Alan Wake's American Nightmare Review
- Thread starter Susan Arendt
- Start date
This made me fall out of my chair laughing after I came to the comments section from half way into that awful advert length.Tanis said:
Nice review Susan, my thoughts exactly as I played it. It's a nice distraction, but seriously, we need a full sequel, with more Cowbe- I mean Barry! Barry yeah that's what I meant.
I honestly thought, seeing Alan in a plaid shirt with a nailgun on the title screen, that this was going to turn into some kind of "Redneck Rampage with a flashlight" game that crosses the border from atmospheric and Stephen Kingish to the surreal and, well, Dean Koontzish. Glad to see that isn't the case, though I agree that having Alan slip so easily into the brightly colored socks of a hero is more than a little distracting to his character up until now. But then Gordon Freeman and Isaac Clarke are supposed to be "just" a scientist and engineer, too.
Forget Barry though, I need more Susan reviews. Someone get you a weekly show on The Escapist. I'd enjoy that.
Forget Barry though, I need more Susan reviews. Someone get you a weekly show on The Escapist. I'd enjoy that.
Still seems an odd direction for them to take (even for just a spin-off), although perhaps it'll help them bankroll a proper sequel that can make use of the first game's potential.
Hopefully they'll go more down the route of actual horror than Dead Space-style horror; I dare say the first AW had too many guns as is. More focus on using light (and running away) than guns, please.
Hopefully they'll go more down the route of actual horror than Dead Space-style horror; I dare say the first AW had too many guns as is. More focus on using light (and running away) than guns, please.
I was waiting for the part where Alan got his hand cut off and replaced it with a chainsaw. Oh well, I'll just have to wait until next time for Alan Wake: Army of Darkness.
...I loved Alan Wake, but I don't know if I can justify $15 for this. It's $30 for the collector's edition on Steam right now, and the fact this is lacking the atmosphere is a major blow. Then again... the new villain seems interesting enough. I may pick it up when I have cash.
I was a little disapointed at the lack of horror and creepiness in AW:AN, but the fact is...it makes sense. I mean, alan's been fighting the darkness for two years now. It wouldn't make sense if he hadn't become something of a taken hunter.
And it even tackles such an issue sometimes. One of the manuscript pages notes that alan can't remember the last time he hadn't carried a flashlight and a gun with him. It's a secret war that can consume it's soldiers. Through the course of american nightmare, you begin to understand why cynthia weaver was so crazy...because she always had to be on her guard against every single shadow.
And it even tackles such an issue sometimes. One of the manuscript pages notes that alan can't remember the last time he hadn't carried a flashlight and a gun with him. It's a secret war that can consume it's soldiers. Through the course of american nightmare, you begin to understand why cynthia weaver was so crazy...because she always had to be on her guard against every single shadow.
I have to disagree strongly. I have ALWAYS hated games that make you run away instead of fight all the time. Occasionally is ok, and only in situations where it would make sense i.e. running away from something that you couldn't possibly stand a chance against, not something you could beat, or the occasional moments of controlled helplessness.Woodsey said:
Why do I feel this way? It's because there's nothing scary about being chased around by enemies, it's just annoying.
All I can say is if I'm not able to blow away every single Taken, even if it takes planning and preparation to do so, I'll be disappointed.
and a fun time was had by... well me. it was good to catch up with Alan, I hadn't seen him in a year or so and it was like old times. This time though he wasn't stiff and he did respond better to my prodding in combat. we laughed, we destroyed taken, shot spiders and couldn't shake the feeling we were in one of those night springs episodes. It was a shame we never really got to catch up with Barry but he was busy with his new gig. I'm sure we'll hang out with the big B sometime though. it was a short visit, but a satisfying one. I hope we can get the gang together sometime soon though, hopefully for an extended visit this time. if I have one complaint about our time together this time around, it's that I can't get that damn kasabian song out of my head. Now if you'll excuse me I believe I saw something in that graveyard that needs investigating. and by investigating, I mean shooting it in the face, that filthy taken beggar. keep your flashlight at arms length friends.
