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. Rich246
    Feb 19, 2012
    10
    This game is long-overdue, and was worth the wait, Alan Wake is intense, and always has you on the edge of your seat, it makes you feel sorry for Alan and keeps you wondering how the story will evolve and progress, feels like Silent Hill and Resident Evil had a beautiful baby. It also has humor and some references to the real world that will make you smile, or remember a line or a sceneThis game is long-overdue, and was worth the wait, Alan Wake is intense, and always has you on the edge of your seat, it makes you feel sorry for Alan and keeps you wondering how the story will evolve and progress, feels like Silent Hill and Resident Evil had a beautiful baby. It also has humor and some references to the real world that will make you smile, or remember a line or a scene from a movie or tv show.

    If you can get this game, you will NOT be disappointed!    … Expand
  2. vitalyx
    Feb 19, 2012
    7
    I'm making another review of Alan Wake, since I was able to tweak the settings and get half-decent performance at 1360x768 resolution.

    The game uses an original way to tell a story. The way the story is told is great - episodic format, TV and radio show sequences, manuscript fragments you find. All very original. The story itself is not bad too. There are bad things, like facial    I'm making another review of Alan Wake, since I was able to tweak the settings and get half-decent performance at 1360x768 resolution.

    The game uses an original way to tell a story. The way the story is told is great - episodic format, TV and radio show sequences, manuscript fragments you find. All very original. The story itself is not bad too.

    There are bad things, like facial animations and lipsyncing, even in prerendered cut scenes and low level of detail in models and textures. There are good things like lighting effects on sparks when you shoot the "taken", their smoky shadows, disturbance effects just before the "taken" appear and volumetric light effects - all look amazing.

    Ultimately, though, the gameplay gradually becomes more and more boring. It's original in a way, because you have to use the flashlight on the "taken" before you are able to shoot them. But it's not that engaging to keep doing this over and over again for the length of the game. For me, the story wasn't interesting enough to endure the frustrating gameplay. For example Dreamfall had gameplay issues too, but it had a very compelling story that kept me playing even through the tedious parts till the very end of the game. With Alan Wake I gave up in the middle of the forth chapter.

    So, to wrap it up, the game is not that bad to stop playing after 30 minutes, but at the same time not that great to finish it and say "that was a wonderful experience".

    P.S.
    It looks like Metacritic is full of fanboys and any rating in the yellow or red automatically receives mostly downvotes. We are all sharing personal opinions here. Sorry, I didn't like your favorite game as much as you did.    … Expand
  3. SkayusLTU
    Feb 19, 2012
    10
    I waited this game so long... And now I can say this is one of the best game I've ever played. Super graphic, very, very nice story and so on. I like this game so much! 10/10
    I am big fan of this game!!!
  4. Dalek
    Feb 19, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing, the performance is perfect for me. The storyline is really cool and very surprising. It's quite simple the gameplay but a challenge in a way. You have to brighten your flashlight at the enemy until a circle goes tiny and then you can shoot them down easily to their death. This is something different and a good thing. I wanted to see if it was a fail port from XboxThis game is amazing, the performance is perfect for me. The storyline is really cool and very surprising. It's quite simple the gameplay but a challenge in a way. You have to brighten your flashlight at the enemy until a circle goes tiny and then you can shoot them down easily to their death. This is something different and a good thing. I wanted to see if it was a fail port from Xbox 360, so I pirated it and it is a perfect port. However I somehow lost my save when the game crashes and when I closed it. Which is why I'm going to buy it so I can finish the game off. Even though I spent an entire day on it. So is this game worth buying? Yes. If you want an entertaining storyline with voice acting and writing and environment chaos and something different then buy this game. It's worth it. (I don't want to say too much since it'll spoil it.)… Expand
  5. Xanifur
    Feb 19, 2012
    9
    The story is engaging at first, then it sucks you in. Game-play is like Max Payne, but with a flashlight, with dire consequences This is a mix I hope many developers follow. I didn't expect anything less from remedy. You guys keep pushing the develop in deep storytelling and content. We love you.
  6. GenuineOpinion
    Feb 18, 2012
    10
    Performance shouldn't have an impact on the game play score. The game itself is wonderfully ported. Wonderful story, as to be expected. Anything else........ Pretty much it's an all around quality game that is ominous and at times scary.
  7. Naatan
    Feb 18, 2012
    6
    The story is very interesting but the gameplay leaves much to be desired. It's incredibly linear in the sense that 90% of the time you are just following a path in the woods while you shine your flashlight on enemies and finish them off with your gun. There's some distractions in the shape of puzzles but even those are just rehashed over and over again. It just feels like you're watching aThe story is very interesting but the gameplay leaves much to be desired. It's incredibly linear in the sense that 90% of the time you are just following a path in the woods while you shine your flashlight on enemies and finish them off with your gun. There's some distractions in the shape of puzzles but even those are just rehashed over and over again. It just feels like you're watching a movie but you have to work your way through tedious and repetitive gameplay to actually get to the story. The repetitiveness of the gameplay aside most of what's happening is also very predictable. You just KNOW you're about to get attacked when you find more than a fair amount of ammo, and when you've gone through part of the story where you don't have weapons and you finally find some again; guess how long it takes before you get to use them? More than anything I just feel frustrated playing this game, frustrated by being force-fed terrible, predictable and linear gameplay just to get to what seems like a good story.… Expand
  8. Akaforty
    Feb 18, 2012
    10
    Even though you have to get used to the controls and the performance is pretty bad, it's one of the best games I've ever played. Most certainly in the top of the horror genre. I was waiting for this game for six years since I saw the first E3 trailer and finally, it's here and I love it! It provides an amazing story, great, thrilling combat system and absolutely stunning visual graphicEven though you have to get used to the controls and the performance is pretty bad, it's one of the best games I've ever played. Most certainly in the top of the horror genre. I was waiting for this game for six years since I saw the first E3 trailer and finally, it's here and I love it! It provides an amazing story, great, thrilling combat system and absolutely stunning visual graphic style. The story is based on a main character writing stories about himself and then living it, battling the creatures of the darkness. As you progress, you get your actions narrated by Alan himself, reading the pages he wrote, which creates an amazing, eerie atmosphere. This game is brilliant.… Expand
  9. brbfeds
    Feb 18, 2012
    10
    An excellent port. It is fast and stable at all times, load times are nearly nonexistent, plays at a steady 60 FPS (vsync) with all settings maxed on my Radeon HD 6970. It even minimizes without lagging/crashing, which is more than can be said for a lot of games made exclusively for the PC.

