It's finaly released in a few weeks, am considering pre-ordering it but i'm still abit in the dark as to what kind of game this is, i'm guessing it's GTA esque?
Alan Wake
- Thread starter The Flying Potato
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss three 1-1 draws.
The first got us knocked out of the FA Cup, the next puts us in a good position in our Round of 16 Europa League game, and the latest was an actual decent performance against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
All hopes for the season now rest on the Europa League - does Amorim have the squad to win it?
More Silent Hill esque I think.
540p
Leaves thread.
Leaves thread.
It's 720p actualy Weaste
Getting a little more serious, it's a thriller. It was at one point going to be an game with open world elements, but they've decided to focus more on the story, so that got chucked in the bin. It's not GTA-esque at all, it's more of a physiological thriller game with a tightly controlled story. As far as I understand in any case.
It's not! The buffer used to render the geometry is 540p 16:9, software upscaled during post processing, unless something has changed in the last week.
Don't get me wrong here, the game is going so much more graphically that simple resolution, and you can find posts of mine in certain threads over two years ago where I said that they should have forgot HD this generation and concentrated on using the power of these consoles for extra graphical effects - which I think that this game has tried to do. Imagine if a PS3 or an XB360 tried to do Mario Galaxy at 480p!
Oh right, sounds more Heavy Rainish then?
It's not! The buffer used to render the geometry is 540p 16:9, software upscaled during post processing, unless something has changed in the last week.
Tbf, I am just going by what amazon are saying
"Alan Wake presents an unusual and new gaming experience that features a riveting, multi-layered story while giving the player the ability to freely roam a giant environment. It supports Dolby Digital sound and runs at a beautiful high-definition 720p. "
No, there are no QTEs, it's very different to that.
The final resolved buffer is 720p, it's not rendered at that resolution though. Look at a game like Killzone 2, which is the one game that I can think of that uses a similar way to render the scene as Alan Wake does. The particles (dust, smoke, etc.) are done at quarter resolution. Alan Wake as far as I understand can't render at 720p in the geometry, because it uses 4x MSAA and a lot of other buffers. If the end result is great, then there should not be a problem. It's not a HD game however.
Getting a lot of hype. And if it lives up to it I doubt anyone will care too much about the resolution
I doubt that they will, but I've already said that maybe that should never have been a selling point in the first place.
Out in 4 days, and looking forward to it. Hadn't had a good eerie game for ages, probably since dead space.
I abandoned interest when it got canned for computer - half the draw for me originally was that the open world was going to be extremely detailed and require an obscene amount of processing power to render in real time (at one point they were going for quad core as minimum required processor). Then I heard that it got canned for Windows and I knew that it meant that it would no longer have all the cool procedurally rendered stuff due to the Xbox's limitations.
Mine's just arrived, the collector's edition is in a really nice case that makes it look like a book. And the game itself is in a case that looks like it could be a film as it does away with the xbox logo, and the book that comes with it "The Alan Wake files" is a telling of what's going on from an outside perspective, including interviews with people i'm guessing you'll meet.
This is probably the best collectors edition i've bought, mainly because cost the same as it would to just get the game.
This is probably the best collectors edition i've bought, mainly because cost the same as it would to just get the game.
I expect a full review from you within 2 hours...
no pressure
no pressure
Get playing it and tell us what you think, because like Heavy Rain, it's getting some mixed reviews
Hehe, you may have to wait a bit longer than that. I am at work you know.
Still at work i'm afraid but i've had a chance to read some of the book that comes with it. It's pretty good actually, some interviews with people, some newspaper extracts and best of all some short stories that are meant to have been written by Alan Wake himself that aren't too shabby at all.
It's all good build up, so i hope the game doesn't disappoint.
It's all good build up, so i hope the game doesn't disappoint.
Hmm, played this for about 3 hours last night. Pretty shit tbh. I didn't really. I haven't even got it but it does look excellent. I may get this at the weekend.
Really? How come you didn't like it?
It will be interesting to see how your views compare with those of Xander when he writes his really long and detailed review (with screen shots) after he leaves work.
It will be interesting to see how your views compare with those of Xander when he writes his really long and detailed review (with screen shots) after he leaves work.
Poets of the Fall have a song in this
"War".
"War".
well? where's the review?
Sadly i'm still at work, and i can't give a proper (or even half assed, which it will be) review from less than an hour of playing.
A "review" should take him a week. First impressions he can give you.
I wasn't serious.
We've got to give him chance Freaky Jim... It should take him at least 2 or 3 days to complete the game 100% and then write a really detailed 10,000 word review
Poets of the Fall have a song in this
"War".
I know it's gay..
Alan Wake is by the same Finnish company which made Max Payne, so looking forward to it. One review about it said that it is the single best piece of entertainment ever that has come from Finland...
Ok here's a first impressions, as Weaste so rightly put it, after playing through the first chapter.
