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Alan Wake is Time Magazine's GOTY

Lots of video-game covers have a bold M on their lower left corner, but none have felt as mature as Alan Wake does. Its unsettled titular character carries adult concerns - a stalled career, a troubled marriage - into a psychological thriller set in a town taken over by a shadowy occult force. Alan Wake's biggest triumph lies in turning metaphor into game play. Yes, you fight the possessed townspeople of Bright Falls with the typical pistols and shotguns, but only after shining light on them to burn the darkness off. Its mix of meta-awareness and Hitchcockian suspense make Alan Wake a unique and fun experiment and one of the best games of the year.

Hands Up For Games5649d ago

It's good to see Alan Wake getting some well deserved recognition.

It won't get many more but it certainly was one of the better games I've played this year!

NecrumSlavery5649d ago

Maybe this will encourage some people to actually buy this great game. It saddens me that the 360 community shat all over this game. Originality is what you need, support it!

I_find_it_funny5649d ago

Great idea, executed not so good, the game turned out to be extremly repetetive.

Joule5649d ago Show
GenericUserName5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

Yes you are, you're a huge disappointment. First step to recovery is admission though, so good on you

NeoBasch5649d ago

Couldn't agree more. Definitely one of the best games available for the 360, period.

ChineseDemocracy5649d ago

I can live with that. From what I've heard, it's a really great game.

mikeslemonade5649d ago

The game does some great things but some poor things. The technical parts of the game are pretty impressive especially for a 360 game, but then the repetitive gameplay brings it down to not deserve game of the year consideration.

Kleptic5649d ago

Good for Remedy I guess, but there is little doubt most of their fans were soured a little by AW...

one thing though, isn't AW a T rating?...The first paragraph makes it seem like AW is rated M, but i thought it wasn't...doesn't really matter either way...

ABizzel15649d ago

It's a great game, and it's different, but it's not GOTY. Everyone has their own opinion though.

Bereaver5649d ago

You know, maybe I should give Alan Wake a second chance....

But... after playing Heavy Rain/Uncharted (don't make this a ps3/360 war, think strictly for games).... I just couldn't take facial expressions/voice acting seriously.... It really turned me off....

I really gotta pull it out and give it a second chance.... but I don't think it will any better.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 5649d ago
deadreckoning6665649d ago

Agreed. Hopefully, it makes its way to the PS3 so I can try it out.

yewles15649d ago

OH SNAP!!! *swivel's head*

AKS5649d ago

Hopefully it can make it to *PC* like I was originally promised years ago.

I played though the 360 version and enjoyed it for the most part. It was more Stephen King than David Lynch in style even with all of the Twin Peaks references, but not many can mimic Lynch's brilliant storytelling and direction.

Alan Wake definitely wouldn't be a GOTY candidate for me, but it would be in my second tier of games, and I'd recommend it to others.

Kran5649d ago

It'll never happen, since it's funded by Microsoft. But a PC version might happen. Who knows.

StanLee5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

Am I the only one who noticed there isn't one PS3 game on that list? I mean, Microsoft Game Studios has 3 games in the top 6 but there isn't on PS3 exclusive on a list of the top 10 games all year?!! Right.

humbleopinion5649d ago

@StanLee:
"m I the only one who noticed there isn't one PS3 game on that list"
Super Street Fighter IV and Red Dead Redemption ARE are PS3, and Mass Effect 2 is also coming out soon. The fact that they're not exclusive doesn't make them not PS3 games.

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Keith Olbermann5649d ago

"but none have felt as mature as Alan Wake does." Heavy Rain says HI!

MariaHelFutura5649d ago

As much as I agree w/ you, I feel obligated to inform you that games can`t speak.

NecrumSlavery5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

I would like to inform you that Oddworld invented GameSPEAK(tm)...lol

But I get you, if you get me...laugh...

EDIT: I lol at you who disagree so steathly, becuase Lorne Lanning invented GAMESPEAK, a system in Oddworld to communicate with other NPC through voice commands in game. But you must of not experienced the greatest game that came out over 12 years ago. Oh and BTW, it was a joke.

Vortex3D5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

I played both AW and HR. Characters in HR have deeper emotional depth. I felt what the characters went through especially Ethan (father) and I wanted to see variation of each character's (even the killer) motive.

While I enjoyed AW, the character's emotional on the gameplay seems to be detached from what Alan supposed to be feeling. I felt like I don't really care if Alan can save his wife as long I can get to the end of the game.

Being a video game, Alan Wake plays more like a game but no matter how I play, as long Alan stays alive until the end of the game, the ending is always the same. After I was done with AW, I did't care to replay it again. (The only reason to replay would be to get the collectible items for the achievements but that still doesn't change the story).

Heavy Rain is more like watching a movie that changes with the player's decision. After I completed the game, I went back and replay every possible variation to see every possible ending. I like all the characters in HR.

