Time Magazine Game of the Year: Alan Wake

[Andy Chalk]

Time Magazine Game of the Year: Alan Wake

Alan Wake [http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Wake-Limited-Xbox-360/dp/B002I0JFN8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1292436764&sr=8-2] has been placed atop Time Magazine's list of the Top Ten Videogames of 2010.

With 2010 drawing to a close, the traditional top-ten lists are beginning to pop up, including at Time, which has published its usual huge collection of year-end roundups. Among them, unsurprisingly, is a list of the year's ten best videogames, but what is a little surprising is the title in the top spot: Remedy's [http://www.remedygames.com/] Alan Wake.

Alan Wake didn't exactly Halo: Reach [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102027-Remedy-Blames-Stiff-Competition-for-Poor-Alan-Wake-Sales] just couldn't manage. "Lots of video-game covers have a bold M on their lower left corner, but none have felt as mature as Alan Wake does. Its unsettled titular character carries adult concerns - a stalled career, a troubled marriage - into a psychological thriller set in a town taken over by a shadowy occult force," the site says. "Its mix of meta-awareness and Hitchcockian suspense make Alan Wake a unique and fun experiment and one of the best games of the year."

It's an interesting choice, but is it a valid one? I like to think that it reflects the fact that Time isn't a gaming mag and thus isn't as susceptible to hype or the need to cater to the mainstream gamer demographic as other magazines and sites, giving it the flexibility to take a bolder and perhaps more enlightened approach to determining the "best." Then again, I have a certain bias: I said nearly the exact same thing about Alan Wake's predecessor, Max Payne, more than two years ago [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/the-needles/5011-Ahead-of-its-Time-The-Fall-of-Max-Payne-2].

The rest of the list is a mix of big-budget blockbusters and indie hits, with Red Dead Redemption and Time.com [http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-3-Playstation/dp/B004FYJFNA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1292437004&sr=8-2].


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[James B Hamster]

I very much agree with this choice, though I understand why many other gamers would not. To me, Alan Wake has one of the best (if not THE best) stories I've ever seen in a video game, but I think that would be hard to comprehend if the person playing it is not a creator of art.

See, more than being a psychological horror/drama, the overall narrative of Alan Wake expresses step-by-step the pains and torments an artist (specifically a writer) goes through in getting an idea from his head onto a more lasting medium. As an aspirant writer myself (and, coincidentally, knee-deep in a hermeneutics course at the time I played it), this theme hit me spot-on.

For those who are not of an artistic bent, however, I can fully understand the reaction that Alan Wake is confusing and pretentious. The plain fact is that, well, it IS: it's a story about writers writing about the travails that writers undergo when they write. But it's an AMAZING story about writers writing about the travails that writers undergo when they write.

 

[tehweave]

All the proof we need that Time magazine knows absolutely nothing about video games, and is read by people who equally don't care about video games. Look, 'Wake' wasn't terrible, but it wasn't nearly as good as anything else that came out this year. The game felt very padded with unnecessary elements, like going back to that forest over and over again. The voiceover narrations got real annoying real quick, and while the story was fine, it sucked Stephen King's dick waay too many times.

So... A non-gaming magazine with a non-gaming audience claimed that the best game of the year is a game that wasn't terribly popular and wasn't terribly good. (sarcastic text) I'm surprised. (/sarcastic text)

 

[Deshin]

I agree it was one of the top 10 for sure, perhaps not the number one spot though.

There's just something about Alan Wake I can't put my finger on, nothing I can convey into an actual word, though I'm sure it exists, so I'll just say how I felt instead. Playing Alan Wake made me feel engrossed into the plot and into Alan's character and the whole style of delivery made me really feel like I was playing a proper "current gen" game and not just a game with "current gen" graphics.

 

[Tallim]

I very much agree with this choice, though I understand why many other gamers would not. To me, Alan Wake has one of the best (if not THE best) stories I've ever seen in a video game, but I think that would be hard to comprehend if the person playing it is not a creator of art.

