After six years in development, it'd be really embarrassing for all concerned if Alan Wake was rubbish. But thankfully it's not; it's a thrilling, masterfully scripted, polished, sometimes scary and always tense plot-driven action game - one of our favourites on 360. But it's not perfect.
A swooping camera, epic score and a familiar over-the-shoulder camera angle kick off our story, as Alan Wake - a famous author who's come down with writer's block - and his missus, Alice, ride a ferry towards Twin Peaks-esque vacation town, Bright Falls.
Alan Wake
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The boat ride offers an immersive and visually palatable introduction to a game that relies heavily on atmosphere and plot. As Alan you're free to walk around the car-laden boat deck, chatting to fellow passengers and gazing at the glorious North West scenery.
Alan Wake does these sort of scenes very well - and there are plenty of them throughout the game. As we reach dry land and head off to a nearby diner, it's easy to get lost eyeing up the posters on the wall and waddling around the chequered-floor restaurant in search of any kind of interactivity. What we find, though, is a dimly lit corridor at the rear of the building - partnered by a visibly shaken old lady, who warns us against going anywhere near it.
With a concerned facial expression donning our character, we naturally walk in anyway... and Alan's nightmare begins.
Simon Scary
Alan Wake's box proudly advertises a "psychological action thriller," but if you're expecting LA Confidential you're going to be surprised; Jack Nicholson busting your door down surprised. Remedy's game has a lot more in common with small screen head screws like Lost and X-Files, and there are some genuinely spooky, messed up scenes during Alan's story.
After a heart-pounding in-game event and plot twist, our man wakes up in a car accident - and his wife Alice has been taken. Alan has no recollection of what happened between Alice's disappearance and the destruction of his no claims bonus, and in true Twin Peaks fashion everything starts to go a bit mental very quickly.
With a torch and revolver in hand, Alan brushes himself off and heads through the forest in search of civilization. Eventually our man starts to discover glowing pages of manuscript oddly scattered around Bright Falls, and it becomes clear that the disturbing events that unfold are following a dark novel that Alan doesn't remember writing.
As shady, spectre-like aggressors start to emerge from the forest it's ironically Alan's torch that turns out to be the more deadly weapon. The 'Dark Presence' - Alan's own demented creation - that's taking over the quiet town is basically made of darkness, so when your enemies come at you with axes and knives the only way to take them out is by focusing your flashlight with the left trigger until they're stunned, and then finishing them off with a bullet or five.
It's a simple and satisfying combat mechanic that's made more gratifying by an array of spectacular particle and lighting effects. The constant juggling of torch and gun makes for frantic, intense enemy encounters, which fits perfectly with the tone of the game.
The plot's desperate scenarios constantly pit you against a dozen axe and chainsaw-wielding foes who slowly approach your position, Resi 4-style, and you'll wrestle to keep both your weapon loaded with X and your flashlight full of fresh batteries with Y as they constantly run dead. The action's further ramped up later by the introduction of stronger flashlights, bigger guns and secondary weapons such as flares and thunderous flashbangs.
Comments
112 comments so far...
toaboa on 5 May '10 said:
good stuff apparently
starsail on 5 May '10 said:
As a rightwing Xbox hating Sony fanboy, I have a nose for good upcoming games. As I said before, I'll probably pick this up when Halo Reach comes out (by then Mass Effect 2 will maybe be at a budget price aswell).
3 reasons to own the platform this year, well, its about time. Since Gears 2, I wouldve only had Forza to see me through and since then I played Killzone 2, Infamous, Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted 2, MAG, Yakuza 3, Heavy Rain and God of War 3 (apparently there're no decent games on PS3) so its nice to see Xbox is getting a few decent games to try and compete.
Good job Remedy and a nice exclusive for MS.
altitude2k on 5 May '10 said:
It's getting less than shining reviews from other places, though. EG isn't a big fan...
starvinbull on 5 May '10 said:
"Despite it's floors"
Moribundman on 5 May '10 said:
A little more encouraging than Eurogamer's troll-baiting 7/10.
starvinbull on 5 May '10 said:
Don't worry, the Edge review will doubtless give it 10.
divinebeetle on 5 May '10 said:
6 years in the making for 10 hours+
might wait till it hits the bargain bins
lonewolf2002 on 5 May '10 said:
Ah well, looking at the metacritic industry reviews they are the lowest most reviews are at 80+/100. Although metacritic do some crazy formulas to get their out of 100 scores. Looking good at the moment for this title, I for one will definately be getting this at some point, regardless of reviews.
