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Alan Wake

CorpseZeb

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Well, that's one "puzzle" (three gates at the power station). By "puzzle" I meant something like puzzles from SH3, for example. AW is not that kind of girl, though. More story/dialog driven, with combat throwing in, like sudden deus ex machina, or "filler" of some sort. Because, they change game from original free-roam adventure, to linear thingy, but story stays the same, I guess.
 

ortucis

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Alan Wake does have a few puzzles actually, although they're simple - things like hitting switches in the right order to open pathways etc. The power generator quick-time-event is there because being able to instantly switch lights on etc. in the middle of combat is both unrealistic and would eliminate risk/reward (since you have to stop moving and spend several seconds to turn them on). One of the few situations where I think they pulled them off well in the context of the game - there's no "press X to not die" crap.

I don't think the generator part of the game can really be called a QTE. Only once have I actually left the generator off because I kept dying cause of enemies chasing me (decided to just turn around and shoot them after third death :p ). It is usually easy to dodge their attacks but like all other games the character has asthma or something considering how easily he gets tired after short sprint.

The "blind darkness with torch and weaken the evil" mechanic isn't anything new. It's a complete ripoff of another game called Obscure which, tbh, I enjoyed more and was more of a survival horror.

As for Alan Wake, I try to play it every day. It is a disappointment. I love the visuals, the graphics are really good, the port is of excellent quality (only complaint is the use of blurry textures on world models compared to high quality textures on characters) with a nice FOV option which I maxed out on 1080p, no mouse lag or such issue. The gameplay however is a mess. I loved how when I was in the mines it had a creepy (Descent movie like) atmosphere only to be ruined by enemies suddenly spawning in a area comically opening another way out for AW (which the "Darkness" just blocked). The "darkness" hunting AW is not scary. But definitely makes some nice atmospheric SFX and visuals every now and then.

The game would have been better if we were allowed to just run around explore the world without being forced into combat with enemies every second we take two steps out of the blinding street lights (I don't think developers have seen a street-light before).

PS: Did someone say puzzles? Haw! Haw!
 

Astral Rag

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Typical exciting Alan Wake gameplay:



Low resolution cutscene, follow slow moving NPC while listening to their inane small talk, low resolution cutscene, walk all the way back to starting point, cutscene, walk down linear path, solve a "light" "puzzle",...

The atmosphere in this game is very well realized but other than that it's excruciatingly boring, banal shit.
 

CorpseZeb

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Remedy probably incorporate some sort of "free roam mode" into the future patches (according to their forums), so everyone will see, personally, how big the game world is (and how much unused is, which remind me Crysis 1, which has enormous maps, while actual gameplay uses about 10% of its areal)
 

Astral Rag

Arcane
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It was supposed to become a technically impressive open world title before it became a console exclusive.



I think removing invisible walls might make this game even more boring than it already is.

You can already explore the first town but there is absolutely nothing to do of course.

 

CorpseZeb

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Well, of course "there is nothing" to see, literally. But I always like roaming about game worlds (much of my time in the Crysis belongs to that category). Anyway, and off topic, once upon a time, there was a game called "I'm going In" (I.G.I 1, there was also I.G.I 2 but was much more crappy), and this game had a amazing ability to render terrain infinitively (you can just walk and walk and walk ahead to the same death). Granted, terrain consist of only mountains, but nevertheless, that was a fascinating experience - sort of the escape from the "real" game world to the "unknown". So, back to AW, free roam mode, will be a welcome addiction.
 

Carrion

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Well, of course "there is nothing" to see, literally. But I always like roaming about game worlds (much of my time in the Crysis belongs to that category). Anyway, and off topic, once upon a time, there was a game called "I'm going In" (I.G.I 1, there was also I.G.I 2 but was much more crappy), and this game had a amazing ability to render terrain infinitively (you can just walk and walk and walk ahead to the same death). Granted, terrain consist of only mountains, but nevertheless, that was a fascinating experience - sort of the escape from the "real" game world to the "unknown". So, back to AW, free roam mode, will be a welcome addiction.
I thought Project I.G.I.'s mountains were fun only because you had a sniper rifle that let you blow people's brains off from a mile away. Now that I think of it, I really miss that kind of stuff.
 

Phage

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Do we really need yet another thread on this extremely mediocre console shooter?
 

ortucis

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Free roaming is going to be pointless if there is nothing but empty buildings models in surrounding areas.

I am on the last Episode and I must say that I am enjoying the game since Episode 4 now. Probably cause the action ramped up and the game has some really sexy sounding weapons compared to shit like Crysis. Here Remedy goes all Max Payne letting you blow up the baddies with some really meaty weapons and I love it. Also, this game would have been better if we were in a group of civilians more often, like we got to team-up with Sheriff and Barry, that was fun. Taking down baddies AND exploring the world (outside the woods that is) with them would have been fun actionwise.

