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Alan Wake flashlight-tagging U.S. store shelves May 18
One of the more substantial pieces of news from Microsoft's X10 megaton clusterbomb: A release date for Remedy's psychological thriller Alan Wake has been announced. The game's seemingly endless development cycle will finally terminate on May 18, when the game lands in US retail outlets. