There’s alot that could be said about the original Alan Wake; it was an expansive title that delivered in almost every area. But, unfortunately, the title was very predictable and some of the gameplay segments feel out of place and monotonous. However, “The Writer“, the second downloadable episode, vastly learns from the originals short comings — delivering a even more expansive experience.

“The Writer” continues at the end of “The Signal“, the foremost downloadable episode, as our protagonist is trapped within the confines of his imagination. Though this doesn’t mean more combat variations, the absence of realism leads to some of the more interesting combat and environmental scenarios; the additions of platforming segments and illuminating words add scents of bewilderment.

However, the presence of collectibles scattered throughout the world still feel like an unnecessary preponderance — seeing that the collectibles no longer fit within the confines of the plot. But, that’s just a minor dimer on its presentation. Everything else — including the light mechanics, and level design — are still borderline excellent. And, much like in the past, the camera still remains and issue.

Closing Statement:

Though there isn’t much improvement overall, the combination of platforming segments and illuminating words seem to make this addition worth while. However, much like the original, there aren’t that many memorable moments. That said, it’s an impressive end to an overall impressive plot.

Final Score: 7.1

There’s nothing more debilitating then the darkness; it’s unwielding and it emits an irregular feeling of discomfort, tension. However, when you turn a light, all the discomforts seem to dissipate. This is the primness behind Alan Wake; making the darkness dissipate. That in mind, Alan Wake, obviously, isn’t an childhood narrative of the dark; it’s the tale of a brave soul plunging into the darkness. Evidently enough, Alan Wake delivers on its promises — it delivering an “unforgettable” experience, etc.

Apparently, it’s hectic being a best-selling author, especially when you have cortical writers block. However, as soon as Alan Wake is given some “time away from it all”, he’s forced into the writing a new novel. A novel that, for some apparent reason, he doesn’t recall writing. Nevertheless, the novel spills from fictionalization, into realization. And, somewhere throughout the process, his wife, Alice, goes missing. Now, Alan Wake’s on a quest to solve the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance — and to uncover the pages of the missing manuscript.

Dark forces populating the night are a tradition form of storytelling element from throughout the horror genre. But, there are some unique storytelling elements throughout Alan Wake. The most interesting element being the manuscript pages. These pages relay foreshadowed events; giving the player an insight to the future and past events. There are also abandoned TV and radio sets. The television and radio broadcasts are particularly intriguing; and they also give the player insight to foreshadowing events.

That said, there aren’t a lot of distractions that take the player off the beaten path, including collectibles. However, there are some vehicular segments that make the gameplay more diversified, but these segments feel out of place and monotonous. The vehicular segments just can’t compare to the on-foot combat. In terms of combat, the game takes advantage of two unique mechanics; light and weaponry mechanics. These mechanic aren’t only unique, but they add to the overall tension.

It’s because of these is an intuitive mechanics that the combat is so varied; basically, the more you progress, the more skills are needed to evaded attacking enemies and to dispose of them. This incentive mechanic truly intensify the experience, giving the game a bit more longevity, unpredictability. However, were Alan Wake truly shines is in the presentation department; there’s no doubting that Alan Wake is an impressive looking, sounding title. The in-game lighting is amazing, and the sound is top rate.

Nevertheless, though Alan Wake is a technological masterpiece, it lacks a climax and memorable moments. The beginning of the title sets the intension for the rest of the experience, but there are few instances were this intension is capitalized on. Thus sending sending the player into the predictable whirlpool; there aren’t too many unpredictable moments throughout. However, this isn’t to say that there aren’t different takes on the core action. It’s just that these situations don’t necessary count as “unexpected” moments.

Closing Statement:

It’s not the genre defining experience that we all were hoping for, but it’s pretty damn good. Remedy has truly developed a universe that’s truly unique, beside it sampling some from the elements within its genre — in the terms of atmosphere. Despite its flaws, Alan Wake is still a gripping, nerve-wracking experience. Though some may disagree, Alan Wake is a tough game to put down once you’ve started. That said, if you’ve haven’t already picked this up; rush out and purchase it.

Final Score: 8.4

Provided that its sells well enough, a sequel would be a no-brainier. That said, according to Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake’s developers, the perpetual plot for the Alan Wake sequel is already “set in stone”; and provided that original sells well enough, there will be a sequel.

“We do know where season two is going to go,” Remedy’s Oskari Hakkinen told CVG. “Season one will have a conclusive and satisfactory ending but we will leave doors open for season two and we know where we’re going to take the story.”

“Well, it’s certainly no secret that we’d love to make a second one if the first one does well. But since the game isn’t even out yet, it’s really up in the air,” Mikko Rautalahti added in a forum post.

Though there were hopes for a PC version post-console release, Microsoft shattered any question of their being a PC version. According to Strategy Informer, a Microsoft spokesperson told them that Alan Wake will no longer have a PC version; something that its developers, Remedy Entertainment, were camera shy to talk about since the version’s suspending.

“Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC, and others are best played from the couch in front of a larger TV screen,” explained the Microsoft spokesperson.

“We ultimately realized that the most compelling way to experience “Alan Wake” was on the Xbox 360 platform, so we focused on making it an Xbox 360 exclusive. Both Microsoft and Remedy have long histories in PC game development. This decision was about matching this specific game to the right platform.”

Alan Wake is most likely one of the most anticipated titles of this year, with it nearing development completion, Microsoft revealed during the Consumer Electronics Show that Alan Wake will indeed have “downloadable episodes” after its release — something that was previously mentioned in an interview.

“We have talked about it, and with our episode-based structure, it would be very logical,” Alan Wake creator and writer Sam Lake told Kotaku. “But nothing has been decided on the matter, and right now, we are fully focused on polishing the game and shipping it. After that, let’s see.”

It looks like Remedy’s planning for another Alan Wake title, after all it’s only the “first season”.

“Yeah we see Alan Wake like a DVD-box containing the first season of a bigger story,” Sam Järvi of Remedy told LEVEL. “It is like a TV-series that became a game. The story is cut into episodes that are all ending with a cliffhanger.”

Alan Wake is a psychological action thriller from Remedy, the legendary and renowned developers of highly successful action titles. In this exciting new title exclusively for Windows and Xbox 360, gamers assume the role of Alan Wake, a best-selling suspense author who escapes to a small town to recover from the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee.

[Remedy: Alan Wake is only the first season via GameZine.co.uk]

Max Payne developer Remedy Entertainment has licensed Umbra Software’s rendering optimization middleware for its upcoming title Alan Wake, which was announced all the way back at E3 ’05 and was recently shown at E3 ’09.

Umbra Software is the expert in 3D rendering optimization middleware for PC, Xbox360 and PS3. Umbra Software’s flagship product, Umbra, increases rendering performance in 3D games and allows game developers to create rich, complex and highly dynamic game worlds previously impossible.

“Umbra gave a significant boost in rendering performance on the Xbox360, and at the same time made our content creation faster. With Umbra’s culling technology, Remedy’s team can add more details to Alan Wake’s world and concentrate on the cool visuals while minimizing tedious work such as adding portals,” said Remedy Entertainment’s Development Director Markus Mäki.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Remedy on Alan Wake,” said Marko Nurro, Umbra Software’s CEO. “Remedy is one of the most innovative and technically competent studios in the world. Their games just rock, simple as that.”