Alan Wake Review

By Ellie Gibson Published 5 May, 2010

The big sleep.

Version tested: Xbox 360

"It's ready when it's ready." Developers must love being able to say that. It means they're so rich and successful they don't have to worry about trivialities like release dates. The publisher will wait patiently for them to hand over the finished product, and won't dare bang on about seasonal purchasing trends in the meantime.

It suggests they've risen above the situation of most developers, who, on being asked when their game is out, must either lie or reply, "It's ready when the publisher says it's ready / when it's cost so much money we can't afford to buy toilet paper for the office / when the movie's out, even if we haven't finished the final level and none of the cars have wheels."

Remedy Entertainment doesn't fall into that category. Extensive research suggests the studio never used the phrase "when it's ready" exactly, but all the same, it's been five years since Alan Wake was announced, and you can bet development began some time before then. Remedy even had the luxury of nine months just for polishing.

So has it been worth the wait, or should Alan Wake have stayed in bed?

Ask the titular character that question and you'll probably get an answer in the affirmative. Alan is a best-selling thriller author who suffers from writer's block. He decides to take a holiday in a bid to clear his head. And how does Alan choose to get away from it all, do you think? By spending a fortnight in Rio, drinking pina coladas by the pool? Or by visiting a tiny, rainy Pacific Northwest town inhabited by hilarious simpletons and frightening weirdoes, where the only available accommodation is an ancient log cabin in the middle of a haunted lake?

'Alan Wake' Screenshot 1

ASBO teen or geography teacher? With his hoodie, tweed jacket and leather elbow patch combo, Alan just loves to confuse.

Alan is accompanied on this jolly holiday by his wife, Alice. She sets the cause of female videogame characters back 10 years by being afraid of the dark and mewling like a kitten with a broken leg whenever the lights are off. Knowing this, Alan should probably have picked a nice hotel rather than a cabin powered by a generator in a shed at the end of the back garden. Needless to say, within about 12 minutes of arriving in the town of Bright Falls, Alice goes missing in mysterious circumstances and Alan embarks on a quest to find her.

Standing in his way is an army of zombie-like enemies known as the Taken. These are people who have been possessed by a dark force and turned into homicidal maniacs. Some have scythes, some throw axes, but all have a nasty habit of appearing out of nowhere and attempting to hack Alan to death.

The good news is they're repelled by light. Our hero takes advantage of this, using one hand to point his torch and stop them in their tracks while shooting with the other. Streetlamps create safe havens for Alan, pools of light which protect him from the Taken and instantly fill up his health meter. He can also ward off enemies using flares, flare guns and flash grenades.

The combat system works well. It requires you to multi-task and think tactically, particularly when facing several enemies at once. Often you find yourself flicking both torch and gun between multiple targets, trying to defend and shoot and back away all at the same time. Other times, and with increasing frequency as the game progresses, you'll decide it's easier just to chuck a flare and leg it. Not so much running and gunning, then, more running and running some more.

Legging it is an especially useful option when you're running low on ammo and torch batteries. That doesn't happen too frequently though, as plentiful supplies of both are littered throughout. The citizens of Bright Falls also like to leave loads of weapons and torches for you, which is handy as Alan isn't very good at hanging on to equipment from one level to the next.

You'll also come across collectable thermos flasks everywhere. These are a bright, shiny blue and don't do much for the game's attempts to create an atmosphere of brooding intrigue. Never mind the mystery of Alan's missing wife - who left all these thermoses lying around? Why is Alan supposed to collect them? And where does he put them all once he's picked them up?

Of course, this isn't the first videogame to feature implausibly abandoned equipment supplies, silly collectables and a main character with pockets more capacious than Mary Poppins' handbag. The problem is Alan Wake spends so much of its time pretending not to be a videogame that such niggles grate more than they otherwise might.

'Alan Wake' Screenshot 3

Here's Alan enjoying a journey on yet another rusty old cable car. What's wrong with the tube, Alan?

This game really wants to be a film, preferably one based on a Stephen King novel. This is apparent from the opening cut-scene, where a camera sweeps over gloomy pine forest. There's a melodramatic voiceover which begins, "Stephen King once wrote that nightmares exist outside of logic..." and ends, "My name is Alan Wake. I'm a writer." The influence of David Lynch is obvious too, in everything from the game's setting to the songs on the soundtrack.

Once again, this isn't the first videogame to take inspiration from movies. But there's a difference between paying homage and making subtle references versus the wholesale lifting of well-established clichés.

Take the cast of characters, for example. All your old favourites are here - faceless hitch-hiker, mysterious woman in black, earnest local sheriff, over-zealous FBI agent, creepy psychiatrist, nutty old lady who might just be the only person who knows what's really going on etc etc etc. There's even a wacky sidekick complete with loud Hawaiian shirt, brash city-boy mentality and limitless supply of wisecracks. He is as much fun as he sounds.

Alan himself is no fun at all. Physically he's a bit of a weed. He jumps like there are eight-year-old girls either side of him turning a rope, can't climb over anything more than waist-high and moves at an irritatingly slow pace. He can sprint, but only for a few seconds before he is reduced to a wheezing, shuffling mess. This is no good in the aforementioned legging-it situations and highly irritating when there's a pack of axe-wielding homicidal maniacs right behind you.

Personality-wise, Alan takes himself very seriously. He has one tone of voice and no sense of humour. He also suffers from some kind of narrative Tourette's, which forces him to comment on what's happening almost constantly. On seeing a flock of birds a short distance away Alan will remark, "Birds." You wonder if he goes through life like this, and walks down the street going, "Bus, tree, postman, Tesco Metro..."

When he's not busy telling you what's going on Alan likes to hammer home the pop culture references, just in case you didn't get them. At one point we see him backed up against a wall while an enemy hacks through a wooden door with an axe. "Like Nicholson in The Shining." Thanks Alan.

Exposition also takes place via the manuscript pages Alan finds littered about wherever he goes. To read them you have to press the back button to pause the game, which doesn't do much for the pacing. The pages describe what's been happening to Alan or, in many cases, hint at what's about to happen. The problem is this often ruins the dramatic tension. Having read a sentence about hearing the sudden roar of a chainsaw, it's neither surprising nor scary when a chainsaw-wielding enemy looms out of the darkness 60 seconds later.

'Alan Wake' Screenshot 4

Ellie's new favourite hobby: singing "Aaaalan, the hoodied man" to the tune of Clannad's Robin Hood theme. Try it.

That's not to say there are no chills and thrills in Alan Wake. Environments are suitably spooky and there are a fair few moments that make you jump. But as the game progresses the environments start to look awfully similar, and the scary bits become predictable. For example, it's a pretty safe bet you're about to encounter a huge horde of enemies when you find a large pile of batteries and an unlimited supply of revolver ammo, so there's no sense of shock or terror when you do.

A familiar pattern emerges within a few hours. Your mission is always to get from point A to point B, defeating enemies, picking up ammo, collecting manuscript pages and kick-starting generators along the way. Alan's lack of jumping and climbing skills means there's little in the way of exploration to be done and levels are generally linear. There is only a handful puzzles, and all of them are of the "find out how to get over there so you can make the red switch go green" variety.

There are a few of driving sections, but these are almost entirely dull and seem likely to be leftovers from the days when Alan Wake was going to be an open-world game. The cars handle fine but the engine noises are rubbish and many of the driving bits seem extraneous. At one point you're just driving down an open road, no enemies or other cars in sight, with nothing to do but cruise along and wonder why your truck is making a noise like a bear having a wank.

Despite all this, it's hard not to feel sorry for Alan Wake. (That is to say, Alan Wake the game - it's easy not to feel sorry for Alan Wake the character, with his melodramatic disposition, endless blathering and silly conviction that the best thing to do when your wife goes missing isn't to just call the police.) Remedy has worked hard to produce a polished game, one with impressive visuals and a new take on combat. On those fronts it's succeeded. Had Alan Wake been released three years ago, it would have been easy to recommend the game as a solid, polished action-adventure.

The genre has moved on since then. Games such as BioShock have shown how compelling and original storylines can be told in innovative ways. The likes of Uncharted 2 have offered up not just lush visuals but diverse locations and varied gameplay. With Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream broke the rules of game narrative and forced the player not only to think before pulling the trigger, but to feel.

'Alan Wake' Screenshot 6

If this was an internet dating profile picture, would you agree to meet this man for a drink?

By comparison, Alan Wake is tired and derivative. Everything about it feels dated, from the linear level design to the red-green switch nonsense to the visual stylings (surely not even J Allard has attempted the hoodie-with-jacket combo since 2005). There are plenty of fancy cut-scenes, dramatic voiceovers and cinematic camera angles, but even when Alan Wake does a good job of pretending to be a film you just feel like you're watching a really bad film. That's particularly true when it comes to the ending - without spoiling anything, let's just say you're left thinking, "You mean I kick-started all those generators for that?"

All the same, there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay, and don't mind a lot of repetition. Alan Wake is an accessible, undemanding game with a neat combat mechanic and decent visuals. It's just not a very original game, it's certainly not an exceptional one, and it's a shame it wasn't ready a few years ago.

7 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (702) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MaoZedong #1 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • TheKayle #2 2 years ago

    7/10 u crazy?!

  • lockload #3 2 years ago

    There is not review yet review emargo is tomorrow morning, this could just be a placeholder who knows..

  • the_dudefather #4 2 years ago

    As good as Alone in the Dark? Which I kinda liked :)

  • Celerion #5 2 years ago

    I've played Alan Wake the whole day long. I'm not a fan boy, but this game is good. Like 9.5 / 10 good! Are you serious about 7/10?! You gave fucking Deadly Premonition 7/10. Eurogamer is a joke magazine, don't let yourself fool by this review. Alan Wake is way better than 7/10

  • Syrette #6 2 years ago

    Shut up, SPAM. This is just one opinion of the game, don't go condemning Remedy because Ellie didn't think the world of it.

  • cozeny #7 2 years ago

    SubHD/10.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:00

  • lockload #8 2 years ago

    Dead or Alive: Paradise - psp
    Muscle March - wii
    Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll - wii
    Plants vs. Zombies - iphone
    Dante's Inferno - 360
    Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond - 360
    Critter Crunch - ps3
    Tony Hawk: RIDE
    We Sing - wii
    Buzz!: Quiz World - ps3
    Jambo! Safari - wii
    Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier - psp
    LittleBigPlanet - psp
    Take That Singstar - ps3

    Not sure if Ellie is the right person to review a game like alan wake from previous allocations?

    The more i think about this it must be a placeholder, ellie had reviewed 98% casual games..
    Edited by 2 at 04/05/10 @ 23:29

  • the_dudefather #9 2 years ago

    @lockload
    It's just a number, why not wait for the text?

  • BAM! #10 2 years ago

    Guess this game needed another half decade in the oven.

  • neilka #11 2 years ago

    As good as Just Dance then.

  • ecureuil #12 2 years ago

    Everyone knew xbox couldn't handle it. A proper console like ps3 would do it justice but they just had to take the m$ money didn't they?

  • Syrette #13 2 years ago

    Sony Attack Force

    ACTIVATE

  • the_dudefather #14 2 years ago

    The Nintendo occupational forces are away at the shops to buy DVD players in time for Mario Galaxy 2

  • Syrette #15 2 years ago

    @the_dudefather; no, they'll be getting their parents to do that.

  • Zappa #16 2 years ago

    muhaha

  • BabyJesus #17 2 years ago

    Damn EG and their XBOX bias, Oh wait..7/10

    SDF called off

    SAF called in!

    Go go go! I expect entertaing comments to read tomorrow don't let me down.

  • ecureuil #18 2 years ago

    What's Sir Alex Ferguson supposed to do?

  • Slimebeast #19 2 years ago

    Eurogamer you stupid monkeys let a casual gamer review one of the most important games this year.

  • fabry82 #20 2 years ago

    I don't wanna be harsh or anything, but this is a pretty unfair score. So this is either a mistake or the reviewer clearly was a bit tired or had a shitty day, when he/she played the game.
    I really hope this is a mistake, otherwise I don't know what to think about Eurogamer's reliability.
    no offence, but.. that score is an offence to us gamers.

  • RESIDENT_nEVILe #21 2 years ago

    As good as Alone in The Dark then?

  • Zappa #22 2 years ago

    lol at all the xbots saying EG is wrong when they have not even demoed alan wake.

  • EdirMG #23 2 years ago

    Isto é uma puta falta de sacanagem!!! Vou xingar no Twitter hoje muito, sério.

  • MangoBen #24 2 years ago

    Having been playing this the past few days all I can say is: 7/10? You're having a giraffe.
    Very interested to hear why Ellie's marked it down. The moment I saw the score I knew it must be an "Ellie review".

  • Demiath #25 2 years ago

    Thank God, I thought this game was going to be a must-have. One less purchase to worry about now, which my wallet certainly approves of. Let's hope Read Dead Redemption (that other big May release) is better, though...
    Edited by 3 at 05/05/10 @ 06:13

  • hahayou #26 2 years ago

    @eurogamer staff

    -> alanwake540p

    ...sooo, about that ignore button?

  • Xanafalgue #27 2 years ago

    This review is really bad. Who let this person review it?

  • beastmaster #28 2 years ago

    This is a very interesting and informative review. There's a bit of unnecessary padding but it told me what I needed to know. Shame it wasn't the cock-rocking 11/10 I was expecting (would it ever have been though?).

    Just because it's Ellie reviewing though and it doesn't match what your ideal score would be doesn't change certain facts that are highlighted in the review.

    I'm going back to bed now.

    Edit : By facts I mean things that seem to kill off the atmosphere and a few other things I can't be arsed to highlight as I'm fucking tired. I'll check back with other review scores later.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 06:20

  • Charlie_Miso #29 2 years ago

    Won't bother to read the review, comments will be far more entertaining.

    Go [platform of choice]!

  • Jlmadyson #30 2 years ago

    What a trash review. Drop this editor with her sly agenda.

  • Clive_Dunn #31 2 years ago

    Wow, 42 comments, lots of abuse for Ellie and not one lesbian comment. The world has gone mad. Not as mad as whatever the Sly agenda is though, Sly Stallone perhaps ? Or Sly and the Family Stone ? There's a riot goin' on in here for sure.

    Good review, well written.

  • headrush #32 2 years ago

    If my memory is right, Ellie also killed Dantes Inferno in her review, no? So I am gonna check myself if Alan Wake is any good...

  • mkreku #33 2 years ago

    Good review. It's a shame it isn't open world anymore! I had no idea it wasn't. Also, thermoses? Wtf?

    I was a bit sad that they dropped this for the PC. Not so sad now.

  • Beano #34 2 years ago

    7!?!?.. bummer!

    I had higher hopes for this game. Will read more reviews before deciding to buy or not. Hopefully EG's score is just a fluke.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:34

  • crazy_jb #35 2 years ago

    7/10 = Killzone 2 :D

    by the way. alan wake runs at 720p

  • JohnnyWashnGo #36 2 years ago

    Crikey - didn't see that one coming. Although judging by the screengrabs that have been floating around the net lately, I was aware of the drop in visual fidelity. I still expected it to hit 8 or 9.

  • siro #37 2 years ago

    I always thought this was going to disappoint, but it's actually decent at 7/10. Will probably get it at some point then.

  • toa_boa #38 2 years ago

    Ohh Ellie, just as good as Wet then?

  • tossetaz #39 2 years ago

    Well written review, too bad the game seem to be a bit flawed though 7/10 isn't a bad score. Looking forward to seeing how the metacritics turn out, not sure if I should turn in assassins creed 2 and bayonetta in for this.

  • thenastypasty #40 2 years ago

    Poor Ellie,she is going to get a kicking when the Internet wakes up(pun not intended).

    The review score make no difference to me the game looks right up my street.

  • flanker22 #41 2 years ago

    its sad cause shes just doing this to make a name for herself since shes been regulated to only shitty games...

  • Avaloner #42 2 years ago

    To me it sounds like another game damaged by high expectations. This is what you get when you have a console specific game being developed for so long. None of the flaws mentioned in the review are game breaking and actually 7/10 is not a horrible score. It just seems lackluster after such a long development time. I will definitely be getting this game, just not at full price.

  • flanker22 #43 2 years ago

    its sad cause shes just doing this to make a name for herself since shes been regulated to only shitty games...

  • byron_hinson #44 2 years ago

    @crazy_jb - No it was just upscaled to 720p, it actually runs lower than that.

  • byron_hinson #45 2 years ago

    What I still think is funny after all these comments from people slating the review is that 99% of you haven't actually played it yet think the 7/10 is wrong. Classic.

  • TJP75 #46 2 years ago

    Cue the fanboy crying or glee, depending on what platform(s) one owns. Since when did 7/10 mean something was cack?

    The sooner game review scores get the boot, the better.

  • secombe #47 2 years ago

    I got negged months ago when I suggested it sounded worryingly cheesy ('Bright' Falls, Alan 'Wake' etc) and no better narratively than a really bad generic horror film.

    Doesn't sound so far off the mark now, which is a shame as there was so much potential.

  • MaoZedong #48 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • crazy_jb #49 2 years ago

    KZ2 runs at 360p

    digital foundary
    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dig italfoundry-alanwake-sub-hd-blog-entry
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/digita...[/link]

    :D
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 07:10

  • doulema #50 2 years ago

    Seriously. Some times Ellie's questions might be funny but I cant see her as a professional. As in "wonder why your truck is making a noise like a bear having a wank. "

    When Ellie doesn't like who and what she is reviewing she just cant help it and there is no way her questions or review will be objective. Ive seen her way more impressed about girlish arcade games before yet she is too difficult about this genre.

    Haven't played it yet and I can't say the game isn't a 7/10 ( even though I believe and hope it's more than that and like always only at EG a good game gets a low score ) but Ellie you need to stay away from reviews of serious tittles and serious interviews.. You ruin it for me cause all I was reading over and over was a mocking sentence after the other. You want realism yet you want the main character to be sprinting limitless. You want realism yet you cant accept the fact that you would think "birds" as well when you see them in the dark as much as it bugs you "PERSONALLY" which isn't anyone's interest to count it as a minus for your judgment over a game that so many people count on reading a review here.

    Anyhow, I hope I dont get flamed for expressing my opinion on what I felt and hoped from a review from this site. Just being honest. You can just ignore me :) I'll buy this as much as I was being convinced not to from this review just cause Ellie felt like it and I hope I dont regret it. I will do so cause I love the genre, Alone in the Dark and the rest were disappointing and expected more from Silent Hill Homecoming and I cant wait till the next Silent Hill to play a game of the kind :( A few more should be working on horror-action games cause we need more options.

  • Jackface #51 2 years ago

    Reads like a 6. Actually, it reads like a snarky Ellie Gibson review, her stock in trade, but that's beside the point. Very disappointed. Why don't previews make it clear this is looking a bit naff instead of gushing in anticipatory fashion?

  • Charlie_Miso #52 2 years ago

    'Seriously. Some times Ellie's questions might be funny but I cant see her as a professional.'

    I'm sure she's getting paid.

  • Senate #53 2 years ago

    Wow you sheep with an 360 actually believe all you're games are really good because there on an 360.

  • thenastypasty #54 2 years ago

    Ellie you slaggggggggg!

    OMG all you xbots will be crying in to your RROD this morning hahahaha!!!!

  • Gambit1977 #55 2 years ago

    This is great.
    /sits back with a can...

  • doulema #56 2 years ago

    @lockload
    I just scrolled through the comments really quick and noticed his. Kinda proves one of my points amongst with others thinking that Ellie was just wrong to review this. She should stick with Viva Pinata and LBP which I enjoyed too much though :p

    @Clive Dunn
    You apparently dont know what a good review is. Even though EG has a history in bad and low review numbers, at least most of the rest reviewers go through a meaningful and half actually informative review, unlike Ellie's constant complains. That's not what you call a good review and specially not well writen. Ill paste this one more time. "and wonder why your truck is making a noise like a bear having a wank"

    Professionalism at it's best. Just cause it's a woman doesn't mean you gotta drool and excuse all over the web. Nothing personally against her. Like many said she is just NOT capable to review ( and ill add again "interview" ) important games of high profile ( or high profile developers, producers and Sony-MS-Nintendo execs ) cause in my opinion she is just for the laughs of it and good for her. She's getting paid for it. But its a waste of interviews and reviews when real and serious ones are needed. 5 years in the wait and EG had Ellie review this? Its literally a shame :(

  • AnsemsApprentice #57 2 years ago

    I wish this was like Famitsu with 4 different reviews. It always gets really hectic when a certain person doesn't give the reaction to a game you wanted. There would be no room for debate if we had multiple opinions, similar to IGN. After a game has been out a while they do the Second Opinion article which is great but...That's the best of both worlds, instead of them just telling you what you want to hear, which is what too many people expect in my opinion. Key word in a review is opinion for me, and that is what Ellie has done now I look back...nothing more she can do. If honesty wont be accepted, nothing will. I revoke my previous Anti-Ellie comment in favour of the greater good for gaming, let us not fight over such trivial matters! Every opinion shall be heard!.. bye.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 07:30

  • gylo #58 2 years ago

    I will probably rent or get this when the price drops

    I absolutely love the 2005 hoodie/jacket combo comment, I'll never look at the character in the same light again. Then again Alan Wake could be getting some tips from Andrew Stone from Starman.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 07:26

  • crazy_jb #59 2 years ago

    Dead Space 7/10 = best game of 2008
    Alan Wake 7/10 ===> best game 2010

  • Emmit_Assassin #60 2 years ago

    Glad I cancelled my pre-order now. Not missing much.

  • Galathorn #61 2 years ago

    Don't believe the hype!

  • DoctorFouad #62 2 years ago

    disappointing

    disappointing score ? or disappointing game ?

    I wanna know....lets see other reviews...

  • davisorle #63 2 years ago

    I own a PS3 and enjoyed it with its exclusives and its pathetic to see all the kiddos that own only a PS3 who cant be considered as average gamers saying the same kinda shit the one after the other "you ll cry yourselves to RROD" or "360 is over with this " etc... Its getting uglier and uglier at EG by the week with those kiddos. I know I'll buy the game.

    And for those lttle tards being happy check out how wrong Ellie and incapable is to review such game.

    [link url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platform s/xbox360/alanwake?q=alan%20wake
    ]http://ww w.metacritic.com/games/platform...[/link]

    Ellie's review is by far lower than all the rest. Not a coincidence like you will wish it was. Im buying this and really Ellie... Stick with your "funny" interviews please and leave important tittles to the rest of the EG stuff. Thank you in advance...

  • enfilade #64 2 years ago

    I'm indignant and furious that a game I was hoping would be good has received only a mediocre score. Their interpretation of the games must be wrong, because all of the press hype and trailers that I've based my expectations on say much more about a game than actually playing it.

    I know! I'll attack the integrity of the journalist so as to render her opinion as a professional games journalist null and void!

  • jonsaan #65 2 years ago

    Average name, average game.

  • AnsemsApprentice #66 2 years ago

    The Wake is a Lie O_O

  • BAM! #67 2 years ago

    You guys complaining about the score are lucky Ellie doesn't factor in the game's technical performance. Otherwise she might have knocked a few more points off for the blurriness, unstable framerate, and tearing.

  • HokutoNoKen #68 2 years ago

    IGN AU Review : [link url=ht tp://xbox360.ign.com/articles/108/1087828p2.html
    ]http://xb ox360.ign.com/articles/108/1087...[/link]

    8.5 Graphics
    The world looks great, but other areas show their age, such as lackluster facial animations and the differences between cut scenes and in-game graphics.

    Yes I admit, I am in a little mood for trolling as this game has been touted to be something extra ordinary when it comes to graphics.

    / Ken

  • Segnit #69 2 years ago

    Last year's E3 presentation for this looked dull. I kept hoping that it was all done in the name of secrecy rather then the lack of quality or variety. Oh well.

    Thanks for pragmatic review Ellie!

  • MORZTAN #70 2 years ago

    AHAHAHA!!

    No seriously!!

    AHAHAHHAAHAHA!

    This is why I love the game industry. You must never trust hype

  • bad09 #71 2 years ago

    "Dead Space 7/10 = best game of 2008
    Alan Wake 7/10 ===> best game 2010"

    Well Dead Space Dan was indeed wrong....but is Ellie wrong? Who knows, after the crap excuse they gave for canning the PC version this is 2nd hand fodder for me anyway....

  • TheDarkness #72 2 years ago

    7/10.I playing it right now , its far from that score and this ... Review.

  • crazy_jb #73 2 years ago

    AW doesn´t sell the cutscenes as ingame, such as UC2

  • dom6918 #74 2 years ago

    Metacritic scores are 84% average. I think Ellie missed the mark slightly. This is the first Ellie review i have read and I am not impressed with the content. Reads like a disappointed teenager.

  • Kilroy #75 2 years ago

    Wow, some internet reviewer thinks bad of a game I've been planning to buy! Better insult her, so I feel better!

  • MMJoe #76 2 years ago

    Wow, this comments thread is a shining example of all that's good about the Internet... A review is an opinion of one person - just because you don't agree with it doesn't make wrong. And all the pro PS3, anti 360 comments, it's just sad.

    As for the school-boy 'ellie ain't no rael gamerz' comments - are you all 12?! It's shit like this that make people think all gamers are sad pricks.

  • TheKayle #77 2 years ago

    Cmonn ppl
    [link url=http://www.eurog amer.net/archive.php?sort=reversechrono&platform=&type=revie w&author=100&start=0
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/archive.php?sor...[/link]

    look at her reviews.....Afrika 7/10.......cmooon...lol is just ....weird
    she just review puzzle games and family games.

  • crazy_jb #78 2 years ago

    AW doesn´t sell the cutscenes as ingame, such as UC2

  • Pablo2k5 #79 2 years ago

    Would've been better on PC ;)

  • ChaK #80 2 years ago

    @alanwake540p

    stop talking about 540p, your precious killlzone 2 runs 720p, which is half of any PC game resolution-wise.

    K2 has low-rez textures and blur all over the place, so if you wanna talk about technical performance at least talk about UC 2.

    I don't have 360, don't call me fanboy, I just hate stupid people

  • jag10 #81 2 years ago

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=jp1HB42K5sI

  • onyxbox #82 2 years ago

    7/10 is an alright score... my worry is that the review itself doesn't make me want to rush out and buy it and I was looking forward to it too. I think I was hoping for something like the old silent hill games.

    Never mind :(

  • DjFlex52 #83 2 years ago

    I guess Ellie's next xbox360 exclusive game review should be Halo: Reach since she's so "qualified" now.

    Then the shit will really hit the fan( in the comments section) when she says the multi-player was weak and unoriginal... o_0

  • chessboxer #84 2 years ago

    @ dom6918

    Metacritic is only listing 14 reviews so far. Give it a couple of days when it notches up 60+ reviews. The you can see where Ellie's score lands.

    I remember last year when inFamous and Prototype came out. Some muppet on here was claiming victory as Prototype had the higher Metacritic score and was listing 6 reviews. Less than 2hrs later Prototype fell into the 70's and the muppet claimed that all the reviews were wrong and that Metacritic was crap.

    @ cianchristopher

    Some people may have played it. It was leaked on public torrents just over 12hrs ago, along with Lost Planet 2.

  • Bealsy #85 2 years ago

    metacritic currently sitting at 84... lots of 90's in there too. Not overly bothered by this review. Will get it anyway based on the other reviews.

    "Remedy and Microsoft haven't made a perfect masterpiece, but Alan Wake may well be one of my favourite releases of 2010 – an escapade I'm going to remember for a very long time. It's a stunning action game, a superbly scripted adventure and a technical showcase for the now-ageing Xbox 360 hardware"

  • TheKayle #86 2 years ago

    1UP - B+ - Read Review
    411mania - 9.1/10 - Read Review
    ArsTechnica - N/A - Read Review
    C&VG - 9/10 - Read Review
    Chud - 7.5/10 - Read Review
    CinemaBlend - 4/5 - Read Review
    Co-Optimus - 5/5 - [link url=http://www.co-optimus.com/article/38...he-review.html ]http://ww w.co-optimus.com/article/38...h...[/link]
    Destructoid - 9/10 - Read Review
    Eurogamer - 7/10 - Read Review
    Examiner.com - N/A - Read Review
    FileFront - 91/100 - Read Review
    G4TV - 4/5 - Read Review
    GameArena.com.au - 8/10 - Read Review
    GameAxis Online - N/A - Read Review
    GameBlog.fr - 5/5 - Read Review
    GamePro - 4/5 - Read Review
    GameReactor.fi - 9/10 - Read Review
    GameReactor.se - 7/10 - Read Review
    Giant Bomb - 4/5 - Read Review
    Hardgame2 - 10/10 - Read Review
    IGN - 9/10 - Read Review
    IGN AU - 8.5/10 (Great) - Read Review
    iTWire - 10/10 - Read Review
    Jeff Parumchuk - N/A - Read Review
    Joystiq - N/A - Read Review
    Just Push Start - 4.5/5 - Read Review
    Loud Mouthed Gamers - 9/10 - Read Review
    Meristation - 9/10 - Read Review
    NZGamer.com - 8.5/10 (Great) - Read Review
    Pelit (Magazine) - 87%
    PerezStart - 9/10 - Read Review
    PlanetXbox360 - 9.2/10 - Read Review
    TheKoalition - 9/10 - Read Review
    Todojuegos.com - 9.5/10 - Read Review
    Xbox360Achievements.c om - 92% (Excellent) - Read Review
    XXLGaming - 95/100 - Read Review
    VideoGamer.com - 9/10 - Read Review


    lol just to "explain" better the "ellie" rate system..ahahha

  • TheDarkness #87 2 years ago

    Did you pirate it?

    No i've got review version.

  • Dizzy #88 2 years ago

    Oh dear.... there goes EG again.

  • Apaar #89 2 years ago

    Mind-boggling review. If this game flops, I'll blame it on this. Not on the game.

  • Darren #90 2 years ago

    4 pages for a 7/10 game? Wow. Still more info is better than less, right? Sounds a little disappointing to be honest but I never planned on buying the 360 version anyway, only the PC version and since that was cancelled, well it makes my decision a bit easier to swallow than if the game had been rated a classic, must-have.

    Oh well. There's plenty more fish in the sea... I still think Red Dead Redemption will be awesome and I have that on pre-order for the 360. I doubt I'll need any other games for a while.

  • AnsemsApprentice #91 2 years ago

    If you dig through all the snide remarks and satirical jibes, Ellie is actually saying it is a good game. There is more bad mentioned than good, which is probably why I was so confused and disappointed at first but, she does praise it, albeit very subtly. 7/10, B, 14/20, 3 star whatever, it really doesn't matter.

  • DjFlex52 #92 2 years ago

    "Oh well. There's plenty more fish in the sea... I still think Red Dead Redemption will be awesome and I have that on pre-order for the 360. I doubt I'll need any other games for a while."

