14 DAY TRIAL // Alan Wake is a bit of a shadowy game, and we don't just say that because it uses direct light as a main gameplay mechanic. The title has been in development for quite a few years now, and has gone through a lot delays. It promises a powerful and immersive experience and, while the gameplay is the one that has been paraded the most around conventions and in trailers, the story will be one of its biggest drives.
Microsoft is not known for publishing a lot of thrillers and survival horrors, but the company's Product Marketing Manager, Laura Disney, has assured us that there is more to the game than just a flashlight and a gun. "It's unique and gripping story – heavily influenced by pop culture classics – is brought to life using techniques reminiscent of modern movies and TV shows," she said while talking to CVG. "The goal of Alan Wake is [to] create an intense experience for the player, and though 'psychological thriller' might not be a genre we are used to applying to games, Alan Wake is definitely not something you've experienced before."
And this element of individuality is something that Microsoft seems to rely heavily upon. So heavily that the game has a rather extensive episodic planning for its future, with downlodable content as part of its future existence. And if that doesn't reflect the faith Microsoft has in both the title and its developer, the fact that it's talking about a sequel to it, while the original title hasn't even been launched yet, just goes to prove what big of an impression Remedy made with its two Max Payne games.
"As Robbie Bach announced at CES earlier this month, the episodic nature of Alan Wake will see DLC become available for [the] title later in the year. As for a sequel, we'll have to wait and see," Disney explains. But if there is an Alan Wake 2 somewhere in the future, let's hope we won't have to wait as long as we waited for the first one to see it.