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My name is Alan Wake. I'm a writer. |OT|

O

Oyashiro

Member
I've been waiting for this game for so long. SO LONG.

Sucks that I'm broke, though. I really would have loved to have the Collector's Edition.
 
J

JDS 1977

Banned
Wow it's almost here already huh? I had though it'd be forever.

I've sort of been on blackout mode on this one. All I remember is hopefully some Silent Hill vibe set in the Northwest which could easily be a town or 2 over from me here in Oregon.
 
P

Pistolero

Member
This will probably not say much to you, english speaking fellows, but my favorite french gaming site, gamekult, notorious for its well though and brilliantly articulated articles, might have given the game the outstanding grade of 9/10. The marks will be posted tomorrow but it seems as if the tester spilled the beans (or, rather, alluded to it before retracting a suspicious comment). To give you an idea, only 5-6 games received such a high score this gen, the last of which were Uncharted2 and GOWIII, respectively. And to put things further into perspective, let's say that the team is professional enough not to get carried by the first hype wave! :D
 
F

FrankT

Member
Pistolero said:
This will probably not say much to you, english speaking fellows, but my favorite french gaming site, gamekult, notorious for its well though and brilliantly articulated articles, might have given the game the outstanding grade of 9/10. The marks will be posted tomorrow but it seems as if the tester spilled the beans (or, rather, alluded to it before retracting a suspicious comment). To give you an idea, only 5-6 games received such a high score this gen, the last of which were Uncharted2 and GOWIII, respectively. And to put things further into perspective, let's say that the team is professional enough not to get carried by the first hype wave! :D
Click to expand...

Big things for the major western reviews amirite. Tonight is the night;

Jim_Sterling That's the Alan Wake review all prettied and polished for its dead-of-night embargo later.
Click to expand...

MMaRsu said:
Nice thread Bruce..!

Buying this day one with RDR.. will probably play that first though :p.
Click to expand...

Aye, I was going to get just AW day one, but I got to have them both. AW first however.

Hadn't seen this one yet, but 95;

Some highlights;

The folks at Remedy stated that they were inspired by Twin Peaks, Lost, The X-Files, and the works of Stephen King as their inspiration, but having completed Alan Wake, I can assure you that those inspirations are just scratching the surface. The game has heavy elements of The Twilight Zone, In The Mouth of Madness, and a very dark and twisted NeverEnding Story as well. Most survival horror games serve as a fine example of C-rated shoddy writing riddled with cheap scares and loud noises. Alan Wake will go down as a compelling story wrapped around a legitimate nightmare-inducing horror script. I will do my best to try to keep this review spoiler free as much as possible, and with good reason – Alan Wake may be the best written story you’ll play all year.

Graphically, Alan Wake was an absolute impossibility on any home console in 2005. With the Xbox 360, there is enough graphic power to bring Wake’s world to life. Much of the game is spent in the dark, but this isn’t a Resident Evil knockoff - the world looks like what you’d see in a forest illuminated by stars and the moon, and not just pitch black like Doom 3. There is a bluish hue to the world, and the forest is absolutely choked full of foliage. Full size trees, bushes, plants, leaves, signs, debris, and more sway in the wind, providing a shocking amount of ambush points for the creatures in this game. It isn't just black, it's darkness the way you and I would perceive it in the real world. You’ll spend a fair amount of time in the town of Bright Falls, and it is well populated, both with people and things to see. The town is excited about their annual Deerfest celebration, and it is decorated accordingly. Somehow the city feels alive, not just filled with pre-placed objects. While it isn't the sandbox city that was initially planned, it feels focused without ever putting your feet on rails.

The incredible lighting engine I mentioned above is the heart of the game. Day and night cycles cast absolutely perfect shadows. Most games do such a weak job with shadows, putting simple circles under the feet of the protagonist. Alan Wake was built around the concepts of light and dark, and it shows. Your flashlight has small concentric circle distortions from the lens, and the light realistically bends across objects. It pales, however, in comparison to when the real fireworks start.
Click to expand...

