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In . The movie contains plot elements that directly contradict those in ''The New Nightmare'', thus whether it be considered Canonical is debatable. Production on a fifth installment of ''Alone in the Dark'' was confirmed when screenwriters of the movie stated that the director, Uwe Boll , looked over preliminary monster art from the new game to get inspiration for the film's creatures. However, the game was delayed and the development team eventually worked on another survival horror game, '' Cold Fear '', released in early 2005, and production on '' Alone In The Dark 5 '' has since been resumed. GAME LIST The series, as of 2005 , contains the following games:
THE GAMES ''Alone in the Dark'' Main Article: Alone In The Dark The original game in the series, and one of the first two games to use polygonal characters over pre-rendered backgrounds. The game is considered to be the first survival horror game. ''Alone in the Dark 2'' Main Article: Alone In The Dark 2 The sequel to the original ''Alone in the Dark'' but viewed as a drastic departure from the original game. ''Alone in the Dark 2'' is much more action-oriented than its predecessor, with a much greater emphasis on firearms and shootouts, and resultingly more difficult combat. ''Jack in the Dark'' Later CD versions of both ''Alone in the Dark'' and ''Alone in the Dark 2'' come packaged with ''Jack in the Dark'', a short adventure featuring the young child Grace Saunders. Locked in a small toy store after dark, Grace must save Santa Claus from an evil Jack-in-the-box . ''Jack in the Dark'' is a pure Adventure Game that focuses purely on puzzles and has no combat. ''Alone in the Dark 3'' Main Article: Alone In The Dark 3 The final game in the original trilogy and the last game to utilize the same engine and characters as the original game. ''Alone in the Dark 3'' attempts to return to the gameplay style of the original game. ''Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare'' Main Article: The next generation of the Alone in the Dark series, ''Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare'' was created as a Console survival horror game and shows significant influence from the '' Resident Evil '' series. The control scheme and gameplay is much closer to that of ''Resident Evil'' than the original ''Alone in the Dark'' games. ''Alone in the Dark 5'' Main Article: Alone In The Dark 5 On September 16 , 2005 , Atari has announced they will be releasing an upcoming ''Alone in the Dark'' game on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Although details are sketchy the game is now under development. CHARACTERS The original trilogy
The protagonist of the original trilogy, Carnby is a red-haired, mustachioed private detective who wears a neat suit and bowtie. Carnby was once a seedy private detective known as "The Reptile", investigating adulterous husbands and the like. One day, he was hired to go to the remote manor of Derceto and appraise its contents following the suicide of the owner, Jeremy Hartwood. Trapped overnight in the haunted mansion, Carnby eventually manages to defeat the supernatural forces threatening him and escape, earning him the nickname "The Supernatural Detective". Additional paranormal adventures would follow. In ''Alone in the Dark 2'' he explores the fortified mansion of Hell's Kitchen to rescue Grace Saunders from One-Eyed Jack's gangsters, and avenge the death of his partner Stryker. In ''Alone in the Dark 3'', he explores the ghost town of Slaughter Gulch to investigate the disappearance of Emily Hartwood's film crew. Carnby is one of the few survival horror protagonists who can punch a zombie to death using only his bare hands. However, when the zombies start carrying firearms in later games, this tactic becomes slightly less effective.
The second playable character in the original ''Alone in the Dark'' game. Other than the fact she fired the revolver one-handed with the other hand on her hip instead of with both hands, playing as her was exactly the same as playing as Carnby. The niece of Jeremy Hartwood, Emily went to Derceto to investigate the apparent suicide of her uncle there. Although in the original game, only Emily OR Carnby enter Derceto (not both), the series' continuity seems to suggest they both were trapped together and fought their way out. After the Derceto incident, Emily would go on to become a successful Hollywood film producer. In ''Alone in the Dark 3'', she and her crew disappear while shooting a Western in the ghost town of Slaughter Gulch, and it is eventually revealed that she has been kidnapped and possessed by the disturbed ghosts of the town's outlaw inhabitants. She is freed by Carnby, and there are a couple brief sequences in which the player takes control of Emily to help Carnby escape from a trap or other predicament.
A young girl from a wealthy family, Grace is kidnapped by One-Eyed Jack's crew and held at Jack's mansion of Hell's Kitchen. On several occasions, Carnby is captured at the same time Grace manages to escape, and the player takes control of Grace in attempts to rescue Carnby. Being only a small child, Grace cannot fight and runs very slowly, so instead she must hide from the gangsters while cobbling together '' Home Alone ''-style boobytraps to dispatch them. Grace also stars in ''Jack in the Dark'', a short adventure in which she uses her puzzle-solving skills to rescue Santa Claus from an evil "One-Eyed Jack" Jack-in-the-box.
