[kuze]

Originally Posted by D.C.

The first piece of Alan Wake DLC will be released on July 27, according to Kotaku. It's called The Signal. There's no detail on what it's going to be about, which is probably a good thing considering the game hasn't been released yet. It's free for anyone who buys the game new.

I really hope it isn't going to be a new fancy signal flare gun, but rather a whole episode.

[Hammerite]

I'd probably rather the game didn't depend on the continual release of DLCs, to be honest... the episodic format really isn't that great, in my opinion.

[kuze]

Originally Posted by Hammerite

I'd probably rather the game didn't depend on the continual release of DLCs, to be honest... the episodic format really isn't that great, in my opinion.

For this game, the format is great. It really feels like a thriller TV show that makes you want more after each episode.

[Hammerite]

Yeah, but the main worry is that it would be like the Half-Life 2 episodes... designed to limit delays, and failing completely.

[kuze]

Originally Posted by Hammerite

Yeah, but the main worry is that it would be like the Half-Life 2 episodes... designed to limit delays, and failing completely.

You think if HL2 wasn't episodic, we would have seen more of the Half Life universe? I highly doubt that.

[Hammerite]

Fair dues, mate, fair dues.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

All six episodes of Bright Falls now available online | Joystiq

If you're hoping to get acquainted with the world of Alan Wake before the game's extremely imminent release, you may want to watch the six-part mini-series Bright Falls, all of which is now available on Machinima's YouTube channel. Regardless of whether or not you understand a lick of what transpires during the Twin Peaks-esque series, it's still a really well-made tie-in, and gives a great sense of the unsettling environments the titular Wake will be exploring.

If you want more information about Bright Falls after viewing the series, we suggest checking out our interview with co-writer and director Phillip Van.

[MoP]

Weird, they're available on YouTube before the brightfalls.com site?

[kuze]

I've finished Alan Wake, and I must say, it's one of those few games that have really impressed me.

First of all, if you are a Stephen King and/or Twin Peaks fan, don't look at reviews. Just buy it. It feels like a book, like a really well made TV show at times, and every detail has been given a lot of attention. But what really makes it unique is its atmosphere: it's so dense you can almost touch it; I felt like I was visiting twin peaks - the visuals, the people, Wake himself, they all felt so real.

Yes, there is combat, and lots of it. Yes, it might get tiresome. It's not bad though, and it is well implemented. Yes, I might have enjoyed more exploring - but I haven't been following the game since it has been announced, so I didn't have any expectations. Having found out just now that it was supposed to become an open world game, I'm not sure they could have made it as thrilling as it is now. I felt like I was reading early King, and I love early King - his style, his stories, everything about it. And not many games made me feel like that.

Overall, I feel that it is an adventure in the true sense of the word: a great, thrilling, twisted story, an unresolved mystery, a strong lead. And if I didn't have to combine any cats with cell phones - maybe it's for the best.

[ggreen737]

Originally Posted by kuze

I've finished Alan Wake, and I must say, it's one of those few games that have really impressed me.

First of all, if you are a Stephen King and/or Twin Peaks fan, don't look at reviews. Just buy it. It feels like a book, like a really well made TV show at times, and every detail has been given a lot of attention. But what really makes it unique is its atmosphere: it's so dense you can almost touch it; I felt like I was visiting twin peaks - the visuals, the people, Wake himself, they all felt so real.

Yes, there is combat, and lots of it. Yes, it might get tiresome. It's not bad though, and it is well implemented. Yes, I might have enjoyed more exploring - but I haven't been following the game since it has been announced, so I didn't have any expectations. Having found out just now that it was supposed to become an open world game, I'm not sure they could have made it as thrilling as it is now. I felt like I was reading early King, and I love early King - his style, his stories, everything about it. And not many games made me feel like that.

Overall, I feel that it is an adventure in the true sense of the word: a great, thrilling, twisted story, an unresolved mystery, a strong lead. And if I didn't have to combine any cats with cell phones - maybe it's for the best.

