Alan Wake

After almost 5 years since it was shown at E3 2005, Alan Wake has finally gone gold and is arriving on May 14th. I got my order for the limited edition all set to go, for only £39.99. I've been keeping my hype up for this since the beginning, even through the dire times. Are you still looking forward to it, Casey? I still think this will be something special.

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/743608/alan-wake/videos/alanwake_trl_brightfalls_42210.html

looks good, two days until the prequel "airs"... I'm really not holding out for much on this, REALLY love survival horror / thriller games since dead space... I'll buy it on launch, I just hope it lives upto the hype.

Damn, it really is game over for this community.

I C WAT U DID THR.

I don't.

You can watch the first two episodes here:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/creating-a-video-games-world-with-real-people/

They're pretty decent, to be honest, I recommend watching them. They're not that long anyway.

with so many years in development, it better not be wasted.

I'll blow a gasket if it's shite.

Black Suede wrote:I'll blow a gasket if it's shite.

Ive already prepared myself to be disapointed tbh xD

Yeah, to be honest, I have lowered my expectations a bit.

Black Suede wrote:Yeah, to be honest, I have lowered my expectations a bit.

I mean especially as it's out the weekend after lost planet, a game of that quality is going to take some beating!

lol, Lost Planet is so shit, mon.

Black Suede wrote:lol, Lost Planet is so shit, mon.

no sir, its going to be fucking amazing

Reviews are in, mon:

GamingTrend - Alan Wake is definitely art, and is well written enough to keep my wife and I on the edge of our seats from beginning to end. If I can admit something, and give Alan Wake the biggest compliment I can bestow, I’d tell you that I had a nightmare about the game the night after I completed it. No horror game has ever managed that feat or even come close. It may have taken them five years to kick it out of the door, but Remedy has created a masterpiece. [9.5]

Destructoid - Anything it could do to irritate the player is quickly made up for with a consistently striking character, intriguing cutscene, or thrilling stand-off against an encroaching force of possessed and gibbering mountain hicks. Alan Wake wears its own anomalous sense of style with pride and that alone earns enough credit to spend on inefficient dodging or unfair ambush attacks. [9]

IGN - Remedy's done a great job of mixing elements of written work, television, and videogames to create an experience full of scares, laughs, and thrills that's just as fun to play as it is to watch. [9]

OXMUK - Alan Wake is a strange beast - a great story, told clumsily and strewn with odd characters saying vaguely unbelievable things in an earnest way that might or might not be a joke. However, as baffling as it can be, it really does hold its own, keeping you nervous, excited and rolling your eyes indulgently so regularly that it simply won't occur to you to stop playing. [8]

Gamereactor Sweden - Great eerie graphics and sound make for a chilling setting in Remedy's long-awaited psychological thriller. It's a shame the enemies are dull clones, that the gunplay gets old fast and that it never really gets scary. [7]

Eurogamer - Alan Wake is an accessible, undemanding game with a neat combat mechanic and decent visuals. It's just not a very original game, it's certainly not an exceptional one, and it's a shame it wasn't ready a few years ago. [7]

24 reviews - 84%

It's about what I expected. Can't wait!

To be honest those reviews have kinda brought my expectations down a peg. It's out on the 15th right? Same day as Skate 3...I'll be picking up Skate 3 for sure, and Alan Wake the same day if I have enough money. But Skate 3 is ahead of this personally.

40 reviews in and it's at 85%.

It says mine is preparing for despatch, but I won't get my hopes up... is still a little strange that it says that this early.

Anyway, I guess I'm the only cool person that is getting this? Sheeeeeit.

get a review up when you can, i might get this after im done with red dead.

Black Suede wrote:40 reviews in and it's at 85%.

It says mine is preparing for despatch, but I won't get my hopes up... is still a little strange that it says that this early.

Anyway, I guess I'm the only cool person that is getting this? Sheeeeeit.

Im getting it, just the monday after launch

I'm definitely getting it on launch day. I'll trade in Bad Company 2 for this and Skate 3. I'm just not as excited as I should be for it. Chances are I'm gonna love it. I'll have to try finish it within a week though, so I'll have time to play Red Dead (which is being released on my payday, hoorah!)

trade in bad company for this? trade in MW 2 instead J.

More of my mates play MW2 and I know I'll go back to it after a while. Bad Company 2 kinda lost its novelty a bit because there are only the 2 game modes...Game currently have the veteran package of MW2 on sale for 30 euro, which I also get discount on, so I'm trading in my hardened edition for that soon.

I'd say Alan Wake will be one of those games that I play through once then trade in while the value is still high but we'll see...

I love the collector's edition I got, case is disguised as a novel.

So yeah, not bad, not bad. On episode 3 now, slowly sinking it's teeth into me. Just like with a really good tv show, I want to get back to it straight away, but I'm gonna leave until tomorrow.

Sleeping with the lights on tonight.

Yeh I'm getting the collector's edition today. Looks sweet. And only €5 more expensive. Is it actually scary Suede? I'm excited now, but I'm getting Skate 3 today too, so I'll wait to play Alan Wake tonight.

I'll wait to hear what you guys think... still think i'd be better buying red-dead... anyone know the playtime? Maybe I can knock it off by friday...

JokerJamie wrote:Yeh I'm getting the collector's edition today. Looks sweet. And only €5 more expensive. Is it actually scary Suede? I'm excited now, but I'm getting Skate 3 today too, so I'll wait to play Alan Wake tonight.

It's not particularly scary, but when the darkness overcomes the forest and the trees start swaying from side to side and there's strange noises all around you; it's a pretty unsettling atmosphere.

Anyway, on the fifth episode now, I think that's the last one (I think that's about 5-7 hours now, Ipso, pretty average length), leaving it for later. There is quite a bit of repetition, and some of the design is pretty 1999 like some review said. I won't say I'm disappointed, I think even for a 5 year wait I'm pretty happy with it, but you can tell they probably would to have liked more time to polish it a bit more. I feels completely different to anything I've played this gen, I can't wait to see what the twist is, the story has been so weird.

If this is the end, though, the gameplay could have been a bit more varied than shine a torch at the enemy, shoot once there vulnerable, press buttons, ect.

Most should just wait for Red Dead and wait for this to come down in price, or rent it if they really want to play it, but everyone else who has been waiting 5 years like me will most likely be happy with it.

Probably looking at a 7.

have to admit, the pretty boring screenshots which seem to feature a bloke with tourch a million times over have put me off this.