Thursday 16 February 2012

Get In There: Alan Wake - now available for PC via Steam...



Remedy Games' "psychological action thriller" Alan Wake - which was released for the Xbox360 in 2010 - is now available to play on the PC via Steam download. I absolutely adored this game on the 360, so for the PC gaming crowd out there, I'd highly recommend you check out this excellent slice of atmospheric action. Typically for Remedy (a relatively small outfit in Finland who previously brought us Max Payne) there is a strong focus on storytelling - with key inspirations being Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone, and The X-Files. There are a couple of rough edges here and there, but it's the sort of game that I get really wrapped up in and become quite obsessive about, seeking out as much background information as I can. Back in 2010 I bought the Collector's Edition (replete with soundtrack sampler, book, and making of documentaries) and then also picked up the spiffing soundtrack album by Petri Alanko.

Annoyingly, the release of Alan Wake (after a lengthy production) coincided with that of Rockstar's superb western sandboxer Red Dead Redemption, so it kind of suffered as a result and become somewhat of a buried cult gem - however now that it's released for the PC, hopefully it will gain the wider audience that it always deserved. What's more the PC edition includes the two DLC packs released on the 360 - and for the 360 fans there's an entirely new DLC pack coming titled Alan Wake's American Nightmare (which looks great, if you ask me). Remedy Games are the sort of developer that really invest their heart and soul into their projects - they're auteurs of the videogame world - and I wish them the very best of luck with Alan Wake's continued adventures.

UPDATE: There's also a retail boxed version of the game, for those who prefer physical media, coming in early March thanks to Nordic Games.

UPDATE II: Alan Wake's American Nightmare is out for Xbox Live Arcade, and it's been getting good reviews.

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