    @Darren

    Just better hope Ellie doesn't review RDR or else you also might not buy it either since she would probably give it a 7/10 too ;-)

  • crazy_jb #93 2 years ago

    AW doesn´t sell the cutscenes as ingame, such as UC2

  • MaoZedong #94 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • gylo #95 2 years ago

    Some of you guys are so bloody protective and petty, propogating the stereotype of over opinionated and to be honest guys, a bit sexist nerd types.

    Ellie has more balls than most of you bedroom masturbators, giving a score that she believes it deserves. And to be honest it is probably a review better written than most of us could muster
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:18

  • bad09 #96 2 years ago

    "I guess Ellie's next xbox360 exclusive game review should be Halo: Reach since she's so "qualified" now. "

    Oh grow up you child, jeez I hate reading Eliies reviews because it shows how some of you EGers are a sexist childish fucking disgrace. If Dan or Rob reviewed this and you didn't agree you would say "You're wrong", with Ellie it's personal insults.

    I would make everyone have a username tag at the expo and everyone of you can see Ellie face to face. Little boys..

  • Eraser #97 2 years ago

    I don't get all this drama.
    So Ellie gave it a low mark. How does this stack up against other Eurogamer reviews? Sure, other sites gave higher marks, but maybe on average Eurogamer simply is a little less generous with it's marks. Apparantly everyone that complains here is aware that Ellie gives low marks. Why not factor that in then? If, for example, in your experience you'd rate a game 20% higher than she would, then this game would get an 8.4 on your own scale, which is pretty much on par with what metacritic makes of it right now.

    The review itself is entertaining to read. You might not entirely agree with it, but I think she brings up valid points. I don't know if they're correct, I can't know without playing it myself, but I think people here are shooting the messenger before knowing the value of the message. Also, a 7/10 is just a number. I never ever look at that. I look at the issues that are brought up in the review itself and from what I've seen in this review, they seem sensible enough.

    I know Ellie is harsh in her grading, but she writes reviewes that I can laugh about and enjoy reading and that's the most important part. In the end, you are the idiot if you base your opinion of a game on one single review. And if you're offended by the sentence about a bear having a wank, then I think you shouldn't visit Eurogamer. Better yet, stay off the Internet alltogether.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:19

  • DoctorFouad #98 2 years ago

    I have some observations :

    I didnt play (yet) Alan Wake, but I expect it to be like other highly hyped new franchises, that pay the price of the hype. like fable 1 on xbox1, like killzone 1 on ps2, like assassins creed 1 on xbox360, heavenly sword on ps3...etc they were excellent games, but received average reviews and a lot of critics from gamers simply because they expected more revolutionary things from those games...over hype phenomenon...

    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:20

  • dalleck #99 2 years ago

    @Kayle

    Are you suggesting that any deviation from popular opinion to be wrong? Using your references we have a few deviations outside Eurogamer, namely, Chud - 7.5/10 and GameReactor.se - 7/10. Are you going to choose to ignore those opinions as well?

  • drumbaby #100 2 years ago

    Gumph! Only on Xbox!

  • DjFlex52 #101 2 years ago

    "Oh well. There's plenty more fish in the sea... I still think Red Dead Redemption will be awesome and I have that on pre-order for the 360. I doubt I'll need any other games for a while."

    @Darren

    Just better hope Ellie doesn't review RDR or else you also might not buy it either since she would probably give it a 7/10 too ;-)

  • Scrumhalf #102 2 years ago

    I actually like the review - it was entertaining. Which for an entertainment product is great.

    All these people saying Ellie shouldn't be allowed to do serious reviews or serious interviews - we are talking about games here. Which I have enjoyed playing and being part of the community of for over 20 years, but I would never get upset about it not being taken seriously.

    It is dissapointing to hear that something you were looking forward to is not all it could be according to one person - but please get some perspective.

    Please keep these reviews going Ellie that was a most enjoyable and fun read on the way to work :)

  • TheKayle #103 2 years ago

    isnt this the prob..looking at what she had review and at her score seem she just isnt the right person for this type of game
    i play in a post rock band..and i know so good what mean be on a magazine....this was like if u let do a review of an Heavy Metal album to someone who love the spice girls lol

  • frazzl #104 2 years ago

    I was always going to get this game and Ellie's review is not going to change that fact. People place way too much importance on reviews. You are not going to experience a game vicariously through the review; wait for the demo to come out and form your OWN opinion. As long as the game isn't as short as Heavy Rain or as filled with plot-holes I'll be happy.

  • TheKayle #105 2 years ago

    isnt this the prob..looking at what she had review and at her score seem she just isnt the right person for this type of game
    i play in a post rock band..and i know so good what mean be on a magazine....this was like if u let do a review of an Heavy Metal album to someone who love the spice girls lol

  • Smoped #106 2 years ago

    This review actually reads exactly how I assumed the game to be from all the preview clips/images etc. The Max Payne games were cheesy as hell, it was probably a mistake for Remedy to try to make a movie when their skills are in gameplay, not screenwriting. In other words, go Ellie!

    (I'm still going to get this when I can get it at the right price, 7/10 isn't half bad.)

  • Bealsy #107 2 years ago

    I don't mind the review, apart from the slating of the horror genre. It's a horror game, based in an American town. It's going to have an enthusiastic if creepy Sheriff, strange hitch hiker etc. It's based around a clichéd genre.

    Why do people keep reading Stephen King novels? Because they know what to expect, and they like that.

  • DiamondIce #108 2 years ago

    Still getting it; still looking forward to it.

    B*gger review scores.

    Edit: Above comment: I don't think people are being sexist towards Ellie (at least I do not interpret 99% of the comments that way). This goes back to Dante's Inferno too. I interpreted from that review that Ellie does not like games in that mould. This would therefore dictate the review and score. Teletext GameCentral, for example, always use another reviewer for sports games as David Jenkins does not like them.

    Maybe people are confused as most of Ellie's reviews are of the *ahem* less serious type?
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:30

  • AnsemsApprentice #109 2 years ago

    Oh god the sexist card is being drawn, RUN!

  • bad09 #110 2 years ago

    @ TheKayle

    It might be hard for you understand not having contact with them but those nasty girls play proper boys games to.

    / looks at Mrs bad09's collection sees Heavy Rain, Uncharted 1/2, Saw, Alone In The Dark, Burnout
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:28

  • Goodfella #111 2 years ago

    @ all the people playing it now.

    Playing the leaked version that's appeared on the internet are we? I dare say I'd be singing the games praises if I'd got it for free, try paying for it then saying how good it is.

  • Beano #112 2 years ago

    Gametrailers review : 8.6
    [link url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-alan-wake /65250
    ]http://ww w.gametrailers.com/video/review...[/link]

    Looks like a must-buy for me :)

  • naffgeek #113 2 years ago

    The only thing that worries me about this review is the concentration on the negatives. If you just read the review (except the last paragraph) and didn't know the score you would think it was going to get about a 5/10.

    I would have liked to know a bit more about the action set pieces.

    And to slag something off for being too deriative then you are in the wrong job as 99% of video games are!!.

  • chukcyQ #114 2 years ago

    LOL

  • jag10 #115 2 years ago

    LOL.

    'movies' must be awesome now that MS have got one. Metal Gear Solid still rules though.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 08:36

  • Chickenflange #116 2 years ago

    Did people actually read the review? Why is there so much anger about a fucking review score? The 7/10 is clearly backed up by Ellie's (and while I'm on the subject how the fuck does someone manage to call her Elly) comments and surely ultimately it's the game detail and content that matters more than a number out of 10. I might go and buy a house and just ask the estate agent for a number out of 10 and buy it based on that. Who cares if it doesn't have a toilet.

  • kratos-i-am #117 2 years ago

    My God! I was looking forward to this! Just average? NOOOOOO!

  • othelaatko #118 2 years ago

    Czech version of Eurogamer: http://ww w.eurogamer.cz/articles/alan-wa...

    9/10
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 08:37

  • naffgeek #119 2 years ago

    stuff like this:

    From that point on the only reward for fighting on is to experience the spectacular set pieces and Stephen King-esque plot twists that lurk around the corner. Luckily, this is a reward worth playing for and Alan Wake's rollercoaster pacing, genuinely intriguing plot and thrilling cinematic moments are its true game-changers.

    from C&VG review

  • DjFlex52 #120 2 years ago

    "Oh well. There's plenty more fish in the sea... I still think Red Dead Redemption will be awesome and I have that on pre-order for the 360. I doubt I'll need any other games for a while."

    @Darren

    Just better hope Ellie doesn't review RDR or else you also might not buy it either since she would probably give it a 7/10 too ;-)

  • Goodfella #121 2 years ago

    I always wanted to play this game and the review/score changes nothing for me. It's just not quite as high priority now.

  • cianchristopher #122 2 years ago

    It sounds pretty mediocre. Cliched, wonky gameplay mechanics meshed together with a poor story that's delivered by poor voice acting. Cliched, unmemorable characters in a cliched setting. And the great David Lynch is shamelessly ripped-off wholesale...

    Fucking hell, it took them 5+ years to do that?

  • TheKayle #123 2 years ago

    @bad09 i think is hard for u understand what i said so ...look around on google what ppl (and also company for her kind of interview ) think about ellie and her score...from the 2006...lol

  • razzastuta #124 2 years ago

    And I thought only the NME created "controversial" reviews....!

  • space_ace #125 2 years ago

    7 is not a bad score, but the review is kind of bad - still, better than her previous ones. progress all around.

  • Bumbuliuz #126 2 years ago

    Not a big fan of Eliie's reviews do far. Would have liked a more expirienced EGM writer on this game.

  • IkariW #127 2 years ago

    Hold on a second.... when did 7/10 become a low score?!

    A game like this is always going to divide opinion, so why wouldn't it do the same when its gets to review?
    Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong, but Remedy's Max Payne 1/2 both had bags of repetition, and pretty shallow story, they didn't stop alot of people enjoying them.

    Not having played the game yet (AW) I can't say whether or not I'd personally think that score is low or high. But I will say this, It made a nice change to have a nice long review, after all, I'd rather read what someone else thoughts about the game, than rely on just a number to try and justify my purchase.

    So good stuff Ellie, enjoyed it.

    Oh, one thing though, maybe reduce the Uncharted2/Heavy Rain 'gushing' a little, granted, UC2 is an exceptional game, but hardly original, surely?! Gun/Cover/Puzzle/cutscene, It was just done really well.

    And the only thing HR made me 'Feel' was a feeling of being utterly disappointed and utter frustration with the rubbish control scheme, if I'd wanted to fumble about and play Shenmue without the exciting bits then fine, but to say it made you 'think'? rediculous... hollywood has told this story time and time again... and in more exiting ways.

    Still, enjoyed the review, after all, there are far too many 9's and 10's being banded around now a days anyway!

    Ikari

  • metamorphic #128 2 years ago

    Great and highly informative review. The game is indeed pretty mediocre; the story is one of the most generic and ludicrous ones imaginable - only children could possibly elicit any enjoyment from it, if any. It's also not in true HD, so it's not good to look at either. It seems some of the Xbox fanboys are quite jilted - reality seeping in now, children?
    Edited by 3 at 05/05/10 @ 08:46

  • UncleLou #129 2 years ago

    Astonishing how Ellie's reviews are always attacked more than anyone else's.

    Nerds.

  • DonnieDarko333 #130 2 years ago

    7/10 for a game which has been in development for as long as i can remember is awful! Just imagine if it wasn't delayed...what would this have got!!!? A 4?

    Quite honestly..every other site is in the 80-95% bracket..7/10 seems like your trying to cause 'review hype' and got more readers to your website...i'm afraid to say.

  • Doctor_What #131 2 years ago

    While I expected the usual gender-based reactions in this comments thread, I was still pretty shocked to see that someone has suggested Ellie was on her period and that has effected the score. What decade is this? Surely we're past that kind of thing now.

    I'll be waiting to see when more metacritic numbers start going in. Prototype last year was a great example of an average that quickly declined as more reviews rolled in and (as usual) I agreed more with the lower average than the initial high reviews. I suspect I'll feel similarly about Alan Wake - it'll be a decent game but nothing spectacular in the long run of gaming history.

    Thanks for the review Ellie, sorry some of your readers are idiots.

  • Octoroc #132 2 years ago

    This is what happens when you let birds review games. They only understand chick stuff like "emotions" and "dialogue". Get back in the Kitchen Ellie! As for myself I shall now return to 1972 to play Pong.

  • Darren #133 2 years ago

    @DjFlex52 - To be honest, Alan Wake sounds like a PC game that has been compromised and shoe-horned to run on the 360 and that's a shame. There's mention that it was originally planned to be open-world not linear and then there's the visuals which went from being 720p to sub-HD. 7/10 is not a bad score by any means and the game is fairing better on other sites but it doesn't sound to me like it's the game that it was meant to be when we saw that epic trailer three years ago.

    Red Dead Redemption is at least an open-world game with, presumably, unlimited gameplay opportunities (not to mention multiplayer, not that I care for such things but it does add longevity for thos that do)so even if EG did give it 7/10 it would not stop me from buying it. I've seen enough of it to know it looks exciting and fun, something I honestly never got the sense of with any of the Alan Wake videos. It always looked like a Silent Hill wannabe.

  • peteb #134 2 years ago

    7 is the new 8! :)

  • razzastuta #135 2 years ago

    Metamorphic - I'm not sure this is about "360-Fanboys". I think there was a lot of expectation from people hoping Eurogamer were going to give Alan Wake a good score, which is not something as a reader of a reviewer's opinion you should expect - else what's the point of the review?

    I do think folks need to "get over it" however - it's only someone's opinion. So what if it's only a 7/10? Other people have reviewed it and given far better scores (according to Metacritic) so if you want to read what you were expecting from an Alan Wake review then go read those reviews instead.

    Whatever Ellie has said, I'm still going to get this game. That's freewill and democracy for you.

  • AnsemsApprentice #136 2 years ago

    @cianchristopher, maybe if you spent as much time on your comment...Although the girl in the diner is the spitting image of Shelley from Twin Peaks; And Alan sounds like Agent Cooper...and the bad spirit story rings a bell...Okay point taken, but if I play the game thinking it is in the same universe as Twin Peaks it wont feel like a rip off, more of a side-story and that's fine with me. Nothing wrong with inspiration but it is a little too similar.

  • Zeburdee #137 2 years ago

    @Chickenflange (and others):

    As a PC-based outsider who's thoroughly enjoying the freak show (comments section) I don't see it as grinding against the 7...it seems more about the *choice* of reviewer for this type of game...

    On the one-hand, a highly regurgitated (though extremely polished) SFIV sequel gets a 'fan-based' max score (and probably deserves it for that genre) while this review appears (on the face of it) like the equivalent of allowing a paedophile out to review a child safety program.

    The best bit of these reviews though is having a text-based version of Eastenders to read before work :)

  • Katsumoto #138 2 years ago

    Wow, some really disgusting stuff seeping through here. You're excelling yourself, EG Commenters!

  • Bremenacht #139 2 years ago

    Oh well.

    If only TB had handed ME2 to Elllie for review.

  • sailesh #140 2 years ago

    'there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay'

    ^^ that == a 4 page review. Seriously?!

  • mashk #141 2 years ago

    Almost 100 years ago, women protested so they could have the same rights as men. Some sacrificed their lives for the cause. Because of their suffering, subsequent generations of women earned the right to vote and even work. Some women are even employed as games reviewers....

    Doh.

  • TheKayle #142 2 years ago

    @doctor_what the metacritis is pretty higher than 7 ...the prob is EG is important and is on metacritic....i could put lots of 10/10 that metacritic dont use to score...
    big review sites like EG should work for the masses and a reviewer should put in a corner his/her ego and write not an "personal taste" review....

    IGN - 9/10
    1UP - B+
    C&VG - 9/10
    Game Trailers - 8.6/10
    PlanetXbox360 - 9.2/10
    Giant Bomb - 4/5
    Destructoid - 9/10
    VideoGamer.com - 9/10

    this is an example of some big review site..arount the world.....7 for me means a very average game and i will not spend 60 or more euro for that.......and technically ill think that is a big flop....
    as u see other sites rate this game in a very different way....
    ps. i dont care if she is a woman...could be a guy...trans or whatever
    pss. sorry for my bad english :)

  • Craig0702 #143 2 years ago

    Reviews in "being personal opinion" shocker!

  • E2K #144 2 years ago

    I feel sad...
    360 fanboys are the cheapest, and most pathetic noobs out there, true.

    But this game deserved more!
    5 year development time.
    I loved MP1 and 2. They had their shortcomings, but still, I respect the developer a lot.

    I don't care that the 360 has another mediocre "exclusive", I just wanted this game to be AAA , 10/10 and so much more.

    Because I KNOW it will come to PS3.
    In 720P, not 520P.

    But that doesn't matter if the game is only 7/10..

  • Shrike #145 2 years ago

    @Zeburdee

    I'm not convinced that this is a case of "getting someone who hates the genre to review it." In fact - as far as films go, Ellie seems to know her stuff. I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to be genre-savvy but also disappointed that a new book/movie/game does nothing to challenge your expectations.

    Secondly, the most sticking criticisms for me are the way that the game allegedly undermines its own tension with ammo placement, etc - surely the more you like the survival horror genre, the more stuff like that is going to bother you?

    This was always going to be a rental for me and still will be. I fucking loved Max Payne despite the game draining the world dry of film noir cliches and having - like Alan Wake - a main character with a silly name and a monotonous voice. It's possible that I'll like Alan Wake too - but I'm not surprised that it got this score.

  • UncleLou #146 2 years ago

    big review sites like EG should work for the masses and a reviewer should put in a corner his/her ego and write not an "personal taste" review....

    Uh, how's that supposed to work? "I don't like the game very much, but I assume the masses will, so I'll give it a high score"? Recipe for disaster.

  • cozeny #147 2 years ago

    Oh well, maybe some day the 360 will score a half-decent exclusive.

  • thedaveeyres #148 2 years ago

    Excellent review.

    Some of you lot absolutely fucking disgust me. Get the fuck away from my hobby and take up something more commensurate with your mental ability... like banging your head against a wall.

    EDIT: Octoroc wins. \o/
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:05

  • des #149 2 years ago

    Ellie strikes again...lol

  • AnsemsApprentice #150 2 years ago

    Katsumoto 05/05/10 @ 08:52 +2
    Wow, some really disgusting stuff seeping through here. You're excelling yourself, EG Commenters!

    squarejawhero 05/05/10 @ 08:53 -1
    Alan Wake is for cunts.

    LOL

  • metamorphic #151 2 years ago

    Xbox fanboys consist of some pretty serious trolls, heh. Please come to terms with reality -- it's a mediocre, half-decent game that has a hilariously ludicrous plot - the ending is extremely cliched and the worst I've seen in recent years (seriously what were they thinking). Obviously, there are some websites that automatically post five star reviews for any game - one starts with an I and ends with an N, for example, which have absolutely no integrity as a result and which cater to delirious fanboy geeks who live in a world of their own - you will find that unlike them, Eurogamer actually sees things for what they are, good or bad. Go somewhere else if you don't have the intellect to actually *read* a review and address the points that have been raised, instead of making cheap chauvinistic punts. This isn't Toon Disney.
    Edited by 3 at 05/05/10 @ 09:11

  • MrTeatime #152 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:59:18 03-01-2012

  • alysonwheel #153 2 years ago

    Uh, how's that supposed to work? "I don't like the game very much, but I assume the masses will, so I'll give it a high score"? Recipe for disaster.

    Particularly as 7 is a perfectly fine score, it just means the game has some flaws, it doesn't make it Postal 2 or something. The way people are reacting there might as well just be a thumbs up/down system, and anything below an eight is a thumbs down.

    Also BAWWWWW at the boys upset that a girlie is in their playpen and has an opinion. Did she step on your toe and steal your Optimus Prime toy too?

  • roz123 #154 2 years ago

    Alan Wankalloverdavidlynch

  • Vroom #155 2 years ago

    Wow! it's knob central in here!

  • TheKayle #156 2 years ago

    @UncleLou im not saying this lol....Ellie give to Dante Inferno 6/10 and Ghostbuster 7/10 and WTF AFRIKA for ps3 7/10 too!

    now im trying to understand this rating system...but really...really i try to do the best...but i cant sorry

    this is just an big "personal opinion review" who ppl expect from blogsite...(in my job like an indie music magazine) not sure on a big site like this...i woudl mean this
    PS. i repeat so sorry for my english i know im bad with this

  • TheKayle #157 2 years ago

    lol and this is what i was saying.....

    "MrTeatime 05/05/10 @ 09:06 0 You buried this comment Comment below viewing threshold Show
    Preorder cancelled. If games want to sell themselves on story, they need to learn about writing. Clichés aren't good enough any more..."

  • Badassbab #158 2 years ago

    Oh dear. The perils of overylong development time. Will still sell like hot cakes.

  • metamorphic #159 2 years ago

    Dante and Ghostbusters are both pretty horrible games, so very apt indeed. Oh, but why I am I bothering. If people here think Dante's Inferno is a decent game, I'm gobsmacked. What next? Nier better than Diablo? Did you have to buy a brain from Tesco too?
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:15

  • RobotRocker #160 2 years ago

    Was almost on EG's side till "Heavy Rain, taught you how to feel before you pull the trigger"

    Right, if you want to moan about clichés. Don't use the game that runs through clichés like a checklist. Good review otherwise

    Max Payne 1 and 2 was a firm 7/10 at the time as well (even with the PC version) but they are both considered minor classics now. Alan Wake may do the same after a few months/years. It seems well put together and has an interesting visual style and mechanic.

    PS. Eurogamer mods honestly start considering suspending/banning for idiotic sexism in comments threads please.

  • Mysjkin7 #161 2 years ago

    Great review, not just that it was hilarious but that it properly dealed with the immersion aspects of the game. Very tired of reviewers who still see a videogame as a sum of its controls + graphics.

  • Mr #162 2 years ago

    Nice to read a review that fits exactly with what I've seen of the videos. The voiceover is just cheese. The dialogue is for a nation that needs it spelt out. I was hoping for a subtly unfolding story. Nice combat but after 6 years you'd hope so... really disappointed in this one personally.

  • DiamondIce #163 2 years ago

    I don't think the majority of the comments towards Ellie are sexist.

    I think it is a case of being type-cast as most of Ellie's games reviews are of more casual games. When she does a big-game review like this, I guess it stands out a little more.

  • AnsemsApprentice #164 2 years ago

    @Metamorphic, you are just as deluded as the fanboys if you think Ellies opinion is fact.
    "Eurogamer actually sees things for what they are, good or bad"
    Nothing can be defined as good or bad, and Eurogamer isn't a person, it's a place with many people that have different opinions. You would have kept your mouth shut if it got a 9/10, as long as it made your own opinion seem to tower above the others who you label so effortlessly. Stop using pathetic pseudo-intelligent, adjective filled sentences to accentuate your equally meaningless views.

  • GamesConnoisseur #165 2 years ago

    Wow!

    Brutual review but then again EG had proven to be correct when they marked game lower than other 'big' sites and didnt fall for hypes so easily.

    Still EG would get reputation if they almost always get to the bottom of various metacritic game reviews, ie always the lowest score!

    I now am more cautious of Alan Wake and appreicated Ellie's comments as I would have enjoyed the game far less if I had still comes in with high expectation. Instead being mollified and then enjoying what i can is better all round.

  • DiamondIce #166 2 years ago

    Edit: Double post on a refresh for some reason. Sorry!
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:18

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #167 2 years ago

    Hey there. While we're happy that everyone is entitled to their opinion of the review, I should point out that any comments that cross the line in terms of personal abuse and contravene our moderation policy, will be deleted.

    Ta!

  • KayJay #168 2 years ago

    Jesus, what I miss?
    I just though I would remind you pesants that a review is someones opinion. Ellie has one, I have one, hell even teh9182 has got one and allowed to express those opinions.
    Now, go and read the review and understand why Ellie gave it the score she did.
    To be honest after reading it i'm suprise it even got a 7 but thats her opinion. If you dont like it then go to Metacritic and find a review with a higher score and read that one...

    Nice review Ellie. It does sound kinda bland and a bit of a grind. Im sure there will be a Demo so we can try it for ourselves.

  • DiamondIce #169 2 years ago

    @metamorphic

    I quite liked Dante's Inferno.

    I must be a right ****.

  • Widge #170 2 years ago

    Think I'll wait until this goes down in price on Steam.

  • 43n1m4 #171 2 years ago

    I didn't expect a review like this, but on the other hand I'll check some more - one persons impression is rarely enough, and judging from Ellie's other reviews and interviews, her style is a bit... erratic. Not bad, just erratic.

    Looking at Metacritic, Eurogamers review score is the lowest atm, so I don't think its representative for the press' general opinion.

  • MrTeatime #172 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:59:18 03-01-2012

  • KayJay #173 2 years ago

    Well said Venatio.
    Grow up people.

  • StooMonster #174 2 years ago

    7 for me means a very average game

    Not to me, 7/10 means reasonable ... 5/10 would mean mediocre. Grade inflation where every games earns between 8/10 and 10/10 on most review sites is pathetic, and I am glad for the likes of Eurogamer and EDGE who have sensible ranges of scores.

    Personally I prefer Ars Technica's three level grading system: Buy, Avoid, somewhere in between.

  • 43n1m4 #175 2 years ago

    I didn't expect a review like this, but on the other hand I'll check some more - one persons impression is rarely enough, and judging from Ellie's other reviews and interviews, her style is a bit... erratic. Not bad, just erratic.

    Looking at Metacritic, Eurogamers review score is the lowest atm, so I don't think it is representative for the press' general opinion.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:27

  • Widge #176 2 years ago

    Think I'll wait until this goes down in price on Steam.

  • Tzetrik #177 2 years ago

    Congrats to Ellie for being the only EG reviewer to *ever* mention audio (sound, not VO / music). Shame it was slagging it off, but still - its such a bit part of gaming for me it's a real pity no-one else bothers to talk about it.

  • KayJay #178 2 years ago

    Well said Venatio.
    Grow up people.

  • Kazzahdrane #179 2 years ago

    7/10...my coffee told me, Zach.

  • bad09 #180 2 years ago

    "this is just an big "personal opinion review""

    Erm hate to break it to you but all reviews are personal opinion.. well expect the ones where publishers throw their weight around for a good review.

    Not aimed at you personally but if you use reviews as a guide to YOUR games buying your pretty stupid IMO. For one they can't be trusted because of publishers underhand tactics and secondly what you like and what a reviewer likes may be miles apart.

  • Tzetrik #181 2 years ago

    Congrats to Ellie for being the only EG reviewer to *ever* mention audio (sound, not VO / music). Shame it was slagging it off, but still - its such a bit part of gaming for me it's a real pity no-one else bothers to talk about it.

  • metamorphic #182 2 years ago

    Some comments here go beyond the boundaries of moronic. "Nothing can be defined as good or bad" - uh, sorry, what? So... you're saying if you had any absolutely shoddy, crappy game, or movie, for that matter, you're not allowed to state the obvious? What next.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:27

  • Mandongo #183 2 years ago

    7/10?
    ...
    7/10?

    ...
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

    PURE FAIL!!!!! Another sweet XBOX Exclusive baby!!! After all the years of hype we get this pile of sh*t.
    Heavy Rain raised the bar for the tense psychological thriller; Alan Wake = FAIL

  • JetSetWilly #184 2 years ago

    Have you seen the claws on a bear? That truck must sound truly awful.

    Good, honest review. Still sounds like something I'll pick up when the price is right.

  • Nazo #185 2 years ago

    Disappointing, Max Payne 2 is one of my favourite games ever so I had high hopes for this from Remedy. Not that I could have played it since they dropped the PC version, but even so.
    Good review anyway, though I thought it read like less than a 7.

  • AnsemsApprentice #186 2 years ago

    @Metamorphic, I am saying everything is subjective. There are no rules when it comes to personal preference. What is crap to you may be the best thing of all time to someone else, it is arrogant to think otherwise. Nothing is obvious because different people draw different thoughts from different experiences, and we should respect them, no matter how they clash with our own.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:31

  • IronGiant #187 2 years ago

    This years award for most hyped and biggest disappointment, well done Remedy. I suggest people buy Res5 and get the superb extra chapters instead!

  • ant72 #188 2 years ago

    So better than average then. 7/10 is not a bad score, some of my favourite games have scored lower. A weekends rent it is.

  • Grom #189 2 years ago

    Well done Mandongo, a -9 on your first comment - welcome to Eurogamer!

  • Gunzberg #190 2 years ago

    Gamesradar gives it a 9/10

    First time I prefer an Ellie review, seems to be more grounded

  • Zeburdee #191 2 years ago

    @Shrike

    "I'm not convinced that this is a case of 'getting someone who hates the genre to review it.'"

    Neither am I - especially considering I didn't use that turn of phrase.

    As stated, I don't own a 360 or PS3, but do have a heavy interest in games...

    My comment just attempted to reflect an understanding of the rants not just being about the score itself, but about the review disparity in relation to other reviews...especially for such a high-profile title...

    The review doesn't just get thrown out like a wedding bouquet - the reviewer gets selected. And this particular selection happens to cause quite a stir. Anyone in business (especially those in PR or related) may have extra thoughts as to why that might be :) [coincidence or otherwise]

    Me? I'm just here for the behavioural psychology lesson and a 5-minute trash-talk fix!

  • mkreku #192 2 years ago

    Why are you all so upset? Read the f-ing review! It's not open world anymore (even though the map you get with the game suggests so), the game looks dated in some places (it was a graphical powerhouse when it was announced.. as a PC game in 2005), it's clichéd beyond funny.. etc.

    I haven't played it yet, but the review surely matches the score. Where's the drama in that?

  • Bealsy #193 2 years ago

    Have Sony execs created accounts to post these "LOLZ 360FAILZ HAHAHAH" posts? Or is fan(ny)boyism continuing to defy belief?
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:39

  • Eraysor #194 2 years ago

    The curse of Too Human rears its ugly head again. Too long in development winds up with a shit game.

  • kangarootoo #195 2 years ago

    "surely not even J Allard has attempted the hoodie-with-jacket combo since 2005"

    /thinks back to what I was wearing about a month ago

    Shit.

  • Bealsy #196 2 years ago

    @Crez - have you not heard? You can't have your own opinion. You must wait until it is in the fabled "bargain bin" or rent it.

  • TheKayle #197 2 years ago

    @bad09...listen man........im not 16..lol....i play games from when i was 8 and im 32 sorry if with my stupid english i dont reach the point....i havent NOTHING against the gender...i HAVE nothing of personal again this reviewer...
    i know so good how choose a game.....but i would hope who ppl work in this job still look at how "ppl work"..Remedy is not a big team.....and they r one of the first "team party" who do their own graphics engine....on xbox....they write a story (good or bad i dont care)...and this not happen in every game ..as we seen.........now look...i want to say a thing ..........like i said im 32 and i remember years ago " Dragons Lair" ..and .now we Heavy Rain...for some younger guy..this could be an fantastic game or something like this...for aged person like me...still remain "not a videogame" but just the 2010 Dragons Lair ......if u look at reviews someone r really really really good...and sure for me that r really "personal opinions"...........is hard to understand how a game is from a review......and more hard to understand reviews if u follow games from 20 years or +............i hate 10/10 coz mean perfection and ...working in IT...i know who perfection dosnt exist .........but i hate also...bad review ....expecially when r out of contest...(i think this...about this review) ...coz in this years is hard for a little company to compete with big big big big company ...who put out shit and sell it...trough good rates................
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:44

  • kangarootoo #198 2 years ago

    "surely not even J Allard has attempted the hoodie-with-jacket combo since 2005"

    /thinks back to what I was wearing about a month ago

    Shit.

