Tag Archive: alan wake


EGM Review: Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

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February 23, 2012

Heeeeeeerrrreee’s Alan!

The original Alan Wake wowed audiences with a twisted and unique story that saw an unlikely protagonist rise to the unreal situation he found himself in. And when last we saw Alan, he had sacrificed himself to the Dark Dimension in order to save his beloved wife Alice, taking her place as its hostage.

Flash-forward now two years later. Alan has basically had to scrape together an existence, fighting for his life on a near daily basis in the Dark Dimension, his love for his wife the only thing that keeps him going as he continues to look for a way out. The Dark Dimension satiates itself by feasting on Alan’s creative writing talents, but in the process of being touched by this ethereal power, Alan has acquired some unique abilities all his own, including using his writing to help change the reality of the given situations he finds himself in to better suit his needs. And in this new adventure, where the Dark Dimension has inserted Alan into one of his early writing experiences, a script for the cult-TV show “Night Springs”, Alan must take on his dark side given physical form in the nefarious Mr. Scratch, who taunts Alan by being able to cross between dimensions freely where the barriers are at the weakest, like Cauldron Lake or in this case, the Arizona desert, and threaten everything that Alan has ever loved.

A major goal in developing this game for the guys at Remedy was to try to make American Nightmare accessible to both new and old audiences to the franchise. And I think that by trying to play both sides of the fence, they may have missed their mark a little on each side. Easier to find manuscript pages help fill in the back story to newcomers, while some also flesh out this newest adventure for the series loyalists, but unless you actually experience the first game, a small narrative piece, that many people may not even find all the parts for, doesn’t do the first game’s tremendously original story and adventure justice and newcomers may feel like they’re missing out on something.

Meanwhile, the game does have a lot more of a “pick-up and play” feel to it as the action comes hot and heavy from right after the opening cut scene. This is all well and good as newcomers and veterans alike will enjoy the smooth controls, still awesome “light washing away the dark” dynamic, and the satisfying feeling that comes from dispelling the huge variety of new Taken like the Giant or the Grenadier. The problem that hardcore fans will find though is that after the survival horror aspects of the first game had you hording your strongest light producing materials for more diffcult moments in the game and scrounging for ammo, batteries, and flares, the abundance of self-replenishing ammo boxes in American Nightmare will ruin any chance of building suspense as you never actually feel in danger anymore. Flares, flashbangs, and some new and more powerful weapons not in the first game at all make themselves very readily available right from the get-go (SMG for the win). The challenge that I loved from the first game is completely gone.

Even with these flaws though, there are enough aspects that fans on both sides of the fence will also tremendously enjoy that makes the game a worthwhile purchase considering its 1200 MSP ($15) price tag. Again, the action is very well done and the controls are still tight and responsive enough that each kill or nimble dodge of an axe swipe by Alan feels very satisfying. The new Arcade challenge mode, complete with 10 maps, adds to some of the replay-ability found in the collectible hunting of the main story as you try to work your way up the leaderboard and earn the high score as you refine your Taken bashing skills.

Another brilliant aspect of the game is the TV sets scattered about Night Springs, Arizona. The dynamic of a live-action Mr. Scratch, using the TVs that established “Night Springs” in the first game, to taunt Alan in that classic villain fashion, is almost comical as Scratch is that rare charismatic bad guy who a part of you deep down roots for. There is one where he talks about his “tools of the trade” that was absolutely spectacular. And the use of licensed music in proper moments, especially as a backdrop to these “episodes” is definitely another strong point for the game.  And at the end of the day, it is all part of what is really a very solid story, especially if you look at this as a day in the life of Alan now since he has become trapped in the Dark Dimension.

Although it doesn’t do much in terms of forwarding the overall plot of the franchise and how Alan will hopefully one day escape or destroy the Dark Dimension and its denizens, it gives us a peek into what Alan must endure to hopefully set himself up for the end game and makes us care about the characters even more so than before and gives the series a weird sense of realism considering how far out there it is concept-wise. But one thing that American Nightmare does do in terms of forwarding the franchise’s story is it helps give us the sense that the Dark Dimension is not just some primal entity, but it is conscious of what it does in many ways and is truly alive, giving us a sense of some epic struggle worthy of a Greek mythos as Alan must endure trials and tribulations thrown in his path by some dark and unyielding god before he can finally return home.

