written by owen, published 2025-Dec-06, comment
After finishing up Thief I popped in Alan Wake thinking that it was a quick old game but the title screen said 2010. First impression the game feels very scripted. Like a simpler version of uncharted. Lots of single use, scripted set pieces and audio narration telling you to move on and stop wasting time looking for stuff in the corners. I feel like I might not be finishing this game. Hopefully it opens up at some point before I get bored with the whole thing.
I am not sure if this is a game or a tv show. Alan wake likes to narrate to himself - alot. He narrates for things that seem obvious, "show dont tell" is what they always say. The narration and voice acting - very excellent - makes be want to avoid doing what I am told but in most cases so far the space is empty with nothing else to do but that which is laid out before you. So I guess you are stuck in a tv show, not much I can do but play along. Definitely a one time play through or a watch on youtube kinda game.
So far the shooting feels good except I keep running out of ammo and I can only carry so much. This is definitely going to be a problem as the game gets tougher. Not every game that is highly rated on the internet is actually good. Sometimes it is just hype and fanboy-ism. But I will play it a bit more before I give up.
Conclusion
Its a good game. 7/10. I will certainly never play it again. There are some sections of the late game that are insufferable to play through. Also other sections where you ask yourself "wtf just wait until daytime!". Silent hill with guns in a forest. There are collectables you can search for in the levels.
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written by owen, published 2025-Nov-24, comment
This being my first Mass effect game I may be coming in to the franchise very late but this story feels like the Halo live action - you go somewhere to get something because of something else. As per usual I am playing on casual/easy mode because I do not see much use in making choices after every convo. Tell me a story and leave me alone. I also turned on auto upgrades once I saw the layout of the skill tree. It is nice to have these options in a video game; It stream lines the experience and removes pointless menu clicking that I experienced in Dead Island.
Lots of talking and story building in this game. The mechanics are simple except for throwing grenades/power but they do not matter much just shoot the baddies. I am on the ship now, we will see where this goes.
For this session I spent some time walking around the ship talking to the NPCs that I could find. Eventually I had to leave the galaxy to get the story going again. The ship is not as fleshed out. It has alot of rooms but the rooms are empty. DeusExHR has more feel to its rooms.
Whenever I go back to a central hub or my ship I literally have to run around the place talking to everyone. So much talking in this game and very little shooting. At least it lets me keep track of the story but I have not found the ability to love anyone yet. Aint no love in this game, only war.
I am getting to visit more interesting planets. Some are only for a little shooting but I do find it fun to do all these side quests.
Conclusion
Space opera with a few shoot-e bits. 6/10. You spend alot of time watching other people talk. I am not sure if I am enjoying it or just patiently waiting for it to end. The little planets your visit are fun and interesting, some more than others.
Strategy
Play on casual and turn off dialog choices. I spend alot of time running around the Citadel talking to everyone just to complete some conversations. Most of it is pointless but some areas are interesting to interact with. Basically after every vision I talk to everyone on the ship to check if they have any new quests - same thing with the citadel. Its annoying but its my base strat.
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