As my probably non-existing readers know, I do not actually submit proper reviews for Gamespot. Partly because I find it hard to adhere to specific formats, partly because I'm too lazy to figure it out, and partly because I chicken out. Also I must admit I agree with completely biased reviews, but you must always find many different reviewers as possible to have a better grasp of the game in question. As an example of this there's Zero Punctuation, which usually trashes games without remorse, and I'm ok with this because the flaws usually one overlooks are brought to front page, giving as I said, a better grasp of the game overall. On a side note, I must say I enjoyed his review on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 even though I'm a fan of the game. And so, let us begin this review, shall we?

Anyways, with the recent holidays I've spent an unhealthy amount of play time since school takes most of my time and sometimes my sleep. I couldn't let the opportunity to play online games late at night, and late at night is the perfect setting for this game.

This time I came across a free download card, containing the Alan Wake game, and at first, I didn't put much attention to it. Finally getting my hands of Bad Company 2, I overlooked the game initially, and even more when I could "git mah paws" on Bayonetta too. But as once I heard in a marketing conference, strange things happen late at night when you're half asleep and sometimes half steeped in liquor. As I was contemplating the free download card, I said to myself, why not? And so, it began the torturing wait, as my internetz, while it's considered broadband, it's probably barely enough to archive such title.

So I found myself late the next night with a downloaded game. Oh jolly.

I only heard rumors of the game, which described it in the horror genre. I'll begin by stating it isn't by far a horror game. Silent Hill is a horror game. To put it simply, Alan Wake is a weak Latte, while Silent Hill is a full Espresso. This doesn't mean, however, the game is a complete failure, or even you'll be bored by a number of jump scares. It's good at setting an unsettling atmosphere, and added with a nice touch of dementia. I think it's best to put this game as playing a book. If you're a fan of Dan Brown, you'd probably feel like playing one of his books, with plenty of mysteries, hidden pasts and numerous cliffhangers.

A bit of the story to put things in perspective, be aware of...

*SPOILER ALERT*

...so we can go on our merry way. Don't say I didn't warn you. Even though I'll try to keep it on a minimum.

The main character is, as the title suggests, Alan Wake, a successful writer who decides to spend a vacation with his wife, mostly because he has a two-year writer's block on a small town called Bright Falls. Here, the young couple rents a cabin, which turns out to be in the middle of a lake. After a small argument with his wife about his writer's block, he leaves the cabin, just to hear his wife screaming from inside. He rushes to help her, only to find a handrail broken, and a gap leading directly into the dark lake. He promptly follows a hint of her wife into the water, and after a horrible nightmare, he finds himself in a car accident, knowing nothing of his whereabouts or those of his wife, who presumably was in a cabin that doesn't exist in the first place.

From there on, he finds himself not only struggling against dark creatures who roam at night, but also his own sanity. In his mind all of this seems too real, but him being a skeptic, it's just too crazy to believe in.

He comes across the manuscript of a book that was never written, which also claims that the very same Alan Wake is it's author. The manuscript seems to have future predicting qualities, as everything written on it becomes real. This prompts a number of characters, including some shady ones, to try to get their hands on such manuscript. So it all becomes a frantic race to escape the black nightmares, recover this mysterious manuscript to search for answers, follow the clues to a possibly dead wife and avoid both the authorities and a room with white padded walls, including a white jacket with very long sleeves as an added gift.

*END SPOILER ALERT* Possibly. Probably. I don't want to write more alerts.

Anyway, where does it succeed and where does it fail? Let us find out.

Gameplay:

Let me get something straight. Our main character, Mr. Wake, is a writer. Yes, it's obvious, and yet, it's important to understand how to play the game. He isn't (by far) a demon, sorcerer, bionic soldier, enhanced human being, regular soldier, special operative, S.T.A.R.S member, space marine, member of SOLDIER, chosen one, robotically reconstructed police officer, occult expert, war veteran, jedi, regular police officer who got a job with the president, Ex-Marine SEAL, mercenary, escaped convict, god emissary, Chuck Norris, Mega Man, Frank West, Super Mecha Death Christ, Captain Falcon, or any job slightly related to a physical activity. He is a writer, so he doesn't run marathonic distances without tiring, jump atop buildings, or exterminate 30 foes in 5 seconds with flair.

Once that is out of the way, let us go on. Fighting foes isn't a big deal, since you're usually given a revolver. Once you get the hang of it, you can mow down through enemies at a comfortable pace. Crowd control can be a nuisance though, even when you're equipped with a shotgun.

There are rarely ammo issues in this game, as you're constantly supplied with useful items such as various types of bullets, your other "ammo", and the occasional multi-man melee supplies. Even those with little perception of the environment will find easily supply boxes conveniently labeled "Emergency", but for those who search their surroundings carefully, some neat prizes await, especially Da Big Gunz. You might be surprised about this superior firepower, but considering the context of the game, it makes an awful lot of sense.

Other than that, the game's pretty linear, with a very defined path. Some secret caches now and then, but still linear. The game's divided in a few, but beefy chapters, and they're actually told like a T.V. show. Speaking of T.V.'s there's a Twilight Zone parody called Night Springs, so be sure to check tellys you find along the way.

Sound:

While not a very memorable soundtrack, at least gameplay wise, it serves it's purpose. It can give a sense of emptiness or that of approaching darkness. The voiceovers are pretty good too. Alan Wake himself usually tells the story at certain points and some enemies actually possess speech, which is unsettling too, reminding us that your enemies were once human. However, I found "Children of the Elder God" and "The Poet and the Muse" to be quite memorable.

Hmm? Whadya know? It wasn't the last one:

*MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwaeOH04GQE

Second song mentioned. I believe there are a couple of slight mistake with the lyrics, however, I find it enjoyable. Maybe you´ll find so too, if you've already played that part, or disregard the *MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT*.

*END MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT*

Visuals:

It plays fine, but does it look fine? Yes, it does. On with it.

Heh...

The visuals help create the atmosphere. Daylight gives a sense of warmth, of safety, and hope, whilst nighttime is an ever present danger, eyes lurking near and far. This contrast helps the narrative go smoothly, as the transitions between day and night keep you prepped for action. Nighttime visuals are fun to look at, especially when you know you're watched, as the screen blurs, giving an extra feeling of nightmare. But, find a shining lamp for refuge, and suddenly all nightmares banish into the light. At least, until you venture into the shadows again.

Last but not least, Replay Value:

You know? I tend to be a bit picky in this subject. For me, good games are those which have a good rating on the aforementioned departments, however, awesome games also score good in this one. Remember Contra? Or Super Mario 64? I still find fun to play these games even after all these years, that's why they're awesome.

Ahem...

So how does Alan Wake score?

Passable.

Yeah, achievements are "nice", giving you some other chances of at least replaying some chapters. But honestly, most of the charm goes away on the first run, since you already know what will happen. There are two special chapters aside from the main story, but since those are DLC, I can't be bothered to check them. I suppose they give the game some extra life, but as I said, I can't be bothered to see for myself.

So there we go, another review sealed and sent for my non-existing readers to, well, read. Comments? Liked it? Hated it? Mind you, it took quite a while to write this, so I'd appreciate a bit more than tl;dr.

-From Zim's Olde Desk. The desktop herself passed away some time ago, so please, pray for her soul. And yes, the blog is still named "Zim's Olde Desktop". She will remain with us in spirit.