Alan Wake

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1463 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,165 out of 1463
  2. Mixed: 170 out of 1463
  3. Negative: 128 out of 1463
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  1. Mindkiller7522
    May 19, 2021
    0
    2/22/21-3/7/21 100% Story

    Not really great! If you're a fan of stories that are weird for the sake of it, you'll love it. Not my thing. Alan Wake is a famous writer who goes on a cabin-by-the-lake vacation with his wife to a small (weird) town where things begin to go awry pretty quickly. His wife disappears and a creepy darkness starts making everyone crazy(er). Most of the game    2/22/21-3/7/21 100% Story

    Not really great! If you're a fan of stories that are weird for the sake of it, you'll love it. Not my thing.

    Alan Wake is a famous writer who goes on a cabin-by-the-lake vacation with his wife to a small (weird) town where things begin to go awry pretty quickly. His wife disappears and a creepy darkness starts making everyone crazy(er).

    Most of the game is walking through the woods, and more walking through the woods. That, plus the non stop flashlight tag with the enemies before you can shoot them, makes the game very bland.

    Alan Wake is a very dull protagonist overall. The other characters are meant to be endearing, but mostly everyone is just irritatingly odd. I never really got in to Twin Peaks either, so that might tell you something.

    The controls and shooting aren't the greatest, either. Every death feels cheap and having the darkness throw objects at you made me put the game down in frustration for quite a while.

    The only redeeming thing about this game is that it is referenced quite a bit in the game Control, which is a far superior experience. I'm glad I played it through if only to get those references.    … Expand
  2. jp007
    Oct 8, 2010
    2
    After hearing a lot of positive reviews, I was really surprised what a disappointment this game was. It's like a cross between a second rate FPS and an simple adventure game. Go here, pick up the keys, return the keys, shoot some bad guys between here and there... repeat. And the special collectible bonus item is a what?? a thermos. That's right... they've scattered bonus thermosAfter hearing a lot of positive reviews, I was really surprised what a disappointment this game was. It's like a cross between a second rate FPS and an simple adventure game. Go here, pick up the keys, return the keys, shoot some bad guys between here and there... repeat. And the special collectible bonus item is a what?? a thermos. That's right... they've scattered bonus thermos containers around the world for you to collect. If you're even THINKING about buying this game, save yourself some money and rent it first.… Expand
  3. VermillionHaze
    May 14, 2012
    4
    After wandering around in the dark fighting the same exact lumberjacks with a flash light is your idea of a good time then Alan Wake is a masterpiece. Unfortunately for everyone else it's simply a "Twin Peaks" rip off with repetitive mind numbing gameplay, constant narration and a overall plot likened to one of M Night Shyamalan's failed screenplays. Go to point A, fight lumberjacks,After wandering around in the dark fighting the same exact lumberjacks with a flash light is your idea of a good time then Alan Wake is a masterpiece. Unfortunately for everyone else it's simply a "Twin Peaks" rip off with repetitive mind numbing gameplay, constant narration and a overall plot likened to one of M Night Shyamalan's failed screenplays. Go to point A, fight lumberjacks, ambush, collect thermos, go to point B, quick time event, cutscene, rince and repeat 10 times. Save your money and pick up a real survival horror game like Deadly Premonition or Resident Evil.… Expand
  4. DurzoBlint
    Jan 12, 2012
    1
    Alan Wake's sole redeeming feature is its use of full motion video to pastiche shows most gamers will only know of through cultural osmosis. Every other aspect of the game is woefully undeveloped or simply incompetent in execution. There's no satisfaction to the combat, which is dull, repetitive and constant. And the writing is tragically bad and self-indulgent, ultimately bereft of anyAlan Wake's sole redeeming feature is its use of full motion video to pastiche shows most gamers will only know of through cultural osmosis. Every other aspect of the game is woefully undeveloped or simply incompetent in execution. There's no satisfaction to the combat, which is dull, repetitive and constant. And the writing is tragically bad and self-indulgent, ultimately bereft of any redeeming value - a judgement that can be extended to the game as a whole. Avoid.… Expand
  5. Not_Casual
    Feb 16, 2012
    4
    This game is simply unremarkable, repetitive as hell, and boring. Not to mention the 'awesome writing'. I've seen better stories from 8th graders. This should only appeal to people that haven't read anything better than a Goosebumps book.
  6. Alex
    May 18, 2010
    1
    This game would be a 9, only if it came out when it was suppose to. Standards on games have increased, which is why this game is not what it could have been. A big complaint with this game is the ending, which i won't spoil anything but lets just say it is one of the most predictable physiological endings EVER. The gameplay is fun at first, but gets very repetitive as well as theThis game would be a 9, only if it came out when it was suppose to. Standards on games have increased, which is why this game is not what it could have been. A big complaint with this game is the ending, which i won't spoil anything but lets just say it is one of the most predictable physiological endings EVER. The gameplay is fun at first, but gets very repetitive as well as the enemies. Almost every enemy is the same for the most part with no variety. The visuals are pleasing, but do not set any standards to modern day. All in all I wish I could have played this game two years ago.… Expand
  7. syraniss
    Jan 2, 2011
    0
    I'm honestly aghast at all the people who think this game represents the pinnacle of good storytelling in a video game. If this is all writers have to do to impress the gaming world, then future game stories are doomed, and blowhards like Ebert will be right in saying that video games cannot be art. Just because you make a game play out like a movie or some hyper-dramatic televisionI'm honestly aghast at all the people who think this game represents the pinnacle of good storytelling in a video game. If this is all writers have to do to impress the gaming world, then future game stories are doomed, and blowhards like Ebert will be right in saying that video games cannot be art. Just because you make a game play out like a movie or some hyper-dramatic television series, does not make it a good story; cinematic drama is not synonymous with a good story. Additionally, Alan Wake is grotesquely overwritten, failing to understand the power of subtlety, while beating the player over the head with cliched ideas of "light versus darkness". Was everyone too dumbfounded by the beautiful trees to notice that the human animation and lip-syncing is amateur for this allegedly high standard production? Environments, while pretty, lack the variety and meaning as they did in true masterpieces like Silent Hill 2 and Shadow of the Colossus. The game's plot-line is a contrived piece of crap. It has a pointless metaphysical idea driving it nowhere (i.e. I'm a writer writing myself out of my own story). It relies too heavily on other writers to build its shoddy sense of depth, which, despite its attempts, fails. If anything, I can call this game comedy for all the times the ridiculous commentary of the enemies made me laugh. I have to quote off a few: "Farmers are the opposite of hunter-gatherers"
    "Omega 3 Fatty Acids are good for your heart"
    "Fishing is both a sport and a hobby"

