Alan Wake: The Signal Review

By John Teti Published 26 July, 2010

The end is the beginning.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Alan Wake is best when it's ending. That's a compliment. The game hits an aesthetic high whenever one of its episodes draws to a close, with a stark title screen and a cut of music that's perfect for the moment. I savour those few seconds when the text ("End of Episode Five" or what have you) slinks on-screen in tendrils of smoke, and I love that the song makes everything you just played feel like a grand journey.

So at the conclusion of the new downloadable episode The Signal, when the closing sequence came up on my screen with another spot-on song selection, the whole game once again became profound in retrospect. Alan Wake has a pernicious ability to burnish itself in memory. All its finer trappings - the rich darkness of its American Northwest setting, a well-rounded supporting cast, the stabs at emotional complexity - make it a wonderful thing to reflect on after the fact. I wish I could fall into that same reverie while actually playing The Signal. It might turn an inconsistent episode into the transcendent experience it aspires to be.

Although not much of the story is clear-cut in the messy seventh chapter of the Alan Wake saga, it's reasonably well established that the action takes place in the imagination of tortured novelist Wake. Sinking deeper into the mysterious Dark Presence, Wake conjures a funhouse version of Bright Falls that you traverse as his mind attempts to save itself. One misplaced thought from our hero makes the street collapse in on itself; another grows a nightmarish forest of flickering street lights.

Hovering above this mess are the author's precious words - typewritten spirits like the ones that appeared near the end of the main game. Shine your torch on the ghostly word "tools" and a cache of batteries and ammo appears. There are evil words, as well, like "possessed", which spawns one of those angry magic refrigerators to delight us with its wobbly, Wake-assaulting hi-jinks.

This wordplay is the most interesting new layer that The Signal adds to the Alan Wake template. As silly as it sounds, the Courier Bold poltergeists make for some interesting battlefields, like the furnace room where every oven contains a "blast" waiting to char enemies with a stream of hellfire. It's a flamewar brought to life. (But trolls take note: In this arena, your words can burn you, too.)

Catastrophic furnace malfunctions make reading fun!

Not every fight benefits from such a clever setup, though, and as a result, the limits of the torch-and-gunfire combat design show through. The Signal makes an obvious effort to step up the difficulty, mainly by throwing more shadowy ghouls in Wake's direction. It's a misguided effort, like trying to top 100mph in a rental sedan - this rig was never designed to go that fast. There's often no way to work your torch and pistol quickly enough to survive.

When the enemies swarm, you can either pop flares and struggle to fend them off, or you can run like a frightened cat. (Given that this is Wake we're talking about, it's more like an out-of-shape, wheezing cat with no fashion sense, but the principle remains.) The coward's way out is quite effective. I made a half-dozen attempts to shine, shoot and sneak my way through the aforementioned streetlight forest; then I decided just to book it through the whole damn thing. I only had to try that once. You can tell that The Signal is trying to evoke a fight-or-flight response, which is a smart idea for a thriller, but too often "flight" wins the debate hands down.

All this running brings Wake closer to the titular signal, which in practice is the same yellow mini-radar dot that was present throughout the original game. Without revealing whether Wake reaches the signal or not, I will say that nothing much happens on the way there. This episode serves as an exploration of character more than story. And as we delve deeper into Wake, he becomes even more of an unpleasant tool than before.

Wake is angry. When he's not feeling sorry for himself, he's sniping at every person - real or imagined - that he encounters. Dive-suit-wearing benefactor Thomas Zane makes a desperate effort to rescue Wake, and the writer responds, "This is bull****."

Later, agent and best friend Barry shows up and offers his thoughts on a floating-word puzzle. "I'm thinking the solution probably has something to do with those words," Barry says. "Really," Wake sneers, "Ya think?" That's a bit rich coming from Alan Wake, the ultimate stater of the obvious, a man who has graced us with such observations as, "The door was locked. I had to find a key to open the door."

Dude's in a bad way, plunging into a pitch-black madness, I get it. We're not catching him in his best moment. Still, Wake is worse than a flawed hero. He's a brat. And while the character has always been peevish, in the original game he at least showed an interest in solving the mystery of his missing wife. The Signal has a mystery, too - namely, what the damn hell is going on here? - but Wake doesn't care. He's too busy raging and kicking the ground to sort things out, leaving the hapless player to make sense of his metaphysical morass. I felt like grabbing Wake by his lapels and screaming, "Hey, pal, it's your freaking head we're stranded in. How about a little insight?"

