Alan Wake

Review from AJ - Thursday, 03 June 2010 @ 5:01pm

I think I've been looking forward to this game since shortly after the 360 was announced. It was to be the game that showed us what "next gen" was all about. After such a long wait, it's not altogether surprising that the game didn't live up to my huge expectations. It's certainly not a bad game, in fact it does a whole lot of things right. It is also one of only a few games that I played through in only a handful of sittings. Not necessarily because it is short, but because I was intrigued as to where the story was going.

Alan Wake, in brief, is a story about a writer stuck in a small town trying to find his missing wife. I can't really go into too much detail without giving a whole section of plot away, but suffice to say "someone" has her and there are loads of evil possessed minions trying to hack you bits to stop you getting to her. In each of the games 6 chapters, Alan gets a little closer to finding what really happened to her, all the while uncovering more of the story about why all these evil possessed minions are trying to hack him to bits. Sadly, for 4 chapters it is literally a case of "Your princess is in another castle".

At least you can hold your torch AND gun at the same time in this game

The fact that the first 4 chapters the protagonist is completely clueless about his situation or the location of his wife is somewhat perplexing and frustrating. Whilst stumbling around the forest finding pages from his "unwritten" manuscript, he obviously neglects to read many of the pages, as most of the plot is pretty well laid out for him right there. Also given the fact that the manuscripts frequently give away plot devices BEFORE they happen makes you wonder why he didn't avoid following the inevitable....but perhaps that is the point.

Alan Wake does a pretty good job of balancing the dark-woody-must-not-die moments with the plot-filling daytime moments. Rather than being totally in the dark for the entire game, there are frequent flashbacks and investigative scenes which help move the story along. Whilst these could've been achieved more quickly and easily with cut scenes, it is a refreshing change of pace from being chased by axe-wielding maniacs. Unfortunately, the game does railroad the player into being the protagonist in many frustrating "DON'T GO IN THERE!" moments. If someone looks like they're possessed, sound like they're possessed, they're PROBABLY possessed. Uggh.

Look out! He's behind you!

I think they bill this game as a psychological action thriller or something, which actually does a pretty good job of defining the genre for a game that doesn't really fit into any genre. Whilst there is plenty of action, it mostly involves running through seemingly endless forests on several fruitless quests to try and track down Alan's missing wife. Whilst it is a bit of a shame that all the enemies are carbon copies of each other, it does help to be able to recognise "tanks" from the easy kills, especially when in some instances you'll find yourself up against a dozen or more enemies at one time. You mostly only ever carry a rifle (or shotgun), a pistol and a torch. But later in the game flares, flare guns and flash bangs make for plenty of bad-guy destruction. On occasion the environment can not only be used to kill your foes, but is also often used to kill you. I think this could've been used to greater effect, especially given that really any source of light would be sufficient to kill off these guys. Having said that, the "brother's" farm was truly a highlight of the game!

The game certainly does a good job with the psychological part. Whilst I wouldn't call the game scary, it has learned some good tricks from the masters. There is more than one occasion when a seemingly death filled corridor turns out to be nothing of consequence. The game does well at making you hold your breath waiting for that sudden jolt of movement, only for it not to happen. This serves only to heighten your anticipation the next time around. Not only that, but over 6 episodes, the game teaches you to think and react a certain way and, on occasion, punishes you mercilessly for reacting predictably. Areas which you learn to be safe, occasionally turn out not be, and the safety of daytime at least once turns out not to be as safe as you'd thought. One thing I should mention here, for those who don't know, my name is actually Alan. Whilst it is generally bad form to speak about oneself in a review, on this occasion it bears particular relevance. At night, with the lights off, if your name IS Alan, the game is at least 100% scarier than it should be. It is hard not to be affected more when the wind whispers Alaaan, or when the protagonists wife is screaming YOUR name. It actually reminds me of Black and White which did a similar thing based on what you the player entered as your name. Clever stuff. This isn't clever, just coincidence, but the effect is the same. I highly recommend change your name before playing this game!

