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    Alan Wake

    Game » consists of 14 releases. Released May 14, 2010

    When famous novelist Alan Wake goes on vacation with his wife Alice, he has no idea that the idyllic town of Bright Falls will soon be the site of a terrible battle between light and dark that could threaten everything, even Wake's own sanity.

    Finally Played the Damn Game

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    Fisco

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    Edited By Fisco

    So Alan Wake showed up in the mail the other day. (Yes I have Gamefly, it works for us college gamers) After hearing Brad's praise of the game and watching enough quicklooks and gameplay footage of the game to make me feel like I had already played it I decided to give it a whirl anyway. As somewhat of a side note I hate survival horror games, I'm not a huge fan of being tense while gaming and I hate surprises. Needless to say this game has plenty of the aforementioned qualities and I still came away from Alan Wake with an immense feeling of happiness.

    Everything from the gripping story to the mostly tight controls made each plot point and gunfight more and more enjoyable. The fact that this game came out over a year ago only adds to its credit. Since I can't always get the newest games when they come out I try to buy the best of the best when they're available and let others fall by the wayside. However, Alan Wake is a game that should not be missed by anyone. It has it's rough spots and it isn't perfect by any means but if you like interesting gunplay, gripping stories, or both you should really give this game a whirl.

    I think it says a lot that I played through the game much like how I read an intense novel, pushing ahead with as much effort as possible to reach the next event or reveal. If you let Alan Wake slip by you and still are unsure of whether or not to play it just go buy it, rent it, or steal it and give it a go. It's worth a playthrough.

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    Fisco

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    #1  Edited By Fisco

    So Alan Wake showed up in the mail the other day. (Yes I have Gamefly, it works for us college gamers) After hearing Brad's praise of the game and watching enough quicklooks and gameplay footage of the game to make me feel like I had already played it I decided to give it a whirl anyway. As somewhat of a side note I hate survival horror games, I'm not a huge fan of being tense while gaming and I hate surprises. Needless to say this game has plenty of the aforementioned qualities and I still came away from Alan Wake with an immense feeling of happiness.

    Everything from the gripping story to the mostly tight controls made each plot point and gunfight more and more enjoyable. The fact that this game came out over a year ago only adds to its credit. Since I can't always get the newest games when they come out I try to buy the best of the best when they're available and let others fall by the wayside. However, Alan Wake is a game that should not be missed by anyone. It has it's rough spots and it isn't perfect by any means but if you like interesting gunplay, gripping stories, or both you should really give this game a whirl.

    I think it says a lot that I played through the game much like how I read an intense novel, pushing ahead with as much effort as possible to reach the next event or reveal. If you let Alan Wake slip by you and still are unsure of whether or not to play it just go buy it, rent it, or steal it and give it a go. It's worth a playthrough.

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    JJWeatherman

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    #2  Edited By JJWeatherman

    I loved it too. It's just kinda sad that the end isn't properly explained without playing the DLC.

    (I still haven't done that. I'm an awful person.)

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    Fisco

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    #3  Edited By Fisco

    Yeah a solid ending would've been nice, I don't think I'll ever get around to the DLC...maybe next year?

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    Dingofighter

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    #4  Edited By Dingofighter

    I thought it was a great game, really liked the combat and the atmosphere. Dodging in this game feels awesome every time.

    I just kinda wish there were more daylight sequences where you just talked to people, both to get a break from the combat and to flesh out the characters some more.

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    JJWeatherman

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    #5  Edited By JJWeatherman

    I actually bought the 2nd DLC, but still haven't gotten around to buying the 1st, so I obviously haven't started the second. Weird situation. I should fix it soon.

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    FireBurger

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    #6  Edited By FireBurger

    My experience was much like yours. I had completely skipped over the game because it's not a genre I usually play and it didn't get stellar reviews, but I finally decided to give it a go a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I think it has one of the best atmospheres of any recent game I've played, an interesting story, good characters, and tight gameplay. Definitely glad I decided to check it out as it's now one of my favorite 360 games.

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    Fisco

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    #7  Edited By Fisco

    @MaFoLu said:

    I thought it was a great game, really liked the combat and the atmosphere. Dodging in this game feels awesome every time.

    I just kinda wish there were more daylight sequences where you just talked to people, both to get a break from the combat and to flesh out the characters some more.

    Agreed, they were really a nice break from all the craziness. I especially liked how the (spoiler?) final day sequence feels so comfortable only to become the most ridiculous sequence in the game.

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    louiedog

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    #8  Edited By louiedog

    After reading the title of this thread I thought it was going to be another bitchfest about how Alan Wake sucks and is overrated. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm not much of a survival horror fan myself, not because of the stress they usually create or jump scares, but because they usually contain game mechanics that I just can't get past. I really enjoyed this one. They didn't use difficult controls to create tense moments or anything like that.
     
    The collector's edition actually has developer commentary, one of my favorite non-game features in games. Valve has done it with their stuff for the past few years, and it was in the Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, but it's still pretty rare. I love the behind the scenes stuff and finding out the why and how of games that I really like. I hope it catches on and becomes more common.

    My only real complaint is as JJWeatherman said, the DLC is pretty much required for the ending. Like you, I often play games awhile after their initial release. Luckily for me I got it at the same time the DLC was way on sale, so I had it installed and ready to go when I finished the content that was on the disc.

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    Icemael

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    #9  Edited By Icemael

    The combat wasn't great, but the atmosphere was fucking incredible.