MPH on 5 May '10 said:
Eurogamer reviews I always ignore anyway. Half the time they give out average (or in this case slightly above average) scores as if to attract publicity.
But do you come across any walls in the game that are super hard to overcome? Any ceilings that you can't break through?
Ahem. Oh yeah... I went there.
DonnerKebab on 5 May '10 said:
EG's review is more in line with what I'm seeing of the footage. Cheesy voiceover and bad dialogue spoiling an otherwise decent but dated linear shooter
Black Mantis on 5 May '10 said:
Remedy have been tweeting all the reviews they can find. Eurogamers review is so far the only slight dip so far. Good job Remedy!
I don't think EG like scary games, they gave Dead Space a 7 also (the same as Alone in the Dark).
PS3_fannyboy on 5 May '10 said:
Six years?
And people moan about GT5, lol.
Mark240473 on 5 May '10 said:
Sounds good, though I'd love to try the game myself before I buy it.
I'm not sure if CVG is being kind or Eurogamer is being harsh at the moment. Very confusing.
Saying that, I have it on pre-order now, so I'm going to chance it as I love these types of games.
As far as metacritic goes, I just ignore it for the most part. One of my GOTY's so far is FF13 (love it!) and that stands at 83%. Whatever...
blagger on 5 May '10 said:
A good rating but it looks like it won't be the triple AAA title some of us wanted it to be.
It's just another good game.
I was hoping for better reviews, it's a mile off challenging mass effect 2 as the highest metacritic game of the year.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
I usually don't pay too much attention to the overall score - obviously, they can be pretty good indicators of general quality, but there are certainly some highly-rated games that I know I wouldn't be able to fully get into.
Having said that, I'm desperate to see some review scores for Red Dead Redemption as soon as possible. I finally pre-ordered the CE from Shopto and I'm really hoping that I don't have any reason to cancel it.
Anyone know when we might start seeing some RDR reviews trickling through?
Mark240473 on 5 May '10 said:
Yeah, I'm interested in RDR too - the open wild west looks fantastic in videos. I'm also keen to see some reviews of Modnation Racers as I reckon that could be a potential sleeper hit. And both are out the same (21st) day!
bipod on 5 May '10 said:
The xbox 360 doesn't need another good game. The xbox needs a triple AAA game. The only reason someone has to buy a 360 right now is because of halo and mass effect and thats it. The ps3 on the other hand has many amazing games on it and it will soon have more with the release of gt5.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
I'm still just a little unsure because of all the rumours of the working conditions at R* during the development. It certainly looks fantastic, but I'm just worried that there may be some serious issues left in the final product.
To be honest, if they just gave us an expanded and slightly edgier version of GUN, I'll be happy.
blagger on 5 May '10 said:
Bipod, i think you'll find a lot of 360 owners quite enjoy gears of war 2 and forza 3 as well.
But i do agree the ps3 has the better higher scoring exclusives(i have both machines).
Not so much this year though with only god of war 3 standing tall(if you go by metacritic's roundup of reviews that is).
Black Mantis on 5 May '10 said:
So far it seems as if Eurogamer have been a bit harsh, but there's always one. For me, if the set-up interests me and the game isn't broken with fatal flaws, I'll buy it regardless of the scores.
ricflair on 5 May '10 said:
Yeah, but bipod supports 'the eradication of 360'. He's a bit mental. There was a weird day a couple of weeks back when him and some guy called Ivan posted loads. It read like some religious extremism and, well, they were just weird.
Death to the 360 owning infidels!
budge on 5 May '10 said:
Anyone know if there's a demo planned for Live before this game is released?
@Mark, Modnation Racers got a 91% in PSM3 magazine. After playing the beta it's definately on my wish list.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
The one thing that I always find odd with people like that is the assumption that you only play exclusive titles on your console of choice. I don't actually own an awful lot of exclusives (no Gears or Halo) and I bought my 360 for GTA4.