The original ''Alone in the Dark'' villain. In 1620, Pregzt was one of the world's most bloodthirsty pirates. He was also heavily involved with the Occult , and one day left his crew to disappear into the Swamp s of Louisiana . Pregzt learned dark Sorcery and became a disciple of Cthulhu , gaining occult powers and immortality. He eventually took the name Eliah Pickford, and used his vast pirate wealth to found a Louisiana plantation mansion by the name of Derceto. Pickford hired workers to dig a vast, secret network of caverns below Derceto. Pickford apparently intended these caverns for supernatural purposes, and they connected to a large, natural subterranean chamber linked to the Old Ones . Pickford was killed before he was able to summon Cthulhu into the world, after he attempted to poison a Union Captain named Norton while soldiers bunked at Derceto. Although his body was dead, Pregzt did not truly die. His corpse was brought to the subterranean chamber by his servants, where it was placed on a throne carved out of a vast underground tree. Pregzt's body merged with the tree and became a mummified corpse that harbored Pregzt's spirit. Although Pregzt was trapped within the shell of his corpse, he was still able to exert influence on the world above. He invaded the dreams of the Hartwood family after they rebuilt and reoccupied Derceto. Pregzt intended to possess the body of a Hartwood and continue his work in summoning Cthulhu, but each Hartwood died before Pregzt could possess them. In the original ''Alone in the Dark'' game, the attacking zombies are Pregzt's attempts to immobilize Carnby or Emily so that they can be possessed. However, Carnby and Emily manage to defeat Pregzt's creatures, and confront him in his subterranean tomb, where Pregzt's corpse fires magical fireballs and is defended by an army of Deep Ones . Carnby eventually manages to defeat Pregzt's magic with a Yael sign and burns Pregzt's corpse using a lantern (which has special significance, as it happens to be the first item the player acquires in the game). Pregzt/Pickford appears to be at least partially inspired by the character Robert Sudyam from the H.P. Lovecraft story ''The Horror at Red Hook''.
The main villain of ''Alone in the Dark 2'', One-Eyed Jack is an infamous Louisiana Bootlegger who makes his hideout in the forbidding mansion of Hell's Kitchen. As his name implies, he wears an Eyepatch to cover a missing eye. In reality, Jack is an ancient pirate who gained immortality of a sort after allying with Elizabeth Jarret, a powerful Voodoo witch. Jack's gangsters are actually his pirate crew who have lived for hundreds of years as a result a spell that gives them eternal youth and regenerates their bodies hours after they are killed. However, the spell requires the periodic human sacrifice of innocents, which is where Grace Saunders comes in. Unlike his crew, whose bodies can temporarily be destroyed, Jack himself is nearly indestructible. Jack is also an extremely skilled fighter, wielding two swords and fighting with an extremely quick and deadly martial arts style. In the game's finale, Carnby duels Jack one-on-one and eventually manages to defeat him using the sword of Captain Nichols (a man from Jack's pirate days who swore eternal revenge after Jack killed him). With large chunks of his flesh missing, a half-skeletal Jack revives briefly, only to be permenantly destroyed when Carnby blows up Jack's pirate ship with Jack on it.
One-Eyed Jack's Voodoo Queen, Elizabeth Jarret has lived for several centuries through extensive use of black magic. She eventually hooks up with Jack's crew of pirates, giving them immortality through regular human sacrifices. Elizabeth's magic allows her to remotely view occurrences throughout the house, manipulate inanimate objects (she brings a clown doll to life to kill Stryker with), and summon horrible creatures from beyond. Her powers also make it impossible for Carnby to fight or kill her (as soon as he even steps into the same room as her, she simply immobilizes him with a Voodoo doll and causes his body to float in the air), but she is eventually killed when Grace manages to turn her own Voodoo magic against her (by brandishing a chicken leg).
The main villain of ''Alone in the Dark 3''. During the Wild West era, Jebediah Stone was a prospector who discovered Gold on Indian soil. Word soon spread of the discovery, and soon prospectors came to mine the gold, killing the Indians in the process. Jeb Stone founded the town of Slaughter Gulch on their land over the site of the gold mine (which also lay on top of a canyon along the San Andreas Fault ). Stone and his fellow outlaws ruled with cruelty and lawlessness, but were eventually killed when the local blacksmith rallied the town citizens against him. The ghosts of Stone and his cronies are disturbed when Emily Hartwood's film crew comes to Slaughter Gulch to film a movie, killing the crew one by one and eventually taking physical form. Jeb appears several times throughout the game, always just out of the main character's reach, until the game's final battle. Unlike the series' previous villains, Jeb has no apparent supernatural powers, instead relying on technology and his trusty Winchester Rifle to obstruct Carnby's progress. A diary discovered late in the game reveals that Stone is, improbably enough, the son of Ezejial Pregzt and Elizabeth Jarret. He was raised in an orphanage but disappeared one night after a mysterious fire destroyed it. It is also revealed that Stone discovered an evil ore in his mine (hinted to be Uranium ), from which he planned to create a bomb powerful enough to crack the San Andreas Fault and sink California into the ocean (apparently, ancient Indian legends stated that the man powerful enough to accomplish this would be granted dominion over the Earth). Stone's resurrection allowed him to continue his mining operation and pursue his goal of destroying California. In the game's finale, Stone puts on a primitive suit of Power Armor (complete with arm cannon) to battle Carnby with, but is defeated when Carnby uses ancient Indian spirits (and a large dose of Electricity ) to disintegrate Stone. Minor Villains of the Original Trilogy During the course of each game, Carnby usually fights the Arch-villain's main henchmen. They are more unique than the other minions of evil the player confronts, and aside from posing a special challenge, most of them have richly detailed life Stories , written in some of the books, letters and other documents the player can find. ''Villains of Alone in the Dark 2'' Using Voodoo magic, One-Eyed Jack's men were granted immortality. The magic has also given them regenerative powers: if they are killed, they will be Resurrected in a matter of hours. As a result, if Carnby kills One-Eyed Jack's main henchmen during an early stage of the game, he will encouter a Pirate Incarnation of each of them later on, in One-Eyed Jack's ship.