    I hope the poor sales haven't killed any chance of a sequel. The story needs to be finished, and if the combat is overhauled it could be a masterpiece.

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    YoungFrey

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    #10  Edited By YoungFrey

    I loved Alan Wake.  My primary complaint was that it was too easy.  On Normal I had so much super-ammo that the final boss was trivial.  The DLC was good but not amazing.  The collectibles were poorly done (but that is practically an industry complaint).  But the story and atmosphere were top notch.  It was just a joy to play through. 
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    buft

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    #11  Edited By buft

    need to play this myself. i really dont know why i never bought it.

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    Slaker117

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    #12  Edited By Slaker117

    I couldn't put this game down when I played it, but I fucking hated the combat. Guess that speaks to how good the storytelling was though.

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    ShaggE

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    #13  Edited By ShaggE

    Isn't it great? The sequel can't come soon enough.

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    Origina1Penguin

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    #14  Edited By Origina1Penguin

    @JJWeatherman: The first DLC doesn't do anything for the story, in my opinion. It's more of a combat challenge. The second DLC may clear some things up. Here's my review for that, but you probably already saw it.

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    Alphazero

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    #15  Edited By Alphazero

    @JJWeatherman said:

    I loved it too. It's just kinda sad that the end isn't properly explained without playing the DLC.

    (I still haven't done that. I'm an awful person.)

    The Writer is quite good. Great trippy/fun-house environments to flashlight and fight through. I didn't like the The Signal as much.

    I sure hope they get to make a proper sequel. Alan Wake had my favorite story since Bioshock.

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    me3639

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    #16  Edited By me3639

    One of my favorites, hoping for a sequel.

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    Meowayne

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    #17  Edited By Meowayne

    Congratulations on playing an amazing, amazing game. I never understood the sadness about the ending, I loved the it, it rounded things up very nicely. Although I also loved what they did in "The Writer". Best money I've spent on videogames in a long time.
     
    Can't wait for the inevitable season 2.
     
    Oh, and if you haven't, definitely(!) check out the "Bright Falls" miniseries on XBL.

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    falconer

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    #18  Edited By falconer

    @JJWeatherman said:

    I actually bought the 2nd DLC, but still haven't gotten around to buying the 1st, so I obviously haven't started the second. Weird situation. I should fix it soon.

    Did you get the 2nd DLC when it was on sale. *whispers* Cause I totally did too...

    I'm slowly making my way through it. I think I'm about half way through. I watched all of Twin Peaks after starting the game and love it even more now.

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    RockAction

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    #19  Edited By RockAction

     
    I enjoyed the game too, still have to play through the writer and buy the signal, but the waning story put me off 
     
    still a fun game to play and the people and environments are interesting, hopefully a sequel will match the potential the first didn't entirely live up to 
     
    i understand the game was originally intended as an open world game, which i think would have maybe added a bit more to that feeling of isolation and struggle instead of just run to the end of the current map and as is suggested above more daylight phases would be cool, especially if it was open world, to get a better feeling of the world/fiction it tries to establish 
     
    good game though, and i'm definitely hopeful for a sequel, been a while since i played it, might buy the last DLC pack the signal and play through all of it in one go

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    deactivated-601df795ee52f

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    Really awesome game. I remember renting this last year and playing the whole  game in one sitting. 
     
    Gonna buy it now it's really cheap. Really want to play that DLC...

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    rjayb89

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    #21  Edited By rjayb89

    I have the game, got it as a download for $10 because some guy was overstocked with them on Amazon I guess. I haven't gathered up the courage to play it as this type of genre isn't exactly what I go for. Had it been more action-packed like a Dead Space or Resident Evil, I probably would've been more enticed to play it despite its somewhat scary atmosphere. Great combat and controls is something that makes me less uneasy in dark areas. Someday I will play this. I can't just have this thing on my hard drive not doing anything for too long.

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    swoxx

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    #22  Edited By swoxx

    @JJWeatherman said:

    I loved it too. It's just kinda sad that the end isn't properly explained without playing the DLC.

    (I still haven't done that. I'm an awful person.)

    This is exactly my thoughts. I want to want to go back and play the DLC. I just don't actually want to. :(

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    xyzygy

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    #23  Edited By xyzygy
    @swoxx said:

    @JJWeatherman said:

    I loved it too. It's just kinda sad that the end isn't properly explained without playing the DLC.

    (I still haven't done that. I'm an awful person.)

    This is exactly my thoughts. I want to want to go back and play the DLC. I just don't actually want to. :(

    The DLC pieces are actually amazing. Some of the best post game DLC out there. It is kind of a cheap move to put the true ending in the DLC but if you bought the game new you got one of them free so really you're only paying 560 MSP for both of them which is awesome.
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    PrivateIronTFU

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    #24  Edited By PrivateIronTFU

    I can't get past that goddamn stage fight.

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    Gizmo

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    #25  Edited By Gizmo

    Being a huge King fan I was very frustrated when the plot became too confusing for me to follow, I loved the atmosphere, the cinematic feel of the game and the dialogue, but the confusing story soured the experience for me slightly. 
     
    However, I would totally recommend this game to anyone wanting an atmospheric experience and/or Stephen King fans.

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    louiedog

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    #26  Edited By louiedog
    @JJWeatherman said:

    I actually bought the 2nd DLC, but still haven't gotten around to buying the 1st, so I obviously haven't started the second. Weird situation. I should fix it soon.

    Both Alan Wake DLC packs are on sale this week. You have no excuse to not get that first one now.

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