CHUD Gaming Club May 2012: Alan Wake Discussion

I'm really looking forward to being able to participate in the Gaming Club this time around. I really enjoyed Alan Wake when I played through it last year. It will be fun to play through it again with you guys.

Ok. The ferry ride, the intro, the de facto Stephen King acknowledgement... I love this thing already.

I wish it was raining outside right now, it'd make this perfect. 

C'mon guys, this is our club. Pony up.

Brief afternoon thunderstorm here. First attack by crows. Two thumbs up for atmosphere, and for getting the Stephen King stuff out of the way in the first chapter.

I need more batteries and pistol ammo. 

Closing in on the gas station. Enjoying the hell out of this. 

Gotta fire this one up to see where i left it last time I played; I do remember loving the atmosphere and the combat, specially the "light" mechanics.

There was some weird product placement in this one, wasnt there?

Also, why all small town dinners must have a weird7creepy waitress?

I just finished the first three chapters over the past couple of weekends, because I work too much during the week. The gameplay reminds me a lot of Luigi's Mansion, with the whole shining a light on the ghosts to irradicate them. It's also the best mindfuck video game I've played since Eternal Darkness. The play seems a little repetitve, but I dig the atmosphere and the whole vibe. The scenery displayed reaffirms my desire to live in the Pacific Northwest, where even the trailer parks have a million dollar view.

In the final chapters, I hope there is more diversity in the gameplay and challenges, and look forward to figuring out what the hell is going on in the story. And I'm surprised Microsoft made such an odd game, which is seemingly inspired by In the Mouth of Madness. They might as well have included gore, because I don't see how this game appeals to juvenile audiences.

Thinking I might jump in with the rest of the group when the DLC-period rolls around -- mentioned this in the other thread, but I've already played through this one twice now, but still haven't tackled the DLC yet (apart from briefly sampling the first few minutes of the first episode...looks great).

Frankly, I could never get enough of all the Twin Peaks-love infusing this game -- had a huge, stupid grin on my face from the moment Wake entered the diner, and it never let up.

I played this game early last year so didn't re-acquire it for this moth's club, but remember enough of it to throw in my perspective. I loved the early part of the game - the atmosphere, the Stephen King/Twin Peaksy aspects of it - and the little atmospheric touches, like the Night Springs segments (Which I loved being full-motion, and therefore weirdly out of step with the aesthetic of the game).

However, I have to admit that certain aspects grated on me as I went on and stopped me from finishing it. First up, the combat: While I liked the concept of using the torch to whittle away the enemies' energy then switching to a gun to finish them off, I feel that Remedy ruined the formula by making it too reliant on dodging, whether it be because of large enemies or randomly-spawning enemies attacking from behind too quickly for you to effectively avoid. It became annoying very quickly, exacerbated by the very segmented story area/combat area/story area/combat area structure of the levels.

Also, the collectibles. I know that many of you guys are just starting the game out and I'll avoid spoilers, but given the main narrative trust of the story it makes no sense for Alan to be dicking around in the woods looking for thermos flasks. The book pages do work, as they are integral to the story; the flasks, however, are pure fluff that completely hobble the pace the story was trying to dictate. i'm usually easy-going about 'gamey' elements in narrative games, but this one really killed it for me.

Overall, I loved the atmosphere of the game (Remedy come up with some masterful setpieces, aided by possibly the best lighting I've seen this gen) but to me, the 'gamey' elements choked the experience they were trying to create. I'd be really interested to see how people go with this one, as I'm curious as to whether it was just me.

I never get too hung up on collectibles unless they're important to the story or, say, increase character stats. I'm trying to get all the story pages, but if I miss some thermos somewhere I'm not gonna lose sleep or waste ammo trying to get it.

Haven't had time to play much this week, but I'll be diving in full-bore over the weekend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob Singer 

I never get too hung up on collectibles unless they're important to the story or, say, increase character stats. I'm trying to get all the story pages, but if I miss some thermos somewhere I'm not gonna lose sleep or waste ammo trying to get it.

 

Haven't had time to play much this week, but I'll be diving in full-bore over the weekend.

Same here. I ended up getting a bunch of the Thermoses when I played Alan Wake last year, but pretty much only the ones that were directly in my path. They are completely useless though, so ignoring them is probably the best policy.

I've finally started my replay of Alan Wake now. I just finished the opening tutorial section by getting to the lighthouse, and I have already been reminded of something that I had forgotten about this game. Alan Wake is ridiculously out of shape. You can barely run for 2 seconds before he starts jogging almost more slowly than the can walk. You would think that with all the scary shit happening that adrenaline would keep him going a bit better.  I get that they want to make running around more tense than just infinite sprinting, but I think it's a little too far in the other direction. It's a little bit too restrictive.

