Alan Wake

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,547 out of 2165
  2. Mixed: 460 out of 2165
  3. Negative: 158 out of 2165
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  1. Dheu
    Jun 23, 2012
    3
    I am certain Alan Wake will garner many positive reviews that focused on the story and its "unusual" style and presentation. I admit, it is interesting and would make an excellent book or movie. The problem is that even the best novel can be turned into a bad computer game and that is essentially what has happened here.

    The story unfolds over the coarse of 20 hours as you run from one    I am certain Alan Wake will garner many positive reviews that focused on the story and its "unusual" style and presentation. I admit, it is interesting and would make an excellent book or movie. The problem is that even the best novel can be turned into a bad computer game and that is essentially what has happened here.

    The story unfolds over the coarse of 20 hours as you run from one well lit area to the next, fighting waves of the exact same 4 monsters, using the exact same 4 weapons and the exact same strategy all the way to the end. The Enemy AI is rudimentary. The soundtrack is non-existent. Alan Wake will occasionally narrate and explain a new revelation, or what he is feeling or what you need to do next.

    The game lacks tradition incentives to keep you playing. There are no choices, no dialogue trees, no weapon upgrades, no level-ups. Even Alan Wakes own survival is tied to the plot and thus never seems to be in question. The game thrusts you into the action without spending sufficient time on character development and then tells you that you need to do X, Y and Z if you wish to save various people you don't care about. This might work in a book or movie were we are simply spectators along for the ride, but it is asking a lot in a game where players must invest 20 hours of their own time to progress the story. I constantly found myself asking the question, "Do I really care about these people? Do I even care what happens to Alan Wake? Why do I need a key to open this door when I have a shotgun in my hand?" As a result, it is easy to lose interest. This is one of the few games I have played in my life that I have had to force myself to finish. Somewhere along the way, Remedy lost that balance between making a game with a good story and a game that is still fun to play. People invest in computers and pay top dollar for games because they want more than books or movies can offer. My advice: Buy BioShock or replay Indigo Prophecy. You can skip this one.    … Expand
  2. Crescendo
    Jun 9, 2012
    4
    While at first glance this looked like a great game - I was looking forward to it for some time - it soon disappointed me horribly. The beginning was promising, only to become a tedious, boring variation of 16-second-cutscenes and 10 minutes of run-through-the-woods-while-taken-chase-you bit. Unnerving indeed. The story is nothing new, but fitting, the problem is that finding theWhile at first glance this looked like a great game - I was looking forward to it for some time - it soon disappointed me horribly. The beginning was promising, only to become a tedious, boring variation of 16-second-cutscenes and 10 minutes of run-through-the-woods-while-taken-chase-you bit. Unnerving indeed. The story is nothing new, but fitting, the problem is that finding the manuscript pages is pretty much an ingame-spoiler that tells you exactly what is going to happen in the next cutscene. I was really hoping forward to an intelligently written, atmospheric horror game - that is probably why I didn't enjoy it much. You can say that this is my personal problem, but I don't think there's many people out there that are searching for something like this when there are better action- and horrorgames out there, while Alan Wake is a mediocre fusion of both. I'm not even going to start on how terribly clunky console-ported controls feel at times because this seems to be standard in the industry as of now.… Expand
  3. WolverineGoBlue
    Mar 11, 2012
    3
    Linear, repetitive, predictable. Was looking forward to this. Waste of time. The story is fun and engaging, but action scenes are so boring, I had to give up.

    Not sure why this scores so highly ... maybe it was a good game 18 months ago.
  4. malau
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    Shine a torch, shoot, run out of ammo, sprint, die, repeat ad nauseum. A complete lack of variety where narrative storytelling takes precedence over gameplay - if I wanted a movie, I would rent a DVD ! Silent Hill style puzzles you can forget ! There's just what I said in the opening line.
    That's a pity because the engine has rendered a beautiful re-creation of a picture postcard    Shine a torch, shoot, run out of ammo, sprint, die, repeat ad nauseum. A complete lack of variety where narrative storytelling takes precedence over gameplay - if I wanted a movie, I would rent a DVD ! Silent Hill style puzzles you can forget ! There's just what I said in the opening line.
    That's a pity because the engine has rendered a beautiful re-creation of a picture postcard Washington State small town - in day time at least, but alas it is an empty experience and a complete waste as you cannot explore due to all areas but the one you need to take being blocked off.    … Expand
  5. mydixienormus
    Feb 16, 2012
    4
    poor pc performance even on top end rigs
    no crosshair, must aim with flash light
    off-center camera angle is awful there is a delay to initiate shooting and no focused/zoom mode specifically for shooting probably works better on xbox (because it has auto aim, and probably runs smoother.) no reason for a nearly 2 old xbox game to not run 60fps on top end rigs. the camera also sucks, if    poor pc performance even on top end rigs
    no crosshair, must aim with flash light
    off-center camera angle is awful
    there is a delay to initiate shooting and no focused/zoom mode specifically for shooting

    probably works better on xbox (because it has auto aim, and probably runs smoother.) no reason for a nearly 2 old xbox game to not run 60fps on top end rigs.

