Brad’s Backlog – Alan Wake

Boom! Alan Wake is done.  I write this having just finished the game and I have to say it feels good.

Not good as in “Man that game was good.” But good because that’s one off the list and I’m off to a flying start! I also have a bit of a knob-on for playing it through on Hard without even realizing I had opted to.

Alan Wake is a fine game to tick off the list. The story (although far fetched at times) flows nicely and the well crafted sense of constant threat and suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is one of those games that promotes the tactic of running the fuck away – and I appreciate that. Although not always the most honorable or fun tactic to use, it is nice to have the option available. Despite ammo and batteries being readily available throughout the game I still found myself hoarding them like a mental person! If I could make it to the light and save some rounds it felt like more of an achievement to me. This style of play put a nice fight or flight twist on the game and, in my opinion, sets it apart from your standard scary shoot ’em up.

The story is nothing short of messed up. All sorts of crazy darkness related hell is kicking off and only Alan can save us! The story revolves around a book that Alan has written whilst being possessed by an old woman. You can find pages of the book scattered throughout the game and reading them can reveal whats coming up next. I found the pages to be a mixture of spoilers and stress. Reading them can ruin the surprise of whats to come or just let you know that its not going to get any easier. I stopped reading and kept shooting – it was the best way!

Overall Alan Wake is an awesome game. Any game that ends with you fisting an old lady so hard she explodes is defiantly worth a bash!  I recommend that anyone who owns it plays it, and those who don’t own it buy it! It may be a while before I go outside at night without a torch, take a holiday in the woods or stay anywhere near a lake! But it was totally worth it.

Remember – It’s not a lake. It’s an Ocean.