Alan Wake

Well i just finished it. Overall i must say i liked it. Nice story and some shootings reminded me on May Payne, which is a good thing. But after all it was a bit to long in my opinion, esspecially because the shooting were too repetitive. I was happy to bought it not for full price. But if it is on sale and you like games like Max Payne with a slight touch of horror, then this is the game for you. It is not much of a story game like Resident Evil for example where you can move back and forth. It is more a way of reaching checkpoint after checkpoint with shootings or dream sequences between. This is what felt a bit boring after a while but was interesting enough to kept me going on until the end.

Alan Wake is a linear third-person shooter whose atmosphere and story attempt to redeem the frankly clunky combat. The game proceeds in six episodes (with two additional DLC episodes that are now included for free). Worth a purchase on sale if you enjoy a combat-driven interactive movie, but there's not much replayability (unless you're a collectibles and achievements fanatic). Alan's wife, Alice, gets “taken” by a mysterious “dark presence.” The entire game is spent trying to release her from its power. Alan is frequently lost, operating on whim, and not really sure of how to proceed. A writer himself, he begins researching old legends of Cauldron Lake and the power that words written there seem to possess. This is really the best part of the game, as the labyrinth of creation and created and how to balance what is desired with what is needed leads Alan down an increasingly dark path (pun intended). As he discovers, he is not alone in his knowledge of the lake's mysterious power, nor the first to suffer from it. The supporting cast are varied and colorful characters, several of whom have their own history with Cauldron Lake. The atmosphere is suitably dark and fog-swept at times. Most of the game happens at night, so turn down your room lights and crank the audio to catch the ambiance (the sound design is superb). The setting is a unique one: the woods and small town atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. The ambiance is captured nicely, and the woods have thick foliage and dark shadows. Old logging and mining gear abounds, providing just the right touch of historical nostalgia and rusty menace. The buildings and architecture are a mix of rustic, country-style structures (built sturdy to withstand the harsh winters) other more attractive, modern structures designed to impress tourists (Cauldron Lake Lodge). The superb music score is the icing on the atmospheric cake: moody but melodic, it catches the feeling of solitude at night-time haunted by the supernatural. A supernatural that is made perhaps more terrifying by the clunky combat. Shine a light at enemies to burn away the darkness, then shoot them with whatever weapon you have to hand. It works well enough, but feels loose and sloppy. The weapons are few, but do feel different: revolver, shotgun (regular and pump-action), flare gun, hunting rifle, flares, and flash-bangs. That's it. They're not all available at the same time, and at the beginning of each episode, Alan only has a flashlight and a revolver. So, no matter how good you were with saving up your gear, thinking there might be a big battle coming up, once the episode ends, you'll lose it all anyway. The enemies offer little variety. You've got the standard hatchet-throwing “taken”, the big “taken”, the fast “taken”, and random flocks of crows that fly out of the sky and attack Alan. Sometimes random objects (like cars, tires, dumpsters) will become possessed and attack Alan. With so many creatures that dwell in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, I expected there might be a boss fight with a bear or a pack of coyotes, but no. None of these drawbacks would matter if the total experience offered by Alan Wake were more than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, it isn't. I enjoy it because when I first played it years ago I had no idea that video games could handle narrative in this fashion. I'll always have a nostalgic appreciation for it and it just kills me to provide a mixed recommendation. But if you want more than story and atmosphere, look elsewhere, because you'll be sorely disappointed by everything else. If story and atmosphere suffice, though, get Alan Wake right away.

It's not my kind of game...but for 5 dollars it's a bargain. What a surprise! I'm super hooked, super recommended, a master piece. No es mi tipo de juego... pero por 5 dólares es una ganga. ¡Qué sorpresa! Me quede súper enganchado, súper recomendado, una obra maestra.

Got into playing this old game in 2023, and my expectations were VERY LOW! I thought I would regret my purchase within an hour or so. I was wrong - I got lots of entertainment from this game! Graphics look very good being from 2012, and the sound is top-notch - very immersive overall! I like all the characters you get to meet, and sometimes have by your side while fighting, but it can feel lonely/boring when you are left all alone for long parts. Very relaxing game, sitting in the couch and playing with a controller. I'm VERY bad at aiming with controller, but no problem in this game, cause you don't have a crosshair making headshots, you just shoot in the general direction of your light cone. So for people like me, wanting to relax with controller but being very bad at aiming, this game is very chill! Biggest downside is probably that it isn't scary, and it is very linear and scripted. I never bothered saving the game, not sure if you can or not, it's got frequent savepoints, so I never had any problem with that. Playing on easy was perfect for me, and some sequences I had to replay a few times, so it was a perfect challenge. If you are skilled you should probably up the difficulty a step or two...

First, let me explain why I still recommend horror fans or those looking for a great narrative experience to give Alan Wake a try: - Story! In short, the story is very creative, interesting and frankly carries the game. But you play as an author going on a vacation with his wife in an unassuming village. He becomes forcibly set apart from her and gets sucked into a nightmarish, sort of alternate dimension full of darkness and ghostly creatures. What I loved is how the player is forced to question what is real and what is a hallucinogenic dream. I had a lot of fun piecing together what the heck actually happens in this game. - Great Graphics, Great Port: Alan Wake 1 is over 10 years old, but still looks pretty good. A lot of the environmental effects look nightmarish and freaky. The animations leaves a lot to be desired, but was acceptable back when this was made and won't disappoint you. ALSO, the game didn't stutter or crash once! - Serviceable Combat: You basically just shine light on enemies and shoot them. Much like the Uncharted games, Alan Wake's combat does the job, but doesn't break any ground as opposed to, let's say, Deus Ex or Resident Evil. Here are some disappointments i had with Alan Wake 1: - You LOSE your items very often: Unlike in Deus Ex 1 or Bioshock 1, you can't get them back and have to find new weapons again. It's not a big deal because you don't accumulate tons of items, but is still a frustrating mechanic. - No progression. People LOVED Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space so much because you can upgrade weapons and find items and money. In Alan Wake, you can only find new weapons or flashlights and can't upgrade or improve your character in any way. - Generic Combat: like I said above, the gameplay isn't good or bad and gets the job done. Just don't expect anything exceptional. I DO recommend you pick this game up, because I still had a lot of fun and bet you'll enjoy it too (plus it's pretty inexpensive).