    the camera also sucks, if you try to have a centered camera view - you run crooked; you have to have a crooked camera view to run straight.


    probably will automatically get good reviews from fan boys and people that were paid to review the game. maybe it was good on xbox, but playing it on pc is like paying $30 to willingly handicap yourself.    … Expand
  6. Finerey
    Dec 12, 2021
    4
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  7. slippery
    Jun 13, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alan Wake is the story of an interesting idea marred by derivative and underdeveloped storytelling, repetitive gameplay, interruptive loss of camera control, inaccurate controls. It's a story of great potential that's never realized simply because the developers really needed to outline and storyboard their story a little better. Alan Wake is a game that probably would have worked better as an adventure RPG style game, but in trying appeal to a larger market, tried to make an action game.
    **********

    Spoilers from here:
    THE GOOD. I like the atmosphere. I like the mystery. I like the episodic format. I like the initial idea of using light to force back the darkness.
    WHAT I THINK THIS GAME NEEDED. Variety. Oh, look! I'm back in the woods and HERE'S ANOTHER SAWMILL! This game had some lovely scenery, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more variety there. As well, many of the enemies are just cut-and-past. I almost think it would have been better if the enemies in this game weren't humanoid "taken" at all, but rather indistinct shadows. I'd have LOVED to see the great fog-effects of the engine used to create shadowy, swirling enemies that are just shadow and smoke and darkness. Especially if you add fog to the woods, and you have to spot shadows in the fog. That would creep me out.

    GAMEPLAY: I think guns were a bad idea. I know why they did it, but I would have liked to see simply light vs. darkness. Flashlights, flares, flareguns, even candles and lanterns. I think the light vs. darkness was a cool concept, but the guns just made it mundane. Again, I know why they did it, but I think it marred the uniqueness of the concept.

    STORY: I loved the mystery aspect. I loved when they cast doubt on Alan Wake's sanity. That was brilliant. But they didn't develop it as much as they could have. They could have contrasted Alan's sanity and insanity, waking and dreaming, sober and drunk with the light and darkness. It COULD have been the story of Alan's own light and darkness. The potential was there. The elements were there. But somebody wanted a game with more mass-market appeal and said "Let's make it a shooter." Note to developer: the guy who made that decision should be mopping the floor, not making creative decisions. A unique and memorable work of art requires RISK.

    The story had problems. First, Alan is writing crime fiction. The references to Stephen King and the homages to HP Lovecraft don't fit. Either make him a horror writer, or stop kissing Stephen King's a**. It just doesn't work. Second, If the darkness wants Alan to write the ending and finish the story so that the darkness can escape, why are all the taken trying to kill him? As soon as it becomes clear that Alan's trying to destroy the darkness, then I can understand the darkness trying to STOP him finishing the story, but up until EP6, Alan's under the impression that the darkness WANTS him to finish the story, and everything points in that direction. So why are the taken trying to fight him instead of trying to lure him back to the cabin? It just doesn't work. Again, they only did it to add action to what was otherwise a 3d third person adventure game built around a tone of suspense.

    Finally, the ending: Alan Wake writes the ending: he can write anything he wants. So why does he not escape? Why does his wife escape but he's still writing at the end? Why is the darkness not defeated? He did what he was told to do: he brought the light and filled the empty heart with it and drove out the darkness: but the only thing that changed was that Alan and his wife traded places. He's still at the mercy of the shadows. Why? Again, marketability. They want to set up the inevitable sequel. It's lazy writing and doesn't take any risks because it doesn't require the writers to figure out a cool way to let Alan win this time, but allow for the darkness to return again in another form.

    THE BOOK PAGES: cool idea, but not terribly compelling. Many simply told more or less what we were seeing anyway, just from another point of view. It needed more time to write it up properly. In a game like Doom3, the messages left all over the place led to caches (Alan Wake handled that VERY effectively and in a very unique and original way with the messages that only show up under the flashlight). But I didn't feel a real NEED to read Alan Wake's messages. I just didn't see anything there that was necessary.

