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VideoGamer.com: Moving on, what's the future of the Alone in the Dark series? Phil Harrison (president of Infogrames, parent company of Atari) talks about a focus on community and online and less on these sorts of single-player narrative-driven big budget games. Does that mean the franchise won't go forward in the same form?
NP: The online multiplayer doesn't stop from allowing this type of game to exist today. Alone in the Dark is a brand that is known. We'll see how it goes with the public. If it's a huge success we can think of online in terms of downloadable episodes for the future, even include some potential multiplayer elements in there. There are a lot of possibilities in that direction. The Alone in the Dark brand I hope will exist on its own and people I hope will fall in love with this version and really make the franchise back again in the market.
AdvertisementVideoGamer.com: Looking at the open world style Central Park section, it looks like it would really suit something similar to what GTA 4 is doing with online multiplayer?
NP: It has the possibility yes. Today I can't confirm that that's the direction. But it doesn't mean that it's not possible. The idea is that we want to surprise the players, we want to have them blown away by the experience that they live and if that includes possibilities of multiplayer and online elements and that fits, that it entwines into the experience of the game, then why not?
VideoGamer.com: So would it be possible to add multiplayer elements to this game via downloadable content or would it have to be a completely different game?
NP: No. Today this game is single-player. It's not built for multiplayer.
VideoGamer.com: So it would have to be a completely new game?
NP: No. I mean we have a game engine that allows us a lot of possibilities, multiplayer being a part of it. Today we built the first season, maybe the next season you never know what's in there. It could be more features, maybe a single-player game or maybe more features with multiplayer options. Today I can't say. I prefer not to say.
VideoGamer.com: You talk about Alone in the Dark as season one, inspired by television series. Does that mean the Alone in the Dark franchise has completely left its previous form behind?
NP: It's really a rebirth of the series, in the spirit and the legacy of the first Alone in the Dark. We want players who knew Alone in the Dark to say 'OK I see that I lived from the first Alone in the Dark' and those who don't know what Alone in the Dark is they will say 'oh this is what Alone in the Dark is about'.
VideoGamer.com: In terms of the gameplay, the thing that most impressed us was the fire. Would you say that the fire in Alone in the Dark is the best ever seen in a video game?
NP: Well I hope so! It's one of the fires that has accomplished a lot. We hope players will be blown away by it. Today the games that are coming out might include, because it's almost logical to have fire now interactive, but to achieve what we got today was like a lot of hard work. I'm really interested to see other games that pick it up.
VideoGamer.com: There are tons of different gameplay elements in there - third-person, first-person, driving sequences and sandbox. As a studio, is it your most ambitious title ever?
NP: Test Drive Unlimited was a very ambitious project. We were happy with what we achieved with it. It's a different ambition. We took a lot of challenges with Alone in the Dark but I would say knowing the team the ambition will go even further! But the challenges will be different, so I think the ambition will always be, we want to give ourselves a landmark, we say we want to do the game that sits here and go even higher. So I think it's not a question of ambition but more of the challenges that we want to take on.
VideoGamer.com: Thanks for your time.
Alone in the Dark is due out for Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and Wii on 20 June, with a PS3 version due out some time in 2008.
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Mark_S wrote at 09:28 on 29 May 2008
Regarding the PS3 version...
There's also the fact that MGS4 is out on PS3 the week before Alone in the Dark on every other console.
Putting it out on PS3 right after MGS4, the PS3 version of AitD wouldn't get half the sales it will in September. Likewise, Putting it out on the other formats gives competing platforms a title to rival MGS4.
so I'm suspicious that there's some politics going on here, too. AitD is a big summer title for the other formats, but I think Sony are saving it for when they feel they need it.
Anonymous wrote at 04:28 on 30 May 2008
you'r so right a i mean who needs AiTD when we just got gt5 prologue and MGS 4's on the way and everybody no's GT5 would sell on wii so GT5 sell's no matter what console it's realeased on and it make's me so very angry when game developers lie. look i no in everybody no's ps3 is a good system and a blu ray. but xbox gots strong games and it's a must to own both which most people can't afford both and there for you'r gonna have a bunch of retard's making remark's about my which systems dose what the best, an any case both systems are good. me personally i like ps3 i find blu ray intriguing and i love ps3's interface it's the same as there tv's making it easy to use and remember. 360's good but it's all way's changing and it's not as grown up looking through my eye's however gear's of war is my pick as the funniest most badd ass game i have ever played and deserves all 10's it has no flaws none. so to me sony has enough in house games to contend but xbox has gear's of war and like i said it's so good it's a must have an if you want it you have to bu a 360, my concern for xbox is what's coming after gear's 2 you no. we no ps3's packing some contented 'ers and sony in house usually make's a ton of exclusive and they usually pop up out of no were, and now that sony has tweaked the dual shock the controller is better then ever im glad i made my self buy both holla. in for those of you who don't believe me my xbox gamertag is Dirt Warrior MD and my ps3 account is dirtdirtdirt.
Mark_S wrote at 11:06 on 30 May 2008
Um... yes. Quite.