Lights out
Alan Wake has captivated gamer's minds for five years now. It seems like whenever new information is released about Wake, it actively contradicts the last bits of information. Initial impressions suggested a survival-horror game with an open world similar to the GTA series. Some thought it would have a persistent world with its own weather system and day and night changes in real time. Today, the answer to what Alan Wake is has become much clearer--a linear action game with an emphasis in story-telling and the bizzare.
The environments and settings are rendered expertly making you feel as if you are breathing in the rustic forests of the Pacific Northwest. The woods in particular capture that "lived-in" aesthetic with dilapidated cabins and exhaust-spewing generators. In-game, the graphics perform wonderfully, however the quality of the cinematic movies is erratic from start to finish. Lips fail to sync with dialogue and characters fall in and out of low resolution textures. It's almost as if Remedy forgot to go back and touch up older cut scenes to ensure proper continuity. The lighting is so mesmerizing in Alan Wake it practically becomes a character in itself. The way it represents not only the spark of inspiration but also as a safe zone against "the taken" creates a profound sense of comfort in the gamer whenever they encounter pools of light. The game's audio is amazing as well with authentic, believable voice acting and an uncanny ability to contain the best licensed music to match the tone and feel of the game's universe. The enemy voice work has that right mix of creepy and unnatural that taps into the player's most basic fears. Most of what the enemies say to you is not threatening, it is more the way they say it that makes them so unsettling.
Remedy is best known for the Max Payne franchise, which were wonderful games in their own time. Unfortunately, Alan Wake retains too much from the venerable third-person shooter and winds up feeling antiquated. In a time when "cover mechanics" and "over-the-shoulder camera" are common phrases in the action genre, Alan Wake is a relic that exchanges "bullet time" for shadow puppets. The core gameplay is so close to the Max Payne games that, other than the graphical overhaul, Alan Wake could have easily been an ambitious mod rather than a full-fledged game. The aiming still feels right and the use of light as a weapon is clever, but dodging attacks and jumping are a chore to wrestle with. The leading cause of death in this game comes from not being able to correctly time your evade maneuver which sometimes feels like it has a random success rate. The most enjoyable sections in the game come when a computer controlled character fights along side you. It's frustrating that Remedy didn't think to add two-player coop in some way and feels like a major missed opportunity. Ultimately the gameplay becomes monotonous fighting the same birds and townspeople everyday and the strength of the story does not mesh well with the action genre. The content would have made for an exhilarating survival-horror adventure game with an inventory that required some form of resource management.
The feature that will make you play through Alan Wake to completion is without question the story. Alan finds himself in the middle of a Twin Peaks-style small town that has been over run by a mysterious darkness that may or may not have taken his wife hostage. Alan himself is not a sympathetic protagonist which makes it difficult to root for him. He comes off as pompous and egotistical, but this is necessary to drive his motivations as well as illustrate his strained relationships. The overall town is spooky even in broad daylight and does a fantastic job of getting under the players skin when traveling in the woods at night. Remedy continues their obsession with Norse mythology by injecting it into their games in silly ways. Max Payne had the Ragnarok nightclub while Alan Wake gets Viking rock in the forms of aged rockers Tor and Odin. These aspects are out of place but amusing none the less. The game is broken into six "episodes" each with a T.V. show-esque summary of the preceding episode and a cliffhanger ending that makes you want to jump into the next episode for the sake of discovering what happens next. Although the story is better than most video game narratives, Alan Wake does have its share of idiotic dialogue and overly convenient plot devices. The game is triumphant in its handling of the ending. It offers an ambiguous explanation that is open to interpretation which is perfect given the game's context, while leaving the door open to future episodes released as DLC.
In the end, Alan Wake is more fun to watch than to actually play. Hopefully future episodes will procure enough interest in following Wake and learning all of Bright Fall's secrets. Until then, most people may want to look elsewhere for a more satisfying action experience that doesn't feel so stale.
The environments and settings are rendered expertly making you feel as if you are breathing in the rustic forests of the Pacific Northwest. The woods in particular capture that "lived-in" aesthetic with dilapidated cabins and exhaust-spewing generators. In-game, the graphics perform wonderfully, however the quality of the cinematic movies is erratic from start to finish. Lips fail to sync with dialogue and characters fall in and out of low resolution textures. It's almost as if Remedy forgot to go back and touch up older cut scenes to ensure proper continuity. The lighting is so mesmerizing in Alan Wake it practically becomes a character in itself. The way it represents not only the spark of inspiration but also as a safe zone against "the taken" creates a profound sense of comfort in the gamer whenever they encounter pools of light. The game's audio is amazing as well with authentic, believable voice acting and an uncanny ability to contain the best licensed music to match the tone and feel of the game's universe. The enemy voice work has that right mix of creepy and unnatural that taps into the player's most basic fears. Most of what the enemies say to you is not threatening, it is more the way they say it that makes them so unsettling.
Remedy is best known for the Max Payne franchise, which were wonderful games in their own time. Unfortunately, Alan Wake retains too much from the venerable third-person shooter and winds up feeling antiquated. In a time when "cover mechanics" and "over-the-shoulder camera" are common phrases in the action genre, Alan Wake is a relic that exchanges "bullet time" for shadow puppets. The core gameplay is so close to the Max Payne games that, other than the graphical overhaul, Alan Wake could have easily been an ambitious mod rather than a full-fledged game. The aiming still feels right and the use of light as a weapon is clever, but dodging attacks and jumping are a chore to wrestle with. The leading cause of death in this game comes from not being able to correctly time your evade maneuver which sometimes feels like it has a random success rate. The most enjoyable sections in the game come when a computer controlled character fights along side you. It's frustrating that Remedy didn't think to add two-player coop in some way and feels like a major missed opportunity. Ultimately the gameplay becomes monotonous fighting the same birds and townspeople everyday and the strength of the story does not mesh well with the action genre. The content would have made for an exhilarating survival-horror adventure game with an inventory that required some form of resource management.
The feature that will make you play through Alan Wake to completion is without question the story. Alan finds himself in the middle of a Twin Peaks-style small town that has been over run by a mysterious darkness that may or may not have taken his wife hostage. Alan himself is not a sympathetic protagonist which makes it difficult to root for him. He comes off as pompous and egotistical, but this is necessary to drive his motivations as well as illustrate his strained relationships. The overall town is spooky even in broad daylight and does a fantastic job of getting under the players skin when traveling in the woods at night. Remedy continues their obsession with Norse mythology by injecting it into their games in silly ways. Max Payne had the Ragnarok nightclub while Alan Wake gets Viking rock in the forms of aged rockers Tor and Odin. These aspects are out of place but amusing none the less. The game is broken into six "episodes" each with a T.V. show-esque summary of the preceding episode and a cliffhanger ending that makes you want to jump into the next episode for the sake of discovering what happens next. Although the story is better than most video game narratives, Alan Wake does have its share of idiotic dialogue and overly convenient plot devices. The game is triumphant in its handling of the ending. It offers an ambiguous explanation that is open to interpretation which is perfect given the game's context, while leaving the door open to future episodes released as DLC.
In the end, Alan Wake is more fun to watch than to actually play. Hopefully future episodes will procure enough interest in following Wake and learning all of Bright Fall's secrets. Until then, most people may want to look elsewhere for a more satisfying action experience that doesn't feel so stale.
