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

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.”

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.”