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Alan Wake's American Nightmare |OT| Not a lake, a primordial ocean.

D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
Ravensmash said:
Wow at that diner gameplay clip - it's still got that great atmosphere that the original has from the looks of it :)
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Personally speaking, I think American Nightmare does have some atmospheric moments, but I also will say the atmosphere isn't nearly as strong as the original game. The written review will be up later today, and I'm not entirely certain how much I can share my opinions on a public message board a couple of days in advance. What I will say I really did enjoy the game, but bluntly it both extremely impressed me and somewhat disappointed me. This is partly since they have tackled about every issue people have with the original game, but in the process some of the stuff that the first game is praised for is a lot weaker this time. I'll leave that whole talk for when the review is actually up though.
 
S

SteeloDMZ

Banned
. This is partly since they have tackled about every issue people have with the original game, but in the process some of the stuff that the first game is praised for are a lot weaker this time. I'll leave that whole talk for when the review is actually up though.
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That's to be expected though. I assume the weaker elements this time are the narrative, scenario design, etc. Considering this is a way smaller game with a very limited budget, it won't bother me that much.

Seems to me that Remedy is introducing new ideas and testing to see what people likes best so they can come up with a stunning sequel in Alan Wake 2.
 
S

Shake Appeal

Member
It's a shame I can't trust any reviews of this since they screwed the pooch on the original game. Will buy when I remember to pick up a points card.
 
T

tusken77

Member
V_Ben said:
IGN review is up!

http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/121/1218803p1.html

8.0, pretty good. :) Apparently the story is tough to follow though :/

57JTL.png
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The cheesy plup feel of the story? Oh, IGN.
 
B

burgerdog

Member
Wow, did Alan Wake also have ssao in the Xbox release? You can see it in AN in the diner video when he approaches the door.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
SteeloDMZ said:
That's to be expected though. I assume the weaker elements this time are the narrative, scenario design, etc. Considering this is a way smaller game with a very limited budget, it won't bother me that much.

Seems to me that Remedy is introducing new ideas and testing to see what people likes best so they can come up with a stunning sequel in Alan Wake 2.
Click to expand...

That's about how I felt when playing the game. One thing I want to commend them on is the hub-style stages, which probably was the biggest surprise and joy in the game for me, personally. They're very well designed and a lot of fun to explore. Not too big to get lost in, but not that small either, and there is plenty to do in them so it doesn't just feel like empty fields of nothing. Then lots of other fixes like how guns now transfer between stages instead of you discarding them after you complete an "Act" (what they're called in this game), or that Alan runs about four times longer now... There's a lot more to it, but I'll save that for later.

My biggest complaint outside of comparisons is the fact that, since you visit the same three locations three times in the story, a bit later in the game it starts to get a bit repetitive but they luckily do throw in enough unique set-piece moments to keep things interesting, and the game finishes before they outstay their welcome. That, and the ending is a bit disappointing (not getting into spoilers) but there's implications in the game that could pave way to interesting elements in future Alan Wake installments.
 
K

kanugo

Member
Eurogamer.net reviewed the game. They gave it a 7/10.

More than that, the character himself simply feels more at home in this shorter, punchier, less laboured and self-regarding form. Freed from the weight of expectation that accompanies a full retail release in this genre, the experience - while lacking the set-piece spectacle and spookiness of the original - is less forced and more comfortably pitched.

As the title intimates, the story ends with question marks lingering over the nature of Wake's experience. But even if it really is his nightmare, our troubled writer is arguably better company asleep than awake.
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EDIT: Wow, beaten by one page. Sorry.
 
T

Torraz

Member
Nice OT, ive got the points and haven't used the xbox in a while, so this might be a good reason to spend those points/use the console.
 
C

CrazedArabMan

Member
So reviews so far are right around the first which is no problem. It is nice to hear in the some of the reviews that it is totally worth picking up if you are a fan of Alan Wake. I just hope we do get a full fledged retail sequel, after the first game, this series deserves it.
 
