It’s been a while since my last video game review so now it’s the perfect time to review Alan Wake for the Xbox 360.

Keeping it short, Alan Wake is a third-person psychological action thriller. You take control of a famous thriller writer named Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of his wife who went missing while on their vacation in a small town named Bright Falls. But that’s not going to be a walk in the park because some kind of dark force has awakened in Bright Falls and starts to cause havoc. This dark force is somehow linked to Alan and his “unwritten latest novel”.

Plot
Rating:
When I started to play Alan Wake, the plot immediately sucked me right in and every time I played, I wanted to learn more about all the mysteries that surrounded the dark force and the disappearance of Alan’s wife Alice. The game starts off with no explanation at all and as you progress further in the game, all the mysteries will start to unfold before your eyes. Granted, there were some things that I didn’t quite understand and especially the ending (which I won’t spoil) left me confused.

I’m sure that some of my questions would be answered if I would have found all the transcripts that are scattered all around Bright Falls as they give out all sorts of info and explain things about the plot.

Gameplay
Rating:
As stated, the game is played in third-person mode. You take control of Alan Wake as he investigates all these strange events and fights off with people and objects that have been possessed by the dark force. The game is mostly linear, telling you to go from point A to point B, but that doesn’t stop you from investigating the surroundings, which is often needed if you want to find all the transcripts and collectibles. You can also interact with other people who can give you some hints.

When combat kicks in, the most important weapon that you need is light. With things like flashlights and flares, you can make your enemies back away and shatter the darkness that shields them from harm. When the shield is shattered, you can kill your enemies with various guns that you pick up while on your journey. So the combat mostly consists of pointing light at your enemies, shooting them and dodging their attacks. The combat is nice and fun, but sometimes the dodge move can get on your nerves because you can’t dodge while moving, you have to be completely still. That may be nitpicking, but even in normal mode, one weak enemy can pretty much hack and slash 50% of your health away if your dodge move fails.

Graphics
Rating:
Alan Wake’s graphics are extremely well-done, especially all the landscapes. With high graphics, it’s also vital for the game to run smoothly. I don’t recall ever having any problems with low fps while playing, even when all sorts of crap was happening on the screen. I especially loved the moments when you were in a dark forest and it was windy and foggy, it really fits the creepy atmosphere. Unfortunately I have to take some points away from the awful lip syncing. Sometimes the characters look like muppets when they are talking.

Sound
Rating:
Alan Wake delivers when it comes to sound effects and voice acting. Especially the voice acting is well-done, I don’t recall ever cringing from badly delivered lines. The music might not be quite as memorable, but it gets the job done.

Last Words
Alan Wake is an exceptionally good when it comes to plot and quality. Although the game could use some little tweaking here and there, it’s still a game that should not be ignored and forgotten. The game is a horror game, but it’s not “Doom-3-zombie-jump-in-the-face-scary”, I would say that it’s more like “ooh-that’s-freaky” scary. There were only a few moments that made me jump just a little bit, but that’s all. I recommend Alan Wake to horror game fans and anyone who is looking for a game with a good plot.

Overall Rating:

+ Addicting plot
+ Great atmosphere and graphics
+ Good voiceacting
- Combat could use some tweaking
- Minor plot holes