Alan Wake. Author. Videogame hero. Jerk.

Thank goodness for the genuinely funny Barry, who serves as a proxy for the player's more vengeful side by taunting and deriding Alan throughout the quest. In a sidelong way, Barry sometimes mocks the game itself, mostly by riffing on the fact that the thin plot makes practically no sense.

Too bad Barry isn't around to comment on The Signal's lowest moment, when Alan turns his torch toward the word "phone" and a heavily branded Verizon cell phone fills the screen. The product placement is embarrassing enough when the cinematic manages to show three Verizon logos in as many seconds. But when Zane's voice comes on the line to greet Alan with Verizon's advertising slogan - "Can you hear me now?" - dignity walks out the door and hails a cab. It's often hard to take The Signal seriously, and a gaffe like this doesn't help. [Editor's note: John's based in US. This advertising, for a US phone network, may not appear in the European version of The Signal.]

Amid its shortcomings, however, The Signal still has the formidable assets of its parent game: adult themes and a gorgeous visual style. The game explores the nature of language and creation with only fitful lucidity, but those patches of clarity are stirring. So I'd rather play an erratic instalment of Alan Wake than a highly polished cover-shooter clone, because even when it fails, the former gives me something to think about in the ensuing days. Put another way, The Signal gets better the more I don't play it.

6 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of John.

About John Teti

John Teti is a writer and producer based in New York. His interests include games, TV, cake, and being a writer and producer based in New York.

Read more articles from John by visiting the John Teti archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (81) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • Rack #1 2 years ago

    Can someone fire this guy? A review is not a point for point blow of everything that happens in the game, and saying "without wanting to spoil things and then doing so doesn't help matters. This is the second bloody time on the trot he's done the exact same thing.

  • funkyd #2 2 years ago

    Heh, I must say it felt like the reviewer wanted to dislike it. I'll wait to play it myself before judging, though.

  • Deckard1 #3 2 years ago

    I rarely read eurogamers review anymore - they're full of spoilers, and tend to be too jaded and overly critical for me now. None of the reviewers seem to like games anymore unless they're "quirky". Guess I just have a different taste in games than this site now.

  • metalangel #4 2 years ago

    Now that the game is cheaper, I am considering getting it, and also whether patching the holes in the plot left by DLC-sized chunks is worthwhile. I almost don't need to bother, having read this Cliff's Notes: The Signal.

    Not sure what to make of the Verizon thing... on the one hand bleh! Advertising in my face! On the other: well, in the context of the story, Alan might well have a Verizon phone.

  • thubie #5 2 years ago

    Being trapped in a warped place inside my head doesn't make a likable person.
    And i dont give a crap about product placement that's just a thing to bitch about it's not like they force you to buy it you have a free will. And this dlc is free so it's a win for me i get 2~3 hours more gameplay of my goty so far.

  • Feanor #6 2 years ago

    Bollocks.

  • Demiath #7 2 years ago

    Would someone please inform John Teti that, objectively speaking, Barry is not even the least bit funny. He's never quite as bad as that annoying sidekick in Infamous, but conceptually just as misguided. I can't for the life of me understand why game developers insist on throwing in these sloppily constructed comic foil characters which take considerably more writing talent to pull off than is currently available in the entire industry combined...

  • RandomRash #8 2 years ago

    The video is funny, Alan and Barry make a good duo

  • Syrette #9 2 years ago

    Would someone please inform Demiath that his opinion is not fact and that John Teti can like and dislike what he wants.

  • frostcircus #10 2 years ago

    I hope mid-review montages are a new thing. More, please.

    Some more jaded and cynical complaints about the EG writers being jaded and cynical would be nice too.
    Edited by 1 at 26/07/10 @ 21:44

  • randompanda #11 2 years ago

    I've not had a chance to play AW yet, but it does remind me of Project Zero/Fatal Frame and how good that'd be in HD. Ghosthunting with a camera - it even sounds like something that'd be cool in 3D.

  • Diogo_Ribeiro #12 2 years ago

    "Look everyone! Eurogamer is a sheep, going along with those who hate the game. So I'll be the contrarian sheep, and go with the other herd instead!"

    ****'s sake.

  • Nephirion #13 2 years ago

    so is it a 6 or a 9?