They should have made it into proper action-horror title instead, in open world with allies to move around. The survival-horror bullshit is almost always badly done by every horror game anyway (except for Silent Hill 3 :P).
 

CorpseZeb

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Nightmare mode isn't bad... But some "expert/realizm/overkill" nightmare mode would be even better. Also AW has fascinating overall concept of plot about AW himself and Mr. Scratch (mind though, plot not the dialogues or particular scenes or characters). Quality of story or quality of concept - is an important thingy, after all. And - nah - the best one, imho, is SH2 - The True Masterpiece. I remembered, I was unable to play SH2 after the dark just because that was that scary...

 

ortucis

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I finished the game. I kinda like that there wasn't a super-duper boss-fight in the end only answers and solutions to Wake's problems. Oh well, he's fucked now, at least we have a hotter lamp lady..
 

CorpseZeb

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... "hotter"? :) She kinda looks like the Julie Roberts of some sort... which is creepy... But... well... comparing to the previous Lamp Lady...

 

Wulfstand

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Jul 13, 2009
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The game's ending reminded me heavily of Twin Peaks, I felt that Agent Cooper suffered a pretty similar fate. I'm curious about a possible sequel, I'd really like to know how the story ends.
 

Curious_Tongue

Larpfest
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Codex 2012 Codex 2013 Serpent in the Staglands Codex USB, 2014
I'm seeing a lot of complaining about small graphical limitations this game has.

I expected better from this place:cry:
 

ortucis

Prophet
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I don't think you read that very closely.

It is like people on Codex have a text file with "generic angry quotes about __(enter game name]__" and randomly pick one for every thread. Bitching and whining in every fucking thread.
 

Xzar

Augur
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Mar 31, 2011
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It could be better if it had less action and more Twin Peaks. Particularly, ability to relax and drink coffee while surrounded by evil would be nice. As it is, evil is just too annoying and tiresome in this game, no Black Lodge awesomeness.
 

Wulfstand

Prophet
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I have to admit that this here scene () was wicked fun, although being a big Poets of the Fall fan might have helped coming towards that conclusion.
 

CorpseZeb

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Please suffer in silence.

Now, that's depressing...

Ps. ... but pain was meant to be shared, though.

Ps1. And for wannabe players, please turn off your HUD...

Ps2. ... and turn on nightmare mode.

Ps3. No, really, HUD destroys so thin atmosphere already...
 

ortucis

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Apr 22, 2009
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HUD didn't bother me at all. On 1080p it stays on corner and I was busy paying attention to the game, not HUD. People bitching about it must be playing it on consoles or some shit resolution.
 

CorpseZeb

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No, it's not a about resolution or screen aesthetics, just HUD directs you to point of interests, destroys completely a very thin layer of "free" exploration. I prefer that way.
 

felipepepe

Codex's Heretic
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The gameplay really needed to evolve at some point, but it never does, so you just run around the forest aiming a flashlight at things then shooting them, and it gets boring.
I just finished the game, and that was exactly what I thought. After chapter 4 you are already bored of doing the same forest hikings, and the game starts to feel predictable and full of bullshit reasons for you to do the same things over and over again...at chapter 5 it gets REALLY annoying how bad are the reasons for you to go hiking again. The developers clearly tried to boost the game duration in the worts way possible.

And is weird, because on the 2 special episodes show many gameplay innovations that were nice. Had the developers replaced a "forest chapter" with a "dark place chapter", and made the game shorter & more concisde, this would end up being a good game. The way it is, is a good story stretched fin over boring forest sequences, making the game simply impossible to replay.
 

ortucis

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Apr 22, 2009
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No, it's not a about resolution or screen aesthetics, just HUD directs you to point of interests, destroys completely a very thin layer of "free" exploration. I prefer that way.

It does? Didn't bother me. But then again I am one of those who don't see any point in exploring shit static open worlds like GTA and Skyrim with nothing interesting going on so I usually stick to objectives.
 

Malpercio

Arcane
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Dec 8, 2011
Messages
1,534
Just finished.

Meh, overall it wasn't bad, but not so great either.

I fully agree with the codexian who said the gameplay needed to evolve but it never did, though i guess they did try to make it more varied in DLCs with the whole "flash the words" thing and it kinda worked... most of the times. (jumping sequences are never a good idea in this kind of games)

Story was some kind of lovechild between Silent Hill and Twin Peaks, with obvious parallels with the second. (Dark Place= The lodges, Mr. Scratch = BOB, Cynthia Weaver= Log Lady) Felt also pretty linear, i was expecting some kind of mind blowing plot twist, but it never came.


I'll play the sequel if they don't turn it in some mindless shotan. :smug:
 

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