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[kodt]

Just finished last night on Hard Mode my thoughts:

Story was kinda meh, at first you aren't sure what is going on, then as you figure it out it just isn't too compelling. There are some characters who are just poorly written

Spoiler

like the FBI agent, he served almost no purpose and was uninteresting

.

Spoiler

Also, what was the deal with the Shutter Island piece? Where the doctor tries to convince Alan that it was all in his head? I thought they were going to go that route for a minute but then the darkness comes and it's back to the normal storyline

. In the end it makes sense but the whole

Spoiler

what I am writing is coming true

idea just seemed lame to me, isn't that the same idea as that Johnny Depp movie?

I did listen to all the radios/tvs I found and read every manuscript page I found (80% of em or so).

Spoiler

The Max Payne homage in Episode 2 was nice

Combat was intense and fun, It was challenging and got my heart racing several times. You always have enough gear to deal with the enemies (if you look around enough to find the caches) and you really need to use what you have. Don't try to just conserve all of your flares/flashbangs if you are getting overrun, use em!

The driving sections were kinda lame, the driving physics were not good. You could get out anywhere and explore, which was a nice touch, but it felt weird considering the majority of the game is not open world at all. I don't think these detracted from the game, but didn't really add anything either.

Spoiler

The tornado boss was a little too easy, stand there, shoot flares at it, win. Basically no challenge, once you got next to it it never even throws anything at you.

Overall I really enjoyed it, the level design for the most part was fantastic. The forest starts to get repetitive at moments but not too bad. The combat was rewarding, the non-combat sections helped with pacing. The story really didn't do it for me though.

 

[Solo]

I should really start listening to Poets Of The Fall.

All three (they are also Elder Gods of Asgard) of their songs in AW are fucking great. Especiallly love "The Poet and the Muse" and "War".

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

I should really start listening to Poets Of The Fall.

You are LTTP, my friend.

 

[MCD]

find the lady of the light~

 

[Shrennin]

find the lady of the light~

Still ravin' in the night?

 

[Squall ASF]

Episode 5 is the best episode in the entire game. It doesn't have horrible pacing.

Edit: HAHA YES I FOUND IT. FUCK YOU, COFFEE THERMOSE THINGIES.

You know I'm gonna ask which one it ended up being for you.

 

[MCD]

Still ravin' in the night?

thats how you reshape destiny.

 

[Solo]

Of the 4 Acts Ive completed, Act 4 is definitely the best. The

Spoiler

rock concert

is Max Payne to the nth degree. So awesome.

 

[EzLink]

Alrighty GAF, how long is the campaign for this? I finished Red Dead today, and to hold me over until thursday (when my repaired Wii is scheduled to arrive back at my house so I can delve into Galaxy 2) I'm thinking of renting this. I've heard wonderful things about it, but know literally next to nothing beyond the fact that the main character is a writer and you use a flashlight keep spirits away from you (or something), and it is broken up into episodes

Other than that, literally nothing. So I'm hoping since I know so little this game will blow me away like it seems to have done for many other people

Just want to make sure I'd have enough time to beat it before thursday

 

[Solo]

Its taken me 2.5 hours like clockwork to get through each Episode. So, 15 hours for me, unless the last two acts are drastically shorter.

 

[The Interrobanger]

Beat this last night.

92/100 Thermoses
27/30 Chests found
14/14 TV shows found
11/11 Radio Shows found
21/25 Signs found
7/12 Cans found

After the first 3 chapters I was thinking this could be one of my favorite games of all time, but it started getting shaky/old in the second half. Episode 4 was shitty except for the

Spoiler

rock show

, Episode 5 was boring since the

Spoiler

well lit room was a wasted set piece and the bridge run was way too short/easy/scripted

. Chapter 6 was pretty cool, but the "boss" was questionable in both difficulty and logic. Basically, I feel the exact opposite to most of you when it comes to ranking the best levels.

I also wish exploring was rewarded more often. I tried to comb every area I was in but 98% of the time I was just left staring at a cliff or a wall or a dark corner with nothing there.

