Reviews// Alan Wake

But what if you run out of ammo and/or batteries? Then the dodge comes into play. You dodge by pressing the left bumper and moving in a direction. Get the timing right and, with Bayonetta-like ( yes, I know there are others) slow-down, you... well, dodge. The next thing you need to know is that standing beneath light sources also scares the badness away.

Once you've grasped these basics – and the fact that there are a few mini-challenges such as starting generators by tapping the [A] button – you're in for some decently put together if often repetitive gameplay.

I wish I could say more. I can't. Despite the much vaunted story, it's a linear game. I felt no compulsion to pick up all the manuscript pieces that are scattered along with way in order to really force the notion of narrative even further into your mind. The graffiti isn't random as it always indicates something or other that leads you further along the path.

Combat is fine if you don't mind the lack of ability to melee (excluded for no good reason that I could tell). Vehicles behave in roughly the same way as they did in The (best forgotten) Saboteur. By this I mean 'in the same way as vehicles do in all non-specialist driving games, slugglishly and as an afterthought'.

What does work well is the lack of map but use of counter-intuitive HUD at the top left of the screen. This adds to a general feeling of disorientation, thus putting you off any actual physical path.

What doesn't work so well is actually moving Alan around when – for example fording rivers or chasms. A bridge may look riddled with holes, don't worry about it so much and certainly don't attempt to avoid the graphically visible gaps (there usually only there for show).

Alan will wobble, you'll then make him jump as the bridge inevitably gives way – it's a video game after all – and you'll fall off. And, just as Alan can't fight, he can't swim. He will drown. He'll also break his neck if you jump off what appeared in the previous level to be an innocuous height. I suppose all this random death is there to increase tension. For me, it increased annoyance.

In terms of difficulty levels? More baddies full of dark badness come flooding at you – much like any other above average third-person shooter.

Honestly, for a six-year-old concept that attempts to get the most out its hardware, Alan Wake is perfectly honourable. You won't be too upset if you receive it as a gift. You'll feel happy at the hours of use you get from it if you've bought it with your own money. As a game-changer or even as a piece of innovation in gaming, however, the phrase, “like that TV show you've heard about or watched” gets to the heart of the matter. There's nothing new here.

Conclusion: An above-average looking game with the occasional lump of tension envelopes an interesting combat mechanic. Sadly this is all hyper-referenced to other pieces of pop-culture in an attempt to synthesize originality. Although there's little wrong with Alan Wake, there's nothing to recommend that it finds a place in the “Hall of Originality” either.

SPOnG Score: 70%