Alan Wake
Alan Wake Review

For a few years, I had heard of this game that Sam Lake wanted to do, a story in which a writer becomes the hero of a novel that he apparently wrote, but doesn’t remember doing so. And unlike what I was expecting, which was a game a bit rushed out and unpolished for sometimes certain companies don’t want to do great games, but instead rushed out products so that can get as much money as possible, to the detriment of the game and the designer’s talent, this game is instead another proof that Sam Lake is a very talented writer and game designer.
Each level is designed as an episode of a tv series, called Alan Wake, where there is a summary starting from the second till the sixth episode, product placements with items like Energizer batteries and Verizon cell phones, and many references to horror classics such as the X-Files, The Birds, and Stephen King’s works. Though I sometimes felt that it was a bit unnecessary to have Alan Wake say out loud certain references like when the Taken tries to get to Alan by axing down a door, or the Birds that attack Barry inside his chalet since those references are very popular. At least Sam Lake shows is this game that he respects and considers Stephen King as an important author and not a best-seller machine which is what certain intellectuals believe.
Apart from the story, I also loved the Night Springs mini-episodes that you can watch on certain televisions. The suspense is excellent and I still wished that Sam Lake had put them in the extras, among the soundtrack and the radios shows that you uncover during the game. Among my favorite songs, I loved the Poet and the muse by the old gods of Asgard, Up jumped the Devil by Nick Cage and the Bad Seeds, and Haunted by Poe.
Visually the game is excellent and the landscape is gorgeous. At night, the lighting department manages to create very scary environments, where one isn’t too sure if there won’t be a Taken around the corner to attack you, even when you’re certain that there is no enemy around. The same can be said for the audio, which adds to the tension and encourages you to be careful to the sounds you hear as each one may be a Taken who is approaching.
There are however two things one must know about this game. First of all that it is not an open-world as in Red Dead redemption or Grand Theft Auto. However for each level, you get to be in a specific environment, very wide and impressive where you can find trivial informations about Bright Falls, manuscript pages, thermos bottles, tv and radio shows, all special tokens that can be difficult to find for they are well hidden. However you must know that there is no sub-quests as in Red Dead Redemption.
Finally, the ending will infuriate many gamers as it is open-ended and not all the questions are resolved. However this game is supposedly the first season of a series of games that are part of the Alan Wake universe. According to Remedy, there is supposed to be a sequel and the DLC content, such as the first one that will appear in July, will bridge up the ending and prepare us for the sequel. Which I hope they will get to make for they released the game at the wrong time, which was when Red Dead Redemption came out.
I hope Sam Lake won’t have the same problems that Michel Ancel got with Beyond Good and Evil.
Alan Wake Feature
- Intense Cinematic Action – From Remedy, the masters of cinematic action, comes a 3rd person action game filled with overwhelming odds and desperate near escapes.
- Gripping Suspense – Storytelling at its best, Alan Wake is like a tightly paced thriller TV series, offering endless twists and cliffhangers, and building up to an epic conclusion.
- Light is your Weapon – Light is your greatest weapon and only protection as dark¬ness takes over everything and everyone, and turns them against you.
- Episodic narrative
- Suspenseful and gripping storyline
Alan Wake Overview
When the wife of the best-selling writer Alan Wake disappears on their vacation, his search turns up pages from a thriller he doesn’t even remember writing. A dark presence stalks the small town of Bright Falls, Washington pushing Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save the woman he loves. With the body of an action game and the mind of a psychological thriller, Alan Wake is a pulse-pounding thrill ride.
Alan Wake Specifications
Alan Wake, developed by Remedy Entertainment for the Xbox 360, is psychological action thriller that incorporates the elements of a TV show with the interactivity of a video game for a uniquely immersive experience. A suspenseful story told in successive episodes, this release will treat players to top-notch graphics that give the game a stunning cinematic look.
Search for clues to figure out the mystery. View larger. |
Alan Wake slowly realizes that his nightmares are coming true. View larger. |
You’ll be able to freely roam the town of Bright Falls. View larger. |
High definition graphics and lighting effects make for a spectacular looking game. View larger. |
A Nightmare Turns to Life
Alan Wake is a bestselling horror novelist who moved to the small town of Bright Falls, Washington after suffering from insomnia and depression. Wake is able to sleep again, but after he meets a mysterious woman, he begins to have terrible nightmares. As he puts these nightmares on paper for a new book, he soon notices that all the things that happen in his book are coming true right before his eyes.
Using cinematic effects and technology such as real-time lighting, shadows and reflections, you’ll be treated to a game that is oozing with atmosphere and able to invoke an emotional response from the player. The realistic environment features real-time weather and light changes that effect the game play for a remarkably immersive experience.
Explore an Entire Town
The town of Bright Falls is 100 square kilometers, and players will be able to roam through this incredibly detailed area any way they like, roaming the town or wandering out to the lakes, forest, satellite towns, and more. The game gives the player goals, but how he chooses to go about completing them is up to him. Clues are scattered throughout the town, and solving mysteries will require players to pay close attention to the little details.
Intense Combat
In addition to solving puzzles and exploration, the game also pushes players into serious action and combat; when night comes, creatures will take their best shots at Alan, and you’ll have to be quick with strategy as well as weapons to beat them back.
Alan Wake presents an unusual and new gaming experience that features a riveting, multi-layered story while giving the player the ability to freely roam a giant environment. It supports Dolby Digital sound and runs at a beautiful high-definition 720p.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 01, 2010 06:40:23