  • super_monty #199 2 years ago

    Seems like a fair enough review to me, personally I am beyond paying circa £40 for what is only a weekends entertainment.
    Sound like a great rental to me or a great buy at about £15, and as there is no online it can wait.


    PS for those saying it's crap or a 360 exculsive fail, try looking at the other reviews fans of the genre will love it.

    Any way I am holding out for 3d heros and maybe modnation or monster hunter tri.

    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 09:49

  • YenooR #200 2 years ago

    So much for the hype

  • TheStatics #201 2 years ago

    Wasn't that interested in the game, the comments section has been a blast though!!

    Re. the review, thought the "....like a bear having a wank" comment just screeeeeams of someone trying far too hard to be 'edgy'.

  • Bealsy #202 2 years ago

    Eurgh. What I'd do for the "ignore" button right now...

  • sugarbaron #203 2 years ago

    I usually put a lot of faith in EG reviews, but as soon as I see Ellie Gibson's name at the top, I know its going to be a complete waste of bandwidth.

  • fiery_jackass #204 2 years ago

    I'm pretty sure that for every 2 comments that could be construed as "girls suck at games lolz" there is another, equally sexist, knee-jerk defence of Ellie just because she's a lady. One as bad as the other.

    I don't have a particular problem with Ms Gibson reviewing "bigger" games, although I think a lot of the humour is forced and laboured ("bear having a wank" being a particularly poor example, unless you're low-brow enough just to giggle when you see a naughty word poobumtitties) and many bits come across more as generic (albeit worthy) criticisms of games in general.

    Having said all that, I'll rent this, based on this review and based on not being able to take any more over-hyped, disappointing faux-noir games after trudging through Heavy Rain. Mandongo, you're a twat.

  • j-bo #205 2 years ago

    Love Ellie; best reviews ever :)

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #206 2 years ago

    Hey. Our tech guys are aware of the ignore button problem. They're working on it and it should be back with us soon.

  • telboy007 #207 2 years ago

    You'd think we'd be past the resi evil item/storage/oh shiney! thing by now, sounds like a good game from 3 years back. Oh well, saves me some money, roll on red dead redemption.... Yeehaw!

  • king2001 #208 2 years ago

    Looks like TheKayle took up that special offer discount on full stops.

    Half expected him to be offering me cheap trainers too.

  • Monkey_Puncher #209 2 years ago

    7/10 for Splinter Cell? 7/10 for Alan Wake?

    Still getting it as it sounds excellent from all the other previews and reviews I've read on other sites. I guess I just very rarely agree with Eurogamer any more...

  • Retro_ #210 2 years ago

    7/10 is not a bad score, Some of my favorite games are 7/10 games ( The Saboteur for example ). Flawed maybe but to many that just doesn't matter. Sadly not on PS3 so I'll miss out on this game.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:50

  • sirtacos #211 2 years ago

    I don't so much feel disappointed - I've stopped caring about Alan Wake about a year ago - as much as I just feel sad for the developers, who were clearly onto some good things. Oh well, saves me the cash.

  • davisorle #212 2 years ago

    I was wondering why i keep checking reviews from EG when they have low rated great games in the past several times. Yeah I love Halo but I enjoyed more Dead space that they rated as a 7. I Enjoyed way more arcade DL games from PSN than the crap they rated so high and were promoting for a good few weeks here... Was a waste of money actually. But Ellie just took it too far not cause of the review score but at least so far with weird scores the reviewers of good games did some decent reviews. This was a pathetic review. Plus I find rather sad weirdos kissing ass to Ellie as if they know her and deffending her as if she will even pat them on the head for that.

    I love women neither im sexist at all.. If anything its the other way around. Dont get me wrong cause of those comments. My woman has more guts and is more capable than many dudes I know of and she isnt the only one. That doesnt mean I dont have the right to see and know from following EG that Ellie was just the wrong person for this game's review which is thoroughly proved by reading all of it. I honestly felt as if I had my ex bitching about something cause thats all I was seeing Ellie do in this "review" as she calls it instead of letting me feel whats actually going on with the game.

    Im done bothering with this so if you arent willing to understand my point of view go ahead and even talk shit for me stating my opinion. I guess thank you for your time reading this actually :) I wont be checking further commentss cause its full of kiddos trushing the xbox cause of this "review" and I hate kids that dont know how to control themselves. Ill go play a bit God of War and Halo Reach Beta till i go enjoy outside my day off while the slaughtering in here goes on. Good luck peeps ^.^

  • Blakester #213 2 years ago

    Interesting that both Alan Wake and Heavy Rain have turned out to be flawed gems. These types of games are always likely to divide opinion because they rely on emotional investment, and different things affect people differently.

    A 7/10 review suggests to me that it should be played to see if the content matter resonates with the individual. A 10/10 review would have been more disturbing IMO.

    Still, it's kinda funny that a game that's been in development for 5 years is likely to be stinking up 2nd hand bins in a few weeks time.

  • LeD #214 2 years ago

    I was disappointed by the score and then I saw the reviewer's name. Phew! There's still hope that it is a really good game.

    Just to be clear, my comment has nothing to do with the fact that Ellie''s a girl. It's just that Ellie has shown time and time again that she's more interested in making herself look cool and blasé, writing post-modern thrash comments, seems to show no interest for anything in the gaming culture apart from aligning colored squares or triangles, and has often marked her disdain for any game where 'you shoot people or monsters in the face'.

    Good choice of a reviewer for this game then. Please make sure she reviews Gears of War 3, Halo Reach and the next CoD when they come out.

  • kinky_mong #215 2 years ago

    Vindication of everything I've been saying whenever anyone has gushed over this game in the last two years with no actual evidence that it would be the amazing world changing game they hoped it would be.

    Well done EG for having the balls to actually give a truthful opinion, rather than pandering to hype to please publishers and advertisers.

  • roz123 #216 2 years ago

    Lets all take some time to reflect for the poor guys at remedy. It must have been horrible spending all those years polishing a turd

  • JediMasterMalik #217 2 years ago

    This comments thread is more disappointing than the game.

  • Zerobob #218 2 years ago

    I've read the full review, as well as a lot of the comments here, and I have to say I think Ellie might be a bit off the point with this one.

    I know, I know, shoot the reviewer for the mediocre score of a game I was looking forward to etc etc, but I see this game a bit like Avatar. Yes, a lot of the things in it are unoriginal, and the story isn't the best, but it's just damn good entertainment watching it.

    Judging by other reviews of the game this is the aspect of Alan Wake that Ellie has missed for whatever reason. Maybe her 'Game Reviewer' hat fell over her eyes or something.

  • Bulbatron #219 2 years ago

    Well this is pretty disappointing. If it was a genre I wasn't that bothered about it would have put me off, but I love my horror games, so I'll keep the pre-order.

    I'll have to check out some other sites I suppose and see if the opinion and score here are reflected elsewhere. If so, then that's pretty worrying.

    7/10 is a reasonable score, but not so much when the game took five years to develop.

  • cozeny #220 2 years ago

    This game sucks. It's so linear: it's basically just running through tubes in sub-HD.

  • TheKayle #221 2 years ago

    for what i see is x10 time better than heavy rain......and here Heavy Rain got a 9/10....why?...reviewer name?

  • Bealsy #222 2 years ago

    @fiery_jackass - "Mandongo, you're a twat"

    +1

    I feel bad for admitting poobumtitties made me laugh.

  • AnsemsApprentice #223 2 years ago

    Everything is subjective. There are no rules when it comes to personal preference. What is crap to you may be the best thing of all time to someone else, it is arrogant to think otherwise. Nothing is obvious because different people draw different thoughts from different experiences, and we should respect them, no matter how they clash with our own. Chaka Khan.

  • theiceman #224 2 years ago

    The great big xbox360 saviour only gets a 7?!!! ouch....

    /gets popcorn and watches the intehnet explode

  • Vanmunt #225 2 years ago

    can't climb over anything more than waist-high and moves at an irritatingly slow pace

    wtf...

    good review, I think the FF13 reviews have tought me a lesson... just because you believe the hype, play the game first before throwing your toys out of the pram over a score..

    Gunna defo have a look at this after Red Dead.. hopefully that game delivers on the promises.

  • Razzajazz #226 2 years ago

    This wasn't really on my radar, and this review has just kinda confirmed what I always suspected about this game. What I don't understand is why some people need EG to agree with them just to validate their own opinion. If you like this type of game, have had it on your wish-list for a long time, or simply like Remedy's stuff, then just go out and buy it, for Christ's sake! Don't sit here and whine that a reviewer/website doesn't agree with you, what the fuck difference does it make?!

    You could be wasting time on here making retarded/sexist comments, or you could actually be using that time to, y'know, PLAY GAMES, which is what this whole thing is supposed to be about, right? Or am I wrong, and now gaming as a hobby is purely about making everyone agree with your opinion, no matter how stupid and uninformed it might be?

    And well, despite what anyone might think of Ellie, she is a professional games journalist, and I trust her carefully-worded articles much more than I would ever trust some of the crayon-scrawled missives I've seen in this thread so far! You keep doing your thing, Ellie!

  • Tzetrik #227 2 years ago

    @LeD, in her preview, Ellie was surprisingly optimistic about Dead to Rights if I recall correctly, which is almost entirely about shooting people in the face.

  • Bealsy #228 2 years ago

    @fiery_jackass - "Mandongo, you're a twat"

    +1

    I feel bad for admitting poobumtitties made me laugh.

  • doulema #229 2 years ago

    @LeD

    LOL XD

    Well put. Its not like most people haven't stopped taking EG's review scores seriously after they took their own opinion seriously and realized how oftenly wrong they are either way. But yeah this one according to everyone else from Metacritic's list of reviews, this one was a slaughter.

    One sidenote... Whoever is a solely PS3 owner and a HUGE fan apparently, just stick to trashing the game and not the whole 360 console cause you point out you are just a hater or not financially capable to buy another console as well and noone will take you seriously. At least try to make a point -.- Just a heads up :) It's like, if GT5 gets reviewed and scored 7/10 anyone will have the right to tell me that PS3 is dead cause of it. Sounds stupid no? Well thats how stupid you sound to the rest as well. Go online and play some deathmatch rounds to blow out some steam in the decent way :p

  • Retroid #230 2 years ago

    You know what?

    I'm absolutely certain that most of the posters heralding this as The New Truth won't stamp their feet and decry BIAS the next time an exclusive for their chosen entertainment hardware gets a less-than-perfect score.

  • sonicyoda #231 2 years ago

    Ahem, time to dust off the old 360!

  • Murbal #232 2 years ago

    If this 7 makes it as good as Dead Space and Splinter Cell Conviction then count me in!

  • flaming-carrot #233 2 years ago

    I would like to nominate Ellie to write all the reviews on Eurogamer. That was the most entertaining review I have read for a long time, and had me laughing out loud (seriously) twice. Love the 'Tree, Tesco Metro......" line.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:47

  • DeadlyByDesign #234 2 years ago

    WTF? Reviewer tears the game a new one over 3 pages, it reads like 5 or a 6 but yet goes and gives it a 7? Why are almost all other sites giving it 8s or 9s?

  • bladdard #235 2 years ago

    7/10 meh I want this game .... please do a PC conversion otherwise I'll be forced to buy an xbox and I can't afford one.

  • the_dudefather #236 2 years ago

    @Retroid

    From my experience in EG comments threads, no matter what console you like, everyone has the potential to become butt-hurt at review scores

  • Smoped #237 2 years ago

    And to further contribute to this (highly entertaining) trainwreck: It is a very well written review. It's both entertaining and informative, she lays out what she thinks are the failings of the game, then anybody with half a brain can decide whether they themselves would consider those things deal-breakers. And if I wasn't going to get the game before, I would now have to get it just to find out what a wanking bear sounds like.

  • irve77 #238 2 years ago

    You know i had fears that Alan wake would be a terrible game ... and it turns out to be a good game but not a great game.

    We need to be honest and accept that it's possibly as good as it was going to get. If it sells there there certainly seems to be hope for a sequal with better writing and level design.

    But remember your allowed to disagree with reviews .. personally i thought alone in the dark was an excellent game ruined with a terrible control system ( which was at it's worst at the very begining of the game .. how not to win over people ! ) And thought that Heavy rain was terrible and a step back from Faranheit which except for the mental ending to the story was a great game.
    So who knows maybe i'll like this game a little more than Ellie .. maybe not.

  • Bealsy #239 2 years ago

    @ Retroid ..

    For me, it's not about it getting a less than perfect score, it's about seeing nearly everyone else who is playing/has played it loving it, despite its odd flaws and typified "Stephen King" approach. It's more about it being reviewed by somebody that possibly doesn't like the genre. I wouldn't review Football Manager, as I'd give it a 1/10 and with a flagship "same as it always is" review heading. Because I find it boring shite that I wouldn't waste my spare time I have while taking a shit for. But give me a horror survival game based on Stephen Kings ideologies and I'd be climbing over people to play it and review it.

    It's not Ellies fault, she finds it good to average with flaws that's fine with me. But people who don't come on here that often but read the odd review could well be put off by this.

    Just my opinion, same as the reviewers, and yours. But I'd like a second opinion review. Be nice to see what other people in your team think of it. Be happy to tip my hat and apologise.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:22

  • Gl3n #240 2 years ago

    This comment will get lost in the furore, but i'm not surprised at all. Even from the first glimpses at it's gameplay a few E3's ago it looked stale and iffy.

  • Dylbot #241 2 years ago

    Welp, I thought it looked boring as fuck from the previews, and apparently it is.

    PS Absolutely loving all the drama. A woman? Reviewing games? She'd better be using a wireless controller because a cabled one won't reach the kitchen!

  • LeD #242 2 years ago

    Sure Ellie write fairly entertaining reviews. It's fairly easy to take the piss out of anything in this media, destroy the suspension of disbelief in the world the creators have painstakingly tried to build, and make yourself sound funny and witty in the process. It doesn't mean you should though.

  • Nephirion #243 2 years ago

    Im glad the PC version was canned now :)

  • MaoZedong #244 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • glottis0 #245 2 years ago

    I liked the review. It told me about the game, and it made me laugh. I will read some other reviews and then decide if I want to buy it or not.

    Not really sure what all the fuss is about - is it really just the case that the more a company spends on marketing, the more shocking a less-than-9 score is?

  • ignatiusjreilly #246 2 years ago

    The earliest reviews are usually the ones giving the highest ratings. As I read new reviews dropping in today from sites and blogs that I respect, it seems like Eurogamer probably has the more accurate verdict when compared to the other metacritic reviews being referred to.

  • 3william56 #247 2 years ago

    Venatio staff
    05/05/10 @ 09:18
    Hey there. While we're happy that everyone is entitled to their opinion of the review, I should point out that any comments that cross the line in terms of personal abuse and contravene our moderation policy, will be deleted.

    Sooo... "Alan Wake is for c**ts" doesn't cross the line? O_o

    WHERE THE HELL IS MY IGNORE POSTER BUTTON????

  • Beano #248 2 years ago

    @MattDamon : I agree - a short "second opinion" text and score for the big titles would be nice.

  • sirtacos #249 2 years ago

    I don't so much feel disappointed - I've stopped caring about Alan Wake about a year ago - as much as I just feel sad for the developers, who were clearly onto some good things. Oh well, saves me the cash.

  • ninjanutta #250 2 years ago

    ive played through the first two episodes,yes its in episodes.Its a good game so far,i agree on a lot of the reviewers points but eurogamer are always trashing games and giving poor scores for no good reason,its a great site but the review scores suck,they just look silly all the time.shame,becuase the game is really a good horror title and well worth a play through

  • Chazmeister #251 2 years ago

    Phewie! Nearly 300 comments already. This review has sure touched a nerve.

    Mind you it did rather read like Ellie had got out of the bed the wrong side the morning she wrote this review. It was quite a negative read for a 7/10 score.

  • neems #252 2 years ago

    Omg help me! Infinite repost loop!

  • Petulant_Radish #253 2 years ago

    Actually the jacket hoodie combo is very much back in with the indie scenster fraternity, well at least while the weather is still a bit nippy anyway. Then it'll be back to T's only.

    Some of you people would make me weep for humanity if it wasn't for the fact that I am a rational person and realise that you're just wankers that do not represent the whole, much like rednecks.

  • etherfiend #254 2 years ago

    Bring back 'Ignore poster'. That is all.

  • neems #255 2 years ago

    And now they're all gone? What the huh?

  • Deckard1 #256 2 years ago

    meh, dead space got a 7 and I loved that more than my own mam. Splinter cell got a 7 and I loved that as well. I'll take this review with a pinch of salt (eurogamer again the lowest score on metacritic). I guess I just enjoy games more than your average eurogamer reviewer. Which is nice.

  • Retroid #257 2 years ago

    I'd rather read a review with credible-sounding negatives mentioned so I can ponder whether such things would annoy the hell out of me in a game. They're often more useful than 100% glowing reviews which mention no such things.

    /Keeps an eye on Metacritic

  • Retroid #258 2 years ago

    the_dudefather: "From my experience in EG comments threads, no matter what console you like, everyone has the potential to become butt-hurt at review scores"

    Heh, very true!

  • El-Dev #259 2 years ago

    The review was an entertaining read and quite informative, well done Ellie. Still be picking this up after my exams are over.

  • Mark1412 #260 2 years ago

    Can we upgrade the moderators with the latest model of ban-hammer. Or at least change the text of anyone writing: "Ellie shouldn't be reviewing mahhhhhhhh games." to "I'm a douchebag moron."

    So so boring, it's one person's opinion and some of you make it sound like you've just watched her murder Princess Diana's corpse.

  • Petulant_Radish #261 2 years ago

    How can you murder a corpse?

  • neems #262 2 years ago

    And now they're all gone? What the huh?

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #263 2 years ago

    I started reading and then read this "She sets the cause of female videogame characters back 10 years by being afraid of the dark and mewling like a kitten with a broken leg whenever the lights are off."

    Suspected it was an Ellie review and that it would now get a shit score compared to 'general opinion' due to the above comment, and that the review would be full of try-hard jokes at the game's expense.

    Scrolled up - it was Ellie.
    Read review - "funny".
    Saw score - Way below general opinion.

    Oh well.

    And if there's two things I hate more than ignorant sexist teenage gamers, its drooling protective teenage gamers and female reviewers who can't stop the HUGE chip on their shoulder from getting into their reviews.

    Also, thought this was funny: "Physically he's a bit of a weed. He jumps like there are eight-year-old girls either side of him turning a rope." Love the fact that you couldn't bring yourself to say he jumps like an eight-year old girl on a skipping rope. The girls were just turning the rope. ;)

    See you at the expo....I'll wear a name tag. :D

    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 10:47

  • Seabeast #264 2 years ago

    I find it quite amusing that people get -70 for saying Alan Wake is better than a 7/10.........Thats a lot of PS3 fanbois being sad enough to come on here to troll, says a lot really.

    I wouldn'tl go by what Ellie reviews a game at, every single review is overly critical and pety. I know that Dante's Inferno wasn't a great game, but 4/10? moaning about the beasts in the game? etc

    She spent a whole paragraph going on about how Alan picks up all this stuff during the game and puts it in his mary poppins style pockets, now if ever review used such things as a negative then not many games would score very well. How many games do this? did they get mentioned in the review? No.

    Ellie, a change of career is needed.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:41

  • Big-Swiss #265 2 years ago

    interesting, some Xbox exclusive that everyone wanted to be a 9/10 or 10/10 gets only a 7/10, and now we have 300 comments of crywank!

    xbox fanboys are even more pathetic then us PS3 fanboys, at least we take exclusives which should have ben better like men, not like little whining bitches!
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:45

  • HarryPalmer #266 2 years ago

    Jeez that was hard working trudging through these comments (good job I'm at work).

    Personally, I thought the review was well written; did a good job of highlighting all the areas the game fell short, while suggesting who may still enjoy it for what it is.

    All you rabid 'fans', would you be pissed of at her and moaning like little babies if she'd given it a 9? It's pathetic, 7/10 is a good solid score, a score that shouldn't put you off a game if you were interested in it ffs.

    I don't even have an xbox, but I wanted it to be really good: I WANT EVERY GAME TO BE GOOD.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:45

  • cozeny #267 2 years ago

    Exclusives suck on 360. Guess that's the natural consequence of moneyhatted development. Oh well. At least Crackdown 2 is still to come.

  • kimchibaka #268 2 years ago

    I've never read such a series of damning criticisms across most of a four page review only to see it given a respectable 7.

    I find it impossible to tally the content with the score, and if I was considering purchasing this the review would confuse me rather than help me, which is where it fails in my book.

  • danjfor #269 2 years ago

    Alan's... Funny Stooories!

  • neems #270 2 years ago

    @Retroid - "I'd rather read a review with credible-sounding negatives mentioned so I can ponder whether such things would annoy the hell out of me in a game. They're often more useful than 100% glowing reviews which mention no such things."

    Spot on. The wave of critical reviews that followed (or pre-empted I guess) the initial release of Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl told me everything I needed to know - that for all it's flaws, it was a game that I had to play. For me, Alan Wake doesn't sound appealing, but others will come away from this review with the opposite opinion.

    Sometimes I think all reviews should emphasise the negatives (although not to the exclusion of all else). It's a good game, but...

  • LeD #271 2 years ago

    Perhaps EG should hire my wife to write reviews, she hates games too!

  • Geordiemp #272 2 years ago

    All videogames are Cliche and samey, so when a reviewer knocks a game for this but not another (which game is not cliched ?) then thats wrong if its marked down for that.

    I did nor agree with Ellie for her marking down of Ratchet crack in time as being 'samey', EG did not say the same thing about COD 3,4,5 at MW.

    Maybe Ellie should write 2 reviews, one to get laughs (and to get laughs you have to take the p.., and one review to tell us about the GAMEPLAY. All stories for games are cringeworthy, half the fun, they are GAMES.

    All I got from the GAMEPLAY was it leaves ammo around before big fights, you cant run for long, and its a bit repetative with no climibing and puzzles....

    How long is it to play (as a SP only, it should be long) ?
    Are there diffoculty levels ?
    Is it heavily scripted (if you play it wtice, do enemies spawn same positions) ?

    Get the idea Eurogamer, tell us how it plays some more ?

  • JediMasterMalik #273 2 years ago

    Just for the record, and I don't think this has been said enough, This is really very good review, puts forth positives and negatives in pretty good balance. Considering the length of development and hype, it really makes sense to focus even a bit more on the negatives, simply because that's the information that needs to be put across more. THough I personally think the review was well balanced even in that regard. Also a very funny review, so I am all for Ellie reviewing proper games tbh.

    If I ever get a 360, or if it comes to PC, I'll probably pick this up, it looks pretty good.

  • Goodfella #274 2 years ago

    @ kimchibaka

    It does read like it should have a 5 at the end.

  • Zerobob #275 2 years ago

    People keep saying that a review is only one person's opinion, which is true, but I don't think that justifies a reviewer saying what the hell they want.

    I think it's Eurogamer's obligation and responsibility to employ game reviewers who are capable of providing an impartial opinion every time.

    OK, in this case it's no big loss, a game with a distinct 85% score was given 70%, which is fine by any measure really. I just don't think it's good enough for any critic, especially a non-independent critic, or any person to excuse ill-informed reviews because they are an opinion.

    That's like saying a footballer who lays down in the middle of the pitch the whole game is still technically doing their job, as they are on the pitch, wearing the correct kit, and not committing a foul, and it's up to the player how they play the game. While this is true, it's up to the manager to take that player off the pitch.

  • C225 #276 2 years ago

    The review reads as if it was written by a 5 year old with the odd sarky joke added in for good measure. I dont take much out of any review anyway as at the end of the day they are just one persons opinion.

  • Seabeast #277 2 years ago

    I love how all the PS3 kids keep saying the 360 kids are crying about this review, yet about 50% of the posts are PS3 owners here to troll and neg peoples comments.

    Get a life.

  • cozeny #278 2 years ago

    Touched a nerve, Ashen-Shugar. Too close to the bone, huh. Living your life in sub-HD are you.

  • I\'mListening #279 2 years ago

    As much as I was really hoping for this to score highly I have to say the more I've seen of this the more my interest has waned. While it has scored high on most other sites they all seem to call it flawed. Six years of development time should not allow for a flawed experience. It seems that longer development times make the developers live in an almost coccooned existence as newer developments within gaming pass them by...

  • Bealsy #280 2 years ago

    @retroid - yep, everybody needs to know the negatives, a good thing. But it seems too much time is spent going over them. Clichés are taken as a bad thing throughout the review when they aren't necessarily a bad thing. It can lead to greater suspense - do you trust the cliché image being built up in your head?

    And the closing comments - never try and be pedantic and self empowering by playing the "oh I suppose you'll like it if you like repetition and average gameplay then this probably represents a good weekend" card. It pisses the reader off, and creates a vision of Ellie suggesting that anybody that likes the game more than she did is a simpleton.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 10:55

  • northside #281 2 years ago

    I enjoyed the review, but the score at the is a little odd. I get the feeling that Ellie would have liked to have scored it lower. In fact I think the gaming press in general are far too conservative when rating games, probably not helped by all the "well it scored 9/10 on site X" whining that goes on. To everyone complaining about the 7, hop over to the films or music section on Metacritic, and you can find a much more diverse set of opinions than you do on games - even the highly acclaimed titles tend to get a couple of stinging reviews which is much more informative.

    As for Alan Wake, i'm disappointed that it's been scaled back so much from the original vision, but it still looks like a decent enough slice of survival-horror. I'd probably pick it up if it weren't for Red Dead Redemption coming out the following week.

  • TheHitman #282 2 years ago

    "I don't even have an xbox, but I wanted it to be really good: I WANT EVERY GAME TO BE GOOD. "

    But then how would we decide which console to support. If every game was good we wouldn't know which games to hate.

  • soviet_ #283 2 years ago

    I always find Ellie's reviews entertaining.

    Going to check the game out anyway although Alone in the Dark got a 7/10 didn't it and that was fucking dire. Good job i bought it new for £5
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 11:39

  • cianchristopher #284 2 years ago

    Can't wait for Gran Turismo 5 to get a 7/10 too. That'll restore balance to the universe...

  • Badassbab #285 2 years ago

    Maybe Ellie doesn't like patronising Americans and Alan Wake was full of it/them?

  • SYS64738 #286 2 years ago

    "@bad09...listen man........im not 16..lol....i play games from when i was 8 and im 32 sorry if with my stupid english i dont reach the point....i havent NOTHING against the gender...i HAVE nothing of personal again this reviewer...
    i know so good how choose a game.....but i would hope who ppl work in this job still look at how "ppl work"..Remedy is not a big team.....and they r one of the first "team party" who do their own graphics engine....on xbox....they write a story (good or bad i dont care)...and this not happen in every game ..as we seen.........now look...i want to say a thing ..........like i said im 32 and i remember years ago " Dragons Lair" ..and .now we Heavy Rain...for some younger guy..this could be an fantastic game or something like this...for aged person like me...still remain "not a videogame" but just the 2010 Dragons Lair ......if u look at reviews someone r really really really good...and sure for me that r really "personal opinions"...........is hard to understand how a game is from a review......and more hard to understand reviews if u follow games from 20 years or +............i hate 10/10 coz mean perfection and ...working in IT...i know who perfection dosnt exist .........but i hate also...bad review ....expecially when r out of contest...(i think this...about this review) ...coz in this years is hard for a little company to compete with big big big big company ...who put out shit and sell it...trough good rates................ "

    POST OF THE DAY

    Ok perhaps I should summarise thanks to the punctuation train wreck above:

    1. Genders aren't shit
    2. Remedy is throwing a team party, maybe at a later stage "doing" the graphics engine (juicy!)
    3. 32 is officially aged
    4. 10/10 is perfection which isn't good, especially if you're working in IT
    5. There are 4 stages in terms of company size
    6. Shit will sell good if your rate is good
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 11:24

  • Syrok #287 2 years ago

    "xbox fanboys are even more pathetic then us PS3 fanboys, at least we take exclusives which should have ben better like men, not like little whining bitches!"

    All fanboys are pathetic by definition. Doesn't matter what platform they irrationally defend as if their lives depend on it. ;)

  • JediMasterMalik #288 2 years ago

    You single handedly just destroyed punctuation.

    Aimed at the guy SYS64738 was quoting.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 11:06

  • E_Fittipaldi #289 2 years ago

    "All the same, there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay, and don't mind a lot of repetition. Alan Wake is an accessible, undemanding game with a neat combat mechanic and decent visuals. It's just not a very original game, it's certainly not an exceptional one, and it's a shame it wasn't ready a few years ago."
    I could say just the same about Uncharted 2. Still, it is a 10/10 game and AW is 7/10. What is it between these games that gives the other label perfect, and other is just mediocore? Review does not make it clear to me. I did like Uncharted 2, but i never thought it is a perfect game like Eurogamer did and i also ordered AW and i'm pressy sure i will love it.
    Edit: Ok, Eurogamer did just not just like the game, when almost all other did :D. Funny. Are all the rest right, and Eurogamer wrong, or wise versa? Hmm...
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 11:25

  • mkreku #290 2 years ago

    I would absolutely love it if they let Ellie review Halo: Reach too.

    The male-chauvinist crying would be epic.

  • cairbre1977 #291 2 years ago

    Ouch. Never really had any hopes riding on this one.

    When a game spends to long in devlopment it can only mean trouble IMO.

    Then again Splinter Cell took ages and I was sure it was going to be shite but to my suprise I am really enjoying it and I havent gotten to the multiplayer yet.

  • Goodfella #292 2 years ago

    @ JediMasterMalik

    He was quoting someone else.

  • o_ci2007 #293 2 years ago

    [link url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platform s/xbox360/alanwake?q=alan%20wake
    ]http://ww w.metacritic.com/games/platform...[/link]

  • Geordiemp #294 2 years ago

    Just watched the Gametrailers review..

    So its 6 chapters, each 1 to 2 hours long, each liike a TV episode in length.

    Lighting looked good, although in dark it was almost like wathing a B&W film with emeny shadows...

    Type of game I might actually buy, but will probably wait 5-6 months as it will be £ 15 by then as can imagine it filling the used shelves in GAME pretty quick if it has no replay value (still no mention of difficulty settings or REPLAY value, but I guess no mention means its not a feature)...