    What this game needed most was consistency, more development, more focus on the ideas, and less playing-it-safe by company men looking to maximize the market potential of the game. I bought the game at 90% off on steam, and I still don't think it was worth the price.    … Expand
  8. kelticpete
    May 10, 2012
    4
    They should have made a book, or a GAME. This seems like neither. I thought with the insanely high reviews this was a no brainer when it went on sale for 15 bucks. Dear horror game coders: Clunky controls that make you feel OUT OF CONTROL do get the adrenaline pumping, but that is not fear. after playing Rage and Skyrim (first person is ALWAYS better) the controls on Alan Wake feel like IThey should have made a book, or a GAME. This seems like neither. I thought with the insanely high reviews this was a no brainer when it went on sale for 15 bucks. Dear horror game coders: Clunky controls that make you feel OUT OF CONTROL do get the adrenaline pumping, but that is not fear. after playing Rage and Skyrim (first person is ALWAYS better) the controls on Alan Wake feel like I am gaming drunk off my butt. Again, crappy control of the character makes you feel out of control but that is just ANNOYING in an actual game. I just looked that the universal stats on Steam. 12% of people did not even finish the first acheivement. I did. Now I am in a town (that is not a big spoiler) I have no desire to watch a ton of cut scenes, I want to either play a game called alan wake or read a book called alan wake. Color me annoyed. I don't suck at horror games. Resident evil 1 was an all time fave. this is no RE 1. After dying like 10 times playing RE 1 I finally got to a safe area and I was so pumped for the game. I have the opposite reaction with this game. I like to explore in a gameworld, so it is annoying to start a game were you are running your a@@ off just to survive. Stop to see the graphics? nope, I can't I am too busy running. I quickly realized it was better to get hit by the bad guys while running than try and take a stand. I am sure there are upgrades and better weapons but I only give it a 50% shot that go any further. It actually made me want to go read a horror book instead of playing a "game". Off to amazon to find something to read. peace out.… Expand
  9. Gamer147
    Aug 12, 2013
    3
    I wouldn't say I suffered, but I decided to quit after about two hours of gameplay. The port was done correctly, no bugs or whatnot- BUT, the game itself was really boring. The gameplay was really unrewarding, nothing interesting actually happened, the verdict on this so-called horror game was very easy to decide. It's not scary, not innovative, not fun to play, not interesting (at leastI wouldn't say I suffered, but I decided to quit after about two hours of gameplay. The port was done correctly, no bugs or whatnot- BUT, the game itself was really boring. The gameplay was really unrewarding, nothing interesting actually happened, the verdict on this so-called horror game was very easy to decide. It's not scary, not innovative, not fun to play, not interesting (at least two hours in) and quite repetitive. Thanks, but no thanks.
    (Also, shooting mechanics and point of view sucked, not very intuitive)    … Expand
  10. Vilio
    Feb 9, 2014
    3
    I bought this game in Christmas sale.
    First of all. Terrible shaking videos brings you on island, where you get wrong direction and your girlfriend disappear. Ok, nice start and there are some scary ghost in forest, many pages from book, where are future steps described....
    BUT! Main character is terribly crappy, unable to walk and run more than 50 meters. His position is on side, but    I bought this game in Christmas sale.
    First of all. Terrible shaking videos brings you on island, where you get wrong direction and your girlfriend disappear. Ok, nice start and there are some scary ghost in forest, many pages from book, where are future steps described....
    BUT! Main character is terribly crappy, unable to walk and run more than 50 meters. His position is on side, but he is moving to the center of screen, what is terrible first hour. After 1 hour you find him terrible clumsy. Ghost persons are coming from nowhere and you have to hit them with light from your lamp. And during this, he is terribly clumsy. When you are trying to run from them, they are faster and Alan is terribly clumsy to go around tree, rock. When Alan is hit, he is clumsy more than before...
    This game is joke. Creator was somebody who was creating main character and scene perspective completely drunk. When I see other games like Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, where character control is helpful, not doing stupidities, I'm asking WHY ? WHY ? Why did I bought this terrible game ???????    … Expand
  11. WomZombie
    Jan 10, 2014
    4
    Not a great game, and another example of the metacritic score not representing reality. The game has nice graphics, but terrible token enemies. It's like they thought they'd better add the shadow monsters to give it an arcade feel. They're annoying and ruin the game, they are fun for about 2 minutes, then it gets tedious and repetitive. I'm not alone in this opinion, just read a fewNot a great game, and another example of the metacritic score not representing reality. The game has nice graphics, but terrible token enemies. It's like they thought they'd better add the shadow monsters to give it an arcade feel. They're annoying and ruin the game, they are fun for about 2 minutes, then it gets tedious and repetitive. I'm not alone in this opinion, just read a few reviews.

    Very atmospheric, I would have liked to go through the game without any combat.

    Wait for it to be on sale if you need to see it. The graphics and mood are interesting, perhaps a bit self-indulgent and pretentious... also confusing because it's a dream within a nightmare or something like that.

    I would have preferred a first person view, the third person perspective has its limits.    … Expand
  12. debigman
    May 16, 2014
    2
    This game is buggered to hell. The voice acting is awful, it is way too hard, the learning curve is steep, the gunplay is HORRENDOUS. And bad hit detection.
  13. cronopio
    Jun 25, 2014
    4
    I have mixed feelings about this one. The story line is quite good, well above average, and the voice acting is good. But the gameplay is VERY frustrating and repetitive—first chapter of the game and you have seen it all.

    This game is all about getting from A to B and from B to C (repeat ad nauseam) in a linear path. You have to reach checkpoints in order to save, so you will have to    I have mixed feelings about this one. The story line is quite good, well above average, and the voice acting is good. But the gameplay is VERY frustrating and repetitive—first chapter of the game and you have seen it all.

    This game is all about getting from A to B and from B to C (repeat ad nauseam) in a linear path. You have to reach checkpoints in order to save, so you will have to repeat over and over again the sections you hate the most, video scenes included—and, oh, you will hate them. Honestly, I was so tempted to abandon the game several times.

    You are encouraged to explore everything (for weapons, story and the unbelievable 100 useless thermos) but the reward is not up to the waste of time and literally infinite enemies that will assault you.