    The game itself is fantastic. The story is gripping and the action is well-designed. Controls are    An excellent port. It is fast and stable at all times, load times are nearly nonexistent, plays at a steady 60 FPS (vsync) with all settings maxed on my Radeon HD 6970. It even minimizes without lagging/crashing, which is more than can be said for a lot of games made exclusively for the PC.

    The game itself is fantastic. The story is gripping and the action is well-designed. Controls are tight and responsive. It relies heavily on atmosphere and really delivers in that respect. If you haven't played the XBOX version, this is one of the best $30 purchases you'll ever make.    … Expand
  10. jujuju
    Feb 18, 2012
    9
    No PC performance issues for me, I have a cheap ass PC, 2GB of ram and a graphic card that cost me £60 and most new games I can get medium-high so no idea what others are doing wrong because looks great for a console port on my PC, easily better than the 360 version.

    No issues with controls, try harder guys! Even then you can plug in a controller but keyboard and mouse owrks    No PC performance issues for me, I have a cheap ass PC, 2GB of ram and a graphic card that cost me £60 and most new games I can get medium-high so no idea what others are doing wrong because looks great for a console port on my PC, easily better than the 360 version.

    No issues with controls, try harder guys! Even then you can plug in a controller but keyboard and mouse owrks fine for me. No crosshairs? What are you 6? Do you need Mummy to hold your hand when you cross the road? Really if you find it hard to aim in this game without crosshairs then try playing an easy game like CoD.

