300°
8.0

IGN UK: Alan Wake Review

All of which leaves us in a slightly difficult position. With a first half that’s glacial at best and patronising at worst, it’s a tough ask to expect audiences to stick with it once those glorious vistas and early scenes of intrigue fade against the over-egged torch-pointing and repetitive mountainside trudges. Admittedly, the game’s unique central conceit and refreshing setting might offer enough novelty to keep more patient players entertained, but it’s a shame it takes so long for Alan Wake to find the confidence it needs to put its laudable innovations to good use. For all its flaws though, it's Alan Wake’s eventual shift into meticulously-paced set-pieces and relentless sensory assault that linger once the credits roll. It’s certainly a long way from flawed genius but it’s an experience that’s hard to shake when it’s all over. And it’s rare you get to say that about a game these days.

Scores:
Presentation - 9.0
Graphics - 9.5
Sound - 8.0
Gameplay - 7.5
Lasting Appeal - 7.5

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au.xbox360.ign.com
Dsnyder5509d ago

Lets end all the hype for this now. This game and SPC have gotten WAY too much attention.

-Alpha5508d ago (Edited 5508d ago )

Too late, hype can't be taken back. If it failed overall to meet hype it failed. Case closed. I do not take much away from Alan Wake just because fanboys hyped it. However, I have to say that for a game that I have know to exist since before the PS3 released I have to say that I am massively disappointed with something like linearity in a game that prides itself on exploration. That is my only complaint that I am getting from reviews.

And I thought everybody used to say IGN UK didn't matter/they were harsher. Can that excuse be used here? Just asking, I hate when review sites are liked one minute and then disregarded the next.

bviperz5508d ago

Some review sites are so bi-polar. I generally like to read more a whole bunch and just look at the details of what they disliked and why. I mean, it's getting tougher and tougher to part with money nowadays.

StanLee5508d ago

The biggest complaint about the game is that it's unoriginal. It borrows heavily from different media in the genre like books, movies and tv shows. I don't understand how that criticism is applied sometimes, to some games but not others. Review sites are bipolar.

Therealspy035508d ago

i loved splinter cell conviction. it's the best game i've purchased on console since 2008. and i've purchased a LOT of games since then on both ps3 and 360.

since both games are getting roughly the same scores, i think alan wake is a safe bet. i could be wrong, but i've spent 60 dollars on a LOT of games that got much better reviews that turned out to be pure crap. so i think i could (and have) do worse.

u got owned5508d ago

Splinter cell is pretty good, i think it got lower reviews because of it short campaing, but the game is awesome. I'm not to sure about AW though, my main concern is that it does not have replay value.

BkaY5508d ago

splinter cell is the best game you have purchased (BEST) since 2008..

u kidding right?

I REALLY LIKE TO HAVE YOUR GAMERTAG AND PSN ID... you mean you didnt like call of duty, killzone 2, resistance2, uncharted 2, Geow2, batman, fallout3, GOW3.. and list goes on...

i pity your liking.. honestly...

and about the reviews... edge gave mario glaxy 1 and 2 perfect 10 as well bayonetta... and mgs a 7 ... do you really care about the reviews.. ?

peace

Therealspy035508d ago (Edited 5508d ago )

it's [edited out - i'll PM you the name actually. i get enough hate mail on n4g for speaking my mind, i don't need to listen to it on psn and live as well. if anyone else wants it, just send a PM..though i'm not sure why i need to prove myself. i honestly don't care if people believe me when i say those games sucked and that i'm speaking from experience...not just for the sake of hating] (on both). check it out...i own all those.

however, gears and fallout came out in 2008. not 2009 which is the year i didn't enjoy. you also forgot to mention resident evil 5, mass effect 2, bioshock 2, bayonetta, L4D2, FFXIII, and halo wars. all of which i enjoyed more than the games you mentioned. except for maybe bioshock.

but please, don't pity me. i'm cool with not liking everything just cuz the masses do. the masses also like twilight. spiderman 3 is one of the best selling movies of all time and it's terrible. i'm perfectly content with not sharing the opinions of most people. pity...not at all necessary.

