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Released: May 2010
Platforms: 360
Modes: Single-player
Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Gamers had been waiting for this title for a very long time. Originally penned for release with the Xbox 360 launch, I think most people assumed the project had been abandoned. But eventually, this year it has been released. Did it live up to expectation ?

For me, I didn't know alot about it. I saw a trailer about a year ago, and didn't think much of it. But with increased advertisement, and more people talking about it and being interested in it, it led me to look more into it.

Alan Wake is a linear, third person, psychological thriller action game. The plot is complicated and twisting, but basically, Alan and his wife Alice arrive at the picturesque town of Bright Falls to relax as Alan develops Writer's Block. They arrive at their holiday home on Cauldron Lake and attempt to settle in. They get into an argument, Alan storms out, and the entire island turns black. He hears Alice scream, rushes back to the house. You realise that the darkness seems to be almost 'alive'. Alan wakes up in a car crash a week later with his wife missing, and his memory blank of the last week.

This game is probably one of the most scariest I've played. For the first five hours or so, I was on the edge of my seat. It's very jumpy. Everything in the game adds to the terrifying atmosphere, the music and the sound, the apparitions of The Taken and storyline. The Taken are the enemy in this game, and is the darkness of the game taking over the town's individuals and sometimes even objects and machinery. They attack you in many different ways, including throwing axes, chainsaws, or even just throwing themselves at you.

The plot is one of the greatest aspects of this game, but also partly it's downfall. It always leaves you guessing, and has plenty of twists and turns to entice you and even doubt Wake's sanity. Near the end however, it seems quite quick and almost too easy the way he suddenly knows how to make everything better. Maybe I missed something or am too cynical, but it seemed odd. The game is split into six 'episodes', featuring ending theme songs for each one and a 'previously on' at the beginning of each. Corny ? A little, yes.

Also, it's short. This wasn't surprising at all, but when the RRP is around £45, you need a bit more content. However, there have been confirmed add-ons to be released in July. In most ways I'm glad, as the last chapter drags on a little and by this time, the combat especially, had gotten a bit repetitive.

I've heard a lot of criticism about the combat system. I quite liked it though. For most of the game, you duel wield a a torch or lantern, and a gun of some sort. To defeat a Taken individual, you drive away their 'darkness' with the torch. Once that disappears, you can now defeat them with a gun. It sounds simple, but try getting surrounded by like ten of them. You also get additional weapons to help too, like flashbangs and flares.

Contrary to how this review sounds, I did enjoy Alan Wake. It's one of those games that you can't put down once you've gotten into it. It's intriguing, scary, and generally worth a go. It'll make you sleep at nights with the lights on.