    Bottom line: the story is good. If you like mystery books or Stephen King then, absolutely, give it a go, you will not find anything like this. Otherwise use with caution. Perhaps wait for a good sale? I could recommend it to some people but, honestly, I doubt I would have played it had I known better.    … Expand
  14. Widden
    Aug 3, 2012
    1
    Extremely repetitive, moderately boring, and very disturbing to control (consolitis). If you want to just kill zombies, try Left for dead. If you're after a good story, try a good book. If you buy this, be ready for an extremely shallow, simple game.
  15. Pier
    Nov 25, 2012
    4
    I really wanted to like this game. The graphics are amazing, the idea is original, and the atmosphere is very well achieved... but the gameplay is simply horrendous, full of glitches and awkward mechanics. The third person camera is a total fail. It seems the game is oriented to a mature audience, and not to hardcore gamers, but even in this aspect it fails as the writing is quiteI really wanted to like this game. The graphics are amazing, the idea is original, and the atmosphere is very well achieved... but the gameplay is simply horrendous, full of glitches and awkward mechanics. The third person camera is a total fail. It seems the game is oriented to a mature audience, and not to hardcore gamers, but even in this aspect it fails as the writing is quite superficial, mundane, and full of clichés. The dialogues couldn't be more obvious... I bought it very cheap in a Steam sale, and I regret it completely.… Expand
  16. ebo974
    Apr 25, 2012
    3
    No fun at all, no freedom, no exploration and always the same creatures to kill. Sorry but it's not enough to make a good game.
    Graficaly it's nice, but very frustating cause we can't use that engine for exploration etc.
    Too much forest, too dark...

    That's sad cause the story could be good support.
  17. kailip
    Jul 13, 2012
    0
    Alan wake. How **** a game can be. The game is all about running around in a **** forest (at least for the most part of this **** game), you get bored easily, the combat mechanics is completely retarded and the controls feel wonky, like if Alan is drunk. There's not much to do at the game, only runnin around, combat(which sucks) and collecting **** There's no variety at all. The story isAlan wake. How **** a game can be. The game is all about running around in a **** forest (at least for the most part of this **** game), you get bored easily, the combat mechanics is completely retarded and the controls feel wonky, like if Alan is drunk. There's not much to do at the game, only runnin around, combat(which sucks) and collecting **** There's no variety at all. The story is good but its so confusing and has so many gaps, as if they were tired of thinking about a story and just left it unfinished. The game has a good setting and is very immersive until you get bored on the first couple of hours of gameplay. Don't even try this ridiculous game.… Expand
  18. Coeco
    Jul 23, 2012
    3
    I can't help but feel that they missed to land the stone in the bucket with this one. As moody the maps are, getting spoilers from writing before every exciting combat-situation just ruins the games already lacking ability of horror because the player is far from defenseless and adrenaline does not go well with fear. The story is intriguing leaving you wanting for more but alas theI can't help but feel that they missed to land the stone in the bucket with this one. As moody the maps are, getting spoilers from writing before every exciting combat-situation just ruins the games already lacking ability of horror because the player is far from defenseless and adrenaline does not go well with fear. The story is intriguing leaving you wanting for more but alas the publisher Microsoft decided to pull another DLC stunt (with a "manual calling them through a phone for any chance of refunds if the content is found lacking" requirement) out of their arses, covering this gem in even more dirt which is ironic considering 98% of the environments you are in contains trees and dirt. LOTS of trees and dirt as you are forced into the supposedly 21 century mandatory cut-scenes over and over again. I would be on the verge of overlooking all these flaws if it wasn't for the fact that It's a console port as well. Extremely poor performance at certain points and the aiming can be horrible when you need it the most. Remedy, come on man. You're better than this.… Expand
  19. lock3r
    Aug 7, 2013
    0
    The worst control system ever, camera is horrible, the only effect is lens flare, EVERYWHERE, every damn light has a lens flare effect on it. the story MAY be interesting, but i don't know because i found the game SO BORING that i stopped playing after 40 minutes of game, because i had no interest for the story, i had no will to go on, and most of all i was so sick of the character! I lostThe worst control system ever, camera is horrible, the only effect is lens flare, EVERYWHERE, every damn light has a lens flare effect on it. the story MAY be interesting, but i don't know because i found the game SO BORING that i stopped playing after 40 minutes of game, because i had no interest for the story, i had no will to go on, and most of all i was so sick of the character! I lost interest in half an hour. Really a bad bad game. BAD! Fortunately i payed it 3€! :P… Expand
  20. HarryWebbinger
    Jul 23, 2012
    0
    bought Waky for 8 box on Steam, and must write, that this game is somehow a big fake after playing 1 and a half chapter ! the storyline is extremely boring and full of uninteresting stuff , and compared to games like Metro 2033 or Stalker f.a. a big bad joke. I wouldn't even allow my kids above 12 to play such a poor game.Ten years ago such a storyline would be worth 5 box maximum, butbought Waky for 8 box on Steam, and must write, that this game is somehow a big fake after playing 1 and a half chapter ! the storyline is extremely boring and full of uninteresting stuff , and compared to games like Metro 2033 or Stalker f.a. a big bad joke. I wouldn't even allow my kids above 12 to play such a poor game.Ten years ago such a storyline would be worth 5 box maximum, but nowadays this is a big fake from the whole game distribution system !! Don´t buy it and be happy about it , is my recommendation. A price about 20 to 30 Box for this is just unbelievable bad joke… Expand
  21. Rossjudas
    Jul 21, 2012
    3
    Nice storyline, you're immersed in a show (reminds me kind of x files) but, excepting the narration this game simply sucks.
    Is divided in 6 episodes but if if you want to see the real "season finale" you must BUY episode 7 & 8 DLC!!!
    Game-play is ridiculous: go from point A to point B, location 90% of the time you're in the woods, you'll find in you way (inside the woods) everywhere    Nice storyline, you're immersed in a show (reminds me kind of x files) but, excepting the narration this game simply sucks.
    Is divided in 6 episodes but if if you want to see the real "season finale" you must BUY episode 7 & 8 DLC!!!
    Game-play is ridiculous: go from point A to point B, location 90% of the time you're in the woods, you'll find in you way (inside the woods) everywhere batteries (with a famous brand/advertising) weapons and stocks of ammo everywhere?!? while you're walking with your annoying character that cannot run for more than 5/6 seconds, you'll find black men (made all the same) that want to kill you, kill them, go to point B, watch cut-scene and there you go repeat for all the other annoying levels.    … Expand
  22. Dyshviccer
    Jun 10, 2013
    4
    I really wish Alan Wake wouldn't have been a video game but rather a book, a movie or maybe even a TV-series. Why you ask? Alan Wake has a good story, full of good writing and interesting moments. But then there is the gameplay: It's repetitive, frustrating and uninteresting. Aim with flashlight, wait until darkness is gone, shoot. Nothing ever changes. Except the amount of enemies. IfI really wish Alan Wake wouldn't have been a video game but rather a book, a movie or maybe even a TV-series. Why you ask? Alan Wake has a good story, full of good writing and interesting moments. But then there is the gameplay: It's repetitive, frustrating and uninteresting. Aim with flashlight, wait until darkness is gone, shoot. Nothing ever changes. Except the amount of enemies. If there are more than 3 or 4 enemies, you are most likely screwed. Alan Wake is a and can't even fall off a 1/2 meter "cliff" without taking a ton of damage. But the worst thing was the car driving. Even Mass Effect did vehicle sections better than this game!… Expand
  23. blubsterer
    Feb 28, 2012
    3
    v00d00m4n's post says it all. Game with great potential gets a lousy console port with crappy gameplay and control. I'm (maybe was?) a huge Remedy fan. Played all their games from Death Rally to this piece of crap. It's looks like a disgusting trial to rip off more money from gamers.

