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

voltron

Member
Yeah the combat is starting to get to me too. I need to keep reminding myself to use my good weapons because saving them for nothing is a pointless endeavour.
 

TTG

Member
I've been making VERY slow progress through this game, up to episode 5 at this point. Honestly, if it wasn't for the current drought, I wouldn't have made it this far. :lol But then again, I'm not a fan of survival horror games(even though this really isn't that).

So far, I've found 2 concrete positives:

One, this is a unique story for a videogame. It's not very good, or just good, but it is different. It shines an even brighter light at the problems that most games have when it comes to "story". The vast majority is shooting for the sky with every attempt, saving the world to tragic loss to moral lessons to a dash of humor here and there... you know how it goes. Alan Wake went for something different and something much more appropriate for the abilities of Remedy and for the most part, it's fine.

And secondly, breaking it up into episodes was a very good decision. For a game filled with spooky forests and constant tension, it does wonders for the pacing to break it up into chunks. End a block of nighty shooty survivaly bits, get a song in there(haven't skipped a single track yet) and get you back to "safety" for at least a cutscene and a couple of minutes of running around. Now that I think about it, using the manuscript pages to let you know how much is left and a sort of glimpse into the future is very smart as well.

Everything else seems forgettable, but not annoying or bad. Although, can someone explain the obsession with collectibles and extras in the game? Could they be any more out of place? One on hand, the game is trying to build up this atmosphere in a tense and stressful environment. On the other hand, "hey! you should really drop everything and check out this tv episode, we really went all out on it! Oh did you see the cans? Totally shoot the cans! Hey, hold on a second, listen to this radio broadcast! No wait, read this national park sign! Oh look over here, when you point the flashlight at the stone it will lead you to this thermos, collect that!" I guess it's a side effect of developing a relatively "small" game for so many years, you can't help but stuff it to the brim with distraction.
 

TTG

Member
voltron said:
Yeah the combat is starting to get to me too. I need to keep reminding myself to use my good weapons because saving them for nothing is a pointless endeavour.


As soon as I realized that Alan's arsenal basically resets after every episode, I stopped with the hording. I suspect on higher difficulty settings, the resources would be more scarce.
 

voltron

Member
So people who bought the LE get a free code? I bought the regular. Just wanna make sure I didnt waste the 560pts for no reason.

I dont do LE's anymore. Although that soundtrack is kickass. Easy download though.
 
voltron said:
So people who bought the LE get a free code? I bought the regular. Just wanna make sure I didnt waste the 560pts for no reason.

I dont do LE's anymore. Although that soundtrack is kickass. Easy download though.

No,every new copy comes with a free code.
 

Yerolo

Member
Buttonbasher said:
This is not the video but I want more people to be exposed to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKWIb_UlzdQ

Probably one of the most insane rants Ive ever heard. So he's crying that the game didnt finish.....um, was he in a coma when it was announced that Alan Wake would be the first in a series of games ? Of course they arent going to end the story after the 1st game if there are sequels planned.
 
voltron said:
So people who bought the LE get a free code? I bought the regular. Just wanna make sure I didnt waste the 560pts for no reason.

I dont do LE's anymore. Although that soundtrack is kickass. Easy download though.

Yes,every new copy gets the DLC episode whether it's the LE or standard edition,except if you live in a non Live supported country.

I have to pay for mine even though a bought a brand new copy.:S
 

Minamu

Member
voltron said:
So to get that certain achievement you cant die at all? (as well as restarting checkpoints etc)
Yes, that's right. That's what guides are saying anyway. I died from the dumbest shit possible and I didn't get it. As for the boss achievement,
2 flaregun shots and a couple of flares should be enough
.

Edit: There are already complete youtube guides for the collectables :lol
 

Pancakes

hot, steaming, as melted butter slips into the cracks, drizzled with sticky sweet syrup OH GOD
Giving away a code for The Signal, first to quote gets it.
 
Just finished The Signal. Pretty good, but I think I'm at the point where I hate how enemies can attack you from off screen, or come up from behind.

Also, Barry is hilarious. Gotta love him.:lol
 
Is there any indication when MS is supposed to be sending out the code? Seems like no-one in the UK has one yet... I certainly don't.