  • Markitron #14 2 years ago

    I don't enjoy criticizing a site I that like, but that was the most pretentious review iv read in a while. It reads like someone trying to justify their English degree. That last line was just ridiculous, WTF does that even mean?
    Edited by 1 at 26/07/10 @ 22:20

  • randompanda #15 2 years ago

    This review gets better the more I don't read it

  • darkmorgado #16 2 years ago

    But does it have bears masturbating?

  • Vin #17 2 years ago

    "This review gets better the more I don't read it"

    Badum-tish!

  • Zero Beat #18 2 years ago

    I can't help but feel all the story DLC was originally planned to be part of the DVD package.

  • Xardan #19 2 years ago

    Overly critical much?!

  • Dave #20 2 years ago

    "But does it have bears masturbating?"

    I...I can hear them...

    Mustn't turn on the flashlight...

  • MaoZedong #21 2 years ago

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

  • Ninja_Tino #22 2 years ago

    This John guy is a good writer and is a pleasure to read, but, John, please stop spoiling games. Your reviews on Limbo and now this feature far too many descriptions of moments gamers should discover for themselves. You mention in your Limbo review (maybe, I'm on my iPhone and it's tricky to check back and forth) the joy of discovering what unexpected delight will occur next whilst simultaenously telling us just what that thing is. I will note though that both your retrospectives were brilliant!

  • Anthony_UK #23 2 years ago

    After going though what he's been though, why are people moaning about the fact that Alan is seriously pissed off and confused... I think it's brilliant actually that he comes across as a regular guy, who went to great lengths to save his wife and is now just seriously pissed and angry.

    Personally I'd rather have this than your typical upbeat hero who defeats all the odds!

  • GooseUK #24 2 years ago

    I tried to like him, like max payne, i really did. But what a CUNT

  • GooseUK #25 2 years ago

    oh anthony_uk, well said

  • NewbieZilla #26 2 years ago

    Would someone please inform me that I have to inform someone about something.

  • androidave #27 2 years ago

    i havn't got Alan Wake yet, but I will, and this DLC is free is it not?.. But why here on EUROgamer have we got an American reviewer writing about American games (do you really think a verizon ad will be in the UK game?) and bloody spoiling stuff?? This guy ruined at least 3 bits of Limbo for me, and has now tried his best to do the same for Alan Wake.. Its common sense not to have spoilers in reviews.. I mean, I'm not going to read a review once I've played the game am I.. Please, just get rid of this idiot :/

  • HiredMan #28 2 years ago

    @Deckard1

    I totally agree mate. I've found Eurogamers reviews in the last year or so to be really off, and have thought many games that were given average to poor reviews on the site to be wonderful (e.g. Transformers: War for Cybertron).

    I still come here occasionally for the news and the vitriol in the comments threads, but will not purchase games based on Eurogamer reviews anymore (as I have done in the past).

  • Demiath #29 2 years ago

    @foreverafternothing : Barry isn't bad just because I personally think he's bad - he's bad because this is a question of quality and thus not at all inherently subjective. Above all, I reject the notion that the good is merely in the eye of the beholder. While neither this nor my previous comment proves why Barry is bad (that would take a longer discussion which isn't relevant to this comment section and also probably isn't worth our time), I rank the "you're stating your opinion as a fact" as one of the worst afflictions of the modern age. Some things are true, others are not, and ultimately all conversation becomes meaningless if there's no objective common ground whatsoever.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 05:04

  • johnteti #30 2 years ago

    Hey all. John Teti here. I do read the comments and take them to heart -- the civil ones, at least. (The keyboard Napoleons who call for me to be fired can go piss up a rope.) I certainly understand some people's concern about spoilers. One of the top things on my mind when I'm writing a review is to be careful about the examples I use to talk about the game.

    I know you folks are mostly speaking with the disadvantage of not having played the game, but I think when you do play it, you'll find that I've "spoiled" very little. The premises that I discuss -- e.g., Alan being up in his head, the fact that he's seeking out a signal -- are established early on in The Signal. Number of plot twists or "surprise!" moments that I reveal: zero.

    Beyond that, the complaints get a little blurry for me, as some people are playing fast and loose with the term "spoiler" to the point where it's lost all meaning. I suppose every detail I cite in the review can be a "spoiler" if you're looking to go into a game from a completely sheltered perspective, but if that's the case, I have no idea why you're reading a review. Even if I speak in nothing but generalities -- which would be awfully boring -- hearing my thoughts will color your view of the game.