I will probably get Alan Wake at some point, but I'm limiting the amount of games I'm buying at the moment - I've got the RDR pre-order and I've snagged a copy of HOTD: Overkill (with the hand-cannon) for the Wii, so that's me for the month.
Still, I've been spending most of my time on WWE 2010 over the past couple of weeks....strangely enjoyable game that was bought on a whim.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Perhaps someone would care to elaborate on why and how a score of 9.0 out of a possible 10.0 does not qualify as a AAA rated game?
Oh, and PS3Fannyboy, as for that precious PS3 racer game you mentioned, when exactly is that due? Alan Wake is done and ready to be shipped which appears to be more than can be said for, which game was it again? It's been so long that I keep forgetting it's title.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Nothing copious amounts of "lead ventilation" won't solve...
flash501 on 5 May '10 said:
Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. I wonder was it the same guy who reviewed both games?,
Dead Space ended up being a 9.5/10 for me, so hopefully I'll enjoy this as much.
Mark240473 on 5 May '10 said:
Cheers Budge. I've just looked on metacritic and there appears to be a few reviews for MNR now, all at 90%, so that's good news. Looking forward to reading CVG's soon, I hope.
ricflair on 5 May '10 said:
I'm exactly the same. Got my 360 for GTA4, if the PS3 had been a similar price at the time, I would have quite possibly gone for that. Although all the second job nonsense put me off.
I just bought if for the games and the fact my friends had them, not the exclusives really (I've got a few - Gears1/2, Halo 3/ODST, Fable 2, got Forza 3 cheap the other day). I'd be happy whichever console I bought.
Actually, that's not true. I need something that plays L4D. Although I've been playing that on my PC with s**tty graphics card alot lately. It's low res but I could forego a 360 for it!
Alan Wake was never going to be a day one purchase for me, even if it got 10s all round.
gogo65uk on 5 May '10 said:
Glad now I that lost interest in this game 2 years ago. I won't be getting it. Reviews are less than convincing.
Black Mantis on 5 May '10 said:
Same person apparently, except it's actually a woman. Read into that what you will...
I'm not implying anything.
ledickolas on 5 May '10 said:
Mark my words: RDR will be the highest rated game this year. I am never wrong.
Except when I am wrong......
Going by the previews I've read recently it's AAA status is assured.
Who cares what console it is? Multi format ftw.
drpunk on 5 May '10 said:
Is that a typo, or are you saying the game mocks us with loads of paths we cannot follow?
flash501 on 5 May '10 said:
Oh but I think you are Mr. Mantis.
Seriously though, 7 out of 10 is still a decent score I suppose. I've said it before but 9s and 10s get thrown around far too often for my liking. It leads to scores like 7 being seen as a bit s**tter than they really are.
MrPirtniw on 5 May '10 said:
Aw c'mon Gogo- that was a bit predictable wasn't it?
Got it on pre-order- I feel sorry for my 360 at the moment, it hasn't had a day off in weeks.
CrispyLog on 5 May '10 said:
I'm very excited about this game (though nowhere near stonecold's level) so it's good to see that it is an entertaining and interesting experience. Will have to wait until the end of summer though because Red Dead Redemption is out soon and not only do I love anything western, but everything I've read about it makes it seem just too good to be true. Bad timing to realse a 6 year developed game a week apart from the next big R* game which will have a massive advertising campaign.
sweatyBallacks on 5 May '10 said:
I'm waiting for the EDGE review.
If it is anything less than 9, the world will have gone mad cos EDGE have a clause in their contract to give 360 exclusives 9 or 10/10.
Moribundman on 5 May '10 said:
Hats off to Ricflair. You've hit the nail on the head with bipod. Didn't see the aforementioned posts with Ivan, but it sounds like he and grasshopper could have a sloppy three-way with their slim black beauty...
svd_grasshopper on 5 May '10 said:
wouldn't call 7/10 harsh. unless its for a mindblowing game. which i don't think this is...
9.0 just sounds like a generic score dished to a hyped game.
i'd call it an 8 in reality.
