The Alone in the Dark series has been quite for some time now. As one of the first survival horror titles and a game that many argue created the genre, a next generation Alone in the Dark seems fitting. At the very least, Atari thinks it's about time to revive the series, and at E3 2006 the company showed off a brief demo of the upcoming Alone in the Dark game for the Xbox 360.

While we have yet to get our hands on the game itself, what Atari has shown us in the two times we've seen the game has our interests peaked. Instead of taking the standard gaming approach to survival horror, the next Alone in the Dark will seem more like a TV series and less like a videogame. Of course players will still control the main character (who is the same character from the original Alone in the Dark), and you can even control your character during cinemas. One example we were shown as the ability to open your character's eyes at the beginning of the game by moving the analog sticks. The cinema didn't progress until you opened your character's eyes.

Moving Alone in the Dark to a TV series presentation is something that just makes sense when you think about it. There will be no in-game menus to detract from the overall feel of the game. In addition, everything is real-time, so there won't be any awkward transitions between CG and real-time graphics.

However, the most interesting aspect of Alone in the Dark as it relates to a TV series is the fact that the game progresses episodically. This means that when you sit down to play, you'll get a real-time cut scene that shows you what happened previously, and when you get ready to end your session you'll get a sneak peak at what's coming next. You'll also be able to play for about 20 or 30 minutes and complete one episode. So you won't have to play for hours on end just to get to the next major plot point.

The game takes place in Central Park in New York City. While we don't have full details on the storyline, we do know that Alone in the Dark will examine why there's a huge park in the middle of such a crowded city. From what we've seen, the game recreates Central Park extremely well on the Xbox 360, and the opening cinema alone was enough to make us yearn for more.

Vehicles will also play an important role in Alone in the Dark. The vehicles in the game will be your tools for survival. You'll be able to get in and out of all four doors in most vehicles, as well as being able to drive every car you come across. You'll even be able to hotwire a car if you can't find the keys, and the example we were shown actually had players moving the analog sticks to mimic the hands of the in-game character as he moved the wires. In some cases you'll need to use a vehicle to solve a certain puzzle and progress to the next point in the game.

As you progress through the game your experience will change. In some cases it may be better to run away from your attackers, while in others your best course of action will be to stand and face them. The game is based heavily on real world things, so what makes sense in the real world will make sense in the game. You won't need to think like you're playing a game to solve the puzzles in Alone in the Dark, simply think about what you would do in that circumstance and you'll find the in-game answer should be the same.

Alone in the Dark is being developed by Eden Games, who has a fairly solid track record having done some of the V-Rally and Test Drive titles. The first next generation Alone in the Dark isn't set to release until the first half of 2007, but it's already looking like a solid survival horror title. We'll have more on the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Alone in the Dark as we inch toward its 2007 release date.