    I find fault with the notion that I necessarily ruin a scene by discussing it in any level of detail. Not true, unless your enjoyment of a game comes mainly from being surprised by everything (in which case, again, reading a review seems like a dangerous proposition). No matter what I say, you're going to discover the game for yourself when you play, and take in its whole richness of details. More to the point, you're going to experience each moment in a different context than I did, process it differently. We may see some things the same way and disagree on others, which is what makes the conversation interesting. It would be very difficult for me to spoil that for you, and I wouldn't want to.

    Yes, it would be outrageous and disrespectful if I used a review to spout a bullet-point rundown of the proceedings in The Signal. That's not what I've done; not even close. The portions I discuss make up a very small part of the whole experience, and I chose them with purpose.

    I stand by the Limbo review, and at the same time, I do understand why people were upset by parts of it. I definitely empathized with their disappointment. So while I was writing up this review, I was even more careful to avoid tipping any moment that depends on surprise. At a certain point, though, a writer has to be allowed to talk about the game at hand, which means offering some examples to illustrate my perspective.

    A couple of specific replies:

    Ninja_Tino: Thanks for your kind words, and thanks for expressing your concerns so cordially. I'll keep them in mind.

    Anthony_UK: I think the game pushes Alan's flaws a bit too far, but I can see your take -- that it works because he's reacting like a regular dude. That's a defensible read on it.

  • Demiath #31 2 years ago

    I fully agree with John Teti on the spoiler controversy. It's my general impression that people's sensitivity to "spoilers" has reached unprecedented - and frankly unreasonable - levels lately. Beyond the question of "did reviewer X say too much about game Y" one would also do well to reflect on whether the strict factual knowledge about what happens when is really such an integral part of the pleasure one might derive from any narrative. Is it more or less fun to Star Wars when one already knows that Darth Vader is Luke's father? Does the awareness of Cordelia's eventual death in King Lear make the play better or worse? One would certainly hope that there's something beyond the strict chronology of events which make cultural products (including games) into genuinely wortwhile experiences...
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 05:18

  • metamorphic #32 2 years ago

    Wow, blind Xbox fanboys attacking another reviewer for stating the obvious. Here's a hint - why don't you bunch of bullies go back to your hive and stop censoring facts? Face it - Alan Wake has been an abject failure.

  • DUFFKING #33 2 years ago

    Hi metamorphic, despite how hard you might try, immediately calling those with differing opinions to yours fanboys doesn't do any argument you present any favours whatsoever, unless you want to look a bit stupid. Fact: the first person to call anyone a fanboy is usually the worst of the lot, so well done there.

    At least you didn't say 'xbot' though.

  • sarcasmoidosis #34 2 years ago

    Since when does price count?

  • davisorle #35 2 years ago

    I wont thank the reviwer. I am from the ones that have stopped reading reviews in EG unless its a high score ( no matter platform ) to see the good bits they point out cause its the onlything usefull from those reviews anymore. Like most others already said EG simply has overdone it in the way they review and judge a game.

    So my thanks go to the comments stating that its got even more spoilers in them and make me fully avoid reading it. Seriously ty for it ^^ And also yeah I'll agree too that at EG they tend to hate Alan Wake where mostly elsewhere they more than like it. I know I loved it and here it scored a 7? If I listened to EG I wouldnt have bought the best game of the genre since Dead Space. Go figure..

  • Hix15 #36 2 years ago

    Put another way, This Review gets better the more I don't Read it.

  • ZizouFC #37 2 years ago

    That's not really John Teti is it? Why doesn't it say staff under his name? Why only 5 posts? And if it is John Teti - why is he telling his readers to "piss up a rope"?

  • Max_Powers #38 2 years ago

    Alan Wake is an utter douche. He almost ruined an excellent game for me.

    Barry is tops!

  • mingster #39 2 years ago

    Alan Wake sucks.
    Truly rubbish game.
    Overhyped drivel.

  • Widge #40 2 years ago

    Thanks for popping in John, console exclusive threads are always a bit fearsome, don't take it to heart!

  • andywilkie35 #41 2 years ago

    Well said John Teti - people calling for you to be fired can quite frankly do one. Cunts.

    Also I've never heard "piss up a rope" before, like it!

  • leketin #42 2 years ago

    To me, on the contrary, 'new' more critical EG reviews look a lot better than pointless surges of rapture. I used to check out IGN on a highly-advertised title release date just to make sure they followed their course and rated it 9/10. You want a game's marketing campaign and publisher name define whether you should play it or not? Or a reasonable review where you're never going to find anything like "reinventing genre" and "rediscovering franchise"?
    The latter at least makes sense.

