Alan Wake, though not exactly a groundbreaking experience, is an enjoyable title of the Survival Horror/Action genre. In terms of story, Alan Wake is an inspiring piece of work. It begins with a quote from Stephen King, which foreshadows the story to come. From there, we are told the tale of Alan Wake, an author with writer's block who seeks solace by vacationing in the American Northwest with his wife. Alan himself acts as the narrator. The tale grows increasingly darker, yet does not rely on horror clich'es, at least in the traditional ways. The plot is unique enough to be able to stand on it's own to legs.
Each part is organized into TV-like episodes (even including starting lines such as "Previously on Alan Wake.") These episodes are made up of lengthy levels that often begin in the day time and proceed to the dangerous night, which takes up most of the episode. These levels are comprised of beautifully constructed rural environments that appear straight out of the American Northwest. Though somewhat linear, they are made to feel like a world, not a racetrack. Besides, with the stuff this game throws at you, you're going to want to get the heck out of there anyway, without caring about what's over that hill. (After all, most of the time, your in the deep, dark woods, ALL ALONE. *shiver*) Through each nighttime segment, I was having the time of my life, and at the same time wishing for this horror to end. This drove me to the end of each level.
Combat segments only take place during the night. I won't directly reveal what's after you, because as the aforementioned Stephen King quote said, explanations are anti-thetical to the concept of fear. However, I will say that the way you fight them is unique. At all times during the night, you carry with you a flashlight, batteries, and whatever weapons you are able to find. You always have at least a revolver with you. But locating ammo and other weapons requires you to stray off the beaten path. Defeating your enemies requires you to shine your flashlight on them to weaken them before finishing them off with a weapon. Everything is in the third person view, and aiming requires only that you look in the general direction of your target. This does not hinder difficulty in any way.
The voice acting is for the most part, decent. Players may complain about the general personality of Barry, but
at least Fred Berman does a good job playing the annoying agent/closet nerd. Matthew Porretta does a highly respectable job as Alan, though he's still just shy of Nolan North. The other voices are about equal. Overall, the voice acting was very good.
The controls are lacking, but not in a bad way, and I don't mean their bad. This is set in the real world, and Alan is more or less a regular guy. He cannot jump ten feet in the air. He has no ninja skills of Assassin's Creed, and possesses only standard human movement capabilities. There's still some climbing and some falling here and there all to a good balance, but most of the movement is about you making your way to a certain point in the distance. In order to progress the story. It's the combat that makes this game fun, and you get plenty of freak-out moments on the way there.
Lastly, we come to achievements. This game is story-driven, so the developers added in a few random things in order for you to earn Gamer Points besides just completing episodes. Throughout the world, coffee thermoses are placed, which you must pick up. Cans are stacked in pyramids at the occasional picnic table, which you must shoot at and knock down.TV's with Twilight Zone-esque shows and Radios with interesting programs are great distractions that you can indulge in, and provide fun achievement goals. But my personal favorite are the Story Pages, which add suspense to the story (when you play it, you'll see how.) These pages are actually part of the true greatness of this game's story, so be sure to pick them up.
And now for the scoring:
Graphics: B+ Alan Wake has brilliant graphics. There are many intricacies about the grass and trees, and the wilderness environments are truly stunning. Ilkka Villi provided a perfect likeness for Alan, a sort of treatment some other characters got which made them appear quite realistic. One of the true visual highlights is the light engine for the flashlights.
Sound: B Atmospheric music provides the perfect mood for every suspenseful moment. Voice acting is pretty good, and cars sound like cars.
Concept: A Alan Wake, a troubled writer, takes a vacation with his wife in the town of Night Springs in order to cure his writer's block. But all is not as it seems, and he is soon plunged into a nightmare which confuses and frightens both him and the player.
Fun: B+ Daytime segments leave little to do but walk and talk, but the night delivers edge-of-your-seat thrilling combat situations. (Or run-away situations.)
Playability: B The controls are pretty good, though some may not like the slow, yet realistic way in which Alan makes sharp turns. Some people complain about the camera, but I had little trouble; nothing worth mentioning.
Replay Value: C+ This game holds you in it's icy, awesome grip until the end. But try playing it again, and it's just like watching any suspense thriller movie again. There's little that's unexpected, though you can have the opportunity to play through again on the difficult "Nightmare" level of enemies. That doesn't much make up for it due to the story-driven plot, however. Just pick up the thermoses you missed and go.
And now for the grand total of...
8.75 Though this title has fun combat and an astounding story, it doesn't quite measure up to most big games such as the Assassin's Creed series. (Sorry if I mentioned Assassin's Creed too much.)
I hope you found Review #1 helpful. But this game has been out over a year, so you probably haven't. Oh well...
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