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[soco]

wow. that was a nice ride. the ending is pretty much what i expected and i thought it was more than enough closure.

the only questions i really have left are

Spoiler

the connection between thomas zane and alan wake, and althoug that's kinda answered, i think there's still some yet to discover.

.

 

[sgnhh]

I think it was a Gamestop preorder bonus. Of course, mine didn't seem to get the memo. I think it might have also been in the LE.

Amazon preorder bonus too.

 

[Y2Kev]

Will playing at 720p negate a lot of the screen tearing?

I'm getting tons when I rotate the camera in 1080p

It still tears a lot, but you might want to try.

 

[Hixx]

I missed out on 4 achievements by 1 thing.

Spoiler

10 radio shows
13 tv shows
4 pyramids
999 birds

Mother bastarding fucker.

 

[stupei]

Just for a small change of pace, I've got the male avatar t-shirt if anyone wants it.

 

[kaskade]

Just for a small change of pace, I've got the male avatar t-shirt if anyone wants it.

sure

 

[derFeef]

Episode 3 on Nightmare:

Spoiler

The freaking bridge under the train. I can not pass this thing. 4 objects constantly flying at me and there is no way back. Pushing forward also does not help a lot as there are even more barrels waiting. I remember that thing on hard, it was also a pain but I passed it barely.

 

[The Librarian]

Just for a small change of pace, I've got the male avatar t-shirt if anyone wants it.

Hit me up, yo.

Edit: goddammit

 

[soco]

i'm kinda amazed at just how much this game changed throughout its development, and i'm not just talking about the open world to tunnel stuff.

 

[Wizpig]

Just finished the game.

If you are reading this and are still on the fence... buy it.
Buy it.
I know it's a crazy month for gaming, but this here is a fantastic game, one of the best this gaming generation; it's FUN, it has a very good story, some fantastic music and some fantastic graphics.

I already asked this before, but if someone got a "I am awake" T-shirt code (male) and a dashboard theme code, I'd really appreciate it. let me know!

ps.

Will playing at 720p negate a lot of the screen tearing?

I'm getting tons when I rotate the camera in 1080p

it only tears a lot in a place at the start of Chapter 4, when you are in a building.

 

[Browns Town]

I cant be the only one who gets easily spooked at the sight of a fern/leaf silhouette in the distance thinking it's one of the Taken dudes :lol

No! Hah, I'm always thinking I'm seeing a shadowy person in the distance somewhere while looking around for places off to the side where I might find a thermos or some ammo. Then I look back real quick and nope, gone. Nothing there. I almost wonder if they actually put them in there to mess with your head.

Love this game so far. I do agree I wish there was more to do during the day scenes. And I wish I had a little more wiggle room to explore the woods before I get jumped by the Taken Posse every time I try. I also wish there was a way to see how many thermos/tvs/hidden crates/ etc I've missed so far. I kinda think I've done pretty well but watch me be missing all kinds of them so far, hah.

 

[Wizpig]

I also wish there was a way to see how many thermos/tvs/hidden crates/ etc I've missed so far. I kinda think I've done pretty well but watch me be missing all kinds of them so far, hah.

You can see the stats in the main menu, but not much more than that unfortunately.
I missed ONE radio show.

Anyway, the second DLC is very expensive, but well, at least the first one is free.

 

[derFeef]

You can see the stats in the main menu, but not much more than that unfortunately.
I missed ONE radio show.

Anyway, the second DLC is very expensive, but well, at least the first one is free.

I missed one TV show, but got all the radios
And who knows about the price. If it is really 800, it better be meaty. But I will buy it anyway as this is an awesome game. 27th July is so far away for the first DLC

 

[JBuccCP]

Really liked the setting and story and atmosphere. I'm trying to replay but I think I've had enough of the combat. It's not horrible but there's just too much slogging through the forest fighting the same dudes over and over/dodging random crap thrown at you. Very much looking forward to a sequel to continue the story and fix the repetitiveness.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Saw a trailer for this... looks AMAZING! Thing is, I don't have a 360. So is this a permanent 360 game or is there a possibility of this coming to PS3 a la Bioshock a year later? I can't justify purchasing a new system for one game no matter what the cost is. It's still a space taker upper and an annoyance when it comes to making room for it and the wires. /nitpicking

 

[Wizpig]

I missed one TV show, but got all the radios
And who knows about the price. If it is really 800, it better be meaty. But I will buy it anyway as this is an awesome game. 27th July is so far away for the first DLC

I got all the TV shows.
Missed one radio.
Missed 20+ pages :|
etc.