Sucks. :(
 

daevv

Member
I find the DLC harder than the original game. It maybe where I haven't played it since launch. I did finish it will all but one achievement. Still need the one where you don't die as I got slaughtered. lol

~d
 
i just finished the game a while ago, overall it was pretty disappointing. It just seemd really bland. Same scenarios, enemies, gaemplay, and environment consistently. Story was less than ok imo and the main char. wasn't getting any sympathy from me, had a weird attitude. I had maybe one moment where i thought 'oh this part is good'.
fighting off the taken from the stage at the farm[spoiler/]. Good thing this was rental for me, even then i feel it was a waste.
 
daevv said:
I find the DLC harder than the original game. It maybe where I haven't played it since launch. I did finish it will all but one achievement. Still need the one where you don't die as I got slaughtered. lol

~d
same. its funny, i survived and the first time I died was because I accidentally jumped off a cliff lol

loved the dlc. Gimme the write now! Love that it was free with the game but 560 points would def be worth to pay for the dlc.
 
daevv said:
I find the DLC harder than the original game. It maybe where I haven't played it since launch. I did finish it will all but one achievement. Still need the one where you don't die as I got slaughtered. lol

~d

Yea it is harder, and you can't change the difficulty either. Well done for collecting all the things in your first playthrough. I got to the point with
the field of lights
and realised that if there's a collectable here then there's no way I am getting it. I looked around for them a little, but to be honest (someone mentioned this before) it makes the linearity of the game crystal clear, which kind of ruins the atmosphere.

bigboss370 said:
i just finished the game a while ago, overall it was pretty disappointing. It just seemd really bland. Same scenarios, enemies, gaemplay, and environment consistently. Story was less than ok imo and the main char. wasn't getting any sympathy from me, had a weird attitude. I had maybe one moment where i thought 'oh this part is good'.
fighting off the taken from the stage at the farm
. Good thing this was rental for me, even then i feel it was a waste.

First of all fix your spoilers. Secondly, are you refering to him as the main character? You don't know his name? :lol I think you were playing the 'gaem' wrong.
 

AkuMifune

Banned
Bungieware said:
Yea it is harder, and you can't change the difficulty either.

You can choose the difficulty for the DLC by selecting 'Chapters' from the main menu instead of downloadable content. It's available there with a difficulty select. Default is Normal anyway, but it's tougher only because of the amount of enemies. They go down pretty quickly, but I think the batteries don't last as long. I need Energizer's! :D

Overall I loved this DLC and can't wait to see what happens next. Amazing game that needs more love for sure.
 
I borrowed this from a friend. While the first chapter was interesting the second chapter is kind of boring and making me lose interest. Just flashing dudes with the light and shooting them over and over and over again.
 

Fuu

Formerly Alaluef (not Aladuf)
Started this today. I was laughing at the start at the tutorial bits (a giant light giving me a flashlight and a gun, "you can flash enemies with light.... GOOD JOB!", etc) but the mood builds quickly after that. Stopped early before reaching the
gas station
, I'm not really fond of horror to be honest but the concept here is so interesting.

(Glad I managed to avoid the spoiler above thanks to Bungieware fixing it in the quote. Looks like I'll have to avoid reading the thread for now unfortunately.)
 

bridegur

Member
I'm about an hour into this and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It looks amazing and the atmosphere is great despite the writing being sub-Garth Marenghi.
 
OldJadedGamer said:
I borrowed this from a friend. While the first chapter was interesting the second chapter is kind of boring and making me lose interest. Just flashing dudes with the light and shooting them over and over and over again.
The game picks up right after that. I borrowed a friends copy and felt like that to an extent, until around Chapter 3-4, where I got so pumped up about it I ordered a Limited Edition for myself.

Also the companion "The Alan Wake Files" book in the Limited Edition is a really cool read. Short, but packed full of interesting side notes (Like more motivation behind why Nightingale was even there). I'm glad I picked it up.
 
Really dug this game. With some changes, it could be legendary.
Hopefully Remedy looks to Bioware for inspiration Mass Effect ---> Mass Effect 2.

+ Vibe
+ Storyline
+ Soundtrack
+ Attempt At Competent Storytelling
+ Barry

- Gameplay Too Shallow
- Too Easy Starting Halfway Through (Even On Daunting)
- Story Fell Flat Towards End
- Arc of Story Didn't Match Epic Soundtrack
- Facial/Mouth Animation
- Barry


P.S.:

DEAR GAME INDUSTRY,

YOU CAN'T TELL A COMPETENT STORY IF YOUR FACIAL ANIMATION IS SHIT.

SIGNED,

BUCKETHEAD
 

Kentpaul

When keepin it real goes wrong. Very, very wrong.
Playing this game with a decent set of headphones is a must, had my bass up higher than usall and found my self sucked into this game, from all the noises, creeks , i was shitting my self. ,

people who played this without headphones missed the point
 

derFeef

Member
Kentpaul said:
Playing this game with a decent set of headphones is a must, had my bass up higher than usall and found my self sucked into this game, from all the noises, creeks , i was shitting my self. ,

people who played this without headphones missed the point
Indeed, but:

Nice Surround Setup--->Headphones------->Stereo :D
 

robot

Member
Kentpaul said:
Playing this game with a decent set of headphones is a must, had my bass up higher than usall and found my self sucked into this game, from all the noises, creeks , i was shitting my self. ,

people who played this without headphones missed the point

Try going for the achievement/trophy where you cant fire a single shot in the last chapter w/ headphones/lights out. Woah nelly thats a scary time.
 
