So I just finished Alan Wake for the 360 and I gotta say....man. I wouldn't say that I was blown away as much as I was pleased and able to breathe a sigh of relief. This game was in production for many years ( it was supposed to be a launch title for the 360 ). After all the waiting, it finally came. First off, I'll say the game does a very good job of bringing the whole horror/thriller atmosphere to your game room. What good is a thriller if it doesn't take place in some small out of the way town that nobody knows about. Bright Falls serves as the breeding grounds for the sinister darkness that eerily resides within this story. Your character, Alan Wake, is a writer that hasn't written a book in awhile so his wife Alice takes him to Bright Falls to try and get his creative spirit back so he can write again. Wake thought the trip was just meant to be a vacation away from New York where he would spend some alone time in the serenity of the country with his wife. He was terribly mistaken. Getting into the actual game itself was easy. The storyline is told at a satisfying pace so you are never really left in the dark (no pun intended). Any confusion that you have about the game is also shared with Alan, as he is desperately trying to figure out the mystery going on in Bright Falls. Just when you might have a new question about something, it seems as though he comes upon the answer to it, or at least is put on the path to finding out what's up. The controls are simple and well done, and very rarely will you find any unresponsiveness or clunky motions. Throughout the game, you will find some people of the town walking around and appearing at night, their bodies enshrouded with the darkness. They only have one purpose and that's to stop you from uncovering the truth. They are invulnerable and can only be destroyed by first burning off the darkness with a lightsource of some kind, then shooting them. Some of the bigger "weapons of light" will instantly destroy the Taken, such as flashbangs and military style spotlights. Be on the lookout for 'em. The parts that take place in the woods at night are especially eerie because every once in a while you'll start to hear whispers in the game, followed by a strange moving fog. It is at these points where Alan can become overwhelmed by the Taken, so definitely be on your guard. Don't be wary of using your weapons as the game makes sure there are abundant quantities of all types laying around so go to town on those dark bastards. A few of the cooler features thrown into the game are these "real" tv mini-stories on a show called Night Springs. The show is directly taken from The Twilight Zone and are entertaining to stand there and watch. Sometimes there will even be clips of Alan Wake trying to write his next story and it's driving him nuts. Kinda freaky, but cool nonetheless. If you've been looking for a different kind of game and a change of pace from the norm, check this one out. It's not super long, but if you try to find everything in the game, it'll take you a while. I was satisfied with the length of it and it kept me interested the whole time. Give it a try and post your opinion!
bought it 2 weeks ago, im not too big into they story book games, but this game is pretty badass. even worse the night you buy it and play it till 4am then go outside to have a smoke.... trippy! Regretfully i gave up after a week. was not a challenge. its more of a chill out bored kinda game. way to easy. i still give it 4/5. the graphics are pimp
Listened to a interview from the model to Alan Wakes character, kinda freaky to know he 'exists' in real life The game itself seems interesting and a nice change..