I have to admit it. My first hour or so with Alan Wake was more than a bit uncomfortable. Not because anything about what I was experiencing was bad or off-putting in an unintentional way, but because it felt a bit unreal to finally be playing this long-gestating title. Other than having exploration, shooting and a light/dark concept I think I completely lost track of what the game was going to play like before I actually played.
So that begs the question- What is Alan Wake?
If I wanted to boil it down into the simplest of terms then I would just call the game a survival-horror title with much improved combat and a very strong focus on story.
What that description totally misses, and what I wish was a bigger concentration of the game since it is what ended up interesting me the most, was the non-combat daytime sequences. These are often much more subdued, character-driven experiences where you see what life in the strange town of Bright Falls is really like. Walking around in Bright Falls before the proverbial poop hit’s the fan makes this game for me. Sadly, it is only about 1/6 of the experience.
That is not to say that I didn’t have a blast in the more action driven segments. Actually I thought the combat in Alan Wake was up to an Uncharted/Gears of War level of success. Aiming and shooting just feel right.
I could gush on and on about this title if I wanted to, but instead I will put it to you in simpler terms- Alan Wake is only beaten by Resident Evil 2, Eternal Darkness and Silent Hill 2 in my list of the best survival-horror games of all time.