Even this short distance into the game, I was also reminded of something that Alan Wake does incredibly well: atmosphere. The lighting, level design, and creepy as hell audio cues all contribute to putting you on edge. This game isn't perfect by any means, but there are some things it just just as well or better than any other game out there.  Hell, I'd even be willing to argue that some of Alan Wake's quirks and flaws actually make me love the game even more than if it was a perfectly polished experience.

I stopped after the first chapter last night. This time around I caught more of Stucky's dialogue since I was far less creeped out since I knew what was coming. I had no idea he was such a hot dog aficionado!

Also, I have to say that even without any of the stuff that comes later with them, the old rockers in the diner are perhaps the best peripheral characters in this thing. The thing with the jukebox was still funny even though I knew it was coming.

Started playing this one from where I left (midpoint through Ransom); the love for it is really back on full force, but there's still a feeling of missed opportunities as far as the enemy types and some of the gameplay is concerned; you can tell they went from a more open world game to a linear one on several ocassions, and god dammit if getting lost in the woods is easy at some points; not a fan of how the possessed enemies can catch up with you in seconds, no matter the distance, and the poltergeist enemies end up being unfair on occasion (getting you trapped in walls and so on).

Flaws and all, the game shines when you are weaponless or with limited ammo, just trying to maximize your kills just so you can make it with time to that generator...

Gotta love the shameless references, specially when achievements are involved.

Best fight so far has to be the "Heavy Metal" boss, which is a clear homage to Maximum Overdrive.

Still mixed feelings on how the manuscript pages sometimes spoil what youre about to face through, and the randomness of some of their locations.

I keep missing manuscript pages so I'm getting a kind of disjointed story.

The atmosphere in this is pretty great, the gameplay can be pretty frustrating tho. Outrunning those shadow guys is simply not an option seemingly and when they spawn directly behind you its pretty frikkin irritating.

Maybe I haven't read enough King or something. I like the TV episodic nature of the structrue, I like playable flashbacks, but the game simply isn't grabbing me like it seems to be some of you. I want to complete it, but not really because I care what happens to Wake or his missus. In fact, Wakes kind of a douche.

Finish it for Barry Wheeler. Barry is awesome.

I'm up to Ransom now. As most have mentioned, atmosphere and story are trumping gameplay, but not by all that much as far as I'm concerned. I liked that the unknown FBI agent was just balls-out after my hide. Color me intrigued as to where this is all going.

more like Alan Wank ammirite guys

I still need to play this!

Wait is this not out for PS3 because if so what the fuuuuuccccc

You know what, I've never gotten the argument that the combat/gameplay in Alan Wake gets repetitive and is therefore bad. Look at just about every FPS out there, and you'll find repetitive gameplay of shooting the same enemy types in the face.  For me, I was having just as much fun with the gameplay in Alan Wake at the end as I was at the beginning. And I'm still having fun with it playing through the game again.

Anyway, I had forgotten exactly where Ransom left off until I got to it again. This is pretty much the turning point where the game starts to get even weirder than it starts out. I can't wait to see what some of you think about my absolute favorite part of the game that happens about 2/3 of the way through Chapter 4. Let's just say it's tangentially related to the old rocker geezers you meet in the diner at the start of the game and leave it at that.  Also, the song at the end of that chapter is perhaps my favorite in the entire game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polygon_Wizard 

 

I can't wait to see what some of you think about my absolute favorite part of the game that happens about 2/3 of the way through Chapter 4. Let's just say it's tangentially related to the old rocker geezers you meet in the diner at the start of the game and leave it at that.  Also, the song at the end of that chapter is perhaps my favorite in the entire game.

This. Without going all spoiler-y, the sequence you're alluding to is one of the most WTF-batshit-insane, yet awesome, bits of last-stand game storytelling from the past five years or so. Was cackling like a madman the whole time throughout. And yes, the song does indeed kick ass.

One of my favorite gaming moments PERIOD.  I've never felt like such a badass as that moment for some reason.  Probably mostly the song.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polygon_Wizard 

You know what, I've never gotten the argument that the combat/gameplay in Alan Wake gets repetitive and is therefore bad. Look at just about every FPS out there, and you'll find repetitive gameplay of shooting the same enemy types in the face. 

