Customer Reviews

Alan Wake

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

When approaching Alan Wake I wasn't really sure what to expect. I've always been a huge survival horror fan. I've been fighting off hordes of the undead since the first Resident Evil on PS1 (actually since "Zombies ate my Neighbors" on SNES). I didn't know too much about Alan Wake but I decided to give it a shot anyways. Boy was I suprised! This game turned out to be a jewel. Alan Wake has so much atmosphere you could bottle it up and sell it out of a soda machine. Some games don't get the pacing right, with too much of this or too much of that. Alan Wake seems to have pacing perfected (action, exploration, puzzles). If you're a horror game fan you owe it to yourself to pick this game up. This game has renewed my love for the XBOX 360. I just hope they don't take too long to make a full sequel.

The game is more brain usage than shoot them up. I enjoyed playing this game and I'm 59. I don't enjoy the blow up everything games. This game tells a story and is alot more then just running around shooting everything. As far as I'm concerned it's one of the best video games I ever played.

It seems that David Lynch missed the boat somewhere. With the current rush of thriller style horror games hitting the market, he could have produced a game of epic proportions. In his absence, however, Remedy Entertainment has stepped up to the plate. If Deadly Premonition managed to capture the quirky characters and almost farcical style of Twin Peaks, Alan Wake has nailed the foreboding, fear-filled side of the series.

Author Alan Wake is trapped in a story that he doesn't remember writing and his wife's life is at stake. Armed with his trusty flashlight and an assortment of weapons, he must stave off the forces of darkness lurking throughout the town of Bright Falls while uncovering the clues to his own memory loss, his mysterious, new novel Departure and the location of his abducted spouse. And it all plays out as cinematically as any game has ever managed to do.

The Story

Penned by the deft hand of Sam Lake, there are definite echoes of Max Payne within this game--primarily the ongoing introspection and voice-over that narrates the story as it unfolds before the gamer. Otherwise, Alan Wake is a completely unique experience. Twists and turns in the plot manage to keep the story within grasp while introducing new and interesting tidbits throughout the game.

Game levels are scripted as 'episodes'--much as they were in Deadly Premonition--beginning with flashbacks of what has happened previously in the story/game. It gives the game a television-like vibe that brings to mind series like Lost and the X-Files--and is spoofed by the game itself with glimpses of a popular program (called Night Springs) that resembles the Twilight Zone on in-game televisions. In addition to the 'what happened before' flashbacks, gamers are also treated to a unique song between each of the episodes (such as the eerily appropriate In Dreams by Roy Orbison that also made an appearance in David Lynch's Blue Velvet).

Admittedly, the game is a little long on cut-scenes/cinematics--but they are absolutely forgivable within Alan Wake as they enhance the game experience and almost give the gamer the feeling they are 'playing within a movie.' Don't ignore the cut-scenes in this game; they are as beautiful as they are relevant.

Sights and Sounds

If Alan Wake is not the most gorgeous game ever released on the Xbox 360, then I don't know what is! Daytime in Bright Falls reveals a rustic Pacific Northwestern town that has been exquisitely detailed and constructed--but when night falls, the game is drenched in some of the best uses of light and shadow ever included within a game. Seriously, just watch how the flashlight bursts through the mists rising from the woodland trail in front of you, and take a peak at the white-capped mountains in the distance rimmed with moonlight and dare to disagree with me.

The sound design of the game is equally evocative; choosing to feature ambient music and sound effects for the background pays off with a steady build of fear and dread throughout the game. Enjoy the 'between the episodes' music for what it is: A break from the tension!

One last thing I want to mention in this section is the fine detail of facial expressions and character mannerisms throughout the game. They give a uniqueness to every person you encounter and make interactions throughout Alan Wake a pleasure.