Okay the stuff you should already know, Alan Wake is a famous author who's in the middle of a bout of writers block. He and his wife go to a cabin on a lake to get away from it all and recharge the batteries. His wife goes missing and all sorts of crazy shit break out.
The game actually starts before this with a little tutorial to get you used to the battle system that is very simple yet can get manic. You have a flashlight and a variety of weapons (i so far have a flare gun, pistol and shotgun), you can't harm the enemy until you've "burned the darkness" out of them by shining the flashlight on them, then you can blast it with whatever you fancy to kill it. Most enemies are wielding some sort of sharp implement and you'll need to master the dodge system (which is very simple, but again with the speed of the fights you'll get hit a fair few times) and get some sort of distance between you and them to even the odds as you are usually outnumbered.
Ammo isn't hard to come by, and those (energizer) lithium batteries come in handy as you can boost the power of your flashlight with a touch of the button, useful against groups.
Speaking of which the light is your friend, you'll find generators about that require some very simple button presses to start up. These will give you a safe haven as standing under a light heals you and stops any nasties in their tracks. These aren't very frequent though so most of the time you're relying on just the flashlight.
Your journey is narrated by Wake himself, reminding you where to go if you stay still for a while, fleshing out the story by giving his perspective on what's going on around him. His voice seems quite distant but i'm guessing it's meant to, to add to the feeling that he has no idea what's going on.
Along the way you'll find collectables, coffee thermals and manuscripts are littered around to find with the manuscripts adding info of a story that hasn't been written and the thermals... well i'm not sure what they do. There are also stashes of ammo around that can be found by following arrows that only become visible once you shine a light on them.
On the theme of exploration this is a game that, so far, gives a facade of freedom when in reality you're being pushed down a pathway. That may change so don't judge it on that.
Anyway onto the other stuff, graphically it's good but not great. A game that sells itself as cinematic is going to draw comparisons with the most cinematic game of recent times, Heavy Rain. And it doesn't compare favourably. There is a big difference in quality between cutscene and gameplay, which just seems odd when you see what other games can do. Cars early on looks like they're made of cardboard, people's faces look more like they do in Fahrenheit than Heavy Rain with clumpy hair and lip sync is poor (especially with Alan's wife) but when you're stuck in the forests with just your flashlight and the Silent Hill style fog surrounding you it looks just right to give you the heebie jeebies. Blurry in the distance but sharp around you it makes you want to keep moving to find some shelter.
The story is very interesting, it's obviously inspired by Stephen King's work (his name is dropped twice in the first 15 minutes) and it makes you want to keep going ,infact i had to tear myself away to do this to placate some retired Czech footballer.
The graphics shouldn't put you off, it is not a game that will win many awards for that, but it's looking like a story that will be enjoyable and intriguing throughout. It also has a decent soundtrack with the music making everything seem very eerie, even if the first song you hear is "Lime in the coconut". TV's and radios give little snippets of what's going on around town, with one tv show bearing a striking resemblance to the twilight zone (done in live action btw).
Looks good though so far. A little let down by the graphics early doors as it kind of gives a bad first impression, but when it gets going and night time falls it's so dark and eerie that it doesn't matter as you're too busy running for your life.
Okay the stuff you should already know, Alan Wake is a famous author who's in the middle of a bout of writers block. He and his wife go to a cabin on a lake to get away from it all and recharge the batteries. His wife goes missing and all sorts of crazy shit break out.
The game actually starts before this with a little tutorial to get you used to the battle system that is very simple yet can get manic. You have a flashlight and a variety of weapons (i so far have a flare gun, pistol and shotgun), you can't harm the enemy until you've "burned the darkness" out of them by shining the flashlight on them, then you can blast it with whatever you fancy to kill it. Most enemies are wielding some sort of sharp implement and you'll need to master the dodge system (which is very simple, but again with the speed of the fights you'll get hit a fair few times) and get some sort of distance between you and them to even the odds as you are usually outnumbered.
Ammo isn't hard to come by, and those (energizer) lithium batteries come in handy as you can boost the power of your flashlight with a touch of the button, useful against groups.
Speaking of which the light is your friend, you'll find generators about that require some very simple button presses to start up. These will give you a safe haven as standing under a light heals you and stops any nasties in their tracks. These aren't very frequent though so most of the time you're relying on just the flashlight.
Your journey is narrated by Wake himself, reminding you where to go if you stay still for a while, fleshing out the story by giving his perspective on what's going on around him. His voice seems quite distant but i'm guessing it's meant to, to add to the feeling that he has no idea what's going on.
Along the way you'll find collectables, coffee thermals and manuscripts are littered around to find with the manuscripts adding info of a story that hasn't been written and the thermals... well i'm not sure what they do. There are also stashes of ammo around that can be found by following arrows that only become visible once you shine a light on them.
On the theme of exploration this is a game that, so far, gives a facade of freedom when in reality you're being pushed down a pathway. That may change so don't judge it on that.