  • JediMasterMalik #295 2 years ago

    @goodfella - fixed :p

  • Geordiemp #296 2 years ago

    Just watched the Gametrailers review..

    So its 6 chapters, each 1 to 2 hours long, each liike a TV episode in length.

    Lighting looked good, although in dark it was almost like watching a B&W film with emeny shadows...

    Type of game I might actually buy, but will probably wait 5-6 months as it will be £ 15 by then as can imagine it filling the used shelves in GAME pretty quick if it has no replay value (still no mention of difficulty settings or REPLAY value, but I guess no mention means its not a feature)...
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 11:08

  • Seabeast #297 2 years ago

    If i see one more review that says ' It's not a very original game ' and then see it get marked down im going to stop coming to this site.

    How many games are actually original these days?

    Uncharted 2 is quite possibly the most unoriginal game of the last decade yet, did it get mentioned in its 10/10?

    What was original about the new Street Fighter?

    Will FiFa 11 get a negative for not being original?

    Will Dead Space 2 score 7/10?

    It seems every game gets reviewed differently, some reviews overlook certain things, then you get reviews that pounce on the most pety of negatives.

    Every single game should be reviewed for what it is, because if we contine this trend about how a game isn't very original then most reviews are going to be overly negative and not worth reading.

    Goodbye Eurogamer, no more hits from me.

  • king2001 #298 2 years ago

    Christ there's more twats here than in a copy of Mayfair.

    Ellie has played the game, reviewed it and gave it a 7. Maybe if Oli had done the same then the score could have been different. Who knows?

    Perhaps "big" games like this need two reviews (or at least another brief opinion) just to give some balance and help stop the comments section becoming the 3 lane motorway pileup it invariably turns into.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #299 2 years ago

    I've only read few of the comments but there really is no need to insult the reviewer just because you don't like the score. This is incredibly low and an even bigger waste of time than to argue which console is better.

  • j-bo #300 2 years ago

    I never understand people complaining about critiques being too harsh - ffs that's their job people! I'd expect someone for whom it's their chosen profession to be a bit more discriminating then someone for who it's a hobby or pass-time.

    It also begs the question why do you want reviewers to be nice to 'your' games. You clearly don't want them to whittle out the mediocre and shit games for you and save you money (which is what I want), rather it seems you want reviewers to give you a pat on the head and to give you a hug to make you feel better that the turgid shit you just blew £40 on was somehow worth it.

    I'd rather only a 10 was given out every few years and was a 'woo hell, gaming paradigm shift' moment, then the sort of tedious expected, endorsement of the hype engines that surround all the big releases now.

    So yes, i love the fact Ellie is a bit harsh, in the same way I love the fact Yahtzee is, and they're both amusing (to various degrees too).

    OH and for anyone even mentioning Ellie's gender, as someone said above, fuck the hell away from my hobby you rancid little insecure excuse for a stereotype and stop tarring the rest of us with your social ineptitude.

  • Postumo #301 2 years ago

    I can't agree with Ellie. Her reviews are too sarcastic in a forced way. Videogames are full of nonsensical material as thermoses because they don't simulate reality.

    We can make a lot of funny comments about COD players healing just by stopping taking shots, we can discuss about fifa not having a variety of gameplay modes or scenario because it's football, or super mario for being the same generic plumber...

    I think this situation is forced. It's the same when I want to enrage some friends making critics on films o tv series they like.I know what's to try hard to ridiculise something and Ellie reviews feels like that. I don't think that a "polished game" could get a the same treatmen than an unplayable game like Alone in the Dark...

    In Spain, it's a 9/10 game.

  • uglygamer #302 2 years ago


    Here are all the reviews so far. Only Eurogamer have given it 7


    10/10 – itwire
    10/10 hardgame
    95 - Gamingtrend
    92 PlantX360
    92 - X360A
    9.1 FileFront
    9.1 411
    IGN 9.0
    9.0 Justpushstart
    90 - Videogamer
    90 - Meritstation
    90 - CV&G
    18/20 - Xbox-mag.net
    87 – Pelit
    87 GP Germany
    85 - IGN AU
    85 - NZ gamer
    84 GA
    83 1up
    80 GiantBomb
    80 - Eurogamer Spain
    70 - Eurogamer

  • Goodfella #303 2 years ago

    So its 6 chapters, each 1 to 2 hours long, each liike a TV episode in length.

    So it's not even that long, it took 6 years to make a game that will last a maximum of 12 hours?

    My interest is starting to wane. Could be a bargain bin job.

  • feistycheese #304 2 years ago

    For gods sakje people its just a review. If you all dont like Ellie and Eurogamer so much then piss off and join all the trolls on Gamespot and IGN (who are a hell of a lot worse than the muppets here believe me).

    I find that when a game is hyped so much, its almost as if the bigger reviewing sites 'automatically' give it a favourable review. Maybe Ellie's the only one brave enough to actually look at its faults and tell us what they are?

    But guess what? I'll actually try the game before mouthing off and insulting some reviewer Ive never met just because her opinion didn't match up to my expectation.

  • Geordiemp #305 2 years ago

    Agree with Seabass a little, reviewers get a bit pretentious going on about originality and mood etc, its a GAME....

    All games should be reviewed as such, if you want give a separate score for originality.

    Personaly, I Dont care if Battlefield 26 (Twenty six LOL) comes out, if its the best shooter ever, has a 20 hour campaign playable with a buddy, and great multiplayer, I dont care if its about Black ops, Spec ops or tree ops.

    I would like to know if the 7/10 was marked down because of the gameplay / length...

    Immersion and feeling is for ART students.

  • spudsbuckley #306 2 years ago

    Meh. Still going to pick this up. I don't think i've ever agreed with one of Ellie 'I Hate Games' Gibson's reviews.

  • sneetch #307 2 years ago

    Dear god, so many idiots and no ignore button. Why have you forsaken us EG!?! :(

    I look forward to the day that people can look at a review and go "Oh. That's an interesting and thought provoking opinion." rather than "aha! Proof that X is the best/worst ever anyone who has the other console is an idiot and I'm a genius because I chose this one!"

    Edit: Note I said so many idiots, I do not mean to imply that everyone here is an idiot, most aren't but the idiots make up in intensity what they lack in numbers. :)
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 11:15

  • TheKayle #308 2 years ago

    again this review is just out of contest...lol

  • Der_tolle_Emil #309 2 years ago

    Immersion and feeling is for ART students.

    Personally I was always under the impression that Alan Wake was one of those games there the immersion was a central point to the game; A bit like Eternal Darkness, which was a fantastic game because of how it grasped you; The gameplay really was nothing special or new, but the whole package was amazing.

  • MiniAmin #310 2 years ago

    The game might've received a disappointing score (however the review was excellent), however i'm not disappointed at all as reading this thread has exposed some of posters as the pathetic idiots I suspected them to be. Chauvinistic fanboys with archaic attitudes towards women. No wonder the "my girlfriend" meme is so prevalent in the gaming community. Such misogynists will always feel the need to "prove" they aren't nerds or bigots via mentioning they have a girlfriend.

    I won't apologise for ranting, some of you are disgusting, really. How is such filth generated from game which receives a good (yes a 7 is GOOD) review score.

    Brilliant review, concisely pointed out the game's flaws and now i'll turn my attention (and finances) towards other games. This review has guided me as a consumer that's precisely what it's supposed to do - it isn't intended to act as a weapon in my fanboy wars.

    Grow up, losers.

  • Widge #311 2 years ago

    WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Originality not to be applied to games as they are "just games"?

  • Goodfella #312 2 years ago

    *Agrees with MiniAmin.

  • Kenshin001 #313 2 years ago

    I thought this game was supposed to be a GOTY according to the 360 fanboy brigade? Was one of the very few games I had an interest in on 360 and turns out to be a merely competent, sub-HD humourless turd. Not a touch on Heavy Rain, let alone last year's GOTY, the sublime Uncharted 2.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #314 2 years ago

    Immersion and feeling is for ART students.

    Personally I was always under the impression that Alan Wake was one of those games there the immersion was a central point to the game; A bit like Eternal Darkness, which was a fantastic game because of how it grasped you; The gameplay really was nothing special or new, but the whole package was amazing.

  • TheApologist #315 2 years ago

    I went to sleep last night in a world where 7/10 meant above average, and woke up on a planet where 7/10 is a 'bad score'.

    Seems like stupid internet boys can't count.

  • j-bo #316 2 years ago

    @MiniAmin
    +1

  • Bealsy #317 2 years ago

    fake and gay

  • WangFu #318 2 years ago

    Yeah, 7/10 isn't a bad score, I've enjoyed plenty of games which got 7/10. I've also not enjoyed some of them.
    In the grand scheme of things, who really cares?
    Read some reviews, make up your mind, buy it or don't. It's not hard. What's with the whinging?

  • Geordiemp #319 2 years ago

    "Personally I was always under the impression that Alan Wake was one of those games there the immersion was a central point to the game"

    Maybe I have played too many games, you never get scared, its justa game, die and you go back to your last save point and loose maybe a few minutes of gameplay...

    Only game that ever felt oh f..k was the first game I ever bought of this generation since Ps1, and that was Res evil 4 on Wii, on entering the village. A 360 and Ps3 later, maybe getting too old...

  • Widge #320 2 years ago

    Quite. The main selling points which people have been hanging onto for Alan Wake were:

    . Technical benchmark
    . Open world
    . Atmosphere (through setting and story)

    Addressing the last point - possibly one of the most critical parts of the game - , if the story is cliched, uninvolving, poorly delivered, then that is a big fat fail really. It is possible to do classic themes within gaming without succumbing to budget value cliche and scripting. That is why Uncharted 2 was received so well.

  • TheHitman #321 2 years ago

    Get out of 'ere MiniAmin.

    We don' wan' you sane types 'round these parts!

    /readies pitchfork.

  • MiniAmin #322 2 years ago

    The game might've received a disappointing score (however the review was excellent), however i'm not disappointed at all as reading this thread has exposed some of posters as the pathetic idiots I suspected them to be. Chauvinistic fanboys with archaic attitudes towards women. No wonder the "my girlfriend" meme is so prevalent in the gaming community. Such misogynists will always feel the need to "prove" they aren't nerds or bigots via mentioning they have a girlfriend.

    I won't apologise for ranting, some of you are disgusting, really. How is such filth generated from game which receives a good (yes a 7 is GOOD) review score.

    Brilliant review, concisely pointed out the game's flaws and now i'll turn my attention (and finances) towards other games. This review has guided me as a consumer that's precisely what it's supposed to do - it isn't intended to act as a weapon in my fanboy wars.

    Grow up, losers.

    oops, didn't realise the other post uploaded. I'll keep this up anyway.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 11:24

  • carrotcake #323 2 years ago

    Enjoyed the review. My favourite part was the bit that mentioned tesco metro. Just came to see what all the fuss was about, never was excited about this movie game.

  • kangarootoo #324 2 years ago

    @JediMasterMalik

    English isn't the quoted guy's first language, something that he needlessly apologised for in a previous post. So some slack can be cut methinks.




    This thread is depressing. A review is published that some people agree with and some don't (often for purile platform exclusive fanboy reasons), and so everyone flings their poo at each other for nearly 400 posts, along with the usual nonsense of trying to suggest that any review can be objective.

    Why are the longest threads always the worst ones by far? It is exactly this sort of thing that makes me question democracy, and undermines my efforts to quash my superiority complex.

  • TheKayle #325 2 years ago

    @JediMasterMalik
    Sorry, i'll improve it later. :)

  • MaoZedong #326 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • Der_tolle_Emil #327 2 years ago

    Immersion and feeling is for ART students.

    Personally I was always under the impression that Alan Wake was one of those games there the immersion was a central point to the game; A bit like Eternal Darkness, which was a fantastic game because of how it grasped you; The gameplay really was nothing special or new, but the whole package was amazing.

    Edit: Somehow managed to post this twice. Sorry.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 11:30

  • digoutyoursoul #328 2 years ago

    anyone just showing a interest in video gaming should really stay away from game forums and comments sections, absolute dickheads some of you are. "us verus them" grow up you arseholes.

  • PearOfAnguish #329 2 years ago

    Amazing how irate people get over a few numbers at the end of a review. UltraMega Internet Angry Man Attack Squad: ASSEMBLE.

  • beastmaster #330 2 years ago

    Edge sub should be popping in through the post soon. Should be interesting...

  • KDR_11k #331 2 years ago

    Quoting a metacritic review:

    "the biggest compliment I can bestow: I had a nightmare about the game the night after I completed it."

    uhuahuahua

    Meh, it's fairly easy to have dreams about a game, just play enough of it before going to bed and you'll get some variant of it in a dream. I've dreamed I was a soldier in the Imperial Guard after playing too much Dawn of War 2. Hell, I once had a dream about a Half-Life deathmatch in a Frogger level.

  • HoriZon #332 2 years ago

    So the games average live with it move on.

  • TK9lulz #333 2 years ago

    Hopefully with the press reaction now pretty much set, I won't have to read fanboy drivel from Digital Foundry simultaneously insulting 3rd party efforts on the 360 while trying to defend an exclusive linear game rendering at one of the lowest resolutions. Approximation effects at night with 540p geometry is hardly a representation of the 360's capabilities. It's a poor reflection if anything that could have used perhaps several more years in the oven to catch up in the console space.

  • XdarXideX #334 2 years ago

    Now I'm not going to insult Ellie or say she's wrong as if I've played the game myself... but there is at least some fact in what people are saying about Ellie's review of this game regardless of whether or not you think it's sexism. I think I'll take other peoples word for it this time.

  • Avaloner #335 2 years ago

    If I had to review this comments thread it would be a 5/10

    Pros: Constructive criticism is good, You will not finish it in an afternoon, Fanboys can be (unintentionally) funny
    Cons: Destructive criticism is very bad, Some very poor writing, It tends to drag on a bit and might get repetitive, Not everyone can write, Heavy on the trolling

  • munki83 #336 2 years ago

    I never understood why people complain when a game gets a 7. If that represents 70% that would get you a 1st class degree at uni :D

  • Wildsleven #337 2 years ago

    lol you guys are funny: "OH NOES!!!! eurogamer is does not agree with me they suck!!!!" lol grow up, eurogamer is blizz! ;)

  • j-bo #338 2 years ago

    'Wanking bears violated my children'

    daily mail headline ftw!

  • charliemouse #339 2 years ago

    Excellent review; funny, informative and picked up on all the things that will likely irritate the hell out of me and justified the final score, unlike some other websites who had similar complaints yet still dished out nones and tens.

    Still gonna.

    And those of you banging on about 'wanking bears' and 'unprofessionalism'... you have read Eurogamer before right?

    Brilliant.

  • Bibbo #340 2 years ago

    Wow, what a battle in here, eh? I'll wait a few months for this to drop. Same with most other single player games. You fanboys need to get outside a bit more.

  • Wendelius #341 2 years ago

    I'm no big fan of Ellie's writing style or her particular brand of humour. That being said, I think she gave the game a fair shake and wrote quite a comprehensive article.

    The fact that she liked it enough to give it a 7 but had plenty of niggles is useful to set our expectations. But what I read hasn't removed the game from a day 1 purchase for me.

    Your mileage may (and probably should) vary.

    Wendelius

  • spekkeh #342 2 years ago

    WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Originality not to be applied to games as they are "just games"?

    hear hear. I think this was an excellent review that completely lay bare that, when you have a story-driven game, it's paramount how you convey the story to the player. If this is in any way crippled or outdated, your narrative is going to be crippled.

    Probably still going to buy this, but I know for a fact that I'm going to experience the same nuisances as Ellie did.

  • GamesConnoisseur #343 2 years ago

    Half of the comments wasted on the another opportunity to advance their side in the eternal CONSOLE WARZ!

    PS3 fanboys either

    a) I was damn worried that I would miss out on great exclusive but no thank god its an average game!

    b) GODDAMN a victory for PS3 exclusive Hard Rain and BLAM Alan Wake as a challenger is DEAD!

    or both!

    Its embarrasing when comments like that are given in what is a review of Alan Wake for X360, and I m sure the SAME PS3 owners would feel annoyed if Xbots comes wading in and giving flaks for PS3 exclusives that did not get as critical praises as anticipated.

    7/10 is not a bad score, just look at Dead Space or the orginial review for Planescape Torment. Both get 7/10 and yet still quite loved! More importantly again, just a number and one person's opnion as others said.

  • geeza2020 #344 2 years ago

    Eurogamer wants hits, so they are going to let Ellie review a massive game because they KNOW the massive overeaction it will get from people frothing at the mouth and calling for Ellie's head, and others defending Ellie because it makes them feel more mature while insulting all others who dont agree with the review as "little boys" or "bedroom wankers" even if their comments on the review are pretty valid. IMO by the way, well i fucking cant have an opinion on this review because i have not played it, like 99% of you lunatics on here!!

    A rather intersting social experiment EG, i doff my hat to you.

  • wanksta10 #345 2 years ago

    well regarded developer such as remedy + over 5 years in development + original and intriguing concept

    =

    7/10?

    i'm sorry but that is a huge failure, this game should've been something special and put simply from what i've read from the review, it sounds like a bog-standard adventure game, which all of us have played countless times before in one variety or another,

    it simply isn't good enough.

  • Geordiemp #346 2 years ago

    Here is a good review telling us the flaws from 1UP MAIN REVIEW SITE NOT THE FORUMS, more professionally ;

    "Though, Alan Wake's fantastic night gets, well, a bit ugly once daylight hits. While most of the suspense and action gameplay occurs at night, you then spend time either navigating the world or gaining more exposition, during daylight. It's here that Alan Wake's visuals falter; as oppressive, opaque, and spooky as the night is, the clarity of day amplifies its flaws.

    Pop-up becomes more obvious (driving sequences during the day shows that the shrubs on the side of the road must be fertilized with some potent version of Miracle-Gro), textures that no longer hide behind shadow and small pockets of precious light look quite unrefined during the brightest day, shadows look downright jaggy and low-res and "normal" (meaning unpossessed and not swinging an axe) characters look a bit too stiff and artificial. At best, it's "not as good" as night, but it also occasionally dips into "this is just plain ugly" territory."

    Thats how to articulate the flaws, Ellie is funny but does not tell you that much.

    And I get neged for pasting a review from 1UP !
    Edited by 3 at 05/05/10 @ 12:20

  • viper_h #347 2 years ago

    I'll wait for Darksydephil's review and playthrough of this...

    However it seems to me that a game that's described as "moving from a to b while defeating enemies" and "becomes predictable" doesn't sound like the kind of game I'm going to enjoy. From the review, the game does sound many years out of date, but we'll see...

  • Spekingur #348 2 years ago

    Ellie to review Red Dead Redemption!

  • TH3WICK3D1 #349 2 years ago

    good review, but im still counting on Remedy releasing this for the... wait for it.... PC!

  • El-Dev #350 2 years ago

    "Here is a good review telling us the flaws from 1UP..."

    Then just stay on the 1UP forums.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 12:09

  • JediMasterMalik #351 2 years ago

    @Geordieimp - How can you compare the two when Ellie didn't even talk about technical flaws much? I assume DF will do an article about it, so you can get all the tech info you need. What an idiotic comparison.

  • telboy007 #352 2 years ago

    "'Wanking bears violated my children'

    daily mail headline ftw!"

    No, if it was a Daily Mail headline it would be 'Wanking bears cause cancer.' ;)

  • Vic #353 2 years ago

    "Still it's kinda funny a game that's been in development for 5 years is likely to be stinking up 2nd hand bins in a few weeks time."

    LOL.

    Hope this comes out on PC and wont have any of the associated technical issues.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 12:17

  • Big-Swiss #354 2 years ago

    EG Germany gave it a 9/10!

    so its all good guys!

  • NightAntilli #355 2 years ago

    I kind of feel that this reviewer is simply hating on the game. I'll probably be called a fanboy for what I'm about to say, or get rated -2000 thumbs or whatever, but I don't care.

    The reviewer used arguments like "the game should've been released in 2007", and they use these comparisons:

    Games such as BioShock have shown how compelling and original storylines can be told in innovative ways. The likes of Uncharted 2 have offered up not just lush visuals but diverse locations and varied gameplay. With Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream broke the rules of game narrative and forced the player not only to think before pulling the trigger, but to feel.

    I haven't played Bioshock. Well I did, but quit on about half since I didn't like it, so I can't comment on that.
    UC2 didn't offer varied gameplay at all. It was basically climb/solve puzzle, shoot, watch cutscene, repeat. Though the presentation gave the impression that you were doing something different, in reality, you weren't. Yeah, there were different locations, but he's an explorer, AW goes to a small town to unwind and stays there. That's a completely different story, and you can't criticize a game for having a fixed setting or location based on a different story. If that's how you wanna criticize a game, why not criticize Uncharted for not being able to go to other planets while in Mass Effect you can? See how absurd that argument really is? See it as the film phone booth. Almost the whole movie takes place in a phone booth, but it's still a freaking good movie.
    I don't see why Heavy Rain is relevant at all. Why didn't she use Mass Effect as an example instead if she was arguing to think before pulling the trigger? This game isn't about choice at all, so ME would also be irrelevant, but her choosing Heavy Rain clearly shows something....

    And then she says it has "decent" visuals? Oh come on.. She's obviously hating on it because it was in development for such a long time. Basically all her arguments come down to "outdated" because according to her, the game is 3 years old or whatever. It's a critique on what the release date should've been, and not on what the game currently is, and along with that, she drags every aspect of the game down that would be outstanding a few years back, to being only "decent" right now, while it's still way above average nowadays (mainly graphics, lip syncing and animations really could use some work though). I bet this won't happen if she reviews GT5 even if it takes 10 more years to develop...

    And oyeah, for the ones rating me down, go look at Metacritic. This review is the lowest score until now... Out of 22 reviews. That says something...
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 12:54

  • Spydy #356 2 years ago

    Not a bad score considering it's been in development hell for years. I may pick this up.

  • Jim_Lahey #357 2 years ago

    Sounds like the bastard son of Alone In The Dark and Obscure with a touch of In In The Mouth Of Madness.... Never mind I loved those two games so will be a day 1 purchase for me.

    There will always be reviews that dont match your liking/opinion of a game.... Too many for me to remember.....Dark Sector, Dead Space, Sabotuer, Mercs 2 off the top of my head. All games that got mediocre or poor reviews yet games I enjoyed immensely .

  • Geordiemp #358 2 years ago

    @ EL Dev

    Had to go to 1Up and gametrailers to get some info on the game, 14 hours apparently, poor day sections, good night sections...

    Usually EG gives a good acount of how the game plays, its good and bad points. Ellie just did one of her comedy ones. I enjoyed it, but its main critique was the immersion that spoiled it for HER...

  • ParanoidZombie #359 2 years ago

    A divisive game, then, a bit like heavy rain (immersion vs obvious flaws). I refuse to read through this comments thread since EG has decided to remove the" ignore poster" option. I want to discuss the game, so I guess I'll have to go to some other place. I wish there was a videogames website that welcomes only people who are interested in videogames. If such a place exists, please let me know.

    And Ellie, no offense, but this review is not your best work IMO.

  • Caspar_Esq. #360 2 years ago

    Urgh. Ellie review.

    /cba

  • dsmx #361 2 years ago

    7/10 just means that if your a fan of the genre you will enjoy this game but everyone else will find it a bit hit or miss.

    Still I feel somewhat vindicated since I said months ago that it wouldn't live up to the hype that the xbox fanboys were heaping on it.

  • anomagnus #362 2 years ago

    I'm unsure why there was such fuss about Alan Wake to begin with. Why was this title ever given the hype that it was.

    Lets be honest here, even if it was a 9/10 or 10/10 game, its not an action packed shooter, and its dropping in the summer period, which is hardly the boom time of the industry. Heavy rain, its closest equivilent was a 9/10 game. How well has it done? This game, whether it is good or bad, didnt deserve the hype or hope that surrounded. It never even blipped on my radar

    Regarding the review itself, EG does have an issue on its hand. Ellie is known as a take the piss reviewer of casual games. Thats not her fault, thats how shes presented to us, and we all get a laugh out of the reviews. But if she wants to do something different, or if EG wants her to be seen as a serious reviewer, then really, they need to work on the 'message' around Ellie. If this game is a 7/10 game, and it may well be, i dont know, it won't matter, because EG has created the idea that Ellie can't do a serious review.

    I will say this though, if MS had any faith in this game, over the past 12 months, they wouldn't have dropped its release in May.

  • Bravestinsane #363 2 years ago

    Wow a lot or sexism towards ellie again,

    Jesus fucking christ parents give your kids a hug once in a while or they grow up like the twats on this site!

  • dsmx #364 2 years ago

    7/10 just means that if your a fan of the genre you will enjoy this game but everyone else will find it a bit hit or miss.

    Still I feel somewhat vindicated since I said months ago that it wouldn't live up to the hype that the xbox fanboys were heaping on it.

  • Beano #365 2 years ago

    @teh9182 : Back from school early?

  • JediMasterMalik #366 2 years ago

    Uncharted 2 DID have varied gameplay. Sure it was puzzles/platforming/shooting, but it wasn't all the same. Just because a game is a straightforward shooter does not mean that the game is not, or cannot be varied. Variation in gameplay comes from level design and set pieces, from the review it seems AW doesn't offer this variety, where as U2 did. I don't think U2 is a perfect game, nor is it particularly original, but it did what it did very well indeed.

    Also: don't try dismantle someones opinion because someone else, or even everyone else, thinks differently.

  • sneetch #367 2 years ago

    @viper_h
    However it seems to me that a game that's described as "moving from a to b while defeating enemies" and "becomes predictable" doesn't sound like the kind of game I'm going to enjoy.

    To be honest that sounds like almost every action or adventure game I've ever played. Just about all of them involve moving from a to b while defeating enemies and, to a greater or lesser degree depending on how much you're enjoying the game, nearly every one becomes predictable and repetitive. It's whether or not that becomes a problem or the game is compulsive or enjoyable enough that you don't care that's the real issue.

    If you stop and think "damn I've fought my way down this corridor so many times" then it's a problem, if you can't wait to see the room at the end of the corridor it ain't.

  • dsmx #368 2 years ago

    U2 was also fun the entire way through the game, people who say it wasn't very good haven't played it.

  • mode7 #369 2 years ago

    It sounds like a case of too little, too late.

  • Rodchenko #370 2 years ago

    Only because germans like to watch people burn.

    Nice on Beano. Do you feel better now?

  • enfilade #371 2 years ago

    I'm indignant and furious that a game I was hoping would be good has received only a mediocre score. Their interpretation of the games must be wrong, because all of the press hype and trailers that I've based my expectations on say much more about a game than actually playing it.

    I know! I'll attack the integrity of the journalist so as to render her opinion as a professional games journalist null and void!

  • super_monty #372 2 years ago

    Elle terrible review not sure how you keep your job, ps does it sound like a female or male bear WANKING? prehaps you should review for NUTS or the Daily Star.

  • fileunderMisc #373 2 years ago

    It's a shame that so many people have clearly flown off the handle, bashing Ellie for creating a well written review. I, while being more than a little disappointed with the final score, think this was a fair review. Had my hopes high for this one. Though it does feel at times as if she's being negative for the sake of it, there's always some sort of clear reasoning behind it.

    It sounds like the "It's ready when it's ready" attitude has damaged the game rather than propel it to an awesome game of the year status. Saying that though, there have been many a game that's taken this long with the same attitude and still rocked.. But hey, I'll still buy it, play it and find out for myself. The mixed reception does intrigue me ever more.

  • ronuds #374 2 years ago

    EG's been harsh lately! This is the 2nd time in recent months that they've given a game the lowest score on Metacritic.

    Oh well, I'm still buying this on day 1.

  • MaoZedong #375 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • ignatiusjreilly #376 2 years ago

    @teh9182

    How's the foot? I think all of Eurogamer will be pleased for you when you get better and can go back to work/school.

  • Beano #377 2 years ago

    @EG: I want the ignore-poster feature back!
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 12:52

  • razzastuta #378 2 years ago

    My word - over 400 posts over one person's opinion? Whatever happened to free will and the ability to buy the game regardless of that opinion? What next? Someone to type "bring back hanging" in bold, capital letters?

  • Irenicus38 #379 2 years ago

    Pfff.... 7/10??? Are you kidding me??? This game is MUCH better! For a serious review, read this one: [link url=h ttp://www.eu.gladriel.com/reviewFull/content/1281/
    ]http://ww w.eu.gladriel.com/reviewFull/co...[/link]

    There will be also a video review, with sexy Miss Hungary 2007.

  • adzengland #380 2 years ago

    Monkey Tennis?

  • GamesConnoisseur #381 2 years ago

    BRING BACK HANGING!

  • ElNino9 #382 2 years ago

    A game like this could only have been done properly on Blu-Ray. It looked promising, such a shame it's been ruined by the poor choice of console excluisivity. Makes you think, FFXIII would have been a 10/10 game had it remained a PS3 excluisive. It had to be dumbed down for the inferior hardware. :-(

  • Crunchers #383 2 years ago

    Entertaining review. Sounds like a rental job.

  • razzastuta #384 2 years ago

    @ GamesConnoisseur

    I was asking for that, really. On reflection, I shouldn't have inspired you - but at the same time, I am touched.

  • LR100 #385 2 years ago

    "All the same, there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay, and don't mind a lot of repetition. "

    Ugh! What a lame thing to say, even if the game is repetitive or not. It just makes it feel like she's saying that if we like the game more than her, then I am some sort of brain dead moron who'll play any old shite. Take my word for it when I say i'm not, ta! I am going to give this game a whirl, I never gave it the adulation that has been heaped on AW in all it's previews, but i'll give it fair chance. If I like it, then good for me, if not, fine, no real loss. I just don't want to be lumped in with a bunch of idiots if I enjoy it more than the (decent) score it got here.

  • tomkuryakin #386 2 years ago

    "So has it been worth the wait, or should Alan Wake have stayed in bed? Ask the titular character that question and you'll probably get an answer in the affirmative."

    At the risk of being pedantic, I'd just like to point out that you can't answer either/or questions with a yes (or a no).

    Apart from that, great review.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 13:01

  • makeamazing #387 2 years ago

    Its pretty stupid to think 7/10 isnt a good score, I've purchased many good games on the PS3 at 7 and have been very pleased with them.

    Factoring variation of 0-1.5, some will like it more, some will agree and some will disagree, whats the big deal?

    OK so the game was hyped, what do you expect for an exclusive and a game that has had lots of development time and money spent on it, that is normal ... no? If people dont think a PS3 exclusive wont get a 7/10 in the future they are totally mistaken. Taking it out on Ellie is just totally stupid... grow up some of you.

  • Beano #388 2 years ago

    "BRING BACK HANGING! "

    Of just a auto-vote-to-ban-silly-troll-after-x-number-of-ignore-poster -clicks (tm)

  • GamesConnoisseur #389 2 years ago

    Seriously I dont think Ellie is at fault, but ours expectation or EG for allowing Ellie's to be presented/associated as a funny reviewer or Casual games.

