CalvinCrack
Banned
I'm replaying the game right now on PC and am so blown away by the graphics and atmosphere. Gameplay is surprisingly fun too (and i say 'surprisingly' since so many horror games just go for atmosphere)
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
LTTP: Alan Wake
- Thread starter Silky
- Start date
Seriously. I just don't get what people see in it.
It's like everyone else except for a select few people played a completely different game.
CrazedArabMan
Member
Different strokes. Game gained much more popularity when it was released on PC and gathered more of a following, just not a game for you I guess. As said, it has become a Cult Classic type of game.
dragonbane
Member
Alright game.
It's like opinions can differ.
I personally found the storytelling engaging, the visuals often beautiful, and the ominous atmosphere absolutely impeccable. I played it on Nightmare difficulty off the bat (which I strongly recommend if you have the PC version) and the combat as a result was a tense affair, with brutal, hard-hitting enemies that took a lot of punishment and kept you on your toes, and added to the general oppressive feel.
Every time the screen got dark and the inky shadows surrounding you started to dance and waver, you knew that it was on, and every pool of light from a car or lamppost was heaven-sent (a similar feeling in some ways to getting to a bonfire your first time through Dark Souls).
What I would have preferred in Nightmare difficulty is for ammo to be more scarce, so that it'd lean more towards survival horror. But overall a great experience, and it's sad there's no Alan Wake 2 in the works just yet.
mr teaspoon
Member
Alan Wake is maybe my favorite game of this gen. One of those cases where every emotion the devs wanted me to feel hit 100%.
The city and the atmosphere were absolutely wonderful. Something about the concept of light being a safe haven worked so well, the feeling of just barely making it to the warm, safe glow of a street light....and especially 'the well lit room'.
And the ending cinematic of the first episode, screen goes black....cue end credits and 'In Dreams' begins playing......ugh, truly one of the finest moments in gaming I've ever had, my jaw was on the floor.
edit: And oh yeah, I found out later that the game was released on my birthday, further driving home the 'this game was sent by the cosmos for me' feeling.
The city and the atmosphere were absolutely wonderful. Something about the concept of light being a safe haven worked so well, the feeling of just barely making it to the warm, safe glow of a street light....and especially 'the well lit room'.
And the ending cinematic of the first episode, screen goes black....cue end credits and 'In Dreams' begins playing......ugh, truly one of the finest moments in gaming I've ever had, my jaw was on the floor.
edit: And oh yeah, I found out later that the game was released on my birthday, further driving home the 'this game was sent by the cosmos for me' feeling.
I recently played this for the first time a few months back.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, and setting but I was pretty ticked off at losing my weapons whenever Remedy felt I needed to. Really broke the immersion of the game, wasn't a fan of any character but Alan, they all felt one-note to me. I ended up thinking it was a solid, yet unspectacular game and didn't check out either DLCs or American Nightmare as of yet.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, and setting but I was pretty ticked off at losing my weapons whenever Remedy felt I needed to. Really broke the immersion of the game, wasn't a fan of any character but Alan, they all felt one-note to me. I ended up thinking it was a solid, yet unspectacular game and didn't check out either DLCs or American Nightmare as of yet.
purpletentacle
Member
My favorite game of this gen. Still sticks with me to this day, especially that atmosphere. AN was fun too.
Liked Alan Wake a lot, and American Nightmare was pretty fun too, if a little samey. Was great to hear some more Poets of the Fall in the soundtrack too (after "Late Goodbye" way back when in Max Payne 2).
Really bums me out that Remedy have gone first-party, though. The wait for Alan Wake to hit PC was bad enough, so I won't be holding my breath for Quantum Break.
Really bums me out that Remedy have gone first-party, though. The wait for Alan Wake to hit PC was bad enough, so I won't be holding my breath for Quantum Break.
Beerman462
Member
I loved Alan Wake/American Nightmare on PC. I hope the sequels make it to PC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7YZxOA0gw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7YZxOA0gw
LonelyGreyWolf
Banned
One of the best games of all time. The DLC is also great but in my opinion it's not as good as the main game. There's less character interaction. The Writer is the better of the two I think, but it does have too much imprecise platforming.
American Nightmare has better variety in terms of both weapons and enemies, but over-all it's a much worse game. The atmosphere, story, characters etcetera is nowhere near as good as in AW. It's more open though.
American Nightmare has better variety in terms of both weapons and enemies, but over-all it's a much worse game. The atmosphere, story, characters etcetera is nowhere near as good as in AW. It's more open though.
yeah, finished the game last year for the first time. there's plenty of good stuff in there, but overall I think, it's nothing more than a decent game.
there are certain things that really bugged me. the light at the beginning, explaining what's going on, is probably the WORST kind of tutorial ever. then there are all those coffee thermos, which is yeah, it's probably there to make the game more "gamey" - but you could still implement it into the overall story/character, after all the very first thermos you steal in the diner!
things the game does right was the disappearing arsenal of weapons when the night's over. that way you can't hoard yourself silly into later chapters. splitting it up in those chapters works really well too. I played one per day, which helped with dealing with the repetitiveness of the combat/nightly forest jogging.
with a little more exploration and character interactivity during the day would've made the game so much better!
there are certain things that really bugged me. the light at the beginning, explaining what's going on, is probably the WORST kind of tutorial ever. then there are all those coffee thermos, which is yeah, it's probably there to make the game more "gamey" - but you could still implement it into the overall story/character, after all the very first thermos you steal in the diner!
things the game does right was the disappearing arsenal of weapons when the night's over. that way you can't hoard yourself silly into later chapters. splitting it up in those chapters works really well too. I played one per day, which helped with dealing with the repetitiveness of the combat/nightly forest jogging.
with a little more exploration and character interactivity during the day would've made the game so much better!
You should play the DLC, one of them is decent and the other is great.
As for American Nightmare, it has a very different atmosphere and tone to the main game. I wasn't too fond of the atmosphere and setting much, but the story is still good and the gameplay is significantly improved.
As for American Nightmare, it has a very different atmosphere and tone to the main game. I wasn't too fond of the atmosphere and setting much, but the story is still good and the gameplay is significantly improved.
Great potential ruined (a bit) by way too much shooting/action and respawning enemies. Still a great, great game that could've been even better if it was just an adventure. Certainly one of my favorites this gen.
The DLC "The Signal" however was simply horrible.
Btw...on a completely unrelated note: Was I the only one who was bothered by the fact that the Mr. Wake wore the same exact clothes in the sequences that take place about 5 or more years in the past? Little details like that kinda piss me off. So you're telling me that he has been wearing the same exact clothes for 6 years straight?
The DLC "The Signal" however was simply horrible.
Btw...on a completely unrelated note: Was I the only one who was bothered by the fact that the Mr. Wake wore the same exact clothes in the sequences that take place about 5 or more years in the past? Little details like that kinda piss me off. So you're telling me that he has been wearing the same exact clothes for 6 years straight?
Blue Ninja
Member
Bought this game in the Humble Bundle earlier this year. Fantastic experience. Haven't played American Nightmare yet, but I definitely will.
I'm seriously disappointed a sequel hasn't materialized yet by now. The atmosphere in Alan Wake is one of the best I've ever seen in a videogame.
I'm seriously disappointed a sequel hasn't materialized yet by now. The atmosphere in Alan Wake is one of the best I've ever seen in a videogame.
Black Mantis
Member
One of the best games I've played this gen, really hope Remedy go back to it after QB drops.
Decent but fell short of being great for me. The core engine and combat was excellent, but too little is hung on them.
It's a shame because the core is good (particularly on PC the game looks great although on 360 I thought it looked too muddy) but perhaps because they lost a ton of time and development money pursuing an open world story driven narrative before collapsing back to a linear shooter Remedy simply didn't deliver enough content and variety.
Right up there with Assassin's Creed for a title that feels a little unfinished but has great premise and promise - just the way it goes one franchise went huge and the other cult I guess.