The Game Play

Alan Wake's game play is structured much like other Third Person Shooters, so if you have fears of the tough-to-handle style of movement associated with other horror games (think Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark), you can rest easy. The mechanics involved with using the dual weapon system (flashlight/gun, etc.) are extremely user-friendly as well: Point the light at the enemy and that's where your bullets will hit.

In addition to the main storyline of the game, there are other, ongoing mini-missions as well--though they are mostly of the 'collectibles' variety. So be sure to pay attention to your surroundings and don't be afraid of leaving the well-trodden path to search for hidden caches of ammo, manuscript pages or the occasional thermos of coffee.

While the vast majority of this game is a pleasure to play, there are a few short comings that I would be remiss in not mentioning. The driving element of this game is mediocre at best; the drivable vehicles (not every car/truck is available to Wake) are a bit sluggish and handle a bit clumsily--though this, admittedly, does add to the tension of the game when bad guys are swarming you. But this is a minor thing since Wake is rarely forced to use a vehicle.

The continuous navigation of woodland paths (with the occasional handful of enemies jumping out) can also get a bit repetitive--though the game does manage to stay (for the most part) fun. And it would have been nice to have had a bit more of a map, rather than a simple GPS dot to follow--especially when you are trying to navigate through some of the more open areas of the game.

Summation

Though no game is perfect, I have to admit that in a lot of ways, Alan Wake is damn close! I give it 4.5 stars out of 5 (due to the minor shortcomings already mentioned). Alan Wake is the perfect mix of story and game play--and a fine example of how applying cinematic film techniques to a game can give it a depth that other titles can only dream of achieving. Do yourself a favor: Buy Alan Wake, fire it up and turn down the lights. Just don't forget to catch your breath during the musical interludes...

You can check out more of my game reviews on my Amazon Author's Page (http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JRWEAC).

This game took me by surprise as one of the best stories in a video game I have ever seen. I think I liked it so much because of the fact that it was so similar to David Lynch's pseudo-soap opera/mystery thriller Twin Peaks. But the whole game was awesome and it was just like reading a good book which is what I think the aim was supposed to be.

I played this game like 5 months ago so I have to think back but this is honestly one of the best single player games the Xbox 360 has to offer. It plays in a tv show kind of style which is really cool. I typically have a short attention span when it comes to video games but I played the game for probably 10 hours straight when I got it. Kind of scary game but it's pretty cool. I haven't ran into many games that kept my interest like this one. Really fun and enjoyable, I highly recommend it.

Alan Wake combines terrific storytelling with an eerie atmosphere to put a new face on the survival horror genre. A must-play for fans of suspenseful gameplay and story!

Alan Wake is proof that video game conventions and movie conventions cannot completely exist on the same plane, at least in terms of the current gen technology. As hard as Alan Wake tries to be "more" than just a game in both it's story and structure, it ends up backfiring on several occasions ultimately ruining the experience. Behind the David Lynch-esque facade of every day people and places, Alan Wake succeeds in telling a story structured like a dream, but in doing so it falters in the most important aspect, the game play. It's obvious from the outset that Alan Wake is a nice looking game, at least in terms of scenery. Trees blow in the wind, bushes sway as Alan brushes by them, and the scenic vistas are near breathtaking. The sound is great as well, rivaling Dead Space in creating a truly horrific and foreboding atmosphere. However, the game is so simply designed, and levels are so boringly directed that all the beauty in Bright Falls can't save the game play. Alan Wake is intense a lot of the time, but the intensity is more so due to the limits placed on your character, than by the creation of expert developers. Here are a few things to consider before you pay full price for this game that promises a lot, but ends up backing out in the end.