@MoonsaultSlayer: 360 exclusive because Microsoft put some money for this.

 

[derFeef]

Saw a trailer for this... looks AMAZING! Thing is, I don't have a 360. So is this a permanent 360 game or is there a possibility of this coming to PS3 a la Bioshock a year later? I can't justify purchasing a new system for one game no matter what the cost is. It's still a space taker upper and an annoyance when it comes to making room for it and the wires. /nitpicking

Nah, this is a Microsoft published game, not going to be on PS3. On PC on the other hand... there is still a possibility.

 

[Trickster]

Nah, this is a Microsoft published game, not going to be on PS3. On PC on the other hand... there is still a possibility.

I hope it doesn't, dont wanna buy it again just to be able to play it at higher resolution :lol

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I've reached the point apparently just before the destination in the final episode. I was expecting to agree or understand the complaints about enemy repetition, driving, the collectibles, and pacing...but I don't. I didn't have a single problem with any of it up to this point. It's entirely possible I'll agree with the disappointment about the ending, but I'm not there yet. I've some minor criticisms, like wanting a safety animation that shows that it may not be safe for ledges that, if crossed, can kill you even though they do appear low enough to drop from...and that I wish that the right stick X or horizontal sensitivity was lowered and not bound to the center with a 'lookspring' effect...makes looking around for stuff as I drive slowly a pain. Other than that, the disappointment in closeup cinematics with faces in focus in the frame not having English lip synch during dialogue and apparent difference in captured video cinematics and the real-time one being quite different looking more to lighting and color differences than resolution. Minor stuff, but still flies in the ointment since the rest of the game is so well-made otherwise.

 

[Risible]

Barry is my boy. He was hilarious!

When he busts out the

Spoiler

Christmas lights and starts doing his Night Springs announcer thing

I was rolling.

 

[Metalic Sand]

Episode 3 on Nightmare:

Spoiler

The freaking bridge under the train. I can not pass this thing. 4 objects constantly flying at me and there is no way back. Pushing forward also does not help a lot as there are even more barrels waiting. I remember that thing on hard, it was also a pain but I passed it barely.

I just did that like 5 mins ago. Had no problem at all. Flares, Flares, Flares

 

[FateBreaker]

I am in the middle of episode 4.

IlovethisgameIlovethisgameIlovethisgame.

 

[lowrider007]

I wish the camera would lock in place when using the alternate view by hitting down the right analogue stick, a hud fade option would of been nice also.

 

[Draft]

I was hyped for this game, then unhyped, then I was going to bargain bin it, and finally I fell prey to Amazon's pre-order deal, and MAN.

It's pretty good.

The graphics are kind of blowing my mind. Aside from the obnoxiously huge HUD that never goes away, the game is beautiful.

 

[derFeef]

I just did that like 5 mins ago. Had no problem at all. Flares, Flares, Flares

Flares do not help here, even a flashbang (only have one) destroys just one or two of them. Flares burn away the darkness very slowly, and as long as they exist,

Spoiler

they keep flying at me

. Tried for at least 5 times, got frustrated and turned the game off :/

 

[surly]

a hud fade option would of been nice also.

I'd love to see them patch that option in. There's a thread about it on the Alan Wake forum and a guy from Remedy replied saying......

The message has been received, if we end up having to do a title update we'll absolutely see what we can do about it, but right now it is what it is.

 

[Chittagong]

slightly off topic, but what's this |OT| stuff everywhere? Gaf has now standard certification requirements for official threads?

