Action packed popular game now released in PC platform! For PC gamers you can now enjoy this fun and thrilling game filled with more action. Let's review the Wake of Alan:
The PC version of Alan Wake has followed a long, twisting path and occasionally fallen off cliffs. Remedy's action game – its first since Max Payne 2 – was initially announced for Xbox 360 and PC. The PC version was later cancelled for dubious reasons, and marketed as an Xbox 360 exclusive title when it was released in 2010 for Microsoft's console. But the desire to put together a PC version never died out at Remedy, and in late 2011 the studio re-announced Alan Wake for PC, which includes all the same content as the Xbox 360 version plus the Signal and Writer downloadable content packs.
The protagonist, Alan Wake, isn't initially an action hero. He's a popular fiction writer attempting to escape the pressures of fame and creative expectation whose vacation in Bright Falls quickly turns Twin Peaks weird. His wife goes missing, and his search to find her is swiftly diverted into the realm of the paranormal, forcing him to pick up a gun and pull the trigger to stay alive. It's an adventure heavily informed by television shows like X-Files and Twilight Zone and horror fiction from Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. Presentation, character building, and plot twists take on just as big a role as the tightly wound action gameplay you'd expect from a Remedy title. The result is a swirling tale of fiction that's endearingly self-aware, that occasionally sputters and stumbles, but offers enough scares, laughs, and thrills to keep you hooked.
The core story spans six episodes, each crafted like part of a TV miniseries. After the first episode's exposition each that follows ends with a cliffhanger, fades to a title screen (strangely without credits) as songs from the game's excellent licensed soundtrack play, and then transitions into a plot recap as the next begins. Even if episodic gaming isn't particularly original at this point, the style of the presentation fits with what Remedy is trying to accomplish here; delivering a video game experience that feels like a novel presented as a TV show.
This blending of different arts touches all aspects of the game, from how the story is told within each episode, the way the characters are developed, to how you interact with the environments. In place are standard cut-scenes where characters interact and advance the action along with plenty of inner monologue voice over from Wake as he comes across new and strange phenomena. Like in a written work, this allows for insight into the mind of the protagonist without the need for overly artificial character interaction to draw it out, and various other storytelling devices further fragment the order of reality. Techniques employed by Remedy to convey the unfocused rage of Max Payne, a game fans will find references to throughout Alan Wake, are used more subtly here to generate a sense of mystery, isolation, and creeping dread.
By leaving the straightforward path to the next checkpoint and exploring the surroundings, radios and television sets can be found in spots like wooden lookout towers and construction site trailers. It may be tempting for some to plow past these extras to get to the end, but I'd strongly advise you take the time to listen to and watch everything you can. It highlights what a great job Remedy has done building a richly detailed game world that retains authenticity even as its plot spirals further into the mists of the fantastic.
Details delivered through radio broadcasts and the Twilight Zone-esque live-action "Night Springs" television show poke fun at the genre's conventions, build out character, and dump more self-referential slabs into Remedy's melting pot of mediums. Wake frequently stumbles across manuscript pages which, like audio logs in BioShock, serve the purpose of providing perspective from other characters not otherwise possible, foreshadowing events to come, as well as explaining bits of the backstory. The twist is the pages were written by Wake himself, something he can't recall doing. Making sure you explore and collect as many as possible helps to more fully develop the world and story, as well as building tension as the game blurs truth and fiction.
Bright Falls and its forested mountainous surroundings are masterfully realized and resonate with realism. Wake is a famous figure everyone recognizes, all the townsfolk know each other, and they seems more concerned and excited over an upcoming town festival than they are with the dangers encroaching from all sides. Of course everyone has their secrets, some malevolent and some hilarious, and sifting through the radio programs, manuscript pages, and talking to everyone helps solidify their identities. While many still come off as stereotypical – there's the staple comic-relief character, the batty old woman, the good-hearted local cop, the troublesome FBI agent – the way they behave and interrelate keeps them entertaining. Remedy built in a large amount of extraneous dialogue that's worth hearing so if you find a character be sure to hang around and listen to what they've got to say, even if not all the voice acting is of the same high quality.
Additional character is exuded by the design of the environments. Remedy's skill with crafting spaces that feel lived in is readily apparent. Locations are packed with detail and feel rusted and worn. Weeds choke the back lot of the police station, surrounding the husk of a long forgotten vehicle. A recliner ringed with beer cans sits atop a construction container overlooking a brilliantly lighted power plant, reinforcing the idea that there isn't a whole lot to do for fun around these parts. A mental therapy building is lined with inspirational posters and idyllic paintings that reflect the ego of the proprietor and function of the establishment. This intimate scale of detail is then juxtaposed with sprawling vistas as you peer deep into moonlit mountain valleys rippling with shadow. It gives the game a sense of place and purpose, making it an easy world to identify with.