Moribundman on 5 May '10 said:
I take it all back. You're actually making a lot of sense these days. I agree with grasshopper.
adgr19 on 5 May '10 said:
sounds good but can you please review a game without going into specifics. that's two set pieces i'll be expecting now. thanks
Mark240473 on 5 May '10 said:
It sounds like you've got your 360 working in a Chinese sweat-shop.
Zero_Cool on 5 May '10 said:
This got a 7 from EG, a B+ from 1up and a 6.8 from Nowgamer.
In other words, it's an average game. I think CVG have been taking backhanders from MS regarding the 9.
CVG has no integrity.
PS3_fannyboy on 5 May '10 said:
Well, I'm sure that if they released it now it would probably do well and get like 90%.
However, would be stupid to omit the final polishing that will result in that extra 5-8% - taking it up to typical standards expected from a PS3 exclusive...
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
They say hope is eternal and that God watches out for fools. The former already appears to be required for GT5 and the latter is something many a SDF fanboy can only hope for.
Mark240473 on 5 May '10 said:
Wow, you're becoming quite the anti-Sony campaigner of late, Dorian... I mean KFD...
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Come now Marky Mark. My disdain for SDF fanboys and Sony's ridiculously pompous arrogance (ex. apparently people had to get a second job to afford a PS3? etc.) is hardly a state secret. I'm not so much "anti-Sony" as I'm anti-stupidity and unchecked corporate greed/shenanigans.
MrPirtniw on 5 May '10 said:
So CVG give Uncharted a 10- did anyone argue with that? I personally would give it an 8 or 9- I did have some minor gripes with it but in all it was a fantastic game- I'm betting this will be too. I like how some people are already deciding on the rating of the game before even playing it. Yeeeesh.
@Mark: And just like a chinese sweatshop if it breaks down it'll be instantly replaced by a younger model. I apologize- that maybe a tad inappropriate.
Also I don't think KFD is anti-Sony, but he's certainly anti-Sony fanboy. Can't blame him, mind- just look at 'em! They're having a field day.
Mark240473 on 5 May '10 said:
My tongue was firmly in cheek.
Which is where the SDF should keep theirs, to be honest. Otherwise, it might taste funny.
Moribundman on 5 May '10 said:
Yeah Zero_Cool, it got a 6.8 and a 7. So those must be correct and the 8s and 9s must be wrong. I always think the low scores are right.
Take Mass Effect 2 for example - the only thing that dragged that as "low" as a 9.6 average was that t**ttish very low scoring review from a random website that later proudly admitted to grading it low to get traffic via Metacritic.
An average in the 80%s with a still above average review from Eurogamer by that woman who gave Dead Space a 7 is an exception rather than a rule. In EG's flame filled feedback, someone's listed the games she's rated highly, and it's a load of casual games and Wii titles. Having her review Deadspace and Alan Wake was a f**king silly idea.
GTCzeero on 5 May '10 said:
I'll probably get this eventually due to the score, but it's never really grabbed me as warranting the hype, looks like your standard Resident Evil/ Alone in the Dark horror shooter (despite my love for the Max Payne series)... and I still haven't mustered up the courage to get past the first chapter of Dead Space
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
To be fair, they're being worse on other sites.
At the end of the day, a review really is just one persons opinion. It's bad enough that people get so wound up about that and childishly attack that person for giving their opinion, but it's particularly pathetic when they haven't even had a chance to play the game and make up their own mind.
I never worry, I know that there are plenty of fairly poorly rated games that I've had lots of fun with. You can't please them all, all of the time!
MrPirtniw on 5 May '10 said:
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
Now I'm not saying this is entirely true, but if they were to give it lower than a 9 I think these forums would be a total warzone right now. There were so many people extremely psyched for this game, and a bad review would've caused chaos. I'm not saying the review is wrong since I haven't even played it, I'm just talking theoretically.
This would be a bargain bin buy for me anyway even if it was on a PS3. It never grabbed my interest like some other games. I'm just glad Red Dead Redemption is out in 2 weeks and Modnation is in 3. I'm gonna be really busy for quite some time.
MrPirtniw on 5 May '10 said:
Tell me about it- I've got a stockpile of games building up at the moment- but I have to make the most of the Halo Reach beta while it's available!! Then this comes along just to consume more time... not that I'm complaining of course.
