I went in expecting something similar to a silent hill resident evil clone/mix; what i got however was an excellent game that perfectly melds the craft of writing and video games for something that (to me at least) is a wholly new and unique experience; moreover being a somewhat avid reader I caught tons of allusions to other works (notably Stephen King, and H.P Lovecraft). I can easily say that this is amongst my top 5 favorite games of all time. The graphics are immaculate (though i must say the animation leaves a little to be desired (everyone talks as if they got a little excited with the Botox injections)) but ignoring that small fault the game is In my opinion, perfect.
If you like horror novels, believe me when i say this game is not something you'll regret spending money on.
but be warned, this is not similar to most games, in the sense that most of the story is left up to the player to discover, and if you're not ready to spend time deciphering the clues, then the game (the ending in particular) will only serve to annoy you.
in short 10/10 easily.
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A few years back Microsoft had the great idea to try and buy up companies and then make their games Xbox exclusive.
Alan Wake was one of the games caught up in this, it did not sell well on Xbox despite critical acclaim and was often criticized for crude product and ad placement.
So here we are 2012 and Alan wake finally arrives on it's intended platform and even with the product placement, Remedy's great story telling and solid game-play mechanics shine though.
Alan Wake, a tormented writer in the feeling the effects of intense writers block goes on what he believes is a vacation where he hopes to escape the personal demons that plague him only to have his wife confront him with a quiet room and a type writer where she hopes he can rekindle his talent. From that moment on all hell breaks loose as the walls between reality and fantasy go from gray to smudge. With gun and flashlight Alan Wake takes on his personal and professional demons that have been brought to life by a malevolent force at the bottom of Cauldron Lake. The story is told in an interesting "episodic" style with lots of nods to Max Payne 1&2 (Remedy's previous successful titles) though-out.
Game play consists of Alan using a flashlight or other source of light to dispel the shadows around foes then to crack them open with bullets. This allows for intense action that requires you to think about how move on the fly because Alan since he doesn't have unlimited stamina to run and dodge.
I would actually give the game 4 & 1/2 if I could only because of the controls take some tweaking (like dropping the mouse sensitivity well below half) and the dodge mechanic takes a while to really learn the nuances.
After playing it I was compelled to immediately pick up the follow up "American Nightmare" and I recommend you do too.
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In many ways, Alan Wake reminds me of the old "point and click" adventure games I played on the computer as a kid. You are propelled through the game by a strong narrative, dialogue, characters, and pacing. Of course, though the game takes cues from the old school adventure games (as well as some TV shows, like "Twin Peaks"), it wisely adopts modern control schemes, playing in the typical third person, over the shoulder style that has become very popular over the past two console generations. It is a very linear experience, but that's just the way I like my gamesfocused with the emphasis being on pacing, fun, and story. This game truly is the "psychological suspense thriller" that it claims to be!
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I have never seen very much in the way of reviews on this game, so I felt that I was taking a bit of a risk when I bought it, even though I got it at a reaaaally great sale price. I have to say... Even if I had not gotten this on sale, I would have been completely satisfied. It is an amazing game with an amazing story, and it has a fan-FREAKING-tastic soundtrack to boot. Some might say it's short, but it's no shorter than a lot of games are these days. Do I wish it lasted a little longer? Yes. But did I literally play it from the minute I woke up to the time I went to sleep? Sadly, yes... Very few games have kept me going like that, and the unique gameplay of Alan Wake is now among those sad days where I'm not even sure if I stepped outside.
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Credit is due Remedy for making ALAN WAKE a story-driven game. It's a partial success, though not a complete one. They have entirely eschewed the typical RPG tropes of dialogue trees and progression choices in favour of a linear, non-interactive structure. The story is played out in a series of cut-scenes and simple A to B tasks. Basically you just have to battle your way from one place to the next. There's certainly a place for this type of game, and when it's done well (á la Half-Life 2) it can be very rewarding. Unlike Half-Life 2, however, ALAN WAKE doesn't quite pull it off. Firstly, there isn't enough humour. There's some but it would have benefited from more. And the story isn't exactly original. But the main problem for me was the combat. I hated the way control is wrenched away from the player every time enemies approach. I get why they did it (there's no other way of knowing they're coming, apart from some audible warnings) but I often found myself disoriented when the camera had finished sweeping around and control had retuned. Several times the sweep lasted so long that by the time I had control again the enemies were right on me and it was impossible to avoid taking a hit. Frustrating to say the least. On the plus side the environments look very good and it's quite atmospheric (although not as creepy as I would have liked Silent Hill still sets the bar for that). One other thing worth noting is that I found the special episode, The Writer, to be better than what had gone before. It's even more atmospheric and far more inventive. Overall this is a good game if not an outstanding one.
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