Great game that could compete with any high budget movie.
You play as Alan Wake (hence the name) a writer from New York who has been having trouble writing a new story. You start out in a nightmare, just like any good thriller story or horror movie you are driving in the dark and hit a hitch-hiker. But there is a twist, this hitch-hiker somehow comes back from the dead and is shrouded in shadows. This is where you learn the mechanics of battle in Alan Wake, which is very different from any game you have ever played. Weakening the Taken and their shield like shadow, then blasting away with one of the six or so weapons in the game. Ranging from pistols up to flare guns.
The story goes from the nightmare to you being awoken by your wife when you arrive in the town of Bright Falls, where the couple is taking a retreat to a remote cabin. Alice, your wife, suggests that this quiet setting would be a nice place for Alan to write a story. A fight ensues and soon Alice is being pulled into the water by an unknown force. This is where the story becomes unfolded and you begin your journey through forests and the town.
The visuals in this game are unlike any other. The player will soon forget they are sitting on a couch and is actually in a forest escaping the Taken. The lighting is what makes this game top notch. Since the game is entirely based off of shadows and "lighting up the darkness" the movement of the shadows from characters and objects takes Alan Wake to a new level of game visual mechanics.
Alan Wake sets the bar for story telling in video gaming. As good as any Stephen King book (the game opens with a quote by the man himself). Where Eternal Darkness left off, Alan Wake picks up in the psychological thriller genre. Great game for anyone looking for an action game with a great story.
Graphics - 10 (one of the best this year)
Sound - 9.5
Story - 10
Difficulty - 8 (at times difficult, other times not difficult enough)
Replay Value - 8.5