Alan Wake Put me to Sleep.
To be blunt, I was sorely disappointed with Alan Wake. I had somewhat lofty expectations for this game, especially given the excruciatingly long amount of time it spent in the cooker. Unfortunately, it may have been advisable for Ignition to pour even more time into Alan Wake, as its shallow story and derivative gameplay mechanics make for a frustrating experience that ultimately ends in utter boredom. Aside from the game's initial moments, which are mysterious and intriguing, the game's story is overrun with the cliched tendencies of the horror genre; in particular, the game's plot twists and turns itself into a convoluted web of absurdity. Questions I asked myself during the final hours of play: "Who is that old lady?" "What does the light mean?" "Where did that guy come from?" "Who was that woman wearing the black dress and what was her significance to the story?" and most tellingly, "Why am I playing this game?"
By the game's final scene, I had no idea what had transpired over the previous four hours (nor did I really care).
While initially the game's storyline centers on the disappearance of writer Alan Wake's wife, it quickly transforms from mysterious and captivating to convoluted and nonsensical. As the game begins to wind down, you realize that the excitement and interest that were inspired by the game's initial feeling of foreboding and mystery are unsubstantiated by the unforgivably hollow and meaningless story.
Because the developers relied so much on Alan Wake's story to wow their audience, when I finally began to poke through its strange and intriguing exterior only to discover a hollow core, I realized that the game actually had very little to offer other than pretty graphics. The gameplay, which is something like the gunplay in Resident Evil 5 but a little more free-flowing, quickly becomes dull and repetitive. You do a lot of running through the same dark wooded areas. And, perhaps worst of all, you feel the urge to veer off the game's linear path to uncover collectible coffee thermoses simply because they're there. Ignition clearly played on the stereotype that gamers are perfectionists and collectors, as I felt the need to seek out every corner of the game world for stupid, useless coffee thermoses. I don't know how many times I died trying to secure a coffee thermos hidden in some obscure nook of the woods. Not my idea of fun.
In Alan Wake, a good story was a necessity, simply because the core gameplay mechanics are so repetitive and derivative, so much so that completing the game felt like a chore. For a game that was in development for such a long time, we should expect more, and we should demand more. Through and through, Alan Wake is the epitome of disappointment. It has few redeeming factors outside from its beautifully conceived world and deep, atmospheric sound effects. With its convoluted plot and underwhelming gameplay mechanics, Alan Wake has the depth of a tattered and forgotten paperback buried beneath a mountain of musty books at the local library. Don't even bother to rent.
Graphics: 8.5/10 Beautifully crafted dark world that imbues the game with a horror film feel. Environments, however, quickly become repetitive.
Sound: 9/10 The sound effects are awesome; the noises you hear as you walk through the woods create perfect ambiance.
Gameplay: 5/10 Repetitive and boring. Gunplay is uninspired. Collecting coffee thermoses is not fun, but I felt as though I had to do it.
Story: 3/10 Interesting first hour, but after that, the meandering plot is wrought with cliched horror genre tropes. At its conclusion, I felt uninvolved and had no emotional investment in any of the characters.
Overall: 5/10 Average. It is evident that Alan Wake has high production values; however, the game itself just isn't very fun to play. The story doesn't help to spark interest in continuing the experience, either. Given the hype, a massive disappointment.