Hated most of the characters. Alan is an irrational dick, Alice is an ugly wimp, Barry is fucking annoying, Lady of the Light was useless (and voiced by the same chick who played Ruth in Deadly Premonition...wow what an irritating voice) and Nightingale was written so badly I don't even know what to think.

Graphics, level design, audio (and as a result the overall atmosphere) were amazing throughout. Combat was incredibly epic and satisfying, although unless you're playing on a high difficulty setting I could see people getting bored with it at times. Poltergeist objects >>> Taken due to their size and randomness...dodging a massive

Spoiler

bus or train car

flying at you is such an awesome feeling.

All in all, it was fun and engaging and beautiful so I loved it. Can't wait for DLC and/or a sequel!

 

[soco]

Story was kinda meh, at first you aren't sure what is going on, then as you figure it out it just isn't too compelling. There are some characters who are just poorly written

Spoiler

like the FBI agent, he served almost no purpose and was uninteresting

.

Spoiler

Also, what was the deal with the Shutter Island piece? Where the doctor tries to convince Alan that it was all in his head? I thought they were going to go that route for a minute but then the darkness comes and it's back to the normal storyline

. In the end it makes sense but the whole

Spoiler

what I am writing is coming true

idea just seemed lame to me, isn't that the same idea as that Johnny Depp movie?

you should check the plot thread.

Spoiler

the FBI agent is there to be set up, because if you noticed at the end, he looks possessed. he's been written in to create additional tension and probably to familiarize the player with him in case he's the one been chosen to be the face of the darkness after the end.

the other is very likely

Spoiler

just a twist to keep you guessing on what's really going on in the story. it's still ambiguous how much of the story was written in by Alan, how much was written by Tom, and how much has been modified by the darkness, assuming the ending of the game isn't revealed to just be a dream anyway

.

there's a lot of unanswered questions that don't seem to fit into the writings, which really keeps it feeling like a good tv show like Twin Peaks, where they've got plenty of direction they can go in and aren't tied down.

Spoiler

How did Alan and Clay share dreams? What exactly happened with Tom and his wife and how much of what Alan did was written by Tom originally? what happened to the lamp lady? Was Alan able to bring back any of the characters in his attempt to create the perfect Bright Falls. What does Tom mean the first time he talks to you and talks about the ocean and the shores along that ocean and asks if you understand? Why should you understand about the ocean? have we played this game before?

 

[mittelos]

Its taken me 2.5 hours like clockwork to get through each Episode. So, 15 hours for me, unless the last two acts are drastically shorter.

I'm nearing the end of episode 4, and my playtimes are nearly identical. May have spent closer to 3 hours on episode 3. I generally finish games a little slower than most it seems, so 15-18 hours for me sounds about right.

 

[Shrennin]

Spoiler

What exactly happened with Tom and his wife?

I wrote something I found that was interesting on the last page so I'll repost it here:

In context, this is what the find is about:

Spoiler

Some people were speculating that Tom actually killed the real Jagger (not the one filled with the Dark Presence) because of a love affair she had with another man. I found a clue that may confirm this theory.

I think I noticed an extra clue with the story:

Spoiler

Did anyone notice the tree stump with the initials carved in it? It looked like a "B" and "E". Could that be Barbara Jagger and Emil Hartman? This could confirm that Jagger did cheat on Zane (and with Zane's assistant no less) which could lead to Zane killing the real Jagger.

 

[Solo]

The most awesome thing about "The Poet and the Muse"? How its telling the tale of Jagger and Zane.

 

[itsinmyveins]

The most awesome thing about "The Poet and the Muse"? How its telling the tale of Jagger and Zane.

Personally I kinda shivered when you heard that bands other song during a fight (if you activated a radio nearby, that is). Felt like I was battling shadows with a Creed-soundtrack (

But yeah, that one song about the poet and the muse is good.

 

[kodt]

you should check the plot thread.

Spoiler

the FBI agent is there to be set up, because if you noticed at the end, he looks possessed. he's been written in to create additional tension and probably to familiarize the player with him in case he's the one been chosen to be the face of the darkness after the end.

the other is very likely

Spoiler

just a twist to keep you guessing on what's really going on in the story. it's still ambiguous how much of the story was written in by Alan, how much was written by Tom, and how much has been modified by the darkness, assuming the ending of the game isn't revealed to just be a dream anyway

.

there's a lot of unanswered questions that don't seem to fit into the writings, which really keeps it feeling like a good tv show like Twin Peaks, where they've got plenty of direction they can go in and aren't tied down.

