Publishers have largely moved away from adapted versions of their high-tech games for Wii, but they still happen, such as this month’s “Alone in the Dark.”
“Alone in the Dark” doesn’t feel much like a game designed for Wii. That’s probably because it isn’t.

But for Wii-exclusive owners in search of survival horror before Tecmo delivers “Fatal Frame,” “Alone in the Dark” is their best bet. In that respect, how does it hold up?

It’s hit or miss. Much of the visual fidelity and large set pieces that made “Alone in the Dark” impressive enough to keep my eyes shut during a spoiler aren’t found in the Wii version. These environmental edits mean there are actual story differences between the Wii version and the one arriving on Xbox 360, PC and PS3.

The Wii can’t handle the same amount of technological innovation (i.e. dynamic fire) implemented in the more advanced versions of “Alone in the Dark.” Those elements have been downplayed or removed. There is no dynamic fire in the Wii version. There’s still fire, objects can ignite, but everything has been scripted.

And whereas Central Park is a large, open world on the other versions, that environment is not fully realized on Wii. Instead, you move from one map-marked marked location to another.

Side-by-side with its more advanced brothers “Alone in the Dark” on Wii doesn’t stack up, but to be fair, it’s a technologically unfair comparison. I’ll have to spend some more time toying with the Wii on its own terms version later this month.