There are also some minor nuances I believe that will also be universally panned by both sides of the fence with this game. The voice acting and dialogue outside of the “Night Springs” narrator or the Mr. Scratch TV episodes is bad. Like Japanese-import bad. And there are moments where Alan is surrounded by light, but still has to take on Taken. There is one scene where you are surrounded by a burning oilrig. Last I checked, fire gave off a good amount of light. And there was a lot of fire, and a lot of Taken. Small little gaps in the continuity of the universe like that had me scratching my head some.

All in all though, I think that as a stand alone adventure and a spot check on seeing how Alan was doing, this game did a good job of giving us an idea of the struggles the character is going through and hopefully will serve as the launching point for a bigger and even better story down the road.

SUMMARY: In trying to please everyone, American Nightmare takes a small step back from what made the original Alan Wake an original and enthralling experience, but is still well worth the price of admission for old and new fans alike.

  • THE GOOD: Fluid action and smooth controls
  • THE BAD: Dumbed down, broader appeal approach will turn off hardcore fans
  • THE UGLY: Dialogue worthy of a Japanese import

SCORE: 8.5

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is an XBLA (Xbox 360) exclusive.

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XBLA “House Party” 2012 Lineup Detailed

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January 26, 2012

THE BUZZ: Microsoft announces the full lineup, prices, and “extra incentive” if you purchase all games for their Xbox Live Arcade “House Party” promotion for the first-quarter of 2012.

EGM’S TAKE: Similar to their “Summer of Arcade” promotion, Microsoft is looking to make a splash this first quarter on Xbox Live, keeping up the trend we are seeing of major releases coming out shortly after the New Year instead of sitting on them.

The “House Party” promotion will start on February 15th with the release of Warp from EA for 800 Microsoft Points. Here you play as Zero, a lovable orange alien killing machine with a score to settle. Captured and imprisoned in an underwater facility, you must use stealth and your wits to overcome the harrowing puzzles and lead Zero to freedom.

Next comes a very highly anticipated game here in the EGM office, Alan Wake: American Nightmare for 1200 MSP on February 22nd from Microsoft and developer Remedy Entertainment. Jump back into the shoes of horror writer Alan Wake as new enemies, games modes, and firepower highlight one of the creepier experiences you’re likely to face on your Xbox 360. For our full preview on American Nightmare, click here.

After that you can celebrate the Leap Year on February 29th with Nexuiz from THQ for 800 MSP. This arena based first-person shooter has you take on your opponents in ever-changing hostile environments and mess with the laws of physics.

Finally, wrapping up the event is I Am Alive from Ubisoft on March 7th for 1200 MSP. A year after a worldwide apocalyptic event wipes out most of the world, a man struggles to find his missing family while battling against other survivors in this desolated, dog eat dog world laid out before him. For our full preview on I Am Alive, click here.

Coming to a total of $60 dollars (4000 MSP) for all four games, you’re looking at a pretty quality haul here if you should decide to purchase them all. And if you do, again, much in the same vein as the “Summer of Arcade” promotion, Microsoft will throw in an extra bonus, this time of a credit on your account for an additional 800 MSP that you can use in any way you see fit as an extra reward.

It’s great that Xbox does things like this to really highlight the online marketplace and the fact that they can do it twice a year now shows how much developers are taking it seriously as well. And by putting out such high quality titles like this on a consistent basis, it implores the gamers to actually explore and check out the marketplace a bit more often for those hidden gems that sometimes fall under the radar of events like this. All in all, this looks like a winning lineup for everyone who takes part in it.

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Alan Wake: American Nightmare Preview

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January 15, 2012

After the end of the first Alan Wake and its subsequent DLC, as players, we definitely had more questions than answers. And while Alan Wake: American Nightmare, the downloadable sequel to Alan Wake that will be out from Remedy Entertainment sometime in the beginning of 2012, may finally answer some of those questions, I wouldn’t be surprised if true to form, the game only continues to deepen the mystery before us. Of course, this only made me all the more excited when I got a chance to get a preview of the campaign and the brand new “Fight Till Dawn” mode.