Haha, great stuff! From everything I've heard it sounds like it turned out to be 95% of what I wanted, now I just need to play it. Thanks for the review.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Greetings from Amazon.com.

We thought you'd like to know that we shipped your items, and that this
completes your order:


1 Alan Wake: Limited Edition

It'll be at my doorstep tomorrow, which is N/A release date.

And I still hadn't finished Splinter Cell: Conviction and Heavy Rain yet.

[DustyShinigami]

I got it last Thursday and I've been taking my time with it. I think I'm working my way from the mines in Episode 3. I like how it's done in episodes.

I'm liking the game. The story is interesting to follow, it's atmospheric, there are loads of collectables to find and a detailed and creepy world (or should I say, forests) to explore. Forget Barrow Hill's woods, head to Bright Falls'...

The combat is alright, but the dodge mechanic can be a bit irritating at times. Timing it just right isn't really the problem, it's being whacked by the Taken when you can't see them or when you're trying to do something. And I find the voice acting to range from good to above-average. I certainly haven't been feeling any emotional connection to the characters so far.

[teme]

I've played three episodes now. Somehow I feel like this game doesn't use the amazing gameworld of Bright Falls as well as it could. Bright Falls is such an atmospheric town and the whole area has lots of potential, but the gameplay is mostly running and shooting stuff in forest at night time. The daytime play is probably only about 5-10%. I think 50/50 ratio would have been so much better, 50% of exploring during daytime, and 50% of fighting/shooting at night time.

[D.C.]

I've been playing Alan Wake for a couple of hours now. This game is exceptional. I love the atmosphere and the mystery. I love the episodic structure. I love the creepy small town vibe. It's more than lived up to my expectations so far. There's definately a Stephen King vibe here too.

I'm going to take my time playing through -- savour the awesomeness and all that.

[DustyShinigami]

Looks like a novel adaption is being done.

[Lucien21]

Finished it. http://www.adventuregamers.com/forum...postcount=1293

It's a shame it had so much potential. I guess there were too many cool ideas and promises along the way that the bog standard shoot em up that we got was dissapointing.

[SamandMax]

I'm finally getting around to playing this and I'm loving it. I really wasn't expecting to like the action stuff as much as I am but I think Remedy nailed it, there's a certain rhythm to the fights that I love where you have to time your dodges, flashlight, flares and bullets perfectly in order to effeciently survive wave after wave of attackers. I highly recommend that anyone who is going to play this to play it on Nightmare, the hardest difficulty. That's the best way to enjoy the combat because it forces you to master the rhythm and timing and adds a real sense of tension to each fight. Play on a lower difficulty and you're not really getting the full experience of the combat, which is a shame because it makes up about 90% of the game.

The other 10% of the game feels a bit off. The open world elements that were originally in the game were taken out, so all of the daytime portions of the game feel a bit gutted. It's clear at one time you were supposed to drive to all the locations you visit (pretty much every cutscene ends with a car pulling up or driving off) so all the locations they warp you to are usually linear to a fault. Playing the game, it's clear why they took them out - it would've been absolutely dull to drive around this beautiful but empty world - but it still feels a little rough because there are still traces of it left in.

[UPtimist]

Originally Posted by SamandMax

it would've been absolutely dull to drive around this beautiful but empty world.

Some people like that sort of thing though (like me, to a certain extent)

[SamandMax]

Originally Posted by UPtimist

Some people like that sort of thing though (like me, to a certain extent)

I love that sort of thing too, and I was disappointed when they said that they had removed the open world stuff last year, but I really, really think they made the right choice in cutting it out. Alan Wake is an action game at heart (probably more than we expected/hoped), and unless the open world can keep the pace up or provide it's own thrills, it'd just be one long loading screen as you drove from level to level.

[Hamham Chan]

I heard somewhere that when you save your game, you can't use a memory card, is this true?
I hope not cause I have a regular X-box without a harddrive. '