Sarcasm5508d ago (Edited 5508d ago )

Wow scc wasnt that good. Outdated graphics, poor ai, clumsy controls, short sp, pointless weapons since all you need is the silenced pustol for headshots... It was ok at best.

jetlian5508d ago

SCC is a great game. the ai is fine and so is the controls. graphics are good too. As for the single player play on realistic . i got over 12 hours on MP alone

sid4gamerfreak5508d ago

Why is 8/ 10 considered to be a bad score again? So now every gamer thinks that 10/10 is a game worth buying and NOTHING lower than that? The game did not live up to its hype but I don't blame the devs as much as I do at the fanboys. If this game hadn't been hyped so much, people would like the game a little more.

Shame on you fanboys...

@therealspy03: SCC is ur faviorite game? Fine with me. WOnt affect me in any way, will it? You see unlike everyone else who has replied to your post bashing you, I wont lose sleep like how they will do.

BkaY5508d ago

im an old school gamer ... not fanboi bs... i have been gaming since 1989...

its you opinion .. i respect it... but still dont understand that how come a gamer cant enjoy the games which are actually good..

i still play double dragon 2 from 90's i love it .... my all time fav game is "the warriors" on ps2... i finished it 122 times ... trust me .. but i will not say that its the best game i have ever purchased.. again i am not hating or anything ... if my comments were harsh then i apologies..

peace..

sid4gamerfreak5508d ago

@beekay: r u talking to me? Cause I never said SCC is my favorite game, thats what therealspy03 said. Im just saying let that guy have his own opinion, and come on, he maybe a loyalist splinter cell fan.

But yea, thanks for not putting your flame shield, and discussing with me in a civilized manner. I belive and tkae your word that youve been gaming for a long time.

Bubbles for u, mate for keeping the peace and not acting like a total fanboy.

BkaY5507d ago

my comments were for spy...

thing is... i respect ppl's opinion .. i really do..

reviews are also opinions which i dont respect no matter what.. game reviewers suppose to be unbiased but they are not!! everyone with the right mind knows that..

peace

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 5507d ago
solidjun55508d ago (Edited 5508d ago )

It's always been like that.It screams dishonesty. I do wish journalists state their true feelingsintentions straight from the beginning.

Anyway, i'm intrigued with the story and love story based games, so I look forward to playing it.

thewhoopimen5508d ago

I think the review was pretty fair. I liked the atmosphere and gameplay but absolutely abhorred the dialogue/monologues. The voice actors were good, but the script just plain sucked. That and what they mentioned about reading the lost pages. The impending enemy boss should just pop up when he reads the pages... so as to make you dread picking up the pages and looking at them.

But overall it's a solid game.

gamingisnotacrime5508d ago

this game and SCC were being touted as GoW3, Heavy Rain matches. But by what i have seen so far, they are very good games without reaching the greatness that it was hyped about.
I will play Alan Wake eventually and i expect to enjoy it a lot, because when all is said and done a good game is still a good game no matter what console is on, or if it lives up to the hype or not

- Ghost of Sparta -5508d ago

6 years in the making. Just damn is all.

Ghoul5508d ago

relax guys seriously, i love these games and they all have a meta of around 85% (btw i dont give a ... about meta scores)

heavy rain : 87%
Bioshock 2 : 88%
Bf BC2 : 88%
Deadspace : 88%

these games are mindblowingly awesome, so how the heck can anyone of you claim alanwake not beeing at least awesome.

its not the second coming of christ, buhu cry me a river.
grow up, buy the game and at least be fair to yourself by testing it on your own.

Sevir045508d ago

My friend pre ordered it. but to see this game get this kind of review while it's good. it kinda makes me wonder what all this wait was for. it really did fail to meet it's hype. I want to play this to judge for myself but i have a feeling i'm gonna be agreeing with the reviews so far,

Linearity has always been a complaint about other games, and a game like this which takes pride in exploration kinda baffles me to see that it's so linear in playing.. they also said it was repetitive. i wonder how true that is. i wanna play it. we shall see :-)

Cold 20005508d ago

Euh...you cant spell ignorant without IGN...oops sorry, this isnt a PS3 exclusive.

peeps5508d ago

yeh but IGN's score for this game isn't far off the metacritic average

hay5508d ago (Edited 5508d ago )

I kinda disagree with the review. My buddy downloaded the game and obviously, I must've seen it.

