[Official Review] Alan Wake

[The Grue]

GameFAQs doesn't let you save your place.  It also doesn't have maps or color pictures showing you what they're talking about.  It's also on a computer somewhere in the house as opposed to right next to you on the couch (unless you're using a laptop, of course, but then I still have to go get that).  And, often, it's written by idiots.

Cool.  I just figure that I maybe look up one thing a game and paying for a guide to do that doesn't make sense.

[CeeKay]

[And, often, it's written by idiots.

huh, I must have been pretty lucky not to have run into this in their faqs section. Now their message boards are another story....

[godhugh]

i don't look at the guides for everything,i look in the guides when i am stuck or when i am collecting stuff...i hate being stuck on something,racking my brains for half an hour...look in the guide and the answer is some stupid obscure thing(this may be for the Resi evil titles..the mix and match items)

This is what Gamefaqs.com is for.  No need to spend money when the answer is free.

GameFAQs doesn't let you save your place.  It also doesn't have maps or color pictures showing you what they're talking about.  It's also on a computer somewhere in the house as opposed to right next to you on the couch (unless you're using a laptop, of course, but then I still have to go get that).  And, often, it's written by idiots.

If I need a guide (usually only for collectibles after I've finished the game) I just print the relevant section which is usually just a page or two and bring it with me to the couch. Much cheaper and more convenient then a guide.

[MonkeyFinger]

And some of us just like to have the guide. I'm perfectly well aware of all of the options out there and do make use of them, however I am also a self-admitted Strategy Guide Whore. Heck, I'll even pick up the "Collector's Edition" at times, say for something like FO3. Most I end up getting from Amazon Prime for at least a third off, with no tax and free shipping so that helps, as does the fact that I am one of the <cough> "older" gamers here and make a pretty decent wage.

[Dreamshadow]

So, Ron,  if I'm a fan of Arkham Horror board game, and the Cthuluverse, this is something right up my alley?

[metallicorphan]

hmm,interesting Alan Wake info here

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-alan-wake-game-data-blog-entry

Alan Wake game data less than 2.5GB

May 10th, 2010

Remedy's Alan Wake features just 2.41GB of actual game data for all six of its in-game episodes.

Examination of the XDVDFS partition of the shipping retail disc shows that an additional 3.74GB is allocated on top of that for the range of full-motion video sequences that pepper the game - a fact made all the more remarkable owing to the inclusion of audio support for a mammoth seven different languages. The combined total brings Alan Wake to 6.15GB for the final shipping product.

Bearing in mind that the game takes between 10 and 16 hours to complete, 2.41GB of data is a remarkable achievement. Playing through the survival-horror psychological shooter, only the appearance of the occasional low-resolution environment texture gives any kind of clue of the levels of compression that Remedy has achieved.

data pics using windows 7 and more info in the link

[Ridah]

So, Ron,  if I'm a fan of Arkham Horror board game, and the Cthuluverse, this is something right up my alley?

I think you should watch an episode of Twin Peaks. If you like that, AW might me up your alley.

[Purge]

So, Ron,  if I'm a fan of Arkham Horror board game, and the Cthuluverse, this is something right up my alley?

I think you should watch an episode of Twin Peaks. If you like that, AW might me up your alley.

The David Lynch version, not the first one that comes up in a search engine.  

[Kevin Grey]

I'm hearing that Alan Wake is actually much closer to a Stephen King novel in terms of inspiration than Twin Peaks.  Which doesn't really surprise me because, outside of a few moments (basically whenever Bob randomly appeared), Twin Peaks wasn't supposed to be scary. 

[CeeKay]

So, Ron,  if I'm a fan of Arkham Horror board game, and the Cthuluverse, this is something right up my alley?

I think you should watch an episode of Twin Peaks. If you like that, AW might me up your alley.

The David Lynch version, not the first one that comes up in a search engine.  

twins twin peaks.....

[metallicorphan]

i have never seen an episode of Twin Peaks(although i can vouch i have seen many Twin twin peaks)....its like i was with the X-Files i only saw my first episode of that about 2 years ago...been meaning to try and track them down

so there is a series of Twin Peaks and the David Lynch movie?(fire walk with me?....can't be bothered going to IMDB)


the trailer/video diary for Alan Wake say that they were influenced by Stephen King,Twin Peaks,The X-Files and Lost<<<<<<that can't get any better for me

[metallicorphan]

from Mr Pointyheads(one of those guys from Sentuamessage) Twitter

http://twitter.com/MrPointyHead/status/13905183689

"The Alan Wake Add-on content will be available July 28, 2010. Please hold on to your token card to redeem the content at that time."    about 1 hour ago  via TweetDeck 

[Bullwinkle]

so there is a series of Twin Peaks and the David Lynch movie?(fire walk with me?....can't be bothered going to IMDB)

Yes, but make sure you start with the 2-hour pilot.  In the US, the pilot rights are owned by someone else, and I had to get it from Korea or someplace.  Not sure what the rights story is in EU, but you'll be a little lost if you don't see it.

