Ok for once I'll answer the 'should I get this?' question first. *Pauses and makes a Winnie The Pooh thinking pose* Yes you should. In the same way that I think Mirrors Edge is one of a kind video game piece, I'll add Alan Wake alongside it too.
Here's a trailer:
I'll give it to you straight, the combat system is at few times a bit dodgy and frustrating but let's face it - the protagonist is not a beefed up soldier or superhuman. He's just a regular guy, he can't do acrobatics and he doesn't p*ss about with a gun, flinging it in the air, spinning it or anything - NO! This guy is just a normal guy who is going to hold firmly to a gun, feet on the ground and be sure he will shoot the sh*t out of what's coming at him.
You may struggle at first as it does take a bit of time to get used to how he moves and what you see in relation to the actual playing screen. You've got to be more wary about incoming attacks, Alan is going to get killed pretty quickly if you're prone to letting him get stabbed, hacked or chainsawed! SO GET MOVING, DON'T STAND STILL - RUN TO THE LIGHT! SHINE THE TORCH IN THAT B*ST*RDS FACE!
So in short, Alan Wake (a writer) falls into a nightmare manipulated by his own writing - so why would he write up such a sh*tstorm to get himself killed?! - He doesn't remember writing them, he's finding the pages to find the answers. His wife is missing, she's in great danger - aww cue the Enrique Iglesias song singing 'I can be your hero baby' and slow mo Alan in his running. It's not just that either, a powerful evil ugly hag is spinning up cruel intentions too. She scared me a few times in the game - aaaaaaaargh! Wish there was a reaction button at the bottom or something 'press A to punch her in the face and get her to leave you alone!' Then we've also got lots of posessed lumberjacks and chav's chasing you with blades, axes, chainsaws, throwing things at you - Mother nature's dangerous hurricanes coming after you, possessed ploughing tractors, massive pieces of concrete construction pieces or steel works of a bridge flung into your direction! God the mix-ups! RUN RUN RUN!
The nice touch of the game is it's play on the atmosphere, contrast of the light and dark, safety with danger. Probably the first time I'd made effort to read up on extracts featured in a game - reading on the missing pages that I found along the way and actually wondering about the feelings and what other characters of the game were up to. In a way, those pages not only gave you clues to excite you in what was going to happen but also the insights of other people, just like reading an actual novel you're building the world of Alan Wake in your head in small ways too.
You know what, I'm just going to be abrupt, get the game if you want to soak into something a little different a'ight!
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