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Alan Wake Review (X360)

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Alan Wake Review (X360) Microsoft
It has been a long, long time coming, but Alan Wake is finally ready to make its debut on the Xbox 360. The five plus years of development have been filled with delays and direction changes (notably a shift from open world to a more linear adventure), but the result of that lengthy development process is one of the more polished game experiences we've come across in a long time. Was Alan Wake worth the wait? Find out in our full review.
Game Details

  • Publisher: Microsoft
  • Developer: Remedy Entertainment
  • ESRB Rating: “T" for Teen
  • Genre: Third-Person-Shooter / Horror
  • Pros: Episodic presentation; pretty graphics; excellent sound with great music; solid story; scary fun
  • Cons: Gameplay plateaus way too early; final episode too combat heavy; debatable replay value

Story and Setting

Microsoft
The story in the game stars a writer named Alan Wake who is suffering a bit of writer's block. His wife, Alice, convinces him to take a vacation to the small town of Bright Falls in the hope that he'll be inspired to write, but also so he can see a psychologist who specializes in helping struggling artists. Things start going badly soon after they arrive, however, as Alice mysteriously goes missing. When Alan goes looking for her, he discovers an evil presence lurking in the darkness that puts both he and the residents of Bright Falls in great danger.

The story is told in a series of six episodes that are meant to mimic TV dramas like 24 and Lost. Each episode starts with a "Previously On Alan Wake" recap and ends with theme music, just like a TV show. Each episode is laid out like a real TV show, with typically slow beginnings leading up to a climax and then some sort of either partial resolution or some new revelation that leads into the next episode. It gives Alan Wake a very distinctive feel. It also makes for a convenient way to potentially expand the story later. Remedy has stated that Alan Wake is really the first season of the "show", and while the story does reach a fairly satisfying conclusion there are still plenty of plot threads that could be further explored in future episodes.

Gameplay

Originally, the game was intended to be open world with a day/night cycle. The final product, however, is entirely linear and you aren't really free to explore. There are occasional daytime sections of episodes where you can talk to people in relative safety, but these sections are generally very short and limited. For the most part, the game takes place outdoors and at night where creepy enemies from the darkness known as the "Taken" stalk Alan.

To fight back, Alan's first and best weapon is light. Light burns away the darkness surrounding the Taken and makes them vulnerable to gunfire. Your flashlight is always on but can be boosted to be more effective by holding the left trigger. This drains the batteries, however, so the game is a constant struggle to find more batteries so you can keep fighting. Other light sources such as portable work lights, street lights, and other such things dot the levels as well that you can use to make a temporary safe haven.

When you have burned away the darkness with light, you can then shoot the Taken with a pistol, shotgun, or hunting rifle. Aiming is very simple and easy as Alan will shoot wherever his flashlight is pointing. After a few shots, the enemy is gone and fades away. More powerful enemies are introduced through the game, but the process of beating them is always the same.

You do get the chance to drive vehicles now and again, but the controls aren't stellar and there is usually only ever one place to go anyway.

Microsoft
There is more to the gameplay than just fighting the Taken. Your main objective in pretty much every level is simply to go from point A to point B, fighting Taken along the way, but there is more to it. There are hidden objects scattered all over the game world including coffee thermoses, oil can pyramids, signs that explain the history of Bright Falls, radio and TV broadcasts, and, most importantly, pages of a manuscript that Alan himself wrote. The story written in this manuscript is coming true, and oftentimes you find a page of the story before the events actually happen, which leads to some interesting sequences where you know something is going to happen but you don't exactly know when.

These collectibles are laid out right in front of you a lot of the time, but there are a handful in each episode you have to travel off the beaten path to find. Each level is laid out in a linear sort of corridor through the woods, but sometimes that corridor might be a hundred yards wide with the main path in the middle. What is interesting is that there isn't actually all that much stuff really hidden. I'd say 95% or more of the collectibles are out in the open and easy to find. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll find everything on your first trip through the game, however, because you'll probably be spending most of your time running scared out of your mind from light source to light source.

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