[Kevin Grey]

so there is a series of Twin Peaks and the David Lynch movie?(fire walk with me?....can't be bothered going to IMDB)

Yes, but make sure you start with the 2-hour pilot.  In the US, the pilot rights are owned by someone else, and I had to get it from Korea or someplace.  Not sure what the rights story is in EU, but you'll be a little lost if you don't see it.

I think they finally resolved that so, in the US, if you get the complete series box set you get the pilot now too.

Unfortunately I think it may be more complicated for Europeans, or at least it used to be.  There *is* a version of the pilot that was released on DVD in Europe but it was the "theatrical version" where they essentially tacked on an ending that answered Who Killed Laura Palmer in a totally different way.  Not sure if they have reissued the true pilot in Europe since I looked into it almost a decade ago.

And, metalli, don't watch "Fire Walk With Me" until after the rest of the series even though it's a prequel.  Some would argue don't watch it all due to quality, but personally I really dig it.  

[Bullwinkle]

so there is a series of Twin Peaks and the David Lynch movie?(fire walk with me?....can't be bothered going to IMDB)

Yes, but make sure you start with the 2-hour pilot.  In the US, the pilot rights are owned by someone else, and I had to get it from Korea or someplace.  Not sure what the rights story is in EU, but you'll be a little lost if you don't see it.

I think they finally resolved that so, in the US, if you get the complete series box set you get the pilot now too.

Unfortunately I think it may be more complicated for Europeans, or at least it used to be.  There *is* a version of the pilot that was released on DVD in Europe but it was the "theatrical version" where they essentially tacked on an ending that answered Who Killed Laura Palmer in a totally different way.  Not sure if they have reissued the true pilot in Europe since I looked into it almost a decade ago.

And, metalli, don't watch "Fire Walk With Me" until after the rest of the series even though it's a prequel.  Some would argue don't watch it all due to quality, but personally I really dig it.  

You definitely have to be in the mood for FWWM, but it can be quite awesome if you've been really caught up in the show.  Definitely watch after the series, though.

[metallicorphan]

for the pilot,IMDB says its on for 94 minutes,is that the one?..i am guessing that maybe with Commercials it could make it near to 2hrs

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278784/

according to IMDB,it had 8 episodes in season 1 and 22 in season 2

can't believe it was 1990/1991

[Kevin Grey]

for the pilot,IMDB says its on for 94 minutes,is that the one?..i am guessing that maybe with Commercials it could make it near to 2hrs

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278784/

according to IMDB,it had 8 episodes in season 1 and 22 in season 2

can't believe it was 1990/1991

Yeah, 94 minutes should be correct.

[metallicorphan]

got the game this morning,played the first episode that took roughly 2 or so hrs,i was looking about a lot trying to find collectables,...i have missed 1 manuscript page ...the other manuscript pages for that chapter are in Nightmare mode

there is no easy mode,just Normal and Hard,and you unlock Nightmare mode

Subtitles are top notch

loved the end of episode 1

with i think a Roy Orbison song,playing,it really did remind me of one of those typical TV series

batteries are in plentyful supply,infact you could prolly play through the game not using up one(could be hard,but i reckon it might be able to be done)...as you have the torch on all the time,the battery doesn't go down,it only goes down when you put the torch on high beam to weaken the Taken..and then when it goes to the bottom of the battery(the torch icon turns red),it gives you the option if you want to change the battery.....but i have just been dodging attacks until that battery has recharged again,which takes just a few moments

you recharge your health in the light(it goes up slowly if you are not in direct light)

there is however a Achievement for using up 100 batteries,so i guess i should start using them

the lip sync like KD says is sometimes bad sometimes decent

episode one was quite linear(only a few places where you can go off the path),i am hopping for a bit more freedom in later episodes,but i am enjoying it at the moment...there is a mini map at the back of the manual in the game case,and it looks like Bright Falls is quite a nice size altogether

[TiLT]

Got the game myself. Going to install it and try it out later tonight, but first: Fringe!

[metallicorphan]

TiLT-see if you can get any screen tearing by moving the camera left/right/up/down...i tired it and got none(some people have been complaining about it...so i was moving it about fast,to try and see if it appeared)...i have not had any frame/screen problems yet

[TiLT]

Haven't noticed any screen tearing, but keep in mind that this is on a European TV, so there might be differences due to that.

