Just had a one and a half hour long session of Alan Wake. I must say it has everything I expected from it. The storyline, the visuals, audio...just mind-blowing.
I just completed episode one 'The Nightmare' which takes place part in Alan Wake's dream and part in Bright falls. The graphics are breathtaking with the lightning effects, extensive motion blur and really high quality textures. Bright Falls has been rendered beautifully with the hills, lakes and the small town look. In my opinion, Alan Wake is the best looking game on Xbox 360.
Coming to gameplay, it's pretty straightforward but fun nonetheless. You have a flashlight and guns. Till now I've got a revolver and a shogun. You weaken the enemies with the flashlight and then shoot them. Apart from shooting, a lot of stuff like turning on power generators, switches, solving little puzzles is involved. I think there's driving too but I've not reached that point yet. The game is divided into episodes just like a TV show. At the end of an episode there's a licensed track. We see a recap of the previous episode before starting the new one. The game also plays in flashbacks and that's no surprise as the developers mentioned that the game is inspired from the TV show 'Lost'. Overall, the gameplay is fun.
Audio is very melodious and there are even licensed tracks in the game. Love the music. Also got myself a copy of the game's OST.
Now the story. We all had a feeling that the game would have a kick-ass story and so it does. It's like playing a horror movie. There is a great deal of suspense in the game and you'll have to finish it to get all the answers. The events are portrayed beautifully, the characters seem to be involved in the storyline and its really engaging. I won't say much as it might spoil the game for others.
Bottom line, the game kicks way too much ass to be missed. Xbox 360 fellas 'have to' play it. A lot of work has been put behind this title and you should buy it if you can. Kudos to Remedy!