Alan Wake

Guns, Flashlights and Groundhog Day

HIGH The time-loop premise and Twilight Zone voiceovers.

LOW A hard-locked 360 and stuttering framerates in the second cycle.

WTF Collecting manuscript pages again?

This week, it's some good old fashioned game talk. Amnesia The Dark Descent! Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker! Alan Wake! Plus: Games are too buggy, Richard sings (twice), and stay tuned after the credits for some impromptu Halo: Reach chat. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard Naik, and Tim "Let's Grow a Beard Together" Spaeth.

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Games discussed:

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Alan Wake
• Halo: Reach

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Yes, I Can Hear You Now. Why didn't You Speak up Earlier?

HIGH Increased use of the game's psychological elements.

LOW The combat is infuriatingly cheap and unbalanced.

WTF The Signal's product placement for Verizon is unbelievably blunt.

Chi hits the Vegas Strip to throw down with some of MMA's biggest stars and gets an early look at UFC Undisputed 2010. Brad takes on Alan Wake and in the process enrages the entire Internet...again. And we open up the mailbag to answer your burning questions about game manuals, Final Fantasy XIV, and Microsoft Game Room. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, and Tim "Pitfall is So Worth Three Dollars" Spaeth.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
Subscribe: iTunes | Zune | RSS
Read: Transcript

Topics discussed:

• UFC Undisputed 2010
• Alan Wake
• Final Fantasy XIV

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Alan Wake is certainly not a terrible title, but it is repetitive and fairly underwhelming—doubly so for a game that's been in development for more than five years. I give credit to the developers for some beautiful environments and a combat style that's sensible and engaging, but it's weak in most other areas. I also have to say that for a game that's been so heavily touted for its story, I found the plot to be poorly-structured and unsatisfying.

Overslept

HIGH The external environments are beautiful.

LOW The player sees far too much of them.

WTF The amount of back-attacks and birds.

Although it's currently still under review embargo, Microsoft's PR reps have said that talking about and previewing the first episode of Alan Wake (360) is fair game. So, although certain elements of it have been labeled "hush-hush", I can still spill a little...