TGV Gets Handsy with Alan Wake
Written by Jim McIntyre Wednesday, 28 April 2010 10:00
I'm a self-professed girly-man when it comes to the survival horror genre. I won't play them, buy them, or even watch people play them. Yet after getting my hands on Alan Wake last night, I know I'm going to have to try and force myself to play it despite how terrified it’s likely to make me, because to miss out on this gaming gem would be downright criminal.
As I'm sure you will know, Remedy's Alan Wake is about Alan Wake. Alan is a author with a bad case of writers block, who tries to remedy (see what I did there!?) it by taking a vacation with his wife. Of course they chose a hugely creepy small town for their vacation, and suddenly Alan's wife disappears and shit gets spooky. Pages of a book that Alan doesn't remember writing start turning up, and the events in the pages start to happen. Town people are taken over by a dark presence and are trying to kill you.
The game is broken up into chapters, and taking cues from TV shows the game features recaps of previous chapters so you can better keep track of the story. So after a quick recap of what had happened previously in the game my hands on began with Alan waking up in a crashed car. Stumbling out he starts calling for help, and heading towards distant lights of a gas station. Along the way you run into townsfolk who are possessed and attack you.
The combat in Alan Wake is focused on light. Shine your flashlight on your foe to get the darkness off them, and then proceed to fill their now fragile bodies with hot lead. You can also use spotlights, flares, and flash bangs to de-dark your foes. Hold down the left trigger to activate your flashlight and your batteries will start to drain. If the battery drains completely you need to replace the battery, but if you just drain it partially it will regenerate over time. It was likely just because the section I was playing was early on, but both batteries and ammo seemed plentiful.
The game is full of cinematic moments, with the camera often pulling back and slowing down to show you a multitude of enemies staggering towards you, or to show you pulling off a cool dodge. It’s a nice touch, and looks fantastic.
As I proceeded towards the gas station I came across arrows and messages written in light activated paint. Following the arrows I came across stashes of weapons and batteries, and a flare gun. Mmm flare gun…. You find yourself being chased by one of the crazy posessed town folks throughout the majority of this first level, and the level culminates in a fairly epic boss fight.
Graphically the version I saw was a bit hit and miss, but Remedy were quick to tell us it wasn't the final version that we were seeing. The facial animations were all really off, and at times quite laughable. The light effects on the other hand were brilliant. Whether the issues are cleared up in the final version is something we will just have to wait to see.
Releasing on May 20th, Alan Wake, is a must play for not only any fan of the genre, but even for the girly men like me who aren't. With story driven action, a truly creepy setting, interesting characters, and a genuinely different gameplay mechanic, Alan Wake has me excited. Personally I'll probably have to set up every lamp in the house in my gaming room, and more than likely play during the middle of the day, but it looks like it will be worth it.
Im curious..
The release date for europe got shifted a week earlier to the 14th of may. Does this count for Aus too?
If not, looks like Ill be importing.
WannitWannitWannitWannitWannitWannitWannit!!!
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