Where the first game took place in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, now Alan finds himself in the deserts of Arizona, and the color palette before us, exploding with reds and oranges, definitely let us know we were in a new locale. It was explained to us that Alan is now living through an episode of Night Springs, the fictional TV show introduced in the first game, that he happened to guest write when he was still starting out as a writer.  Only by going into this previous work of his does he hope to catch Mr. Scratch, a bogeyman in some ways, a charismatic but psychotic serial killer in others, who we first saw in the last Alan Wake DLC. Being an episode of Night Springs, I was also pleasantly surprised to hear that Alan is no longer the primary narrator, but instead the Night Springs narrator will serve that role for the game.

Another key fact I learned was that in the time between games, Alan has come to grips with the fact that he is now a “Champion of Light”, thrown into this surreal war between light and dark, day and night, and he must act as the counterbalance and defeat Scratch, the “Herald of Darkness”. Part of being this champion though is that somehow his words can take on a reality altering effect now, making those missing manuscript pages from the first game even more crucial in this one. The manuscript pages have become so important in fact that aside from being a collectible or adding to the back-story, they actually are key for driving the game forward now.

This page importance played out in the very first objective I saw in our demo, which required Alan to rescue a lady who had locked herself in an auto garage after being chased by the Taken, the darkness possessed individuals from the town, for she had found one of those pages. Something I noticed immediately in our first encounter here with the Taken is that there is several classes of Taken now to provide greater game play variety. Some even have powers, like one I saw in this first batch split up into two and then four copies of himself when light was shone on him. Luckily, I was armed with Alan’s new favorite weapon, a nail gun, and were able to deal with them just as easily as regular Taken, although they did eat up quite a bit of ammo. Another tidbit that really became evident during the first battle was the changes made to the HUD. Alan now has a life bar, a clearer GPS radar, and a larger ammo and weapon icon to help keep track of the item you’re currently using and it was definitely an improvement over the first game’s.

After saving the lady, I learned just what we were able to do with the manuscript pages. Because of Alan’s reality altering powers, aside from predicting events that were about to take place with the pages like in the first game, Alan could now interact with the world around him, taking clues from the pages to instead change things and solve puzzles in the world around him in order to better suit his needs and open up new paths. These paths are also unique as unlike in the first game that had a more linear feel, Alan will set up shop at a central location that will act as a sort of level hub and then go explore his surroundings from there, affording players the chance to explore and re-explore some areas even as necessary.

As I was moved to a further point in the game, Alan was beginning a trek up towards an observatory where he was looking for an astronomer who has clues as to what was going on in the town. Here, I saw the environment begin to have an effect on game play like in the first game. Dead cars and other debris on the path came to life and began to fling itself at Alan, and since the darkness has only been growing stronger since last game, it even tried to bring a chunk of mountain down onto our hero. Since the environmental graphics have been improved since last game, there is actually a lot more stuff that can be flung at Alan now while he travels through the world and so a greater level of suspense is reached as every inanimate object now can become a threat.

Once I reached the observatory, I came face to face with the latest variety of Taken introduced to the game and what the boys from Remedy lovingly refer to as their “answer for Angry Birds”. This new Taken can transform into a flock of crows and quickly move all over the area. He also isn’t nearly as weak against light as many other Taken, but more powerful items like flashbangs, flares, and another new weapon in the crossbow, which can act as a one-hit kill on most enemies, can still dispatch him for you.

After clearing up the mess at the observatory, my story mode demo was finished, and I was salivating for more. Although there was a clear emphasis on more action this time around, the atmosphere from the first game still comes through strongly to give it a bit more of a pulp comic feel and it should be interesting to see what else unfolds in Alan’s world when the full game is released.

But I was far from done. Whereas the first game was all about the story, American Nightmare features a new mode called “Fight Till Dawn” along with what Remedy believes will be a 5-hour campaign. I was able to go hands on with this new mode and true to the game’s atmosphere, it is a one-player mode with Alan fighting for his life. What it really reminded me of though was the challenge maps from Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City as the premise of the mode is for Alan to work through as many waves of enemies as possible in a 10-minute time limit by himself. If he can survive that long, the sun will rise and you will survive.

