As I was stuck with my TV and controller for now anyway, I've been going some of the console-orginal games I yet had to play and Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare were two of them.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by them. The only thing that was actually a bit of a bummer in the original game was the combat...the basic idea is cool - you fight enemies with light - but as the game progresses the lack of variation in the enemies and combat mechanics becomes a little bit of a bore. Not that it was nearly enough to make me go "rraaaagggh", but still, kind of a missed chance. A 'skip combat' option would have been nice for this game, since it has plenty other stuff to offer.
For one the graphics still held up very well even a few years down the line, and the storytelling pretty much hits the sweet spot between fear, hope and mystery. The entire game has a very cinematic feel to it, and the story wraps very nicely into itself. It's not without holes, but eh, the atmosphere makes up for a lot. The locations and characters reinforce that.
I wasn't sure what to expect of the expansion (American Nightmare), but it pretty much improved the combat (more variation/pace) but left a little bit to desire on the narrative part. Actually, the story in itself wasn't the problem - but the revisiting of previous locations got a little boring (even if it made perfect sense in the frame of the story).
In closing, both very enjoyable games to play from the couch. Not too deep or complex, but with good acting, narration and atmosphere and satisfactory combat. Statistics: Posted by Rinox — Wed Jun 05, 2013 4:51 am
]]>