    I can see from other reviews, that is around 80 mark which gives some similar points as Ellie. However reading her article I would have really thought she was going to give score of 6/10 but that is my interpretation and another person may see differently.

    Different reviewer may of course reach at a slightly or vastly different conclusion and thus YOU should always TRUST your own opinion.

    Some people did enjoy Haze even if that game got 4/10 here at EG.

    Heck even some think David Cameron will really makes a good PM!

  • Beano #390 2 years ago

    "Its pretty stupid to think 7/10 isnt a good score, I've purchased many good games on the PS3 at 7 and have been very pleased with them. "

    I agree completely. A EG 7 doesn't scare me (I loved Dead Space - another EG 7) and the game gets nice scores elsewhere.

  • fileunderMisc #391 2 years ago

    @teh9182 Why do you even bother reading Eurogamer reviews if you clearly dislike them so much?

    And wow, -3 already! Not bad for my first post :)

  • Geordiemp #392 2 years ago

    ^^

    Cant do any worse than sell all the UK gold when gold was rock bottom price, and no more boom and bust Gordon, wrings hands and opens mouth like a toad swallowing a fly Brown.

  • Irenicus38 #393 2 years ago

    7/10??? LOL! read a real review here:

    http://ww w.eu.gladriel.com/reviewFull/co...

  • Geordiemp #394 2 years ago

    Dont worry, it will be £ 15 by July at the HUT and piled high on GAME used shelves.

    Will probably pick it up then LOL....

  • el_pollo_diablo #395 2 years ago

    NONE OF YOU HAVE PLAYED IT YET.

  • Rens11 #396 2 years ago

    was looking forward to this guess I'll wait till its about a tenner which shouldn't be too long :)

  • drxym #397 2 years ago

    Wow, some people are having a meltdown over a game score. Even the best console in the world can suffer from the odd misfire, even one which has been hyped as long as Alan Wake has.

  • Kostas #398 2 years ago

    This game is rental material just like God of War 3 and Heavy Rain before it. It is an "experience" type of a game and thus it does not hold up price wise with other "experience" type game (like the Metroid Prime series for example) because it is only 8-10 hours long.

  • andijames #399 2 years ago

    @teh9182

    although i agree with what you say about racist remarks not being welcome anywhere i don't think using the word 'cunt' is going to get you very far on here either? it's a bit like a dwarf with learning difficulties. It's not big and it's not clever.

  • Geordiemp #400 2 years ago

    Agree wth you Kostas.

    Not bought heavy rain or god war as they are short single player and can wait till price drops. Same with Alan Wake

  • macmurphy #401 2 years ago

    @ Andijames

    Hah genius. Condescendingly calling someone out for using abusive language whilst mocking mental and physical disabilities.

    I loved your metaphor and thought it was pretty funny, but you can't sit on your high horse whilst troffing cake.

  • Beano #402 2 years ago

    @andijames : It was not a racist remark. Unless being anti-german is racist - but I'm partially of german heritage myself so there you go.

  • ignatiusjreilly #403 2 years ago

    Why are people complaining about jokes and bad language?

    Hyperactive fanboys are the cancer on EG, not off-colour gags.

  • dllord #404 2 years ago

    Im sure loads of people have said it but, i'm going to say it anyway, Dead Space got 7/10 and i loved that so the 7/10 score doesn't put me off!

  • Distributor #405 2 years ago

    "@bad09...listen man........im not 16..lol....i play games from when i was 8 and im 32 sorry if with my stupid english i dont reach the point....i havent NOTHING against the gender...i HAVE nothing of personal again this reviewer...
    i know so good how choose a game.....but i would hope who ppl work in this job still look at how "ppl work"..Remedy is not a big team.....and they r one of the first "team party" who do their own graphics engine....on xbox....they write a story (good or bad i dont care)...and this not happen in every game ..as we seen.........now look...i want to say a thing ..........like i said im 32 and i remember years ago " Dragons Lair" ........................................................&quo t;

    Jeesus Christ man. MY EYES!!!!!! I seriously hope your post is an attempt at some sort sarcasm. But I do worry you might need some serious help with your issues. Sempre Fi, dude.

  • andijames #406 2 years ago

    @macmurphy

    Glad you spotted it i would of never noticed. Really.

    I'm not being condescending to be fair do you think the word 'cunt' is something to use when you're trying to have a go at someone else for saying something they thought was bad?

    @Beano - To be fair i didn't see the original remark i was just going off what @teh9182 said and responding to that so my apologies. Believe it or not i'm a quarter german too!

  • TheComedian #407 2 years ago

    I dredged my old account out of its ancient moorings just to reply to this review. I've not played the game at all, so can't have any opinion on it, or the overall score given to it. However, this is by a long way the worst review I have EVER read on Eurogamer. Typical Ellie, she tries her darndest to find a joke where there isn't one, resulting in her inimitable hit-and-miss style with little revelation on the game. Awful. Why couldn't EG get a high-profile review like Kieron or Kriston to tackle this; one of the biggest releases of the year?

  • Beano #408 2 years ago

    @andijames: Never - and I mean NEVER - go on what teh9182 say :)

  • Widge #409 2 years ago

    Yeah, I wish someone who had been willing to overlook the flaws had reviewed the game too.

  • hello_fi #410 2 years ago

    I thought Alan Wake was a third person survival horror game on the 360, not Wii shovelware. It must be if they got Ellie to review it. Absolutely dreadful. "Oooh Dante's Inferno has boobs in it" 6/10, yet there's loads more tits in the first half hour of God of War 3 than the whole of Dante's Inferno and that got a 9 without even a mention. I thought after her terrible reviews of Dante's Inferno and Ratchet, they'd put her back on the Wii garbage but EG have blundered again.

    Poor consistency EG, very poor indeed.

  • POPTONES #411 2 years ago

    Ellie rocks. Simple as that. She's a genuinely talented writer. Has a certain style, true, and perhaps that's not to everyones taste. I suppose she's quite similar to Gary Cutlack in that respect.

    Yes, perhaps she favours humour over relevance. Big.Fucking.Deal. We're talking about games for Jesus sake. Games are silly, they've always been silly, game reviews (and generally all comms) used to be silly. I find it incredible that people would moan about the tone of the review not being serious enough... What a horrid bunch of bores you must be.

    Ellie's copy is always really refreshing because of it's aloofness. It's just funny. Keep up the good work. I hope Eurogamer don't take some of these comments to seriously...

    Minus me down, fuckers. I don't care. I've got left over pasta from last night and just found a tenner in the bottom of my bag.

    Xx

  • Distributor #412 2 years ago

    I used to love eurogamer comment threads. Used to be filled with intelligently witty comments from what appeared to be middle age professionals. Now it has come to this. Below the belt comments from people that should know better. Come on guys, grow up a bit and dont take things too seriously. Its just a game at the end of the day. relax.

  • andijames #413 2 years ago

    @Beano - Lesson learnt! :) ha!

    I acutally thought the review was quite well written personally. Pointed out the good points and the bad points and gave reasons for the judgements. Obviously everyone is different so it won't be everyones cup of tea but end of the day 7/10 is still a damn good score!

  • macmurphy #414 2 years ago

    @andijames.

    I think live and let live. I'm with Ignatius, off colour jokes are the heart and sould of Eurogamer forums.

    I don't think there's any need to drop the c-bomb, but I may have in the past and I don't think it's fair to call someone for being offensive whislt making a joke that could offend.

    If you're telling me you're being arse-numbingly clever and ironic, then I'll have to take that on trust.

  • razzastuta #415 2 years ago

    Still having trouble accepting 7/10 for the Eurogamer review from Ellie? Well here's SEVEN handy tips from El Mighty Razzastuta to get help yourself get over it!

    1) Buy the game anyway and judge it for yourself! Then you can write a review of it and inform everyone what you thought of it!
    2) Read other opinions from other games reviewers - and maybe you can decide if you want to but the game...or not!
    3) Pretend that Ellie wrote 9/10 instead of 7/10 - that way you can enjoy this review everyday of the week and not just Sunday!
    4) Take you FAVOURITE horror game from your games collection, apply a big sticky label over the front of it and write "ALAN WAKE" in black permanent marker ink and PRETEND you're playing ALAN WAKE! It's almost like the real thing!
    5) If you haven't got a girlfriend, you can imagine that Ellie has chosen 7/10 for YOU SPECIFICALLY so that when you return home to your home/bedroom you'll find her sprawled across your bed in sexy lingerie telling you that she only gave Alan Wake a low score so that you could teach Ellie "the error of her ways" and to give her some "stiff correction".
    6) If you HAVE got a girlfriend, why not ask her to look like Ellie and perform the above point for you? You may need to ask Eurogamer to provide a picture of Ellie beforehand for more "realism". Even better if you can get your girlfriend to have a copy of Alan Wake handy too.
    7) Apply for a job at Eurogamer! Then YOU can write the reviews YOU want and give the games YOU like a really good score - even if they REALLY are shite!

    Hopefully this will make Ellie's review easier to take! That's it for my handy tips!

  • Vanmunt #416 2 years ago

    Everybody keeps on about Dead Space's 7... to be fair, that was just a shit review, hence Dead Space Dan was born.. hopefully Alan Wait will be like Dead Space but the points Ellie raises seems to indicate an Alone In The Dark 7...

  • Mark1412 #417 2 years ago

    "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Originality not to be applied to games as they are "just games"?"

    Really is a great comment, originality in art, who'd have thought!? More importantly, who'd want that?

    I still believe that, for the most part, Eurogamer write without regard to hype or majority opinion and that is something that really needs to be championed not criticised. Especially in a climate where bullshit reigns supreme.

    So yeah, if you don't like... go away?

  • Power_n_Glory #418 2 years ago

    I was expecting a 6/10 from the sound of the review. I'm not a fan of these types of games and this wasn't on my radar but I really don't trust Eurogamers reviews anymore. It seems odd that Eurogamer has given it one of the lowest marks out of all the reviews when it's getting 8's and 9's.

    Reminds me of the Splinter Cell review and I bought that game regardless of the review on Eurogamer because I played the demo for myself. EG is losing credibility in my eyes and your best bet is to play the game for yourself and make your own mind up.

  • Beano #419 2 years ago

    "I still believe that, for the most part, Eurogamer write without regard to hype or majority opinion and that is something that really needs to be championed not criticised. Especially in a climate where bullshit reigns supreme. "

    Well said!

  • andijames #420 2 years ago

    @macmurphy

    I completely agree with you with what you and Distributor say it used to be much better in 'those ole days' as they say i'm sorry if i came across as a condescending arse then i just can't stand when people are being extremely hypocritical (hence the silly joke in post 1) and i personally hate the 'C' word i think it's pretty disgusting so maybe it's a bit of an overreaction there.

    Just seems full of people who are trying to point score on here these days with a sense of morality that exists on the playground. Used to be more fun with the witty comebacks and ironic banter :)

    /officially feels old!

    Edit: Wrong username whoops!
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 13:43

  • alysonwheel #421 2 years ago

    I always read review scores as having a margin of error of +/- 2 anyway: if I particularly like the genre, add 2 to the score, and if I dislike it, subtract 2; if the genre is something like RPG or driving game where I'm not a fan or a hater, I leave the score as it is. So Alan Wake gets a 9 -- a definite buy -- for me, because I love the genre and therefore can look past the faults and annoyances; if I hated adventure/survival horror type stuff it'd get a 5 -- avoid! -- and if I was meh about them it'd be a 7, which is kind of a rental score for me. Simple!

    Yeah, I know it falls apart with scores over 8 and below 2, but I think the decision's kinda made then anyway, so blah.

  • flanker22 #422 2 years ago

    Ellie has been relegated to reviewing the crap left over casual titles and the stuff no one wanted to touch. She somehow managed to get this game as a review and sadly all shes doing is trying to make a name for herself... so fucking sad.

    look at all the posts shes eating this stuff up. as for her actual review its a mess of contradictions its innovative but its ordinary, its expansive but visually unimpressive... Horrible review.

  • PotajiTo #423 2 years ago

    Another shitty review by Ellie. And yeah, I've finished the game.

  • Geordiemp #424 2 years ago

    @ PortajiTo

    You finished the game, what you going to do with it now, keep it or trade it in ?

    Or did you torrent it ?

  • yeastcapp #425 2 years ago

    Enjoyed the review, but the text and the score don't seem to be all that consistent? I get that the cons are more remark-worthy than the pros, but if the only pro is that it ticks some basic gameplay boxes shouldn't it be way lower?

  • Incarta #426 2 years ago

    Good review. The game was hugely overhyped.

  • butler` #427 2 years ago

    Didn't think much of this review. I can usually at least appreciate Ellie's casual stuff, but something just didn't click here.

  • macmurphy #428 2 years ago

    @ andijames.

    I aplogise mate. You seem like a decent bloke. To be honest I'm as much of a prick as most, I waded in giving you shit without adding anything to the thread.

    As regards this place getting worse, I don't think it has (I've only been coming on for maybe three or four years, not as long as some). You can still recoognise a lot of regular names that have decent stuff to say. Threads like this will always bring out the fruitloops.

    I think most peoiple are still pretty decent, and the quality goes up a lot in the forum threads not on the front page.

  • udat #429 2 years ago

    Beano said: "@MattDamon : I agree - a short "second opinion" text and score for the big titles would be nice. "

    I read that as "score for the big titties" and went for the +1 button, then i re-read it.

  • jools #430 2 years ago

    Ellie is probably only saying what Yahtzee will in a couple of weeks anyway.

  • danjfor #431 2 years ago

    Is there a level set in Alan's Love Asylum?

  • TheKayle #432 2 years ago

    ok after 450+ post we reach the point....

    this review is unrapresentative and not close to what the most reviewer r saying...

    1UP - B+ - Read Review
    411mania - 9.1/10 - Read Review
    Aeropause - 4.5/5 - Read Review
    ArsTechnica - N/A - Read Review
    C&VG - 9/10 - Read Review
    Chud - 7.5/10 - Read Review
    CinemaBlend - 4/5 - Read Review
    Co-Optimus - 5/5
    Destructoid - 9/10
    Eurogamer - 7/10
    Evil Avatar - 4/5
    FileFront - 91/100
    G4TV - 4/5
    GameArena.com.au - 8/10
    GameBlog.fr - 5/5
    GameKult (French) 8/10
    GamePro - 4/5
    Games Radar 8/10
    GameReactor.fi - 9/10
    GameReactor.se - 7/10
    Game Trailers - 8.6/10
    Giant Bomb - 4/5
    Gladriel - 9/10
    Hardgame2 - 10/10
    IGN - 9/10
    IGN AU - 8.5/10 (Great)
    iTWire - 10/10
    Joystiq - N/A
    Just Push Start - 4.5/5
    Loud Mouthed Gamers - 9/10
    Meristation - 9/10
    NowGamer - 6.8/10
    NZGamer.com - 8.5/10 (Great)
    Pelit (Magazine) - 87%
    PerezStart - 9/10
    PlanetXbox360 - 9.2/10
    TheKoalition - 9/10
    Todojuegos.com - 9.5/10
    Xbox360Achievements.c om - 92% (Excellent)
    XXLGaming - 95/100
    Vandal Online - 9/10
    VideoGamer.com - 9/10

    i take her opinion like a fact.....) but she must take this like a fact too :)

    but the difference is that i dont work like reviewer :)
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 14:10

  • JediMasterMalik #433 2 years ago

    So?

  • TheKayle #434 2 years ago

    at the olympic games some sports rating system want that u put out the higher and lower score :D
    is what im doing

  • Dead_Man_Typing #435 2 years ago

    Hmm... on the face of it, this seems like another Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition review. I look forward to playing the game for myself and finding out if it lives up my expectations.

  • thedaveeyres #436 2 years ago

    Dancing Monster

  • Tin-cz #437 2 years ago

    Really nice rewiev.
    Funny and informative.
    This is game journalism.
    Keep up the good work folks.

  • Jackface #438 2 years ago

    500 comments and all because a sarcastic girlie girl didn't (seem to) like (most of) a game we were all looking forward to.

  • sfp_noodle #439 2 years ago

    Holy fucking shit! I can GUARANTEE this review would have got half the comments if this game was a multiplatform title. The Sony fanboys need to stop wanking off over an apparant 'PS3 win' because 'a 7/10' game isn't on their console.' 7/10 is not bad. I for one do not take EG's word for every single game I am interested in. I read a minimum of 5 reviews from trusted sources (EG included) before reaching a decision. Admitedly, I had, and still have little interest in this game. But some of the hate from people is ridiculous. What the hell are the moderators upto? And where is the ignore button?

  • solidSnake04 #440 2 years ago

    <a href=http ://img.kyon.pl/static/img/remiq.net_3733.jpg>My fight moneeeyyy</a>

  • NightAntilli #441 2 years ago

    Apparently only the ones who praise the review get thumbs up..

  • Jackface #442 2 years ago

    Awww, do you 'comments' types actually take the -/+ thing seriously?

    BLESS! :D

    So cute.

  • Stuz359 #443 2 years ago

    When people review a game they have to approach it from a different angle to the normal just sitting down and playing a game for fun. Whereas we would see a flaw in a game and either ignore or accept it as long as it did not impinge on our ability to enjoy the game, the reviewer takes it and puts a black mark against it.

    There are plenty of games which I have enjoyed which have scored the same as or worse than this one, which have probably been mentioned several times in this thread.

    The overall feeling from the reviews I have read is quite simple, three years ago the game would have been hailed as a masterpiece. However, other games have come along and have done things better, whether it be technically or narratively.

    Just remember, one persons opinion of a game should not affect your ability to enjoy the game. In fact, a few more reviews in which they do point out the flaws in the game can only be a good thing.

  • sfp_noodle #444 2 years ago

    I'm actually not a big fan of Ellie's writing style. I feel her sarcasm is rather forced, but either way, this review was still informative. It hasn't influenced me into buying as the game did not interest me in the first place. But some people are crossing the line and coming up with all sorts of shit for both the game and the reviewer. They act as if Ellie and EG is the only reviewer and website they can rely on for a review. Its ridiculous
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 14:32

  • SpaceMonkey77 #445 2 years ago

    I'd still buy this game, I think Ellie's reviews are missing something, but her opinion is respected all the same. This Alan Wake one has good and bad points.

    Split Second is more on my radar as my next buy, despite Alan Wake.

  • alysonwheel #446 2 years ago

    ArsTechnica - N/A - Read Review

    The Ars verdict was "rent" rather than buy, which I think stacks up more with Ellie's 7 than with the 8s and 9s being thrown around by other websites.

  • Xabarin #447 2 years ago

    I find it funny how people who like this game/have a raging boner for xbox 360

    1)Can't accept there are other opinions about the game that are not like theirs
    2)Are genuinely pissed that some reviewer on a website typed number seven instead of nine in a game article
    3)Attribute these two thing to the fact that the reviewer is a woman, and therefore a vapid cunt

    Ellie is an excellent reviewer, and this review is well written, and the score is consistent with the content of the review (people are also pissed when the review "reads" like a 5 and the game scores 8. Well, this reviews "reads" like a 7).

    Move on, please. Drink a pint, hang with some friends, play some other games: maybe it will help with your misoginy and intolerance.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 15:35

  • sfp_noodle #448 2 years ago

    @ Bulkpack

    It's quite obvious your a 360 fanboy given your responses in the Halo Reach beta thread. Admitedly Ellie's review does not provide all the information we would have liked. But your rant at Heavy Rain and especially Uncharted 2 screams fanboy rage. Not all the websites gave this game a supposed 'average 7/10' review you know. In fact, since you obviously wanted the game to do well, why don't you just rent it and decide for yourself?

  • geeza2020 #449 2 years ago

    I cant believe nobody else has mentioned how blatantly obvious this troll bating is from EG. They got Ellie to review it because they knew all the retards on the site would go mental about it, thus getting the 500+ comments thread that they desperately wanted. I personally was never interested in Alan Wake so felt indifferent to the whole thing, but i do see some peoples points as true, such as Ellie's writing style. Its a bit marmite, you either love it or hate it kind of thing. She is very witty and makes me glol in plenty of review and interviews. I just think it was a little short sighted of EG to get her to review this when what was needed was someone who would take it far more seriously and mention all the hard technical facts to appease the fanboiys.

    Unless they were going for hits like i mention above.

    I expect to be negged, as i am not kissin Ellies arse, but i just think people need to stop taking sides and look at the whole thing objectively. jus sayin....

  • Drpwnage #450 2 years ago

    "Fucking useless review, and totally out of whack with all other reviews of the game."

    Have you even read any of the other reviews? In the main they are very positive, however there are a handful of reviews that are in-line with Ellie's and find similar reasons to mark the game down from excellence (read the Chud and NowGamer reviews).

    Here are three words for you to rearrange: vary, opinions, can.

  • Ergates_Antius #451 2 years ago

    A Eurogamer comments thread full of whiney misogynist fanboys who know nothing of games or gaming - shock horror!

    Plus - anyone who didn't see that this was going to be a pile of cliched toss from the very day it was announced really needs to play more games.

  • Sharks #452 2 years ago

    So...why does everyone care about this game?

  • MoGamer2006 #453 2 years ago

    This thread is arguably one of the most depressing things I've read in a long time... I don't think I've ever seen so much misogynistic, insecure, dumb-headed whining in one place...

  • dsmx #454 2 years ago

    So many reasons sharks

    Xbox 360 fanboys care a lot about this game because aside from halo reach they've got nothing on the radar they can hype. Or on the other hand it's because they're still annoyed that uncharted 2 was better than every game they played last year.

    Trolling alert.

  • POPTONES #455 2 years ago

    Seriously think this Ellie issue will / needs to come down to some form of PHYSICAL FIGHT.

    Those for, those against, somewhere isolated... NAKED

  • dsmx #456 2 years ago

    I don't get the amount of hatred being put at this review, all the 7 out of 10 means that if your a fan of the genre you like the game however not everyone will enjoy it.

    Since U2 has been brought up that game was outstanding and anyone would enjoy it hence why it got the score it did.

    People really need to calm down Alan Wake was never going to be a game that everyone was going to enjoy, it's a solid title that some people will really enjoy for what it is. If you take a step back though and see the shortcomings it has you can't give it objectively anything more than 7/8 out of 10.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 15:16

  • wonton #457 2 years ago

    That was an okay review, perhaps Ellie should be careful with her balance, there was slightly too much criticism. Although all the criticisms were valid, the review ended up giving the impression that the game would have gotten a slightly lower score.

    Nevertheless the review has gotten me quite interested.

    And 7 is a good score for a game.

  • 52pickup #458 2 years ago

    I'm sure things were not this far out of control during last gen.

    The amount of attention this review has got is shocking. I thought the review was very well written,and i enjoy Ellie's witty written reviews.

  • jambo74 #459 2 years ago

    Red Dead is my only hope now....

  • spekkeh #460 2 years ago

    @ NightAntilli
    05/05/10 @ 12:19

    I think you kind of missed the point about why Ellie was ripping on the 'oldness' of the game. To quote yourself:

    I haven't played Bioshock. Well I did, but quit on about half since I didn't like it, so I can't comment on that.
    UC2 didn't offer varied gameplay at all. It was basically climb/solve puzzle, shoot, watch cutscene, repeat. Though the presentation gave the impression that you were doing something different, in reality, you weren't.

    It's the mediated impression that you were doing something different, is what Uncharted 2 apparently set apart from Alan Wake (I haven't played either game, mind, I don't own a PS3). How I read it, dated design decisions draw away from the storytelling in Alan Wake, instead of involving you, and then the repetitious nature becomes all the more apparent.

  • utterdrivel #461 2 years ago

    It amuses me that 7/10 is seen as a shockingly bad score.

    Admittedly I'm quite old, and can remember the old Spectrum and Amiga days when magazines would quite regularly give games 1 or 2/10. A 7 would have been a very positive score.

  • VoodooGibson #462 2 years ago

    It's amazing how many of these comments advise on how to write a review, and yet Ellie is the only one paid to write them professionally....

  • Shadzter #463 2 years ago

    7/10??? It's been 9/10's everywhere else O_o I guess it's good to have a different oppinion out there though. I'm still interested in picking ths up when I have some spare money.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 15:35

  • byron_hinson #464 2 years ago

    So Nowgamers give it 6.8 - does that mean no one here will slate that review as it is not written by a woman??

  • Jay-ITFC #465 2 years ago

    This all sounds very similar to Alone In The Dark. Lots of hype but not a lot of substance. Might get it when it's under 15 quid.

  • geeza2020 #466 2 years ago

    SHADZTER - thats the problem with EG nowadays though, you either side with the nobhead fanboys or you side with the writer fans. Anything objective or in between just gets negged to fuck.

  • ayreon2084 #467 2 years ago

    Another Alan Wake video review with Miss Hungary this time! :p
    or find it at youtubeif you want...

  • beastmaster #468 2 years ago

    Wonder how many people out there who are raving about it not being a 9 or a 10 will buy it, play it and find out it actually IS worth a 7? Or hate it that much they will cry like little babies and come back to vent their frustration?

  • ignatiusjreilly #469 2 years ago

    Anyway, she writes about driving the truck and the noise it makes.
    I'm sure it said the engine sounded like a bear having a wank.

    Someone changed it - I liked that joke :(

    It was a funny line. Maybe a little childish, but in a knowing way. Very Ellie. I do hope the gnashing of teeth in the comments wasn't responsible for the edit.

  • spekkeh #470 2 years ago

    7/10??? It's been 9/10's everywhere else O_o

    No it hasn't. It scores an 83 on metacritic (and not just due to EG), IGN UK even says this about it:

    It's pedestrian in the extreme and all the sparse pseudo-open world environments and plot contrivances can't save it from becoming a repetitive trudge. Aside from the glorious visuals and genuinely claustrophobic atmosphere, it's an empty, soulless slog that, while never actually bad, slowly ebbs goodwill through sheer dullness. (...)

    That would be forgivable if there was any sense of tension as you work your way through the early stages of the game but that's diminished by the unimposing cookie-cutter assailants, laughable voice work and a predictable script that destroys any remnants of intrigue or horror. (..)
    Unhelpfully too, the script - whether in dialogue or manuscript form - never quite seems to know whether it wants to be a pulpy pastiche or out-and-out parody. The result is a hokey mess that jars with the game world's otherwise impressive hyper-realism. If all that sounds damning, it is

  • Karlius #471 2 years ago

    1st of all I have read every (22) review so far and this is the one that stands out as clueless.

    I lol'd at this review it's as if Ellie watched someone else play the game and commented on their experience. Only review on the web to criticise the Sound. Every other site praises just how good the sound and soundtrack is laughable and makes the site look bad. Go to Videogamer.com all reviewers there have a grasp of video games.

    Why the hell this wasn't given to Tom Bramwell to review is beyond me instead one of the biggest games of the year was give to someone who last reviewed Dead or Alive and just dance. Ellie would be getting what us Brits call their P45 if I ran the company.
    Edited by 3 at 05/05/10 @ 16:38

  • POPTONES #472 2 years ago

    Yeah, noticed that lines been changed. Seems a shame, was very funny! Really got the image and sound stuck in my brain after reading it... know what I mean?

  • FogHeart #473 2 years ago

    When EG scores a game below what the rest of the World sees it as, sometimes I think that's OK, sometimes I don't - a little warning light flashes in my head. In the case of Red Steel 2 it was a technical flaw in the review - the reviewer had a hard time working the sword, not knowing he could set the style to 'relaxed' and just play from the wrist. Also think of Resi 4 Wii, where the main mark down was on controls and it was generally agreed that the controls for Resi 4 Wii were pretty great. Ellie herself did a 'technical' once when reviewing Family Ski - she thought you had to constantly swipe up and down with the controls to move, which caused her to nickname the game 'communal crotch flaying' (bless ya Ellie, but that time the hilarious sarcasm bit you in the behind when the comments quickly set you right and you had to apologise when the sequel was released).

    But other times you need to add a point because of EGs character. EG are a higher calibre of reviewer - analogous to reading cinema reviews in a broadsheet instead of a tabloid. Mostly it's a better review, rings more true, but just like those broadsheet cinema reviewers a 'hollywood blockbuster' can be marked down, not to seem contrary, but because the reviewers here are occasionally guilty of being jaded. "Yeah, I've seen this kind of thing before, what's new?". When the game gets a ticking off because of the protagonists choice of country nightwear, I know this might be happening. I saw the same phenomenon with Dead Space (should have been at least 8, maybe 9) and arguably AvP which deserved a 7 not a 6.

    But this is no reason to stop reading the usually excellent reviews. The jaded reviews mar it a little, but it's he price you pay for the better class of reviewer we have here.

  • LR100 #474 2 years ago

    This might cheer people up.

  • POPTONES #475 2 years ago

    Yeah, noticed that lines been changed. Seems a shame, was very funny! Really got the image and sound stuck in my brain after reading it... know what I mean?

  • Cherub007 #476 2 years ago

    You know what I think? I think Ellie has far too much other shit to do to care about the moaning idiots who find the concept of a funny, well-written opinion piece, with criticisms backed up by clear examples, so utterly offensive.

    Personally, I absolutely love the idea of these guys shelling out £40 because hype machine told them to (must...obey.....hype-machine..or...ballls...will...fall..of f....).




    Edited by 1 at 06/05/10 @ 11:24

  • VoodooGibson #477 2 years ago

    @ MattDamon

    "I'm not one of her detractors here. I'm just interested to know how you know everyone's employment status."

    I'm still waiting for someone to say " VoodooGibson you are are wrong I write reviews for ......here is my review of Alan Wake and why I gave it 70%"

  • mkreku #478 2 years ago

    A bear wrestling a snake? Tells me nothing! What the hell kind of sound picture is that?!

    Is it somewhere close to the sound of a bear having a wank..?

  • Machiavellian #479 2 years ago

    I still wonder why people put so much stock on one review. I have no plans to buy Alan Wake but I also would take in who reviewed the game and if I feel the same about games that reviewer has reviewed. There definitely enough reviews on EG where I have totally disagreed with the review and the reviewer.

    Either way, I never was eye to eye with Ellie's reviews but that doesn't mean her review is a throw away. Instead, I sift through the comedy to see the gold and decide if the points are valid or nick picks.

    Anyway from reading the reviews that praise the game and the ones that give it average scores, its easy to see where AW is good and where it fails. A reviewer summed the game up where I believe will be the case for AW. Its like the first Uncharted. Good game with good concepts, put needed more polish and variety.

  • darkphoenix #480 2 years ago

    The review and score seem fine, except by these ridiculous comparisons:

    "The genre has moved on since then. Games such as BioShock have shown how compelling and original storylines can be told in innovative ways. The likes of Uncharted 2 have offered up not just lush visuals but diverse locations and varied gameplay. With Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream broke the rules of game narrative"

    Bioshock is not innovative, just a rehash of System Shock or Deus EX, in underwater art-deco.
    Uncharted 2 does not have "varied gameplay", it is an endless - sometimes even boring - series of hide and shoot.
    Heavy Rain broke nothing that Farenheit hasn't broke before.