This game mode is score based though, where you can build combos for every enemy you dispatch and attack you avoid, so if you really want to do well and work your way up the online leaderboards, you’re going to want to try to mow down as many enemies as possible. And with each wave getting harder and harder, you’ll have an interesting dilemma on your hands as you try to decide on whether or not you should run away and try to preserve yourself or dive head first into the fray in order to try to get the best score. Especially since there is a limited amount of items around the map for you to collect and wield against this army of Taken. Remedy also confirmed for us that there would be 10 maps total for the mode at launch, five normal maps and then five Nightmare versions of those maps.

All in all, if you were a fan of the first Alan Wake you’ll probably be surprised by how much content Remedy is fitting into this downloadable sequel to the first game, but still enjoy how far the story will progress. With a stronger emphasis on action though this time around, this could also be a great point to jump into the series for newcomers, especially with less of a financial commitment since it is going to be an XBLA title. All I know is that I can’t wait for American Nightmare to finally be fully playable within the next few months.

What do you folks think? Are you amped for the new Alan Wake game? Are you surprised by it going to an XBLA format? What do you think about the Fight Till Dawn Mode? Let us know with comments below!

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Alan Wake: The Writer DLC Review

Filed under: CGR Undertow — Leave a comment
November 7, 2010

Originally Published: November 1, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com

As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed the final chapter in the first game of what looks to be an ongoing series, the Alan Wake: The Writer DLC.

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Alan Wake review from CGR Undertow

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October 11, 2010

Originally Published: October 6, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com

As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed Remedy Entertainment’s psychological thriller Alan Wake.

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Alan Wake DLC “The Signal” Review

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July 31, 2010

Originally Published: July 30, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com

I admit, the first time I heard the title of the first Alan Wake DLC I immediately flashed back to the end of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman starring Michael Keaton where Commissioner Gordon (played by Pat Hingle) and DA Harvey Dent (played by Billy Dee Williams) are having a press conference to comment on Batman’s actions against the Joker. Dent says that Batman gave them a letter saying should evil ever rise again to strike against the good citizens of Gotham, to call him. Alexander Knox (played by Robert Wuhl) immediately asks, “How do we call him?” and Gordon steps in and yells “HE GAVE US THE SIGNAL!”

Okay, so great childhood movie moments aside, Alan Wake’s “The Signal” DLC picks up right where the main game ended. Serving as the seventh “episode” of the game, it opens up refreshing our memories with the “previously seen on” trailer utilized through the main game and explains exactly what happened at the end in case we weren’t too sure. Alan has succeeded in saving his wife Alice by destroying the darkness’ avatar in the long deceased Barbara Jagger, but in the process has trapped himself within the darkness. Now, in a twisted and constantly shifting dark mirror of Bright Falls, Alan must find a way out of the darkness before succumbing to the encroaching madness while also figuring out what new presence Alan is fighting against that is using shadows of his memories to try to steer him off the proper path.

In order to keep Alan from losing his way, a familiar friend from the main game will immediately intervene upon the start of the new episode. BATMAN! No, sorry, couldn’t resist. Thomas Zane, the first writer who fell victim to the temptations of the darkness, returns in his light bulb decorated diving suit warning Alan he is walking a dangerous path and imparts onto him a new flashlight and a cell phone (chock full of Verizon product placement just like in the main game as well). Zane orders Alan to follow the phone’s GPS signal (hence the title of the DLC) to a safe haven in the darkness where they can discuss events up to this point and try to work out a way for Alan to escape. It is here that Alan begins to square off against some familiar foes as well as some new obstacles as he tries to escape the darkness and unravel the mystery of why he became trapped after saving Alice.

If you enjoyed Alan Wake the first time, then this DLC will only prove to suck you back into the enthralling story with another twist ending that will have you counting down the days until the story’s conclusion DLC “The Writer” is released in September. And if you thought the enemies were difficult before, “The Signal” only ramps up the intensity by throwing more at you in this single episode than were probably in the entire main game. Luckily, some of the twisted and unusual areas you stumble across in the dark mirror of Bright Falls have some environmental helps that can even the odds and help you save ammo.

Added into this DLC is a dynamic you saw in the darkness at the end of the main game where typed words were floating in the air and if you shined your light on them, they came into reality. Now though, instead of simple scenery, you’ll need to rely on this dynamic to help find extra ammo, batteries, and maybe trigger a few traps for the possessed shadows looking to drag Alan into eternal darkness. Of course, the words can also be used against Alan as sometimes “enemy” or “possessed” are floating around as well and this can make your life even more difficult if you’re not careful with your flashlight during a fight. Could the words be a way of Thomas Zane and this mysterious new presence battling each other over Alan? Maybe we’ll find out in “The Writer”.

All in all, the only downside to this DLC is that it is only about the same length as any single episode from the main game and should not take most gamers more than 90 minutes to blow through. There is some replay value in that the DLC does include an extra eight achievements worth 250 possible Gamerscore and they will most likely take you two or three playthroughs to collect them all, but aside from that, those just obsessed with the story won’t have a lot to come back to this for. Then again, for a DLC that was free to everyone who bought the game brand new means I can’t really complain about the lack of product. As of now though, “The Writer” looks like it will cost users 560 Microsoft points (about $8) in September so if you want to get the full ending of Alan Wake, it will cost you a few extra bones in the end.

With the same great voice acting and graphics and more of the tremendous story that can’t help but suck you in, I don’t see how anyone could not want to download this free DLC. As for “The Writer”, well, you’ll just have to stay tuned here for our full report. Same Alan Wake time, same Alan Wake channel! I couldn’t help myself.

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From My Mom’s Basement – Ep 22 – Ray, Wake Up!

Filed under: From My Mom's Basement — Leave a comment
June 6, 2010

Originally Published: May 11, 2010, on NationalLampoon.com, Lundberg.me, and SportsRev.TV

This week I reviewed Iron Man 2: The Game, Alan Wake for Xbox 360, and Brightest Day #1. My hot chick pick of the week is UFC Ring Girl, Arianny Celeste.

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Worst Writers Block Ever

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Originally Published: May 11, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com, PlayerAffinity.com, and Examiner.com

A lot of times nowadays, plot is an afterthought when it comes to making games. It’s more about explosions, big guns, and an endless swarm of enemies to mow down. What would happen though if you had a writer as your main character and the plot was the entire premise of the game? You would probably have something along the lines of Remedy Entertainment’s newest Xbox 360 exclusive, Alan Wake. Alan Wake follows the title character through his mundane life as he struggles with a horrible case of writers block. It’s been two years since Alan has written anything of note and he is plagued by insomnia and nightmares. Finally, at the behest of his wife Alice, Alan decides to take a vacation with her to the quiet and tranquil town of Bright Falls in Washington.

Alan immediately feels out of place as a city boy in this rural backwater town. Everyone from the local radio DJ to the waitress at the main street diner begin to swoon over the great Alan Wake’s presence as he realizes this is probably the closest thing most of these people ever get to touching Hollywood. Alan rushes to find the local grease monkey who seems to be in charge of his cabin’s key, but comes across a haunting old woman instead who says the mechanic is indisposed at the moment, but left the key for him with her.

Alan takes it without thinking twice and heads with Alice for the cabin on the lake. But things quickly go awry when night comes. The power goes out, Alice disappears, and before Alan knows it, he is sitting behind the wheel of his wrecked car and has no idea what has happened to him. All he knows is that he keeps stumbling across pages from a manuscript he can’t remember writing and that he needs to find Alice. A mysterious dark presence though is working to make sure that our writer friend does not accomplish his mission and goes about possessing the normally peaceful townsfolk of Bright Falls and moving them into Alan’s path. As Alan begins moving against the dark presence though, he also comes to realize that the manuscript he keeps stumbling across seems to have some precognitive abilities as he tries to shed some light on the puzzle laid out before him.

I really can’t say anymore beyond that without giving away the entire plot, but when they describe Alan Wake as a psychological thriller, they mean it. With more plot twists than a Twizzler, Alan Wake will have you on the edge of your seat as you get sucked into Alan’s world and you addictively play your way through the six episodes that comprise the game.

And I do mean episodes. With heavy inspiration from shows like Lost, Twin Peaks, and The X-Files, Alan Wake is set up like a television show or HBO miniseries considering how long it’ll probably take your average gamer to get through each one. With full previous episode recaps, theme music, and cliffhanger endings, Alan Wake is an accomplishment in video game storytelling and will have conspiracy theorists out there talking about it like several of the shows it drew its inspiration from.

