Alan Wake (PC/X360)

By Draken
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Grand Master

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I'm on holiday from May the 13th till May the 29th :rofl:

Worst part of it is I'm going to America so will be there for launch lmao.

Lucky, Florida again? These are my final exams so I should be graduating this year! :D

After I finish, I am probably going to play games for a week straight 24/7 as I just have not had the time/effort to do so lately :(

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Grand Master

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Lucky, Florida again? These are my final exams so I should be graduating this year! :D

After I finish, I am probably going to play games for a week straight 24/7 as I just have not had the time/effort to do so lately :(

Yeah I'm away with the parents and GF. Would like to go with her on my own, but she's still 19, I'm 22. She can't drink yet :p

Next year we're going to go on our own when she's 21, and by then I'll be 23 so car insurance should be cheaper for me. I think it's still quite pricey for me to rent a car.

I've still got 2 years to go for graduation, but everything will be back on track this fall (Y)

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Grand Master

.KICK

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Yeah I'm away with the parents and GF. Would like to go with her on my own, but she's still 19, I'm 22. She can't drink yet :p

Next year we're going to go on our own when she's 21, and by then I'll be 23 so car insurance should be cheaper for me. I think it's still quite pricey for me to rent a car.

I've still got 2 years to go for graduation, but everything will be back on track this fall (Y)

You can't rent a car under 25 on your own in USA apart from New York where it is 18! Unless it is all changed or you've got the main person on the hire car over 25, I just drove my friends car, rolling around in an old school Cadillac with the roof down ftw! :p Dollar and Enterpirse car rentals do cheap for under 25 which is who I used last summer.

Does anyone know how long this game is meant to be? Different endings?

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Grand Master

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You can't rent a car under 25 on your own in USA apart from New York where it is 18! Unless it is all changed or you've got the main person on the hire car over 25, I just drove my friends car, rolling around in an old school Cadillac with the roof down ftw! :p Dollar and Enterpirse car rentals do cheap for under 25 which is who I used last summer.

Does anyone know how long this game is meant to be? Different endings?

Nah you definitely can, at least in Florida. 5 of my mates went to Florida 2 years ago when one of them had just turned 21 - He had to do all the driving.

It costs more, and I believe the cut off is 21, and something like 3 years of driving.

I don't know about length or endings sorry :(

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Grand Master

DrunknMunky Veteran

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Yeah I'm away with the parents and GF. Would like to go with her on my own, but she's still 19, I'm 22. She can't drink yet :p

Next year we're going to go on our own when she's 21, and by then I'll be 23 so car insurance should be cheaper for me. I think it's still quite pricey for me to rent a car.

I've still got 2 years to go for graduation, but everything will be back on track this fall (Y)

Wait, wha? 2 birthdays in one year? :p

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Grand Master

.KICK

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Wait, wha? 2 birthdays in one year? :p

Could be turning 20 soon so when they go next year, maybe 21? :unsure:

AB, just take a fake ID, it is what I did whenever I went out there before I was 21, went out about 3 times a year although I never got carded most times! With it being a UK one, they never question it.

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Grand Master

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Wait, wha? 2 birthdays in one year? :p

Aren't you ahead of me in Uni? :p

Turns 20 in July this year, 21 next July ;)

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Grand Master

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I blame the ringing in my ears from the loud music last night.

Not thinking straight this morning :p

Say bye bye to some frequencies you'll never get to hear again!

Anyone else know on the length of the game? I suppose there is an embargo too up until a few days before release?

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Ironman273

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Stephen King vs. Lost: Alan Wake hands-on

By Andrew Webster | Last updated about 11 hours ago

alan-wake1-thumb-640xauto-13243.jpg

Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake has been a long time coming. Originally announced in 2005, the psychological thriller from the developers of Max Payne has seen numerous delays and dropped the PC version along the way. But if our time spent with the game during a preview event in Toronto is any indication, the game is finally on the right track.

The game looks and feels like what might happen if Stephen King ever decided to make a game. It's set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest and stars a best-selling author struggling with his next novel. He discovers a manuscript from a book he doesn't remember writing, and before long, the town is overrun with dark creatures ripped straight from those pages.