BenJy on 5 May '10 said:
Reviews are subjective, i wouldn't say it's at all out of the box that a person reviewing this game might not even be a fan of the genre, it isn't unheard of.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
Same here - I'm just finishing off getting 1000 GP out of Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 (which has become my new guilty pleasure...despite the fact that I hate wrestling), then I've got HOTD: Overkill arriving anyday now.
I've barely touched things like Prototype and Bully, despite the fact that they've been sitting on the shelf for ages.
Outside all of these, I just know Red Dead Redemption is going to swallow up a few weeks of my life - my girlfriend is dreading the 21st.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
Absolutely, I love games - but, I'd be terrible at reviewing some kind of FPS...I just don't really like them.
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
Sorry for you... I bought Overkill thinking it would be like the old HOTDs and it was the worst thing I've ever played. Ya, shooting zombies in the face can be fun, but I was just plain embarrassed to say I ever played that game. The story is the worst pile of garbage ever seen. I absolutely hated it and was severely disappointed., but who knows you may like it. Don't get your hopes up. You'll finish the whole game in one afternoon and be extremely p**sed off afterwards.
BenJy on 5 May '10 said:
Dude, it's a rails shooter. What where you expecting? *BIG HUG*
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
I'm not expecting an awful lot, to be honest. I just managed to snag the game and hand-cannon for just over a tenner, bit of a bargain in my opinion. I like On-Rail shooters, so I'm mostly looking forward to using the Hand-Cannon on Ghost Squad.
Good news that it's fairly short though - that'll help with that huge stockpile of games.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know if Bully on the 360 has been deleted?...it's pre-owned value seems to have gone up. GAME wanted £25 for it earlier....might have to polish it off and get some instore credit.
MrPirtniw on 5 May '10 said:
I don't recall the old HOTD games having very good storylines! The Wii version looks pretty much the same to me- haven't played it though. The original games were awesome at the time.
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
Its the worst rails shooter I've ever played in my entire life. I mean the arcade ghostbusters was a masterpiece compared to Overkill. It makes you want to buy a Dreamcast just to play the original again.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
I've got the Wii version and it's OK. I was never a huge fan of HOTD - I much preferred Virtua Cop and Time Crisis at the time.
Ghost Squad is easily my favourite on the Wii though - very, very basic, but damn good fun nonetheless.
Legrasse on 5 May '10 said:
Must... resist...
You're anti-unchecked corporate greed/shenanigans? That's f**king hilarious. XD
Without offending you too much here. You're against Sony for being greedy, but you will gladly advocate a company that charges monthly to do something that PC gamers have been doing for free, for as long as I can remember? And it's okay for said company to put a standard £30 hard drive into a plastic mold and put a 40 quid mark up on it?
There's a reason that Bill Gates is the richest man in the world, it's because he's a greedy c**t.
MrPirtniw on 5 May '10 said:
But at least he's not a member of the SDF! Oh, I jest I jest.
lonewolf2002 on 5 May '10 said:
Now this did happen when they reviewed KZ2 and it did not get the score that people anxiuosly waiting for it believed it should get.
Plus increased rage/fanboyism ups hits and thus ups ad revenue, so marking a game high to avoid traffic seems unlikely.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Ah good. I was wondering when someone would trip up and fall in.
Please cite verbatim in this AW article or the other one floating around where I endorse MS. You won't be able to because I didn't. Furthermore, I do not look favorably upon MS's practice of charging for LIVE (which Sony appears to begin doing with certain aspects of PSN incidentally); in fact, I have only connected my Xbox 360 online once in order to download a patch for "Darksiders". LIVE/online play holds almost zero interest for me, and the online gaming I do dip in to from time to time is on my PC.
As for pricing of HDDs and other paraphernalia on the Xbox 360 I do agree those are rip-off merchant prices...Which is why I don't buy those items. I did however get a very good deal on my Xbox 360, one which put Sony's obscene PS3 prices to shame at the time or did you forget about that? And the inability to change the batteries on the PS3 controllers thus forcing gamers to buy new ones even if the old ones still function aside from depleted batteries, that's okay with you? Both MS and Sony (and other companies) are guilty of downright criminal business practices and I am pleased when they get taken for a ride by a lawsuit on those occasions. That said, they also do manage to do various things well from time to time (ex. I personally consider the Windows 7 OS a delight to use, so kudos to MS on that count).