  • Skandalle #43 2 years ago

    Barry can do one. If i wanted poorly executed comedy i would watch Lenny Henry.

  • GreyBeard #44 2 years ago

    I believe the original is "Go piss up a rope, fuckstick".

    Its from a Paul Whicker The Tall Vicar strip from Viz comic back in the 80's (early 90's maybe). Truly a fount of inspiration for creative swearing.

  • Mercatoria #45 2 years ago

    spot on eurogamer. The clip at the end was brilliant. Alan Wake is a grand twat of a character.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 10:17

  • Jel #46 2 years ago

    Wouldn't someone trying to justify their English degree at least get the spelling of 'colour' right?

  • doragor #47 2 years ago

    @ Jel

    The reviewer is based in the US according to his profile.

  • Ninja_Tino #48 2 years ago

    Sure thing, John. It's just disheartening when you see the amount of people who just leave all positive traits of humanity away from the keyboard. Oh, and I may have jumped on the band-wagon yesterday criticising this review, which I really only skim-read. After a proper read, when I'm not succumbing to the night, seriously, what da fuck's everyone's problem? There's next-to-no spoilers in this review.

  • Bigglesworth #49 2 years ago

    As an indifferent observer here, I'm having trouble seeing what's so wrong with this review, except perhaps that it concluded with a value perhaps two or three points lower than some people may have liked.

    @Markitron: You missed the point of the last line? Just read the opening two paragraphs.

  • Deckard1 #50 2 years ago

    Americans opinions aren't important unless the subject is how to be false, or where the best place is to buy elasticated pants.

  • Rodchenko #51 2 years ago

    @davisorle

    A bit rich, really, to have you of all people complain about someone else's bias.

  • StooMonster #52 2 years ago

    Milky1985 is right, full Verizon adverts were in the full retail game in UK; so I am now expecting them in The Signal.

    IIRC doesn't the free DLC only come with the Limited Edition Alan Wake and not with general retail version? Or was the voucher included all original copies?

    Either way, 1200 MS points for this sounds expensive (if one doesn't have free DLC code); wonder how much they plan to charge for the second DLC that no-one has a promotional code for.

  • smithdown #53 2 years ago

    As far as the 'on-disc' game went, I was left fairly uninspired by Alan Wake. It felt hackneyed and old-fashioned, and you could clearly tell the devs had started making it in 2005 or whenever, and perhaps not played any other games since then. Everything about the game mechanics screamed a poor man's Resi 4, but without the boss fights or variety. The only progress in the game was an increase in the number of Taken, and the introduction of possessed tyres. I got to the end because the story was reasonably interesting, but I felt the gameplay was dull. I shan't bother to download the DLC even though I have the code. I'll save the space on my HDD.

  • bodypopper #54 2 years ago

    Stripped of the messy plot, AW is Max Payne with a torch.
    Have they got someone else to voice Alan this time? The guy in the main game sounds wooden as hell as does the dialogue. You'd think someone would have said something during the five year development cycle.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 11:34

  • StooMonster #55 2 years ago

    Milky1985: Thats why they review it as a paid for product. Something like alien swarm is free, because no other purchases are required at all.

    sarcasmoidosis: Since when does price count?

    I would like to see a Eurogamer review of the free Valve game Alien Swarm. =)

  • DiamondIce #56 2 years ago

    @StooMonster

    Within the downloadable content area of AW The Signal was priced at 560 points - where did the 1200 points come from? I had a freebie card with my standard edition.

  • Bremenacht #57 2 years ago

    Pissing up a rope is a strong Dutch and Belgium naval tradition, where the matey who pisses the highest up an anchor rope wins a slice of the Captain's spotted dog. Never attempt to best a dutch man pissing up a rope.

    A sedan is an extra-large executive chair that Americans like to sit on when gaming, as it can accomodate all theirs cheetos, dew and other gaming sustenance. The top models are much sort-after and very expensive, so they are available to rent for weekend-long gaming sessions.

  • StooMonster #58 2 years ago

    @ DiamondIce

    The 1200 figure came from Milky1985's post above, don't have access to Xbox atm so couldn't check (although I guess I could log into Xbox Live website and check). 560 sounds far more reasonable. :)

  • gringohairpiece #59 2 years ago

    Love the Viz reference in the review.

