22 replies to this topic

[FastRobPlus]

It may be the best game of this console generation.

[iswitt]

I'm glad to hear someone likes it. I have it on hold at my local library, so I'll be able to play it soon and find out what all the buzz is about.

[Ghost Soldier]

I'm really looking forward to playing it. I'm a fan of any kind of survival horror. Alan Wake is next on my list to buy.

[FastRobPlus]

The music is also some of the best I've ever heard in a game.

[xenomorpher]

For as long as it had been in development, I expected more from Alan Wake. I agree that the music is great, but it's an above average game to me VS a mind blowing one. I might to play it more, who knows, but there was so much they could have done with it. The whole light thing reminds me of the fire element in the newer Alone in the Dark game. I read somewhere a long time ago that the story would change dynamically to how you played and what you did. The whole game was so mysterious and promising when I first saw the trailers years ago. I didn't play through the whole game, but according to IGN the story is the same. I really wish they would have done more with it, but I'm glad it plays without any problems.

[FastRobPlus]

xenomorpher, on Thu May 27, 2010 12:10 PM, said:

For as long as it had been in development, I expected more from Alan Wake. I agree that the music is great, but it's an above average game to me VS a mind blowing one. I might to play it more, who knows, but there was so much they could have done with it. The whole light thing reminds me of the fire element in the newer Alone in the Dark game. I read somewhere a long time ago that the story would change dynamically to how you played and what you did. The whole game was so mysterious and promising when I first saw the trailers years ago. I didn't play through the whole game, but according to IGN the story is the same. I really wish they would have done more with it, but I'm glad it plays without any problems.

The game is on rails just as much as any modern action game. It isn’t really open ended at all.

I've been looking for a game that was as creepy as that very first Alone in the Dark back in the early 1990s. With AW, we definitely get that.

But I was also holding out hope for a truly good story. Most survival horror puts the story second. I think that’s what makes a game like Portal so good. You piece together the story by actively observing the game space and have a few “wow” moments when you realize how much context you can get from their minimalist approach. For example, in Portal, how cool was is when you saw the notice for “take our daughters to work day” and realized that your character must have been a daughter on that fateful day – the same day GLADOS killed everyone? They never needed to tell you all this, they let you assemble it from the environment.

With Allan Wake, they made the story out to sound as if it would twist back on itself and give you some of those “wow” moments.
As it turns out – it really does!
There are as many twists as an episode of Lost or Twin Peaks. Remember waaay back in episode one when Wake sees the Thomas Zane books on the table and comments “some guy I never heard of.” If you are like me, you chalked that up to typical adventure game play. After all, Wake will comment on lots of things, he’s a video game charachter! But did you stop to ask: “Wait a sec. if AW is a famous thriller novelist, and those books say ‘bestselling author Thomas Zane’ across them, how can AW never have heard of him?”

If you're like me, you never give this a second thought.

So how cool was it in the third or fourth episode when you realize the chilling significance of that observation?

I haven’t enjoyed the narrative of a video game this much since Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon and Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive. In fact, if I had to encapsulate what Alan Wake is in a single sentence, I’d say it’s Tex Murphy film noir meets Alone in the Dark with higher production values than both combined.

If you have not seen episode four yet, you must play through this! Like some television series, it takes a few episodes to find its legs. Episode four is where it all comes together.

[moycon]

I plan on getting this game but I am in no hurry to do so.
Got too many games on the pile now. The good thing is, is when I do get around to it, it'll be like <$30

[xenomorpher]

FastRobPlus, on Thu May 27, 2010 12:58 PM, said:

xenomorpher, on Thu May 27, 2010 12:10 PM, said:

For as long as it had been in development, I expected more from Alan Wake. I agree that the music is great, but it's an above average game to me VS a mind blowing one. I might to play it more, who knows, but there was so much they could have done with it. The whole light thing reminds me of the fire element in the newer Alone in the Dark game. I read somewhere a long time ago that the story would change dynamically to how you played and what you did. The whole game was so mysterious and promising when I first saw the trailers years ago. I didn't play through the whole game, but according to IGN the story is the same. I really wish they would have done more with it, but I'm glad it plays without any problems.