 

[Metalic Sand]

Flares do not help here, even a flashbang (only have one) destroys just one or two of them. Flares burn away the darkness very slowly, and as long as they exist,

Spoiler

they keep flying at me

. Tried for at least 5 times, got frustrated and turned the game off :/

You are in for a world of hurt after that :lol

Spoiler

the tractor battle or whatever it is after that is a pain in the ass. I died like 5 times

Spoiler

what i did on the bridge part was drop 2 flares then use my light as quickly as possible on the flying parts. Dont hold onto the flares

slightly off topic, but what's this |OT| stuff everywhere? Gaf has now standard certification requirements for official threads?

Probly to make searching for official thread easier. Some people would but the weirdest shit in the thread title making it hard to search.

 

[Browns Town]

I cant wait to get home and attempt to finish this. Damn work and its hours. First game in quite awhile that had me this drawn in to where I'd rather play it then do just about anything else.

 

[mujun]

the game is beautiful.

Yep. I do feel that the lower rez hurts it though. If it had been 720 it would have been a contender imo.

Not saying that to stir shit either, I honestly feel that way.

 

[derFeef]

You are in for a world of hurt after that :lol

Spoiler

the tractor battle or whatever it is after that is a pain in the ass. I died like 5 times

Spoiler

what i did on the bridge part was drop 2 flares then use my light as quickly as possible on the flying parts. Dont hold onto the flares

Heh, surprisingly that thing was no problem at all on hard. I tried what you did, but I failed. Ah well, I´ll try again tomorrow.

 

[Solo]

Just started playing it a few hours ago, beat Episode One. Man, this game is straight dope right into my veins. So fucking awesome in every single facet.

 

[adizzy615]

Just finished, loved the game. Really liked the story. So many questions.

Spoiler

Did Tom write A.Wake into existence?

 

[polyh3dron]

Ahh I see this thread's title has been touched by the darkness as well :lol

 

[bill.cosby]

Finished the first chapter an hour or so ago. This game really grabs you by the balls and pulls you in. So far love the environments, deliberate pacing, story, gameplay, music and graphics. Not really noticing the screen tearing, but then not really looking for it either. Glad I picked it up!

 

[Digital Enhancement]

I'm completely fucking lost when it comes to the ending.

 

[ezekial45]

I'm completely fucking lost when it comes to the ending.

Head on over to the Plot Discussion thread. There's some interesting ideas there.

Anyway, this is probably the only game where i've heard music from

Spoiler

David Bowie. Space Oddity fit so well. In fact, all the music worked very well.

Remedy did a fantastic job choosing all the music.

 

[CrazedArabMan]

Finally was able to play it today, got through episode 1 and what a ride, I'm loving this game so much right now, it is just so good, I can't wait to play more. The story is great and you definitely need to play in a dark room, it makes the game soooo much better.

 

[ACE 1991]

Finally was able to play it today, got through episode 1 and what a ride, I'm loving this game so much right now, it is just so good, I can't wait to play more. The story is great and you definitely need to play in a dark room, it makes the game soooo much better.

This, along with a nice pair of headphones make this game incredibly intense. Also, for those of you just buying the game don't hesitate to start the game on hard, it really increases the overall sense of dread.

Just finished episode two and I'm curious what the song was at the end? I really liked it.

 

[eshwaaz]

Just started Episode 4 - wow, I love this game. The pacing so far has been outstanding; just the right balance between action, anxiety and welcome moments of calm. I know a lot of people have commented that the game is quite easy and most experienced gamers should start on Hard, but I've found Normal to be just perfect for me. I've died in a few battles, but no more than 2 or 3 retries to get past. Nothing ruins the momentum of narrative/atmosphere-driven games more than the frustration of having to repeat sections over and over and over (I'm looking at you, asteroid sequence in Dead Space). Plus, I have a low tolerance for these kinds of games in general - Condemned, despite being a very good game, left me totally drained every time I played it and I couldn't stand more than a hour at a time.

Unless something goes terribly wrong, Alan Wake will easily be one of my favorite games of this generation. Here's hoping...

 

[Shrennin]

Just wanted to comment that Episode 4 is awesome.

The

Spoiler

Anderson Brothers

are awesome!

This game probably has the best soundtrack of any game I can think of in recent memory.

 

[luxarific]

This, along with a nice pair of headphones make this game incredibly intense. Also, for those of you just buying the game don't hesitate to start the game on hard, it really increases the overall sense of dread.