    With regard to the people complaining about the Eurogamer score for the original game, you do realise that they score out of 10? It's not as if they gave it a 3! A "7" would indicate to me that it is an above average game that is worth purchasing if you like the genre or subject matter but is not an essential purchase. It certainly wouldn't stop me buying Alan Wake but obviously i would consider higher scored games first.

  • Seoh #60 2 years ago

    Unless i missed it there is no mention that this DLC is FREE to all owners of the game (who bought it first hand), You would think that should play a big part in the review or score, for most alan wake owners this is effectively a big patch.

    To anyone still on the fence about the game, i got it for £20 from shopto and don't regret it at all, really clever and enjoyable game.

  • gringohairpiece #61 2 years ago

    oh and to the people calling for the reviewer to be sacked because of spoilers, get a grip it's a review of DLC to a game that you must have already played otherwise why the hell are you reading it? At least play the Signal first before coming on here and bleating about spoilers.

  • macmurphy #62 2 years ago

    Cheers Greybeard and Bremenacht for clearing up the origins, though I doubt if a septic reads much Viz. I wanted to say something clever and incisive that added to the thread, but I've got nothing. Here's a picture of Paul at his finest though.

    http://fa rm1.static.flickr.com/4/4149893...

  • rashes #63 2 years ago

    The original review was overly critical (IMO) on what I thought was a polished and atmospheric game.
    I"m going to take this one with a pinch of salt.

    Same goes for Red Dead. Wrong score completely.

  • DavoTheDiv_2010 #64 2 years ago

    How about a fucking spoiler alert, you fucking "grade A" prick!!
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 13:41

  • rashes #65 2 years ago

    @gringohairpiece

    That's not really the case. Most people (especially someone with kids) has limited time to play and money to purchase games.
    I can't buy every 7+ game in a 'genre' I like (and I just like good games not particular genres) as I would be broke and divorced.

    So I rely on trusted sites/magazines to guide my purchasing decisions. When I loose some of my faith in the scoring policy it makes my purchasing decisions more difficult.
    Generally I find EG reviews tally roughly with my feeling on a game but lately 2 very big games got scores well below what I would have expected.
    Every reviewer is entitled to his/her opinion but there is a lot riding on these reviews in terms of sales. Perhaps for big games it may make sense that there is a 2nd opinion sidebar with certain reviews.

    In any case, I guess I'm going to have to take note of reviewers with similar taste to my own

  • gringohairpiece #66 2 years ago

    @rashes

    I am a dad with limited time as well which is why I made the comment about considering higher scored games first. I agree with your suggestion about a second opinion but i guess the problem for the site is the sheer volume of stuff that needs to be reviewed now and the finite time available for staff to review.

    I just think that people assuming 7 = shit game makes the whole scoring policy a bit redundant. Perhaps they should get rid of scores completely although if that happened metacrtic would have a problem ;)

    Just out of interest which were the two games you thought were scored wrongly? what were the scores they were given and what would you have given them?

  • rashes #67 2 years ago

    @gringohairpiece

    Unfortunate as it may be... 7 is generally considered a low score.. the grade really goes from 6 - 10. Anything below 6 is generally car crash territory.
    I'm not saying it's a good thing but it is the reality.

    The games that bothered be were Red Dead Redemption. I thought this was far superior to GTA IV but scored an 8 vs. a 10 for GTA.
    I would have probably given it the 10.
    And Alan Wake for me was a 9 but I could understand why it could get an 8 (but not a mediocre 7).

  • gringohairpiece #68 2 years ago

    @Rashes

    Thanks for letting me know. I am still in the relatively early stages of RDR but am really enjoying it. Certainly worth a 9 on what I have seen so far

  • darc #69 2 years ago

    Not sure I could tolerate that character for the full length of the game, but he actually made me laugh during the little video montage. Kind of the same pleasure I get playing a bad game with a friend and swearing at the TV the entire time, mocking the thing. This is like AI assisting to that effect! :)

  • Calgon #70 2 years ago

    +1 From me about EG's reviews not being much use for helping me decide if I want to buy the game in question anymore, simply looks as though their tastes are way out of line with mine these days.

