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

P

Poimandres

Member
Shogun PaiN said:
Who say's you aren't going to be? The game has so far received more 9's than anything else :/
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I was just playing with the whole floor/flaw thing from a few posts back. I'm pleased with the reviews.

Getting this day 1.
 
F

FrankT

Member
IGN 9.0

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/108/1087706p1.html

9.0 Presentation
Television-style episodic structure works well with the nature of the story and action. Quality of writing is uneven.
9.0 Graphics
Stellar lighting effect and environmental design foster an atmosphere of authenticity to make the scares and thrills more affecting.
9.0 Sound
While voices sometimes overlap and not all acting is of the same quality, the soundtrack and effects have a significant effect on the game's powerful mood.
9.0 Gameplay
Interesting storytelling mechanics and a fast and responsive combat system to keep play entertaining. The infrequent jumping sections feel underdeveloped.
7.0 Lasting Appeal
It's not a long game. If you like, play through on Nightmare to get a few more details and to get a better sense of the combat.
9.0

Outstanding OVERALL
(out of 10)
 
W

wizword

Banned
Lunchbox said:
no it doesnt bro

read it again, go
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Eurogamer complaints weren't directed at the game pacing, music, ,atmosphere aspects, or those elements. It was directed towards the story contriving too much of its elements from pop culture references and her complaints about alan wake controls. She completely justifies why she didn't enjoy the game (with one overexaggeration about how this would be an excellent game 3 years ago which is superflous) however, her review was actually decent compared to some other reviews (nzgamer was well written too). I don't care about the score because I just trust 5 sources because they usually give the best reviews. Gamespot, Eurogamer, Edge, ArsTechnica, and Kotaku.
 
F

FrankT

Member
Destructoid 9.0


http://www.destructoid.com/review-alan-wake-172808.phtml

Alan Wake has some very definite faults, but this is still a superb experience that manages to outweigh all of its problems with some truly unique and special moments, tons of character and a story that manages to be convincingly inventive despite its tendency to veer into somewhat silly territory. Anything it could do to irritate the player is quickly made up for with a consistently striking character, intriguing cutscene, or thrilling stand-off against an encroaching force of possessed and gibbering mountain hicks. Alan Wake wears its own anomalous sense of style with pride and that alone earns enough credit to spend on inefficient dodging or unfair ambush attacks.

In short, it's a must-have Xbox 360 title that provides a freshness and dynamism that horror games have been achingly lacking for the past several years. And it's done all of this without an awkward, unwarranted, ill-fitting sex scene!

Score: 9.0 -- Superb (9s are a hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.)
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Gaming Today; 91/100

http://news.filefront.com/alan-wake-review/

1up B+

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?pager.offset=0&cId=3179131&p=
 
L

Lunchbox

Banned
wizword said:
I don't care about the score because I just trust 5 sources because they usually give the best reviews. Gamespot, Eurogamer, Edge, ArsTechnica, and Kotaku.
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need to get better sources bro

gb quicklook >
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
Polarized reviews. I'm guessing the "tough guys" are going to 7 it just to stir up some controversy. If they are Heavy Rain 7s, I'm fine.

So still super excited. I really hope they get to do DLC and sequels.
 
P

Pooya

Member
Lunchbox said:
need to get better sources bro

gb quicklook >
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gamespot is a much better than site IGN, it's nothing like Jeff Gertsmann era but it's still better than IGN. The guy who fired Jeff got fired a few months after, the site is pretty good right now and reviews are quite fair to be honest.

low score from 1up, I'm surprised! Splinter Cell got A- from there :|.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Chittagong said:
Polarized reviews. I'm guessing the "tough guys" are going to 7 it just to stir up some controversy. If they are Heavy Rain 7s, I'm fine.

So still super excited. I really hope they get to do DLC and sequels.
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I wouldn't exactly consider the reviews "polarized" when they are all 7 or above...
 
C

Chrange

Banned
Chittagong said:
Polarized reviews. I'm guessing the "tough guys" are going to 7 it just to stir up some controversy. If they are Heavy Rain 7s, I'm fine.

So still super excited. I really hope they get to do DLC and sequels.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they're 'polarized' at the one pole. :lol
 
P

PartlyCloudlike

Member
Chittagong said:
Polarized reviews. I'm guessing the "tough guys" are going to 7 it just to stir up some controversy. If they are Heavy Rain 7s, I'm fine.