Oh, and Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. At the latest count it was a Mexican fellow. Bill came in at third place.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
Classic
lonewolf... I know I was just joking. It was a little bit of flamebait but no one went for it
Legrasse on 5 May '10 said:
I didn't trip up, and neither did I fall in. I'm doing exactly what you're doing, I just have a better bridge to hide under than you.
IT'S JUST A GAME, FOCKER!
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
I've had the same controllers since launch and never had an issue. They work as well as the day I got em. Inability to change the batteries?? Isn't that a good thing?? You can just recharge your controller, instead of having to go and buy more batteries. Now I don't know exactly how the batteries on 360 controllers work, but not having to switch out batteries every other day seems like a plus IMO.
What did I do!?
Legrasse on 5 May '10 said:
Naw, nothin, I'm just playin'.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8357/10310588.png
DID I DO GOOD? AT LEAST IT'S ON TOPIC, RIGHT?
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
Hilarious
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
You have to admit, KFD - that's pretty funny.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Ah, so you are admitting that you are a troll. Good to know. I on the other hand continue to stand by my less than flattering views on SDF fanboys.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
It would have been oh so much sweeter if he had actually managed to get the letters in the correct order though.
voodoo341 on 5 May '10 said:
/facepalm
yeah that's such a massive issue
Legrasse on 5 May '10 said:
Aw, dammit, sorry KFD.
Well I tried, it was rushed and a typo.
Seriously though, I dislike fanboys of all flavours, and I think 9.0 is a very good score for AW. More than anything I'm hoping for a PC version, but I hope it does well regardless.
*waves*
Ciao, guys.
ParmaViolet on 5 May '10 said:
It's certainly not my biggest issue with the controllers - I just don't get on with them at all. I was actually playing a game on the PS1 the other day, but had to stop because my hands cramped up. It's not something that I can really moan about, because it's more a limitation that's caused by my stupidly big hands and not the design of the controller as such - but, it does cause problems for me. Oddly, it's the only issue I had with the PSP too - I think they're brilliant little things, but I just wouldn't be able to play one for long.
If - or rather when - I get a PS3, I'll certainly need to look at my options on the controller front.
On a slightly related topic - HMV have the SF4 control pads in their 2 for £30 deal. I spotted a Ryu and Blanka pair today (360 - didn't see any PS3 ones, but it might be worth checking what stock your local store has), I kind of wish I'd picked them up, but I'm holding out for a Hori fighting stick.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
Tut tut Voodoo. At no point was the severity of the issue specified. It is however telling that you do not actually refute that this is an issue. Carry on.
The_KFD_Case on 5 May '10 said:
No worries Legrasse. It was close but no cigar. Next time.
I was looking forward to a PC version as well. Perhaps MS will pull a similar stunt with AW as it did with ME. See how sales go and then possibly release a PC version 8 months later, etc.
dorian2011 on 5 May '10 said:
ahhh more death threats i see today from the sony faithful lol and ive been getting shouted at for being a fanboy and i be nice all the time ussually only witty humour, but i get shouted at and bipod doesnt? lmao
Focker420 on 5 May '10 said:
ummm, KFD and bipod have been yelling back and forth all day. It wasn't all bipod spewing abuse, KFD was the aggressor the majority of the time, but thats just my opinion.
trebell on 5 May '10 said:
funny stuff here.
The fanboys and their "look at all these ps3 games, the 360 only has halo and gears".
Utter b*****ks and nothing to do with the review in question.
It's as if they feel it's their job to stop people buying 360's or 360 games.
Unless Sony are paying you, you are very very sad.
Donatello on 5 May '10 said:
Alan who?
Sleepaphobic on 5 May '10 said:
9 is never AAA since reviewers dish them out like nobodies business nowadays. Now some people might regard AAA as the best sellers but I see them as the finest games out there.
From personal experience I just knock off 1-2 off the score and that's what most games really do deserve (not that it's a bad score, some people just can't see smthg less than a 9 for some stupid ass reason). Is AW one of those? I'm gonna have to wait till june after my finals to find out...
