alan wake remastered
more than a couple of times in my life, I've been part of a conversation where I said, "alan wake just isn't really very good, is it?" and someone within earshot, whether physically or digitally, has become loudly incensed that I would even entertain this idea, much less present any evidence to support it. people go absolutely feral for alan wake.
it took me 5 tries over more than 10 years to even get halfway through it, and I don't know that I gained an enormous amount in the effort. alan wake is a relic of a very specific snapshot of ps3/360 era design: when games were having a moment, were emerging as the "bigger than film" industry. alan wake clearly wants to BE something, and its troubled development shows that remedy clearly wanted to do something different - to be something other than a third person shooter with a grim, sullen protagonist.
unfortunately, that's more or less what we get. all the things that make alan wake feel special are few and far between. his ridiculous self-narrations aren't nearly as frequent or as outlandish as they could be. the late-game reveal of a King-esque love of the limelight and addictive substances is felt almost nowhere except in dream sequences. the characters that surround wake himself are entertaining for being louder and more interesting than he is. the best lines in the game are the ridiculous tourism promotions from monstrous figures of darkness that emerge - right behind you! - from out of the 7th dark forest path you've had to trundle over.
I am glad remedy's getting another chance to try this knucklehead and his weird world of writing out, because this game simply doesn't deliver the goods - mechanically or narratively - that its defenders want it to. it's not a story; it's a rough draft.