"Alan, wake up..."

Alan Wake, the latest game produced by Remedy Entertainment, best known for their work on the Max Payne series. It was a highly anticipated title, originally announced in 2001 and slated for a release in 2006. However it wasn't until May of this year that gamers got to bask in all the glory that was 10 years in the making.

Alan Wake is a true survival horror title, a psychological thriller, and tells a wonderful story(cliched maybe, but still great). The title borrows elements from the TV series Twin Peaks, and stylizes It's story-telling reminiscent of Stephen King(who's referenced several times throughout the game, and not just in name either). The story follows Wake, a best-selling crime fiction author who as of late has been suffering from writers block. At the discretion of his wife Alice, the couple decide to vacation off in the quaint little town of Bright Falls who unbeknownst to Wake/the local townsfolk, harbors a deadly secret. Mysterious events begin to unfold from the moment you arrive, and during the course of these events Alice is kidnapped. You(Alan)make it your mission to find out what happened to her, why you're missing a week of time, and solve the mystery surrounding Bright Falls.

The first playable sequence is told through Wake's dream, and also provides a tutorial for the player. During this time you encounter the Taken, ordinary people who've been possessed by the "darkness." Light becomes an indispensable tool as you'll need it to burn off the darkness per-say in order hurt the Taken at all. Simply shining light onto them is alright but rather slow, a majority of the time you'll need to concentrate it for greater effect, but this also acts as your cross-hair in conjunction with your weapons. However it causes substantial strain on your light source/boost meter, and if it runs out you'll need to quickly swap out for fresh batteries(by Energizer, shameless sponsorship ads no less). On the flip-side of combat, you'll find various firearms(and stronger light sources)throughout this harrowing tale, starting with your basic six-shooter revolver, finding more powerful items along the way. 

As Alan Wake, you're also given various little glimpses into the future in the form of mysterious(plot-enabling but also very cool)manuscript pages from a book that you never got around to writing, save for the title. These allow the player to prepare for what lies ahead, always making you wonder "when?" and drives the story forward.

While this title has It's action-y moments, Wake being an average guy is grounded/bound by those rules. He can't run forever at top speed, and gets tired rather quickly, he also doesn't move with fluidity like a trained soldier, or the know-how to properly handle firearms. It very much plays out like a horror story/film, just an average guy thrust into a situation that's way over his head. He feels like an actual person, and not just a character.

Wake also gives the player A LOT of exposition(as expected from an author), there's usually never a moment where he isn't talking/thinking. One of the most interesting things I found was that this unfolds and feels very much like reading a novel(which I'm sure was their intent from the start), It's quite a rare feeling. Unlike most games that tell you a story but makes it seem more cinematic. However Alan Wake also unfolds episodically like a TV series, each chapter ending with music credits, and beginning with "...previously on Alan Wake..." proceeded by a recap of the previous chapter. Let me go off on a little tangent here, the "...previously on Alan Wake..." thing is so damn awesome! I've never seen a game do this before, and honestly even though It's a little flourish, It's that very thing that cemented this game in my head as great! Just the idea of a game being so like a novel and a TV series at the same time is pretty damn cool, and pulled off quite well. The ideas are separate yet they're together and never clash with one another, only fulfilling their respective roles when needed, It's masterful.

Alan Wake is a highly recommended title, the first in what Remedy Entertainment assures us is just the "first season" of a much bigger story. While it took 10 years in the making for this game to see the light of day, most gamers will probably be disappointed in how short a time it will take to complete(as in one play-through), about 8-12 hours depending. However this shouldn't deter you from experiencing one of the best games released this year. Aside from a few annoyances like: checkpoints being a little too far spaced, and laughably bad facial expressions/animations. It's a game that can honestly be picked up by anyone(unless you're scared or something)and adapted to easily enough, and will sink It's claws into you immediately from the get-go. A beautifully paced story with characters you can relate to, and an ending that will leave you wondering, and ultimately asking for more.