The "Complete" List

Left 4 Dead 2 - (All Campaigns)
Mass Effect
Lego Rock Band - Story Mode
Darksiders - Easy
BAYONETTA - Easy Automatic
Lego Batman
Call of Duty: Classic - Normal
Fracture - Casual
Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Heavy Rain - Medium
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Normal
Yakuza 3 - Easy
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Mass Effect 2 - Normal
Peggle: Dual Shot - DS
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Realistic & Co-op - Realistic
Dead Space - Easy - 360
Alan Wake - Normal

There's no doubt a game as relatively straight forward as this one that's been in development for nearly five years has probably lost it's way. In some ways Alan Wake is dated even before it's been released. It's also caught between genre's. It's neither full on Survival Horror but it's not a straight action title either.

The core mechanics are all solid. The bulk of thee game is a battle between light and dark and Mr Wake carries a torch to ward off the dark. Mapped to the right stick along with the camera this works really well. The game is set in the town of Bright Falls which could of come straight from the pages of a Stephen King novel and whilst the visuals may not be state of the art they are certainly packed with atmosphere and a tremendous draw distance which more than makes up for it.

The setting isn't the only debt it owes to the great Mr King and, as if in tribute, he gets several name checks throughout. To be fair King has explored the art of writing and an authors effects on his world in many of his books. (Several of his novels features writers). The plot is solid though and there's a lot of intereting characters Wake meets in his travels which makes the journey as enjoyable as the gameplay.

So whilst it does nothing new and, as the EDGE review mentions there's nothing really in the way of development in either enemies or weapons past the opening couple of chapters what there is enough to sustain the game, and your interest, until the end.

I particularly liked finding the radios and TV sets littered through Bright Falls. In fact the game is coming down with incidental information and asides.

It's a very good, if not great, game.