For the collectors amongst us, there are 100 Coffee Thermoses to find, 13 TV Shows to watch, 12 Radio Shows to listen to, and a smattering of hidden caches and signs to find. There are over 100 manuscript pages to find, some of which only discoverable on the highest difficulty levels, which provide a great deal of the compelling storyline. Not since Batman Arkham Asylum have I felt this compelled to find every single thing in the game. All told, you can complete all 6 of the Episodes of Alan Wake in roughly 10 to 12 hours, but it’ll take you far longer to discover everything in the game. Every copy of the game will ship with a token for the first DLC Episode, so expect more Alan Wake after you complete the content on the disc.
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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. Alan Wake is a title that other companies will attempt to reproduce and emulate for a long time to come.
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Gaming Trend Score
95Graphics: 97Audio: 95Controls: 95Gameplay: 95Value/Replay: 90 OVERALL:95
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http://gamingtrend.com/Reviews/review/review.php?ReviewID=1434
 
B

brotkasten

Member
I just watched the Bright Falls episodes and wow. Just wow. It's really awesome. The amount of details is insane. Is there a TV show like that? I'd love it.

Can't wait for the next episodes.

Youta Mottenai said:
Bright Fall episodes on Youtube for people, like me, who couldn´t run the Silverlight version:

*ADVICE* Disable video notes prior viewing. Annoying, stupid comments and spoilers on them. *ADVICE*

Episode 1 - 'Oh Deer'
Episode 2 - 'Time Flies'
Episode 3 - 'Lights Out'
Click to expand...

I can recommend the analysis for the first two episodes as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW1f4uazGDw
 
G

GCX

Member
gamingtrend.com review said:
It may have taken them five years to kick it out of the door, but Remedy has created a masterpiece. Alan Wake is a title that other companies will attempt to reproduce and emulate for a long time to come.
Click to expand...
Sounds good to me. :)
 
A

Alcander

Member
Been waiting for this game for what seems like forever.... so pumped!

Happy that Remedy seems to have pulled it off :)
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
The folks at Remedy stated that they were inspired by Twin Peaks, Lost, The X-Files, and the works of Stephen King as their inspiration, but having completed Alan Wake, I can assure you that those inspirations are just scratching the surface. The game has heavy elements of The Twilight Zone, In The Mouth of Madness, and a very dark and twisted NeverEnding Story as well. Most survival horror games serve as a fine example of C-rated shoddy writing riddled with cheap scares and loud noises. Alan Wake will go down as a compelling story wrapped around a legitimate nightmare-inducing horror script. I will do my best to try to keep this review spoiler free as much as possible, and with good reason – Alan Wake may be the best written story you’ll play all year.

Graphically, Alan Wake was an absolute impossibility on any home console in 2005. With the Xbox 360, there is enough graphic power to bring Wake’s world to life. Much of the game is spent in the dark, but this isn’t a Resident Evil knockoff - the world looks like what you’d see in a forest illuminated by stars and the moon, and not just pitch black like Doom 3. There is a bluish hue to the world, and the forest is absolutely choked full of foliage. Full size trees, bushes, plants, leaves, signs, debris, and more sway in the wind, providing a shocking amount of ambush points for the creatures in this game. It isn't just black, it's darkness the way you and I would perceive it in the real world. You’ll spend a fair amount of time in the town of Bright Falls, and it is well populated, both with people and things to see. The town is excited about their annual Deerfest celebration, and it is decorated accordingly. Somehow the city feels alive, not just filled with pre-placed objects.While it isn't the sandbox city that was initially planned, it feels focused without ever putting your feet on rails.

The incredible lighting engine I mentioned above is the heart of the game. Day and night cycles cast absolutely perfect shadows. Most games do such a weak job with shadows, putting simple circles under the feet of the protagonist. Alan Wake was built around the concepts of light and dark, and it shows. Your flashlight has small concentric circle distortions from the lens, and the light realistically bends across objects. It pales, however, in comparison to when the real fireworks start.
Click to expand...

MY GOD!!!!!!
 
B

BruceLeeRoy

Banned
Shogun PaiN said:
For anyone interested the game is 6.2GB when installed.

