My name is Alan Wake. I'm a writer. |OT|
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RedRedSuit
Member
Beat this yesterday. I'd rate it something like this:
GAMEPLAY: C+
This is probably one of the weaker games I've bought this generation gameplay-wise. Mostly that's because I don't buy very many games, and when I do they tend to be really good. The biggest problem is it was just repetitive -- very very repetitive. There was little to no creativity involved; scenarios kept repeating to the very end; and there were few memorable moments. I find that every great single-player game is filled with some specific amazing moments -- the train in Uncharted 2, Illium rooftops in Mass Effect 2 -- but Alan Wake really had only one, sort of, the Old Gods at the farm. That was fun and unexpected, and while it paled in comparison to the best games out there, it's the kind of thing the game could have used more of. In general, this felt competent in terms of the mechanics but dated and repetitive.
The pacing was also not great. The game failed to grab me in the beginning, and the last chapter was probably the worst in the game. It was really strongest in the middle, when Barney was involved.
GRAPHICS: B
The best thing visually was the atmosphere. Day and night, the visuals gave me a certain "feeling" that was unlike the "feeling" of any other game I've played so far. Technically speaking, the lighting was fantastic.
The rest wasn't great. There was unsightly pixelation in the fog -- very visible and distracting through most of the game. The image was never jaggy, which is good, but it was quite blurry (especially visible in day-time), which is bad. The worst thing was that artistically, the game was very one-note. It didn't provide much eye candy. The only really impressive thing was staring out at the landscape, but it always looked the same: there was a night-time look, and a day-time look, and they both looked the same as always. It's like it was perpetually midnight or perpetually 6pm, and the scenery wasn't very varied.
MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS: A
Excellent. The music and sound were active gameplay devices and were generally of a high quality regardless of that.
STORY/VOICE ACTING: B
I don't know. This ranged from A+ to like C, depending on the time. Loved Barry and Wake's exchanges. Loved the radio stations and how they made the situation and location come alive. Loved the prescient nature of the manuscript pages and the general concept of the story. Basically, I loved most of what made Wake's reality intersect with other people's realities, showing he's not crazy, that this was an objective world. I loved the atmoshphere of Bright Falls, that certain "it's not quite right" feel of it.
Hated some of the voice actors, especially the sheriff. Absolutely hated listening to Alan Wake reading his manuscript pages... I don't know why, but his voice was so grating; perhaps it's the act of reading a page out-loud that's irritating in general. Hated the last chapter and the ending, which were both very weak.
REPLAY: C-
There's no replay value as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't dream of ever playing this again; the collection mini-game is just pointless, and since there's little creativity involved in the gameplay, the added challenge of higher difficulty modes wouldn't amount to much enjoyment for me. I'm not sure how long I played the game for, but I probably really liked it for 5 hours or so and finished in 10... and that was more than enough.
OVERALL: B-
It was fairly enjoyable game, but I think (hope) Remedy is capable of much better. It seems like they probably had something really ambitious in mind, but it wasn't working, and they were eventually forced to cut it down to something fairly basic -- with the added bonus of keeping the large wide-open visuals. The strongest part is the atmosphere, but it wasn't enough to make me want to play the game straight-through because of how repetitive it was. It was a slog at times and fun at times. I think they're very creative story-wise, but the execution wasn't fully there.
Like inFamous, I'd put it on the edge between "worth playing" and "not worth playing," but definitely on the "worth playing" side.
GAMEPLAY: C+
This is probably one of the weaker games I've bought this generation gameplay-wise. Mostly that's because I don't buy very many games, and when I do they tend to be really good. The biggest problem is it was just repetitive -- very very repetitive. There was little to no creativity involved; scenarios kept repeating to the very end; and there were few memorable moments. I find that every great single-player game is filled with some specific amazing moments -- the train in Uncharted 2, Illium rooftops in Mass Effect 2 -- but Alan Wake really had only one, sort of, the Old Gods at the farm. That was fun and unexpected, and while it paled in comparison to the best games out there, it's the kind of thing the game could have used more of. In general, this felt competent in terms of the mechanics but dated and repetitive.
