Yes I know I should be reviewing Red Dead Redemption since I got it before I got Alan Wake, but I haven't played much of the multiplayer in RDR and therefore I feel that I can't give a full review just yet but it is coming soon.
Now as for Alan Wake I will start off by saying that it is not a prefect game and there is more it could have done with such a long development cycle. However this is by far the best survival horror game I have played since Silent Hill 2 (Resident Evil 4 and 5 are not survival horror but action horror) and I am glad it was not done open world as originally planned.
The Story is where I want to start because I feel it is Alan Wake's strongest feature, the story is captivating with great and believable characters. The only problems I have is that some characters motivations are not totally clear at times and there are a few holes in the plot that I figure will be filled by the two remaining games in the trilogy.
The gameplay is done quite well, this is a good handle for survival horror having fast enemies but a great dodge mechanic let you feel strong and weak at the same time. The use of light as weapon and a defense is pulled off quite nicely. The only problem I have is that sometimes the aiming can be a little sloppy, but you are a writer after all not a trained soldier.
The presentation is impressive, there are some graphical hiccup sometimes but the are very minor. There is a graphical trick that makes bushes and trees look like enemies until you turn your light on them. The audio is great too the dialog is delivered well and the effects and music fit perfectly.
All in all Alan Wake is a great game, I am glad it made it through it's development cycle hell and got to my 360 I am now looking forward to the two final installments of this series over the next few years. If you are looking for a good survival horror game you could do much worse that this game.
I will do a RDR review soon I hope but let's just say it is one of my top 5 games of all time and I am getting Alpha Protocol for my Birthday in a couple weeks despite the negative reviews that it has been receiving I know I will enjoy it.