    +1 Also for those who have noticed the influx of PS3 fanboys over the past year, they will neg everything that isn't pro Sony, infact it looks as though some of them simply stalk people they dont like and neg any comment they make without even reading it... and the average age of the typical gamer is what? I think they should do a new study on the mental ages of these people.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 18:35

  • wingZero21 #71 2 years ago

    Another BS review from Eurogamer

    **Note**
    Its actually getting quite good now I can just skim through bits of it and know its BS straightaway so I can save myself from reading the rest of it cheaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......................
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 18:42

  • smelly #72 2 years ago

    Seems weird to me that some of you are AGAINST criticising the critics...

    I mean - how DARE people slag off EG for all their "hard work" of writing a review.. when they are sat there slagging off the people who have spent months or years making a game...

  • domoslaf #73 2 years ago

    On the other: well, in the context of the story, Alan might well have a Verizon phone

    Exactly this. I wouldn't have even noticed this "offputting product placement" in Alan Wake if reviewers weren't making such a big deal of it. If anything, it only adds to the realism that a character is using a real life company phone.

    It's not like they make you watch commercials in the middle of the game! Oh, wait...

    Anyway, I've just finished The Signal and it was good 2 hours of Alan Wake fun. Not really rich on story, true, but it actually does improve on the game's most often mentioned flaw - repetitive combat. The Signal makes a lot of effort to make the combat interesting and succeeds most of the time. The section with furnaces and the "streetlight forest" are among my favorite in the whole game, despite the reviewer not liking the latter (I guess if you don't want the game to be fun, and deliberately make it not by running away most of the time, then yeah, you won't be having such a good time).
    Edited by 3 at 27/07/10 @ 21:37

  • Tad59 #74 2 years ago

    Definately getting this. Despite the issues the game had, it's still storyvwas brilliant and that alone sucked me in.

  • Whizzo #75 2 years ago

    I'm so glad I hadn't bothered reading the review until I'd played the DLC, the appearance of a certain character came as a pleasant surprise.

  • curly1986 #76 2 years ago

    this reviewer doesnt have a fuckin clue what he talking about he the only reviewer that doesnt like the game an the dlc..
    ign, gamespot all fuckin love them i would listen to them well before i listen to this dirty puddin bender..this handicap has something seriously against the game or remedy itself.
    the signal was great it freaker than the normal game itself it shows how fucked up alans head is gone since finishin the book.still my opinion alan wake best game of the year with mass effect 2 no doubt about it..
    o yea an i dont no what people are talking shit about the character been an asshole thats bull remedy made a more believable character with depth he just like a normal person goin through hell of course he goin to be pissed off all of us would be act the same in an extreme situation..at least he not like master chief and marcus fenix with 1 demension

  • mattius30 #77 2 years ago

    Huge fan of Alan Wake and since its release I have been replaying different chapters over and over - love the atmosphere, soundtrack, locations, story... Having played the Signal (which was pretty awesome, even more so being free) and then returning to the main game I am wondering whether the DLC included a patch... It could be my imagination, but it seems to me that the game seems more 'solid' and sharper graphics, as well as hardly any screen tearing. The interior of the clinic was rife with tearing and yet on replay tonight, there was none. Some of the main characters' faces seem more defined too - especially Hartman. Dunno, could be my mind playing tricks on me - but the graphics just look lusher and more refined to me.

  • DiamondIce #78 2 years ago

    @mattius30

    I also noticed less tearing in the game.

    I do know that Remedy were sorting out the facial issues. Not sure about the other things, though. I will try Hartman's clinic again as this was the biggest issue of tearing that I noticed in the game.

  • tap #79 2 years ago

    @GreyBeard

    Wasn't it Rude Kid who recommended his mother piss up a rope?

    Probably misremembering as usual!

  • Raznilof #80 2 years ago

    Great DLC, in fact, I think Remedy is narrowing down far more what makes Alan Wake (and Max Payne) such a great experience. The combat is now finally dangerous again and the storytelling settles on the game within a mindsetup which made the first few chapters so strong.

    Arguments that Barry doesn't look anything like a New York publicists are missing the point entirely. He's not real, never was, neither was any of the settings. There's enough clues to this, far more than you'd get from a David Cronnenberg film such as Videodrome anyway ; )

    It's a strong follow-up, fantastic song at the end. Enjoy Alan Wake with your senses, don't analyse it to death and get this game, Remedy deserves support for all it's cunning atmospheric weaving.

    Like Red Dead Redemption, a criminally underrated game.

  • Badassbab #81 2 years ago

    No offense but if I wanted to read a review by an American using words such as 'sedan' or 'jerk', I'd have gone to IGN.