The pacing was also not great. The game failed to grab me in the beginning, and the last chapter was probably the worst in the game. It was really strongest in the middle, when Barney was involved.
GRAPHICS: B
The best thing visually was the atmosphere. Day and night, the visuals gave me a certain "feeling" that was unlike the "feeling" of any other game I've played so far. Technically speaking, the lighting was fantastic.
The rest wasn't great. There was unsightly pixelation in the fog -- very visible and distracting through most of the game. The image was never jaggy, which is good, but it was quite blurry (especially visible in day-time), which is bad. The worst thing was that artistically, the game was very one-note. It didn't provide much eye candy. The only really impressive thing was staring out at the landscape, but it always looked the same: there was a night-time look, and a day-time look, and they both looked the same as always. It's like it was perpetually midnight or perpetually 6pm, and the scenery wasn't very varied.
MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS: A
Excellent. The music and sound were active gameplay devices and were generally of a high quality regardless of that.
STORY/VOICE ACTING: B
I don't know. This ranged from A+ to like C, depending on the time. Loved Barry and Wake's exchanges. Loved the radio stations and how they made the situation and location come alive. Loved the prescient nature of the manuscript pages and the general concept of the story. Basically, I loved most of what made Wake's reality intersect with other people's realities, showing he's not crazy, that this was an objective world. I loved the atmoshphere of Bright Falls, that certain "it's not quite right" feel of it.
Hated some of the voice actors, especially the sheriff. Absolutely hated listening to Alan Wake reading his manuscript pages... I don't know why, but his voice was so grating; perhaps it's the act of reading a page out-loud that's irritating in general. Hated the last chapter and the ending, which were both very weak.
REPLAY: C-
There's no replay value as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't dream of ever playing this again; the collection mini-game is just pointless, and since there's little creativity involved in the gameplay, the added challenge of higher difficulty modes wouldn't amount to much enjoyment for me. I'm not sure how long I played the game for, but I probably really liked it for 5 hours or so and finished in 10... and that was more than enough.
OVERALL: B-
It was fairly enjoyable game, but I think (hope) Remedy is capable of much better. It seems like they probably had something really ambitious in mind, but it wasn't working, and they were eventually forced to cut it down to something fairly basic -- with the added bonus of keeping the large wide-open visuals. The strongest part is the atmosphere, but it wasn't enough to make me want to play the game straight-through because of how repetitive it was. It was a slog at times and fun at times. I think they're very creative story-wise, but the execution wasn't fully there.
Like inFamous, I'd put it on the edge between "worth playing" and "not worth playing," but definitely on the "worth playing" side.
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
Okay I just started the game, on Chapter 2 now. I still don't quite "get" the gunplay.
Am I supposed to flash light on them until they "spark" and THEN start shooting? I keep on running out of ammo in my guns probably because I am just wasting it. I need to be shooting after they are weakened by the light, is that it?
And is there no melee/way to kill them without a gun? I've had it happen on numerous occasions to me where I have an enemy weak and everything but I'm out of ammo. Is there no way to dispatch of him when I'm out? That's frustrating.
Am I supposed to flash light on them until they "spark" and THEN start shooting? I keep on running out of ammo in my guns probably because I am just wasting it. I need to be shooting after they are weakened by the light, is that it?
And is there no melee/way to kill them without a gun? I've had it happen on numerous occasions to me where I have an enemy weak and everything but I'm out of ammo. Is there no way to dispatch of him when I'm out? That's frustrating.
When you shine light on them, there is this lens-flare circle on the enemy which is getting smaller as the darkness burns away. If the darkness is fully destroyed (no more lensflare circle, and you will get an effect) bullets can harm them. Also - if the darkness is not fully destroyed, you hear ricochet sound effects when you shoot them.Adam Prime said:
And nope, no melee.
RedRedSuit
Member
Adam Prime said:
Shine light on them. They will get all sparkly. After a few seconds of sparkliness, you'll see a certain flash of light, at which point they'll look more like normal humans (without this dark halo all around). At that point, 1-2 revolver shots kills the basic enemies.