Anyway onto the other stuff, graphically it's good but not great. A game that sells itself as cinematic is going to draw comparisons with the most cinematic game of recent times, Heavy Rain. And it doesn't compare favourably. There is a big difference in quality between cutscene and gameplay, which just seems odd when you see what other games can do. Cars early on looks like they're made of cardboard, people's faces look more like they do in Fahrenheit than Heavy Rain with clumpy hair and lip sync is poor (especially with Alan's wife) but when you're stuck in the forests with just your flashlight and the Silent Hill style fog surrounding you it looks just right to give you the heebie jeebies. Blurry in the distance but sharp around you it makes you want to keep moving to find some shelter.
The story is very interesting, it's obviously inspired by Stephen King's work (his name is dropped twice in the first 15 minutes) and it makes you want to keep going ,infact i had to tear myself away to do this to placate some retired Czech footballer.
The graphics shouldn't put you off, it is not a game that will win many awards for that, but it's looking like a story that will be enjoyable and intriguing throughout. It also has a decent soundtrack with the music making everything seem very eerie, even if the first song you hear is "Lime in the coconut". TV's and radios give little snippets of what's going on around town, with one tv show bearing a striking resemblance to the twilight zone (done in live action btw).
Looks good though so far. A little let down by the graphics early doors as it kind of gives a bad first impression, but when it gets going and night time falls it's so dark and eerie that it doesn't matter as you're too busy running for your life.
I really appreciated that matey. Quite a few wise words spoken.. think i will buy it when I get some monies next month, I like games like this, and definitely would choose story line over graphics etc. Plus above all else I am a massive Stephen King fan so it seems made for me!
No worries mate, i quite like doing them . Jus a shame i'm not that much of a wordsmith as i repeat myself a lot it seems when i read it back.
Anyways back to the game, just had a freaky moment so need to push on.
Anyways back to the game, just had a freaky moment so need to push on.
Sounds a bit like that "Bag of Bones" novel by Stephen King, which is one of his decent works..anyway, I don't own an xbox, so I'm hoping of a crappy PC port somewhere down the road. Not holding my breath though.
good work, xander, we await your official review in a week or two
good work, xander, we await your official review in a week or two
You know you're right. I haven't read bag of bones for years but if i remember it was a bout a writer with writers block that goes to a cabin on the lake and then crazy shit happens. I also recall the main character gang raping a black woman as a child, hoping that doesn't happen.
this bit is interesting. I have a few questions.
1. Can you dirve a car whenever you want?
2. Please, try to free roam, can you go wherever you want or its somehow limited?
Looking forward to youe update in the evening. This is the game i wanted to buy Xbox for. But im not conivnced yet.
Oh yeah, looks like there's going to be a fair few downloadable episodes coming out in the summer. I found a code in the game box for the first episode free so this could be one to keep hold of rather than play once and discard.
I'm still waiting for more Heavy Rain DLC.
I'm still waiting for more Heavy Rain DLC.
1. No, i've heard that there are car driving sections but i'm almost certain they won't give you full freedom.
2. Yes you are limited, the first level for example has cliff edges all around you so there's only one way to get to where you want to go. But you can go th wrong way and explore the, limited, environment to find ammo and manuscripts and listen to radio shows and watch the TV.
I've only about halfway through the second episode, so we'll see what happens from here on in.
A quick thing though, it's done like a TV show. After each episode you get a recap of what's just happened with a "previously on Alan Wake", it's quite a nice little touch.
from what you say it sounds like a Alone in the Dark game type.
I can see where you're coming from, but it's much better, seriously much better i hated how it played, than Alone in the Dark in terms of storytelling and gameplay.
Graphically it is quite similar*, although it's been a while since i've played it so that's going from memory, but it would have been an apt title for this game seeing as you spend most of the time... well alone in the dark.
*Just checked some youtube, Alan Wake looks a lot better.
Graphically it is quite similar*, although it's been a while since i've played it so that's going from memory, but it would have been an apt title for this game seeing as you spend most of the time... well alone in the dark.
*Just checked some youtube, Alan Wake looks a lot better.
Im 3 chapters in, and I have to say that I am totally engaged in the game. It really draws you in, and it has actually made me jump in a few moments. O and a natural reaction for me to do for some reason when scared is pause the game.
I am liking it so far though.
I am liking it so far though.
Well, I finished it.
The ending -
spoiler free now - loved the game, can't wait for DLC.
The ending -
mindfeck
my take on it us that to keep balance, he had to sacrifice himself, or at least write himself into the next part of the story.
Although, Wakes double must have something to do with something. As soon as finishing I was on the Internet looking for other peoples views on the games storyline
my take on it us that to keep balance, he had to sacrifice himself, or at least write himself into the next part of the story.
Although, Wakes double must have something to do with something. As soon as finishing I was on the Internet looking for other peoples views on the games storyline
spoiler free now - loved the game, can't wait for DLC.