    Remedy, i've read, you are PC gamers at heart and really wanted to make this port. If that's true, than do    v00d00m4n's post says it all. Game with great potential gets a lousy console port with crappy gameplay and control. I'm (maybe was?) a huge Remedy fan. Played all their games from Death Rally to this piece of crap. It's looks like a disgusting trial to rip off more money from gamers.

    Remedy, i've read, you are PC gamers at heart and really wanted to make this port. If that's true, than do us all a favor: next time do not listen to your heart if you don't consider to do it right ....    … Expand
  24. cbkiller
    Jun 28, 2012
    2
    Alan Wake had an incredible chance to be a great action game, however there are several fundamental flaws including the flashlight-based weapon system. Beautiful scenery in and locations in this game are largely ruined by the game being predicated on darkness. NOT FUN.
  25. vlado_work
    Jul 27, 2012
    4
    I was really looking forward to play this game. The story is great, but unfortunately I had to give up... the camera was driving me crazy and difficulty is just above my level -- attacked from all sides without enough ammo, that's a combination I couldn't manage. Pity, I'd love to know the rest of the story, but I'll just probably google it.
  26. sweet
    Sep 28, 2013
    0
    I find it difficult to accept many of the positive reviews made here for this game. In all honestly, you could barely call it a game at all. It's more like an interactive story in the vein of Dear Esther than a game. It's boring and predictable, the controls are awful and the choices are superficial. It's about as horrific as ordering neopolitan icecream and discovering they gave you allI find it difficult to accept many of the positive reviews made here for this game. In all honestly, you could barely call it a game at all. It's more like an interactive story in the vein of Dear Esther than a game. It's boring and predictable, the controls are awful and the choices are superficial. It's about as horrific as ordering neopolitan icecream and discovering they gave you all strawberry. Do not buy even on sale.… Expand
  27. seuche
    Feb 17, 2012
    1
    who invented these terrible controles? its like swiming. a very annoying camera angle in combination with the swiming movement and no aiming feedback are ruining the whole gameexperience. its made for masochists rathers than pc gamers. im used to direct, complete and precice control in games. this thing is the complete opposite.