Achemki5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

@Keith
I doubt they even played Heavy Rain with a broad statement like that. I enjoyed Alan Wake, but fighting ghosts with flashlights and shotguns isn't exactly more mature than a father playing cat and mouse with a serial killer who's playing cat and mouse with himself as young boys are drowned or drowning all around them.

Kleptic5649d ago

yeah the maturity statement makes the entire thing a little confusing...as AW was, more than anything, an action game...and gameplay wise, it was extremely tame by todays standards (read: GOWIII)

story wise...I guess its 'adult', but not in any way that its told...its still linear and doesn't invoke a huge amount of thought on the players part...

I'm just trying to think of things that makes AW more adult natured than other titles released this year...

Kran5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

@Vortex3D

And Alan Wake is like watching a TV series. Now everybody's happy.

And did you even play Alan Wake, as I managed to know their emotions perfectly. Alan Wake told a gripping story with a cliffhanger ending that really worked.

Can we just agree that Alan Wake is one of the best Xbox 360 exclusive games and Heavy Rain is one of PS3's?

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GenericUserName5649d ago ShowReplies(3)
Koolno5649d ago

"Alan Wake is Time Magazine's GOTY"

...but time magazine has only one console at "home".

AnttiApina5649d ago

Great to see that most of the people aren't bashing, but rather than that saying that it deserves some sort of recognition.

It's an interesting take from the TIMES magazine and hopefully the possible sequel will improve a lot of things.

muDD5649d ago

UNDERRATED games this generation. Alan Wake is an awesome game. good story, graphix, and gameplay... It continues to baffle me when I hear people bash the game, especially when they have never played it.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5649d ago
kaveti66165649d ago

That's interesting. I didn't really like it.

gon-freaks5649d ago (Edited 5649d ago )

Alan Wake is a "ok" game, but NOT deserve GOTY...

lh_swe5649d ago

I thought it was fantastic!

What didn't you like about it? O.o

jeeves865649d ago

Let me start out by saying that I 'love' Alan Wake, but I know sure enough that there are some serious faults with it.

1. Repetitive gameplay
2. Zip replay value
3. You had to 'pay' to get the ending, and then it never delivered, just leaves things open for a sequel which may never come. :(

pr0digyZA5649d ago

I really loved alan wake, the experience was amazing. But in all honesty I don't think it deserves GOTY, there were better games that released after it. This game deserves a sequel.

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80°

A Late Look: Alan Wake

VGChartz's Mark Nielsen: "All in all, it’s not hard to see why Alan Wake has received a bit of a cult following (there’s that famous foreshadowing again). It’s a title that blends themes and gameplay, while pushing the limits of storytelling by putting stories within stories and letting you read those stories before you get to that part in… the story. It has flaws, to be sure - the gameplay side can’t quite keep up with the rest of its ambitions - but overall it’s a great game that stands out among its peers and is undeniably… one for the books."

Read Full Story >>
vgchartz.com
50°

Alan Wake: Design Works Book Announced

Remedy has announced a new Alan Wake book and more as part of their anniversary celebration.

520°

Gamer buys 4,000 copies of Alan Wake, none of them work

Alan Wake, from Max Payne and Control creator Remedy, is a horror classic, prompting one player to buy 4,000 copies that don’t even work.

Read Full Story >>
pcgamesn.com
roadkillers778d ago

Kind of a goody story...

On a serious note, that is why I try activating gift cards asap. It's happened to me where the store didnt scan it right where the card was unusuable. Happened at Wally World.

gigoran8778d ago

wait, that place is real? national lampoon wasn't kidding?

jznrpg190d ago

People sometimes call Wal-Mart Wally World including myself

Tacoboto777d ago

I just bought two of the MonsterVerse Godzilla movies on 4K - both had digital copies expiring in 2023. Both were actually expired.

I'd be surprised but it's WB, of course they'd actually expire them

Knightofelemia778d ago

Usually most of those redemption card have an expiry date on them. If they expired all buyer did was buy recycled paper. And some of those codes are country locked to certain countries. I buy a card from the States I can't use it in Canada.

Chocoburger778d ago

Dumb and silly story. She wasted her money for no reason.

Is it really that hard to go to Steam or GOG. She spent $240, when its currently 70% off on GOG, and only costs $4.49.

Gee, I wonder, should I spend $240 on eBay, or $4.49 on GOG? 🙄

Rynxie778d ago

Most likely she wanted to resell a few or most of them. However, it was a too good to be true situation.

778d ago
Profchaos778d ago

So in short she paid $240.00 assuming usd for a bunch on unactivated game codes.

I still don't understand why I guess cause there's not a physical version and she wanted something for a collection or art project.

Rynxie778d ago

No, most likely to resell. However, she ended up getting screwed.

Asplundh777d ago

This is Alan Wake 1, it had physical copies.

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