  While I certainly wouldn't say that Alan Wake's gameplay mechanics are bad, they certainly do get a bit tedious--especially towards the end.  Call of Duty may entirely be about shooting dudes in the face, but at least they try to find different ways to let you do it.

I think Alan Wake is a perfect example of a game where the journey is far more enjoyable than the actual game itself.  Wake features top-notch writing and exudes a level of atmosphere that is sorely needed in video games, but it joins the ranks of Metal Gear Solid as games I would much rather watch in a movie format than actually have to play it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Clark 

Starting Episode 6 now. I get the vibe that however this ends, it's going to be trippy. Nothing about where this leads hints towards a clean ending. Im enjoying the hell out of it, though.

 

We need a vote on whether we're doing the DLC.

I already own the DLC, so I wouldn't mind playing through it again.

Early in the game, the designers appear to position Barry as the stereotypical, cringing, effete, out-of-his-depth, city-slicker-tourist-jackass type (who's probably gonna bite it before the story's even halfway through), but very quickly you realize how much of a fakeout it actually is. 

His "Eye of Mordor"-moment made me a fan for life (along with his creepy, Japanese-blowup-doll obsession with that cardboard cutout -- I kept seeing James Franco on 30 Rock during those moments). Dude really steps up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Clark 

Also, whats the consensus on barry? He starts out annoying, but I'll admit the fat bastard's grown on me. His version of "going hero" is just hilarious, and his chemistry with Alan just keeps getting better.

Barry is my favorite character from the game. I actually kind of liked him in the early parts of the game, but when he actually branches out from his stereotype beginnings, I began to love the guy.  I particularly love the way he "suits up" late in the game.  I think the thing that make Barry so endearing over time is that you start to realize just how dedicated a friend he is to Wake. I mean all this crazy shit is going on, and Barry steps up bigtime to help his friend. If he had stayed cowering in a corner the whole game, he wouldn't have been as likeable.

About my only major issue with this game is the fact that we never get to see Sheriff Hotness™ drop her gear and deliver the goods. But that's a nitpick, frankly.

Looks like I'll be starting up a DLC runthrough at some point, here, time permitting.

Also:

IGN reporting that an official Alan Wake 2 announcement is likely at E3 this week.

Nup. It just isnt grabbing me. I get and respect what the game is going for but Im just not invested. To be fair Im only on the second episode, but if its more of what Ive played so far, this may end up one I appreciate more than enjoy.

And im into act 4, and things have picked up my interest; still, Wake should really get a chain for his flashlight.

Also, here's a suggestion after Bayonetta next month: Metro 2033.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

Nup. It just isnt grabbing me. I get and respect what the game is going for but Im just not invested. To be fair Im only on the second episode, but if its more of what Ive played so far, this may end up one I appreciate more than enjoy.

I've actually been having more fun playing Risen 2 - Pirate Boogaloo than Wake. I think I have to be in a particular mood to play a 'horror' game, but I'm almost always up for role-playing or blowing shit up. I'll stick with it, but it'll probably fall back into my rainy-day-game category.

Wandering through a cornfield at night, then having a fat guy come at you with a buzzing chainsaw. Good times.

Not the biggest fan of the PHANTOMS / HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL cgi clouds. Needs Geoffrey Rush.

Going to finish this one this week, currently on Chapter 4; Kinda love how Barry goes from being a bit obnoxious to being actyally funny and rather a good, loyal friend to Alan; although i wouldnt be surprised if there's a bit of subtext there, given him clingin to that cutout.

Gameplay wise, my only real complain is that the game's transition during development from open world to linear ended up making navigation a chore, especially if you're hunting for secrets or extras; it does help mimic the feeling of being lost in the woods, though; also, kinda felt dissapointed that the Taken seem to vanish if you reach a light source; kinda hoped for them to just stalk and wait for me to come out from my safe zone.

Also, im amazed on how much of a douchebag the  FBI guy ended up being, he's like some sort of dickish version of Tommy Lee jones in The Fugitive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Clark 

The game doesn't do nearly enough with that asshole. Which is sad, because I thought they were going somewhere with his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of writer names.

I like to think he's a former fanboy who got treated like shit by Alan at a signing event or convention.

The length of ten hours+ is more than enough, but the gameplay doesn't match that. Once you've shone and shot your first twenty enemies and flying objects down, you've seen everything. Also, the possessed items tend to feel rather goofy. For example when you're squished by a thrown car, or when driven over by a possessed monster truck. At those times I felt like Vin Diesel in a Paranormal Activity movie.

Also, are we actually meant to like and identify with Wake himself?