The game is on rails just as much as any modern action game. It isn’t really open ended at all.

I've been looking for a game that was as creepy as that very first Alone in the Dark back in the early 1990s. With AW, we definitely get that.

But I was also holding out hope for a truly good story. Most survival horror puts the story second. I think that’s what makes a game like Portal so good. You piece together the story by actively observing the game space and have a few “wow” moments when you realize how much context you can get from their minimalist approach. For example, in Portal, how cool was is when you saw the notice for “take our daughters to work day” and realized that your character must have been a daughter on that fateful day – the same day GLADOS killed everyone? They never needed to tell you all this, they let you assemble it from the environment.

With Allan Wake, they made the story out to sound as if it would twist back on itself and give you some of those “wow” moments.
As it turns out – it really does!
There are as many twists as an episode of Lost or Twin Peaks. Remember waaay back in episode one when Wake sees the Thomas Zane books on the table and comments “some guy I never heard of.” If you are like me, you chalked that up to typical adventure game play. After all, Wake will comment on lots of things, he’s a video game charachter! But did you stop to ask: “Wait a sec. if AW is a famous thriller novelist, and those books say ‘bestselling author Thomas Zane’ across them, how can AW never have heard of him?”

If you're like me, you never give this a second thought.

So how cool was it in the third or fourth episode when you realize the chilling significance of that observation?

I haven’t enjoyed the narrative of a video game this much since Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon and Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive. In fact, if I had to encapsulate what Alan Wake is in a single sentence, I’d say it’s Tex Murphy film noir meets Alone in the Dark with higher production values than both combined.

If you have not seen episode four yet, you must play through this! Like some television series, it takes a few episodes to find its legs. Episode four is where it all comes together.

I think I'm actually about to start episode four, so I'll see how it goes then on. I just was expecting something else that wasn't on rails. I still like the game though and it is intriguing.

[Red 5]

I put this in before Red Dead Redemption, because I knew once I started that one, I would be in for the long haul. I too was looking forward to Alan Wake, but was pretty disapointed at the onset. Chapter 2, I was finding it repetitive way too soon. Then I hit chapter 3 and the game started to find its groove. I am just starting chapter 4 and I admit the game has grown on me. The story saved the game and it is getting much more interesting. Although I am tired of all the crazed lumberjacks. Other than a few haunted items, are crazy lumberjacks all I have to look forward to as bad guys?

I do like the game a lot though. I am glad I stuck with it.

[Metal Ghost]

An old bump, but I just started this game last week, and wanted to share my thoughts.

Just finished the 2nd Episode and so far I am asboloutely hooked on this game. I'm actually almost disappointed that I won't be able to play for the next couple of nights because I'm going to a basketball game tonight and to a class I'm taking tomorrow night....both things that I normally love!!

I'm just not typically into 'scary' stories, but the intrigue and suspense that this one generates is not quite like anything else I've ever played. It completely reminds me of the series Lost, which for me is a good thing, since it's the only television series I can say with 100% confidence that I've seen every single episode ever made.

No, you can't change the story depending on your actions or your use of light, but I don't really want to! Just like with Lost, I want the writers to lead me through their excellently crafted story, not instead come up with multiple 'lesser' stories just so I can say I had some choice in the outcome. That's where I'm coming from at least.

FastRobPlus - that's crazy that you noticed that too about Thomas Zane in that one Episode (in #1....maybe beginning of #2? can't remember now). Those exact words when through my head: how could a best selling author not know about another apparent best selling authori? Though the genre may not be his cup of tea, I'm sure that if you mentioned Zane Grey to Stephen King he'd darn well at least know who he was! So that's cool to hear that little things like that may even fold back in on themselves in later chapters. Though finding time to play this game alone when the kids are asleep tends to be a challenge, I am nonetheless doing my best to seek out and explore Bright Falls in order to unearth all of those types of things.