    because of that, its unplayable for me.
  28. UnbiasedOne
    May 9, 2012
    4
    When purchasing the over shoulder third-person camera angle, you'd expect to be looking over the character's right shoulder, not the character's left leg. With Alan running at your far right eye's end it draws your focus away from what you need to be paying attention to, such as that pit in front of you that you're not going to see because you are too busy looking at Alan and trying toWhen purchasing the over shoulder third-person camera angle, you'd expect to be looking over the character's right shoulder, not the character's left leg. With Alan running at your far right eye's end it draws your focus away from what you need to be paying attention to, such as that pit in front of you that you're not going to see because you are too busy looking at Alan and trying to focus around him and not the screen in front of you. When purchasing a horror game, you'd expect horror and not one and a half second cut-scenes of mashed up garbage with blaring "dark" music, because if companies have learned anything by now, which they haven't, it's that suddenly blaring the player with loud sounds or music does not create scares, just pain in the ears. To say that Alan Wake is linear is a dramatic understatement, to say it's passable is a dramatic overstatement. In the begging, Alan mentions he has lost interest in writing, it has become clear to me that companies have lost interest in their customers.… Expand
  29. offspring3003
    Feb 22, 2012
    3
    Very bad porting to the PC a good console game, horrible optimization, horrible management (management of the keyboard and mousetrap). Main gripe with the game is that the game is released 2 years later and still the difference from the console version is no (graph and control). Control on the controller very well. mousetrap on your keyboard and all the fun of the game becomes a torment!
  30. Choppa
    Aug 23, 2013
    3
    The controls are awful, very hard to focus your gun and even difficult to walk straight with the 3rd person view; you're also constantly looking 'around' Alan who seems to enjoy blocking my view of where I want to go. I've tried both mouse/keyboard and 360 controller, both are awful to control, the lack of control takes you out of the story; the graphics are otherwise quite good and useThe controls are awful, very hard to focus your gun and even difficult to walk straight with the 3rd person view; you're also constantly looking 'around' Alan who seems to enjoy blocking my view of where I want to go. I've tried both mouse/keyboard and 360 controller, both are awful to control, the lack of control takes you out of the story; the graphics are otherwise quite good and use interesting effects, I'm sure this would be an enjoyable game if it was actually playable (how the majority of reviewers are able to play this is beyond me). Further, Alan cannot attack his enemies when he does not have any ammo, no fists or kicks, no using the flashlight as blunt impact; this means you stand there like a taking a beating until you reload the level with 12 bullets which at times is not enough and you still have to double-back to hopefully find a stash (then if you die and need the ammo, you have to do it again, and again). I would constantly run out of ammo, often wasting shots due to the controls. The game only saves at predetermined check points, you cannot save where you want to. I've put 5 hours into it, which according to howlongtobeat is about half way, I have zero inspiration to conclude this "nightmare" (which it is, for all the wrong reasons) and do not recommend whatsoever. +3 points for good graphics and creative use of story, -7 for abysmal controls.… Expand
  31. Diablo92
    Jun 3, 2013
    2
    Its an "okey" type of game but its no where near awesomeness. Alan needs to loose the imagination.. I mean, ghosts haunting different things and then disappears? And then there's the flashlight issue, if you aim your gun along with your flashlight, your battery power will drain A LOT faster BUT if you quit aiming then the battery power goes right back to full in just seconds but the onlyIts an "okey" type of game but its no where near awesomeness. Alan needs to loose the imagination.. I mean, ghosts haunting different things and then disappears? And then there's the flashlight issue, if you aim your gun along with your flashlight, your battery power will drain A LOT faster BUT if you quit aiming then the battery power goes right back to full in just seconds but the only thing that happens is he turns the lens at the light end of the flashlight but turning the lens has nothing to do with using more power unless its malfunctioning.

    The game does not interest me very much but maybe to some writers but I have a feeling this game takes it a totally wrong direction.. So what do you usually get when you make a game from a video/movie/novel? Trash.. Take a look at aliens colonel marines, now take a look at star trek and now take a look at a bunch of other ones like avatar.. Same song and dance right? Exactly and thats why the outcome is always terrible. I have to admit though.... The GFX don't seem so bad, gameplay is kinda lame cause alan can't run very much at all but he can atleast run for say 3 seconds so thats something (FAIL) 2/10    … Expand
  32. DocRockwell
    Jun 4, 2013
    0
    Cool concept, but poorly executed. I found it impossible to get immersed in the story because I kept having to deal with the stupid game. Things like objectives and paths being difficult to find. I was really surprised the feature "focus" that is supposed to focus on your objective rarely functioned and only seemed to be scripted to show you trivialities rather than things you're trying toCool concept, but poorly executed. I found it impossible to get immersed in the story because I kept having to deal with the stupid game. Things like objectives and paths being difficult to find. I was really surprised the feature "focus" that is supposed to focus on your objective rarely functioned and only seemed to be scripted to show you trivialities rather than things you're trying to find. Hunting around for switches and paths was very annoying.

    The attacks from bad guys got repetitive fast. Combat isn't very challenging (other than the fact that you have no crosshair and the 3rd person view is severely offset) and isn't rewarding.

    There are numerous detours to grab loot, but whats the point? I found it really diverting from the story, which is what I thought it was about. accumulating items and having to waste time going down dead ends to get ammo seems like a pointless chore for this type of game.