    Seriously, did anyone else pay attention to how ridiculous the enemies are? No, seriously, did you? You can't go five minutes into the game without troupes of enemies barraging you with corny dialogue. Add to this that Alan Wake himself can never shut up, and continually has to state the obvious (i.e. I had to turn on the generator, he said in a narrative voice), and you have a script that, if used for any other medium (such as a book or film) would be laughed at and regarding as juvenile. Ultimately the game lacks focus. It does not know what it wants or what it takes to get there.    … Expand
  8. 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
  9. Higher_Standard
    Apr 8, 2011
    3
    Episode 2 of Pokemon had better writing. Seriously, this is just a game dressed like a tv show with repetitive as hell gameplay. Apparently the cancer of casual gaming is spreading faster than I thought. You should be embarrassed to review this well.
  10. zkurk
    Apr 3, 2013
    1
    This game misses the mark completely. I mean really, if they were going for some sort of survival horror game they failed miserably in every regard. Health regenerates and you are always supplied with enough ammo to deal with every situation and even if you manage to die somehow you are just set back a couple of seconds since there seems to be a checkpoint every step you take. The aim isThis game misses the mark completely. I mean really, if they were going for some sort of survival horror game they failed miserably in every regard. Health regenerates and you are always supplied with enough ammo to deal with every situation and even if you manage to die somehow you are just set back a couple of seconds since there seems to be a checkpoint every step you take. The aim is completely automatic making sure you don't miss and everytime an enemy comes near you the game pauses to make sure your monkey brain has time to dodge. This means you never really fear for the protagonist instead you just get annoyed when you die since it prolongs the monotonous tps gameplay even further. So you just jog along a linear path through forests and villages shooting the predictable jumpscare people the game throws at you a million times, nothing cerebral ever happens and when I was halfway through the campaign I found myself wishing the game would just end.… Expand
  11. user12
    Nov 27, 2017
    4
    Boring and ordinary gameplay, uninvolving, uninteresting generic convoluted survival plot, terrible writing, sub-par graphics, and cliched horror survival mechanics all come together to make Alan Wake.
  12. SethCritic
    Dec 27, 2022
    2
    This game is mediocre. Stephen King wanna be plot and repetitive, unremarkable gameplay. The game is also glitchy. Don't bother. Play something from Resident Evil instead.
  13. drewcedarwild
    Jul 7, 2023
    0
    There's really nothing like it, yes it's strange and the line delivering from the characters are intentionally blocky, but this game nails atmosphere like no other! Scarier than any Resident Evil or Dead Space, despite the lack of any gore. A must play!

Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
6
#6 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
4
#4 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 100 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 100
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 100
  3. Negative: 0 out of 100
  1. Meristation
    90
    Alan Wake is finally here, and it's as good as we expected. Rich environments, great story, superb gameplay, many areas to explore, interesting characters... A great game that is not the ambitious project Remedy wanted it to be, but it's glorious anyway.
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  2. Eurogamer Spain
    80
    Alan Wake lacks that little spark of genious that distinguishes a good game from a masterpiece, an H.P. Lovecraft from your average Stephen King.
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  3. Computer and Video Games
    90
    While its not the generation defining game the epic development schedule might've hyped, Alan Wake is still a fantastic, 10-hour-plus play-it-on-the-couch linear action game - with brains required or not depending on your preference.
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