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This article or section contains information about an unreleased video game. The content may change substantially as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details. |
| Alan Wake | |
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| Developer(s) | Remedy Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Distributor(s) | Microsoft |
| Designer(s) | Petri Järvilehto, Lead Designer |
| Released | TBA 2008 [1] |
| Genre | Psychological Action Thriller |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Platform(s) | Windows Vista (Games for Windows) and Xbox 360 |
| Media | DVD |
Alan Wake is a video game being developed by Remedy Entertainment, the Finnish company behind the Max Payne games. Alan Wake is billed as a "psychological action thriller". Microsoft Game Studios is the publisher of the game. The game is being developed exclusively for Windows Vista and Xbox 360. The character Alan Wake is modeled after Ilkka Villi, a Finnish professional actor and writer.[2][3]
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Story
Alan Wake is a bestselling horror writer. Early on in his career, his fiancée Alice was his muse. Just prior to meeting her, he had started to have strange dreams which he used as material for his first book. The book was a big success, a dream come true. But then Wake’s fiancée vanished without a trace. Wake was devastated. He couldn't write anymore, his dreams stopped and he began to suffer from insomnia. At the beginning of the game, Wake travels to a sleep clinic to seek treatment for his condition. The secluded clinic is located near the small town of Bright Falls, Washington, far away from the stressful urban lifestyle. Receiving treatment at the clinic, Wake is able to sleep again. At the clinic, he meets a mysterious woman who is the very image of his missing fiancée, uncannily so. At once, his dreams return, this time as terrible nightmares. Wake begins to write again: a new book based on those nightmares. But something is horribly, horribly wrong. Impossibly, the town of Bright Falls starts to change to something awful that bears a close resemblance to Wake’s new book. Wake ends up fighting for his life with a gun and a flashlight in his hands, trying to understand what’s happening.
Gameplay
The name "Bright Falls" has a meaning. The game promises to have photo-realistic graphic qualities, realistic pixel shading, and dynamic shadows that change according to the position of the sun. To avoid lags and hangs, the game will be available for high end PCs and the Xbox 360. The dark-forces (enemies) coming to 'take care of' Alan Wake are vulnerable to light. So the most useful weapon of all is actually the flashlight. You will be able to place booby traps which will illuminate when executed, etc. Light will weaken or hurt Wake's enemies, and creatively taking advantage of any and all light sources within Alan Wake's grim world ought to be one of the interesting aspects of play. Like Max Payne before it, the title Alan Wake has a double meaning. Combining the main character's first initial with his last name forms "A.Wake," or "Awake". Remedy Entertainment also promised a free-roam 3-dimensional city, similarly as in the Grand Theft Auto series. "The basic idea with the free-roaming world is that we give the player goals, and then the player can go about achieving those goals in the way he chooses. Alan Wake is more tightly character-driven and story-oriented. Meaning that the player’s goals and missions are closely focused around Alan Wake and his story. Also, the setting, the tone and the game being an action thriller all set it clearly apart from the GTA games." – Sam Lake "Intense cinematic action is something that we love to do, and Alan Wake features tense combat gameplay as well, but all things considered the game has a lot more emphasis on adventure and exploration than what Max Payne did. Driving is an integral part of the game" - Petri Järvilehto. There will be no multiplayer in this game. "We'd much rather give the players a great single-player game, than a mediocre single and multiplayer game." -Petri Järvilehto.
Vista exclusive controversy
Many industry observers and gamers were surprised by the move to make Alan Wake exclusive to Windows Vista on the PC. It is speculated that this is due to Microsoft (the publishers of the title) wanting to encourage uptake of Windows Vista sales among gamers, but this move has faced criticism among some circles. [4]
Release date
Remedy has remained vague about Alan Wake, unwilling to give any info regarding the date of its release. When asked about a release date, Remedy representatives respond, "When it's done". In a recent interview on the GamerScore Blog, it was said that Alan Wake is stated to be released in 2008, although there wasn't a time frame stated.[1] Remedy's CFO, who goes by the handle of MikaRMD on the AlanWake.com forums, was quoted stating that Remedy is "busy developing the kick-ass game you've been waiting for" to reassure fans of the game that the game is still being worked on.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b Gamerscore Blog Interview with Annie Spencer
- ^ (Finnish) Remedy ja Alan Wake - sensuroimaton tarina
- ^ IMDB profile - Ilkka Villi
- ^ Alan Wake Windows Vista and Xbox 360 Exclusive
External links
- Official websites
- Miscellaneous
