If I've learned one thing from following loooooooooooooong development cycles of games, it's that they usually end badly. However, Alan Wake proves that a long and winding road does not spell doom for a game.
Alan Wake is psychological thriller/action game in which strange events befall Alan Wake (a writer) during his vacation in a town called Bright Falls. The story of the game has a very Twilight Zone feel, which is made even more interesting by good voice acting and a memorable cast. The game is broken into day and night segments (the day being mostly story driven while the night is action based). The nighttime combat segments do a really great job of creating a constant tension through the superb use of lighting. The darkness creates a constant state of fear and alertness while the light makes you feel safe in a way that few other games accomplish (making lights that flicker out before you reach them the worst shit that can happen ever).
Atmospherically and story wise, the game is great. But Alan Wake is plagued by many nagging problems that keep from being an A+ game. The combat becomes a chore halfway through the game and just obnoxious by the end of game, which doesn't bode well for a combat system that is mediocre at best. The game also took me about 7 hours to beat, which makes for a really short game in which the story mode is all there is.
Alan Wake is not a bad game, but it's flaws in essential parts of the game and it's short length make it impossible for me to justify a full purchase. However, there is a lot of fun to be had in Alan Wake and is definitely worth a rental.
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