Alan Wake | Building the Thriller

Yeah, not being able to be defined by a genre isn't a bad thing. Too bad this game does fit into the Flashlight Game genre.
 
So I take it the game is out ? Because I see a lot of criticism and I take it the game sucked ?
 
Shyam said:
So I take it the game is out ? Because I see a lot of criticism and I take it the game sucked ?
Click to expand...

Most reviews have been very positive. I think they were all paid off though :D

People hate this game because it's no longer coming out for PC. I'd be sad if my dreams were crushed too. That said I will be renting this when it comes out and purchasing RDR and UFC 2010 instead.
 
OmegaX said:
Most reviews have been very positive. I think they were all paid off though :D

People hate this game because it's longer coming out for PC. I'd be sad if my dreams were crushed too. That said I will be renting this when it comes out and purchasing RDR and UFC 2010 instead.
Click to expand...

I still wouldn't have played this if it was on PC. However [censored by internet police].
 
OmegaX said:
Most reviews have been very positive. I think they were all paid off though :D

People hate this game because it's longer coming out for PC. I'd be sad if my dreams were crushed too. That said I will be renting this when it comes out and purchasing RDR and UFC 2010 instead.
Click to expand...

Duuude, don't get UFC 2010, wait for EA Sport's MMA!
 
Shyam said:
So I take it the game is out ? Because I see a lot of criticism and I take it the game sucked ?
Click to expand...
Here's an interesting point: how many people have actually played this ****ing game?

Cause, damn.
 
OmegaX said:
I'll end up getting them both. EA's game won't come out until the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Does UFC '10 feature aging in the career mode(which wears down the stats of your CAF) ala EA Sport's Fight Night Round 4?

I got annoyed by the the fact that there didn't seem to be any passage of time for your CAF IN UFC '09
 
LOOKS LIKE I WAS THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO BOUGHT THIS.

Ahem, game owns. A bit short, but im definitely glad I got it. Now I just wait until july for the DLC oh god
 
I played it and I liked it. Some thoughts:

I like that the gameplay isn't like a typical shooter and the inclusion of a partially light-based arsenal is cool. Flares can be used for defense or to help manage larger battles. Flare guns act like rocket launchers, you get various strength flashlights throughout the game, etc. I also like how it's not just Alan plowing through endless waves of enemies either. Sure, some battles involve a bunch of enemies, but there are times when you just have to f'ing run for your life.

The story and the presentation are the sellers here. If you've played the Max Payne games (c'mon...who here hasn't?), you'll find the storytelling very familiar. Sam Lake (writer of Wake and Max Payne games if I'm not mistaken) does a great job with this type of thing. Voice work is great, the story is intriguing and I love how collecting manuscript pages gives you more clues about the plot and isn't just a mindless collection gameplay device (unlike the coffee thermoses).

Those of you familiar with Max Payne and the various TV shows you could stop to watch along the way will be treated with more of the same. In Alan Wake it's a Twilight Zone parody/ripoff called, "Night Springs". These mini-shows last anywhere from 2-5 minutes and they are humorous yet well done in their own way. There's some live action footage in these shorts and I'm almost 100% positive the guy that did the voice for "The Scary Door" bits in Futurama does the voice for "Night Springs" in Wake. They are a great atmospheric addition. There are also local radio shows to listen to. They aren't as cool as "Night Springs" episodes but they do add color and context to the town and its inhabitants.

There are a few things that turned me off a little. I'm a hoarder when it comes to these games. If I got a flare gun or flashbangs, I rarely used them. I was usually waiting for a very tough battle where I'd have to. Then I'd finish a chapter or get to certain plot points in the and then I'd lose everything I have. The game likes to take away all your equipment multiple times throughout the game and you come to expect it. I started using all that equipment before I lost it, but the constant losing and reacquiring of the flashlight and a gun got a bit old and slightly predictable. There are a few other points that are kind of cool, yet kind of break the spell of the atmosphere.

For example:
The rock concert stage battle was a bit over-the-top and didn't seem to fit the atmosphere or common sense. Why did these two old-timers that haven't rocked for YEARS have a completely working massive concert stage, complete with shitloads of pyrotechnics ready to go? I thought the battle was fun, but it felt like a break in the game's style.
Some of the things the enemies taken over by darkness say are downright hilarious. I think (and hope) this was intentional, because if it was meant to be scary...they failed horribly. They spout off the occasional one-liner related to whatever kind of person/occupation they had before the darkness took them. An enemy fisherman might yell something along the lines of, "OmEgA 3 FaTTy AciDS ArE GOoD foR YouR HEaRT!" in a crazy voice and I can't help but laugh every time I hear a new one.

The ending bothered me too because it wraps some things up and leaves a lot of others completely unexplained. Maybe they're waiting for DLC or a sequel, but more closure would've been nice. Note: I haven't gone through on Nightmare to get the special manuscript pages yet, so those may do some of the explaining.

Overall, I thought the game was really good. It had a plot that was told in a well thought out way, combat that is fun yet challenging at times, and a killer atmosphere that goes unbroken throughout most of the game.

I think I clocked in around 8-10 hours (not 100% sure) while playing my 1st time through on Hard. I'd consider it a definite rental.
 
The DLC coming out in july they're kind of describing it as a "Holiday Special", and assuming they get the go ahead for a sequel they're going to bridge the first and second game with a few DLC episodes.

Im playing through on nightmare right now, and for the most part the nightmare manuscripts aren't THAT important story wise, but a few of them do clear up some things I had originally thought were just plot holes.
 
So far love it, the storyline so far is fantastic and I almost died when I realized the slight tie in with Max Payne at start of the second episode, although fully occupied today and tomorrow so can't play it :( And thats pretty cool that they are going to keep it going with new episodes over time, even as close as the end of July.
 
I'm pretty disappointed so far, to be honest. I like the Flashlight combat (something I liked in Doom 3 as well, despite it being done far more poorly). Some of the dodges you can do are neat and all, too, and lead to some pretty awesome fights. And I loved the Max Payne references.

But the story is so goddamn heavy handed and poorly written, that instead of being frightened or even getting into it at all, I'm just shouting at the screen in a mocking voice. Alan Wake has the need to narrate every single ****ing thing that happens. It's like the game is made for gamers even beyond "casual", who can't remember things they did THREE MINUTES PRIOR.

And when you beat an episode, the first thing it does is give you a recap of everything that happened, just in case it took you a goddamn century to get through it.
 
Well the episodes are meant to be portrayed like an actual TV series thus the whole "LAST TIME ON ALAN WAKE" although I will admit it is kind of goofy if you play one or two episodes right after each other.
 
They are a bit annoying if you're playing through multiple episodes, but the biggest problem is - as Yahtzee pointed out - you can't stop playing before or after a recap, so it makes them a bit pointless as a jumping off point between playing sessions. Pretty sure you can just turn off the console after you finish a chapter, but it's not exactly an elegant solution.
 
I've almost beaten it.

It won a lot of bonus points for having a song by Poe after Episode 2, but overall the plot is still bland and the gameplay (while fun) does get a bit repetitive. Constantly and inexplicably losing all of your items is a bit frustrating as well.

Good rental, but I feel like purchasing it would be a waste - even with the promise of more episodes via DLC. I'm gonna say it's a 6 or 7 out of 10.
 
Yeah the items thing kind of sucked. Although it does teach you that you don't have to be conservative with your ammo. I spent the first two episodes thinking I should save up all these flares for something useful only to have it taken away at the end. Every episode from there on out was just a FLARE GUN PARTY.
 
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