The Wasted Potential of Alan Wake

Channel:

Indigo Gaming

Subscribers:

196,000

Published on January 17, 2024 7:03:22 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBhtqtIKhPg

Game:

Alan Wake (2010)

Category:

Review

Duration: 23:54

12,647 views

957

As Remedy's follow-up to Max Payne, Alan Wake's intriguing premise and impressive technology toiled in eight years of development hell. The team downscaled the scale, discarded the open-world gameplay, survival horror aspects, and the ability to explore Bright Falls during the day. Ultimately, these compromises saved the game from cancellation, but evolved this "interactive Twin Peaks" into a less ambitious, linear 3rd-person shooter.

Now that Alan Wake II won at The Game Awards, and Alan himself visited anything from Dead by Daylight and Fortnite, I'll be sharing my own thoughts on how the game wasted its massive potential. Included are references to other works for some perspective, like Silent Hill 2, In the Mouth of Madness, Deadly Premonition, and even Midnight Mass. I hope you find my break-up letter to a series and developer I've known and loved for years, enjoyable, or at least compelling.

0:00 - Intro
0:58 - Early Trailers
4:42 - E3 2007
8:22 - Alan's Writing Powers
12:20 - Open-World Gameplay
15:51 - What We Got On Launch
19:58 - Quantum Break, Control, Alan Wake II

—

MUSIC CREDITS

THE EVIL WITHIN 2 Soundtrack by Masatoshi Yanagi

SILENT HILL 2 Soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka

DEADLY PREMONITION Soundtrack by Riyou Kinugasa & Hiromi Mizutani

ALAN WAKE’S AMERICAN NIGHTMARE Soundtrack by Petri Alanko

Music licensed through EPIDEMIC SOUND:
'Dissolve Decay Love' by Ave Air
'Loss and Love' by Amaranth Cove
'To Dark' by Mochas
'Mysteries of the Forest' by Calm Shores
'Arriving in Rain' by Kikoru
'A New Light' by Ave Air

—

SOURCES

“Alan Wake’s Narrative Deserves Better Than Its Gameplay”
https://medium.com/@dyllongraham/alan-wakes-narrative-deserves-better-than-its-gameplay-mild-spoilers-365a339d1c20

War Stories: Alan Wake’s transformation emerged from a two-month “sauna”
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/05/war-stories-alan-wakes-transformation-emerged-from-a-two-month-sauna/

Sam Lake / Quantum Break
https://www.vice.com/en/article/mvxdqa/quantum-break-looks-like-the-superhero-gaming-surprise-of-2016-449

Unseen64 beta version insight
https://www.unseen64.net/2011/04/06/alan-wake-beta-analysis/

IGN’s account of X06 demo:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/29/x06-alan-wake-eyes-on

Insightful forum post about Alan Wake’s flaws
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16849705230A14963200&page=0#comment-18

Alan Wake 2 sales
https://www.xfire.com/alan-wake-2-failing-sales-despite-goty-nod/

Control Wiki
https://control.fandom.com/wiki/Control_Wiki

—

FOOTAGE

High resolution screenshots from early development:
https://vandal.elespanol.com/loquepudoser/alan-wake-dejando-un-mundo-atras

Alan Wake Remastered 100% Cinematic Walkthrough by patologTV
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL61FH1Fo4C7GsJrYqJ29Dmdndq3qi3zER

How Alan Wake Was Rebuilt 3 Years Into Development | War Stories | Ars Technica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoHkGDu0_Hw

Remedy's Sam Lake addresses Alan Wake fans | Game Informer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5CRjoQKyY8

Alan Wake 2 footage by WoW Quests
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MviXzxlURs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DypxhNbSDOw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w9_nqdsdEg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rLcFFkVSZw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZH-_XXmh68

Max Payne gameplay by MK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqhwuGxCDPM

The Evil Within 2 gameplay by Gaming Harry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYycGATQwo4

Silent Hill 2 gameplay by Loopy Longplays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGvY6JO23r4

Alone in the Dark (2008) gameplay by ShadowRoger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orv-W-51dKs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YzHiNpCAII

Control gameplay by patalogTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_BjIruiX1w&list=PL61FH1Fo4C7FrCeKHLTrxH7chTF7ZbCu7&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qlWsy3uYj0&list=PL61FH1Fo4C7FrCeKHLTrxH7chTF7ZbCu7&index=3

Gears of War gameplay by Robert Mannion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvMvrzVrH3w

Quantum Break gameplay by LetUsC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X40fBkDLHU

#AlanWake #TwinPeaks #RemedyEntertainment

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