    I lost interest in the first chapter of the game alone. There were too many annoyances that dragged the game out and frankly the story up to that point wasn't compelling enough for me to suffer through the nonsense.    … Expand
  33. faultiestFlea
    Aug 5, 2013
    0
    This is shallow two-button gameplay combined with the worst of a high school creative writing contest all rolled into one. I actually played through it with a few of my friends watching, MST3K Rifftracks style. The writing is at least as cliche and stilted as 'This Island Earth'.
  34. JimCorbett
    May 31, 2013
    3
    Well, it looks like my previous review was deleted. Remedy doesn't like bad press, I guess? Alan Wake is not a good game. The gameplay is awful, the story is very cliche and uninteresting. The port job done on it is awful; the framerate suffers even on the highest end machine. The camera angle is one of the the worst i've seen in a third person game. It's at such an awkward angle that it'sWell, it looks like my previous review was deleted. Remedy doesn't like bad press, I guess? Alan Wake is not a good game. The gameplay is awful, the story is very cliche and uninteresting. The port job done on it is awful; the framerate suffers even on the highest end machine. The camera angle is one of the the worst i've seen in a third person game. It's at such an awkward angle that it's impossible for your character to walk forward, but always walks and a slight angle. The game has to have a mini cutscene to show you every time an enemy pops up, you you get control taken away from you ever 30 seconds or so. It's like they couldn't figure a good way to alert you to enemies, so they had to put in cutscenes. Remedy has proven they are a below average developer at best, and not worth of your time or money. Stay away.… Expand
  35. facbarros
    Mar 15, 2013
    4
    BORING. This game is really boring. It has a background story, yes, but you just can't influence it. It is one of those games that gives you a false impression of free will, but, in the end you must do whatever the game designers wanted you to do.
    And the fightings with the monsters? Not fun at all.
  36. VinDeagle
    Jul 24, 2013
    3
    I really wanted to enjoy this game, but unfortunately, its poor execution in regards to gameplay mechanics had me smashing inanimate objects. The story was interesting, which kept me going for a while. This is really one of the only strong points of the game. I could deal with the awkward camera angles and lack of a crosshair. The combat was repetitive, annoying, and pointless. GoingI really wanted to enjoy this game, but unfortunately, its poor execution in regards to gameplay mechanics had me smashing inanimate objects. The story was interesting, which kept me going for a while. This is really one of the only strong points of the game. I could deal with the awkward camera angles and lack of a crosshair. The combat was repetitive, annoying, and pointless. Going through and finding the collectibles was more of an annoyance than fun. The biggest thing that made me quit the game for good was the respawning enemies. What is this, 2002?… Expand
  37. Rodundra
    Jul 7, 2013
    1
    First, I'd just like to say that I created a metacritic account JUST so I could warn people about this game. Do not get it. It is horrible.
    I've played a lot of bad games, and this one didn't seem too bad at first. The story telling isn't bad, though it isn't good enough to save it from the many faults the game has. First of all, the controls are sloppy. The sensitivity is very high. I    First, I'd just like to say that I created a metacritic account JUST so I could warn people about this game. Do not get it. It is horrible.
    I've played a lot of bad games, and this one didn't seem too bad at first. The story telling isn't bad, though it isn't good enough to save it from the many faults the game has. First of all, the controls are sloppy. The sensitivity is very high. I played on the lowest sensitivity and still had trouble controlling it well. Sometimes the controls are also unresponsive. In one part of the game, you are given flares that you have to hit a key to use. Well, sometimes I would literally spam this key when enemies were near me, and it still wouldn't work.
    Even though the game has okay story telling, it has very bad game-play. You will be killing re-skinned versions of the same few enemies throughout the game. A lot of the time, they will surround you, and you just won't be able to kill them. You have to shine your flashlight at them for a few seconds before you can even start shooting. Now, you may think that sounds like a new and interesting mechanic. Well, it probably would be if it were implemented well, rather than having to do this for every single enemy. They will charge you from different directions, making it difficult to kill them before they can get to you. Did I mention that they run faster than you as well?
    The game also seems to have frame issues. The fps dropped very low in a lot of areas, and I have a decent rig.
    Overall, I would tell you to avoid this game; perhaps buy it for console if you would really like to play it.    … Expand
  38. ananinami
    Dec 14, 2015
    0
    what a waste of money. you run with a lighter and shot ghosts. overrated game nothing for me but good for lil kids and the american nightmare is the same
  39. Digital_Kitchen
    May 14, 2012
    0
    God, this game is so aweful, if I facepalm any harder I'll be smearing brain into the back of my chair.

    Yeeaaarrrsssss ago, it got tauted is a "next gen" DX10 love child, and I was all.... ooooh ...if only the gfx were the worst part..... It suffers terribly from the "Mega Man!! Mega MAN!!! MEGA **** MAN!!!!!!!" issue so many games have. And it does that not with just gameplay, but    God, this game is so aweful, if I facepalm any harder I'll be smearing brain into the back of my chair.

    Yeeaaarrrsssss ago, it got tauted is a "next gen" DX10 love child, and I was all.... ooooh

    ...if only the gfx were the worst part.....

    It suffers terribly from the "Mega Man!! Mega MAN!!! MEGA **** MAN!!!!!!!" issue so many games have. And it does that not with just gameplay, but plot, and other **** too.


