a level select that hardcore players will ignore but it affords the possibility to skip to a future checkpoint in the game if a section is proving to be too difficult. Loading a saved file will preview key story sequences from previous episodes, much like watching a television program with a pre-episode recap. It's a simple addition that adds to the episodic underbelly of the game.

While the game is structured like episodes the overall experience is a full featured title. Originally the concept was to release the title episodically but Atari instead decided to combine each section as one release making presentation effort a little pointless. For example, if you play through play the first episode and continue a saved file later you will see a story recap for episode one but if you play through episodes one and two the recap changes to reflect the new story told. Meaning, you could play through the entire game without ever seeing the recap segments.

Alone in the Dark features an interesting inventory management system that shifts the perspective looking into Carby's coat where gamers can combine and create multiple items from Molotov cocktails to glow-stick bombs. While the system looks great, poor decisions were made when creating it. For example, in order to pick up a lighter you must have a free spot open in your coat that is usually reserved for boxes of batteries or a roll of tape. Why Carnby forgets a three-inch tall lighter can fit inside his pants pocket is beyond us. This and other strange inventory limitations make for a frustrating feature. Also, the action doesn't pause in the inventory screen so combining explosive fluid to bullets in hopes to create explosive ammunition can be hampered by attacking enemies forcing you to restart incomplete actions.

In comparison, Alone in the Dark looks like an upgraded version of 2K's FPS Prey right down to the bathroom mirror main character reveal. Characters have leathery skin and shiny clothing, environments have the same slimy-metallic sheen seen in Prey but are varied and for the most part, well designed. The game also suffers from an overabundance of animation and clipping issues. Enemies and NPCs get stuck behind environmental props and set pieces while everything from limbs to weaponry disappear into surfaces regardless of the situation. Cut scenes are interesting and fun to watch until half the content snaps into place as if it was emerging from a child's pop-up book taking you out of the experience.

If you can withstand these technical issues the interesting, if convoluted and carbon-copied, story and characters may be worth your time -- but note that the gameplay is inherently broken. While even Tomb Raider has evolved from the classic tank control scheme, Alone in the Dark attempts to make old design work in the current generation.

Alone in the Dark offers a default third-person mode and a first-person mode which can be toggled. While the first-person mode works well the third person perspective is riddled with odd design choices. Moving Carby requires aggressive coaxing to move in any direction other than forward often sending him in circles to sway into the right spot. The mechanic can become increasingly frustrating in battle as enemies can lunge from great distances, fire blinding ooze or even extend grotesque tongues that would put KISS to shame, all in the name of ending your adventure. Eventually players will train themselves to switch into first-person mode to navigate the simplest of hallways in order to achieve complete control. However, two perspectives constantly battle with each other instead of working in tandem.

In the beginning of the game Carnby must escape various rooms that are being destroyed by jumping from one room to the next but due to his slow pace (while even running) the imprecise third-person controls forces the section to be played in first-person. Later in the same level, while still in first-person, the level design changes on the fly and making players scale the environment to complete puzzles. In first-person the vertical nature of the section is never hinted at which can be increasingly frustrating to decipher -- it's a design choice that continues throughout the game. It's as if the game expects you to know exactly when to use its multiple perspectives. While it could be argued these situations are intentional, bad game design shouldn't be hailed as an environmental puzzle. Vehicle sections are also included in the game but prove to be annoying, forcing players to outrun a crumbling world where any error in maneuvering the car results in a loss of time that will spell Carnby's demise. This wouldn't be an issue if the vehicles felt realistic but they are floaty and weightless and will be sent flying with the slightest tap of the environment around it.

For everything it does right, Alone in the Dark gets as much wrong. It's a shame that Atari has now decided to focus on smaller titles because Alone in the Dark is a game that could benefit greatly from a sequel. If you are thinking about picking it up keep in mind that the overall experience can be enjoyable and interesting but be prepared to battle with a handful of issues throughout the adventure.

Make sure to visit Big Download tomorrow for an Alone in the Dark "Big Versus." Our, newly formatted, comparison feature where we tackle Alone in the Dark on PC versus its Xbox 360 and PS3 counterparts.

Xav de Matos is a contributing editor for the Joystiq Network at Big Download and Xbox 360 Fanboy as well as the producer of the weekly BigDownload.com gaming podcast, the BigCast. Questions or suggestions for this or future features may be directed to xav.dematos [at] weblogsinc [dot] com.