Spoiler

How did Alan and Clay share dreams? What exactly happened with Tom and his wife and how much of what Alan did was written by Tom originally? what happened to the lamp lady? Was Alan able to bring back any of the characters in his attempt to create the perfect Bright Falls. What does Tom mean the first time he talks to you and talks about the ocean and the shores along that ocean and asks if you understand? Why should you understand about the ocean? have we played this game before?

yeah I'll go check the plot thread.

I guess for me in a game you are focused on the game-play, not trying to figure out the story. In a movie or book you are thinking about the plot primarily and trying to understand. In a game you are primarily trying to stay alive and kill stuff, then the story comes in-between that. (the exception being a game like Heavy Rain). While I am a big Twin Peaks fan, the weirdness alone can't save a plot. The characters are what make or break a story and and with a few exceptions, most were pretty basic. (Twin Peaks on the other hand had great characters)

 

[jtkauff]

the music in general is great.

anyone remember which song plays at the end of each chapter?

1. Roy Orbison - ???
2. Poe - Haunted
3. ???
4. Old Gods - Poet and The Muse
5. ???
6. David Bowie - Space Oddity

Episode 3 is Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Up Jumped The Devil. Full list is:

1. Roy Orbison - In Dreams
2. Poe - Haunted
3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Up Jumped The Devil
4. Poets of the Fall as 'Old Gods of Asgard' - Poet and The Muse
5. Poets of the Fall - War
6. David Bowie - Space Oddity

 

[plagiarize]

I love Barry. Why do I love Barry? I think about this a lot. He should be annoying. On paper he's 'the comic relief' character, but in game there's something inherantly likeable about him and I can't place it.

I think it's his optimism; his way of finding a bit of joy in the darkest moments.

I'm still trying to figure it out though. I see where complaints about him stem from... but he just feels so real to me. Yeah, he's an agent who is friends with his clients to the point that it gets in the way of him doing as good a job as he could.

My reaction every time I run into him now is like 'YES! Barry! Awesome!'

Am I alone? Anyone got a sense of why he's so goddamn likeable?

 

[soco]

yeah I'll go check the plot thread.

I guess for me in a game you are focused on the game-play, not trying to figure out the story. In a movie or book you are thinking about the plot primarily and trying to understand. In a game you are primarily trying to stay alive and kill stuff, then the story comes in-between that. (the exception being a game like Heavy Rain). While I am a big Twin Peaks fan, the weirdness alone can't save a plot. The characters are what make or break a story and and with a few exceptions, most were pretty basic. (Twin Peaks on the other hand had great characters)

it's true, but considering just how many characters there were and how much cinematic sequence they had, i think they did a pretty good job of developing them, which i'm sure will be continued and more fleshed out in later episodes and the sequel. this is kind of why i wish the structure of AW was more like deadly premonition, because i feel they could've developed the characters a hell of a lot more as optional stuff, where you just happen to follow people on certain days to find them meeting with others and such.

the amount of in-game story is only slightly longer than the length of all the bright falls webisodes, which were fantastic, but they really reduced the screen time of most of the people to better develop others.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Should I really play this on Hard on my first go?

I got about halfway through Ep.1 and was a bit put off on how, well everything except the combat was intense =/

 

[Solo]

Then why are you even asking? :lol If the combat isnt intense, then duh, crank it up! Playing this on normal, well, I cant even imagine how easy that would be.

 

[plagiarize]

Then why are you even asking? :lol If the combat isnt intense, then duh, crank it up! Playing this on normal, well, I cant even imagine how easy that would be.

i've died a few times, but never had to manage ammo or batteries. you still die pretty quickly when a couple of taken get up on you and start meleeing... but yeah. i wish i wasn't constantly walking past ammo and batteries i didn't need.

i do wish i'd started on hard... but i'm still really enjoying it.

 

[soco]

Should I really play this on Hard on my first go?