Kentpaul said:
Playing this game with a decent set of headphones is a must, had my bass up higher than usall and found my self sucked into this game, from all the noises, creeks , i was shitting my self. ,

people who played this without headphones missed the point

Yeah, AW has far and away had the best LFE of any game I've played since I added a subwoofer to my setup. Even at low power I literally had shit falling off shelves while playing the game.
 
Valkyr Junkie said:
Yeah, AW has far and away had the best LFE of any game I've played since I added a subwoofer to my setup. Even at low power I literally had shit falling off shelves while playing the game.
Agreed, the only game that came close for me was Uncharted 2. I recently added a huge sub to my setup and those tense scenes with music playing literally hit you in the chest and add to the tension while playing. Maybe I enjoyed the game more than most because of this.
 

iamtheb

Member
I was supposed to get a copy yesterday from Amazon. I was super excited and was tracking my package all morning. About 12:30 it updated to "delivered -- porch". This would be fine and all, but I live in an apartment building in Charleston, WV. I don't really have a porch. Typically, the mail man/UPS man would enter the pass code on my door, and set the package at the front of my actual apartment door, but today that wasn't the case.

I got home from work about 5:30 (I live about an hour away) and went to find my game, but it was nowhere to be found. I checked with the neighbors, too as they sometimes get my mail (I'm apartment 1, but there is apartment 101 on the floor above me). No one had seen it. It was gone. I went back to my car a bit later as I was heading with my girlfriend to dinner for her mother's birthday and I happened to find a shredded box in a ditch about 30 feet from the building. Sure enough, it was the box and the packing slip. Someone had made off with the game.

I called UPS and the guys at the local store were very helpful, but they had me call their 1-800 number. Those guys took no responsibility and told me to call Amazon. Amazon refunded my purchase without hesitation even though it wasn't their fault. They really do a great job. I'm just pissed because it doesn't matter what kind of package I get, I really look forward to getting it, almost like a mini-Christmas I pay for myself. :lol It's just frustrating knowing it was probably some asshole selling it for pills or something like that. :/
 

WaltJay

Member
TTG said:
Everything else seems forgettable, but not annoying or bad. Although, can someone explain the obsession with collectibles and extras in the game?

I feel the same way. Granted, I could ignore them and blast through the game instead, but the obssessive side of me wants to get all the collectibles. What's weird is that some of them fit perfectly (pages to the story, TV and radio shows), and some make no sense at all (coffee thermos? pyramid cans?). I'm sure it was just a way to extend the length of the game.

I finished the game yesterday. I do have some minor complaints (way too collectibles, dodge being LB and also being dash was a little weird, lip sycning was some of the worst ever), but overall I loved the game. Definitely one of my favorites this year. The story wasn't perfect, but it kept me engaged. Also, Barry was hilarious. It proves a sidekick that adds value to the game is possible (I'm looking @ you Shiva, Zeke, everyone in Lost Planet 2, and countless others).
 
Just played through The Signal.

Holy fucking shit, this is how DLC should be done. Gotta love Remedy.

I really liked how the scattered TVs worked like manuscript pages but so much better, instead of having to pause the game it kept a certain flow. And it was creepy as hell. The hint about Alan's father was interesting too, in relation to all the story theories out there.
 
Did anyone experience a glitch early on in this game where it was raining inside the diner? It's the place where you turn the jukebox on and right after you leave the ferry.

It was strange. At first, it was normal but than after I loaded up the game again, it started to rain inside! I was like, "What?!" That's not right!

Is this a glitch, right?

It was bizarre!
 
D

Deleted member 13876

Unconfirmed Member
Still no code for me. Sucks as my exams are starting to edge closer and closer.
 

Dyno

Member
Brother Sport said:
Just played through The Signal.

Holy fucking shit, this is how DLC should be done. Gotta love Remedy.

I really liked how the scattered TVs worked like manuscript pages but so much better, instead of having to pause the game it kept a certain flow. And it was creepy as hell. The hint about Alan's father was interesting too, in relation to all the story theories out there.

Agreed. It actually felt like a full-fledged title, only boiled down to the bare essentials. This made it extremely dense yet fast paced. It took me two hours but by the end I realised that I had done quite a bit!
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Man, I'm fiending for a chance to play the DLC. I've already redeemed the code but I don't have the game right now.
 

Wizpig

Member
Started the game again on Nightmare.

First time I played on Normal.
As of Chapter 2 the difficulty is not that bad compared to Normal, but we'll see...
 
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