Mind bending story and unmatched atmosphere edge out some of the shortcomings.
Playing Alan Wake is like reading a Stephen King novel while curled up in home comforts on a stormy day. The atmosphere feels alive even in its vacant settings. The abstract surrealism of the story compliments this absolutely. In fact, this game would've benefited from more "exploration". This is where things start to get redundant (a la Dead Space). Combat takes the forefront most of the time, and while it is fun, it strips away the "could've been better" exploration elements that Silent Hill has. You feel as though Remedy teases with this awesome atmosphere they've created by limiting it to relatively linear paths. This is especially made clear on the day setting levels later in the game. Alan starts off overlooking this vast world, and gets to drive through it for a short while. Unfortunately, it usually leads to a cut scene taking over to the final destination.
In the end, what you have is a very well made horror game that narrowly misses the mark of perfection by focusing on "action". Horror is subjective, though. Most people prefer Aliens to Alien (vice versa). It's just the game tries to do both styles at the same time, and fails with the open world exploration that was stunted for console release.
Pros:
- You can tell this game was originally made for the PC. Many graphics options available.
- Stunning lighting/environmental fx. One of the best looking outdoor worlds I've ever seen.
- Superb story that leaves the player searching for answers to the questions left by the ending.
- No framerate cap.
- Well optimized if you have the right gear.
Cons:
- More action oriented than I expected it to be.
- Not enough open world elements. Even paths in buildings are shielded off by objects that one could easily move.
- Sometimes feels like you're just running from one enemy trap to another. Not enough downtime for "reveals".