May 2010′s Game Releases!

Alan Wake!

eGamer’s MA Title for May 2010

Name: Alan Wake
Platforms: Xbox360 Exclusive
Genre: Action
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Worldwide Release Date: 14-18 May 2010
Local (SA) Release Date: 14-18 May 2010 (expected)
Prices (approximately)
360 – R623-699

Summary

This month’s most anticipated title is psychological action thriller, Alan Wake, the game Xbox360 owners have been anticipating for a really long time. Players will be put into the shoes of Alan Wake, a best selling writer who has been suffering from writer’s block for two years, who is taken to the small town of Bright Falls by his wife, Alice. Soon after he arrives, his wife vanishes seemingly into thin air, and Alan Wake finds himself trapped in a real life nightmare, as before his very eyes, word by word, his latest work, a thriller he can’t even remember writing, his coming true. Alan Wake must fight the darkness that has been unleashed on Bright Falls and find his wife, Alice, before he meets his end. His only ally is the light – and the pages of his own book that he finds, which serve to taunt Wake with what is going to happen next.

Key Features:

• Intense psychological thriller. “Alan Wake” delivers a deeply psychological and finely crafted plot that raises the bar for storytelling in video games. The riveting story of “Alan Wake” is propelled by a movie-like atmosphere, compelling situations, memorable characters and real-time pacing. Remedy has a record of creating and developing games with unique cinematic presentation and exceptionally high production values. The developer has harnessed next-generation gaming technology to tell a powerful story that immerses the gamer in the intense emotion and suspense of Alan Wake’s thrilling adventure.
• Massive, open world to explore. The free-roaming elements and massive open world allow gamers to investigate the mysteries of Bright Falls and encourage them to explore and pay close attention to detail.
• Light as a combat element. As the story progresses, nights grow longer and days grow shorter. This poses a severe problem for Alan Wake since his enemies seemingly gain strength from the shadows, and before long light itself becomes his greatest ally. Players must skillfully combine their use of light with more conventional weapons to stand a chance against these creatures of darkness.
• Realistic, interactive environment. Set in the town of Bright Falls, the hyper-detailed environments of the Pacific Northwest play an important role; even the change in daylight and weather will profoundly affect the characters and enemies in “Alan Wake.” The game’s advanced rendering engine provides amazingly realistic environments that bring this world to detailed life — from the lush forest of evergreen trees to the quaint small-town buildings and streets. The world of “Alan Wake” is alive and real.
• Episodic narrative. The mission-based structure of “Alan Wake” creates an episodic narrative similar to a deeply structured dramatic television series. As the episodes progress, gameplay will evolve to introduce new elements and characters, escalating the level of threat and action in the game.

You can read our preview of the game here.

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That wraps up this month’s game releases! We hope you enjoyed the improved monthly game releases article. All that’s left is for you to vote on what your most anticipated game for the month is – so get voting down below! Just a quick note, we’re aware the Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Wii appears to be releasing on the 23rd of May, but at the moment we don’t have a confirmed South African release date, so we did not include it in this month’s list. Since the European release date is set for the 11th of June, we can expect South Africa to also get it around that time, but we’re awaiting confirmation.