  • JediMasterMalik #481 2 years ago

    I knew I imagined the puzzles, and platforming.

  • cozeny #482 2 years ago

    Can anyone help me out? I'm a bit short of money at the moment and I can't decide between this, 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand or Wet. What d'you reckon I should get?
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 16:40

  • Cheapshot #483 2 years ago

    Great to see Eurogamer not being clouded by hype and actually reviewing games properly. A great and witty review! It sounds like a crushingly formulaic, dated but fun weekend of gaming - fun like a cheesy Arnie B-movie or something, or a cheap horror flick with Doritos.

  • kangarootoo #484 2 years ago

    Jesus. Over 500 posts and the "discussion" is still exactly the same. You are all lunatics!



    And the bear joke was funny. Changing it was feeble. You could have tamed the language and kept the joke (although the bluntness was part of what made it funny). As it is now, the sentence is barely worth keeping.

    I'm willing to bet cash money that the people who said they were offended were just pretending to be offended because they disagree with the review score (yes, people can be that pathetic).

  • Xardan #485 2 years ago

    I have to say what a poor review this seemed. It just seemed the reviewer didnt really understand the genre and had no appreciation for it, with a far too comical and casual approach.

    If you are reading this and have been disappointed in some way by this review, then take heart that the reviewer was a poor choice for the game. If you yourself enjoy the games genre and appreciate atmosphere and story in a game, then you will likely love this.

    Remember that people's opinions differ and there is no reason to take this reviewers opinion so seriously.

  • cozeny #486 2 years ago

    Don't worry, Xardan, take your money and buy yourself a couple of copies of Wet.

  • Lunatic4ever #487 2 years ago

    decent visuals,u kiddin me? this is awesomeness!

  • Kanjin #488 2 years ago

    QQ moar

  • ronuds #489 2 years ago

    The review was fine, although the nitpicking seemed a tad over the top for my liking. Yes, I want to know what's bad about a game, but I would also like to know what was good - and the "good" is in short supply in the review. She goes on and on about the thermos left by the wife and other small things that shouldn't make much of a difference. I'm almost left with the impression that the review was written by someone who didn't want to like the game even before popping it in their 360. Not going to argue or complain about it, though - because it is what it is. Sometimes reviews are written by people who seem to be thinking the same way you are about a game, and sometimes they're not. This falls into the latter category for my personally, but that's ok!

    Usually we say "that review was a 7 that read like a 9" but this review was a 7 that read like a 4.

  • Dyshamir #490 2 years ago

    I wont bash the review, she might be right about the game, but sometimes I think Ellie just loves to get attention and long forum threads. This thing happens again and again and again when she reviews something.... I dont get it. To be honest, I dont enjoy much her reviews at all, but that is just me.

    Im inclined to think the same thing as SpaceMidget75.

  • Machiavellian #491 2 years ago

    I still wonder why people put so much stock on one review. I have no plans to buy Alan Wake but I also would take in who reviewed the game and if I feel the same about games that reviewer has reviewed. There definitely enough reviews on EG where I have totally disagreed with the review and the reviewer.

    Either way, I never was eye to eye with Ellie's reviews but that doesn't mean her review is a throw away. Instead, I sift through the comedy to see the gold and decide if the points are valid or nick picks.

    Anyway from reading the reviews that praise the game and the ones that give it average scores, its easy to see where AW is good and where it fails. A reviewer summed the game up where I believe will be the case for AW. Its like the first Uncharted. Good game with good concepts, put needed more polish and variety.

  • shadowsblaze #492 2 years ago

    ronuds: "Usually we say "that review was a 7 that read like a 9" but this review was a 7 that read like a 4. "

    Agreed. Can't say whether the game is good or not, but reading the review alone and not looking at the score, I thought to begin with it was going to score 5 or lower.

    There does seem to be alot of ranting from the pro Sony and pro Microsoft camp on this forum. It reminds me of a certain Metal Gear game that didn't get that perfect score some people were expecting (http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/metal-... Still we have a way to go before we reach that 2334 posts figure.

  • VoodooGibson #493 2 years ago

    @ MattDamon

    "What?"

    Erm...I'm waiting for someone here to prove they are good enough to be paid to write and publish an article(s) and show me their review of Alan Wake where they haven't given it 7/10... Should I type slower?

  • Futaba #494 2 years ago

    "She sets the cause of female videogame characters back 10 years by being afraid of the dark and mewling like a kitten with a broken leg whenever the lights are off."

    I knew this was a review by Ellie the second I finished reading that sentence.

  • Calgon #495 2 years ago

    What the fuck did they give it to Ellie for? No offence to her like but my natural reaction before even reading any of the review was... "Oh no not Ellie surely", from the reviews I have read of hers I know that she just doesnt have tastes remotely anything like mine so its not an opinion that will change my decision on the game(infact Im not even goin to read the whole review).

    Well done Eurogamer enjoy the hits just dont whine when nobody takes you seriously anymore.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 17:42

  • oceanclub #496 2 years ago

    Ah, God loves an Internet angry man.

    Look, feel free to disagree with the review, but the reviewer clearly points out the reasons _why_ she marked it they way she did. 7/10 isn't actually a bad score - if a movie review was 3.5/5, you wouldn't say that the reviewer had hated it. Jesus, one of my favourite games of all time is Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, but with all the bugs, I couldn't honestly rate it more than 8/10.

    This "give a game a 9 or you must hate it" nonsense seems to be a specifically console fanboy meme.

    P.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 17:47

  • Physically_Insane #497 2 years ago

    Am I allowed to dislike the review regardless of who wrote it?

  • JediMasterMalik #498 2 years ago

    Should they write reviews based on your personal preferences Calgon?

  • j-bo #499 2 years ago

    These comments might approach Darkfail levels of amusing.

    Less amusing is not being able to blame all the moronic Darkfail fanboys making accounts to come over to eurogamer specifically...

    They're already in the walls man! ayeeee

  • a8a #500 2 years ago

    There's a shocking number of people here convinced that the review is completely wrong... based on another review. Just... wow.

  • UncleLou #501 2 years ago

    Well done Eurogamer enjoy the hits just dont whine when nobody takes you seriously anymore.

    Why not? It's a well-written review that tells me exactly what's what, and I can decide for myself if the criticisms would affect my enjoyment. Exactly what a review should do.

    infact Im not even goin to read the whole review

    Oh wait, you just looked at the score and whined. My bad.

  • Calgon #502 2 years ago

    JediMasterMalik what are talking about? I knew before I'd read the review I wasnt going to agree with her because I already know she doesnt see games the same way(she reads like someone who doesnt play games much... a journo first, gamer second beacause she has to)

    What I'd prefer is theyd given a big release like this to SOMEBODY ELSE to review... anybody else at EG would have been better IMO.

  • RobotRocker #503 2 years ago

    Am I allowed to dislike the review regardless of who wrote it?

    Yes.

    Seriously kids. If there was fanboyism for film studios the internet would end from the sheer amounts of GIFT in action . Watch the reviews for Four Lions thats coming out this week. The trailers have been funny and its getting great reviews up someone will find flaws or just plain not enjoy it (The Mail *cough*). But I wont get the pitchforks and flaming torches out over it (OK maybe. Dont hold me to it) and neither will fans be like "ARGH EMPIRE ARE TEH BIAS TOWARDS FILM 4" if it was a 3-star review.

    Just because an exclusive game gets a 7 does not mean "OH GOD ITS AWFUL ITS LETTING THE XBOX SIDE DOWN" or "PS3 RULZ ENJOY YOUR 7/10 XFAGS" . I've bought plenty of games that EG have given average reviews to and thoroughly enjoyed them (Sonic And Sega-All Star racing got a 6 but I bought it and was extremely happy with it). Its not the end of the world.

    Relax. Enjoy videogames. No game is immune to criticism anyway.

    Except 50 Cent: Blood In The Sand.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 17:56

  • TRUTH #504 2 years ago

    I sort of knew this game had lost it's edge... The game development time taken to get the game made has probably taken it's toll and surpassed by other games...the fact this was developed by a very small amount of people working on the game, the fact it's original ideas changed several times, the fact it was a PC only; then 360 & PC; then only 360 caused wasted development time, the fact the game originally was canceled twice then re-started, the developers put the game on hold several times due to funding problems (it got going again due to MS).

    All these problems and delays I believe took it's toll on the game. Instead of being AAA title, it's becoming a AA title...To late to many delays, and expectations for the game have now been surpassed by others (Dead Space, but also Metro 2033 has some of the best effects on consoles, though game is very Hardcore and has a few flaws, it still plays splendid & surpassed my expectations on this game)
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 18:04

  • DrMatta #505 2 years ago

    I'm offended that this game got the same score as Splinter Cell Conviction.
    On chapter 3 now and good lord, does this game deserve better. It's probably my GOTY.

  • TRUTH #506 2 years ago

    By the way Alan Wake so-far it's got a very good 84/100 on Metacritic.com

    Above I agree Splinter Cell Convection was much better then what Eurogamer scored. Recommended on playing on 'Realistic' level.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 18:01

  • UncleLou #507 2 years ago

    Well written? I dont care how well written it is or how well she puts her views accross Im not an marking an english paper here lol... What a sad excuse for an arguement that is.

    Lol, ok, you're obviously mad. Carry on.

  • Calgon #508 2 years ago

    UncleLou Why lol? Well written tosh or views from somebody who doesnt enjoy games much is not why I'd consider reading a review... think before you type, she's a good journo no doubt but I just dont think you are getting the point(maybe they can do a second opinion from one of the other reviewers).

  • j-bo #509 2 years ago

    @Calgon

    Mmm, I think the point is that's exactly why a lot of people read EQ, is for original, slightly cutting, doesn'tbuy too much into the hype, critical reviews.

    If you want to see celebratory simple reviews that read like press releases from the respective publishers, there's a whole slew of other sites, IGN etc.

    I don't see why everyone NEEDS Eurogamer to be towing the line with all the other identikit review sites, wtf is this the thought police? If you don't like the style, read elsewhere!

  • Calgon #510 2 years ago

    Sorry will have to repost this the other got deleted.

    UncleLou Well written? I dont care how well written it is or how well she puts her views accross Im not marking an english paper here lol... What a sad excuse for an argument that is.

    Have you even read an Ellie review before and agreed with it on a game you've played? If you are telling me you've often found that her views reflect your own quite often then fair play, Im the opposite... I just think this was a bad move for such a big release... let her review Wii games like I said.

    Why are you all getting uptight about questioning the integrity of this review? Could it be that it's painfully obvious that the reviewer isnt in the same league as MOST of the others? I know which I'll be taking on board anyway.

    Anyway I know its like heresy on EG to go against anything written by Ellie or even question some of the decisions made by the editors... so that's all Im going to say... consider your reputation damaged for this gamer EG.

    My whole point was I wanted to read a EG review of this anticipated game and now I wont be doing because they gave it to Ellie.

  • GamesConnoisseur #511 2 years ago

    Splinter Cell: Likewise I enjoyed the game much more than the review would have lend me to believe. Glad I purchased the game and for hardcore gamers crying at lost 'ghost' playthrough.

    Ubi released infilration mode for Deniable Ops in their U-Play store, download that and you play through a mode where you MUSTN'T be detected ONCE.

    However I digress, 7/10 doesnt mean that the game is in Haze terrority of fubar or average, its still good but with some flaws that reviewers felt was important. ModNation Racer and Alan Wake are still gonna be bought by a lot of gamers.

    Have fun those who decides to go ahead!

  • dsmx #512 2 years ago

    7 out of 10 is not a bad score, all it means if you like this genre of game chances are you will love it.

    Games that appeal to everyone regardless of their preferences are the ones that get 9's and 10's, Alan Wake is not that kind of game and never was going to be. Stop getting so bent out of shape over the score.

  • Calgon #513 2 years ago

    j-bo Ive been reading EG for years mate:

    why a lot of people read EQ, is for original, slightly cutting, doesn'tbuy too much into the hype, critical reviews.

    First off this reads like just because you are scared to disagree with EG and commit heresy by questioning why it was given to Ellie that Im only disagreeing because I dont like critical reviews and I buy based on hype... no my friend dont delude yourself.

    I just think for such a big release it should have been given to one of the other reviewers having read enough of them I know what to expect from each of EG reviewers... maybe you just think theres one collective mindset at EG or pay no attention to such trivial matters as who's reviewing it... like they could hire someone who does a small collumn in a newspaper and because it says EG at the top of the page you'll listen and value that opinion.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 18:17

  • j-bo #514 2 years ago

    @Calgon

    Indeed, so have I, and if you are a regular reader you'll know that most reviewers get slagged off for their own style etc at various times. Again, one of the reason I like EG is there is an eclectic mix of reviewers and distinct styles - I could never tell you who was reviewing what when I used to read IGN, which is one of the reasons I stopped reading it eventually.

    The problem is because you don't like Ellie's style or position as a reviewer, you think she shouldn't be given reviews you care about. Right, well lots of people do like Ellie's style, and that's why they're here. Why is it that your view is more important then the people who do like her?

    You don't pay to access eurogamer, no one is forcing you to read these reviews - if you don't like Ellie go and click on any of the many many links on metacritic - the internet is not so starved of game reviews that they all MUST agree with you. If you don't like it, read other review sites or reviewers! Ellie is one of the most distinctive and original reviewers at Eurogamer and I always look forward to her reviews - that is why I read the site. If you don't like them, quite simply, don't read them, no one is holding a gun to your head.

  • Calgon #515 2 years ago

    Theres a shocking number of people at EG that think if Eurogamer rates a game lower and the majority of others not only rated it higher but found much more to like(i.e how the review reads) that it must surely mean that eg are just more critical, or dont fall for hype where everbody else does or some other tinfoil hat loonacy that theres moneyhats and advertising money and EG are the heroes of the internet.

    I just find PS3 fanboys and PC elitists sad Alan Wake has attracted both and they'd rather beleive they arent missing out on anything so will latch on to one review against pretty much all the others.

  • iwantmynameuk #516 2 years ago

    i just looked at metacritic and it got me thinking that scores out of 10 and scores out of 100 are worlds apart. problem is i can`t put why that is into words?? if i think about it too much 7/10 = 70/100 obviously makes sense but 70/100 is shite and 7/10 is fine.........i dunno.

  • beastmaster #517 2 years ago

    Bump ;-)

  • Calgon #518 2 years ago

    j-bo Right some people do(Im willing to bet thats a minority but whatever)... lets no also forget that alot of PS3 and PC fanboys are enjoying and defending this reviews low score(compared to pretty much all the other major review sources out there so far) for reasons other than the review itself.

    So you think as someone who reads EG often and has done for years, who cant think of any highly anticipated PS3 games or PC games for that matter theyve given her to review... cant voice his dissapointment at the choice of reviewer?

    Isn't that blatant hypocrisy?

    Well I've said what I needed to say... got negged for it but I couldnt care less and I doubt that EG care enough these days to read any complaints.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 18:41

  • j-bo #519 2 years ago

    @ Calgon

    Eurogamer rates a game lower and the majority of others not only rated it higher but found much more to like(i.e how the review reads) that it must surely mean that eg are just more critical

    Er, yes, that's a fairly solid description of what it means to be more critical.

  • dsmx #520 2 years ago

    Or you could read it as eurogamer gives the scores games actually deserve and the rest of the web hands out high scores so easily that it's not really an achievement. Getting a 9 or 10 from eurogamer is much more of an achievement than from IGN in the US for example.

  • j-bo #521 2 years ago

    @Calgon

    judging from your comments I'm guessing you just own a 360. sigh, that was predictable.

    Well, I wasn't talking about a console war, which somehow you shoe-horned into the conversation, I was talking about review styles. Sorry, I stopped discriminating on platform about the same time I became an adult and didn't have to pick one based on what my mum bought me for xmas:p

    I enjoy all of Ellie's writing (whether its on a ps3, xbox or pc game I may buy), mainly because it's so damn refreshing to hear an original and non-mysogny-laden form of writing in games journalism.

  • Calgon #522 2 years ago

    j-bo no it isnt you dunce it would be a pretty shonky description from someone jumping to conclusions... how do you know that its just because they are more critical? Thats what you'd like to beleive but you'd need a whole lot more than just pointing out "one score is lower than the other = just more critical... the end" lol!

    A more important question is are they consistant? If it really worked like you want to beleive then that "more critical claim" would fall apart if its found that they rate a different game higher than the majority rate it right? ;) You see the flaw in your logic?

  • Nephirion #523 2 years ago

    Out of the 26 reviews only 2 are low scoring thats including this one here. No disrespect to the reviewer but often Eurogamer allows people to review games who clearly don't have a background in a) The genre or b) gaming in general. I can only go buy what I have read and heard but Ms Gibson probably wouldnt be my first choice to review such an anticipated title. Journalists often identify themselves as " game " journalists however thats a very broad field. Other sites mention the negatives but this review clearly focuses on them. I really love peanut butter but my girlfriend hates it, does that mean peanut butter is awful? clearly not. it just demonstrates the difference in taste. Obviously from the review this was not to Ms Gibsons " taste " but there are many other professional games journalists who have taken a more objective approach to it's content.

  • Invisible_Cow #524 2 years ago

    This thread seems to be 50% intelligent comment and 50% whining arseholes, which is a better ratio than I expected. Also better than I expected is the score; given the review, I was anticipating a 5 or 6.

    But yeah, whatever. Dull game is dull. Plenty of good ones coming out in the next few weeks anyway.

  • FooAtari #525 2 years ago

    Feel like im late to the party, but brilliant comments.

    A lot of the people criticizing the review seriously need to get over themselves. Also must be something severely lacking in the lives to get so worked up about it.

    removed retarded comment

    Also surprised EG didn't mention the horrendous advertising....
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 19:41

  • Calgon #526 2 years ago

    j-bo I own PC... How am I bringing a console war into this?

    Oh so Im not allowed to point out that there are lots of PS3 fanboy and disgruntled(because of the cancellation) PC fanboys into it... you are telling me there isn't a large amount of comments from them here?

    Again I dont mind Ellies articles but I dont really like her reviews... I cant take them seriously and I think it was a bad decision on a release such as this, is this the first major exclusive she has been given btw? I cant think of anything as big as this being given to her, lucky 360 owners.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 18:57

  • Smoped #527 2 years ago

    Frontpage says 605 messages, 587 messages are visible. Does that mean only 18 messages were deleted as inappropriate? I was expecting more like a hundred deleted messages by this point.

  • CloakRaider #528 2 years ago

    I love these comments.
    Especially the ones calling her review opinionated.

    How the hell do you review a game without an opinion.
    IT HAS ENEMIES. IT HAS GRAPHICS. IT WAS QUITE GOO...wait no that's opinion crap.

  • j-bo #529 2 years ago

    @Calgon

    I was trying to raise it above the console flame crap, rather then drag it back down into it.

    Essentially it's a bit moot, as the majority of people are kicking off about a review based on another review, which ofc is a fanboy thing.

    What annoys me is people kicking off at Ellie, because I see a lot of misogyny flying around these forums, and yeah that fecks me off. I like alternative viewpoints and perspectives on games, even the ones I love (hence zero punctuation is my favourite gaming weekly stop because it always manages to raise a smile by highlighting all those stupid little things in games you notice). Hence the sonic v mario fanboyism here I can largely walk away from without giving two hoots, but the bullshity way it's being converted into a "oh Ellie reviewed it, shes a girl and couldn't understand a proper mainstream boy game, she needs to go play princess daisychains makeup on Wii" is just bullshit, and largely shows the immaturity of the audience still:/

  • Calgon #530 2 years ago

    generally because it flies under the banner of the publishers and so I think are free of bias/bribes,


    LMAO what did I tell you, did I not just call it earlier and point out how stupid it is to think like this. Take your tinfoil hat off and stop clinging on to a couple of reviews just because you wanted it to fail.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #531 2 years ago

    I like the review, Ellie :)

    Even if, like Assasin's Creed's 7 I enjoy it very much when I eventually get round to it, I can clearly see from your review why you marked it down. In fact, though I haven't read the whole thread, I have yet to read a convincing counter-argument on why it ought to get a better score.

  • metalangel #532 2 years ago

    All I can say (still only a third of the way through these comments) is that anyone who has a problem with "harsh scoring" should just piss off to other sites that review like press releases and always give high scores (not naming any names). I read EG because I want an honest review as opposed to one that's deathly afraid of offending idiot fanboys. (and granted, even EG sometimes posts a duff review)

  • twinbee #533 2 years ago

    How are there so many comments over one review? Blimey. I don't get it at all.

  • Calgon #534 2 years ago

    I was trying to raise it above the console flame crap, rather then drag it back down into it.

    No lets get it right you were trying to use the fact that I brought up the fact that a large number of the people who are defending it are chuffed because they had predetermined bias due to their favoured platform(which is absolutely true) as a means to turn it around when I never aimed it at you in the first place.

    Essentially it's a bit moot, as the majority of people are kicking off about a review based on another review, which ofc is a fanboy thing.

    Its not one review and it's not moot... it pretty much all of the other reviews bar one or two from places nobody's ever heard of or bothers reading.


    What annoys me is people kicking off at Ellie

    I said I dont mind Ellie, infact as a person she seems very likable, she has made me chuckle quite alot and its nothing to do with me liking her not. She's stated her preferences and views on games enough times for me to know this game probably wasnt right for her, she was never going to like it IMO.

    Its whoever decided Ellie had to review it, she just did her job... can anyone answer that has she ever been given anything as big as this to review, if not why now? Why this one? Hits flagging?

    Anyway I should beable to voice my opinion on that without the reaction people had maybe I will word it a bit nicer next time if that was the problem, suppose I will have to make a choice without a EG review to help this time.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 19:28

  • Pablo2k5 #535 2 years ago

    I'm shocked by the abuse you are giving the reviewer.. and doubley shocked by the sexism.

    Pathetic.

    Edit: Calgon, get a fuckin' life you idiot.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 19:31

  • FooAtari #536 2 years ago

    @Calgon
    I cant take them seriously and I think it was a bad decision on a release such as this, is this the first major exclusive she has been given btw? I cant think of anything as big as this being given to her, lucky 360 owners.

    It's. a. fucking. game. Get a grip on reality for christ sakes.

    LMAO what did I tell you, did I not just call it earlier and point out how stupid it is to think like this. Take your tinfoil hat off and stop clinging on to a couple of reviews just because you wanted it to fail.

    What the hell? Why on earth would I want to game to fail?? I own a PS3, 360, PC DS and PSP because I really don't give a crap about the hardware, I just want to play good games. The more good games there are to choose from the better.
    Secondly I have more much serious things going on in my life to give a crap weather a game is a success or not. If it's a good game, that's great, maybe I'll buy it, if it sucks, oh well on to the next one.

    As for the other site I referred to, your right they way I worded my comment was a but stupid. I simply trust the reviews as more often than not (like EG) i tend to agree with what they write. Do you really believe there isn't money changing hands left and right for the big sites and mags? I just can't trust their reviews any more than I can those of official magazines. Sure, it's not always the case but we have seen proof of publishers bargaining decent reviews to often for me to ignore it. I just don't think they worth much and hence don't bother reading them.

  • IneptPercy #537 2 years ago

    I still want a PC version!

  • Calgon #538 2 years ago

    Pablo2k5 The only person who needs to get a life and stop getting upset over people right voicing their opinions on how the site is run if they wish is you

    Where is the sexism? It would be the same if it were a guy who held the same veiws and experience,infact I doubt you would be defending a guy in the same situation is the irony.

  • Calgon #539 2 years ago

    FooAtari why would you want it to fail... maybe you're a PC elitist who'd rather have had it on PC(from a quick scan of your posts and collection), seems pretty strange how you'd rather beleive everyone else got moneyhatted and theres only 2 reviews that were "honest"... its not me who looks questionable to anyone who holds no bias put that way. :/

    I dont care anyway why is it people are so defensive over the review?

    It could well be that 7/10 isnt a fair score or that Ellie really wasnt the right person for the review... wheres the harm in pointing that out before people start saying "oh fail.. lolz... will rent it now" Thats what I find sad.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 19:45

  • Unclebenny #540 2 years ago

    Just to throw my two pence in late in the day-

    Mainly aimed at Calgon- You are fully entitled to disagree with a review. Thats kind of the point... or at least you would be entitled to disagree if you hadn't fully admitted to not even reading it due to person who wrote it.

    What a ridiculous view point. How can you spend this much time arguing about a the review and not even read it?

    If you had read it you would see that Ellie put forward a reasonable argument as to why she gave it a 7. Its a game that eventually boils down to repition of mechanics and a very cliched narrative. She obviously thinks you can enjoy it and defended the controls and combat. Once youve read the review come back and begin your debate again. Until then "I don't like this person therefore they're viewpoint is irellevant!" doesn't bloody work.

    And to all those complaining about the score of 7, try counting to ten- you'll see that half way through there is a 5. So logically an average of the numbers between one and ten is 5

    Average! 5!- Sort your lives ouy and learn to count.

    Thank you and goodnight.

  • Praetorianer #541 2 years ago

    WTF?! Missed half a day and now already 620 comments on one game? Oh, Ellie reviewed it. OH, it scored not as good as expected. OHOH, it scored way below average internet critics score!! That explains the number of comments, I guess. Half of them are probably some "Ellie you frustrated bitch!" comments. Well...I don't know...count me in on that!

  • Calgon #542 2 years ago

    Unclebenny I can question the choice of the reviewer before Ive even read it you dunce thats my whole point... how stupid are you?
    It wasnt right for Ellie she was never going to like the game no mater how good it is in its respective genre.

    If I really wanted to pick a bone with Ellie that much Id play Wet and the Alan wake and question how the heck they deserved he same scores but Id rather just stick to saying it was a bad choice from the editor or whoever assigns reviewers to each game.

    Until then "I don't like this person therefore they're viewpoint is irellevant!" doesn't bloody work.

    Where did you pull that strawman from, I like Ellie, thats not the point.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 19:54

  • FooAtari #543 2 years ago

    @Calgon


    FooAtari why would you want it to fail... maybe you're a PC elitist who'd rather have had it on PC(from a quick scan of your posts and collection), seems pretty strange how you'd rather beleive everyone else got moneyhatted... its not me who looks questionable to anyone who holds no bias put that way. :/

    A 'PC Elitest', really? How old are you? 12?

    For a start I have not updated that list in bloody ages got a bit boring. Secondly I tend not to sell my PC games so my collection is around 15 years old and some. Where as I usually sell a console and all it's games when the next generation of consoles comes out. So they are at a bit of an unfair disadvantage. If I had kept every single console game I have ever bought it would far out number the amount of PC games I own.

    The PC is my favored platform for playing games, but I'm not elitist, I think I'm a bit old for that now. I was disappointed Alan Wake was dropped from the PC. But I think my life would be a little lacking if was in any way bitter or resentful.

    I'm just as happy sat in front of my 360/PS3 if the game I'm playing is good. However having to share the TV with my wife means the PC sees more gaming action than the consoles do.

    Anyway from which of my posts did come to the conclusion that I wanted the game to fail? I simply said EG wasn't the only site to feel the game had some flaws so gave it a less than gushing review.
    Edited by 3 at 05/05/10 @ 19:53

  • clemenules #544 2 years ago

    Dear Eurogamer:

    thank you for not being Gamespot (or most any other major game-review site out there). Keep up the good work.
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 19:56

  • HokutoNoKen #545 2 years ago

    EDGE review [link url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/review-modnation- racers
    ]http://ww w.edge-online.com/features/revi...[/link]

    8 / 10 :D

    / Ken

  • Calgon #546 2 years ago

    A 'PC Elitest', really? How old are you? 12?

    I like how you make your own spelling mistakes up there too, how old are you 8 or something? Can we not drag out the cliche kneejerk reactions to comments we dont like here mr mature, I said it would be a possible explanation but your choice to beleive two sources are more honest and the rest are all paid off is questionable on its own anyway. ;)

  • metalangel #547 2 years ago

    Removing the "bear having a wank" joke is seriously weak, EG. Stand by your reviews.

  • MeBrains #548 2 years ago

    wow. 610 comments and counting. O_O

    the review: I actually thought it was one of Ellies better ones. It was funny at times, but it well defended the points which Ellie thought were not helping the realism atmosphere.

    I'll flip the coin too: I have been a games journo a long time ago. Beginning of the 90'ies, I bet I was one of the first in Belgium. I stopped it a few years later, since I hardly found games I enjoyed. Since then, I have been on the look out for the ICO's, Okami's, SoTC's out there (I _am_ cutting corners). Anyhows. Good games are few and far between. This does not read like one of them. Now, if there are only so much you really enjoy, then why continue being a games journo? I lost enjoyment, could not find any positives in 95% of games and quit the job.

  • Calgon #549 2 years ago

    Pablo2k5 what a great arguement you made, well thought out and on topic... for a minute there I thought you might be too stupid to make a decent point and resort to personal insults alone... Oh! :(

  • WJF #550 2 years ago

    Good review. Highlighted the negatives, positives, drew up interesting images that helped visualize the faults and made its case well for giving it the score that it did. Was good fun to read as well.

    A bit surprised people were looking forward to this game so much though as I haven't been particularly impressed by the vids released in the past few months, but there we go, each to their own.

    ...

    Er...I mean OMG WTF R U THIKING!?!? GAMESPOT GAV IT 11/10!!! UR BIAS!!

  • j-bo #551 2 years ago

    @metalangel

    wtf - did they seriously remove that?

  • MeBrains #552 2 years ago

    particularly liked: Personality-wise, Alan takes himself very seriously. He has one tone of voice and no sense of humour. He also suffers from some kind of narrative Tourette's, which forces him to comment on what's happening almost constantly. On seeing a flock of birds a short distance away Alan will remark, "Birds." You wonder if he goes through life like this, and walks down the street going, "Bus, tree, postman, Tesco Metro..."

  • Bangaioh #553 2 years ago

    Haha, 7/10? i'll take that as a no, thanks :D

  • Alatair #554 2 years ago

    FFS guys, a person expressing their opinion in a review should not be crtitcised if they justify it like Ellie did with a 4 page review. Gaming is all about personal opinion, for instance I consisder myself a "hardcore" gamer and I thought GTA IV and Fallout 3 were shite, it is why there is so much variety in this form of media.

  • EmiliasHorse #555 2 years ago

    Oh balls! Do I have to read all 604 comments just to find out what the general feeling is?

  • POPTONES #556 2 years ago

    You lot still going on and on and on and on and on and on?

    Have a lovely night.

  • chrisola #557 2 years ago

    I really don't get the point of always going for the 'cynical sarcastic try to be funny on every line review style'... it's fine every now and again for a laugh at games which are clearly complete rubbish shovelware where the developer didn't even try or something, or on a niche review site you would only read FOR that type of review (Zero Punctuation bloke). However it rarely IS funny or half as clever as it thinks, on here at least.

    As it is, 4 pages trashing the game and a 7/10..what's a wallet to think? I guess it's worth a rental.