There is no melee. However, there will be some other weapons that will enable you to kill without a flashlight. However, you should never run out of ammo on the normal difficulty setting. If you only shoot after you've totally burned away the darkness, the game is quite easy.
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
Okay after taking my own advice I'm getting a little better at the combat. I'm killing most enemies in like 1-2 shots.
However, what do you do about crowd control? I have guys around me and I'm trying to focus my flash light on one dude to get him weak, while there's some asshole behind me hitting me over and over again. So if I use the flare I can "stun" them all at once, but I can't shoot them while it's flaring so I'm back to square one after the flare runs out.
Also I heard some people talking about running away from most enemies... how is that even possible when Alan runs so slow and he runs out of breath way too fast. I've tried to just run in a few situations and I can never run away from them, they always catch up and end up axing me in the back.
However, what do you do about crowd control? I have guys around me and I'm trying to focus my flash light on one dude to get him weak, while there's some asshole behind me hitting me over and over again. So if I use the flare I can "stun" them all at once, but I can't shoot them while it's flaring so I'm back to square one after the flare runs out.
Also I heard some people talking about running away from most enemies... how is that even possible when Alan runs so slow and he runs out of breath way too fast. I've tried to just run in a few situations and I can never run away from them, they always catch up and end up axing me in the back.
Adam Prime said:
if you focus the light on them, they get stunned for awhile you dont have to hold the light on them. just flash it and they'll hold their face and wobble
just tap RB and you will light the flare and drop it on the ground, they will back away from that spot and you can shoot them (do this in corners then they have no where to run)
bob_arctor
Tough_Smooth
Adam Prime said:
You need to work in some dodging with your running. It works, trust me. And you better be playing on at least Hard for all your trouble or I will secretly giggle at your non-skills.
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
Lunchbox said:
When you're out of ammo is there a trick to draw them into the light? I have had some success in chapter 2 (just started the game) but I'm thinking there has to be a trick of sorts.
RedRedSuit
Member
Also, if it gets really heavy and you're surrounded, probably there's a safe heaven light nearby, so run. They can't follow you there, and you probably will get a checkpoint.
LovingSteam said:
there are spots later when you can turn on flood lights and stand away from the enemies with the light between you
you running this way <<< ------- light souce ------- enemies running this way <<<
then they follow you and get hit by it and get stunned. but you dont need to use anything like that unless you're on nightmare
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
Okay just finished Chapter 2. I really like the music they play at the end of episodes, I'm listening to them right now lol.
Getting that Flare Gun really super helps, almost like a "HALP ME!" button. Umm I had another question... oh yeah, is it best to play the DLC episode after the game, or could you really play it anytime?
EDIT: Barry is okay, he kinda seems out of place in this game. I understand he's a comic relief for this "TV show". But yeah - just weird to me, I hate these kind of characters in TV and movies.
... I also have this weird audio glitch, a buzzing noise, whenever the game is saving or I hit a "check point". Actually not every time, but almost every time. Does this happen to anyone else, in any game? It bothers the crap out of me, and yes I have the game installed on the HDD. I only own one game, this one, so I can't say that it's the game or the system.
Getting that Flare Gun really super helps, almost like a "HALP ME!" button. Umm I had another question... oh yeah, is it best to play the DLC episode after the game, or could you really play it anytime?
EDIT: Barry is okay, he kinda seems out of place in this game. I understand he's a comic relief for this "TV show". But yeah - just weird to me, I hate these kind of characters in TV and movies.
... I also have this weird audio glitch, a buzzing noise, whenever the game is saving or I hit a "check point". Actually not every time, but almost every time. Does this happen to anyone else, in any game? It bothers the crap out of me, and yes I have the game installed on the HDD. I only own one game, this one, so I can't say that it's the game or the system.
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
HOLY SHIT I just started Chapter 3 and the
is definitely the same voice as Norman Jayden from Heavy Rain, right? right?