    Game is excellent, even the cutscenes (which I usually want to skip in games) are good. Shame it took so long to come to the PC but then Microsoft was funding the game. Remedy have done a great job at porting this.    … Expand
  11. YuRown92
    Feb 17, 2012
    10
    This game I waited for a long time. I was very angry, when PC version was stopped. At last, now, when this game come on PC, I playing this game with pleasure.
  12. 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.
  13. GPReS
    Feb 17, 2012
    10
    This is a really BAD GAME!!! BAD, because how the hell can I explain my boss that I can't stay on my work after the night comes???
    Remedy - YOU ROCK! Nice game! Way to go! =)
  14. WebsterLin
    Feb 17, 2012
    10
    I absolutely love this game. It is an ode to a type of pulp horror that isnâ
  15. whitespider999
    Feb 17, 2012
    8
    Alan wake on the pc is well made port.There are some performance quirks however and hopefully get they patched out. The game controls well, instead of it playing like a traditional crosshair based third person game, you aim with the flashlight. The movement of the flashlight is not as 1:1 instant as a first person shooter, however it controls surprisingly smoothly considering. The story isAlan wake on the pc is well made port.There are some performance quirks however and hopefully get they patched out. The game controls well, instead of it playing like a traditional crosshair based third person game, you aim with the flashlight. The movement of the flashlight is not as 1:1 instant as a first person shooter, however it controls surprisingly smoothly considering. The story is fantastic, with each segment of the game like an episode of lost, with a "on the last episode of alan wake". Each chapter/episode also ends on a really quirky and mysterious musical number. This game definitely has artistic lynchian undertones without being obscure or vague. The game is also visually stunning, the only downside is the occasional low resolution texture. Mechanically the game has the traditional horror elements, however it throws in enough twists to make it feel fresh again. Light plays a huge role in the dynamic of the entire game, with each source of light being a checkpoint of sorts and every enemy being immortal until you shine them with your torch.All of this leads to the game being quite hard, as you can be taken down in 1 or two hits, so you need to make serious use of the dodging mechanic and stay constantly aware of where each enemy is - if they get behind the player, you might be swamped and die within seconds. The combination of the light mechanics, the involving thriller/mystery plot, the episodic touches, and some serious tension make alan wake unmissable. Just make sure you have a powerful pc.… Expand
  16. Lockie
    Feb 17, 2012
    10
    I have only one question: why console exclusives are so much better than multiplatform games? The best videogame story i've ever seen in my life. Moreover, 2 years after release, but the game still looks simply awesome. Thank you, Remedy, for porting this masterpiece to PC. Great story, great graphics, atmosphere, sound, gameplay. I'm very impressed.
  17. Samout
    Feb 17, 2012
    10
    Awesome game. Very good graphics, runs very well also with older CPU, (I run full graphics 50 FPS in 1920x1080 with i7 920 2.66 GHz, Asus GTX 580 DirectCU II, 6 Gb RAM 1666 MHz)
    Atmosphere is something out of this world.
  18. yogibbear
    Feb 17, 2012
    10
    Brilliant. Can max it out at 1080p on my q9450, 4gb ddr2, 560ti. Played this originally on the 360 and the transformation to bring this out on PC has made a lot of noticeable improvements to the graphics and definitely received quite a bit of attention in getting the controls and settings working nicely. If you need a bit of Twin Peaks meets Steven King and can enjoy a third personBrilliant. Can max it out at 1080p on my q9450, 4gb ddr2, 560ti. Played this originally on the 360 and the transformation to bring this out on PC has made a lot of noticeable improvements to the graphics and definitely received quite a bit of attention in getting the controls and settings working nicely. If you need a bit of Twin Peaks meets Steven King and can enjoy a third person action-thriller game then this is for you. The story and the action are what this game worth playing, there just simply is not much like it on the market to compare to. Then the price of $30 for the CE and all DLCs and soundtrack is just a massive bonus that seals the deal as one of the best PC releases of recent "port" history.… Expand
  19. despot
    Feb 16, 2012
    9
    Console port well done.

    Suspenseful, unique, well thought game with an interesting story and satisfying combat that makes you come back session after session, or more like episode after episode. Since the gameplay hasn't changed from the original Xbox 360 version I'll just give my opinion of the port quality. The porting from Xbox 360 to PC has gone pretty much perfectly and you do get    Console port well done.

    Suspenseful, unique, well thought game with an interesting story and satisfying combat that makes you come back session after session, or more like episode after episode. Since the gameplay hasn't changed from the original Xbox 360 version I'll just give my opinion of the port quality.

    The porting from Xbox 360 to PC has gone pretty much perfectly and you do get the 2 DLC's and spiced up graphics among other PC only stuff. It runs butter smooth on my 1½ year old $800 PC and mouse and keyboard controlling has been well implemented - actually forgot even to try it with my gamepad as I felt right at home with the mouse controlling the aiming and quickly switching between weaponry on my keyboard. The thumb buttons of my gaming mouse couldn't be keybound but I think it will be patched in no time. No biggie for me since there isn't that many keybindings needed anyways.

    Only obvious giveaway that it is in fact a console port are the lower quality cut-scenes which I suppose are the very same from the Xbox 360 version - a bit weird having a much better looking actual gameplay than the cut-scenes.

    So if I wouldn't know any better and apart from the cut-scenes I couldn't tell that it's a console port nor that it's a 2 year old game for that matter - very well job done indeed.

    As for the game in general - if you like story-driven games and have the mindset for a rather scary survival-action gameplay than this is definitely the game for you. AAA-class game and the price for the new PC version really is a bargain.

    9/10 in comparison to other this gen. games. Apart from the cut-scenes and some few very minor flaws like the awkward car handling in the non-essential driving parts - my high expectations were fulfilled.    … Expand
  20. 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
  21. Narquez
    Feb 16, 2012
    10
    that is the game
  22. aksu113
    Feb 16, 2012
    10
    really special game
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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

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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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 5, 2012
    80
    "A gripping rollercoaster ride." - Stephen King. [Apr 2012, p.52]
    Read full review
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