C

CrazedArabMan

Member
Also I guess for the fans, you should wait through the credits for something, or at least there is something there from what I read on the AW forums.

S1kkZ said:
did anyone watch the gb quicklook? any spoilers in there?
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I haven't watched it, but I would take a stab and say yes. If you want to go in more unaware, I wouldn't watch it. If you are on the fence, it might help those decide on buying, but once agian I haven't seen it so I can't say for certain, just a guess.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
Dusk Golem said:
That's about how I felt when playing the game. One thing I want to commend them on is the hub-style stages, which probably was the biggest surprise and joy in the game for me, personally. They're very well designed and a lot of fun to explore. Not too big to get lost in, but not that small either, and there is plenty to do in them so it doesn't just feel like empty fields of nothing. Then lots of other fixes like how guns now transfer between stages instead of you discarding them after you complete an "Act" (what they're called in this game), or that Alan runs about four times longer now... There's a lot more to it, but I'll save that for later.

My biggest complaint outside of comparisons is the fact that, since you visit the same three locations three times in the story, a bit later in the game it starts to get a bit repetitive but they luckily do throw in enough unique set-piece moments to keep things interesting, and the game finishes before they outstay their welcome. That, and the ending is a bit disappointing (not getting into spoilers) but there's implications in the game that could pave way to interesting elements in future Alan Wake installments.
Click to expand...
Remedy are pretty good at reusing locations in their games. it's actually something i think games steer too clear of. seeing the same night club in both Max Payne games, or seeing the Address Unknown fun house in 2 in three very different situations, works for me. three visits to the Oh Deer diner in Alan Wake and it's bonus content... numerous revisits to the Wake apartment add up to a sense of place you don't really get in most linear story games.

obviously i haven't played it yet, but the reuse of locations is something Remedy, for me, do well. hopefully they've done well again here.
 
Z

Zoibie

Member
Watching the GiantBomb quick look, may just be me but Alan Wake's VA sounds different. It's throwing me trying to figure out if it's the same person or not.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
Zoibie said:
Watching the GiantBomb quick look, may just be me but Alan Wake's VA sounds different. It's throwing me trying to figure out if it's the same person or not.
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It's the same person, Alan just is a lot more mellow in this game and is sort of the "Straight-man." I can't say much about the plot right now I believe, though.


demonicmurry said:
I just saw there is a "Download Content" option in the American Nightmare menu. What could this mean?!
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I was waiting for someone to bring this up. Yes, there's a Download Content option on the main menu, but I have no idea what it's for. As of now there's nothing on the marketplace, but it seems DLC is planned for the future.

I might bet on Fight Till Dawn stuff, though. That could be interesting, but more story content would be appreciated as well.
 
L

Lingitiz

Member
Man that GB quick look got me really hyped for this game. I love the new weapons and enemy variety, so hopefully it won't get repetitive at the end like AW1. The hub world seems like a welcome change, and I like that the story is told through the game rather than cutscenes.
 
Surface of Me

Surface of Me

I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
I thought today was Tuesday for the majority of today, it made me sad I had to wait longer than expected for this. At least my paper is due tomorrow, so I wont have to worry about much when this comes out. I might finish it all in one sitting, I dont care though. Love me some Alan Wake.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
derFeef said:
Very detailed review, nice read, especially for an XBLA game. I skipped some parts because of the fear of spoilers, though :)

Today - Play The Writer on PC - then hop in tomorrow and explore the shit out of this game.
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i'm only going to get to play this very briefly tomorrow... but i'm primed, having finished my PC playthrough yesterday. hope you enjoy the writer again on PC. i know i did :)
 
M

Madrical

Banned
The story sounds great, other than the comparison of AW1 being Steven King / Lost and this is From Dark 'Til Dawn. That's just weird.

If it gets good reviews (the story in particular) I'll buy it on Steam when it eventually comes out. :) I'll finish the DLC for AW1 first though.
 
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