thoughts on this game? i got the special edition and i really like it for only playing 2 chapters of the game

Kick ass game. But I think you have to be really into this genre to enjoy it a lot. Also if you are a big fan of Twin Peaks, it will be that much more enjoyable.
Everything about the game is fantastic, especially the visuals. If I had one complaint it would be that the lip syncing with the character models is pretty bad on some characters. Alan is decent, but his wife and some of the others don't even move their mouth. For a game like this where the story is the central focus, you'd think that would have been a top priority.
But that's my only complaint. The rest is very top notch, and the story is great. I love how they made like a tv show, where the story is divided into Episodes, and at the beginning of each you get a recap of what happened earlier.
I just finished Episode 3 and it's getting pretty interesting.

I hope to pick it up one of these days, but it's just not in my budget right now.

if you like resident evil with silent hill mixed together then you will love this game

This game is my definite pick for Game of the Year so far.
I hope the sequel doesn't take forever to come out.

Inevitiably it's going to take forever. It took how many years for this one to come out? Over 3 or 4 I'm pretty sure.

I think it was announced in 05

Yea but the game went through so many changes since it was announced. Now they have everything in place. Apparently they have most of the story already written, and it'd be a shame to see this beautiful engine they created just go to waste. They could easily change up and add a few things and crank out another game in about a year's time.

i want the original concept for the sequal.

as for the first game, the game is pretty ambiguous with the story. the one big thing im not really sure of is,

SPOILER!!!    Click to view.

was Alan "created" by Thomas Zane? and if so, are the books Alan wrote the books Zane wrote back in the 70's? and did his writers block come from the fact that he had no more of Zanes ideas left? i know its kind of confusing but thats the best i could write it

SPOILER!!!    Click to view.

The relationship between Alan and Thomas is still open to interpretation. I've gone back and forth on what I believe. But currently I'm under the impression that they are the same person. The Old Gods (Tor and Odin) call Alan "Tom" on a few occasions, and the parallels between their two lives are almost identical.

http://forum.alanwake.com/showthread.php?t=3669

Lots of theories there.
The new DLC "The Signal" comes out in July. It's supposed to be played from a different perspective than Alan's, so maybe that will shine some light on all this. But then again I think the whole point of the game is that the horror and mystery isn't meant to be explained, just like the quote at the beginning says.

SPOILER!!!    Click to view.

but you see zane a few times, in the bioshock big daddy suit. he also talks to you a few times as the white light in the sky. I'm thinking zane 'wrote' alan into existence for the purpose of destroying the dark presence. but alan said near the end zane fucked up, he didn't balance the good and evil, it has to abide by 'rules' of a normal novel. than the line about the ocean. im not sure if alan was reading that or writing that. my first thought is that he expanded the lake into an ocean [evil] to save alice [good] to preserve the balance

game has awesome music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOxSqSxRy-4

Yea the music is really great. Here is the full soundtrack that comes with the Limited Edition: http://rapidshare.com/files/387293752/Alan..._Soundtrack.rar

Back to Zane:

SPOILER!!!    Click to view.

I'm playing through again right now on NIghtmare, and the extra manuscript pages give a little more insight into the story. I've ditched the Zane and Alan being the same person theory. Right now I'm under the impression that they are separate, but what Zane does in the game to aid Alan is completely Alan's creation. Surprisingly the things that give you the biggest clues in the game are the TV shows where you are watching Alan in the cabin. In one of them, he says he managed to crawl downstairs and read some of Zane's books that he found in the 'shoebox'. He says the books ring true, and he is going to incorporate them into his novel. So what I'm thinking now, is that Zane didn't have a special shoebox secured in the Well-Lit Room, Alan wrote that Zane kept a shoebox there, and in the shoebox, was The Clicker.
It's all very confusing, and probably can't be explained fully in a concrete way. But the interesting thing to me is Dr. Hartman, he seems to know a lot about the Dark Presence. A few of the hidden messages on the wall say 'Don't Trust Emil' and 'Hartman forced Zane to do it' stuff like that. Plus the manuscript pages lead you to believe he knows more.

Plus the game is tense as hell. That's why for me: Game of the Year.
Oh and I would like to see the original idea for this game return in the sequel as well. The whole idea of exploring and getting as far as you can during the day, and then fighting for survival at night was what really interested me in this game. If they don't do that, it's OK, I like what they have now. But their original idea sounded better.

ian do you have the special edition? if so did u read the files that come with it?

I don't unfortunately. I'm waiting for someone to upload the Alan Wake files as well. As soon as I find one, I'll post it here.

i ment the book that comes with it haha its a great read prolly one of the few books ive read in my life

the new dlc for alan wake comes out in june of this year anyone getting it?

I'm getting it, but the first one doesn't come out until July.

oops i ment july but yeah teh signal hopefully is worth it

Pretty much confirms Alan Wake 2: http://connectedconsoles.com/xbox-Remedy-W...0-Exclusive.cfm

Doubt it's a new game seeing as how they talked so much about wanting to work more on Alan Wake. I'm very excited.

i finally picked this up today.. so far it's great. i just restored power at the cabin

i have the redeem code for the DLC this month, too. anyone know what exact day it comes out? and will there be achievements on it?

If you go to the store directly through the game, it displays at the bottom right hand corner of the episode as to when it's being released, last time I checked it said 27 days left.

ah ok.

well i just finished episode 1 on hard. and it seems... not hard at all. feels like im playing on normal. amazing game none the less

also just noticed this game takes place in Washington....das coo...

It's not that hard, but it's definitely creeping me out. The use of sound is the best since Silent Hill 2, and the use of light and shadows is the best I've ever seen. I keep getting freaked out by the shadows that move when I move the flashlight around. Not even enemies. Just shadows. That's killer atmosphere there.

free DLC goes live tomorrow.

+1 cannot wait

its actually up now on the website. enter the code on xbox.com and it will be added to your download que

just finished it. short but probably the best chapter as far as combat. wish there was more of this stuff in the main game

This shit was intense, and harder than most of the main game. I really enjoyed this episode and can't wait for the next one.

Had it downloaded on my Xbox since Tuesday, been saving it for Saturday as i'm being sedated on the Friday for a fucker of a tooth to be removed, looking forward to playing the new chapter and Alan Wake in general.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusiv...lan-wake/705207
The Writer comes out in 6 days.

I got round to this game quite late, found it pretty boring just running through the woods the whole time tbh. But it was interesting enough to keep me playing 'til the end.

Finished deeloading The Writer. About to start it up.

whats peoples thoughts on the writer dlc?

My brother and I bought this game yesterday and it's pretty cool. Definitely feels like a mix of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. I just finished Episode 1, kind of interesting and weird at the same time. I should try playing this game at night.

yes

need to play the DLC. i really enjoyed this game.

Alan Wake: American Nightmare this wednesday........me excite

did anyone try out american nightmare??? seems sweet worth the money???