I literally paused my game in the middle of the cutscene so someone could confirm this for me. :lol :lol
FBI Agent
I literally paused my game in the middle of the cutscene so someone could confirm this for me. :lol :lol
Adam Prime said:
Heh, I didn't notice that. Looks like it isn't the same guy according to IMDB.
At first, I thought Alan Wake had the same voice actor as Carth from Mass Effect but I guess it's not the same guy either.
Ch. 3 is nice but just wait until 4, it's fuckin great.*
*So great that I had to underline it.
Just completed it. I called it when
was introduced that it would literally be a
! :lol Really enjoyed the mindfuck towards the ending, great game, great hook for next episodes/game, cant wait for more!
Also,
Cool little reference there.
Maybe i'm stretching it too far... :\
the clicker
plot device
Also,
the second guest on the talk show was the guy whom max payne was modelled after, right?
And the police character in Wake's previous novel was the Sheriff's father?
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
So I'm in the middle of Chapter 3 and I think I have really settled in nicely with the game play now. Getting the flash bangs and flares really help to make combat a bit less stressful and more enjoyable. I like the combat now and have fun with it.
I have noticed that during the cutscenes the video looks pixelated like it had been super compressed or something. Ugh, the character models during those cutscenes are just FUGLY. This is where I sound like a fanboy (this IS my first 360 game and the reason why I purchased one) but after playing Heavy Rain, and even MGS4 - the character models and cutscenes in this game have really let me down.
Okay, other than that slight annoyance, I've been really enjoying the game a lot so far. I love the radio and television shows, I stop and listen/watch every single one. Really captivating. The story is still very... uninspiring so far. Dude loses his wife and has to go find her, very familiar. I know it'll get better from what everyone is saying about the game, and I'm ready for it to. Speaking of famailar the entire time I'm playing this game I just get reminded of how THIS game is what Silent Hill should be. The combat is really what I think you want from a survival horror type of game (I know this game isn't, but hear me out). I think a survival horror game could really benefit from the whole regenerating health aspect. Having to manage medicine kits and health drinks was always one of my least favorite parts of Silent Hill. Now you can just worry about surviving each encounter and know what you'll get it back once the fight is over. Also the constant check pointing makes it less of a hassle to actually TRY and fight instead of running and hope you don't lose any health. Maybe that goes against what survival horror is supposed to be, but I think it would work in a game like Silent Hill. Make the combat fun, give me juuuuuust enough tools to make it through each encounter, and don't punish me for dying or trying to fight the enemies. I think Alan Wake does all those things well.
... Okay well just had to get some thoughts out about the game. I'm going to my parent's house for a week and I was going to bring some PS3 and Wii games to play over there, but now I'm so interested in this game that I'm debating bringing my entire 360 over to keep on playing. :lol That would be a bit of a hassle and my parents would make fun of me ("don't you have ENOUGH games here to play, why bring more?").
My first day of summer vacation as a teacher is even better than it was when I was a student.
I have noticed that during the cutscenes the video looks pixelated like it had been super compressed or something. Ugh, the character models during those cutscenes are just FUGLY. This is where I sound like a fanboy (this IS my first 360 game and the reason why I purchased one) but after playing Heavy Rain, and even MGS4 - the character models and cutscenes in this game have really let me down.
Okay, other than that slight annoyance, I've been really enjoying the game a lot so far. I love the radio and television shows, I stop and listen/watch every single one. Really captivating. The story is still very... uninspiring so far. Dude loses his wife and has to go find her, very familiar. I know it'll get better from what everyone is saying about the game, and I'm ready for it to. Speaking of famailar the entire time I'm playing this game I just get reminded of how THIS game is what Silent Hill should be. The combat is really what I think you want from a survival horror type of game (I know this game isn't, but hear me out). I think a survival horror game could really benefit from the whole regenerating health aspect. Having to manage medicine kits and health drinks was always one of my least favorite parts of Silent Hill. Now you can just worry about surviving each encounter and know what you'll get it back once the fight is over. Also the constant check pointing makes it less of a hassle to actually TRY and fight instead of running and hope you don't lose any health. Maybe that goes against what survival horror is supposed to be, but I think it would work in a game like Silent Hill. Make the combat fun, give me juuuuuust enough tools to make it through each encounter, and don't punish me for dying or trying to fight the enemies. I think Alan Wake does all those things well.