Alister Fein, a charm-school graduate, began his career as a ruthless killer at the age of 8! He placed a teddy-bear stuffed with gelignite at the gates of Killarney jail to free his father. The resulting explosion took the lives of nine men. All that remained of Captain Dickerson was a black hat. Alister kept the hat and decorated it with sharp blades. Soon, the outlaw Fein was in Trinidad, where he honed his skills and became an expert of firearms and manhunting. One-Eyed Jack could not ignore his talents! In combat, "Black Hat" is a durable sharpshooter who wields a pair of pistols. He is defeated by Carnby.
The Lookout of One-Eyed Jack's ship, his true name is unknown. Born in Nouamghar and was eventually deported to Haiti. Mister Eye had lived a meaningless life, until he became familliar with Elizabeth Jarret and voodoo magic, and became her servant. Mister Eye was made lookout because his exceptional view. He was also able to wield the harpoon with remarkable skill. During his attempt to finally save Grace Saunders and stop One-Eyed Jack once and for all, Carnby fights Jack's few remaining men while dodging the harpoons Mister Eye flings at him. Eventually, Mister Eye climbs to the lookout post, closely followed by Carnby. In combat, Mister Eye wields the harpoon and kicks at close range. Carnby defeats him, and continues to confront One-Eyed Jack's last henchman - Bubble-Blade. Note: During Grace's attempt to sneak around the deck of One-Eyed Jack's ship, it is possible to see Mister Eye is quite a dancer.
''Villains of Alone in the Dark 3''
One of Jeb Stone's henchmen. As written in his Wanted Man post, he is frighteningly greedy, yet his greed is his greatest weakness - he can only be harmed by a golden bullet. Carnby confronts the "Lone Miner" at an early stage of the game. He is invulnerable to Carnby's kicks, punches and head-butts, as well as most of his bullets. But a carefully aimed golden bullet, fired from a Winchester, can spell out the Lone Miner's defeat. There is an alternative method of eliminating the "Lone Miner". It is possible to use the bullwhip to whip him, causing him to drop a bag full of gold coins. Strangely, these coins can be used as ammo for the Shotgun. They function just like the golden bullet, and therefore, they can be used to kill the "Lone Miner".
A member of Jeb Stone's private army of cold-blooded killers.. According to the Wanted Man post found in the Sheriff's office, "Cobra" escaped Jail by putting a 30/30 bullet in the lock of his cell, and hitting it with the side of his hand! This tactic is used later on by Carnby to open a door. Carnby confronts "Cobra", a vicious and highly capable Martial Arts warrior, yet ultimately, Carnby is able to defeat him.
More of a Gameplay device than true Villains , the Elwood brothers are Jeb Stone's main henchmen. They are a pair of invulnerable gunslingers who block Carnby's path to certain areas in Slaughter Gulch, forcing the player to advance and perform actions in a certain order, as Carnby is eliminated if he tries to approach them. Mostly, Carnby should just avoid the Elwood brothers, yet sometimes he must escape them, or prevent them from tracking him down and eliminating him (for example, by using a large wardrobe to block their point of entry). Eventually, the Elwood brothers are killed by Carnby during his confrontation with Jeb Stone, using a powerful magical wand Carnby crafted earlier. ''The New Nightmare''
ORIGINS The original game engine was created by Frédérick Raynal as a pet project while working at Infogrames . With the help of Didier Chanfray , who made the 3D models, a working prototype of the attics (the game's first room) was designed. An internal contest was held to create the art to complete the 3D prototype. Yaël Barroz 's art was selected and she was introducted into the game's core team. Frédérick Raynal directed the project. Shortly after ''Alone in the Dark'''s initial release, a major disagreement between the team and Infogrames' director ( Bruno Bonnell ) took place regarding the direction of the sequel. As a result, most of the original team left Infogrames to create a new studio named Adeline Software International . According to an interview made just after the release of ''Alone in the Dark'', portions of the sequels were designed by the original team before leaving. The interview presented a sketch of the house that was used in the sequel and mentioned the fact that Carnby could be dressed as Santa Claus. ENGINE The game engine is the first known to use interpolated animation. This keyframe-driven system relies on computer power to compute the animation frame between the keyframes. This approach has the advantages of reducing the game's memory footprint (requiring less memory to store) and adapting to each computer's power. The game engine developed for ''Alone in the Dark'' was reused in its first two sequels (''Alone in the Dark 2'' and ''Alone in the Dark 3'') without substantial changes. It was later updated and used in Infogrames' '''' ( 1996 ). SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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