Voice acting was perfect to fit the mood of the game.
Visuals are more like 8.5, 9.0. I noticed quite a bunch of popins, pre-rendered cutscenes had shown significant signs of compression or was it some kind of post processing effect.
Lighting was really good, but that's expected from game which is based on it.
Sound was really good. It's the first time I regret I didn't connect my Xbox to 5.1 surround. 9.2.

Gameplay is quite polished but on the other side you don't have much to do in the game. You run, use flashlight, shoot, wait or solve simple puzzles.
Sometimes level design isn't really convincing and detour reasons can be ridiculous. I guess 7.5 is deserved here.

Couldn't verified lasting appeal. But there's not really much to collect.

Overall it's 8.5. Great game.

maka5508d ago

better than Heavy Rain? yeah right,I've never seen a game that had so much hype and turns out to be one of the worst game EVER!

Jerk1205508d ago (Edited 5508d ago )

How did it turn out to be ''one of the worst game EVER''? It didn't.

It didn't achieve its expectations, but FAR from one of the worst games ever.

Syronicus5508d ago

Alan Wake is simply a good first person shooter at best an not the scary game it was hyped to be. Too bad to since I was looking forward to a scary game to tide me ove until dead space 2.

corneliuscrust5508d ago

the game is a third person shooter.

A imed x S hot5508d ago

Let me guess you think dead space is a FPS..

vhero5508d ago

Ah well so much for GOTY contender it don't matter 360 got a lot more contenders this year at least this will finally shut the fanboys up until E3..

TheTwelve5508d ago

The game looked like an 8/10 from day one.

12

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 5507d ago
Kleptic5509d ago

I have to admit this is not what I expected...nearly every preview had the authors beaming excited for it...but reviews are all over the place...

Teehee5508d ago ShowReplies(1)
TrailerParkSupervisr5508d ago

I would pick up a 360 strictly for this game since they canceled the PC version. Just broke as a joke. Looks great. Atmosphere to me is really up there on the must-have scale and this looks very good. Anyone have a 360 they don't want anymore?? Seriously? I will take a bubble instead. Damn, reboot. Lost 3 of them!

dizzleK5508d ago

don't forget all the dlc that's coming. it'll probably cost $100+ for the "complete"experience , especially considering the devs said it ends on a cliffhanger.

Therealspy035508d ago

at least the first DLC chapter is free...

Show all comments (93)
520°

Gamer buys 4,000 copies of Alan Wake, none of them work

Alan Wake, from Max Payne and Control creator Remedy, is a horror classic, prompting one player to buy 4,000 copies that don’t even work.

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pcgamesn.com
roadkillers415d ago

Kind of a goody story...

On a serious note, that is why I try activating gift cards asap. It's happened to me where the store didnt scan it right where the card was unusuable. Happened at Wally World.

gigoran8415d ago

wait, that place is real? national lampoon wasn't kidding?

Tacoboto414d ago

I just bought two of the MonsterVerse Godzilla movies on 4K - both had digital copies expiring in 2023. Both were actually expired.

I'd be surprised but it's WB, of course they'd actually expire them

Knightofelemia415d ago

Usually most of those redemption card have an expiry date on them. If they expired all buyer did was buy recycled paper. And some of those codes are country locked to certain countries. I buy a card from the States I can't use it in Canada.

Chocoburger415d ago

Dumb and silly story. She wasted her money for no reason.

Is it really that hard to go to Steam or GOG. She spent $240, when its currently 70% off on GOG, and only costs $4.49.

Gee, I wonder, should I spend $240 on eBay, or $4.49 on GOG? 🙄

Rynxie415d ago

Most likely she wanted to resell a few or most of them. However, it was a too good to be true situation.

415d ago
Profchaos415d ago

So in short she paid $240.00 assuming usd for a bunch on unactivated game codes.

I still don't understand why I guess cause there's not a physical version and she wanted something for a collection or art project.

Rynxie415d ago

No, most likely to resell. However, she ended up getting screwed.

Asplundh415d ago

This is Alan Wake 1, it had physical copies.

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60°

Previously On... Alan Wake

Alan Wake 2 continues the writer's story, 13 years later.

60°

A thermos is upending the Alan Wake community

Remedy has Alan Wake merch on sale, including a pretty blue thermos. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan, and many players who want a thermos find themselves without one, though it does appear that Remedy is attempting to fix things. Nevertheless, it has resulted in a lot of upset, illustrating just how much the thermos means to Alan Wake fans.

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destructoid.com