Non-RPG General News - Alan Wake Remastered Review

[Redglyph]

Alan Wake Remastered is reviewed by Trusted Reviews. The game is released tomorrow October 5th.

Alan Wake Remastered Review

Introduction

Alan Wake Remastered is an updated version of the classic survival from Remedy, the developer behind classic series including Max Payne and Control.

At its heart it's a story-driven thriller that sees you take the role of best selling author Alan Wake as he attempts to find his missing wife in the mysterious town of Bright Falls.

The Remastered version is being pitched as the "ultimate" way to experience the game, which originally launched in 2010, featureing updated 4K graphics plus a number of other visual upgrades.

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Should you buy it?

You should buy Alan Wake Remastered if: You're a horror fan that hasn't played the original. Alan Wake's story remains one of the best seen in a horror game, offering a Stephen King-like narrative that will leave you guessing until the very end.

You shouldn't buy Alan Wake Remastered if: You want a modern, combat-focussed horror game. Alan Wake's combat feels undeniably dated at times, especially compared to games like Resident Evil Village or Evil Within 2. Returning fans shouldn't expect any new content or tweaked gameplay.

Final Thoughts

Alan Wake Remastered does a decent job of updating Remedy's classic survival horror to look like a current generation game. The only minor quibble I have is that, given its focus on light vs dark, Ray Tracing is an odd omission. This, plus its stellar writing, which has aged surprisingly well make it a great game for any player yet to experience Alan Wake.

More information.

 

[JDR13]

That was fast. Wasn't this just announced a few weeks ago?

 

[danutz_plusplus]

From the little I've seen of this remaster this seems more of an improvement if you only played the initial Xbox360 version. Compared to what it looked like on a high-end pc running the game, there isn't much of an improvement. Unless I missed something. Still, it's currently only on Epic anyway.

 

[JDR13]

That's the impression I have as well. Here's another review I've seen.

https://www.pcgamer.com/alan-wake-remastered-impressions/

I can't see paying $30 for this if you've already played the original.

 

[Carnifex]

Ahh, and no new content? Seriously, what's even the point if you're not going to add something new? Even just another hour or three would likely have every original player lining up to spend more time in the world. I guess you might lure a few new eyes, yet if you're going to ignore the original audience, that just seems rather limiting to me.

At least I can save my duckets, the original is fine for me, sounds like I can completely skip this pale offering.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

The way I see it it's purely for console players. Alan Wake initially only released on Xbox360 and much later on PC. So this remaster is mainly for Xbox players and PS players. PC is not really worth it. Maybe if you really want it on the Epic Game Store.

 

[JDR13]

That, and the fact that it's only on Epic hurts it even more for PC gamers. I also think there should have been some kind of discount for people who purchased the original version.

Give us remasters of Max Payne 1 & 2. I'd be all over that.

 

[ChaosTheory]

This game was instrumental in my decision to move to Washington state. I've been to a lot of the sites that inspired Alan Wake's settings.

That being said, other than the setting, the game was 'okay'.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

That, and the fact that it's only on Epic hurts it even more for PC gamers. I also think there should have been some kind of discount for people who purchased the original version.

Yeah, would've been nice. Right now I'm just happy to hear Remedy all but basically confirmed they're gonna do Alan Wake 2. At least that's the messaging I got. Though I wonder if that's what they're working on now, or if they're gonna capitalize on the positive media they got with Control, and just to a sequel for that.

They have at least one big project in development with Epic funding them, and them getting to keep the IP. But that likely means, whatever it is, that it will never show up on Steam. I imagine anyway. Though, if I think about it, considering their contract is for Epic to first recoup their investment and then split profits 50/50 with Remedy, you'd think they wouldn't be stupid and risk only putting that on EGS. But they'll at least probably try that, at first, and see how it sells.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

Give us remasters of Max Payne 1 & 2. I'd be all over that.

Unfortunately Max Payne is now Rockstar's/Take-Two's IP. And they've seemingly decided to sleep on it. And rumour has it they're remastering the first 3 3D GTA games.

That being said, other than the setting, the game was 'okay'.

Just the setting? I also liked the story, a lot. Though I can't remember most of it. I remember really enjoying it. Getting lost in the dream-like story thread. The only downside was the voice actor that did Alan Wake was no-where near as good as the dude that did Max Payne. Absolutely not even close. But, it was ok, I guess. I can't imagine them changing him now.

 

[JDR13]

Unfortunately Max Payne is now Rockstar's/Take-Two's IP.

D'oh! I completely forgot about that. Yeah, that sucks big time. We'll never get anything similar to the first 2 games from Take-Two.

I wish I was more into Remedy's other IPs, but none of them ever really grabbed me. I do plan on giving Control another try though.

 

[Redglyph]

Ahh, and no new content? Seriously, what's even the point if you're not going to add something new? Even just another hour or three would likely have every original player lining up to spend more time in the world. I guess you might lure a few new eyes, yet if you're going to ignore the original audience, that just seems rather limiting to me.

At least I can save my duckets, the original is fine for me, sounds like I can completely skip this pale offering.

Easy money maybe

It's really aimed at new audience, or maybe fans who bought a 4K monitor. It seems easier for many publishers to take an old and successful formula rather than risking a new game. It's even easier when there is no new content.

People seem happy with the GOG version though, so it's a strange choice.

 

[Carnifex]

Indeed. I'm quite happy with the version I currently own, and see this as a huge missed opportunity for those doing the work. As for a four k monitor, well, that's too rich for my blood, the twenty-seven incher I have now works fine, should it ever die I'll likely get one similar. Maybe it's easy money, yet to me it seems word of mouth will simply dissolve any impetus to buy this newer version. Someone really didn't think this through at all, or was excessively lazy about the entire process.

 

[mercy]

I'll only play this game if they redo it and give a new title:
"Alan Wake torn apart 12 times by vicious aliens and you can hear him scream!"