After spending 5 years in development, Alan Wake does not disappoint and is unlike any game I've played before.
From the start, the game is full of cliche's. This isn't nesecarily a bad thing though, as it's presented like a TV Show. Although the game does deliver it's share of shocking moments and twists. The story never gets dull, either.
The 'previously on Alan Wake' at the start of each new episode is a very nice touch. Although if you wont to keep playing the game, it's kind of pointless. The game saves automatically a lot, including when the 'previously' thing pops up, so you can turn it off after that and get a lovely recap when you want to start playing again. There is also a 'playback' option under Extras in the Main Menu to watch any cutscene again.
The storytelling is great. Without giving too much away, Alan's Wife Alice gets kidnapped and due to the fact no one will believe he's been fighting off people possessed by darkness (known as Taken) whose bodies disappear when you kill them, Alan doesn't feel he can tell anyone until his friend Barry gets into town, who is also the comic relief and does a reasonable job of it.
Eventually, the story is expanded to events that happened before Alan was even born. I don't want to give too much away but it's easy to get immersed in the story. It is clearly very well thought out and much deeper and more complex than it first looks.
There are various hints that you will probably miss the first time around and there are just some parts of the game (at least at this point) left up to interpretation. If that's not your thing, don't worry, there is downloadable content coming and there will be a sequel.
Even though your Wife being kidnapped would obviously be very stressful, Alan seems to have a big temper. He's so eager to kill. He doesn't seem like a good person to hang around, I found I really hard to like him. Although he became more likable later on.
The combat is pretty good, even though there isn't much to it. You shine your flashlight on the Taken (or poltergeist objects) to strip away the darkness and when it's all gone, you fire. For objects, light is enough. Different enemies and objects take longer to strip away the darkness.
There is a reasonable amount of weapons but not a lot, either. Aside from 4 different flashlights and 'lanterns', each with varying power and battery usage, there are 4 guns. A Revolver, Shotgun, Pump-action Shotgun, Hunting Rifle and a Flare Gun. The Shotguns and Rifle are stronger and capable of taking out several enemies but aren't as fast as the Revolver, which is pretty much your standard weapon.
The Flare Gun is easily the most powerful because not only will it kill instantly, it has a very wide range.
There are also flares (used separately to the flare gun which takes it's own ammunition) which are mostly used when you're surrounded and want the Taken to back off and let you reload recover. Flashbangs are great, as they will, like the Flare Gun, do mass damage (but later on wont always kill) to the Taken.
You will find multiple times when you lose your weapons and when the Taken appear... it's running time. You feel like you really are in a horror story when things like that happen.
The cinematics that take place during gameplay are cool because when you dodge an attack that almost hit you, it slows down for a moment.
Adding to the creepiness factor, Taken will talk insanely to you, while throwing axes or running at you with a chainsaw.
As you walk (and sometimes drive) along, you will find multiple things to collect, turn on or shoot.
Manuscript pages are the most important. These are pages from a book Alan hasn't written yet but has the same name that he was planning for his next book and it has his name on it. Then you find out what is written on these pages is actually coming true.
In a way these are spoilers so you might want to read them after each episode but they also give you a look into what is happening to other characters when you aren't with them, helping to flesh out the story as well as provide answers.
Alan's narrative is pretty good and adds nicely to the story and how the character and hopefully you if you are immersed enough, are feeling.
Unfortunately, the voice actor for Alan is pretty bad. Putting emphasis on words he shouldn't and vice versa. Sometimes he sounds like he just doesn't care.
Coffee thermoses are another thing to collect. You can also shoot stacked cans, find caches of weapons and ammo that you find by shining your flashlight on special paint that points you in the right direction, listening to radio shows and watch a very obvious Twilight Zone inspired in-game series only, Night Springs. Most of those episodes are actually quite enjoyable. Although doing these are just for achievements, you unlock nothing by doing them all, aside from being able to listen to the songs you hear on the radio and the end of each episode under Extras in the menu. Though it does show statistics, like how many pages you've found, Taken killed and with what weapon etc.
The only thing you unlock from beating the game is Nightmare mode which is a lot harder, where you can find more manuscript pages. The game is quite easy on Normal, especially the final boss. Nightmare is a totally different story though. Choosing Hard from the start comes recommended if you actually want the game to be challenging.
This is why I put the difficulty as 'just right', above.
Back to the freaky side, another things you can watch on TV is... yourself. But it's nothing you can remember doing. It helps to flesh out the story even further while adding more mystery until you can closer to the ending.
Unfortunately, running off the obvious path to find these things can really take away from the mood and flow of the story.
Where the game delivers the most, is the atmosphere.
For example, you will be walking through the woods when suddenly a tree just falls to the ground and even though it's night time, you can see a different kind of darkness swirling as the breeze picks up and you know something bad is about to go down. Alan Wake definitely has one of the best atmosphere's I have ever seen in a game. It might even beat Dead Space.
While a lot of the game revolves around walking through the woods and occasionally driving a car, killing Taken, there is more to it than that. For starters, there are harder Taken as you progress through the game, like ones that move really fast so they're just like a blur a lot of the time and bigger ones that are just tougher to kill or have chainsaws.
The darkness takes over objects and vehicles too. That's where it gets more interesting and dangerous. You will have to fight some pretty dangerous vehicles trying to run you over. Sometimes you will just be bombarded with cars and buses literally being thrown threw the air at you.
Sometimes you'll be running along a bridge and it will start crumbling in under you, parts will fly up, or something will slam down in front of you and if you aren't quick, you might just fall off.
The suspense for this game is pretty well done.
The game doesn't always take place in the woods, or even at night time. At least once every episode you will be in daylight at various locations. The locations do also change enough at night time.
The world seems very much alive, with the radio and just the general look and feel of it all. Apart from one thing... there is virtually no wildlife at all in this game. Even though there are bear traps you yourself can get caught in, which is very bad if there are Taken around. All you have to do to get free is tap A repeatedly but it's still a nice touch.
I said 'virtually no wildlife' because there are birds but usually they're also Taken.
You aren't always alone either and unlike some other games, the people following you can actually defend themselves and will help you out a great deal, not that you have to ever worry about them dying. Sometimes it's best for you to just shine your flashlight on the Taken and let your pal do the shooting to conserve your ammo.
The sound effects are pretty good, although shooting various things either produces no sound or nothing like what it should. It also looks beautiful.
Alan Wake is definitely a creepy game with a terrific and well told story that is sure to stay with you after finishing it.
The gameplay is solid and will surely leave you on the edge of your seat as much as the story will.
+ Terrific plot and story telling
+ The atmosphere is easily one of the best ever, if not THE best
+ The entire game looks great
+ Unlockable Nightmare mode makes the otherwise easy game, at least somewhat worth playing through again for that and the extra manuscript pages
- Too easy on Normal
- Non-manuscript collectibles don't unlock anything and are only there for achievements and bragging rights (if you don't use a walkthrough)
- Final boss is extremely easy