Why do these places always have such happy names?

What the game lacks in story originality it really makes up for in mood. Whilst the game is quite clearly a linear tale, the game does a pretty good job of not putting you on rails. For the most part the thick dark forests have no set path, leaving you with only a distant light as your guide. The feeling of isolation and desperation is often quite alarming, especially when you're low on batteries, health or ammo. You are made to constantly feel lost, but you always manage to be heading in the right direction. As lights usually mean a save point, lit areas act like beacons in a particularly hostile environment. This game also features the freakiest looking fog of any game I've seen, and when the wind whips up in anticipation of an oncoming hoard of baddies, it really is spectacular. The trees, bushes and rocks twist and distort, making you freakishly aware of every bit of movement.

The shame of all this awesome immersion is that it is let down by the games need to be aware of itself, and to make sure you're aware that it's aware of itself. When someone says to you, "I'll meet you in the parking lot", does the main character really need to say, "I needed to meet Barry in the parking lot". No. No it doesn't. But it does. A lot. Ok, so in some instances it is helpful when it is not entirely clear where to go next, but all too frequently it is just stating the plainly obvious. Similarly, whilst the game is clearly inspired by Steven King and Hitchcock classics, rather than let you just enjoy the references the game feels the need to have the characters say things like, "Alan, there's birds! And they're attacking the house! It's like something out of that Hitchcock movie. You know. That one with the Birds in it...I think it was called The Birds. Yeah. Well this is JUST LIKE THAT!". Other references to things like the Shining are similarly pointed out when they really didn't need to be. These things only served to detract from what was otherwise a very immersive story within a very immersive environment.

I just wanted to shoot him. Why couldn't I start with a gun??

Probably the thing Alan Wake does best is to make you feel like you're constantly in danger of dying, even when you're not. In many scenes the sense of urgency is far greater than is actually necessary. The developers have skilfully produced several action sequences that force you into feeling like that if you take your finger off the run-button for even a second you will surely die. Of course, in many of these instances you could safely stop and smell the roses while a tornado rages behind you, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. These effects, and the constant threat of axe wielding maniacs makes the game seem a whole lot harder than it actually is. In some instances, the game will even require you to try and start a generator to power a gate or light as possessed lunatics bear down you. A simple A repeatedly would do, but forcing you to time the cranking perfectly whilst under substantial enemy pressure adds marvellously to the tension.

So the bad points? I think the story is unnecessarily convoluted, disjointed, and the ending still makes absolutely no sense to me. The manuscript pages you find are in random order and don't do much of a job to fill out the plot. The final "boss" fight was disappointingly easy. The game too often has you running from hill top to hill top needlessly and without progressing the story. Your sidekick is possibly the most annoying sidekick since Luigi. The protagonist is actually a complete and utter doucebag who I actually WANTED to see die. If his wife actually DID leave him, he'd totally deserve it. None of these are show stoppers of course! For me, the biggest disappointment, was getting into a mine cart expecting a roller-coaster ride through hell only to find that it stopped quietly and uneventfully after only about 10 metres! Talk about a serious let down!! Oh and I nearly forgot to mention product placement. Verizon and Energizer EVERYWHERE! Seriously, Energizer batteries can't be much good if the torch runs out every 10 seconds!

Flares are groovy baby! Yeah!

I can't see there being any replay value beyond going back to collect all the collectibles, and the only reason you'd do that is for the achievement points. The game is certainly enjoyable, and the plot is interesting enough to carry you through the full length of the game without losing interest. The combat, whilst formulaic, rarely gets tiring. All in all, Alan Wake is a solid game without being awesome. If nothing else, it is worth playing through if you're interested in playing through a half decent story for once.

Pros

Immersive environment and story. The odd scary moment. Awesome fog (yes, it is THAT awesome). A few twists and tricks to keep you on your toes.

Cons

The game does its best to break immersion with product placement, voice overs and hints. Combat can get a little repetitive. The whole game feels like it could've been "more".