During the day in each episode Wake can wander and talk to NPCs, but once the clouds roll in and the moon lights up it's a whole different beast. Shadows flit across the ground at supernatural speed like X-Files black oil when threats are imminent. The lighting effects can be stunning. Moonlight pours from above, streetlamps and construction bulbs indicate the way forward, and Wake's all-important flashlight is a tool for exploration and, more importantly, a weapon. Just because there's such a focus on story and presentation doesn't mean the game lacks a responsive and satisfying combat system.
Wake's arsenal isn't gigantic, but everything's useful. Emerging from the woods are humans infected with darkness, voracious birds, large pieces of machinery and automobiles that get tossed around like toys, and even massive construction vehicles that burst from their resting places to flatten you. The first order of business in stopping anything taken by darkness is to hit it with light. Wake's flashlight is the most direct method. Point it at a dark target and a shower of sparks like a circular saw on sheet metal go flying off. Sound effects shriek like power drills and with continued exposure to light the darkness surrounding a target is shattered. Follow it up with a shot from a pistol, shotgun or hunting rifle and you've got a kill. It's a simple interplay that's helped along with some smooth animations and weighty sounds that give firearms and collisions a powerful feel.
The more you play, the more variety is added to the combat. Flares sparked in Wake's hand push back the shadow enemies, keeping them stumbling for the light's duration. For a quick escape Wake can drop it to the ground and dart off while the stick burns down. Running away is frequently an option in the game, though limited in a few ways. Enemies are fast, attack often by swinging shovels and knives or by tossing axes. You have a dodge move that can duck under individual attacks, but it requires precise timing. Combine that with the fact that Wake does not have an unlimited sprint and you'll have difficulty running to the next lighted checkpoint with regularity, forcing you to consider ammunition reserves, distance to the next checkpoint, and how thoroughly you want to explore each area before advancing.
At times you can take advantage of other light sources. A flare gun acts like a grenade launcher by detonating in a brilliant bang, disintegrating any in range. Environmental hazards can be utilized as well by blasting explosive containers or flicking on construction lamps. Foes advance at different speeds and getting familiar with the wrinkles of combat – like a how a concentrated blast of light can momentarily stun – can help keep things in order and allow you to pick apart the shifting shadows one at a time. It's a system that's best when it's challenging, so crank the difficulty as high as it'll go if you have any experience playing games.
Combat progression culminates in a handful of thrilling sequences that I can't really describe in detail here for fear or spoiling things, but Valve fans might find one to be especially familiar. In open spaces enemies can attack from all angles, meaning you need to be constantly on guard and must shift the angle of the camera to get a good view. This also leads to one of the game's issues where it's easy to get the camera rotated behind a tree or other environmental obstacle, obscuring the action. In many cases on a high difficulty setting this means an axe to the face or a step off a nearby cliff, which can be unfortunate if it's been a fair amount of time since the last checkpoint. It's not a major flaw but it's noticeable enough to make an impact on the experience.
Compared to the Xbox 360 version, there are minor control differences here. Wake can be controlled with a mouse and keyboard or gamepad. Both methods work well, but if you're using a mouse and keyboard, you lose the ability to aim your flashlight without expending battery power. With an Xbox 360 controller, this is still possible by pressing the left trigger only halfway down. Thankfully the difference is negligible because aiming without the flashlight raised is perfectly functional. PC players should be pleased that the interface has been adjusted for the PC version, allowing weapon switching with the number keys and mouse wheel.
As for the actual story, it's a case where the questions raised are often more interesting than the answers, and where deeper meaning is often brushed aside in the name of entertainment. By the time everything's wrapping up at the end you might feel a slight pang of disappointment since enough loose ends are left fluttering to allow for future episodes. Thankfully with the PC version you get both downloadable episodes, The Signal and The Writer, which extend the story and provide a few answers, though still leave it hanging by the end. Aside from a few clever presentation elements, the combat encounters are similar to what's found in the initial six episodes, but the additional story and creative set-pieces are still worth checking out.
Exploration is limited to small areas around the linear path forward and, aside from the radios and televisions, there are a wealth of collectibles to pick up and hidden ammunition and weapons to uncover. Occasionally Wake will have to hop into a vehicle instead of proceed on foot in which case the headlights can blast away darkness from enemies and a tap by the car can put them down for good, but these parts can't really compare to the excitement of the on-foot action. It's a welcome change of pace to be able to get out and cover large distances swiftly while admiring the scenery, but you lose the sense of vulnerability and isolation felt as Wake ventures into underground mine shafts and hedge mazes as the wind howls and strings surge on the soundtrack.
I also have to point out that the choice of product placement in Alan Wake is absolutely atrocious. I suppose the advertisements were necessary to get the game out the door, but it's still an unfortunate commercial blight on an otherwise excellent game.
Remedy has built a world that, despite being a fantastical realm of twisting shadows and realities, is solidly anchored in authenticity. Outstanding environmental design and some brilliant visuals and sound make Bright Falls and its mountainous surroundings look and feel alive. Though the camera can cause issues and the supernatural story that's more interested in asking questions than answering them, it's a tough game to put down once you've started. Remedy's done a great job of mixing elements of written work, television, and video games to create an experience full of scares, laughs, and thrills that's just as fun to play as it is to watch.
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