Also, I'm really digging the beginning and ending to the Episodes. The end of Episode 2 was somewhat of a cliffhanger (very cool), but even #1, it just was a very, VERY well done way to start and end the game areas. It really leaves you wanting more, but yet provides a great opportunity to say to yourself 'Hey, I'm going to put this down, think about what I just played, and let myself really lookforward to the next Episode'. Of course if you want to move on, that's always welcome too

I'm a huge fan.

[Hyper_Eye]

I was looking forward to this game a lot when it came out but my backlog was a little daunting at the time. Sometime after release I purchased it for my brother but I still wanted to wait on it. This Christmas I finally got it and I intend to start it soon. It is moving in front of a lot of games because I really think this is going to be right up my alley.

[onlysublime]

me too! I picked up the digital code for the game awhile back when it was $7. Never got around to actually downloading the game until yesterday. Just so backlogged in games that I haven't given this game its just due.

[Metal Ghost]

Maybe someone who has already played this can chime in on this:

Two nights ago I had finished Episode 2. I had been at it for a while, so it was just naturally a good time to call it a night, plus on a very minor note I thought it'd be cool to start up the next Episode right from the "Previously on Alan Wake" part of Episode 3. So once I got to the "End of Episode 2" screen I quit out of the game. Unfortunately, there had been no checkpoint and therefore when I restarted last night to get 15 minutes of gametime in before the SU game (20-0!!!!) I had to once again finish Episode 2 before getting to the "Previously on Alan Wake" section of Episode 3.

Did I simply not wait long enough into the "End of Episode 2" screen before quiting? Or do you really always have to get into the next episode before quiting. I swear that I don't think I quit the game the instant I hit the "End of Episode 2" screen, but at the same time I know I didn't leave it up for very long either, and I really wasn't paying attention so I can't promise that it was very long.

Either way, not a big deal. But, it just so happens that with kids and life, etc., the 'Episodes' are really good length gaming chunks, and it'd be cool for both practical and 'form' purposes (i.e. more immersive) if I could quite the game at the end of an Episode and then start up again and see the very beginning of the next Episode.

[davepesc]

I really enjoyed it, but it's a rental to me. I completed it over 2 days staying home while my wife was sick. 6 hours, although I didn't go for all the achievements. Still ended up with about 600 gs out of it.

[cimerians]

Metal Ghost, on Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:40 PM, said:

Maybe someone who has already played this can chime in on this: Two nights ago I had finished Episode 2. I had been at it for a while, so it was just naturally a good time to call it a night, plus on a very minor note I thought it'd be cool to start up the next Episode right from the "Previously on Alan Wake" part of Episode 3. So once I got to the "End of Episode 2" screen I quit out of the game. Unfortunately, there had been no checkpoint and therefore when I restarted last night to get 15 minutes of gametime in before the SU game (20-0!!!!) I had to once again finish Episode 2 before getting to the "Previously on Alan Wake" section of Episode 3. Did I simply not wait long enough into the "End of Episode 2" screen before quiting? Or do you really always have to get into the next episode before quiting. I swear that I don't think I quit the game the instant I hit the "End of Episode 2" screen, but at the same time I know I didn't leave it up for very long either, and I really wasn't paying attention so I can't promise that it was very long. Either way, not a big deal. But, it just so happens that with kids and life, etc., the 'Episodes' are really good length gaming chunks, and it'd be cool for both practical and 'form' purposes (i.e. more immersive) if I could quite the game at the end of an Episode and then start up again and see the very beginning of the next Episode.

Turn on every light source you can find. Bulbs, posts etc. cause that acts as a save point. I can't remember exactly but you can't really know what a save point is other than finding light sources.

