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Story: Superb

Broken into TV show-styled “episodes” (complete with recaps at the beginning of each), the plot of “Alan Wake”
follows the titular protagonist, a successful author who has struggled with writer’s block for the past two
years, as he takes a vacation to a secluded mountain town with his wife to clear his head. However, within the course
of five to six hours, everything goes to heck with his trip: his wife goes missing, he becomes accosted by groups
of possessed townspeople hellbent on killing him in the most brutal fashion possible, he discovers pages of a manuscript
that he “wrote” but doesn’t remember writing, and the cabin he was staying in mysteriously disappears. These
events make up only the preliminary chapter, and it gets even more odd in the proceeding episodes. The plot is
definitely the main attraction of this game, and will keep you guessing at every turn.

Gameplay: Superb

Being attacked by axe-wielding psychopaths has never been so horrifyingly convincing in a video game. As you guide
Alan through the eerie forests of Bright Falls with only a flashlight as his companion, trees seem to change shapes,
enemies seem to appear out of thin air, and even the smallest, most insignificant sound will send you into a terrified
state. Players need not worry about controlling Alan through these scenarios and locales, though; Remedy has taken
great care to avoid the typical controlling pitfalls of other, lesser horror games. Everything you do feels perfectly
fluent, and there’s never a moment where you don’t feel like you’re in complete and total control. With strategy and
resource conservation, you can easily survive the horrid situations you’re thrown into.

Sound: Superb

As I mentioned above, the atmosphere of this game is such that even the smallest sounds are capable of sending shockwaves
through your system. The sound effects are tersely-woven, the music is haunting and always fits the situation, and the
voice acting is some of the very best you’ll ever hear from a video game.

Graphics: Superb

The forest comes alive with dense shadow effects, and you’re never able to detect where and when enemies will attack
you. These two things work in unison to deliver an environment which is tense and keeps you constantly aware. You will
quickly realize that your flashlight is key to being aware of your surroundings, as it reveals key messages scrawled
in invisible ink and potentially deadly obstacles such as beartraps. The textures on every piece of flora and fauna
are very vivid, and the character models look and move like actual humans (much like “Heavy Rain”.) These are some
of the best graphics you’e ever going to get from your 360.

Overall: Superb

All of the aforementioned elements of this game combine to make one of the most breathtaking, heartpumping, and
mind-boggling games you will play this year. With the promise of downloadable episodes at periodic intervals (the
first of which is free with a code included in new copies of the game), and the fact that everything within this
package ALREADY stands on it’s own, this one of the best deals in terms of future replays and enjoyment. If you
own an Xbox 360, and you want a good game, then you have no excuse to not buy this. Pick it up without any
delay whatsoever.

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