Alan Wake is Officially Overrated

It was brought to my attention that Time Magazine gave Alan Wake it's Game of the Year award. The first thought I had on my mind was "wow Microsoft must have paid someone off." I read the article by Eric Narcisse, and I have to say Alan Wake is overrated.

Of all the games released in 2010 I don't think of Alan Wake as being a standout. It might stand out for taking five years to be developed, but that gets out shined by Gran Turismo 5. During Alan Wake's five years in devlopment many gamers had forgotten about it. Gamers never forgot about Gran Turismo 5, and were actually looking forward to playing it. The only time I saw Alan Wake on anyones most anticipated list was when someone was trying to remind gamers it wasn't cancelled.

"Lots of video-game covers have a bold M on their lower left corner, but none have felt as mature as Alan Wake does."

What's so mature about running in the woods with a flashlight? I can think of one game that feels more mature than Alan Wake, Heavy Rain. The story centers around a search for a serial killer and the child he kidnapped. Heavy Rain is so mature it forces you to sit back and watch it like a movie. There's no moments of aimlessly running in the woods in Heavy Rain.

"Its unsettled titular character carries adult concerns — a stalled career, a troubled marriage — into a psychological thriller set in a town taken over by a shadowy occult force."

That sounds like a profile of Harry Mason, the main character from Silent Hill. It's clear Silent Hill had a huge influence on Alan Wake. The intro to Alan Wake is so similar to Silent Hill, I had trouble believing it wasn't a remake. Speaking of remakes that whole walking around with a flashlight thing was used a year earlier in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

I'm not saying Alan Wake doesn't deserve Time Magazine's Game of the Year award. It's just a bit strange that I read the article, and think of so many other games as I read. What makes Alan Wake so special if the only way I can describe it is overrated?

Check out the Time Magazine article here. Alan Wake - The Top 10 Everything of 2010

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Jay Henningsen

December 15, 2010

It's cool that you think Alan Wake is overrated, but I have to disagree with:

Gamers never forgot about Gran Turismo 5, and were actually looking forward to playing it.

I never cared one iota about Gran Turismo 5, nor did this game have any effect on how I felt about Alan Wake. I also don't understand why being anticipated should have any bearing on the merits of a game. Shouldn't the actual gameplay and whether or not you enjoy it matter more towards the overall quality of a game than how much you anticipated it?

You're disagreeing with the Time magazine article but you're not really telling us why you think Alan Wake was overrated.

Errol James

December 19, 2010

I think the hype behind Uncharted 3 is playing a role in the games upcoming success. It defintely will help it's midnight launches and first month sales. I know I'm going to play it regardless what reviews have to say.

I was mostly trying to make the point that the Alan Wake's 5 year development was the biggest thing about the game in my opinion. I brought Gran Turismo 5 in the conversation because it also took 5 years, and was a bigger game as far as sales and metacritic scores are concerned.

December 20, 2010

If you say that Gran Turismo 5 was rated higher than Alan Wake on Metacritic, you're actually disproving the title of your article.

I think what you're trying to say is that Alan Wake was over-hyped and didn't live up to expectations. Saying that it is "overrated" implies that it didn't deserve the high ratings it received after it was released (which you've not provided any evidence for.)

Also, for the record, sales and metacritic scores don't matter to me when I'm judging the relative quality of a game.

Ben Ingber

I couldn't finish Alan Wake. The story was shoddy, the acting wasn't up to much, and the mechanics were irritating. Shine the light, bang-bang-bang, repeat ad nauseam. Every 'scare' was signposted a mile off, it was completely devoid of tension. If all it takes to create a complex character is a troubled marriage and a stalled career, then... *sigh* I don't know. But really? You rehash Stephen King plots (an author who I very much like, but is hardly literary), and expect to be praised for your storytelling? No chance.

Had it not had such pretentions, I may have been indifferent, but as an experience, it was just so *smug*. For me, the most aggravating game of the year. Except for Ghostbusters, maybe.

WHAT THE HECK IS A BITMOB?