See, more than being a psychological horror/drama, the overall narrative of Alan Wake expresses step-by-step the pains and torments an artist (specifically a writer) goes through in getting an idea from his head onto a more lasting medium. As an aspirant writer myself (and, coincidentally, knee-deep in a hermeneutics course at the time I played it), this theme hit me spot-on.

For those who are not of an artistic bent, however, I can fully understand the reaction that Alan Wake is confusing and pretentious. The plain fact is that, well, it IS: it's a story about writers writing about the travails that writers undergo when they write. But it's an AMAZING story about writers writing about the travails that writers undergo when they write.

Got to agree with you here. I expect to see loads of people having a rant about this but actually it was a rather good choice for many of the reasons you describe.

 

[voetballeeuw]

I really enjoyed playing Alan Wake, thought it was extremely fun. I thought the story was great and the gameplay was enjoyable. I don't think it's number one material, though.

 

[Abedeus]

Alan what? That forgotten game where you shoot things with a flashlight and it was almost canceled, 100% for PC?

 

[MrShowerHead]

YEAH!! GO FINLAND!!!!!

Ahem, sorry guys.....Umm...yeah....

Anyway, never played the game myself(Only watched a playthrough of it) and yeah, the story was really Stephen Kings-ish. But it looks really interesting. If only it would come out for PC....

Oh and can someone explain the ending to me? I've been thinking about it for a while, but didn't really get anywhere...

 

[Moriarty70]

All the proof we need that Time magazine knows absolutely nothing about video games, and is read by people who equally don't care about video games. Look, 'Wake' wasn't terrible, but it wasn't nearly as good as anything else that came out this year. The game felt very padded with unnecessary elements, like going back to that forest over and over again. The voiceover narrations got real annoying real quick, and while the story was fine, it sucked Stephen King's dick waay too many times.

So... A non-gaming magazine with a non-gaming audience claimed that the best game of the year is a game that wasn't terribly popular and wasn't terribly good. (sarcastic text) I'm surprised. (/sarcastic text)

I'd say they just had a different standard. This is one of the reasons most game focused media puts less focus on "Game Of The Year" and more "Game in category X of the the year". Don't forget, there's a segment of the game community that would say, year after year, best game "Madden".

I had more points along those line regarding experience and mechanics of play, but "Snoopy v. Red Barron" just came on the radio and I'm a little kid again.

Edit: OH! And one other point to sum up the Popular/Good argument on quality, "Psychonauts".

Merry Christmas and all other Holidays.

 

[Freechoice]

Isn't there a game that has fantastic gameplay alongside fantastic storytelling?

I would say Red Dead, but Time isn't famous for game reviews.

 

[Plinglebob]

I love Time's reasoning and I fully agree. Well done to them for ignoring the hype.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Oh, come on.

It's TIME Magazine GotY. TIME. It's their. You don't have to accept it.

That's the awesome part of opinions.

Yes, I don't find Alan Wake to be my GotY either. But Time's GotY is not my GotY. Neither is Spike's. Or IGN's.

 

[J-Alfred]

Sorry, still have to go with Red Dead Redemption for it's epic story.

And YES I find the story of Red Dead to be more epic then God of War 3.

 

[Icehearted]

I really like Remedy's work, but for some reason I've largely avoided this game. I've heard some pretty nasty things about it (of particular nastiness is this business of having to buy DLC to see a real/better/actual ending?). I'm frankly surprised it's still bobbing on the surface the way it has for so long given what I've been told.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Sounds as good as any to me. At least it isn't a sequel, it's a totally new IP.

 

[Retardinator]

Even though Alan Wake isn't so good as GoTY material, it certainly is a good contender to the overhyped Starcraft 2 or the too-adored Mass Effect 2.

I'm looking at you, IGN. <_<

 

[ClockWork]

Seeing as Alan Wake is one of my favorite games of all time, I would have to agree with Time's magazine on this.

 

[megs1120]

I wonder what old geezer made that decision.

 

[megs1120]

Even though Alan Wake isn't so good as GoTY material, it certainly is a good contender to the overhyped Starcraft 2 or the too-adored Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect 2? Too adored? How dare you?

 

[TaboriHK]

Yaaay. Remedy deserves all the recognition it gets and more. I hope guys like Sam Lake always have a place in games.