Alan Wake isn’t just a spectacularly laid out story though. The gameplay is top notch for the most part as well. The townsfolk who are possessed by the dark energy live in the shadows and can come from almost anywhere. This gives you the stress of a survival horror’s gameplay, but with a new factor of unpredictability as an enemy can literally come from any source of darkness, continuing the psychological thriller theme as you begin to dread looking around every new corner. Another aspect of this is that later in the game, not only are people becoming possessed, but also animals and even inanimate objects that violently hurl themselves in your path.

Since all of your enemies are comprised of shadows, Alan Wake incorporates a brilliant new way of fighting these unusual enemies as well. A shotgun or rifle is no longer you’re greatest weapon, it is flares and flashlights. You must use whatever light sources you can find to wear down the shadow shields many of the possessed cloak themselves in before you can fire away with conventional weaponry. Your flashlight also works as an aiming sight for your weapons in order to eliminate any need for a conventional aiming system seen in most third person shooters. Even if you run of ammo though, a plethora of batteries for your flashlight could mean the difference between life and death as enemies can be held at bay with your light long enough for you to either find more ammo or to make it to a safe haven. The light vs. dark system also means usually useless weapons can become juggernauts. Flash bang grenades can clear entire screens of enemies and a flare gun can become like a grenade launcher as they give off enough light to completely burn away the possessed.

There were a couple of problems I had with the gameplay though. The combat system was a little faulty in that the shadows are still clinging to actual people and in theory a head shot should do more damage than shots to the legs or torso and this was not the case. It became frustrating that three head shots with a pistol did the same amount of damage as three shots to the arm with the same weapon.

Another frustrating thing was that the game incorporated a radar system in order to keep the player from getting completely lost in the massive Pacific Northwest wilderness that the game created. It was a nice feature, but I felt myself obsessing over it and it nudged me away from exploring as much as I should have.

There was also a couple of problems with the graphics. Although spectacular in many ways, from lighting effects that were obviously crucial to the gameplay mechanics to water and other environment effects, there were only maybe 10 enemy character models for the entire game. With a game that will probably take most gamers 12-15 hours to complete on hard mode, to see the same handful of models thrown at us, especially later in the game, was a sad sight indeed.

The wilderness also seemed to blend together sometimes. I understand that most of the game takes place in poorly lit areas, but for a lot of what you could see, it seemed like many of the bushes, trees, and dilapidated buildings you come across were not as crisp or eye-popping as they could have been.

The audio for the game was solid, but not spectacular. The original score and licensed music for the game really helped with the whole TV show feel and the SFX were spot-on, but the voice acting was only par with what we’ve come to expect nowadays. I’m not saying we needed Nolan North to play Alan Wake (since he seems to play every single other male video game character out there), but the voice acting seemed almost a little forced at times from many of the characters.

Another positive for the game though is the replay value. Unlocking a “Nightmare” difficulty upon completion of your first playthrough, this new mode allows you a chance to collect additional pages of the mystical manuscript. There are also coffee thermoses and other collectibles to still gather after beating the game and there is some DLC guaranteed. What the DLC will garner, whether entirely new episodes or rumors of a multiplayer mode, we will have to wait and see. I admit, normally I would need a little more than that to garner a game’s replay value a positive, but the story is so good that any hope that it won’t end is indeed a positive for me.

All in all, Alan Wake is a game that stays with you. You become emotionally invested in these characters and that is a testament to the story laid out before you. Alan Wake is one of the best written games I’ve come across in a long time and if they plan on doing a sequel, hopefully it won’t be delayed as much as this first game was. Add in a creative combat system and only a few minor complaints keep this from being gaming perfection.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 7.0: Repetitive enemy models and poor shrubbery knocks this down. Solid otherwise.

Audio: 8.0: The licensed music and original score was fantastic, but the voice acting was a little lackluster and that keeps this from being a higher score.

Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: I can’t remember the last time I gave a perfect score to the story of a game, but I loved every second of it as played out before me.

Gameplay: 8.0: If I shoot a character in the head I want a logical explanation for him not to drop immediately. The radar also could have been tweaked. At least it wasn’t dust on the ground like in Fable II though.

