Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 100 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 862 Ratings

  • Summary: Alan Wake is a psychological action thriller, a unique new take in the world of gaming. The game is set in an idyllic all-American small town and its surroundings in the state of Washington. Alan Wake, the game's protagonist, is a bestselling horror writer, who writes a novel about his darkest nightmares. In the game, those nightmares come true. As with Remedy's previous games, story and atmosphere are fundamental elements. The game features a massive, open world for the players to explore. The game design is mission based with the player as the driving force behing the action, and as with their previous games, Remedy again focuses completely on delivering the best possible single player experience. The use of light is a significant gameplay element. Remedy has developed proprietary new technology to support the gameplay of the title and to push the high definition visuals to the next level. [Remedy] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 100
  2. Negative: 0 out of 100
  1. A brilliantly told story, excellent voice acting, and an atmosphere so unnerving you'll sleep with the lights on for a month. If only it came with a bottle of instant amnesia so that you could play it for the first time more than once.
  2. Alan Wake paints a vivid nightmare that you won't soon forget. It's the freshest take on the horror game in a long time, and every moment feels like it was painstakingly scripted. There isn't much fluff here. That said, the game is lacking in the frills that we've come to expect from a triple-A release.
  3. This is the birth of a special franchise, end even with its teething problems the beginning has been well worth waiting for. [July 2010, p.77]
  4. Alan Wake is ambitious, occasionally funny, and distinctly memorable; like I said before, I don't regret playing it at all. My abiding impression of the game, though, is of wasted potential. We've been waiting for the next great horror game since Silent Hill 2, and this could've been it.

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 100
  2. Negative: 11 out of 100
  1. This game is no doubt a masterpiece. It's a brilliant story mixed with amazing gameplay and realistic graphics. It is a truly scary game. This game has had me stressed more than nay other, due to its edge of your seat and jumping out of it style. PLAY IT! Expand
  2. Alan wake is a very enjoyable game, I hadn't played it but saw that it had good reviews so recently got it on XBL, the game was not that long but it kept my interest, the plot and take on the storyline is a very interesting mixture. One of my favourite parts of the game is once you finish a chapter yoàu get an alan wake logo on screen and a song plays from start to finish it just adds an extra relief and a little while to relax before starting up again. Found the game to be like a mini tv series of which you are the main character, no doubt the intention of the producers and the gameplay, the story and gameplay mesh well together with the creative directing. There are a few niggles, the gameplay does begin to get repetitive by the end and I couldn't bring myself to replay the game, once through was enough. So.... Not perfect but an enjoyable gaming adventure, if you find it on the cheap it's worth picking it up. Expand
  3. I really wanted Alan Wake to be a masterpiece, but unfortunately it failed to live up to my expectations by some margin. The problem with the game is that, after a strong start, it fails to immerse the player. After every episode (the game consists of 6 episodes) the character is robbed of all of his inventory and the return of these items becomes irritating. Also, how many flashlights, pistols and hunting rifles do you normally find casually strewn about the wilderness? No, I don't find many either, but Alan Wake finds literally hundreds.

    The facial animation and lip-synching is often poor which, for a game thats main aim is to tell a story, is unforgivable. The story itself is actually pretty good, if a little bit convoluted. The inspirations behind the story are clear, ranging from Stephen King to Twin Peaks, yet I do feel that perhaps the story could have been a little better. Perhaps this is because any impact of key plot moments is lost due to the premature finding of manuscript pages, which often detail what is about to occur before it actually does. Not only does this reduce the impact of plot moments, but it also often causes tension in the scene to be reduced, as the player knows exactly what is coming.

    All of these criticisms are not to say that Alan Wake is a bad game, as it is enjoyable. It is just unfortunate that the developers did not spend more time and iron out a number of irritating issues. However, when one looks at the fact that the game took 5 years to make, it is maybe the skill of the developer and the choices made whilst making the game that must be called into question. If you can pick it up cheap then you won't regret it. I just hope that there is an Alan Wake 2 that truly explores the potential of Alan Wake.
    Expand
  4. There is one question you ask yourself going into the game. "Do you like Stephen King stories?" If yes, play and enjoy! If no, like me, STAY THE F*** OUT! I'm sorry, let me elaborate:
    This game immediately explains what it is in the first thing you see, a quote of Stephen King. "Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear." In that one sentence it explains that it is going to praise Stephen King(way to much), try to be poetic(it fails) and not explain anything(it doesn't). The plot is awful and the gameplay is weak. The only reason it get a three is because the gameplay isn't horrendous and there are some funny things that you could miss entirely and one "Metal" section that is far to short.
    Expand

See all 100 User Reviews

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