The_KFD_Case on 6 May '10 said:
Well that confirms just how impartial you are. Which is to say not much at all...Unless you conveniently overlook the various turd peddling posts Bipod have been dropping copiously around this forum during the past 24 hours. As for shouting, speaking for myself that's hardly the case. You'll know when I'm shouting. This is merely target practice at SDF cannon fodder. It has its amusements for a time. If they expect to receive a warm welcome given their penchant for obnoxious behaviour and/or capitulation then they've got another thing coming and I'm happy to give it to 'em.
The_KFD_Case on 6 May '10 said:
I do not agree that a score of 9.0 automatically means a game is not a AAA candidate. I do however agreed that such scores are handed out all too readily these days. The system is broken and I place much less faith in it than I did 10 years ago.
lonewolf2002 on 6 May '10 said:
I think you were hoping for Dorian personally
but instead you got me 
Focker420 on 6 May '10 said:
you're completely right lonewolf
As for KFD, you seem a little bent out of shape today. And with everyone not just bipod. Every little remark and you snap back with a lecture. I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but today you seem to have a bit of an attitude. Thats just how I personally have interpreted your responses.
eye.of.despair on 6 May '10 said:
Just watched the video review on IGN.. coz CVG review is frankly laughable.. they talk more about Dante's Inferno in a God of War 3 review.. and they dont even bother to spell check their review.. which is retarded.. Alas what i saw on the video review tells me AW is a really good game.. honestly i was expecting the story to blow me away and gameplay to be not so great..like too max payne-y but now it seems the tables have turned on that presumption..as it seems the plot is said to be out of bounds and gameplay looks really good even tho its nothing new.. From the looks of things Remedy did a fantastic job of putting together lighting distortion and shading in such a good mix that the game looks really moody and gorgeous.. but character models look last gen and just plain ugly..and the story told in tv drama series-like episodes is sorta a turn off.. coz ive never been a fan of that crap.. It looks great but looking at this game doesn't make me want to get my 360 fixed to play it..i now feel waiting for a pc version will be more worthwhile and exciting.. Im waiting for a game that will however make me fix the 360..
And as for people bitching bout scores.. one of my favorite games is rated 4.5 on average .. i still love it. reviews are just a guideline.. nothing more.. just a reminder. Game critics almost ruin gaming for many ppl because they try to make a SCORE look important.. it was never bout a score.. its how the experience is for the player.
divinebeetle on 6 May '10 said:
PS3_fannyboy on 6 May '10 said:
Alan Partridge?
Seriously, though, it is an interesting fact that it seems always to be the PC gamers muttering about "corporate greed" under their breath...
Unsurprisingly, this is often accompanied by a disdain for the consoles which through their enduring success are forcing their matchmaking models onto the pc fraternity - and also stealing the limelight with games that were previously only possible on the pc and tbh are still a little out of the reach of the 360 - e.g. MAG.
If I’m honest, the extent to which Sony care for me as a customer is somewhat irrelevant in my eyes – to proffer an analogy; do you really think a stamp-collector is overly concerned with the business strategy of Royal Mail?
seabeast on 6 May '10 said:
My god, can't there be one Xbox review without the sado sony faboys trolling going on about exclusives?
Get a life!
I have been looking forward to Alan Wake and did have it on pre-order but I don't fancy paying full price for a game I will probably finish in one weekened. I will be waiting until its around 30 quid, so hopefully Asda or Tesco will be doing a good price on release day.
It's all about Red Dead Redemption and Blur this month for me, online and lots of replay value.
starsail on 6 May '10 said:
MAG, Heavy Rain, God of War 3 then Modnation incoming ontop of all the cross platform games (Bayonetta, Street Fighter and Just Cause 2 etc etc), Im glad I dont own an Xbox at present, how the hell could I afford Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell and Alan Wake on top of those titles.
This has been a great year for games so far (and one of the best in recent years) probably thanks to COD MW2 over Christmas pushing the games back.
Alan Wake keeping up the trend for high scores so lets hope, as gamers, this continues.
Sleepaphobic on 6 May '10 said:
Yup, it's worrying really as I can never really connect to any review out there. The score is only half the story though, written parts are sometimes also in shambles or just missing points that should be mentioned which I can spot in a game after playing for 5 minutes. If I can't rely on anything where does that leave me?
