A really good score for a problematic game.
James Thomas Jeans | Glenwood Acres, TX USA | 12/10/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"'Alone in the Dark' is a game that generated a lot of buzz in the run-up to release, and went on to leave a lot of people feeling cold on arrival. Atari tried desperately to rectify some of the game's more glaring errors when the PS3 version was released (under the title 'Alone in the Dark: Inferno'), and while the additions did help, the game continues to be a love-it-or-hate-it experience for many gamers. There's very little middle ground.
However, one aspect of the game that I see most people agree on is the musical score. While 'Alone in the Dark' is a frustrating game from the perspective of a gamer, Olivier Deriviere has provided a score that elevates the whole experience at least one notch.
'Alone in the Dark' blends a dark synthetic orchestra with the somewhat tribal chanting of the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, and the outcome is something that's tense, thrilling, and occasionally downright horrifying.
The all woman choir adds an exotic flair to the music that would otherwise be missing, and helps to make some rather thin orchestrations feel much larger than they actually are. This isn't a huge choir, but it gets the job done. There are occasions when the synthetic orchestra sounds as though it's comprised of no more than five or six instruments, but it's cleverly disguised by the vocals.
For me, the real stand out on this album is track 8, titled 'Who Am I?' The music first occurs in the climax of Episode 2, during the desperate escape through the crumbling streets of New York.
This particular sequence can be frustrating because of the game's flunky controls, but my first time through I was so engulfed by the music that I didn't even realize I was having so much trouble keeping the taxi under control.
The track is just as enjoyable in isolation, although the synthetic orchestra's limitations become really apparent when you remove the sound effects of a crumbling New York from the mix.
If you, like me, found the music to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, you'll not regret buying this album. The price is right, and while some cues are missing, most of the best stuff is present here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The digital download that is linked to from this page is not for the game's soundtrack. The link leads to a download version of the soundtrack for the Uwe Boll film. (ETA: Sometime following the writing of this review, the digital download link appears to have been rectified.)"
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1