    *edit*

    This must get longest comment thread ever
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 21:14

  • Retroid #558 2 years ago

    chrisola: "This must get longest comment thread ever"

    Heh, not by a long shot!

  • metalangel #559 2 years ago

    @j-bo: yes... the line about the noise Alan's truck makes originally said it sounded like... that. One of the highlights of the review.

  • mizcicz #560 2 years ago

    didn´t ratchet and clank crack in time also get a 7? i enjoyed that game a lot! didn´t bioshock 2 get a 8? this game was so boring i didn´t even finish it..the 9 for battlefield was ok.lost planet 1 received mehhh reviews almost everywhere and i think this game is a true classic...reviews are just reviews...trust your guts, your own gaming experience and gameplay vids...
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 21:37

  • chrisola #561 2 years ago

    Haha ok, i clearly haven't been reading this site long enough as i missed that one.

    I'll put money on the Halo:Reach thread being the longest ever....especially if it gets the Ellie treatment or anything other than a 10/10





  • LR100 #562 2 years ago

    Has anyone counted how many comments are actually sexist? Like, "Girls can't review games, get back to the kitchen, Ellie!" style sexism. Almost all the comments here that I have bothered to read that are negative have been slating the review style and 'past credentials' of the reviewer.

  • mizcicz #563 2 years ago

    one thing with alan wake pisses me off though...it looks like i have spent more time reading all the alan wake articles and previews the last years than i will actually spend on playing the game...

  • EmiliasHorse #564 2 years ago

    Well I cannot claim to have read every single comment but the message is very clear.
    Many people are upset that Alan Wake failed to live up to it's billing as the greatest ever horror thingy type game. I must confess to having skipped a few chunks of the review, as it seemed at times to be heading dangerously close to spoilers. I'm sure it wasn't and instead would have veered off into sarcasm and criticism.

    Well done to all the PS3 fans for showing great restraint and not filling the comments thread with babble about how much better the PS3 exclusives are....I may have skipped a few comments too but you did seem at times to be heading perilously close to spoilers. Either that or I just don't care as much as I used to.

  • ph101 #565 2 years ago

    I'm not surprised at this seemingly well balanced review. A. wake had overhyped generic 3rd person action game written all over it for a long time.

  • FooAtari #566 2 years ago

    Aw, what happened to Calgon? Seems to have disappeared from the thread completely.

  • coomber #567 2 years ago

    For all those defending this 'review', allow me to prove to you why it is TOTAL FAIL.

    At no point does Ellie tackle the real question which needs to be asked of this game:

    CAN YOU RUN OVER THE ANIMALS AND BREAK THEIR LEGS?

  • Roarrr #568 2 years ago

    EG please give me back the 'ignore' button.

  • TopKatt #569 2 years ago

    So it's a good game.

    Just not as good as Noby Noby Boy.

  • MeBrains #570 2 years ago

    retroid: "Heh, not by a long shot!"

    and not a single one of me - or am I mistaking?

  • BlinkeredAxis #571 2 years ago

    What's this thread about? The people who want to play it haven't got it yet, and the rest are in the wrong forum, and should be playing (or is it watching?) heavy rain.

    The only thing that worries me is the comparison to Alone in the Dark - I'm still stuck in a room with a winch in it about 20 minutes from the beginning. For some reason my character can't look up. What a waste of £3.99.







  • polar #572 2 years ago

    How disappointing.

  • PatTheMav #573 2 years ago

    I don't care for the score, for the useless debates about who has the better exclusives, I don't even care for the fact that the reviewer is a woman.

    What I do care about is a site like Eurogamer, which made itself known for modest scoring, yet giving out 10/10s for games like SSF IV (maybe justified) or MW2 (not justified IMO, more like a 9/10 at best), while at the same time giving a game like Alan Wake to Ellie "The Ranter" Gibson to review (with the expected result of getting a "meh" score of 7/10).

    Granted - if you like her style of writing a "review", I'm happy for you. But to me her articles would be more at place in a personal blog or as a special feature (think Zero Punctuation). And even though Eurogamer is also known for the fact that its reviews put a much bigger emphasis on the personal experience the reviewer had with the game, with Ellie it seems to boil down to "didn't like this, that was crap, this was also bad and basically I'm bad at the game, but it's not my fault". There's nothing special in this, nothing "bold" (giving the game you didn't like a bad mark, doesn't make her a hero) in a 7/10, nothing exceptionally funny or creative - in other words: It's just another rant that doesn't even try to hide the fact.

    So what if she didn't like the game - in the case of "Alan Wake" I couldn't care less, wouldn't have bought it anyway. But I expect a professional games journalist to be able to channel his anger or frustration into a review without making it sound like a rantfest. And I expect such a person to not let a genre bias have an effect on review scores and if this isn't possible, I expect this person to say "for the sake of my own credibility and that of this site, I won't review games in genres I clearly don't have that much a connection with".

    Just look at at an analysis of her scores throughout '09 - she mostly got stuff to review that was - something we all can agree on - basically DS-crap for the most part, hence her average score of 6 for that year. Sometimes she's spot on (see WET review), sometimes she's really far off (scores deviating from the average by 20-30%), with her "Rock Band (Wii)"-score deviating by a whopping 70%! Maybe reviewing all those games does have an impact on the reviewer, bringing the bad things that much more into focus and not having an eye for the good things at all anymore. Who knows.

    But for the sake of good games writing: Stop the rantfest, leave the unfitting cross-media-allegories where they belong and stop writing 4 pages of endless repetition when a simple honest 2-pager could've done the same without all the drama.

  • Calgon #574 2 years ago

    I really don't get the point of always going for the 'cynical sarcastic try to be funny on every line review style'... it's fine every now and again for a laugh at games which are clearly complete rubbish shovelware where the developer didn't even try or something, or on a niche review site you would only read FOR that type of review (Zero Punctuation bloke). However it rarely IS funny or half as clever as it thinks, on here at least.

    As it is, 4 pages trashing the game and a 7/10..what's a wallet to think? I guess it's worth a rental.


    @chrisola - careful thats considered heresy here hide it quickly... make a comment about how funny she is and how informative it was or you're clearly a sexist hype munching pig!

    What has EG become now... theres barely any decent contributers left in the comments anymore just fanboys and asskissers.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 23:02

  • Calgon #575 2 years ago

    PatTheMav couldnt agree more with you, I dont actually mind Ellie for her writing style(where it fits) but its just too much for reviews and she did give WET a 7 too.

    Anybody willing to play through Wet to confirm something I already suspect which would make a good point about being consistant and at least a little serious rather than trying to be funny when it comes to reviews?

    You are wasting your time trying to use logic here though from the looks of it(one of the reasons Ive not posted in the comments for a long time before today), just agree with them that the review was "refreshing" and "helpful" so they can continue thinking they are always right(and mature apparently and in some cases psychic since they "saw this one coming";) so you dont have to bore yourself responding to them.
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 22:52

  • EmiliasHorse #576 2 years ago

    @ PatTheMav

    I do find it a little odd that Ellie was dragged away from non-stop farmville to review a game that even if it were faultless would not be her cup of tea anyway.

  • JediMasterMalik #577 2 years ago

    Oh my lord, would you please just... Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

    You're acting like the gaming journalism industry is some sort of high brow artsy institution, it really isn't, and never has been (no offence to any journos of course). It's meant to be light hearted and fun, like the games we play, while remaining informative. This review fulfills all of that. What exactly did you want from the review that you didn't get? I've heard plenty of complaining about how bad this review was for Ellie, how she apparently hates games, or wouldn't have liked it anyway, but none about what specifically is wrong with this as a review. So please enlighten me.

  • Calgon #578 2 years ago

    JediMasterMalik some of us wanted a serious review from someone who atleast holds a bit more of the same expectations of games for one(Im pretty sure we all know what to expect from stuff written by Ellie and what kind of games she takes to or not)... anyway why are you taking this fair critism to heart?

    Why did you get so worked up to come in with the "oh fuck off" approach... it's a bit rich when you are telling someone to "get over" the score or the fact that they arent going to beable use a EG review on a major release this time in my case(it's not the end of the world but Id rather have been able to as I usually do and I've every right to voice my opinion so "pipe. the. fuck. down!";).
    Edited by 2 at 05/05/10 @ 23:15

  • oceanclub #579 2 years ago

    "deviating from the average by 20-30%"

    Oh my god. KILL THE DEVIANT.

    Hopefully this wench will learn not to have an original opinion that differs from the norm. Then, and only then, will it be safe for average people to enjoy their average games in an average way.

    P.

  • EmiliasHorse #580 2 years ago

    I think Malik has been pushed too far and needs a cup of tea... in fact so do I.


  • mjhoward #581 2 years ago

    Clearly some people need to go and read the Eurogamer <a href=http://ww w.eurogamer.net/scoring_policy.php> scoring policy</a> and understand what a proper 1-10 scoring scale means.

    " Eurogamer marks games out of ten. We believe this is specific enough to identify the differences in quality between the majority of games, and that with these guidelines in hand the benefits of the ten-point scale outweigh the potential for inconsistency across a range of writers. Here's what the marks represent:

    10/10 - Phenomenal
    9/10 - Excellent
    8/10 - Very good
    7/10 - Good
    6/10 - Above average
    5/10 - Average
    4/10 - Below average
    3/10 - Bad
    2/10 - Atrocious
    1/10 - Bloody atrocious"

    Now, can someone tell me why we're upset that EG says this game is good?
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 23:22

  • Calgon #582 2 years ago

    I'm seeing a pattern here, if theres that many of you who think that way then I will make my own site and deliberately score games lower focussing on the bad not really looking for the good and then I'll be seen as more accurate and trustworthy as a source being more critical.

    I really should test that theory.

  • EmiliasHorse #583 2 years ago

    In this case I think the general view is the score is of little importance, the words seem to be the reason for such a high comment count.

    It reads like a 6/10 or worse.

  • Grogmonkey #584 2 years ago

    I thought the review text was disjointed and without clear focus: it was desperately trying to be both a 'serious' piece as befitting the supposed AAA nature of the game whilst simultaneously balancing the 'Ellie Requirement' to be sarcastic and make glib comments. As a result, the text was left without a distinct voice; it was neither typical 'light-hearted Ellie', nor 'serious review piece Ellie' (assuming such a thing exists, which I'm sure it does).

    In fact, I got to the end of the review and was terribly confused. I had no idea what the review expected me to take away from it. Plus, I felt the review itself was confused about it's message. The last paragraph in particular was (for me) a complete mess. Add to that, for a review spanning four pages, I don't think it told me anything. Certainly not anything of note or importance. Especially compared to the GameTrailers video review I had watched previously. And maybe that's part of the issue: a 5-minute video review that probably would have fit on two pages (maximum) said more than four full pages of text. Any way you slice it that's not cool.

    The whole thing was weird. I firmly believe Ellie is a better journalist than that review shows. Does that say anything about her as a person or a gamer, or about her abilities to review 'proper' games? Not really. We all have off days. Heck I had a terrible day yesterday. And ultimately this all means very little in the grand scheme of things.

    Though anyone that says we shouldn't ask for high-quality from a person who is a professional and is therefore, somewhere along the line, paid to do something, is completely mental. Gaming or not, if you don't have some measure of journalistic talent you shouldn't be doing the job. (Note: Ellie certainly does, I am just taking in general.)

  • Calgon #585 2 years ago

    Yes apollogists often say the score doesnt matter the review itself is the text before it... when they cant use that they fall back on EGs scoring system.

    To be honest... that line that "7 = good so stop whining" means nothing what matters is CONSISTANCY if I see a game like MW2 or Heavy Rain or Fable2 scoring 3 points higher than that on the same site thats a BIG difference especially if those games are not ones that I would rate anywhere near that highly in the first place.

    Not only does it look so far that this review isn't consistant with reviewers who've reveiwed this game on other sites it doesnt seem in line with the other reviewers on the same site... AND giving WET a 7 looks so far to me that she isnt even consistant next to her OWN reviews either.

    How is this supposed to be helpful to me?

    Edited by 3 at 06/05/10 @ 00:58

  • PatTheMav #586 2 years ago

    @JediMasterMalik:

    It has nothing to do with being artsy - it's the simple fact that the benchmark for an editor getting paid for his work should not be simple opinion-pieces that you can get from any random forum thread or gaming blog. Instead his work is supposed to be better in several areas, justifying the status as an editor of a publication such as Eurogamer and the payment received. And this isn't even covering a journalistic ethos (which - frankly - took some damage in recent years).

    So if an editor (any editor for that matter) dislikes a game, I expect him to do more than just a list of things that he didn't like using low-brow humor. And should he resort to such measures, I expect him not to drag on with the same nonsense for 4 pages.

    To make my position on this abundantly clear: I'm ok with the 7/10, parts of the review are absolutely in line with this, but I can't understand people praising Ellie for her reviews being so funny and original when most of the time the mentioned parts are just simple rants (which in return are then called bold or brave). It's not a total disaster like the Pixeljunk Eden review which read like "I'm bad at this game, hence it sucks".

    My mentioning of the deviations was meant to show that she is a very opinionated writer, which in itself isn't a bad thing, but I expect a professional games writer to deliver this opinion in a better way than the common forumite - and I'm not sorry to expect this of people getting paid for this profession. Could do without scores though..
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/10 @ 23:43

  • Shabbaranks #587 2 years ago

    Buy the bastard game or don't. If it got 9/10 the same people who bitch about it only getting a 7/10 would complain saying it's not that good and should only be a 7/10 at most.

    Ban the game scoring system and these idiots wouldn't know what to do with there spare time.




  • Calgon #588 2 years ago

    Ah well thats all from me, fair play to Ellie, she just gave her opinion on the game, it wouldnt hurt to do a second opinion review but I suspect they would have to score it lower than they want to as not to make Ellie look bad now anyway.

  • RedPanda #589 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • JediMasterMalik #590 2 years ago

    I really hope then that you've gone and analysed other reviews to the same level of critique so you have something on which you're basing your expectations. I don't think it was a 4 page rant at all, and even if it was, if she came away thinking she needs to write a 4 page rant as a result of playing that game, she has that right. Even in places where she has clearly come across as negative, she has supported that position with some good evidence. That's not a rant, that's informing you of the negatives of the game.

  • beastmaster #591 2 years ago

    @ Retriod - there's plenty of scope for this yet. Edge review should be out soon.

    Blimey, this comment thread has clear evidence why video games and video gamers are not taken seriously and seen as immature.



  • gjgjg #592 2 years ago

    jesus i dont check in on the site for a day or so and all this happens!
    ...a EG 7/10 is usually worth a purchase. oh indeed

  • Calgon #593 2 years ago

    If 7/10 was a good score and worth a buy that would mean 8/10 was a safe bet on EG and I usually have to check a few more reviews to be on the safe side because its not like that at all for me... 7/10 I'd need some serious convincing that they got it wrong which has happened before(I strongly suspect this is one of those occasions) 6/10 sorry but not for me... too many games to choose from these days and not enough time for them all.

    Come on be honest here how many 7/10s are you buying in a year... any 6/10s? I'd be interested because I can honestly say its rare I buy any 7/10s at all.
    Edited by 3 at 06/05/10 @ 00:53

  • TheKayle #594 2 years ago

    @ PatTheMav clap clap clap :) i agree 100% with u....

    for me Mrs Gibson wasnt the right person, for a big hyped game like Alan Wake i want know more technical stuff if this take an 7/10 after an entire years (at least the last was like this!) under attack of millions news titled "WOWWWW NEW FANTASTIC SCREENSHOTS OF ALAN WAKE IS A 100% GOTY!" a reviewer (imho) should try to explain what we was expeting and what we dont get (and of course what we got!)...and why im givin this score....if u googlize alan wake u will find more serious information about the game in 10 lines of a news than in this review...now for me the result is:

    1) ppl who was waiting this game ...will go to read another review...they we will find very different scores from here..(some site give to AW 10/10...the most around 9/10...... for example ign give 9...ign uk 8 but give 9.5 at graphic...or the review of kokatu ..where say could be still a goty) and for sure they will not come back to EG to read again a review..lol

    2) fanboy will post here for months...(both part)

    I repeat .....for me the wrong person for the review................

    i know i know...u will answer but 7 is a good score.....ok then......give to Ellie Gibson the review of GT5 and if it will take 7/10 ......u will see the "end of the world" on the comments come down......sure 100%

    7 is a right score when 8 on 10 review give 7 .......not the opposite....
    EG leave the 10/10 1/10 scores to the blogger..pls....or pls for big game like this use different reviewer





    ......and like i said....i could take this review seriously if it was on a blog or on fb.........lol

  • itsfuzzy #595 2 years ago

    To Human all over again. Delay delay delay = Stinks
    Glad all you gimps who flamed anyone who spoke out against Alan Wake are happy.
    This review reads like a 5/10, hope you flamers put your money where you mouth is.
    So go waste your money now fools

  • TheKayle #596 2 years ago

    @itsfuzzy in fact this seem just not be the review of alan wake lol she was talking about UNO...(no damn it take 9/10!!!) hahaha

  • BlinkeredAxis #597 2 years ago

    I just bought horse armour in Oblivion. Contrary to popular belief, it is rather good value.

    Also, contrary to poular belief, games that do not innovate are sometimes very good fun. (MW2 anyone?)

    Check out the Halo Reach beta thread, or the MGS4 mega-thread on this site, to find some passionate gamers who enjoy
    PLAYING GAMES - note how they seek knowledge about how to improve their skills, and make friends at the same time.
    We can change the negative internet world...

    There have been some comments about male/female game styles (AKA sexism) - the only two real-world examples I can offer are these:

    1. In guild wars, I played a female character, and made friends with someone who thought I was female IRL, (I'm not)
    and tried to make friends based on me being female.. er and I had to confess that I liked being a cute female character because it looked nicer to play. Didn't go well. Agh.

    2. My daughter bought a 360, played Fable 2 (twice), then asked me if there were any more games like it. Nearest I could
    suggest were not that close (Oblivion? WoW?) For those who slagged Fable 2 as an over-hyped game, stay with it. It is
    unique. It also has the best dog in any game ever.

    There, I've talked about some games I HAVE played.

    I'm gonna buy Alan Wake at full price just because both the M$ an $ony boys have been really stupid and annoying all day.


    Please note: Sony, Microsoft, and Apple are profit making businesses, so stop putting $ signs in the company name in a
    pathetic attempt to make your favourite corporation look like they are OXFAM or something. OK, I know Apple are never mentioned here, because they don't do games, but they overcharge for music. Which is bad. 40p a track is about right.

    I'm off to play Oblivion now (don't worry, It's great on PS3 and XBOX)

    Night dudes

    BA







  • Bremenacht #598 2 years ago

    Calgon has rage-quit? Awww - now I'll never know if he ever actually bought a 360.

  • man.the.king #599 2 years ago

    While I don't think 7 is a bad score, I still don't agree with the folks who argue that a review is "just a person' opinion". As I have mentioned several times before, a Professional Reviewer's review is a "professional, unbiased and carefully judged estimate" of a game based upon said reviewer's experience of the game. If indeed Ellie's experience was not as great as she suggests, then she is justified in giving it a low score.

    However, as another Commenter on here has mentioned, I believe Ellie is more flippant and on the lookout for opportunities to make herself look cool rather than taking the assignment she has been tasked with seriously. This tends to make Ellie reviews and interviews less informative and trustworthy than other people on EG.

    I will be getting AW, just not now - maybe later on when the price has gone down a bit.

  • FooAtari #600 2 years ago

    @mantheking
    I still don't agree with the folks who argue that a review is "just a person' opinion". As I have mentioned several times before, a Professional Reviewer's review is a "professional, unbiased and carefully judged estimate" of a game based upon said reviewer's experience of the game.

    As MattDamon says a review is a personal opinion, it can't be anything else. What one person hates in a game, somebody else might love. There isn't really a universally good or bad rule that everyone will always agree with.

    Ellie found some flaws in the game that she felt detracted from it. She clearly detailed these flaws and therefor gave justification for her score. What else do you want? Christ, without going back and reading the review, I'm pretty sure at the end she still said it was a good a game, and scored it as such, you know, because 7/10 is an above average, good score.

    And for a few other comments I have seen, it doesn't matter a damn what Metacritic says, any reviewer who reviews a game with metacritic in mind is not writing an honest review. If everyone "toed the line" and gave a game the same score what the hell would be the point in having different reviews for a game? Just let one person at Metacritic score a game based on the hype and job done...

    Bloody hell, I think this is the worse comments thread I have ever seen on EG...
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/10 @ 06:47

  • Machiavellian #601 2 years ago

    I believe the main issue with Ellie style is the sarcasted nature of her reviews. If its only here or there its fine but when it makes up the majority of he review, you do tend to think did the reviewer concentrate on showing their wit then actually playing the game. Its like, once the person found something they did not like, they then looked for more stuff instead of actually just playing the game and trying to enjoy the experience.

    Its hard to take a review serious when the person writting the piece also appears to not take the reveiw serious. I have nothing against Ellie but I also will say tha her reviews are the ones I really do not put to much stock into because I just feel she goes for the funny way more than letting me know if games are fun or not.

  • bad09 #602 2 years ago

    Wow this thread is growing!

    Still nowhere near the quality of the good old MGS4 review comments. :)

  • abot #603 2 years ago

    Poor Ellie...as soon as I saw the score I knew there was going to be alot of comments but 650 - thats crazy.

  • Xanafalgue #604 2 years ago

    Well just as I suspected on page 1, this review is contrary to 98% of the rest of the "gaming media" and, no offence, but Ellie was the worst choice to review Alan Wake.

  • DjFlex52 #605 2 years ago

    @bad09

    When you said quality, did you mean quantity?

    That MGS4 thread mostly contained comments bashing the reviewer and fanboy rants....err....just like...err...this thread.

  • E_Fittipaldi #606 2 years ago

    Maybe Eurogamer is disappointed, because there were no PC-version...in any case seems that this game will be a huge success.

  • Xanafalgue #607 2 years ago

    @ cez_of_rage

    I agree entirely.

  • Tonka #608 2 years ago

    I wear a jacket /hoodie combo.
    /hangs head in shame

  • MeBrains #609 2 years ago

    cez_of_rage: she attacked every aspect of the game and still gave it a 7?! she must be deranged indeed...

  • Kerome #610 2 years ago

    Enjoyed the review, as usual with Ellie's writing, so +1. But it does sound like the kind of game that I'd enjoy, and as long as the production values are high enough and the game mechanics are right, I can put up with a little unreality and linearity. Onto the buy list it goes ;)

    But I have one question for our intrepid reviewer - if it had been possible to reverse the roles of the couple, and been able to play the woman going in search of her kidnapped other half, would the score have been different? I believe I'm detecting just a tinge of disappoinment that Alan is not really a classic male romantic lead...

  • FooAtari #611 2 years ago

    @Xanafalgue

    Well just as I suspected on page 1, this review is contrary to 98% of the rest of the "gaming media" and, no offence, but Ellie was the worst choice to review Alan Wake.

    So fucking what??? This has no relevance when writing your review. None. You write what YOU PERSONALLY think about the game, not what everyone else does. I'm sure there must be a least a couple of games that score 90+ on metacritic that you don't like. Does that make you wrong? Of course it doesn't.

    And anyway, as mentioned before she gave it 7/10. 7! 7 is two points above average, a good game. Have you played the game to be in a position to disagree with the score? It's getting pretty tiring when any game that doesn't get a 9 or above is apparently shit. It also getting pretty tedious that so many people decide if they like a game or not based on previews and hype. And then have some kind of mental problem that stops being rational about a review that doesn't agree with what they think (but don't yet know) what the game is like.

  • NightAntilli #612 2 years ago

    @FooAtari: It's not about the score. It's about ranting and nitpicking about every little thing, and also being inconsistent, like first saying:

    "Remedy has worked hard to produce a polished game, one with impressive visuals and a new take on combat. On those fronts it's succeeded."

    And then:

    "All the same, there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay, and don't mind a lot of repetition. Alan Wake is an accessible, undemanding game with a neat combat mechanic and decent visuals."

    Pure contradictions. If you do that as a reviewer, your credibility drops down in my book.

  • trousers #613 2 years ago

    For me it sounded like she knew it would be well received elsewhere but didn't enjoy it so set about listing the (entirely justified it would seem) problems she had with it rather than the shoehorned in "These bits are alright" part of the review so that the score at the end represented a reason for the deviation from the mean rather than the text itself.

    Personally I think Ellie should review more - she has personality and and eye for detail that many reviewers miss - I'd take one of her reviews over Dan Whitehead's any day of the week.

    Finally editing the bear/wank thing really is low - first time I have genuinely laughed out loud during a review in ages and you water the bloody thing down. Fannies.

  • YobRenoops #614 2 years ago

    Dear Lord. All this bleating over a fucking review. It's a review, a personal opinion over a game. Just because Ellie did it doesn't mean anything other than it's her opinion. Those people going on about it being too low or that its somehow damaged the journalistic integrity of the website are the same people who were going to buy the game anyway and want to read 9 or 10 scores on the reviews to back up their choices.

    You don't have to get social acceptance for each game purchase you make from websites, if you want the game and like it buy it. If not rent or don't buy it. Don't whinge that the score is wrong.

  • Geordiemp #615 2 years ago

    Trying to make constructive comments on how to improve the information in this review, and indeed many reviews at RG.

    Ellies review is pages of wit which is a fun read, its a shame we have to go to other websites to find out how many hours it is to play, how many difficulty levels, is it scripted or are there some randomness in enemy locations (replay)....

    Heck, it does not even say if the third person camera is fixed behind you or you have control with right stick.

    Some comments on 1Up say the dodge on LB is a sluggish and cumbersome, how is the controls / response FEEL to play the game ?

    All we got in the review was its best to run away.

    Review the game EG, do another article entitled witty comments about game X, Ellie would be a star at it.
    Edited by 2 at 06/05/10 @ 10:23

  • VoodooGibson #616 2 years ago

    @ Matt Damon

    If it will allow you to present things cohesively, logically, and in a non-contradictory manner, then yes, you should definitely type slower. ---Hehheh

    Do you want a 70 percent scored paid review or an above 70 one? That's completely unclear from your posts --Don't give one what it gets, was just challenging someone to review it and give it a different score. Also highlighting the fact that many people here (!!!warning..unfounded!!!) probably (!!!unfounded justified!!!) don't have a full copy of the game to review.

    How do we prove in the comments thread that we are good enough to be paid? ----Put in a link to some work (Ctrl-C) unless your reviews are writtne on 2nd hand toilet roll in which case scan then (Ctrl-C)

    If you read our review and agree are you going to pop a cheque in the post? --Nope I don't pay people to review games

    Is that how we are deemed good enough in your eyes? ---Do you want a big hug?

    Your completely unfounded presumption that none of the commenters are reviewers, and thus no one is qualified enough to contest, or alternatively support, Ellie's opinion, is an insult to a large chunk of the people here, who clearly make their living from the games industry and know what the hell they are talking about. -- I'm just saying Ellie is good enough to be paid for her reviews and opinions over a long period of time, enough so to make a living professionally. As my very first comment said I was amazed that people were posting how you should write a review...in a sense telling your grandma how to chew eggs

    The offer for a hug still stands. (!!!No tounges. Unless I like your review)

  • Wedge1985 #617 2 years ago

    @NightAntilli

    tbh i'm not sure i can see where the contradiction is.I read these to mean that it has decent graphics and a new combat system (flashlight thing does sound interesting) but beyond these offers very little that's new.

    "Remedy has worked hard to produce a polished game, one with impressive visuals and a new take on combat. On those fronts it's succeeded."
    "Alan Wake is an accessible, undemanding game with a neat combat mechanic and decent visuals."
    These two sentences seem to fully support each other.

    "All the same, there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay, and don't mind a lot of repetition.

    This sentence agains seems to back up that there's good graphics and an interesting combat scheme but nothing else new. She explains perfectly why it felt repetitive in this statement:
    "A familiar pattern emerges within a few hours. Your mission is always to get from point A to point B, defeating enemies, picking up ammo, collecting manuscript pages and kick-starting generators along the way."

  • jambo74 #618 2 years ago

    Two Words....


    WHO CARES

  • Les #619 2 years ago

    Again a long hyped platform exclusive doesn't score a 10/10 and again the fanboys are arguing over numbers...

    I agree with some of the commenters that multiple views is better than one but then again, that's what sites like metacritic can be used for. Shame that they also think it necessary to calculate average scores though as review scores are meaningless IMHO. The text is what you need. Liking a game just because others assigned it a high score is sad. Waving platform exclusive review scores in the face of the opposition is even sadder.

  • VoodooGibson #620 2 years ago

    @ Matt Damon

    I said no tongues dammit! You cheeky monkey!

  • YobRenoops #621 2 years ago

    Hmm a lot of sanctimonious carrying on here.

    It's simple, if you feel so aggrieved because you don't like the review and don't agree with it, or it doesn't give the information you need (MAN I FUCKING NEED TO KNOW WHETHER THE CAM IS FIXED BEHIND ME!!!!!!!!!!!!) then go elsewhere. It seems Ellie (using her first name like I know her...) has given a more descriptive review of a game that dresses itself up as a movie/tv series. It seems appropriate to what the game is about.

  • zabeu #622 2 years ago

    Honest and entertaining review, just the way it should be. Good work, Ellie.

  • FooAtari #623 2 years ago

    @NightEntelli

    As Wedge said, those comments do not seem contradictory to me...

    To summarise what she said, A game can be polished, but still be short and repetative.

  • Widge #624 2 years ago

    Review tackles:

    Storyline & delivery of storyline
    Gameplay mechanic, how well it plays

    then at the bottom it says 7/10

    Go to page 2. Read about the gameplay mechanic, read how it works. Gameplay. Discussed in the review. In words.

  • Geordiemp #625 2 years ago

    In defense of the score and Ellie, from IGN UK (not the USA one)

    "That's almost five hours of Alan Wake's ten-hour game where you do virtually nothing beyond blinding-then-shooting sporadic, slender groups of slow-paced opponents.

    It's pedestrian in the extreme and all the sparse pseudo-open world environments and plot contrivances can't save it from becoming a repetitive trudge. Aside from the glorious visuals and genuinely claustrophobic atmosphere, it's an empty, soulless slog that, while never actually bad, slowly ebbs goodwill through sheer dullness."

    There is a trend that UK reviewers say it how it is, IGN UK gave it an 8 as the last chapters were better and maybe they fear a backlash. USA web sites often bend to the hype and marketing machine.

  • FooAtari #626 2 years ago

    @Geordiemp
    There is a trend that UK reviewers say it how it is, IGN UK gave it an 8 as the last chapters were better and maybe they fear a backlash. USA web sites often bend to the hype and marketing machine.

    I tend to agree with this. I think many reviewers get sucked into the hype as much as anyone else and this can skew their review. The should really do their best not to do this if the review is to be accurate and balanced. Also think, that even if no publisher pressure is involved many sites post what most of their readers want to hear so as not piss of the readership.
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/10 @ 15:11

  • IonOnion #627 2 years ago

    Can't wait for Digital Foundry to weigh in on this. There's a potential that that article can incite more fanboyishness than this review.
    I wonder how long before they publish? 3 weeks? A month? Its hard to imagine them posting so soon with all the negativity going on right now.