I've played through the first two episodes now. Took surprisingly long. The game is sort of repetitive, but it's still very good, and the atmosphere is excellent. The voice actors aren't all that good, and it's particularly disappointing that Alan Wake himself sounds so flat. It feels like I'm playing a mix between Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark, without the crappy parts of the latter (which were most of the game, admittedly). Word of advice: The game has been pretty easy on Normal so far. If you truly want to be scared, I suggest upping the difficulty a notch.

The influences are very obvious so far. Mild spoilers below. You may want to skip reading the Stephen King one if you haven't read The Dark Tower and the others if you haven't seen the respective TV-series, though it's nothing extremely spoilerific:

Stephen King:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The whole story reeks of The Dark Tower. It's so close in many ways that it nearly feels like a ripoff. They're probably going to twist it around a bit later, so I'm not casting any judgment here yet. You pretty much play Stephen King's role in the Dark Tower, if his active participation was bigger.

Twin Peaks:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The characters are obviously very inspired by Twin Peaks. The opening to episode 2 is particularly close, copying certain locations and the mannerisms of the receptionist at the police station. It looks like the story is bringing in a kind of anti-Cooper too. The whole evil forest theme is also extremely prevalent.

Lost:

Spoiler for Hiden:

There's a disappearing island and intelligent dark smoke that follows you around and rips down trees. Nuff said.

[vizionblind]

video review

http://www.giantbomb.com/alan-wake/61-20982/reviews/

[metallicorphan]

i take back what i said about Screen tearing,Episode 4 is full of it

[Turtle]

Deadly Premonition vs. Alan Wake... Fight!

The Twin Peaks style seems to be making a bit more of a comeback lately.

I'm all in for Alan Wake, all the gaming podcasts are uniformly positive about the game, some more than others. They all mention a few dated aspects of the game, and some repetition, but overall a really satisfying game with a satisfying conclusion.

[TiLT]

Just finished the game. 6 episodes, the four last ones feeling quite a bit longer than the first two. Most of the game is spent walking through the woods trying to get to a destination. It gets a little bit much when some chapters are nothing but this. 2-3 hours of walking towards the same objective without much story development in-between grates.

Still, the gameplay mechanics are absolutely solid and the story is interesting and will keep you guessing. The voice acting is poor. The music is great. The lighting effects are fantastic and really end up defining the whole experience. The graphics reminded me a lot of Resident Evil 4 in their realistic and gritty style. The game itself felt like what the last Alone in the Dark should have been but never even came close to becoming.

I was swimming in ammo and equipment at many points through the game on Normal difficulty, but you'll lose all your equipment regularly, sometimes more than once per chapter. Combat was still challenging at some points though, particularly when you get surrounded. You need to be on your toes and ready to adapt your combat tactics on the fly. These are the mechanics that work so well. Do you think you can take out this group of enemies using just your flashlight and revolver? Should you toss a flare to give you some breathing room, or do you simply try to dodge? Perhaps a flashbang is a better idea, but it takes longer... do you have enough time?

Definitely worth the time and money.

Edit: Oh, and I never noticed any screen tearing. Perhaps I just filter it out mentally?

[KePoW]

Thanks for the impressions Tilt.  Still got mine on preorder and pretty excited to play it.

But yeah, even from all the pre-release videos and trailers, you can tell the voice acting sucks for a big-budget title.  Really weird considering Microsoft's money behind the game.

[Chaz]

On Tuesday, I have this and Red Dead Redemption arriving.  Red Dead is staying in the shrink wrap.  This isn't. 

[Harkonis]

On Tuesday, I have this and Red Dead Redemption arriving.  Red Dead is staying in the shrink wrap.  This isn't. 

a man of strange tastes...

[metallicorphan]

i finished this last night,good game..strange ending

it was much easier really than i presumed it was gonna be(normal setting)..the last level was hard,because i was going for the achievement for not using guns...if i could use guns i would of pissed it,but i got the achievement anyway


i didn't get the guide in the end,and i ended up with the following:

99/106 manuscripts(that 104 includes the 15 in Nightmare mode)
30/30 chests
11/12 stacks of cans(the achievement is for 5,not 12 for some reason)
11/11 Radio shows
14/14 TV shows
94/100 coffee thermos
23/25 Bright Falls info


so gonna try and mop up the rest and then try out for Nightmare mode

i mean,i have to wait until July 28th to use my DLC card



EDIT:Nightmare mode is,well just that...although it isn't too bad,its the fact that i am still looking about for items(that i had to copy and put onto my PSP)..finished episode 1 and 2 on Nightmare

[Caine]

for anyone looking to get this, Kmart has it for sale with a $20 gc.  it's one of those new deal promos like they did with nier, ff13, etc.  posting on cag about it, but i thought i'd mention it for anyone interested.

