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First impressions...in reeeeeplllllly...
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DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A FINAL REVIEW. I'VE ONLY PLAYED A FEW HOURS OF THE GAME. IMPRESSIONS MAY CHANGE!
Let's not waste any time here--so far I'm really enjoying this game quite a bit. It's actually much better than what I was expecting. I say that because I never invested much time or beleif (read:hype) in Alan Wake's ability to be good. Not because I had my doubts in Remmedy, but because I didnt read or watch previews at all. I wanted to play the game fresh. I always hoped it would be good mainly because I love the survival horror genre. Now though I've only played the game for a few hours I feel comfotable saying that this is probably what the Silent Hill series should have in terms of quality, scare and ambition. I actually enjoyed the two newest Silent Hill games but they wernt as good as I hoped they would be.
In short--after completing the first episode (for those that are not aware, the game is broken up into several episodes) the first thought I had was "this is probably what a survival horror game would be like if Valve made one."
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Alan Wake is a goregeous looking game. There are so many miniscule things going on that it makes if difficult not to stop in each new location to look about for minutes on end. The lighting in particular is really stunning. The water in Bioshock is to the lighting in Alan Wake--it's a character in the game. I cannot remember the last time I saw lighting used to this degree and so well. The things they're doing, technically, are jarring and--at times--hypnotic. The environments are littered with objects that are fully detailed and moveable when you bump into them. I know it sounds strange to say but the trees are the best! Weird I know, but when you see the way they move and sway in the wind it will really sink in how well they help create a sense that the forest is alive, dancing and coming after you.
The sound is goddamn amazing. It's the sublte crunching of the leaves under your feet, the whispers in the wind, the groaning of the mountain and hillsides that force you to swing your flashlight about. The voice acting is well done too.
CONTROLS & ETC
The feel of the combat and mechanics theirin are well thoughtout, developed and implimented that within minutes I felt very comfortable. It doesnt feel cumbersome or confusing. In terms of the combat system I would even go so far as to say that it's even a bit innovative. I love using the 2 stages of the flashlight to 'burn' away the shadowy armor of the baddies and then finishing them off with a shotgun. The flares take the form of a smartbomb (lol 80's refference to Defender) or nuke really helps in that oh shit moment. It's smartly designed.
There are a few different difficulty levels to choose from. I'm currently playing on Normal. There was a Nightmare difficulty level in the options menu but it was greyed out. I assume you have to beat the game first to unlock it.
There has been a nice balance between exploring and fighting so far. The balance between the two feels comfortable and similar to other games in the genre--it doesnt lean heavily either way. It has had it's white-knuckle moments too--last night (playing episode 2) I found myself fighting for my life more than once, surrounded by baddies, low on ammo and holding 1 flare. They were tense moments of action that were not frustingly cheap or out of character. The pacing is great.
I didnt detect any cheap scares. It feels better, or at the very least, on par with Dead Space in terms of scare. Strike that, I personally think (again so far, only episode 2) it's a step up, more thought out and implimented better. For the record I'm a Dead Space fan. Not a lot of "open this door and a dead bosy drops from the rafters" moments.
I like this game a lot (so far).
What don't I like?
I'm being very finicky here but the mouth synch to the voice acting it a little off. It's not horrible, but in comparison to the rest of the game it feels slightly antiquated. Also the animations range from (mostly) fantastic to 'uh-oh'. Luckily the 'uh-ohs' dont happen very often.
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