infexxionAlan Wake Review
Alan Wake is a psychological thriller from Remedy, the guys behind the acclaimed 'Max Payne' series
Alan Wake is a psychological thriller that is one hell of a ride to play through. The combat in unique enough to warrant some tense moments, but it doesn't stray so far from the typical third person shooter style that a steep learning curve is necessary to enjoy the game. The story is about writer Alan Wake, who has been unable to write anything for two years. So, in an attempt to break this writer's block steak of sorts, Alan and his wife, Alice, head to a remote location spot know as 'Bright Falls', a small, seemingly harmless town. But when Alice goes missing Alan, and the whole town, become victim to what is known as the 'Dark Presence' which takes over people.
Visuals: There's no denying that Alan Wake, exclusively for the Xbox 360, is a visually gorgeous game. Though the gloomy, depressing woods that we are frequently found in may seem boring, the atmosphere Remedy creates with a combination of fog, the flashlight which you carry around, and the way the forest is detailed simply makes the game that much more immersive.
The town of Bright Falls is colorful and, well, 'bright', in contrast to the dim forest we are usually in, and is a welcome change of scenery whenever you get to see it.
4.6/5
Gameplay: Alan Wake is mainly a third person shooting/survival horror combination. One of the main weapons you have is your flashlight. Basically, when the taken (regular people whom the dark presence have taken over, creatively dubbed 'The Taken') attack, they are surrounded by the dark presence. You have to shine your flashlight on them to eliminate the dark presence. However, once you've done so, they will still try to attack, but are now vulnerable to regular gunfire and weapons.
Later in the game you acquire flash bang grenades and flares which can be shot/dropped to quickly eliminate enemies whenever you feel outnumbered. There are also multiple versions of the flashlight that cast a bigger/smaller beam of light and are either more or less powerful than the other variants.
Alan Wake does a good job of building tension through combat. The game does an amazing job at not making you so powerful you can just take out enemy after enemy, but also not sending too many enemies on you at once. I really enjoyed this, as its only one of the recent games in memory to nail this head-on.
Mixed into the dark forest sections where you're fighting enemies are driving sequences, and other sequences where you talk to characters or follow someone around for a bit. These are a welcome break of pace to keep the game from getting repetitive.
The taken, mentioned previously, actually retain some of their personality so they talk to Alan as they attack him, only their voice is twisted, distored, pitched up or down, or in some other way effected to show the dark presence has control over them. This added a very creepy, yet satisfying personality to each individual enemy. For instance, a doctor that has been taken over by the dark presence will begin reciting the prescriptions for patients, or how many pills they get, while attacking Alan.
The game takes an episodic format like a TV show. Every time you complete an episode, the next recaps all the major events leading up to that point. So, if you've got someone watching you play they can be quickly and easily brought up to speed on the plot.
Speaking of the plot, I absolutely loved it. This is definitely one of the most engaging, immersive games this year. It really drags you into this universe and makes you feel like part of it. You really want to know what happens next, or what Alan is going to do, how he will try to find his wife, etc. Very fun game to play through, and the ending, while a bit 'unfinished', is entirely up for interpretation for us, the fans, to try and work out what happened exactly.
5/5
Sound: The eerie music does a great job of making you feel tense in the deep, dark forests. The voice work is great too, Alan Wake's voice totally matches his face and character. The dialogue is realistic, at times very emotional other times pretty funny. Major props to Remedy for the character of 'Barry', who adds a lot of comic relief during the last 3 episodes.
The game also has a great soundtrack, featuring David Bowie, Poe, Poets Of The Fall, and an in-game heavy metal band that includes two in-game characters which, in one particular sequence, is totally awesome. This fictional heavy metal band's music in the game is actually performed by previously mentioned artists, Poets Of The Fall (who, apparently, Remedy are big fans of, their song 'Late Goodbye' was in the credits of Max Payne 2)
4/5
BREAKDOWN
PROS
Amazing plot
Great voice acting
Great Gameplay
Good Soundtrack
CONS
Ending can be confusing
OVERALL: 4.5/5 Must Buy
