Alan Wake – Review

I have been waiting a long time for a game that could give the type of psychology scares that the original Silent Hill was able to deliver on the PSX. I was hoping that Alan Wake would deliver. In the end, not really.

The story itself is entertaining for sure. Alan Wake is a cool character and I thought that they portrayed his relationship with his wife, Alice, very well. Even the conflict between them. The game tends to have repetitive backgrounds and scenery. You’ll run by what seems to be the same thicket of trees a few dozen times. Combat is fun and engaging, but once it grow accustomed to the mechanics it also becomes repetitive while remaining fun. Other characters were interesting, especially the two old guys. Their farm house was the best.

Nowhere in the game did I feel the sense of dread, the need for survival. It definitely has some bits that made you look behind you, especially when playing it in the dark. But nothing too creepy. The final boss, if you can even call it that, was incredibly easy and the ending was not very satisfying. It could be interpreted in many different ways with no clear answer. It comes off as a typical set up for a sequel. As the games is played through “seasons” this makes sense.

I recommend the game. Although it gets repetitive at times the plot, gameplay, and mood are satisfying. Playing through Alan Wake was a great experience to say the least.

Alan Wake, It’s Good

Alan Wake!

I picked up my copy of Alan Wake yesterday and could not wait to get home to play it. I have been waiting for this game for what… four years now? After finishing up some work for my classes I popped in the disc and started the game.

Right away I was impressed with how the story progresses. It just starts right out. No real explanation yet, just GO! The story after playing for an hour last night has been enjoyable. I see the combat becoming a bit repetitive after awhile, point with flashlight, break darkness, shoot, next. I think the plot and scenery will make up for it though. I have been waiting for a game that could get as spooky as Silent Hill (the first one) and have yet to find one. This could be it.

I have to say that this is the best looking game I’ve seen on the 360 yet. The lighting, the ambiance, the sounds all come together for an eerie environment. I am looking forward to finishing this. I’ll post up my final review when I am finished with the game.

Obama slams video games, iPads, and… bloggers?

In a recent speech Obama says that video games hinder education and are a waste of time. While I agree that they are a distraction, that is the point of them. Just like cable TV and movies, even fiction books. The funny thing about this whole thing that greatly reduces the credibility of what he says is that he admits that he does not really know anything about them. How can someone possibly say something is bad when they don’t know the first thing about it? That just does not make any sense.

Halo Reach Beta

Last night I was sitting in my chair in front of my TV chowing down on Doritos, drinking iced tea, and playing Halo 3 while I waited for 12AM to roll around with a friend. Mid-Social Slayer match midnight struck and I quit the game taking the penalty. I reloaded the ODST multiplayer disc – no update. Then I thought maybe the option to play the Reach Beta would be on the main ODST disc (the Interwebz confirmed this) so I popped that disc in. Nothing – oh WAIT! a video – not the beta… Hmmm… After doing some searching I could not find anything to help me get into the beta a midnight. Another friend sent me a message saying it was 12AM PST. WTF? 4AM here on the east coast? That is not how Bungie did the Halo 3 MP beta. Saddened and disappointed I went to bed.

I just don’t understand why Bungie did not just push the update to ODST out at 12AM across the nation. Ah well, I’ll just have to wait until tonight. It’s unfortunately that they did not provide more details regarding the beta launch… /rant

Halo Reach – Bungie Beta Review Video

I really like what they are going to do with the beta here. After going through the Halo 3 MP Beta I did see some changes made to adjust for complaints in the final game, but not all. According to what they are saying here they are releasing this beta to fine tune the game rather than keep the fanbase at bay. Here is the video.

Xbox 360 Games – E3 2010 – Halo: Reach

Fable 3

I’ve read over at G4 that there have been many changes to Fable 3 as of late. Improved graphics, story tweaking, etc. Unfortunately I don’t have too much more to go on other than this screen shot and the rumors of Natal support.

Halo 3 Reach Multiplayer Beta

Every time I hear more news about this the more excited I get for it. I remember waiting for Bungie to fix an issue with the Halo 3 multiplayer beta download. Wound up starting to game at 1AM until 4AM that night. Everything about that beta was great. New weapons and accessories, armor, controls, etc. I’m hoping that the Halo: Reach Beta will be similar in those aspects. It’s the only reason I have been holding onto my copy of Halo: ODST. Word on people playing preview versions of it is that it is spectacular. Can’t wait! I probably shouldn’t have bought Nier… I’ll never get to it.

May 3rd! Be ready everyone!

Gears of War 3 – Multiplayer Update!

Gears of War 3 will feature a 4 player co-op for the campaign mode! That is really good news! Hopefully they’ll scale the difficulty accordingly so players can’t just run through the whole campaign in an hour or two. Also I see that there will also be:


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