I got about halfway through Ep.1 and was a bit put off on how, well everything except the combat was intense =/

yes you should. it really isn't that difficult and so long as you don't horde your items, you'll be fine. it's a nice challenge in many sections. it starts getting more difficult when it starts throwing more enemies at you at once (which is almost everywhere after the first episode) and much stronger ones.

 

[Shake Appeal]

As someone else said, if you've ever fired a gun in a videogame before, start on Hard.

 

[jjasper]

Should I really play this on Hard on my first go?

Yes.

 

[burgerdog]

Should I really play this on Hard on my first go?

I got about halfway through Ep.1 and was a bit put off on how, well everything except the combat was intense =/

Honestly, Hard mode feels more like Normal mode in any other game. I can't imagine how easy the game would be if you play it in Normal. Given that there's Nightmare mode after you beat the game it seems logical that normal = easy, hard = normal, nightmare = hard.

 

[plagiarize]

Honestly, Hard mode feels more like Normal mode in any other game. I can't imagine how easy the game would be if you play it in Normal. Given that there's Nightmare mode after you beat the game it seems logical that normal = easy, hard = normal, nightmare = hard.

does nightmare unlock when you beat it on normal? i hope so. i'd like to jump right to nightmare.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Thanks for the input guys!

Restarted on Hard

 

[wRATH2x]

All three (they are also Elder Gods of Asgard) of their songs in AW are fucking great. Especiallly love "The Poet and the Muse" and "War".

Yeah I know man goddamn, ME got me into Faunts and now Alan Wake may get me into Poets Of The Fall.

Great games have great soundtracks people, I wanna see some more awesome games with awesome bands I never heard of.

 

[seady]

Just finished Episode 2. I actually don't mind the combat (so far), maybe there isn't many enemies around so it still feel fresh. What I do mind is the environment. It's dark forest everywhere that is boring and very difficult to navigate, and it gets kind of cumbersome and give me motion sickness.

The story is very interesting though. And I guess that is why I like the day part more than the night part. Because that's when I get to know more about the story and not have to deal with the forest.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Just finished it, what an ending. Love the choice of song.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

I usually play games on normal first time but as normal is the easiest option in this game I figured I'd choose hard. Up to episode 3 and the difficulty's felt about right so far. Glad to read people are saying its a good choice for this game.

 

[Larsen B]

Finished a third, commentary-enabled playthrough. A lot of interesting insight from some of the level designers. I didn't even twig that Alan is supposed to be

Spoiler

afraid of water after he jumped into Cauldron Lake

until one of the devs said!

Found all of the collectables but only 11 of the cans. Maybe that justifies another playthrough...

 

[imtehman]

two friends came over at different times over the course of the week and me being an alan wake fanboy had to let them check out the game.

Unsurprisingly, they absolutely loved the game. One had to put the controller down and take a break just from ch. 1 when

Spoiler

Alan was in the cabin and the eye was on the t.v. and all over the room

Let's just say after a playthrough of some of ch.1 they went out and bought the game.

^_^ V

 

[skyfinch]

I think it probably includes the Flare Gun but I never tried it because I didn't want to ruin my chance at getting the achievement if I could do without it. It doesn't include the Flare and Flashbang grenades, however.



It was pretty hard and frustrating but also pretty intense - more intense than usual because I limited my weapon choice. I did it on normal also, I don't think I would have been able to do it on any other difficulty.

Got the achievement on my very first try on normal. Even had a ton of flares and flashbangs left over. Should have played on hard.

 

[petethepanda]

Just beat the game, great stuff. There BETTER be a second season/game. I love the ending, but it'll suck if we don't get anything resolved. Can't wait for the DLC.

Glad to see people are digging Poets of the Fall! I've been a fan since I first heard Late Goodbye in Max Payne 2, so I was excited to find out that not only was War used in the game but that they actually recorded two new songs with Sam Lake lyrics. The relationship Remedy has with the band is one of the most unique things in gaming nowadays. Hope to see more. I wonder what the Remedy/PotF project that one Remedy guy was hinting at during that Kotaku podcast is.