So still super excited. I really hope they get to do DLC and sequels.
Click to expand...

Most of the scores are in the 8-9 range which is great. And when you disregard the scoring system and just read the text of the reviews, they all are positive with a few minor criticisms here and there.
 
W

wizword

Banned
Chittagong said:
Polarized reviews. I'm guessing the "tough guys" are going to 7 it just to stir up some controversy. If they are Heavy Rain 7s, I'm fine.

So still super excited. I really hope they get to do DLC and sequels.
Click to expand...
Polarized if the scale is from 7-10. Every review is positive. The game seems great.
 
L

lybertyboy

Thinks the Evil Empire is just misunderstood.
miladesn said:
low score from 1up, I'm surprised! Splinter Cell got A- from there :|.
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A B+ from Scooter is a good score. Also, he didn't review Splinter Cell.
 
T

TheCardPlayer

Likes to have "friends" around to "play cards" with
Very good reviews, but one complaint that keeps on reappearing is kind of pushing me away. The linearity. I was still hoping that we could explore Bright Falls, if even a bit. But yeah, they crafted a beautiful and in depth game world, and prevented players from exploring it.
 
I

Iced_Eagle

Member
Arstechnica is up

The Good

* Strong story, good voice acting
* The characters and settings feel real and fleshed-out
* Genuine scares and surprises
* Reading the manuscript to get new insights into the game world and the people in it is a neat way to deliver exposition
* The ending is one of the creepier moments in gaming
* Even the lowliest enemies can pose a threat
* Wonderful use of licensed music
* Sense of humor that doesn't seem out of place
* The episodic nature of the story and gameplay keeps you interested in what's going to happen next
* The faux TV programs that play throughout the game are hilarious


The Bad

* The game is rather short—expect around eight hours to beat it
* Some of the sections where you're simply walking or driving from one place to the next are tiresome and drag on way too long
* The product placement is seriously distracting and out of place


The Ugly

* People who enjoy their stories ending with a neat conclusion, all wrapped up in a bow... are going to scream when they finish this


Verdict: Rent
Click to expand...
 
S

sumo390

Member
I normally don't play games that want to fuck with your mind and scare the shit out of you, but I must make an exception for this. I'll probably only play with my windows open and with daylight. :lol
 
L

Lunchbox

Banned
all the cliff hanger ending talk is weird.

i remember reading somewhere where they said, they would have satisfying endings that would leave questions but still provide a solid conclusion as well ......or were they just talking about the "episodes" as in levels
 
F

FrankT

Member
It's been varying on average mostly 10-20 first run. Couple of sites run it at 8. Although I would still think with the unlocks the replay should be valued.


* People who enjoy their stories ending with a neat conclusion, all wrapped up in a bow... are going to scream when they finish this
Click to expand...

I'll love this. It will drive me nuts until Alan Wake 2. :lol
 
B

Blader

Member
watership said:
That can't be right. Everyone is saying 12-14 hours, even without being completionists.
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In my experience, when reviewers or devs talk up a game being 12-14 hours, it usually is around 8. :lol
 
G

GreekWolf

Member
BruceLeeRoy said:
Hmm I have to read the article because based on the bullet points I am not really understanding why this is only a rental.
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It's the same as Ars' Heavy Rain review... both games are considered great experiences, but much too short for a purchase recommendation.
 
P

Pooya

Member
watership said:
That can't be right. Everyone is saying 12-14 hours, even without being completionists.
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Most reviewers play games on easy difficulty, rushing through them to write the review before the deadline :p.
 
F

FrankT

Member
Lunchbox said:
newgame+ ?
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Mainly this;

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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But the higher difficulty is unlocked as well iirc and you can only get some of the collectibles on the higher setting.
 
J

jagowar

Member
Wiseblood said:
Giantbomb Quicklook: http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-alan-wake/17-2431/
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Really looks like they captured the setting/atmosphere perfectly.... it looks and feels creepy. That is what I was most worried about translating from the video's and screenshots we have seen.

The graphics look pretty phenomenal as well and it feels really big and epic even if it is linear (I thought mass effect 2 was big and epic but this seems even more so).... especially after all the stuff about the pixel counting stuff.
 
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