    For instance:
    You hear "beep beep beep" and he NARRATES that he got a text message and describes what it could have said, instead of **** showing you an eerie text message.

    And for some reason, there is a Big Daddy in the game, like 60% through, you find out that the light in the sky doing all the "Mega Man!!!" stuff is a guy in a retro dive suit.


    Yeah, at first I thought the gfx were bad
    ...then I thought the tutorial-mega-man **** was bad
    ...then I thought the action was bad
    ...then I thought the intrusive narration was bad

    But no
    THEN they added new "enemies" : Flying ovens and refrigerators that you have to kill with your flashlight. God, I kept playing it to get my $15 worth. Now I think I'd pay someone $15 never to have to touch it again.    … Expand
  40. rodericrinehart
    Jun 15, 2015
    4
    This is an example of someone who has a decent story idea and then implements it so poorly with game design.

    Horrible camera, very annoying combat, graphics don't utilize any modern graphics enhancements (kind of caps out at mediocre 1080p-ish), and poor character control too. The atmosphere is good and the story is decent, but it definitely isn't worth the supreme annoyances from so    This is an example of someone who has a decent story idea and then implements it so poorly with game design.

    Horrible camera, very annoying combat, graphics don't utilize any modern graphics enhancements (kind of caps out at mediocre 1080p-ish), and poor character control too.

    The atmosphere is good and the story is decent, but it definitely isn't worth the supreme annoyances from so many of the other parts of the game.    … Expand
  41. NotBrutalMoose
    Oct 11, 2013
    3
    I am writing for BrutalMoose. To quote him from his stream as of 10/11/13 "The game looks good, and could be scary, but isn't. Maybe it's just because I'm drunk, I don't know... alcohol might be affecting this game for me..."
  42. crimsondoor
    Aug 6, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To be honest I don't know why people rate this game so high. I felt like I've wasted a week on it. I played this game expecting a good Stephen King-like story but is in fact cliched as hell from the beginning and in the end I have more questions than answers (like WHAT is the dark presence and HOW does an artist work make it comes to life???)... about controls, well as others have mentioned it is just really clunky, especially the camera - it is one of the few third person games which made me really dizzy playing it. The camera control is really strange as well. I pressed R3 to switch it to the right shoulder side but it keeps snapping back (why!?). And the driving camera...my god it's the worst thing ever... Why on earth does the camera snaps to right/left side of the car when I just tilted the right analog stick for a little bit?

    The gameplay itself has no variety at all. Just point flashlight at monsters, shoot/dodge. By chapter 2 the game has become more like a mechanical process than a game.

    Bad story, bad control, bad gameplay. Don't waste your time.    … Expand
  43. spielratz
    Aug 25, 2019
    2
    Terrible Game.
    Bad gameplay. You fight the same two guys over and over. The shooting action is bad. Makes me wish i would play Resident Evil 4 or Last of Us which had great combat.
    The only good thing about it are the town environments which look nice. Rest of the game is a real disaster.
  44. tdebug
    Jun 19, 2023
    2
    Main difficulties in this game are controls and camera angle. If you are playing using controller, then also add poor aiming. Otherwise, the gameplay itself is just idea free.
  45. Demon2017
    Jun 18, 2022
    4
    Скучнейшая и неинтересная бурда. Начало было очень интересным, но сам геймплей очень скучный. Ходить и стрелять в фонарик мне не понравилось. Если сильно понравился сюжет, то советую пробежать игру на самой лёгкой сложности.Скучнейшая и неинтересная бурда. Начало было очень интересным, но сам геймплей очень скучный. Ходить и стрелять в фонарик мне не понравилось. Если сильно понравился сюжет, то советую пробежать игру на самой лёгкой сложности.
  46. Zinaldo
    Jun 10, 2023
    4
    no crosshair, must aim with flash light and it is frustrating because flash light will not aim center of screen
  47. Scabia
    Apr 2, 2023
    4
    I always wanted to play this game since it got praised a lot, so in 2022 i played it and finished it.
    I don't wanna go into details but the game was huge disappointment for me.
  48. jaymeehuynh
    Apr 13, 2023
    1
    Seriously cannot understand why ppl rate this game this high. The narrative is just so so bad which annoys me to the max and the plot is just, ugh I can’t. Worst story telling and narrative ever. Will give 1 point for gameplay i guess. as long as he stops monologuing to explain the story and his feeling i would feel better

Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Best PC Game of 2012
19
#19 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
9
#9 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Gamer.nl
    May 5, 2012
    70
    Alan Wake is a decent port with a few console-characteristics that cause a few annoyances. But PC-gamers finally have the option to enjoy Alan Wake's unique and gripping story.
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  2. Computer Games Online RO
    Apr 13, 2012
    82
    Yet as a finished result and, finally, as a product with an interactive purpose, Alan Wake suffers enough from trying to mix so many influences, ending very close to the "you love it or hate it" model. Eventually, maybe these are just the "pains of childbirth" for something more complex or for something else as deserving as interactivity, a new „species" that needs to be judged less for its interactive aspects and more for the ones that regard its style.
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  3. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 5, 2012
    80
    "A gripping rollercoaster ride." - Stephen King. [Apr 2012, p.52]
    Read full review
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