... Okay well just had to get some thoughts out about the game. I'm going to my parent's house for a week and I was going to bring some PS3 and Wii games to play over there, but now I'm so interested in this game that I'm debating bringing my entire 360 over to keep on playing. :lol That would be a bit of a hassle and my parents would make fun of me ("don't you have ENOUGH games here to play, why bring more?").
My first day of summer vacation as a teacher is even better than it was when I was a student.
piratepwnsninja
Member
AnkitT said:
That person
on the talk show was Sam Lake, the writer from Remedy who wrote both Max Payne games and Alan Wake.
Very cool.
CrazedArabMan
Member
EagleEyes said:
Fully agree, beat nightmare last night, and the game was still amazing. Plus all of the stuff in the manuscripts really shows you how well thought out the story is, there is so much to it.
Solid warrior
Banned
avatar'dderFeef said:
Solid warrior
Banned
sorry, it was 600kchubigans said:It needs to be under 150k or it'll be banned by mods.
I'm back again to my old avatar.
ClivePwned
Member
I was having a hard time with the combat until i paid attention to the advice in this thread.
Loving this game far more than I expected to
Loving this game far more than I expected to
Shake Appeal
Member
I worry sometimes about this.ClivePwned said:
I think the combat is excellent, perfectly tuned to a few specific skills and sensible systems, with nothing superfluous in a way that only classic games like Another World are. And then I also worry that people are just not understanding when to shoot, how to dodge, and hating it as a result.
ClivePwned
Member
Holy Shit! Rusty is Caesar!
I totally expect people to run and gun in this game - like shine light AND shoot at the same time, not understanding the burning away of the dark, the crowd control you have with the boosting and so on. It really is a fine sysstem and you can play with the enemys if your timing is right with the dodging and you do a good job with the crowd control. It´s so much fun.Shake Appeal said:
Finished Episode 4 last night and it was indeed freakin' awesome, though the tearing and frame-drops in this chapter was the worst thus far - it seems that every time the action gets more intense and the set pieces more impressive the frame-rate problems are even more apparent.
Really enoying the game though as the story, music, gunplay and atmosphere are top-notch.
Really enoying the game though as the story, music, gunplay and atmosphere are top-notch.
Sanic
Member
Alan Wake get!
Initial, early impressions:
-The constant shifting of light is actually giving me a headache, something I was not expecting. Those moments when a spotlight is thrown right into your face throw my brain for a loop.
-IQ is alright during the day, but at night I feel like i'm playing the game through a vasoline filter. I'm not one to get all high and mighty with regard to IQ, but it really isn't so great here. Nothing that ruins the experience of course.
Initial, early impressions:
-The constant shifting of light is actually giving me a headache, something I was not expecting. Those moments when a spotlight is thrown right into your face throw my brain for a loop.
-IQ is alright during the day, but at night I feel like i'm playing the game through a vasoline filter. I'm not one to get all high and mighty with regard to IQ, but it really isn't so great here. Nothing that ruins the experience of course.
dreamer3kx
Member
Currently playing this, great game so far, really no complaints for me, I like pretty much everything about the game, textures in a house sometimes can look a bit bad, sorta like resistance (ps3) textures in-doors, not a big deal, Im up to Episode 4, is that the last ep.?
SlasherJPC
Banned
dreamer3kx said:
Just keeping playing, best not to know!
I've started my nightmare/1000g run and I'm enjoying the game even more the 2nd time around. I want to collect everything for full achievements but I'm sure that I've missed at least a couple thermoses, it's gonna be a bitch trying to track down all the ones I miss. Also, I forgot about those stupidass can pyramids. This is gonna take awhile but I really wanna get my first 1000g.
The new manuscripts are really cool, though, I like how they made the best ones nightmare only.
The new manuscripts are really cool, though, I like how they made the best ones nightmare only.