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Alan Wake

12K views 116 replies 41 participants last post by  jhoff80 
#1 ·
I didn't find a thread for this game, which shocked me. This is one of the bigger 360 titles for this year. This was announced at E3 WAY back in 2005. This is a title that I have been looking forward to for some time.




Release: May 18, 2010

Genre: 3rd Person-Action Thriller

Single player only

Developer: Remedy Entertainment

System: 360 only (PC was cancelled)


This is the story (from wikipedia): Wake, a bestselling writer, hasn't managed to write anything in over two years. His wife, Alice, brings him to the idyllic small town of Bright Falls to recover his creative flow. When she vanishes without a trace, Wake finds himself trapped in a nightmare. Word by word, his latest work - a thriller he cannot even remember writing - is coming true before his eyes. At night a powerful dark entity takes overs the town and its inhabitants, Wake's only protection seems to be light. At day things return to normal the townspeople no longer possessed.


Bright Falls, a Live Action Movie!!! If you have a gold account, you can download prequel episodes 1 & 2 right now (4/25) for free. They will be released to all Live members 4/26 and PC (brightfalls.com) on 4/27. There are 6 episodes to be released. One episode will be released per week up to the release date.


I haven't found any good pre-orders. There is a limited edition release with some extras I don't find all that great.


Curious to see how many are interested in this game.
 
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#102 ·
finish the game before you give impressions
 
#103 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mproper /forum/post/20134425


I know I'm late to this game, but a couple quick questions (try to avoid spoilers).


I'm about 1/2 way through Chapter 3 (leaving the coal mine right now). Does the gameplay stay the same? So far, all I've done is go through the woods with the shadow guys popping out here and there (and scrounging for pages or coffee thermoses or piles of cans to knock over). Honestly, I'm kinda bored...


Even what could have been cool surprises (like the chainsaw guy and the possessed bulldozer) was spoiled by finding manuscript pages 2 minutes beforehand that foretold those events were going to happen.


Just curious if it gets better, or if it's all just walking down a very narrow, very linear path in the woods shooting the occasional group of shadow guys that pop out (and are all the same). Oh and occasionally finding a box of goodies or a radio or TV off the beaten path...


So far, can't say as I'm a big fan. I like the acting in the cutscenes, but Alan's narration during gameplay or while reading manuscript pages is pretty monotone/boring, and the HUD is annoying: they leave the "goal" up the entire time, and tell you exactly what you need to do every step of the way (such as "Talk to so-and-so or "find a flashlight" or "get the keys" then "get the car")....you don't really have to figure anything out on your own.


Anyways, I guess I'm kindof curious to find out what's going on, but I'm pretty bored while playing it....basically playing to get to the next cutscene, I guess.

I am actually glad you brought this thread back up. I bought the game about a month ago and I am absolutely loving it. IMO the battle scenes are only pushing the storyline, which is outstanding. If you aren't playing with a surround system or a 5.1 headset you are truly missing out. The audio in this game is out of this world.


I am through 5 chapters and have one left (plus the extra free download chapter). If you aren't impressed with this game I really don't know what to tell you. Any game you play, the gameplay becomes repetitious. It is all about the story and characters and Alan Wake has them in spades.


This is definitely one of the best games I have played this generation. It is right up there with the Uncharted series, Bioshock, and Dead Space. Most of the time with games the gameplay is the story, and every once in a while, the story is the major driving force. I get excited to get to the next daytime portion to find out more about the story. I never felt that way about the gameplay in a COD or Gears of War game.


Let your pre-conceived notions of gaming rest and enjoy AW for what it is. It was meant to be different and it really is a masterpiece. I cannot wait to finish it and hopefully get a sequel.
 
#104 ·
^ Yes, I'm playing with 5.1. Don't get me wrong, the graphics and sound and atmosphere are top notch. Maybe it'll grow on me. Like I said, I'm digging the story, but pretty bored with the actual gameplay. Never felt that way during Uncharted (for example).


I didn't get a chance to finish chapter 3 last night (had a migraine). As I mentioned, I was just leaving the coal mine for another trek through the dark woods to meet Alice's "kidnapper" so I'm guessing I'm half way through that chapter.


Can't quite put my finger on exactly why the game isn't grabbing me, I guess. But I'll finish it, because I am digging the story. I guess my biggest complaints are the repetitive combat and the lack of having to figure anything out on your own (since the "goals" tell you exactly what you need to do). But the production value is top notch though. Really dig the end of the chapter and "Previously on Alan Wake" bits.
 
#105 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mproper /forum/post/20138512


^ Yes, I'm playing with 5.1. Don't get me wrong, the graphics and sound and atmosphere are top notch. Maybe it'll grow on me. Like I said, I'm digging the story, but pretty bored with the actual gameplay.

I loved this game. Great story. Great setting. Great mood. Great gameplay mechanics. So I'd say that if you're not feeling it now, you won't be feeling it later.