I do have to say I was surprised they didn't use Dreaming Wide Awake in the game. Maybe it's too perfect :lol

 

[FateBreaker]

I've hyped it up at the few places where I post. I'm hoping to write a review in a bit, after I finish it on Nightmare, hopefully that'll get people's attention. How are you doing it?

Well, my Facebook photo is Alan Wake. My status says "Buy Alan Wake." I've sent Bright Falls to most of my friends. I lent the soundtrack to one of my friends. Slowly but surely some of them budge.

 

[leng jai]

Its taken me 2.5 hours like clockwork to get through each Episode. So, 15 hours for me, unless the last two acts are drastically shorter.

2.5 hours to get through episode 1? What the fuck?

 

[derFeef]

2.5 hours to get through episode 1? What the fuck?

It took me over 4 hours for the first two episodes, so why not. You get the game, start it for the first time, bow to the atmosphere and enjoy every single second and millimeter of it.

 

[leng jai]

It took me over 4 hours for the first two episodes, so why not. You get the game, start it for the first time, bow to the atmosphere and enjoy every single second and millimeter of it.

Maybe it was just me, but I do remember finishing the first chapter in about 40 minutes. The second and third were around 2 hours each though.

 

[Snuggles]

I can't wait to get/play this tonight.
It's already a winner for me just by having ROY fucking ORBISON * and Nick Cave on the soundtrack.

* in dreams, iinnn dreams, iiiiinn dreeeeeamms

 

[Darktails]

Spoiler

Did anyone notice the tree stump with the initials carved in it? It looked like a "B" and "E". Could that be Barbara Jagger and Emil Hartman? This could confirm that Jagger did cheat on Zane (and with Zane's assistant no less) which could lead to Zane killing the real Jagger.

Exactly what I was thinking!

Spoiler

Especially after seeing that Cynthia had written "Don't trust Emil" in the garden maze at Cauldron Lake Lodge.

Edit: Maybe

Spoiler

Tom Zane was actually INZane.

Just a hunch.

 

[soco]

Maybe it was just me, but I do remember finishing the first chapter in about 40 minutes. The second and third were around 2 hours each though.

chapter or episode? and on what difficulty?

 

[goldsoundz]

Starting and finishing Episode 6 tonight. I've been taking my time with this game.

 

[junkboy]

What a ride! Great game, intriguing storyline, intense combat... But I can't help to be slightly disappointed at the lack of new episodes of "Lords & Ladies", which we all know was the best part of the Max Payne games.

Nice to see a few nods here and there though, including Sam Lake making his trademark constipated grimace on that talk show!

 

[Solo]

Just finished Episode Five. Another fucking awesome one Love

Spoiler

fighting in the streets, with Sarah and Barry, and in/around/on the powerplant and dam.

Such a refreshing change of pace.

Only one more to go

 

[Windom Earle]

Why do people want a sequel to this? Remedy, feel free to make another Horror game, but not about Alan Wake please. He's a decent character, but also far from great. Complete the story with the DLC and we're good.

Finished the game tonight. Really felt like playing a Stephen King novel, with all the up and downsides. More Lynch, less King, more polishing and more varied gameplay next time pls.

And if you put collectathon in your game, give me statistics to track the stuff in a decent manner. There's no way in hell I'll pick up all the fucking thermos again. Stupid design decision.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Why do people want a sequel to this?

Because we want to see where the story goes and because Remedy, themselves, has expressed nothing but strong desire to follow it up because they've spent so much time setting it up for more 'seasons'...they even refer to Alan Wake as season one with the DLC being webisodes or special TV movies that bridge the seasons or games. Remedy wants to do a sequel and a ton of people want to play that sequel. Not a difficult thing to figure out.

 

[plagiarize]

Why do people want a sequel to this? Remedy, feel free to make another Horror game, but not about Alan Wake please. He's a decent character, but also far from great. Complete the story with the DLC and we're good.

Finished the game tonight. Really felt like playing a Stephen King novel, with all the up and downsides. More Lynch, less King, more polishing and more varied gameplay next time pls.

And if you put collectathon in your game, give me statistics to track the stuff in a decent manner. There's no way in hell I'll pick up all the fucking thermos again. Stupid design decision.

fortunately you don't need to. any thermos you already found won't be there on replays.