  • mkreku #628 2 years ago

    I have no idea what you guys are on about. She clearly states the game is no longer open world, it's full of clichés, the driving feels forced, the combat gets repetitive fast, the character moves too slowly, the animations look dated, the narrative is monotonous, the graphics are good, there's ammo everywhere, etc.

    It feels like you're just trying to come up with arbitrary reasons (is the camera fixed or not? Wtf?) to hate on the review because it was written by Ellie. Ellie rocks. Deal with it.

  • TheKayle #629 2 years ago

    change the name... alan with Brad Pitt....Bright Fall with Hollywood....this seem an review of a paris hilton party not of a game lol...."awww hee look like a beaar.." ..."meeeh look that girl...is a kitty".."and marianne..look what he dress..is ugly!!".......the wrong place to put out gossip ....

    the most of us who lose our time to write comments on a videogame review site.....r hardcore gamers...and trust in me....i never talk with my friends who play games too...about ....how r dressed in red dead redemption........i look at frame x second...what kind of antialiasing......resolution......and other stuff............we all do this......all the rest...dont need to be readed....yawn
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/10 @ 13:14

  • TheKayle #630 2 years ago

    @mkreku "I have no idea what you guys are on about. She clearly states the game is no longer open world, it's full of clichés, the driving feels forced, the combat gets repetitive fast, the character moves too slowly, the animations look dated, the narrative is monotonous, the graphics are good, there's ammo everywhere, etc."

    also god of war III isnt open world........the combat system is pretty all the same and not innovative.....the type of game is old...like the 10 rules of God....take around 8 hours...and the graphics is good...........(i dont want compare GOW III with alan wake im not this crazy)...but that words..dont mean a fuck..for me.....lol......a reviewer must explain and explain and explain.......
    .....

    @IonOnion: Can't wait for Digital Foundry to weigh in on this.


    why? why u ask for that review for a big hyped and waited game like Alan Wake? r u not satisfied about this review? seem touch every point of the technical stuff about this game...lol
    Edited by 2 at 06/05/10 @ 13:29

  • rhinoxious #631 2 years ago

    out of interest, was this reviewed at eurogamer's offices, or the reviewer's home, or was it one of those, you must fly to here and sit in a cubicle type reviews?

    I often think the latter can backfire for the publishers if the game isn't awesome.

  • Razorus #632 2 years ago

    "without spoiling anything, let's just say you're left thinking, "You mean I kick-started all those generators for that?""

    Ok, things like this, Eurogamer, do not a good review make. You're not spoiling it but now you've implanted the seeds of spoilage in the minds of readers. Now I know the ending has something to do with the generators. I didn't need to know that. You did this with the Heavy Rain review in which you mentioned to look out for a character's quirks.

  • Les #633 2 years ago

    Threads like this make me hate EG even more for removing the "ignore" button... Give me my button back! ;)

    /edit: spelling
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/10 @ 16:37

  • Boku #634 2 years ago

    Playing it right now, and the game's a 9/10 so fa,r imo. Love the feeling, and the Twin Peaks/Stephen King references. Yes, i'm a fan of both too.
    This game's getting way too much hate from upset PC fanboys.

  • Widge #635 2 years ago

    I think we all know that God Of War 3 isn't open world, much as Street Fighter 4 isn't open world ... the big difference is that they never were intended to be that way where AW was.

  • FooAtari #636 2 years ago

    This game's getting way too much hate from upset PC fanboys.

    /huge facepalm.

  • gandhimaster #637 2 years ago

    Personally, I think that the way Ellie reviews/interviews on the site, and speaks on the podcasts, influences my opinion of her work. She is very rarely serious, very rarely does an interview that is not a piss take, and comes across as a bit of a joker.

    For me, it means I don't pay attention to her reviews, but that doesn't mean she isn't right!

    I'll play it and find out. These comments are nasty and out of order tho, even if we don't agree with her style.

    I actually think eurogamer must deliberately try and bait the fanboys when they choose who to review certain games.

    Please Ellie, for your own sake don't read these comments!!

  • bloke #638 2 years ago

    Highly entertaining and informative review - thanks Ellie.

    JC

  • M_of_the_sys #639 2 years ago

    Please Ellie, for your own sake don't read these comments!!

    If she's gotten this far to read yours, chances are that she's probably read most of them.

  • MuppetThumper #640 2 years ago

    after trawling through some of the comments on this thread, all I can say is, can we ban anyone under the age of 18 from using the site please...

    very informative and rationally reasoned review, thanks.

  • Sevens #641 2 years ago

    "The genre has moved on since then. Games such as BioShock have shown how compelling and original storylines can be told in innovative ways."

    Yeah. With tape recorders that total in gibberish of 10 minute length. Now that's story telling. Pretty bad story, too. Innovative, though. On the other, nah, it isn't.

  • GooseUK #642 2 years ago

    7/10 is the new 10/10 presumably

    By the way IS THIS A SICK JOKE POSTING THE REVIEW ON THE PC PAGE!

  • Calgon #643 2 years ago

    I've taken the time to read it all the way through now and although I admit it wasn't as bad as I was expecting(it does seem like two people wrote this in places though) page 2 and 4 make it seem like she already decided she wanted to give it a low score and went out of her way to find reasons to do so.

    Page 2 its not the first time a video game blah blah... remember that?

    Then this:

    "The genre has moved on since then. Games such as BioShock have shown how compelling and original storylines can be told in innovative ways."

    They'd already done that in SystemShock2 but better and with a better story, gameplay and atmosphere, compared to what was around at the time of release theres no comparison.

    "The likes of Uncharted 2 have offered up not just lush visuals but diverse locations and varied gameplay."

    It looks pretty, as did Tombraider for its time plus it had diverse locations and arguably more varied gameplay(deffinately heard how the puzzles are lame in comparison). What gets me is she wants realism and possibly took marks off for trivial gamey things such as "oh look birds"(which is something that video game characters just do in this genre when you focus on something of interest) or an unrealistic amount of items on his person but somehow wants them to shoehorn some diverse locations into the plot too now? Oh look we are in Africa now, how nice, look at the Hippos. What is it you want Ellie? Make your mind up. :)

    "With Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream broke the rules of game narrative and forced the player not only to think before pulling the trigger, but to feel."

    Another game that alot of people think EG rated too highly and comment which some people in this thread have disagreed with quite alot too.

    I think maybe Ellie just doesnt like MS on the whole which is fine, let her review some PS3 exclusives EG she'll be a happier less cynical bunny I suspect. ;)

    edit: Wont be long before this is negged to shit by the immature tools(I mean seriously, getting upset/mad about critisism of a website and then having the gall to claim the person you are throwing abuse at is getting too angry/emotional... lol makes me chuckle) that plague EG these days but there we go had to post my thoughts after reading and I still dont think she was the right person for the review. No big deal, every site has their bad calls, it is just a game and it hasn't put me off what could be a game thats far better than your average EG 7/10(or atleast far better than Wet Ellie ;) ).

  • Patch25994 #644 2 years ago

    I really loved this review, I found it hilarious. Thanks!
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/10 @ 20:12

  • Les #645 2 years ago

    And I really mis the "latest comments" page. Now it's practically impossible to have a proper discussion in the comments section.

  • Distributor #646 2 years ago

    Stop moaning!!! Who in this day and age reads one review and thinks its gods will? Go on and read a few more, maybe even 10 more reviews on other sites and make up your own damn mind about this game and/or if you want to actually buy it.
    People cant make their own mind up anymore? you all need some sort of megareview to tell you if a game is good or bad?
    Take a decent sample of different reviews and go with the flow instead of giving the shit to a reviewer on ONE gaming website.

    Grow up people!

  • NightAntilli #647 2 years ago

    @Wedge1985 and FooAtari:

    The contradictions are not that hard to spot.. First, she says it has impressive visuals and a new take on combat, then she says the graphics are "decent" and "there's a weekend's worth of fun here for action-adventure fans who aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay" She just said it has a new take on combat, and then says it's not innovative.. If those are not contradictions, I don't know what are.

  • Abriael #648 2 years ago

    A review from Eurogamer that actually makes sense?! I Protest! This is not to be!

    Seriously. Alan Wake looks like an undersized (7-8 hours? please...), underdeveloped, sub-hd bad attempt at banal storytelling, with characters sharing the personality of a cactus.

    Want good storytelling, lots content and much better action? Yakuza 3 has been out a couple months already.

  • DjFlex52 #649 2 years ago

    "Want good storytelling, lots content and much better action? Yakuza 3 has been out a couple months already."

    @ Abriael

    You sound like you're on a PS3 agenda by your comments.

    Yakuza 3 (PS3 exclusive)... the game that Game Informer, Edge, Playstation: The Magazine & GAMES(tm) all gave a 6/10 score to?
    My point being that all reviews are subjective...you can always find a videogame review that reinforces your point of view and a review that negates your point of view.

  • muscleblade #650 2 years ago

    @Abriael

    Yakuza 3 sucks sweaty hairy balls. Sorry to say. This is a very moody game and the story is great so far imo.

  • DjFlex52 #651 2 years ago

    "Want good storytelling, lots content and much better action? Yakuza 3 has been out a couple months already."

    @ Abriael

    You sound like you're on a PS3 agenda by your comments.

    Yakuza 3 (PS3 exclusive)... the game that Game Informer, Edge, Playstation: The Magazine & GAMES(tm) all gave a 6/10 score to?
    My point being that all reviews are subjective...you can always find a videogame review that reinforces your point of view and a review that negates your point of view.

  • bloodflowers #652 2 years ago

    I've learned to just not listen to Ellie's reviews, they always seem like biased hatchet jobs, with some window dressing to hide it.

  • Wedge1985 #653 2 years ago

    @NightAntilli

    I read that as impressive visuals -> decent graphics. I dont see that as a contradiction. A contradiction would be saying it had impressive visuals in one sentence and then saying average graphics in the summary. She'd already highlighted the graphics so the decent graphics was just a summary.

    As for innovation, "aren't too bothered about innovative concepts and varied gameplay" implies to me that it has one or two innovative ideas but not enough to carry it. A new combat system's great but if you're still going from A to B to C, getting key and returning to B to switch something to open A for nearly every puzzle it doesn't strike me as particularly innovative or varied. These types of puzzles were overused back in the original tomb raider games.

    Obviously it can be interpreted in multiple ways but thats just how i read it.

  • Pasco #654 2 years ago

    Dear Eurogamer, I have a request! Could you let Ellie re-review half a dozen games that are considered holy? Something like Halo 3, Zelda somesomething and above all Metal Gear Solid 4. The last one has the most potential for infinite awesomeness. I laugh already and neither the review nor the comments exist yet.

  • Leolian #655 2 years ago

    Great review Ellie.

  • ShinMegami08 #656 2 years ago

    722 comments???? wow, that's sick!

    Had to laugh a lot while reading the review. Thanks for that Ellie.
    Oh yeah and for all who say "Ellie has lost it!!!", look at Metacritics, the game has an average of 85, so a 7 doesn't seem so far away.

    Brilliant article!
    Edited by 1 at 07/05/10 @ 20:35

  • mkreku #657 2 years ago

    I agree with Pasco!! That would be a great idea! And I would throw in those unwarranted 10/10's too.. like Bioshock and GTA4 come to mind.

  • metamorphic #658 2 years ago

    DjFlex52 - you, sir, are an absolute retard. Yakuza 3 is one of the best games to come out in 2009 and a shitty game like Alan Wake - which is about what, huh, retarded zombies coming out of nowhere to attack a "writer" (strange how he came to a FOREST rather than say, an actual holiday destination where actual writers actually go to - yeah, try reading it up) who uses uh, light to "defeat them" (I mean seriously, who apart from immature children could possibly enjoy such an inane and pointless story) - cannot compare to it within any possible margin - just look at the beautiful cut scenes, superb story and amazing narrative exemplified throughout Yakuza 3, but then of course we can't expect retarded and biased Westerners who don't understand Japanese or any culture apart from their own to gauge the game's quality, can we. And funny that you're bringing up a few crappy no-name sites with that same kind of illiterate ignorant mentality; let's refer to the actually notable, well-thought out and researched reviews from great publications like Eurogamer please, who yes, rated it a well-deserved 8, and Famitsu, who actually understand the culture and language and are not impervious to it, and rated it a 38. Get inundated with reality and the outside world, please.
    Edited by 2 at 08/05/10 @ 00:51

  • DoKtoR #659 2 years ago

    Holy crap!

    All this fuss over a game that scored 7/10... 7/10 is a decent score on Eurogamer - get over it drooling fanboys(girls).

    No need to shoot the messenger as well because the game didn't live up to expectations - not every game needs to score a 10/10 for it to be half decent.

  • DjFlex52 #660 2 years ago

    @Metamorphic

    The only retarded thing I've done this week is to respond to your asinine post right now...o_O

    Are you sure you can read or are you on medication?
    First of all, I didn't give MY opinion of Yakuza 3 at all. I mentioned 4 well-known magazines, not "a few crappy no-name sites" as you called them, who gave Yakuza 3 a 6/10. And then you stupidly call Eurogamer a publication when IT IS A game site.

    I hate to burst your bubble but I probably know Japanese culture better than you seeing as my sister-in-law is Japanese.

    edit: BTW I was playing River City Ransom when you were in diapers...lulz
    Edited by 1 at 08/05/10 @ 08:15

  • smoothn00dle #661 2 years ago

    What is going on? 700 comments for the game review.

  • septimus #662 2 years ago

    Disappointed. Ah well... lots to play. This can wait for the bargain bin.

  • Niall #663 2 years ago

    More like Alan WACK.

    Arf Arf.

  • makariel #664 2 years ago

    I stopped by the remedy forums and one of the main concerns there is that the metacritic-score is below 90. For some reason it doesn't seem to occur to them, that the game might just not be _that_ good.

    and yay, the bear wank is back! :D
    Edited by 1 at 09/05/10 @ 02:05

  • fknetwork #665 2 years ago

    Wow, all the butt hurt pc fanboys in here giving bad ratings is funny!
    PC gaming is dead, noone gives a flyng f*ck about pc gaming these days, its over....
    Edited by 1 at 09/05/10 @ 09:18

  • TheComedian #666 2 years ago

    One last thing, to close the thread.

    Can people shutup with all this 'it's just someone's opinion' bull? It's not, the reviewer is a paid professional chosen because of a portfolio of different articles and a (supposedly) deep knowledge of the source marerial and its canon. The reviewer should have more than just a 'personal opinion', it should be based on their knowledge of the genre, current releases, technology, gameplay in comparison to the rest of the systems library etc.

    That Ellie seems to miss the point quite a lot in this review, contradicting herself on numerous points and showing a 'high-and-mighty' approach to the genre, seems to suggest that, yes, THIS is personal opinion. Not what journalism should be about.

    I like Ellie when she's reviewing silly games I don't care for, her writing has always been style over substance (no offense, this can be a really good thing sometimes) with an emphasis on humour compared to actual reviewing. She conducts a mean interview. She can't review proper games like this very well. Sorry.

    EG, your credibility is going down the pan. I'm a loyal viewer and have been for some years now, but your schizophrenic coverage has driven me to consult some other game sites - all of which consider you to be a bit of an elitist joke, sadly.

    You still get props in my book for giving Deus Ex a 10/10 though.

  • Stompy #667 2 years ago

    "That Ellie seems to miss the point quite a lot in this review, contradicting herself on numerous points and showing a 'high-and-mighty' approach to the genre, seems to suggest that, yes, THIS is personal opinion. Not what journalism should be about."

    I have never read an objective review - only boring ones futilely attempting objectivity.

  • TheComedian #668 2 years ago

    They're out there.

    I think I may have misrepresented my point a little towards the end. This review doesn't read like an experienced gamer with knowledge and interest of the genre giving their impartial thoughts on the game in respect of current releases, technology and gameplay conventions. Obviously a personal element is needed to give the review any personality, but when personality is used at expense of review, then there's a problem.

  • Stompy #669 2 years ago

    This review doesn't read like an experienced gamer with knowledge and interest of the genre giving their impartial thoughts on the game in respect of current releases, technology and gameplay conventions.

    An excellent argument, except for the fact that you are clearly wrong. I know more about Alan Wake from Ellie's review than I do from the numerous others I have read.

  • Skorms-Boss #670 2 years ago

    bear having a wank!

    gonna keep me chuckling for weeks!

    And the review is spot on, having wasted an hour playing this unoriginal bag of tripe I have to say 7/10 is too generous!
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/10 @ 01:23

  • Gecks #671 2 years ago

    i have a 360, i only have a 360, but i don't want alan wake.

    this review confirms what i suspected from everything i'd seen and and read about this game (and there has been a lot over the past 5 years!) - it's a decent action game with no self-awareness. i think if you're after your standard action adventure, then there's likely a lot of fun to be had here, but the moment remedy started dropping names (lynch, king, kubrick) and claiming it was a work of 'psychological horror', my expectations went up.

    i think i've probably taken a bit of a disproportionate dislike to the game, which is fair enough, but i also think it has unwittingly become some kind of brave-new-hope for 360 gamers, as it's an exclusive new IP, but really guys.. the 360 is fine, it doesn't need alan wake.
    Edited by 1 at 10/05/10 @ 10:45

  • mingster #672 2 years ago

    Edge have given it 7/10 as well.

  • mingster #673 2 years ago

    6.5/10 on gamecritics.com

  • geeza2020 #674 2 years ago

    well its been emotional people.

    Heres to "Alan Wake 2: Does a Bear Wank in the Woods?"

  • Lukey__b #675 2 years ago

    Phew. That was a lot of comments.

    Gotta read them all, gotta read them all!

  • Deckard1 #676 2 years ago

    Anyone else notice that a lot of system exclusives got lower than the media average scores on eurogamer? And these reviews get thousands of hits on the comments sections? And that eurogamers advertising revenues will be determined by how many hits the website gets? And that eurogamer seems to release at least 1 fanboy angering article a day? Just saying.

  • Wendelius #677 2 years ago

    My copy has shipped. Looking forward to seeing for myself whether I enjoy the game or not. Comments thread hell is fun. But playing games is even more so. :)

  • Gecks #678 2 years ago

    gamecentral gave it 6/10
    http://ww w.teletext.co.uk/gamecentral/fe...

  • Needlessbeast #679 2 years ago

    Having followed Eurogamer over the last few months and after playing Alan Wake I feel compelled to pass comment on this review.

    It seems as though the reviewer has from the outset been of the opinion that they dislike this game as has been a running theme on this site. In a saturated market of games websites providing various articles this one would appear to go out of its way to be controversial.

    Its an interesting business model with the aim of driving site traffic to ensure they keep the advertising money rolling in. If you look at recent reviews of games such as Splinter Cell Conviction which seemed to fall well short of the mark and then a game like Metro 2033 which was met with high praise based purely on its potential not the actual game itself which was severely flawed, it seems that going against the norm is what this site is all about.

    This is again reflected in Alan Wake. I have played through this game and I found it to be excellent and well worth the investment. The review doesnt seem to discuss much of the game at all more the little gripes which the reviewer had. The question which arose form reading the review was how the reviewer actually encountered a bear having a wank to be able to use it has a metaphor for describing the noise of Mr Wakes car....infact dont answer I dont want to know.

    I wont proceed to provide my own review of the game as I dont get paid for doing so. What I will say is that game creates an absorbing atmosphere which involves the player in the character Alan Wake and the storyline. Yes the game does use many of the fundamentals present in previous games but it takes a fresh approach at the story telling via the use of presenting chapters as episodes which had me hungry for more and drove progression through the game as I couldnt wait for what happened next.

  • phifedawg #680 2 years ago

    RE:the comments on the latest eurogamer podcast,

    I know people can get silly in their defense of a AAA platform exclusive game but I think YOU, the gaming media, need to take responsibility for endlessly hyping these games. I was never interested in Alan Wake, nobody even knew what it was for several years. who decided it was a AAA title in the first place? everything about the game sounds incredibly stupid.

  • pekkom #681 2 years ago

    I think that this review was the weakest of Eurogamer´s history this far. Alan Wake deserves 8-9/10 not a 7. Its not perfect but its definetly not an average game. I think it has such strong atmosphere of it´s own and the lightning effects are stunning even if the graphics itself arent the top of the line. Atleast I think its a very good looking and playing game.

  • mattius30 #682 2 years ago

    Well...having played the game all night - I have to say, personally, 7 is a pretty accurate score, if not a little generous, to me. And the comments that Ellie makes in her review make total sense now that I have actually spent some considerable time with the title. Its the first game I have played that has really had me torn with an opinion as to whether its brilliant or not.

    I love the graphics, the lighting and the atmosphere. But then, the presentation confuses me. It is meant to be like a tv series, with individual episodes even with a 'previously on Alan Wake' at the beginning of each 'level'. However, the episode doesn't open with credits, nor closes with credits. Since when has any tv drama ended with a black screen saying 'end of episode 1'? It just feels weird and hollow. Having played Siren Blood Curse, which also did the episode thing extremely slickly, AW just seems a little half baked. It is either a regular horror game, or a stylised game-cum-tv drama, choose one!!!

    But perhaps what annoys me the most is the constant little never leaving, never ending messages that pop up on the left of the screen. Mission statements that stay on the screen until the next objective. Find Alice, Turn on lights, Get in car, Go to the mill, Get through the woods, Don't die, Kill things, Breathe to live - okay the last three aren't real. I never feel like I have any control over Alan and what I want to do. If Alan is fighting to stay alive, then let me, his controller find the solution. Its like playing the game sat next to someone who has already completed it and wont quit giving hints. 'Oh, you want to jump up there, no not there, there...' Sure, a little message could pop up briefly, or you could press Back to check your objectives, but to have a constant message on screen is like being nagged at. It kills the atmosphere completely, and is totally at odds with its 'lost in the dark' gameplay. I really hope a patch will allow you to either turn them off, or move them to the pause menu.

    And finally perhaps the most disappointing thing, which I hope will change in later levels is the lack of exploration. Ok, so its no longer a sandbox game - but even Silent Hill 1,2 and 3 allowed me to explore the town - so far, in the daytime sections at least, I am dumped at a location and funneled through. The graphics are so bloody gorgeous and the location seems so well crafted and real, it frustrates me that I can only swing my right stick around and imagine what it would be like to walk around and discover things - without being nagged at with the objective statement in the corner!!!

    The thing is, there is so much atmosphere and my eyes burn with the beauty of the shadows and the fog, it feels kind of like what Silent Hill should've been allowed to become this generation. And for that I can't help but love it.

  • webcider #683 2 years ago

    I must say its really funny to read Ellies reviews she has a very unique way to review games and definately her own writing style, ehm i think i might even sometime will appreciate them a lot more than i have done in the past.

    So Never change it was a funny review ^^

  • rashes #684 2 years ago

    Just finished episode 4 of this and I must say I can't understand how Ellie came up with this score. I'm absolutely loving it.

  • Nikanoru #685 2 years ago

    Everything about it feels dated, from the linear level design...

    Hmm, I thought dumbed down linear shit was the in thing these days? "Streamlining" they call it, no?

  • Nikanoru #686 2 years ago

    The graphics are so bloody gorgeous and the location seems so well crafted and real, it frustrates me that I can only swing my right stick around and imagine what it would be like to walk around and discover things


    My feelings about the modern day games industry in a nutshell right there. Everything you see in games anymore is just like a flat cardboard backdrop in a disneyland ride where you're confined to your little seat all the way.

  • alysonwheel #687 2 years ago

    She totally nailed the sound of that truck. Hoo boy.

  • smelly #688 2 years ago

    Wowzer! 760 comments crying over the score!

    sheesh

  • DarrenDavid #689 2 years ago

    Played it. Brilliant game at least an 8. Still annoyed Remedy sold the Max Payne franchise. Rock star are gonna fuck it up. Well they already have. I hope all the pre released screens of him as a fat bald guy are a trick. Anyway yeah Alan Wake, definately worth playing.

  • luxmax #690 2 years ago

    A videogames journalist that gives 7 to Alan Wake that can really only mean two things:
    1) the reviewer does not like videogame, and therefore he/she has choosed a wrong job
    2) the review is motivated by other purposes ...

    In both cases, Eurogamer has not done justice to the reality of facts and has caused damage to Alan Wake, Remedy, and to the videogamers.

    Because, let's face it, today in a market saturated with many AAA titles to give a 7 to a long-awaited game truely means to reject it in favour of other games/platforms etc...

    As for me, in recent months I have really lost trust and confidence in this site that I attend less and less.

    In any case many many compliments to Remedy that has created a true & huge masterpiece! Everybody should play it!

    Eurogamer, good luck for the future.

  • Yossarian #691 2 years ago

    I hate to say it, but Ellie really didn't grasp the story or ending if she wasn't impressed by it. One of the better videogames narratives.

  • marximo #692 2 years ago

    This was a piss poor review, I'm not talking about the game at all. Whoever reviewed this is seriously one of the most distracted and pissy people ever. Comparing a game like this to Uncharted or anything else is stupid. Uncharted was a straight up action game, while this is meant to be a more slow paced horror game. And you're expectations from Alan Wake, the writer are a bit steep. I mean, how many writers do you know that can climb mountains and jump 5 feet into the air, I don't know. But my expectation for the reviewer is to stop reviewing games and get back in the kitchen

  • clemenules #693 2 years ago

    I don't what is sadder (more sad?):

    A) Feeling personally so offended when a computergame that you liked or are sure that you are going to like, after all the hype, gets a lower-than-you-expected score on a internetsite about computergames, that it compels you to post one or more outraged comments on the review containing all sorts of false reasoning, or
    B) Being so fascinated by the phenomenon described under A) that you feel compelled to react (for a second time, no less) in the comments thread about said review.

    Anyhow, just to have the last word: Eurogamer is still by a stretch the best written "mainstream" games website out there. Please stay that way, and if you do catch a lot of flack for that, just write another favourable retrospective of a past game of the developer whose feelings you've hurt (Max Payne for example. Oh, you did?)

    I'm now going to post in the Gears of War review-comments-threads how utterly shite that game was (by PC shooter standards), and that the reviewer must have been tripping on acid to give it such a high score.
    Edited by 2 at 27/05/10 @ 22:09

  • BlinkeredAxis #694 2 years ago

    On chapter 6 now, and this has risen from a 6/10 during the first chapter, to a 8.5/10 now. Despite it's faults, it is a really fun game to play, and has a terrific sense of atmosphere.

    And Barry is so cool!

  • Carlosaroz #695 2 years ago

    I don't like this review, it's just so full of hate, she's just taking everything in the game and turning it into a bad joke, you really can't apprecciate how good this game is by reading this stupid review, she clearly didn't like the game at all. The game has a great story, nice gameplay and an enjoyable atmosphere, everything works just fine.
    She says great things about other games trying to make Alan Wake look bad and that doesn't feel alright, I mean c'mon, the game doesn't feel dated. Seriously if all of her reviews are like this and people reads them just for the laughs then I don't think her score should be taken so serious. I'm not saying everyone should love this game, because even a game that receives a 10/10 will be probably hated by some,but if you feel curious about the game then try it.
    Edited by 1 at 31/05/10 @ 17:00

  • shocksplicer #696 2 years ago

    This is honestly the worst review I have ever read. She clearly didn't understand the plot at all, and the only time she even bothered to mention the gameplay was when she said that you often find equipment left lying around for no reason- and that's not even true! the game gives a perfectly logical reason for the existence of the equipment caches that you find.

  • Hendo #697 2 years ago

    Finished the game, the review is spot on - the game is pretty good but does have its problems.
    Also love the line about the car sounding like a bear having a wank.

  • DarkBytes #698 2 years ago

    I am really enjoying this game

  • eiocreative #699 2 years ago

    Terrible review. I've played for a few hours and loved every second of it. Don't be put off, grab this if you have any interest in the genre. It looks and sounds amazing too. Outstanding sound and choice of music. What a shame if people are put off by what would seem an average score.

  • Burko #700 2 years ago

    Not a great review, felt like this author had something to prove.
    A little childish.

    Still, hard to disagree with some of her points.
    The action gets old towards the end and the inexplicable shortness of breath after running ten feet was exasperating .

    Not sure what she was getting at with the collectable coffee flasks though (ever played a GTA game?), since when was realisim the aim of this title?
    The tale and was as far feched as they come.

    Anyway, despite the combat annoyances I had a great time with this game.

  • 43n1m4 #701 2 years ago

    This is probably a bit late, but having played the game I would say Ellie did a good job of not taking her review seriously. Being funny is one thing, but you can get so sarcastic that you get caught in your own fire, and enters a zone of constant disbelief, which is probably not the right place to be, if you want to review games, and definitely not how i play - or would like to play - games like this.
    If you like thrillers, theres a good chance this game will appeal to you. The graphics are great (despite the resolution discussion on digital foundry, the actual graphics and art direction is beyond most other games- and the AA goes a long way to make the graphics look much more high res than it is), the sound even better and fortunately the story is both well written (no matter what this review says) and unfolds in a way that you just have to see whats behind the next corner.
    Not impressed by the quality of this review, if you see this from a gamers point of view.
    Edited by 1 at 01/08/10 @ 01:01

  • Bremenacht #702 1 year ago

    I've just finished it - the review seems very harsh in retrospect. For example:

    For example, it's a pretty safe bet you're about to encounter a huge horde of enemies when you find a large pile of batteries and an unlimited supply of revolver ammo, so there's no sense of shock or terror when you do.

    Well, that's what games do when you're about to get into a hard bit. The Half-Life series does it a lot, and probably will continue to do so in HL3. Bioshock did it. What's so especially wrong about AW doing it? Ellie seems to knock it for trying to follow film/TV series conventions, but she also knocks it for doing being what it is - a game. Why not knock it for being on a disc too?

    It's an excellent game, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the pacing and gameplay style of Half Life.

  • Noble6 #703 1 year ago

    Just finished playing this game. To be completely honest... Ellie Gibson, you were clearly the wrong person for this game. I dont agree with ur opinions but then we are all entitled to our opinions. Also.... 4 pages for a less than ten hour game ? Sorry bt I dont like this review. You havent got any good points of criticism or praise, as a result its hard to see how you arrived at your score.
    Edited by 1 at 18/11/10 @ 15:58

  • smithdown #704 1 year ago

    Having played this game a couple of months ago, personally I feel Ellie was pretty generous and if anything gave a higher score than the game deserved just to keep the fanboys from hunting her down (more so than they have done already). The game was a trudge, and at times I think it would have been more fun to ACTUALLY be wondering about in the woods with a torch than playing that game. Still, I pushed on just to see if it improved. It didn't. Appalling shallow characters, confusing uncompelling story and game mechanics which were showing their age in the LAST gen. The only thing going for it was a slightly original presentation and passable graphics. It was on eBay the same day I finished it (which took about 12 hours in total).