Wake Up
Alan Wake is one of my favorite games this generation. I recognize that the game resonates on a personal level for me but you need not share that connection to enjoy it. Granted it doesn’t have the mass appeal of Call of Duty or, I don’t know, Peggle, but this games isn’t a completely niche phenomenon. Its status as simply a “cult success” seems unjust. Anyone that self identifies as a gamer should play this one. The dual action, light/gun combat, interesting characters, solid level design, great atmosphere, and amazing storytelling are things any gamer should value. Being available on Steam puts to bed the “I don’t own a 360” excuse. Everyone should’ve played it by now.
To annotate: If you missed Alan Wake, play it now. Don’t worry; I’ll be here when you get back.
The Signal and The Writer were two DLC packages for the game that, quite frankly, sucked. They ruined the experience or, at least, handicapped it for some enthusiasts. This left me hesitant to try out Alan Wake’s American Nightmare which was released on Xbox Arcade in February.
I was feeling the symptoms of Wake Withdrawal (a known medical condition) and I bought it anyway… And it was awesome.
The original game strikes a great balance between drama/suspense and the cult cinema (and novels) it channels. American Nightmare fully embraces the campy portions of that source material and just has a lot of fun with it.
American Nightmare is good in a different way.
You’re basically in a Twilight Zone episode for the entirety of the game. The story is more disposable – this makes it a non-mandatory purchase for those anticipating the sequel – and serves mostly to flesh out Wake more. As importantly it adds a concrete villain, Mr. Scratch (Wake’s evil alter ego). There’s a lot of world building with this DLC but the story is far more linear (and certainly “worse” by measurable degrees).
What the DLC lacks in story it makes up in flavor and gameplay. Kinks from the combat system have been ironed out, and some delicious baddie variance has been added. Tons of guns expand Wake’s arsenal with a fun unlocking mechanic involving (and encouraging) manuscript collecting.
The arcade challenge mode adds replay value to the 15 dollar DLC and also the only negative criticism I have: unlocking other challenge maps is a steep endeavor. It can take a long time to unlock the next map which borders on monotony after a while.
Wake’s jump is still terrible, even seems exaggerated more. Since it’s a non-essential control it seems to mostly be a trope at this point.
I finally got around to play Alan Wake. I had no idea what I was missing, its an amazing game.
This is where I say ” told you.” On a personal level I’ve tried to get my friends to all play it. Even gifted it to some of my pc master race friends on steam. From a blogger/reviewer level… I’ve tried to get it some recognition. This is a seriously good game that any gamer should play. Story, immersion, creativity, fun and interesting gameplay; it has it all.