The shooting itself is great. I really like the combination of flashlight and gunplay. But even better is the freaky, creep-out factor of the enemies. More than the shooting mechanics, it's the enemies that keep the combat intensity up. If that's not working for you, I don't think that's going to change.
 
#106 ·
Absolutely loved this, one of my fav this gen. I will admit though, that the fighting got on my nerves around chapt 3 and I almost put it down, but it did pick up from there and the repetitive shooting kind of changes a bit and keeps things interesting. The world they created was amazing. It's a throw back to what a good sp game was back in the day with an excellent story, large levels with quite a bit of freedom to each one. This game was originally intended as a sandbox game and they changed it to better match the story, and the large levels show it.


Sadly my game tag got corrupted and I lost my achievements for this one. Going to have to go through it again maybe but as good as it is, it's not a game you go through multiple times.
 
#107 ·
I just need to finish off the 2 achievements for the dlc for playing through each dlc without getting killed.
 
#108 ·
I'm at the end of Episode 4 and am enjoying it. One complaint I do have is what I believe to be Alan's smoking habits. When I hit the "sprint" button, Alan runs for about 10 seconds and then gets winded. Come on man! Hit the gym! If you're going to be running through the woods from the infected darkness, you need to move faster
 
#109 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scottyb09 /forum/post/20148417


I'm at the end of Episode 4 and am enjoying it. One complaint I do have is what I believe to be Alan's smoking habits. When I hit the "sprint" button, Alan runs for about 10 seconds and then gets winded. Come on man! Hit the gym! If you're going to be running through the woods from the infected darkness, you need to move faster

That's my main dislike with Alan Wake "combat". If you are running for your life, I think anyone even a writer can sprint for more than 10 seconds or keep running until you drop on your knees. I know the developers limit the sprint to 10 seconds to make the game more challenging. Throughout the entire game, Alan is a complete wimp and overly calm narrating to himself. (I wish there's an option to turn off the narration as it gets old listening to Alan talking to himself all the time). I'll go to sleep if I only listen to Alan narrating the story. After a few hours into the game, I got so bored with Alan's weak combat and didn't even care if he ends up dead or lost.


Compared to Heavy Rain, I enjoy it a lot more because it captured the emotions of the characters better. When each character had to fight for their lives, it raises the tension in the controls, not like Alan Wake, still calmly dashing for a few seconds and out of breath while he gets attacked by the enemies.


While both games are console exclusives, it would be interesting if both games are available on both consoles as which game is better a game after played both.
 
#110 ·
Picked up a download code for this game for $10 on ebay, installed it last night and gave it a whirl. Pretty interesting thus far, I'm up to chapter 2 now. The lip syncing in the cutscenes is downright distracting, but the story is pretty interesting. I've never been a fan of survival horror games (RE4/5 don't count), but I'll keep going with this one.
 
#111 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kabob983 /forum/post/20275353


Picked up a download code for this game for $10 on ebay, installed it last night and gave it a whirl. Pretty interesting thus far, I'm up to chapter 2 now. The lip syncing in the cutscenes is downright distracting, but the story is pretty interesting. I've never been a fan of survival horror games (RE4/5 don't count), but I'll keep going with this one.

I am through chapter 5, one more to go and then the DLC. I really like the game and the sound is really good. I need to finish this game but haven't had the time to throw it in. MW2 has been my nighttime gaming fix and daytime hasn't worked out recently. In a way I don't want it to end so that is also part of the problem. I did the same thing with Dead Space and even after a few month break I was still sad to see it end. Playing back through just isn't the same as the first time.
 
#113 ·
I think I'm on Chapter 4 right now (going towards the power station), really enjoying the game but the combat is getting a little stale. Seriously, there's 5 different types of enemies in the whole game and 3 of those are essentially the same thing? I know combat isn't the focus but I wish there was a little more variety.
 
#115 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mproper /forum/post/20292583


5? I don't think I counted that many. Theres birds and people who run right at you. And the occasional possessed item like a bulldozer or something. Unfortunately my xbox broke before I could finish the game. Need to get it replaced but budget is tight right now.

Off the top of my head, not having played the game in months:


General people who run right at you (with various weapons)

Chainsaw guys

The fast ones who disappear and run circles around you

Birds

Possessed Items (which aren't that occasional, later in the game)
 
#116 ·
Glad to see I'm not the only one late to the party on this; got thru the first 2 chapters this weekend, anxious to play a couple more soon. Really digging it, great atmosphere. It's been since the original Resident Evil that I can recall a evoking that kind of response from me.
 
#117 ·
I actually just tried the sequel, American Nightmare, and it seems to miss on the atmosphere entirely. I realize that they're trying to go for an entirely different feel: Twilight Zone instead of Stephen King, but the second game just feels too campy and too shootery for me.
 
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