CHARACTER MOVEMENT
For me this was one of the games biggest weak points. It seems that Alan Wake isn't sure what it wants to be. It appears on the outset to be a survival horror game where ammo is scarce, and combat isn't the focal point. However, it's evident that after the first couple of episodes that Alan Wake is just a glorified action game with survival horror elements. The game involves a lot of twitch reaction along with precise shooting and aiming. The problem is that controls are sluggish and Alan is given a lot of physical handicaps to ensure the game stays thrilling, even to the detriment of your enjoyment and progress. For instance Alan's jump is awkward and the game at times demands rather precise platforming which can become frustrating. Alan comes equipped with an evade move, but the move is clunky and slow in it's execution. But the biggest shortfall in Alan's character movement has to be his inability to sprint for more than five seconds. I understand that Alan is a writer, not a marathon runner, but he sure knows how to use a gun like a marksmen, so why the running weakness? You will be running a lot in this game, from cops and the taken, and these scenarios are by far the most frustrating moments of the game. You'll sprint for a quick moment, slow down, then eventually stop so Alan can catch his breath, it all looks good, but it's not realistic, and it causes the game to grate at times. Character limitations can help ground a game in realism, but Alan Wake is not a game that should strive for realism, after all you're fighting a formless horror with beams of light!

CUT SCENE PRESENTATION
It's no secret that Alan Wake has been in development for a long time. You would think that this time would have been spent polishing the cut scenes since they are important to this game which considers itself a psychological thriller, and for the fact that they take up a good chunk of the game play. However, in Alan Wake's case it's the opposite. The game engine seems to have been overhauled during game play, Alan Wake is one of he best looking 360 titles. But the cut scenes suffer from a lot of issues. For starters the game attempts to look like a serialized television show, with both recaps and cliff hanging endings. The idea isn't original, but the real problem is that the television style cut scenes actually look less cinematic than most games because it tries to hard to emulate a TV show. It's obvious that TV shows don't have the same budgets or talent as films, and this causes a lot of shows to be underwhelming in both their content and technology, and this is exactly what Alan Wake suffers from. It looks cheap, and doesn't pull you into it's world or get you to sympathize with it's characters. Among Alan Wake's other cut scene problems are really poor dialogue, over the top voice acting and some truly horrid facial/lip animations. Alan Wake's wife in particular has one of the creepiest faces I've seen in a AAA title. To put it simply, a game like Alan Wake lives and dies with how it's story is told, and as far as the cut scenes go they're incredibly underwhelming and fail to pull you into the rather pretentious story.

LEVEL DESIGN
Alan Wake's biggest problem, and the main reason I gave the game only three stars is due to the poor level design. Alan wake is a very simply designed game, almost to a laughable point. You are shown wide open vistas, grand mountains and looming forests, but you never get to explore them. Simply put, Alan Wake is a corridor shooter set in an outdoor environment. You can stroll a little bit off the path and at times find a little ammo or batteries in a shallow cave, but for the most part you walk through the woods or up a path and never get to stray off it or take on a location from another direction. Even though you always move towards a straight path, the game guides you from waypoint to waypoint, almost annoyingly so negating any real feeling of naturalistic exploration. It seems that Alan Wake tries to separate itself by creating a game that takes place mostly outdoors, but the outdoor environments are only window dressing to a conventional corridor shooting experience. Above all, Alan Wake's biggest misstep is the episodic level design it implements that completely takes you out of the immersion of the story and environments. The game is segmented into day scenarios that take place in areas around Bright Falls. These segments never have weapons in them, and Alan is only given the ability to walk. Even though these scenarios take place in buildings and homes all the doors are locked, except the door that you're supposed to use to forward the scenario. There is absolutely no exploration during these moments. Not only are the segments boring and uninspired, but they're incredibly constrictive and formulaic. You know you're not going to run into any conflict since the developer's chose to take away some of your characters abilities. Following these day scenarios are the night ones, where you do all the shooting and fighting with the taken, poltergeists, and spirit birds (the only three enemies you face.) Weapons, ammo and batteries from each episode don't carry over to the next one, as you're mysteriously stripped of them by the day time. Some episodes take all your armaments away completely forcing you to run with just a flashlight, something the restrictive character movement wasn't made for. This takes away from the strategy of ammo conservation and weapon upgrades vital to survival horror games, since you don't have a continuing inventory. The episodes also skip time and place and conveniently place you where you need to be at any time, never giving you the feel of being in a real place and time. Needless to say the poor level design rips you from the immersion of the game, and plays similar to games from the 1990s, not a complement in this day and age.

