Alan Wake

game play and controlls are really good im enjoying playing would reccomend

Let me say this straight out, I love this game. The key words for Alan Wake are atmosphere and characters. You will get sucked into this game, and long after think about the memorable characters and scary gameplay moments! I recommend playing it in the dark with a surround sound system for full effect. The only drawbacks are weak cut-scene character models, but it does nothing to detract from the game in my opinion. The gameplay models and physics are perfectly fine for me.

This is the game that everyone heard about, but somewhat only few actually played it. It's a gem. The game has great atmosphere created by both the graphics and music/sounds. A small town in the mountains and its surprisingly large outskirts look fantastic. The main point however, is how effectively the game uses lightning - the shadows truly terrify while any source of light provides an unprecedented feeling of warmth and safety. Alan Wake features plenty of shooting, but it comes with a twist - the foes you are up against are engulfed in darkness and before you can harm them with conventional weapons, you have to dispel the darkness first with (flash)light. It's a clever mechanic that adds tactical depth to combat, as enemies vary (from quick and agile to heavy and hard-hitting) and require different approaches. The story (immersive!) is served in episodes, each in reasonable length. The pacing flows wonderfully and helps create some tense and scary moments, especially in the beginning. Unfortunately, the game casualizes encounters with the dark forces towards the end, the scares wear off. The writing does a superb job. Alan Wake has its flaws though - running around is a bit wonky and inaccurate at times (well, it's pretty much the same as in Max Payne). Moreover, the story may get convoluted at some points and unfortunately, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, a fantastic experience. Highly recommended. 4,5 stars.

Alan Wake is a solid 3rd-person action game, but it's let down by a lack of variety across the board. There are scarcely half a dozen different types of enemies, and five weapons (two of which are shotguns), of which only two can be held simultaneously. The gameplay revolves around the concept of having to burn away the 'darkness' around an enemy with a flashlight before you can harm them with physical weaponry. This is an excellent concept in itself, but by the end of the game it feels extremely worn. With every enemy you encounter, you'll follow the same routine: get far enough away to burn them with light, then put them down with a handful of bullets. There isn't a single exception to this from start to finish, 'boss' fights included. Alan Wake's saving grace is the plot and the atmosphere it generates. I expected nothing less from the studio which created Max Payne, and Remedy really knocked it out of the park here. I was genuinely gripped by the story, which is split into six 'episodes' in the style of a TV show. The daytime segments, where you are given more free reign to explore the environment, are particularly excellent. If you enjoy being sucked into a game's world, Alan Wake will not disappoint, provided you can slog through the gameplay to reach the next bit of story. The only real let-down here is the lip-syncing on the character models, which is laughably poor for its time. As a game, Alan Wake is mediocre at best. But would I otherwise recommend it? Absolutely. For me, it all comes down to the plot, and how easily I can become absorbed in a game's environment and characters; Remedy did a great job on that. The real problem with Alan Wake is that it really feels like Remedy wanted to make a TV show, and accidentally made a game. Given that their upcoming game, Quantum Break, is reported to have an accompanying TV show, I can only hope they get the balance right the next time around.

Alan Wake delivers on not just an interesting and engaging story but also gameplay that,while slitley repetative, still manages to feal fun and engaging through the entirety of the game. On the story front the game is very interesting (although not very scary) and you will be very satisfied with it by the time you are done, the only chritisisms that I have about it, is that it will leave you wanted much more that was sadly not delivered in it's expansion. Other than that however it sill manages to be very engaging with fun and interesting characters that are very believable. Gameplay however manages to be just as great as the story, and while it may not be the same as bullet time I would be willing to argue that it's just as good if not better in some cases. Overall if your looking for a great "horror" game with a heavy enphesis on combat and story than look no futhur.