Let me preface with this, Alan Wake is a wonderful, story-driven game. It has horror, thrills, suspense, mystery, atmosphere, and the pacing to draw any story-driven buff in. It's just a shame that expiring licenses are the culprit to removing it from Steam. I have heard that Remedy Entertainment is going to attempt to renew the licenses, something they don't have to do. That shows how much they care about a game now nearly a decade old. I wouldn't hold your breath, however. It would seem the only other way to get this game are through "other means", unfortunately, since I do really think this game is worth price to this day.

Anyway, let's begin.

Pros:

+ Story - The story in this game is one of the best, if not best story I've played in a video game. And this is coming from a gamer who has played video games for nearly 20 years. If you can ever obtain it, whether it be on Xbox 360 or on PC in whatever way possible, please play through the main game and its two episodes, that being The Signal (Special One) and The Writer (Special Two) for the full experience.

+ Characters - The characters in this game are exceptionally well-written, especially Barry Wheeler. He has some of the best and most amusing dialogue in the game. I find him to be amusing because of the way he talks, as well as the fast talking he does and in the manner of which he expresses himself.. This not to detract from other characters, however, as Alan Wake is a compelling character despite him being a bit of a jerk. The characters of Bright Falls make you feel as if this is a real town, and make you feel at home there.

+ Musical Composition - I have to say that both the Orchestral Score and the Licensed Music fit well into the game. Petri Alanko did a wonderful job of making the music flow and match with the situations that Alan is put in.

+ Atmosphere - My God. This game has one of the BEST atmospheric content I have ever seen. The way the dark forest and town feel, along with the thrilling scares the game provides, it's unlike anything else, and unlike the M-Rated games that rely on gore and graphic content to be scary. In certain instances, I will say some of the Shadow People are indeed scary and intimidating. Especially when you first meet with the Shadow Version of Carl Stucky. The other thing that is creepy is the voices of some of the Shadow People, especially when you can't see them and they're stalking you in the forest.

+ Graphics - I know graphics don't make a game, but my goodness are the graphics really, really good. I would say they even hold up today, 7 years later. And the effects when the trees are blowing under high wind, as well as that type of wind that the Shadows emit, it's great.

+ Sound - The sound design is wonderful. From the loud wind, creaks and other strange noises. And the creepy Shadow People harassing you with their voices while they be stalkin' your behind.

+ Narrative - The way the story is told is great. From the perspective of Alan Wake in the game, the story makes it hard to discern whether what is happening is a dream, or that it is real, or both, making him as well as you the player, question his sanity.

+ Pacing - I personally thought the slow, even, and easy-to-follow pacing was just fine. That is how you know Remedy Entertainment wanted to really take the time to develop the characters, the story, and the game in general at a good pace.

Cons:

- Repetitive Enemies - The enemies you fight, that being Shadow People, are all you fight in the game. Well, that, and the occasional object that flies at you.

- Uninspired Combat - The combat isn't that great, and even Remedy's previous Max Payne games did better. The combat is not bad, per se, just nothing new was brought to the table.

- Lack of Unique Weapons - Not that there is anything wrong with the Revolver, Flare Gun, and Shotgun, I could have felt they could have had more weapons that made sense for where Alan Wake was.

All in all, I thought Alan Wake was one of the best games I have ever played, and I don't state this lightly. Because of the few drawbacks, I award this game a personal rating of 9.90 out of 10. I would like to say again, I highly suggest you play this game and its two Specials. Thank you.

- Michael

Let me preface with this, Alan Wake is a wonderful, story-driven game. It has horror, thrills, suspense, mystery, atmosphere, and the pacing to draw any story-driven buff in. It's just a shame that expiring licenses are the culprit to removing it from Steam. I have heard that Remedy Entertainment is going to attempt to renew the licenses, something they don't have to do. That shows how much they care about a game now nearly a decade old. I wouldn't hold your breath, however. It would seem the only other way to get this game are through "other means", unfortunately, since I do really think this game is worth price to this day. Anyway, let's begin. Pros: + Story - The story in this game is one of the best, if not [b][i]best[/i][/b] story I've played in a video game. And this is coming from a gamer who has played video games for nearly 20 years. If you can ever obtain it, whether it be on Xbox 360 or on PC in whatever way possible, [i]please[/i] play through the main game and its two episodes, that being The Signal (Special One) and The Writer (Special Two) for the full experience. + Characters - The characters in this game are exceptionally well-written, especially Barry Wheeler. He has some of the best and most amusing dialogue in the game. I find him to be amusing because of the way he talks, as well as the fast talking he does and in the manner of which he expresses himself.. This not to detract from other characters, however, as Alan Wake is a compelling character despite him being a bit of a jerk. The characters of Bright Falls make you feel as if this is a real town, and make you feel at home there. + Musical Composition - I have to say that both the Orchestral Score and the Licensed Music fit well into the game. Petri Alanko did a wonderful job of making the music flow and match with the situations that Alan is put in. + Atmosphere - My God. This game has one of the BEST atmospheric content I have ever seen. The way the dark forest and town feel, along with the thrilling scares the game provides, it's unlike anything else, and unlike the M-Rated games that rely on gore and graphic content to be scary. In certain instances, I will say some of the Shadow People are indeed scary and intimidating. Especially when you first meet with the Shadow Version of [spoiler]Carl Stucky[/spoiler]. The other thing that is creepy is the voices of some of the Shadow People, especially when you can't see them and they're stalking you in the forest. + Graphics - I know graphics don't make a game, but my goodness are the graphics really, really good. I would say they even hold up today, 7 years later. And the effects when the trees are blowing under high wind, as well as that type of wind that the Shadows emit, it's great. + Sound - The sound design is wonderful. From the loud wind, creaks and other strange noises. And the creepy Shadow People harassing you with their voices while they be stalkin' your behind. + Narrative - The way the story is told is great. From the perspective of Alan Wake in the game, the story makes it hard to discern whether what is happening is a [spoiler]dream, or that it is real, or both[/spoiler], making him as well as you the player, question his sanity. + Pacing - I personally thought the slow, even, and easy-to-follow pacing was just fine. That is how you know Remedy Entertainment wanted to really take the time to develop the characters, the story, and the game in general at a good pace. Cons: - Repetitive Enemies - The enemies you fight, that being Shadow People, are all you fight in the game. Well, that, and the occasional object that flies at you. - Uninspired Combat - The combat isn't that great, and even Remedy's previous Max Payne games did better. The combat is not bad, per se, just nothing new was brought to the table. - Lack of Unique Weapons - Not that there is anything wrong with the Revolver, Flare Gun, and Shotgun, I could have felt they could have had more weapons that made sense for where Alan Wake was. All in all, I thought Alan Wake was one of the best games I have ever played, and I don't state this lightly. Because of the few drawbacks, I award this game a personal rating of 9.90 out of 10. I would like to say again, I highly suggest you play this game and its two Specials. Thank you. - Michael