Hm...
Enjoyed the original, but will pass this one. Even more shooting and no lack of ammo kills the game for me. This looks like a watered down version of what was a good game, even though I'm sure they have improved on the mechanics...of shooting stuff.
Enjoyed the original, but will pass this one. Even more shooting and no lack of ammo kills the game for me. This looks like a watered down version of what was a good game, even though I'm sure they have improved on the mechanics...of shooting stuff.
Hmm, I'd really rather Remedy just got on with the main storyline instead of doing the whole Ubisoft-Assassin's-Creed-spin-off-thing. We've had two DLC levels now with Alan in "The Dark Place" and now this as well, it's kinda starting to wear a little thin.
As for Barry, well he was great fun in the first game but he got a little annoying in the DLC because the tone just wasn't quite right to have him wisecracking every half minute. But this game looks like a perfect fit for his humour, shame he's not about.
Still, I wasn't going to bother with this until I heard that there was just enough connection to the main storyline to keep fans of the original interested. I shall be downloading this right now. Thanks for the recomendation, Susan.
As for Barry, well he was great fun in the first game but he got a little annoying in the DLC because the tone just wasn't quite right to have him wisecracking every half minute. But this game looks like a perfect fit for his humour, shame he's not about.
Still, I wasn't going to bother with this until I heard that there was just enough connection to the main storyline to keep fans of the original interested. I shall be downloading this right now. Thanks for the recomendation, Susan.
First off, Alen Wake is not trying to be a "scary" game. It is self-titled as "a psychological action thriller". (I bolded all of the pertinent words.)Woodsey said:
As for your "anti-weapon" tangent, how bout they take away your ability to manipulate light? Regardless of if you realize it or not light is a weapon. Taking away one or the other would ruin the story, and not for the reason you might think.
It would ruin the story because light and the gun/s are metaphors for truth and reason. To take away one would destroy the physiological and action portions that Alen Wake is all about. This is the metaphor of how he overcomes the darkness, personified by the taken, that is taking over his life.
Skill Beats Gun
10 G
Survive an Arcade level using nothing but the flashlight and handheld flares.
Survive an Arcade level using nothing but the flashlight and handheld flares.
And might I say it was annoying, not scary. I got the sense that this game was actually less about the combat and more about the story. The infinite ammo was to help people progress through the story without needing to worry about how many rounds they had left. It made this game a little more approachable to people who had not played the first one.
Alen has been fighting the darkness for two years; he has come to terms with the darkness so it no longer visibly scares him anymore. They even address this in the dialog. One chick asks why he is so calm and Alen replies that he is still afraid, but he knows he can defeat the darkness. Add to the fact that Alen wrote this place into existence. Why would he not have written weaponry into his story for his hero to fight and win with?
Personally, I like me some Alen Wake combat but I LOVE me some Allen Wake story and phycology. Before you or anyone else asks, yes I did beat Allen Wake & Allen Wake American Nightmare and I enjoy them both.
Uh, yeah, Alan (Alan) Wake was trying to elicit some scares. It wasn't trying to be a full-on horror, but it was most definitely trying to get some scares.Sarge034 said:
And I was talking about the first game and what I hope to see for the second, not American Nightmare. Although I'll add that simply adding an achievement to do something does not mean they are supporting that play style (probably why you found it "annoying" - because the game wasn't built with that focus in mind), or even particularly encouraging people to do it for that matter.
I argued for less guns and ammo, with a heavier emphasis on using light sources. I didn't say ditch either completely.
That's not what I said, in a horror I wouldn't want to be a guy who was armed to the teeth and can spray and pray and still kill everything. A horror game is one where you can kill everything but only if you're skilled and don't waste anything is what I was talking about.Woodsey said: