Alan WAKE ME UP!!!

[4]

Hell yeah man. I burned through that bad boy the moment I saw it was available and loved almost every second of it. So first off pretty much everything I said about the Signal carries over here. The set pieces are fantastic(the fucked up ferris wheel, Hartman's torn out office, the lighthouse run) and they've pulled even more mileage out of the "wordplay" mechanic which I didn't think was possible. Eventually the game is just going to be Alan Wake inside a giant blank space surrounded by words. There was definitely more narrative to go around here, and now I'm left extremely suspicious about Zane's motives behind guiding Alan. As mentioned, the ending alludes to a Wake 2 in a less than subtle manner. I mean, Alan is literally writing a sequel to his previous best selling novel titled "Return." So one could say that things are looking pretty good here. The only hangup I have with this chapter is that goddamn whirlwind platforming puzzle near the beginning of the game. I'm sure this is one of those things where you'll either get through it fine in one or two tries, or get stuck on it for a good eight or nine deaths like an idiot. I am that idiot. But the moment I cleared that the chapter only got better and better.

I need to give this one a replay immediately because I didn't look at the achievements until after I beat it and I missed a good chunk of things...including some sort of secret area. Plus, I just really dig collecting the Night Springs video games. I didn't get all of the pages or thermoses, but you can bet your ass I'm getting those games. Speaking of achievements, I don't know if you got it or not Tim since you slipped out the exit, but there's actually an achievement you can get just for sticking it through the Hartman, Alace, and TV Allen conversation. Anyways, with all of that said, this is not just a damn good chapter in the Wake series, but I feel it also has some of the best pacing. You're always pressing forward and seeing/experiencing something new whether it be the set piece, or the environment puzzle, or the combat elements(drop a car right through the taken? Uh yes please). So you may be wondering...Is this worth the entry fee? My friend, it's worth it and then some. In fact, if you don't even own Alan Wake I demand that you purchase the DLC for it. DO IT

[Zeiram]

For achievement hunting folks who haven't played through the DLC yet, a word of advice. You'll know the lead-up to the lighthouse when you see it. Feel free to unload your ammo otherwise. (I was trying for a gunless game, but it's practically impossible at the narrow stairs on the bridge to squeeze past Taken.)

[4]

For achievement hunting folks who haven't played through the DLC yet, a word of advice. You'll know the lead-up to the lighthouse when you see it. Feel free to unload your ammo otherwise. (I was trying for a gunless game, but it's practically impossible at the narrow stairs on the bridge to squeeze past Taken.)

A part of me knew even without reading the list that that would be an achievement. I just couldn't help but squeeze a few rounds into the taken on my way up. It was worth it. I'll be getting that one on this playthrough though for sure.

[gobbleskat]

I love the feeling I'm left with after I finish an Alan Wake chapter. It's a great mix of satisfaction, petering adrenaline, and a yearning to know more. The Writer was no exception. Everyone here has pretty much made my points for me, so there isn't a lot to say. I found the secret area by sheer luck, but there is a really obvious landmark to guide you to it once you know what you're looking for. I had no issues with the tornado bridge, and only died a few times overall. Two of those were my fault entirely, blindly jumping over tree roots into areas that happened to be an abyss. I loved the lighthouse ascent. It wasn't just that you'd let the lighthouse kill the Taken; Waiting for that beam to show up was seriously heart-racing. I loved Mr. TV in the Signal but I'm glad they didn't recycle him for this finale. I think I wished for something a little different in the Barry fight, but I loved the symbolism of killing your friends.

Alan Wake Returns cannot come fast enough.

[Juese]

I liked the Signal a lot, but The Writer was absolutely fucking brilliant from start to finish. I can't wait to come back to it already. All DLC should strive for this level of quality.

[quarky]

I wanted to visit this thread, but didn't really want to read anything cause it might contain spoilers. But here I am on the 4th page and not understand what yer talking about anyway...

So I'm playing this game. I don't play first person shooters or any game that needs to use both sticks to both move and look around (see me playing Halo? No.). So for me, the controls are pretty hard to get used to. I keep getting freaked out and swinging around too far, or end up looking up at the sky when I'm being attacked. I have made it thru Ep 1 and 2 tho, so I don't suck *too* bad. I do enjoy the story, and pappy appreciates me playing first so he knows where all the baddies are. He blazes thru the game cause well, he DOES play Halo, and doesn't freak out at scary, dark bad guys coming at him.

I hate it when they throw the axe. Fuckers.

And fuck those birds too. Fucking birds.

[Penis Whiskers]

Brett "always late to the party" Vanderbrook finally started playing this game yesterday, thanks to a deal on Amazon too good to turn down ($7.50 for a downloadable copy of the game, $5.50 for shipping for a whopping total of $13.) So far, 2.5 episodes in, I'm really happy with it. It's like Silent Hill 2 meets Stephen King. I dig the episodic nature of the game; I've been watching so many TV shows that follow that format lately that it just feels right. Nothing has been overly challenging yet (I'm also playing on normal mode,) but I have certainly felt my pulse quicken at times. Haven't been able to collect all of those pesky manuscript pages; missed 2 or 3 on the first 2 episodes. I'll probably have more complete thoughts once I finish the game.

[gobbleskat]

Brett, did that deal include the DLC? I don't recall. If not I'd heavily recommend them if you like the game throughout. Though (contrary to rumors) it is not essential story to the game, it is absolutely worthwhile supplementary story. It also expands on the game-play heavily and has some of the best action sequences in the game.

[Penis Whiskers]

I'd be surprised if it did, but I'm certainly not opposed to DLC for a game I really enjoy.

[Katiana]

Sooo just like Brett, Ms. Ketchup is here to say I am the first few chapters in and all I have to say is:

This cut scene was brought to you by... HOLY product placement batman!!!!

I am having some difficulty with my fight/flight mechanics in this game. As a big fan of the Fatal Frame series I find my instincts are to just keep moving however I am hitting more and more points where I am finding more ammo/batts then I can carry. Sooooo my question is! Should I clearly be fighting more then I am?

Suggestions welcome!

[gobbleskat]

The game is pretty forgiving with it's resources, especially early on. I never really had to scrape for ammo on normal. You only really start to get low if you constantly wander off the beaten path in search of pages/coffee. You see a lot more taken when you venture into the stormy darkness than when you just keep moving forward.

[Zeiram]

I completely missed this video until today. Thought you would enjoy if you missed it too:

Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Super Effective Sales Trailer

[Wood]

Oh yeah. Both this and American Nightmare are both on PC now. I may pick those up when I get home.