Great game by the way. I have the collectors edition with the book and everything.

[Metal Ghost]

I just found my 25th coffee thermos and received the 'Damn Good Cup of Coffee' achievement. I'm not sure I would have gotten the 'inside' joke if I hadn't decided to start watching Twin Peaks last night....got through the 90 minute pilot.

Hah.....good one Remedy! I'm likin' it!

[RARusk]

Metal Ghost, on Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:25 PM, said:

I just found my 25th coffee thermos and received the 'Damn Good Cup of Coffee' achievement. I'm not sure I would have gotten the 'inside' joke if I hadn't decided to start watching Twin Peaks last night....got through the 90 minute pilot.

Hah.....good one Remedy! I'm likin' it!

Speaking of "Twin Peaks", once you're finished with "Alan Wake" you may want to give "Deadly Premonition" a go. It is basically "Twin Peaks" in vidgame form. And like the show it rips off it too has achieved cult status.

[moycon]

I need to get back and finish both Alan Wake AND Deadly Premonition.

CURSE YOUR BLACK HEART SKYRIM!!!!!!

[Metal Ghost]

davepesc, on Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:04 AM, said:

I really enjoyed it, but it's a rental to me. I completed it over 2 days staying home while my wife was sick. 6 hours, although I didn't go for all the achievements. Still ended up with about 600 gs out of it.

Wow, the further I get into this game the more I'm impressed by that. I spent, I'm estimating, 2 1/2 hours just on Episode 3 yesterday. And while I don't speed through games, I'm not really running around the forest exploring in this one either.

[Metal Ghost]

Just finished Alan Wake last night....the primary game at least. Special Episode The Writer came with it, which I'd like to start in the next couple of days, and I'm fairly certain that I'll purchase The Signal at some point.

Basically, I love this game. There could have been more enemy character variety, and there certainly wasn't a lot differentiating one battle from another. Finally, there weren't really any boss battles to speak of, which makes sense, and yet it almost seemed as if they were setting some up to be that way. I don't want to give away too much (though I did here that in this one person's opinion that after a movie/game was out for a year, there was no such thing as a spoiler ).

But for all of that, I still loved this game. To be clear, I really enjoyed the battles and enemies you were faced with. And for me at least the game was flawless in really creating the feeling that a 'baddy' could be coming up on you right out of a dark cloud at any moment, that you should try to run 'towards the light', but also that you were always just a little bit slower than you really needed to be, just like in a nightmare. Priceless.

Absolutely dug the story....I can't wait to dive even further into the Alan Wake universe. And I'm very stoked that Alan Wake's American Nightmare is getting released in, what, 2 or 3 weeks? Sweet!

Finally, I know I mentioned it up above with the 'Damn Good Cup of Coffee' Achievement, but the little tributes to Twin Peaks are just great. It didn't really strike me until just a day or two ago that Cynthia Weaver = Log Lady. And the outside of the Bright Falls Police Station is the splitting image of the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Office. I'm sure I could come up with some more similarities, but in any event, these are just priceless.

[Cybergoth]

Hm... the more I'm playing it, the more boring it gets. The story's been good in the 4 chapters I played so far, but if I have to run through just one more dark forest shooting lumberjacks I'm calling it quits...

[roland p]

Same here: being hunted by the 'taken', run via checkpoints to the end of a level > cutscene > sent back to the woods (repeat).

[Metal Ghost]

Admitedly, breadth of advisaries was not a strong point of this game. That's actually specifically why the Alan Wake XBLA title (American Nightmare) had more enemy types, because Remedy recognized that it wasn't varied enough in Alan Wake.

However for me at least, it was the story and atmosphere that hooked me, though at the same time the enemies at least didn't bore me (waiting for them to pop up in conjunction with the cool dodges and upgraded weapon types had just enough hook for me to keep my with that aspect of the game).