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‘Alone in the Dark’ succeeds as it fails

If you’re looking for a visually impressive adventure with interesting puzzles, realistic physics and a dark narrative, you’ll find it all in Atari’s “Alone in the Dark.” Problem is, you’ll also get awkward control and uninspiring combat.

The end result is an ambitious video game with a few good ideas, but one that ultimately falters in execution.

Loosely based on the “Alone in the Dark” computer and video game series dating back to 1992, the latest in this interactive thriller once again stars investigator Edward Carnby, who awakens in a collapsing building in New York City, surrounded by thugs who want to dispose of him. Through exploration, puzzle-solving and eventually combat, Carnby must survive long enough to make his way to Central Park to unravel a dark secret and destroy creatures that vow to protect it.

Right from the get-go you will undoubtedly be impressed with the game’s cinematic presentation, including high-definition characters (especially in the Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game), authentic-looking fire, and dramatic camera movements and movie-like effects such as slow motion jumps across deep chasms. Real-world physics also come into play as you pull desks out of the way, use fire extinguishers to bash down locked doors or swing on a cable along the side of a burning building to avoid falling debris.

Even the inventory system is impressive, as pressing down on the Xbox 360 controller’s D-pad has Carnby look down to his belt and pick up his handgun (the only formal weapon in the game), medical sprays, bandages or other items.

Unlike other horror games such as “Resident Evil 4,” “Alone in the Dark” can be difficult to maneuver, though, partly because of an awkward button layout and also because you are forced to switch perspectives, such as third-person during melee combat and first-person in firing mode. Driving vehicles is even more frustrating because of poor handling.

While interesting at first, fighting against the creatures in the game also takes a back seat to the beautiful indoor and outdoor environments and clever puzzle-solving. Instead of your gun — which will only temporarily stun rather than kill the enemies — you’ll have to use your inventory items and the environment to create deadly attacks. This involves fire, and plenty of it: filling a bottle with flammable fluid and lighting it (Molotov cocktail); dousing bullets in the liquid to create flaming ammo; or adding flame to a spray can to create a makeshift flamethrower. You can also pick up items, such as a chair, and light it on fire before swinging it toward a baddie. Or you can shoot at an explosive bottle in the air. It’s fun to experiment with these combinations but it eventually grows repetitive.

“Alone in the Dark” has a lot going for it — and the smart DVD-like chapter index lets you select which episode you’d like to play — but where it excels in presentation and puzzle-solving it stumbles in control and combat. This is too bad because fans of the franchise have long awaited this highly publicized sequel, but might be disappointed once they lay their hands on it. As a result, it might be better as a weekend rental.

While delayed, Atari has confirmed that a Sony PlayStation 3 version of the game will be available this fall.