Alan Wake is a game that has an identity crisis and suffers from poor design decisions that over shadows the work and time put into it's development. I applaud Remedy for trying something different story wise, but the game buckles under it's own pretensions and technological restrictions. The audio and visuals are on par with the industries best, but everything else in Alan Wake doesn't live up to the titles promise. Bad character movement decisions and underwhelming cut scenes are a few problems that can't be over looked in this type of game. If you love survival horror or action horror games you owe it to yourself to rent Alan Wake, the game does contain some terrifying moments, and the atmosphere is great at night. The game isn't very long, so I don't suggest paying full price for it. Some of the games major faults may strike it as unplayable for those not committed to story driven horror games, especially Alan Wake which has a broken pace some may find maddening. It's not a bad game per se, it's just not a great game either. It has a foundation that can be vastly improved in latter installments to create a better, more enjoyable game. However, as it stands Alan Wake leaves a lot to be desired.

Man, too bad this game came out in the same week ad Red Dead Redemption and didn't sell well.
This game is great!
For those out there looking for innovative, original ideas, this is the game to go for. The gameplay is different from everything in the market, but it is really well executed.It has a great horror story, and the way it is told, throgh the protagonist and manuscripts scaterred around the levels is unprecedent. Great voice acting.
I also recommend downloading the 2 DLC expansions , that give closure to the story and prepare you for the sequel, which I really hope gets made, in spite of the poor sales.
Do yourself a favor and buy this game. It is now being bundled with new Xbox 360 slims, it will guarantee you engaging hours of fun.

I'm seventy years of age. I like this game..The last game I liked was Red Dead Redemption undead nightmare. This is akin to Silent Hill Two.

Alan Wake has a story that puts any recent Hollywood movie to shame. It's incredibly deep and incredibly well-written. I'm usually the first guy who says that I don't care about the "story" in a game. I've often said that I wish games would quit trying to use stories, because they have been irritating far more often than they have been interesting. Just let me get back to pushing buttons! But, in Alan Wake, I eagerly anticipate every cut scene, savor every dialog sequence, thoroughly enjoy every added little information or flavor or fun they throw into the mix, because it is all incredibly good. If you've ever read a fantastic book that you just can't put down, Alan Wake is the same way! You just can't put the controller down, because you really want to see where the story goes next! The story-line constantly comes at you from different angles with new information and keeps you guessing what is going on. It's not predictable. It's not cliche'. It's not Hollywood. It's actually fantastic for once! Graphics are great! You get to run around through the best looking forests I've ever seen in a game. (The car models were clearly not their priority from the looks of them...!) The in-game hdr lighting engine is amazing and beautiful and needs to be seen to be believed! (Best ever, perhaps?) Gameplay wise, it's relatively simple, which I think was a brilliant move by the developer. The simplicity keeps the gamer moving forward through the story, which is the whole point, right? The controls and character actions feel reasonably fluid, natural and pretty realistic with the motions. Just because it's simple, does not mean it's "easy". It's a good game mechanic that works well. I've noticed that if I have to repeat the same battle several times because I keep dying, the game seems to take it a little easier on me after a few tries. That's great for me, because I don't want to get stuck just endlessly repeating one battle because it was too difficult for me. So, the game keeps you moving forward. You'll get to keep enjoying the wonderful story. And what a wonderful ride it is... Easily best written story-line for a video game ever, bar none. Easily. If you like high-tension thriller stories, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Alfred Hitchcock, The Twilight Zone, or anything related to any of those, you owe it to yourself to get this game. I have no idea how anyone who loves a good suspense story wouldn't love this game.