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Alan Wake

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Alan Wake
File:Alan-wake-0.jpg
current logo for Alan Wake
Developer(s)Remedy Entertainment
Publisher(s)Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)Petri Järvilehto (lead designer)
Writer(s)Sam Lake (lead writer)
Composer(s)Petri Alanko[3]
EngineIn-house engine, Havok Physics
Platform(s)Xbox 360
ReleaseApril 13, 2010[1][2]
Genre(s)Psychological thriller, action
Mode(s)Single-player

Alan Wake is an upcoming video game being developed by Remedy Entertainment, the Finnish company behind the Max Payne games. Alan Wake is a "psychological action thriller" inspired by Twin Peaks, Lost and also the works of Stephen King. It is due for release on Xbox 360 in May 2010.[4] Remedy Entertainment has revealed that the Alan Wake project is now an Xbox 360 exclusive - as the PC version has been shelved indefinitely.[5] The titular character, Alan Wake, is modeled after Ilkka Villi, a Finnish professional actor and writer.[6][7]

Plot

Alan Wake, a bestselling writer, hasn't managed to write anything in over two years. Now his wife, Alice, brings him to the idyllic small town of Bright Falls to recover his creative flow. But when she vanishes without a trace, Wake finds himself trapped in a nightmare. Word by word, his latest work, a thriller he can't even remember writing, is coming true before his eyes.

Gameplay

The story will play out in an episodic format, with a television show-style presentation. Remedy has confirmed that Alan Wake is only the first season of a bigger story, opening the door for future sequels.[8]

Light plays a significant role in gameplay and strategy. The enemies, called dark forces in-game, are sensitive to light, encouraging the player to take advantage of environment light sources and placing significant emphasis on the flashlight as a primary weapon. Players also have the ability to set traps which illuminate when triggered, either damaging or temporarily immobilizing an enemy.

Remedy also promised a free-roam, sandbox-style city, similar to those seen in the Grand Theft Auto series. However, in an interview with Finnish magazine Pelaaja and British magazine Edge, this feature is stated to have been removed, with Remedy opting to focus on a compelling storyline over sandbox-style gameplay. Sam Lake from Remedy said, "That being said, this path that the player is on is quite wide at times and all through the game there is a lot for the player to explore, but it's not a free-roaming sandbox" [9][10]

Alan Wake features a day/night time cycle, which is controlled by Remedy to create suspense and drama at any given time. During the day, players may interact with other NPCs to find out more about the town of Bright Falls.[11]

Soundtrack

The score of the game will be composed by Petri Alanko. The soundtrack will feature the song "War" by Poets of the Fall from the band's upcoming fourth studio album. Sam Lake said that the song "...is a prominent part of the Alan Wake soundtrack and the theme also links strongly to the game’s storyline." [12] The band also wrote the ending theme to Remedy's previous game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne called Late Goodbye, which is based on a poem written by Lake. War however, was not written specifically for the game.

Development

Alan Wake was announced at E3 2005. Microsoft partnered with Remedy to release the game for the Xbox 360 and as a DirectX 10-only title for Windows Vista.

A cinematic trailer for the game was shown on October 15, 2008, just before the Max Payne film premiere.

On June 1, 2009, at Microsoft's E3 press conference, Sam Lake presented a new Alan Wake trailer and gameplay movie.

By-mid 2009, plans for a Windows version were put on hold. Remedy stated that they wanted to focus on the Xbox 360 version, though they were not permanently shelving the Windows version. They announced that all plans for a future Windows version lay now in the hands of the publisher, Microsoft.

On August 17, 2009, Matias Myllyrinne, managing director at Remedy, claimed that Alan Wake is 'done', and is undergoing final polishing.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Alan Wake Coming The May". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-11-13. {{cite web}}: Text "publisher" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Alan Wake - Game Detail Page". Xbox.com. Retrieved 2009-05-06. {{cite web}}: Text "publisher" ignored (help)
  3. ^ http://forum.alanwake.com/showthread.php?t=1216
  4. ^ "Official site". Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Remedy: 'Alan Wake is Xbox 360 exclusive'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-07-15. {{cite web}}: Text "publisher" ignored (help)
  6. ^ Template:Fi icon Remedy ja Alan Wake - sensuroimaton tarina
  7. ^ IMDB profile - Ilkka Villi
  8. ^ Remedy: Alan Wake is only the first season
  9. ^ Alan Wake No Longer Open World
  10. ^ Alan Wake No Longer a Sandbox
  11. ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/16/interview-remedys-oskari-hakkinen-on-alan-wake/
  12. ^ http://www.poetsofthefall.com/news/14060_poets_of_the_fall_in_alan_wake/
  13. ^ Joystiq - Reassuring: Alan Wake is 'done,' being polished
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