[CeeKay]

ended up grabbing a copy of this today when picking up another controller.  it's till in the shrink wrap but the box sure is purty 

[CeeKay]

ended up grabbing a copy of this today when picking up another controller.  it's till in the shrink wrap but the box sure is purty 

well, the thought of trying to break a stallion in RDR led me to install this and play through the first episode.  the outdoor section was very atmospheric, but it felt a bit too open since a lot of the areas I was able to wander off in didn't really have anything.  I missed around 4 pages of the manuscript, one of which is apparently only available on Nightmare difficulty, so I'm guessing I didn't miss much when I got bored with exploring.   I was waiting for a Max Payne reference at the beginning of episode 2 but didn't see a definite one, although:

Spoiler for Hiden:

towards the end of the '3 years earlier' section there seemed to be some police car lights flashing at something.

[TiLT]

There's a funny Max Payne reference near the very end of the game. They make fun of one of the silliest things in Max Payne 1. I won't spoil it for you.

[Bullwinkle]

I missed around 4 pages of the manuscript, one of which is apparently only available on Nightmare difficulty, so I'm guessing I didn't miss much when I got bored with exploring.   

That must be the one I missed.  Glad you told me that.

I'm really enjoying AW.  The atmosphere is really great, and the use of lighting is incredible.  The narration keeps reminding me of a darker Broken Sword game.  As much as I love that series, it just doesn't fit here, so I've got to snap out of that.

Also, I've got to stop hoarding batteries.

[Kevin Grey]

Also, I've got to stop hoarding batteries.

Yeah, one of the tips I heard pre-release was not to hoard your ammo and batteries since everything resets between episodes. 

[MonkeyFinger]

Also, I've got to stop hoarding batteries.

Yeah, one of the tips I heard pre-release was not to hoard your ammo and batteries since everything resets between episodes. 

Check out Chobot's latest "Strategize" episode on AW, she talks about that and has some nice tips, including the "do not hoard" one and dodging, to name a couple. Nothing really spoilery there, from what I saw. IMHO.

[CeeKay]

I missed around 4 pages of the manuscript, one of which is apparently only available on Nightmare difficulty, so I'm guessing I didn't miss much when I got bored with exploring.   

That must be the one I missed.  Glad you told me that.

I noticed it had an odd icon next to it and then noticed the explanation for the icon at the bottom of the screen. I still have no clue where the other 3 pages where, I'm guessing they were someplace before I found the flashlight.

Also, I've got to stop hoarding batteries.

I'm playing on normal and only ended up using 3 or 4, and that didn't happen until the end of episode one.  I totally forgot I had the flare gun and shotgun too.

[CeeKay]

I missed around 4 pages of the manuscript, one of which is apparently only available on Nightmare difficulty, so I'm guessing I didn't miss much when I got bored with exploring.   

That must be the one I missed.  Glad you told me that.

I noticed it had an odd icon next to it and then noticed the explanation for the icon at the bottom of the screen. I still have no clue where the other 3 pages where, I'm guessing they were someplace before I found the flashlight.

Also, I've got to stop hoarding batteries.

I'm playing on normal and only ended up using 3 or 4, and that didn't happen until the end of episode one.  I totally forgot I had the flare gun and shotgun too.

[Chaz]

I think there were three pages that have to be found in Nightmare mode.  I'm kind of sad about that mechanic, since I really dislike playing on the hardest difficulty, and am not crazy about the idea that there's story elements that are restricted to that difficulty.

Lighting is excellent.  Character models are alright, but not great.  Lip sync ranges from serviceable to atrocious.  They do the thing where the characters talk with their front teeth exposed, which I hate.  I only noticed one brief instance of screen tearing. 

Played through the first episode, and so far, so good.  It actually reminds me a whole lot of the opening sequences of Deadly Premonition.  I really liked the radio broadcasts.  I absolutely love that there's an option to listen to all the songs in the main menu, and it includes song title and artist. 

I was also kind of pleased with myself that I was one of the only ones on my friends list who wasn't playing RDR.  Hooray for bucking the trend!

[CeeKay]

Played through the first episode, and so far, so good.  It actually reminds me a whole lot of the opening sequences of Deadly Premonition.

I noticed that too.  kinda ironic since my copy of DP is MIA.  I did a major spring cleaning/apartment reorganization op and I'm hoping I just filed it away and not tossed it away.