Oskari H?kkinen, Remedy's Head of franchise development, described Alan Wake as having "the body of a cinematic action game and the mind of a psychological thriller." It plays out like a third-person action game with a heavy emphasis on the power of light. Since the enemies in the game gain power in the shadows and are harmed by light, it's an integral part of the gameplay. "Light is a combat tool and a safe haven," H?kkinen explained. "You fight with light."

This plays out in several ways. Alan can take refuge under lamp posts, which will both heal him and protect him from enemies?provided they don't take an axe to the lamp and destroy it all together?and there are hints scattered throughout the game written in light-sensitive paint. It also has a major impact on the weapons in the game.

Your go-to weapon is a flashlight, which harms enemies slightly and slows them down enough so that you can get in a couple of shots with your revolver. But much more satisfying is the flare gun. Hitting an enemy with a flare causes it to be engulfed in a glorious explosion of light, though it does have the drawback of needing to be reloaded after every shot. And at one point Alan even takes hold of a spotlight, wielding it like a turret to take out swaths of foes.

The game isn't shy about its influences, going so far as to quote Stephen King at the opening of the game. H?kkinen also noted both Twin Peaks and Lost as major influences, but he was quick to point out that Losthad more of an impact in terms of its structure as opposed to its narrative, so don't expect much in the way of time-travel or alternate timelines. Instead, the game is structured a lot like a serial drama. It's divided into episodes?complete with "previously on Alan Wake" at the outset and "to be continued" at the end?features a large cast of supporting characters, and H?kkinen even frequently referred to the game as "season one."

Of course, this led us to ask whether or not a sequel is being planned. While H?kkinen couldn't confirm this, he did say that it didn't make sense to develop a game for five years and not create a sequel. But whether or not it will actually get released depends entirely on how successful Alan Wake ends up being. He did confirm, however, that Remedy will be releasing some downloadable episodes, which will serve as a "bridge" between seasons one and two. H?kkinen also said that if Remedy does end up releasing a sequel, it won't take another five years.

Another point that H?kkinen emphasized is that Alan Wake is a thriller and not a horror game. "Horror is about blood and gore," he explained. "Thriller isn't about what's happening but what's going to happen." One of the ways that the developer is going to create that sort of thriller-style tension is by messing with the player's expectations. The tension will often build because you'll expect something to happen, but many times nothing will. This gives the set-piece events in the game all the more impact, constantly leaving you on edge.

From what we saw, it looks like Alan Wake will live or die based on its atmosphere and storytelling. From the demo it's clear that Remedy has the former down, but, given the nature of the story, H?kkinen was understandably quiet when it came to specifics of the narrative, so it's tough to gauge that aspect. But the developers have definitely done an excellent job of cherry-picking elements from various pieces of pop culture and making it their own. Let's just hope the final product will be able to stand on its own.

Alan Wake will be released exclusively for the Xbox 360 on May 18.

Source: Ars Technica

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Grand Master

.KICK

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Just updated my AV/SIG set (Thanks to the Munky, here is a banana for your troubles) for this game and it had been a while.

I better not pre-order this game as I'll get it bang in the middle of my exams which I can't have! :laugh:

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Draken

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I'm really excited about this game, especially since my favorite band is featured in the soundtrack.

yup WAR sounds awesome! I wonder if NPCs will sing it like "late goodbye" in Max Payne

Lol at the end :laugh:

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Grand Master

George P Global Moderator

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Oh that was so mean man, dude was just doing this job, AND he helped you out! I remember both those parts though, good times.

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Grand Master

neoadorable

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while for sure will be getting this, and am excited, it's a bit offputting that they decided to go with a PG 13 version. this feels more like it should be M. Instead of The Shining we seem to be getting Secret Window, but still, it'll be good.

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George P Global Moderator

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while for sure will be getting this, and am excited, it's a bit offputting that they decided to go with a PG 13 version. this feels more like it should be M. Instead of The Shining we seem to be getting Secret Window, but still, it'll be good.

Maybe it's because of the nature of the enemies that you're shooting? Since they're not like zombies or "people" but dark shadows there's no blood and gutts I figure. Both of which add to the rating in the end. Language is probably the other thing, dunno how strong it's used in this game though.

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