Also how come only Alan and Barry are listed under characters? I know maybe a few characters could be considered spoilers but so far we have the following confirmed -

- Alan
- Alice
- Barry
- Rusty
- Agent Nightingale
- Sheriff Breaker
- Biggest Fan
- Dr. Hartman
- the Hitchhiker
- Mott
- Nurse Sinclair
- Radio Host*

Obviously a few of them are only going to be a minor role but still I do think you should include a few more.
Click to expand...

I actually have the graphics and the bios for all those characters but I left them out because I feel the less people know about the game the better. I can still add them if everyone wants.
 
F

FrankT

Member
BruceLeeRoy said:
I actually have the graphics and the bios for all those characters but I left them out because I feel the less people know about the game the better. I can still add them if everyone wants.
Click to expand...

I would say at least add Alice maybe.
 
G

GCX

Member
Really glad that every review is giving high scores on the audio department. Looks like Petri Alanko outdid himself with his first game soundtrack.
 
S

ShogunX

Member
BruceLeeRoy said:
I actually have the graphics and the bios for all those characters but I left them out because I feel the less people know about the game the better. I can still add them if everyone wants.
Click to expand...


Fair enough I can see where you are coming from with that approach.
 
Windom Earle

Windom Earle

Member
brotkasten said:
I just watched the Bright Falls episodes and wow. Just wow. It's really awesome. The amount of details is insane. Is there a TV show like that? I'd love it.
Click to expand...

Yes. It's a little show called Twin Peaks ;)

And yes, I could watch a full season of Bright Falls, it's awesome. Especially everything that happens in the Diner.
 
M

mittelos

Member
brotkasten said:
I just watched the Bright Falls episodes and wow. Just wow. It's really awesome. The amount of details is insane. Is there a TV show like that? I'd love it.
Click to expand...
The episodes give a strong Twin Peaks vibe. If you haven't watched Twin Peaks, I can't recommend it enough. I'm re-watching the series now through Netflix and can't get over how well it holds up. I also can't believe it's 20 years old- damn I'm getting old. Anyway, there were only two seasons, so you can get through it pretty quickly.
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
Really awesome thread BruceLeeRoy. Always a pleasure to see what you'll do next! Man, this game is almost here. My wallet is dying here, May is going to utterly destroy it.

So far, Bright Falls prequel stuff is some of my favorite marketing material. Great production value and sets everything up incredibly well.
 
J

JdFoX187

Banned
Awesome OT man. Can't wait for this game. But it's going to be a long wait since I was too much of a cheapskate to pay shipping for the Collector's Edition :(
 
C

ClovingWestbrook

Banned
Max@GC said:
German video review
Click to expand...

LOL Woah, 6/10

Edit: NVM, I have given myself this badge

idiot-41423.jpg
 
B

brotkasten

Member
mittelos said:
The episodes give a strong Twin Peaks vibe. If you haven't watched Twin Peaks, I can't recommend it enough. I'm re-watching the series now through Netflix and can't get over how well it holds up. I also can't believe it's 20 years old- damn I'm getting old. Anyway, there were only two seasons, so you can get through it pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear. I was worried that Twin Peaks didn't age well. I mean, 20 years is quite a time for a TV series.
 
M

Mt Heart Attack

Member
Pistolero said:
Superbly written. I can't comment on the validity of the points discussed, but they are brought up with style...
Click to expand...
? I see no review on Nzgamer. What's up with that, did they remove it for some reason?
 
J

JdFoX187

Banned
Did Twin Peaks ever get a fitting conclusion? I remember watching parts of it when I was a kid, and really liked it, but never finished. Then I heard ABC dicked it over tremendously. I don't want to get invested in it if there's no endgame.
 
M

Mr_Guillotine

Member
brotkasten said:
That's good to hear. I was worried that Twin Peaks didn't age well. I mean, 20 years is quite a time for a TV series.
Click to expand...

I'm as old as the show and watching it for the first time, I like it more than anything I've watched on television recently so I'd say it holds up very well.
 
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