Alan Wake XBLA
- Thread starter Scott_Arm
- Start date
I'd have to agree... pretty good just about covers it for me.
But I was hoping for, and stupidly expecting, to like it more. Alan Wake (including both DLC episodes) was a surprise for me in that it rates in my top 5 games of this generation, even with its faults. It's one of the few games that has stayed with me and that I have been able to play multiple times and enjoy just as much on repeat plays.
A huge part of that is the atmosphere Remedy created, which is strangely absent here. But also, whereas I enjoyed the story and storytelling style in the boxed Alan Wake, here it seems forced and clunky.... with terrible voice acting. As for the shooting, the devs have clearly taken on board the critisism about limited enemy types, but where as the scares? Where's the creepiness? Sure, more variety and more weapons, but little personality to either.
Fortunately the shooting mechanics are still strong, and Wake's still famously unlikable(which I like). But it's really Mr Scratch who saves the day here.
Overall a "pretty good/10" sums it up.
I was, however, expecting more. Much, much more.
This one definitely feels more actioney, more of a campy action B-movie. The visuals are nice, but I liked the woods from the first game, and the crazy haze that would roll in when enemies appeared. This one definitely has better combat though. The aiming and the weapons feel better, and the enemies attack faster, with some more variety in enemy types. I don't really notice the voice acting or the story/script being worse. It's just a slightly different style. It's tongue-in-cheek, maybe taking itself a bit less seriously. It is missing the hook of Alan looking for his missing wife. Doesn't have quite the same "psychological" element. Overall, I'm pleased, but it feels like a tweaked Alan Wake, so whether the mechanic will burn out on me, I do not know.
I was halfway through the 2nd runthrough (I assume you know the structure) when I wrote my largely negative post and it definately picked up for me from that point on. The combat became more of a challenge and, more importantly, the story element got into gear.
So while it doesn't live up to the standards of the boxed version (and of course it isn't supposed to), overall for me I'd now give it a "great/10"
As an aside, I also had a quick go at one of the maps in Fight 'till Dawn and it was pretty intense. I may end up putting some time into it. I do find it amusing that reviewers are saying it's Remedy's take on Horde Mode from Gears, while conveniently forgetting that in Max Payne 2 the developers introduced a gametype called Dead Man Walking, which was Max basically surviving wave upon wave of enemies, ramping in difficulty each wave.