Suivatam109PS3 on 6 May '10 said:
Waits for GT5 to be scored at 9.0 and the above post totally forgotten.
The_KFD_Case on 6 May '10 said:
Then allow me to inform you that your perceptions are not an accurate portrayal of my mood from yesterday nor today for that matter.
The_KFD_Case on 6 May '10 said:
Agreed wholeheartedly.
The_KFD_Case on 6 May '10 said:
DIY?
Focker420 on 6 May '10 said:
Alright KDF, no problem.
Sleepaphobic on 6 May '10 said:
hahha nice, it was rhetorical q though
What I'm basically saying is I can never trust a review and have to learn the hard and long way buy buying/renting everything which isn't ideal.
sweatyBallacks on 7 May '10 said:
Alan Cake
legion on 7 May '10 said:
really looking forward to this game,but i'l still reserve some judgemeant because i remember alone in the dark getting a new review but turned out rather bad (except the controls which got marked badly only a retard couldnt grip them) so hopefully its as good as cvg say.
Chaiwallah on 10 May '10 said:
If you want as close to unbiased reviews as you could hope, check out Metacritic.com.
lonewolf2002 on 10 May '10 said:
A lot of us do but sadly most just look at the numbers and not read the available reviews. Also some people say they hold no stock in metacritic as they scored my best game ever at too low a score, ignoring the fact that the score is provided by journos etc not the site itself. Christ Resonance of Fate (my fave JRPG in a very long time) gets 74 but that doesn't mean I blame Metacritic.
Little Moth on 11 May '10 said:
I've been reading a few reviews and I'm slightly disappointed by what I've read but it looks like Alan Wake is still a great game that I'm going to enjoy. I like this type of thing, Resi 4 is in my top 3 games of all time after all.
JohnDowner on 14 May '10 said:
I'm going to buy this game tonight because I don't think I've ever played anything like it before and I'm keen to try something new but I'm keeping my expectations in check as it is shorter than recent games I've played at 10hrs. There's suggestion that the manuscripts dropped around the game essentially spoil whatevers around the next corner and steal the suspense from it. Also I've never played a game where a flashlight is the tool of choice but I'm still willing to give it a try because I like Stephen King type scary stories and trsust that this has some quality in it's set pieces.
ok gamer on 18 May '10 said:
Mr A.Wake more like A.Sleep. Maybe I was Expecting too much, listened to the hype. apparently there are some puzzles in this game maybe I missed them or that switching on a generator around a corner consitutes a puzzle.
The game has great cinematics of which,it feels, is the majority of the game. At the start of every 'episode' there is a review of what you have previously done, which makes you feel you have just been watching HBO.
The game is too short and after a short time the game has played its aces and you find yourself going through the motions just to complete it. You don't feel immersed in the game or challenged. It's one to rent as you will complete it within a day, and as everything is fairly obvious you will get a high gamerscore without trying too hard either on just one run through.
ok gamer on 18 May '10 said:
i was thinking silent hill/resident evil. this just doesn't come close i'm afraid.
MrPirtniw on 20 May '10 said:
Loving the game so far (Started playing on hard mode to make sure I don't breeze through it). Atmosphere and plot are great and the lighting effects are superb- the day time sections remind me of when I went to canada- it looks stunning.
It's still not scary as such- again, it's too action packed like the newer Resi Evils or Dead Space, but the combat is pretty satisfying. The Taken are right viscous barstewards.
Only downsounds are that it's very linear and some of the animations are a little juddery. Going to get stuck back into it tonight- anyone know how many chapters there are? I'm on 4 at the moment and I've had about 8 hours worth of gaming so far.
big poppa j on 4 Jun '10 said:
I loved this game. It may not have taken too long, may be a little repetitive but it was immensely enjoyable. The storyline was darn riveting and the atmosphere very unsettling. It took me 3 days but i hammered it and even though i'm on Red Dead now and playing it over and over i still wait for Alan's DLC to carry it on. Fantastic game and much more enjoyable than most others on 360 and PS3 alike. Dead Rising 2 and Alan Wake DLC to come!?! WOOO HOOO!!