This is a first for me, I don't usually review games. I like Alone in the Dark so much thought, that I felt like talking about it.

I bought this game after having read all the bad reviews out there. However, it seemed to me that most criticisms boiled down to the reviewers being unable to handle the controls or being unwilling to take a little bit of time to get used to them. The graphics that I saw, the description of the features, the game play, and the storyline all attracted me, so I got the game a week ago.

I just finished it and I have to say that I rarely have had so much fun with a game. It's entirely different from any other next gen title out there in that it generally allows you to take your time and think things through. You can combine many real world objects to create bombs, set cars on fire, create gasoline trails, glue molotov cocktails to enemies, etc. The right approach often gets you through a tough spot without have to resort close combat. I've seen videos of players just storming into scenes and having an impossible time getting through them because they didn't properly look at the possibilities beforehand.

This game stems from the great line of adventure games of old, yet it take everything into this new generation by give you a great free-roaming world with kick ass physics. Sure, there are frustrating sections that take a lot of practice and skill to succeed (like the car chases), but if you don't like this kind of game play ... just skip it. With its DVD menu system, Alone In The Dark let's you play what you want and doesn't force you, what a novel idea! Personally, I found these sections thrilling since after some practice you get through them and really feel a sense of accomplishment.

What more to say. The inventory system is awesome and not frustrating thanks to the shortcuts that you can setup. The switch between first person and third person isn't gratuitous and instead serve very different purposes and allow you to fully appreciate the game. The fighting system where you control the weapon with the right analog stick is just awesome. It's like having a mini Wii controller on the 360's game pad. Additionally, it allows you grab objects and move them around you in three-dimensional space to solve puzzles. This is once more very innovative and refreshing.

Finally, it seems to me that Alone in the Dark is a work of art and that it's simple not appreciated by the mainstream press. This is nothing new and often happens to visionaries. I for one hope that Eden Studios will continue along this path and surprise me with other games in the future. We need studios that dare to step outside the beaten path and execute this in such a masterful way as Alone in the Dark.

Thanks a lot for this game!

Scores

Today one of the Belgian patent information centers got back to me to discuss the state of Channel Intelligence's European patent application. They confirm that the patent is indeed still under examination and that means that it has not even been sent to the local patent offices of each individual country where this patent would apply.

The patent has been under examination for over 7 years and Channel Intelligence has been gradually trying to adapt some of the claims to get it past the examinator. The fact that it is taking this long is a good sign since it means that the patent office never consider it to be into an acceptable state and it already went through several iterations. Also, since this is clearly a software patent, the representative of this Belgian information center confirmed that it will be almost impossible for this patent application to be approved in Europe.

He suggested that I put a comprehensive dossier together with all prior art and detailed explanations about how they invalidate the novelty and inventiveness of the patent. This seems to correspond with what's written in article 115 of the European Patent Convention. The examinator however has no obligation to take this into consideration. At his sole discretion he can decide to use or ignore the information that is sent to him.

However, that's not all. In the very unlikely event that this patent might be accepted in Europe, there's still a 9 month period after the acceptance date where an official protest can be filed. This doesn't have to be done through a lawyer and can simply be coordinated with a local patent office. Such actions however can't be ignored and will have to be examined in detail by the global European Patent Office.

I thus plan on creating this dossier and also publish it on my blog. Anybody that feels strongly against this patent will then be able to use this information to send his or her own letter to the patent office. If we coordinate this correctly, they might not be able to ignore the pressure.

Thanks a lot everyone for all your support. I'm amazed at how friendly and helpful everyone has been so far.

Since the European patent that Channel Intelligence tries to sue us with doesn't seem to be granted yet. I'm now looking for prior art to stop the patent from being awarded. This could make this lawsuit go simply go away for everyone they targeted in Europe.

Below is a list of what I already found with the help of friends. If you have other suggestions, please add them as comments.

Also, I'd appreciate it if people could help me to read over the patent and validate the applicability of this prior art. I might have missed something.

• 2001 : The Things I Want (http://thethingsiwant.com) - create universal online wishlists and gift registries
  
  
• 2000 : ShopSmart (web archive) - allowed you to create lists of items, to compare the prices and to prioritize them. A friend of mine worked on this application and there are even articles published about it in the Sunday Times and the Daily Post. Still looking for copies of those.
  
  
• 1999 : Kelkoo (http://kelkoo.com) - seems to do exactly what is described in the patent, I contacted them to see if they can help to protest against the patent application.
  
  
• 1997 : No Amiga To Waste (http://thunderstorms.org/NATW) - this is an application that I created where lists of ideas can be created and commented on over the internet. While not 100% inside e-commerce realm (Bla-bla List isn't either btw), this can be seen as prior art imho.
  
  
• 1996 : Peapod (http://peapod.com) - allows you to create online grocery lists.
  
  

The official complaint from Channel Intelligence states the US patent number but it only vaguely mentions that they 'own the foreign equivalents'. I thus decided to search for them, and I found this: http://register1.epoline.org/espacenet/regviewer.

It turns out that the equivalent European patent is still under examination. I've contacted the Belgian patent office to see what the local status is and they're getting back to me shortly. With the abundance of prior art, it might actually be easy to stop the patent from being granted in Europe now. Apparently it's much more effective to intervene during the examination process than it is to contest the patent once it's granted.

Thanks a lot everyone for all your helpful comments. It's heartwarming to see how many people care and manifest their support.

I already had some informal legal assistance and it seems that causing a patent to be revoked is a very expensive process. That is the only thing that prior art can be used for. Since the patent is there and has been granted by the US patent office, its validity cannot be challenged unless it's entirely revoked. What I can do is challenge the relevance of the patent in regards to Bla-bla List. I'm now waiting for replies from several open-source foundations that are supposed to provide free legal assistance is cases like this. If they don't come through, I'll have to hire a patent lawyer in Belgium.

I've also contacted the lawyers that sent me this letter directly to ask them for concrete suggestions about the amicable resolve that they propose. At least this will give me a picture about what they're after. This what I sent them:

There seem to be a collection of possible reasons that I can use to dismiss myself as a defendant. I didn't know that the legal system worked this way, but apparently it's common for patent infringement cases to target a whole laundry list of defendants. They all typically try to be dismissed and only one valid reason is needed for this to happen. If the suggestions for an amicable resolve don't satisfy me, aiming for a dismissal will probably be my next course of action.

I'll keep you all posted!