The world of Alan Wake is filled with computer-controlled characters that bring the entire story to life, rounding it all out is great voice-acting and a superbly written script. It’s one of those games that feature a light and a dark time frame, both being complete opposites of eachother. The daytime is all about exploring and talking to other in-game characters; the other is where all the action/fighting takes place. By the time the credits rolled we were amazed at how much we enjoyed gaming in both of them, having no real preference over the other. It’s very difficult to be both an adventure game and an action game at the same time, Alan Wake does it and more with seemingly ease (although a 5-year development cycle definitely helps). During those times when action is important, mainly when fighting off the enemies controlled by the darkness, Alan uses a combination of flashlight (upgradeable throughout the game) and weapon to destroy all that come across his path. Weapons range from guns, Army spotlights, flash-bangs, all the way to a full-functioning flare gun. It adds a definitive edge to the combat that a game like Alan Wake needed, helping it to stand out from all the other similar games out there.
Perfecting the switch between flashlight and gun is so imperative to being successful at this game. To take-out an enemy you must first flash them with light, causing the darkness to be cast out of their (or it – when talking about dark-controlled machinery) body and only then will the gun’s bullet be deadly. There is also a dodge system that becomes very helpful as the game progresses in difficulty. Alan Wake is a mix of straight-up action combat, story-driven adventure/exploration, platforming adventures, and even some light puzzle solving thrown in for good-measure. The graphics department is so strong that it only serves to add to the overall experience that is Alan Wake. The lighting system is superb (the developers had no choice but to nail this) and other than some minute frame-rate jumps and a few blurry textures we have no complaints in the looks department. Simply put it's one of the best looking Xbox 360 games out there. Every part of the audio and sound effects is also well done, helping push home the fact that this title was created to scare the daylight out of you. The mix of original musical tracks that we briefly got to experience in-between each episode was both a joy and a reminder that there is no real musical soundtrack to the game; something we would have loved to hear more of.
The town of Bright Falls plays home to this chapter in the story and it’s pulled off beautifully; overall creating an in-game environment that is just as fun to explore as it is to speed through on your way to the final mission. Many times the ended of a game like this doesn’t feel good, this time however we can say that it’s one of those few titles worth finishing. Alan Wake’s release hit home and came at the perfect time for us; hitting the nail on the head as far as what types of games we enjoy playing. More than once it reminded us why we love our job, and what exactly the reasons are that make playing video games fun. More than once Alan Wake reminded us of books, movies, and TV shows that we love and spend hours with every week; it helped merge the video game experience with those other memorable moments. For once a video game was able to show exactly what it means to create something that brings emotion to the gamer; on top of that Alan Wake was just damn fun to play. There are a lot of strong titles hitting the game retailers this year, however, the Xbox 360 exclusive that is the frightening Alan Wake is one that should not be missed (releasing on May 18, 2010).
