This is a good example of a game in which the story is good, but the gameplay is meh. I appreciate the mystories, the cliffhangers, and the episodic structure. I likde the characters, but they are unidimensionals and cliche: Alan, a popular author suffering from writer's block; Alice, Alan's wife, the damsel in distress; Barry, Alan's manager and the comic relief; and Sarah, the sherrif that helps Alan with no more than a platonic relationship. The setting is also an hommage to Stephen King. The story happens in a small american town that has dark secrets, and the main protagonist is an author (makes me think about It). I appreciated the episodic structure. I could play an episode by session. Episode 4 was my favorite. The graphics are good for a 2010 game! However the gameplay was repetitive. Some parts were added to increase the length of the game by cheap narrative tricks (eg 'oh no, the door is locked, we have to take the long way', or 'kill the ghosts while I'm trying to fix the [whatever it is]). The game could have been shorter. I was relieved in the end. The camera is over the left shoulder by default, which is annoying, as I'm more used to play with a camera over the right shoulder. I don't think I'll play the DLC, but I'm gonna buy Alan Wake 2 when it will be on sale. If you like horror game, buy this one on sale. Or play the second; apparently it's better. If you're just interested in the story, you can watch a playthrough.
