Alan Wake has been in development a long time and it's clear that Remedy wanted it to be something a little special. And that it is!
Alan Wake is very definitely story driven and although the game has many strong elements, it's the story AND the way it's told that make Alan Wake not just a very good game but propels it into the next tier of truly great games. Not only was it fun to play, but I found the story so engrossing, that just like a good book, I found it difficult to put the game down because I just had to know what was going to happen next.
Thankfully, the level of care and detail extends also to the graphics. You'll spend a lot of time in the forest at night, but no matter, the forest is gorgeously rendered. The mist that rolls in to announce the imminent arrival of the bad guys is very convincingly done. During the day, you can climb lookouts and look across beautiful forest vistas. Lakes and rivers sparkle in the sunlight, birds soar high in the sky. So stunning were the graphics at times, that I sometimes stopped playing the game and just admired the view.
The game is no slouch in the audio department with all the requisite creepy sounds you might expect to hear in a deep, dark forest that is home to creatures of the night. The soundtrack has also received much praise in the gaming media.
Alan Wake is the reason I play games. It's a technical showcase combined with compelling gameplay and an engrossing story that Stephen King himself, could have written. Remedy have done themselves proud with a game that stands amongst the best available on the 360.