Disconnect.
If general consensus is anything to go by it’s a safe assumption that all you xbox360 owners are currently caught up in the gun-slinging, horse-back navigating vortex that is ‘Red Dead Redemption’. Rockstar games have had no trouble building hype for their wild-west incarnation of the revered Grand Theft Auto series and have once again managed to deliver a product that supersedes all expectations.
There is a downside to Red Dead’s success however. Due to the aggressive marketing campaign put into effect and the somewhat blind (yet completely justified) consumer appreciation for all things Rockstar, most of the other titles that were released under the same tick of the calendar were unfairly overlooked, destined to suffer the same bargain-bin fate as the dark horses before them. One of those underdogs is Remedy’s equally anticipated psychological thriller, Alan Wake. As gaming matures and demographic’s shift, game developers are inclined to expand their horizons and push boundaries in terms of gameplay and plot cohesion in equal parts. You’ve all wisened up and now the linear shoot-em-ups and poorly acted scripts of yesteryear just won’t cut it. Alan Wake is a testament to this current trend.
Replacing distant worlds with photo-realistic locales and blockbuster explosions with a genuinely unnerving atmosphere, Remedy Entertainment’s long-awaited pipeline crawler has ushered in a new age of gaming. The plot is a welcome contrast to the contrived alien takeover/World War 2 standard and features the likes of a successful author dealing with writer’s block and his wife’s attempt to aid him with a retreat to Bright Falls, the getaway of choice for tormented artists. Upon arrival to the isolated, tight-knit town, things go sour real quick. Alan’s wife disappears during an attack from a faceless, supernatural force and Alan awakens to pages from a book he subconsciously wrote, but with no idea how or when it was written. What follows is an intriguing and beautifully constructed journey as Alan pieces together a story he’s reluctant to finish. The colourful locals both help and hinder his travels and the oceanside village paints a rich backdrop for the novel to play out on. The most satisfying moments of the game occur at night however, when more often than not you’ll find yourself creeping through dimly lit cabins and desolate forest armed only with a torch, facing off against armies of possessed townsfolk whose primary concern is to scare the living daylights out of the player and little else.
Alan Wake is a glowing example of how interactive cinema should be done. The engrossing plot, vibrant set pieces and well-executed combat make Alan Wake an essential gaming venture for anyone chasing an experience that will stay with them long after the credits roll and the console is switched off.