Replay Value: 6.5: No multiplayer, but the hopes of it and new episodes in DLC keeps this respectable. Include extra difficulties and lots of collectibles and there is enough here to make you want to experience this nightmare at least twice.

Overall (not an average): 9.0: One of the best written stories I’ve ever played, Alan Wake is an accomplishment in video game storytelling. Only a few minor complaints keep this from being perfect, but this is definitely a must buy for most gamers and a must experience for all.

Alan Wake will be available for Xbox 360 on May 18th, 2010.

-Ray Carsillo

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Waking Up into a Nightmare

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June 5, 2010

Originally Published: February 19, 2010, on Lundberg.me, Examiner.com, Original-Gamer.com, and 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

It was one of the most talked about titles from E3 2009 and after several delays, psychological thriller fans will finally see their dreams turn into living nightmares on May 18, 2010, with the long anticipated release of Alan Wake for the Xbox 360.

For those of you caught unawares, Alan Wake sees the title character, a horror writer, and his wife taking a vacation in a tranquil Pacific Northwestern city trying to help Alan overcome his writer’s block. Once in the town though, Alan starts having nightmares and wakes up one night to find his wife is missing and a story he can’t remember writing has come to life. As Alan scrounges about the wilderness collecting pages from his otherworldly novel, trying to find his wife and unravel the mystery of where the book came from, he must combat members of the community who have been consumed by a poltergeist-like darkness.

Done in a cinematic like style that sees each level of Alan’s exploration broken down into something like episodes out of the X-Files (even with a nice little narrator’s “On the last episode of…” montage between levels), Alan Wake is a story that can’t help but pull you in.

On that note, I had a chance to catch up with the man behind the story of Alan Wake, Remedy Entertainment Lead Writer Sam Lake.

Alan Wake Preview – Ray Carsillo w/ Lead Writer Sam Lake
Video by Jared Bodden

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Alan Wake Delayed Again, Dead Rising 2 Release Date Confirmed

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May 31, 2010

Originally Published: February 11, 2010, on Examiner.com

Two of the year’s most anticipated titles have new release dates, and neither is as soon as were previously hoped.

At today’s X10, the Xbox 360 centered video game expo, being held in San Francisco, the folks from Remedy Entertainment announced that the industry wide speculated release date of April 13th for Alan Wake was false and that their anxiously awaited, episodic psychological thriller for the Xbox 360 and PC, would not see store shelves until May 18th.

Not really a surprise considering how many delays this game has seen since its original announcement, what is another month to those willing to shell out the $59.99 for it?

For those of you caught unawares, Alan Wake sees the title character, a horror writer, and his wife taking a vacation in a tranquil Pacific Northwestern city trying to help Alan overcome his writer’s block. Once in the town though, Alan starts having nightmares and wakes up one night to find his wife is missing and a story he can’t remember writing has come to life. As Alan scrounges about the wilderness collecting pages from his otherworldly novel, trying to find his wife and unravel the mystery of where the book came from, he must combat members of the community who have been consumed by a poltergeist-like darkness.

Done in a cinematic like style that sees each level of Alan’s exploration broken down into something like episodes out of the X-Files (even with a nice little narrator’s “On the last episode of…” montage between levels), Alan Wake is a story that can’t help but pull you in.

I had a chance to play a short demo of the first couple of levels where Alan must use any light source he can find to wane the darkness off of the townspeople he encounters before giving them a proper beating. From what I saw, the game could use an extra month of tweaking. It seemed as if the audio in some of the cinematic scenes was out of sync with the gameplay and the game glitches at the worst possible moments for the survival horror like action sequences. Maybe I had the displeasure of picking up an older demo, but with any luck this game will finally see the light of day come May 18th and with all the rough edges smoothed out.

In other release date news, Capcom removed the Q1 label from their next highly anticipated foray into survival horror, Dead Rising 2. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Q1 was an optimistically unrealistic time period and so Capcom announced that Dead Rising 2 will hit North America on August 31st, 2010, with Japan getting it September 2nd and Europe September 3rd.

Not much else was revealed from Capcom besides screenshots and trailers that had already been released, but the fact that the game has a solid date now that actually lands in this calendar year is just another reason to this New Yorker that the summer months can’t get here soon enough.

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