I am a fan of horror-action games, and of many titles around this game stands out as the most original and refreshing I've ever played (though the producers insisted not to call it a horror game). A writer trapped in nightmares he wrote himself?? What idea could be cooler than that? This was the game I was dying to play, and I couldn't be happier when this game was eventually out on PC, along with the two extra DLCs (a.k.a Alan Wake The Complete Edition)
Having finished the main game and currently playing the 2nd special episode "The Writer"...I can say that this game rocks! Beautiful graphics, great story, awesome tracks, and cool atmosphere, all unite to create a great game. The greatest of all is (to me anyway) this game runs smoothly on my mediocre PC. What more could I expect? My wait has finally been paid off. Don't forget the episodic styles, 'end of episode one', 'previously on Alan Wake'(though no 'next on Alan Wake' narrative is a bit disappointing)..gorgeous! If someone would adapt this into the movie someday, this kind of thing could perfectly tune in of course.
Alan Wake is not flawless though, well here are the few downsides:
1.Limited enemies: you only fight three enemies: possessed humans called Takens, crows, poltergeist objects, and oh...a storm! Yep, that's all. No abominable monsters, no disgusting creatures..and very lastly, no boss battles...very untypical for a horror game. OK, maybe you can consider fighting against the storm near the end as the boss battle if you want..Simply say, if you long for a tough boss battle, you will most likely disappointed
2. Limited weapons: throughout the whole game you will only need two weapons to fight the aforementioned enemies: a flashlight and a gun, by the means of boosting them with your flashlight to drive away the darkness and then finish them with your gun. Enemies once throw knives at you, but sadly, you can't throw them back. You can't punch them with your bare hands either. Very annoying, given that ammunition is limited.
3. Heavily repetitive battles:combine no. 1 with no. 2 above, and you'll get one of the dullest battles in video games
4. Not enough extras: playing the PC version which saw release far behind its console counterpart, I was expecting more sweeties rather than the core game (and the 2 DLCs). Indeed in the main menu you'll find an 'extra' option, but it's nothing special you're expecting. An Alan Wake wallpaper? Behind the scenes video? Should be cool, but apparently it's not our lucky day...
5. Confusing ending: By playing the PC version, you still get two extra Wake flavors out of the box after finishing the main game. But playing the 360 version without the DLCs? 'It's not a lake, it's an ocean', how's that for an ending?
Those flaws aside, Alan Wake is still a very good game. And in my opinion, its original story is the strongest point. It's worth your time and bucks. Horror or not, you'll surely get nice treats in the darkness of Wake's realm.
Having finished the main game and currently playing the 2nd special episode "The Writer"...I can say that this game rocks! Beautiful graphics, great story, awesome tracks, and cool atmosphere, all unite to create a great game. The greatest of all is (to me anyway) this game runs smoothly on my mediocre PC. What more could I expect? My wait has finally been paid off. Don't forget the episodic styles, 'end of episode one', 'previously on Alan Wake'(though no 'next on Alan Wake' narrative is a bit disappointing)..gorgeous! If someone would adapt this into the movie someday, this kind of thing could perfectly tune in of course.
Alan Wake is not flawless though, well here are the few downsides:
1.Limited enemies: you only fight three enemies: possessed humans called Takens, crows, poltergeist objects, and oh...a storm! Yep, that's all. No abominable monsters, no disgusting creatures..and very lastly, no boss battles...very untypical for a horror game. OK, maybe you can consider fighting against the storm near the end as the boss battle if you want..Simply say, if you long for a tough boss battle, you will most likely disappointed
2. Limited weapons: throughout the whole game you will only need two weapons to fight the aforementioned enemies: a flashlight and a gun, by the means of boosting them with your flashlight to drive away the darkness and then finish them with your gun. Enemies once throw knives at you, but sadly, you can't throw them back. You can't punch them with your bare hands either. Very annoying, given that ammunition is limited.
3. Heavily repetitive battles:combine no. 1 with no. 2 above, and you'll get one of the dullest battles in video games
4. Not enough extras: playing the PC version which saw release far behind its console counterpart, I was expecting more sweeties rather than the core game (and the 2 DLCs). Indeed in the main menu you'll find an 'extra' option, but it's nothing special you're expecting. An Alan Wake wallpaper? Behind the scenes video? Should be cool, but apparently it's not our lucky day...
5. Confusing ending: By playing the PC version, you still get two extra Wake flavors out of the box after finishing the main game. But playing the 360 version without the DLCs? 'It's not a lake, it's an ocean', how's that for an ending?
Those flaws aside, Alan Wake is still a very good game. And in my opinion, its original story is the strongest point. It's worth your time and bucks. Horror or not, you'll surely get nice treats in the darkness of Wake's realm.