BTW DLC is pretty good and American Nightmare fun enough in a shlocky way - given it is really more of an exaggerated take on pulp horror coupled with a method of putting combat front and centre in some ways it's more fun (if a heck of a lot shallower and derivative) than AW itself.
I would love to have seen a true Twin Peaks type narrative with some combat in open world with the tech they developed but alas it wasn't to be.
- The story is too simple for the TV Episide format - more content, reveals and twists needed for that. After a fairly engaging start the whole narrative runs out of steam pretty early although the final elements did liven it up a bit.
- The gameplay is way repetitive and Remedy simply couldn't seem to think of how to achieve variation (or didn't have time to do so)
- Even as a thriller vs a horror story given the setup and atmosphere there is way too much combat and not enough other stuff
It's a shame because the core is good (particularly on PC the game looks great although on 360 I thought it looked too muddy) but perhaps because they lost a ton of time and development money pursuing an open world story driven narrative before collapsing back to a linear shooter Remedy simply didn't deliver enough content and variety.
Right up there with Assassin's Creed for a title that feels a little unfinished but has great premise and promise - just the way it goes one franchise went huge and the other cult I guess.
BTW DLC is pretty good and American Nightmare fun enough in a shlocky way - given it is really more of an exaggerated take on pulp horror coupled with a method of putting combat front and centre in some ways it's more fun (if a heck of a lot shallower and derivative) than AW itself.
I would love to have seen a true Twin Peaks type narrative with some combat in open world with the tech they developed but alas it wasn't to be.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Replayed this with the fiancee' and she really enjoyed it. I think it's my 7th playthrough now. Just love the visuals, atmosphere, and the idea behind it. Sure people got tired of the Washington forest setting, but I just loved it. Sad 2 is either never going to come or on indefinite hold. 
"Stephen King ripoff" Kept goign through my head during all of the story sections... probably because Alan himself is a bog standard protagonist from his books. Writer with a block overuses drugs or alcohol in a setting that is against him.
Game wasn't scary, but it did have tons of tedious encounters with boring enemies. The flying objects and possessed vehicles were more fun to deal with than 'stabby shadow dude' #23485904.
The art direction and environmental design was great. Unfortunately, many the characters were horribly animated
I would give it a 4/10, If not for the pretty levels it would be a 2-3.
Game wasn't scary, but it did have tons of tedious encounters with boring enemies. The flying objects and possessed vehicles were more fun to deal with than 'stabby shadow dude' #23485904.
The art direction and environmental design was great. Unfortunately, many the characters were horribly animated
I would give it a 4/10, If not for the pretty levels it would be a 2-3.
This came as a download with my 360 a few years back, and I knew nothing about it other than spending a long time in development. I really liked it, though the combat did get repetitive and it's positively brutal on higher difficulty. The DLCs were pretty cool too, but I never got around to checking out that XBLA game. Don't know that this is for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
If nothing else, hearing people compare this to Twin Peaks got me to sit down and watch Twin Peaks, so that was a definite plus to my life.
If nothing else, hearing people compare this to Twin Peaks got me to sit down and watch Twin Peaks, so that was a definite plus to my life.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
You're in for some fun times if you liked the rest of the game. To me and many others its one of the best episodes in the game. (Personally, second best to me, with Episode 4 being my personal favorite).
First off, as everyone else in this thread has said: PLAY THE DLC. It's actually really good.
Second off, Alan Wake is one of my favorite games this gen. It's just so damn good. Definitely my favorite story this generation. The gameplay is surprisingly fun, too, once you "get" the fact that Alan isn't a superhero.
Anyway, all around great experience. Just wanted to chime in. I really hope Remedy continues this series. American Nightmare was good, but more of a spin-off in my opinion, it lacked the eerie mystery of the original.
Second off, Alan Wake is one of my favorite games this gen. It's just so damn good. Definitely my favorite story this generation. The gameplay is surprisingly fun, too, once you "get" the fact that Alan isn't a superhero.
