This game had a hell of a lot more to it than I thought it would, and I really enjoyed it.
In terms of story, I found it painfully slow for roughly the first 2 hours or so, but after this it really starts picking up and it got me hooked for the rest of the game. In particular I noticed the cutscenes were super well made and they never felt unnecessary or annoying like in some games. Without spoiling it, I really loved the ending too, it surprised me when it happened but it really left an impression on me. Though as there's a sequel its impact is probably significantly dampened.
I thought the TV show presentation, with the whole "previously on Alan Wake" thing was weird but I appreciated the idea, and the points where an episode would end made complete sense and were helped by some excellent use of licensed music.
The visuals still hold up quite well, I'm not sure what the relatively recent remaster does to the game, but I'd almost say a remaster isn't needed. Textures and character models in particular look dated today, but the visual effects, lighting and general environments look genuinely fantastic for an Xbox 360 game, my descriptions could never do it justice.
Audio design is even better, the ambience as you traverse dark open areas subtly intensifying when enemies are going to show up soon, only to calm back down after you've dealt with them is remarkably smooth. Additionally, the combination of sounds from using your light, burning an enemy and then hitting them with a hail of bullets is unbelievably satisfying and masks the repetition very well.
The horror elements are very light, and that's okay. The atmosphere does most of the heavy lifting, and does it well, but I don't think you'll ever truly be scared. Except when they randomly interrupt the gameplay with a jumpscare cutscene. Very mean. This game would actually be a pretty good pick for someone who doesn't want to play a horror game but would like to try something a bit darker.
Continuing to discuss the aspects of this game in a strange order, the core gameplay is not only original but very fun. Sadly, it is the game's most noticeable weak point, but I'm not saying it's bad by any means. You really feel a lack of enemy variety for a lot of the game, there's only 4 real types but 3 of those 4 types look basically the same unless you get really up close. The difficulty is quite well balanced, but there was definitely some annoying spikes, but nothing rage inducing playing through on Normal. If I had to point out the game's biggest annoyance it would be the dodge/sprint button. You press the sprint button along with a direction, and if you time it right, you dodge the enemy's attack while the game slows down. It's very cool when it works, but it feels like a pure dice roll whether it will work or not, and more often than not, in a critical moment, it doesn't. This combined with the occasional difficulty spikes makes the Hard mode sound like a very bad time indeed.
In conclusion, it's well worth playing, but it's definitely not a game for everyone. I only hope I enjoy the sequel when I eventually get to it.
In terms of story, I found it painfully slow for roughly the first 2 hours or so, but after this it really starts picking up and it got me hooked for the rest of the game. In particular I noticed the cutscenes were super well made and they never felt unnecessary or annoying like in some games. Without spoiling it, I really loved the ending too, it surprised me when it happened but it really left an impression on me. Though as there's a sequel its impact is probably significantly dampened.
I thought the TV show presentation, with the whole "previously on Alan Wake" thing was weird but I appreciated the idea, and the points where an episode would end made complete sense and were helped by some excellent use of licensed music.
The visuals still hold up quite well, I'm not sure what the relatively recent remaster does to the game, but I'd almost say a remaster isn't needed. Textures and character models in particular look dated today, but the visual effects, lighting and general environments look genuinely fantastic for an Xbox 360 game, my descriptions could never do it justice.
Audio design is even better, the ambience as you traverse dark open areas subtly intensifying when enemies are going to show up soon, only to calm back down after you've dealt with them is remarkably smooth. Additionally, the combination of sounds from using your light, burning an enemy and then hitting them with a hail of bullets is unbelievably satisfying and masks the repetition very well.
The horror elements are very light, and that's okay. The atmosphere does most of the heavy lifting, and does it well, but I don't think you'll ever truly be scared. Except when they randomly interrupt the gameplay with a jumpscare cutscene. Very mean. This game would actually be a pretty good pick for someone who doesn't want to play a horror game but would like to try something a bit darker.
Continuing to discuss the aspects of this game in a strange order, the core gameplay is not only original but very fun. Sadly, it is the game's most noticeable weak point, but I'm not saying it's bad by any means. You really feel a lack of enemy variety for a lot of the game, there's only 4 real types but 3 of those 4 types look basically the same unless you get really up close. The difficulty is quite well balanced, but there was definitely some annoying spikes, but nothing rage inducing playing through on Normal. If I had to point out the game's biggest annoyance it would be the dodge/sprint button. You press the sprint button along with a direction, and if you time it right, you dodge the enemy's attack while the game slows down. It's very cool when it works, but it feels like a pure dice roll whether it will work or not, and more often than not, in a critical moment, it doesn't. This combined with the occasional difficulty spikes makes the Hard mode sound like a very bad time indeed.
In conclusion, it's well worth playing, but it's definitely not a game for everyone. I only hope I enjoy the sequel when I eventually get to it.