Just finished episode two and I'm curious what the song was at the end? I really liked it.

Poe - Haunted. It's from the album she put out to accompany her brother's book, House of Leaves (which you also should read ASAP if you haven't yet). It's a good pick given how much HoL and Alan Wake play with various narratives.

*wants a HoL video game*

EDIT: Has anyone gotten the achievement for Episode 6, where you

Spoiler

have to travel to the lake without firing a gun

? How is that possible?

 

[TheLegendary]

Great game that should be played by everyone. Just finished it and when I have time away from my massive backlog I'll give it another playthru

 

[Future PhaZe]

I don't know what it is but the tension in this game for me isn't really tension so much as just annoyance. I enjoy the game and am playing on hard, but running from enemies and getting to a safe spot more often than not results in me saying "damn that shit was annoying".

It's odd because the atmosphere other than maybe the music is really damn good, but I've rarely felt creeped out at any point during the game. Compare this to say RE4, where there were points where all I wanted to do was get my ass to the next save point because of how close to the edge the game was always pushing me.

It's hard for me to rate this game. I really love seeing new effects in games, and the lighting is just outstanding. I'm always a big fan of the story thus far, and the game controls smooth as butter. I just think the pure combat mechanics are just a bit trash...trying way too hard to incorporate flashlight elements into the game rather than creating more diverse combat experiences.

 

[luxarific]

They give Stephen King a special thanks in the credits.

Did he actually do any work on the game or was it more of an inspirational thing?

 

[TheLegendary]

I don't know what it is but the tension in this game for me isn't really tension so much as just annoyance. I enjoy the game and am playing on hard, but running from enemies and getting to a safe spot more often than not results in me saying "damn that shit was annoying".

It's odd because the atmosphere other than maybe the music is really damn good, but I've rarely felt creeped out at any point during the game. Compare this to say RE4, where there were points where all I wanted to do was get my ass to the next save point because of how close to the edge the game was always pushing me.

It's hard for me to rate this game. I really love seeing new effects in games, and the lighting is just outstanding. I'm always a big fan of the story thus far, and the game controls smooth as butter. I just think the pure combat mechanics are just a bit trash...trying way too hard to incorporate flashlight elements into the game rather than creating more diverse combat experiences.

Funny. I'm just the opposite. Resident Evil 4 was a massive failure in my eyes because I was never even creeped out outside of the first village. I ended up laughing through the idiotic story and the little Napolean dude. The gameplay was a big letdown as well for me personall, yet the rest of the gaming world drooled over this "masterpiece". Didn't pick up RE5 because of it.

Alan Wake did actually keep me on edge and more importantly was much more engaging, personally. There were very limited actual scares, but it was certainly tense. Condemned 1 maintains its position as scariest game for me, as well as one of the best games this gen for me. Alan Wake isn't one of my top games of the gen but It's certainly worthy of GOTY consideration so far imo.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Okay, just finished it on the normal difficulty. Got almost every one of the manuscript pages (that aren't locked to Nightmare diff.), all the radio stations, all but one of the television shows, and most of everything else in that run. Also got all but the a few of the Achievements. One hell of a ride and one of the best games this gen. I even loved the ending. Yeah, the last challenge wasn't much on that difficulty, but who cares...the ride was great and the ending is perfectly set up for more while satisfying the arc of the game...season one, as it's been referred to. Finishing it and starting again on the Nightmare difficult with video commentary on and will read the LCE book now. Already, I appreciate the references to characters and even more deeply-embedded foreshadowing there is in the environment while vague dialogue now pricks up my ears with fresh understanding. Great stuff. Really great stuff. Honestly, I think that this bests Max Payne 2. Kudos, Remedy/MS.

 

[mujun]

I'm sort of pissed that they don't allow you to change the dif mid game. I love the game but I'm finding hard dif frustrating in spots.

 

[imtehman]

I'm sort of pissed that they don't allow you to change the dif mid game. I love the game but I'm finding hard dif frustrating in spots.

how frustrating can it be? it autosaves every 5 minutes.

 

[FateBreaker]

This game is too easy on hard. I'm looking forward to the Nightmare difficulty.

Game of the year, though. I intended to play this for an hour today, and it was about the entire day.