Anyway, all around great experience. Just wanted to chime in. I really hope Remedy continues this series. American Nightmare was good, but more of a spin-off in my opinion, it lacked the eerie mystery of the original.
Sleeping Lesson
Member
What really contributed to Alan Wake's appeal was all the extra-game media that surrounded it, from The Alan Wake Files short story to the 30-minute prequel Bright Falls, I was fully immersed into the world of Alan Wake by the time I played the game.
One of my favorite games of all time, despite its flaws.
One of my favorite games of all time, despite its flaws.
popsicle_sundays
Member
Played and beat it 3 times on X360, loved every minute of it. Remedy is always really good with engulfing you in the environment with little details.
DeadManWalking
Member
Absolutely love this game. I still have my collectors edition. DLC was ok.
Sylvrfonic
Member
I am surprised and a little relieved to see that there was a couple of people that couldn't get into it. I purchased the game, couldn't stand it and returned it (7 day gamestop "rental"). Then after reading such positivity about the game from the community I purchased the game on live. Same thing, couldn't stand it. I felt like the camera was the main enemy.
It's healthy that we have so many titles that appeal to some and not to others. But, I really wish that I could see what everyone liked about this game. Sadly, it is my loss.
It's healthy that we have so many titles that appeal to some and not to others. But, I really wish that I could see what everyone liked about this game. Sadly, it is my loss.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
I don't think not liking it is surprising. Reviews when they came back were mixed between really positive to middling, and it strikes me as a love it/hate it game, even when playing it. It is a game that tackles some things pretty badly and other things pretty fantastically, and as such depending on what you're looking for in the game, it'll either be a wonderful or boring ride.
What I like about Alan Wake is a mixture between the atmosphere, the exploration, the intelligent B-horror narrative (by which I use to describe B-horror films which are B-territory, but not because they're so bad they're good, they're good, just hammy), and while combat is tedious, it implores a fun system of crowd-control. I have much more fun playing the game and not killing enemies or focusing on combat that I do decking it and learning how to run and manage crowds in most scenarios. Music is pretty great, and there's a sort of feel to the game that I think catches the tone of its setting which I haven't felt in any other game, so it has a unique atmosphere and feel to it.
I found it to be a miserable, exhausting game. The story didn't really grab me, so I was left with awkward shooting, lots of walking around, and the occasional "puzzle." The graphics were very nice, it ran well on my machine, and the overall production values were good, but that's really the only praise I have for it.
High point of the game for me was the
in chapter 4, since it was a really fun moment and the actual mechanics seemed to gel for a little bit there. Unfortunate that it went straight back to boring afterwards, though.
High point of the game for me was the
rock concert battle
Yeah, I agree for the most part. The reviews seemed like it was very hit or miss for most people. I personally loved it, for reasons, like you said mostly had to do with the atmosphere, tension, pacing, and simple-yet-fun crowd-control combat (which got a little boring near the end, if I'm being honest). But yeah, definitely the feel is what I like most about it. The story was, for me, really interesting, too. But I love that weird Twin Peaks-style stuff to begin with.
Twin Tails
Member
This game is fantastic and one of my favorite games this Gen. American nightmare is alright. Love the FMV.
tryagainlater
Member
Didn't like it but the plot was pretty interesting. I remember a part in a nursing home I think that was cool.
I've usually pegged you as someone who has similar tastes to my own. Kinda legitimately surprised that you didn't like Alan Wake, and that you thought the shooting was awkward. It's got some of the most intelligent shooting I've ever seen.
The actual shooting mechanics felt great, they were just hampered by the scenarios you have to use them for. My biggest issue was with the game shoving a huge number of enemies in your face at close range, which generally caused combat to devolve into spamming dodge and trying to gun down the strongest enemy in sight before you get stunlocked by a dozen of his generic friends.
Great gun-and-flashlight-play, awkward encounters.
ChawlieTheFair
pip pip cheerio you slags!
Really liked the gameplay and graphics were fantastic, but the story wasn't very gripping, mostly because I didn't care about any of the characters.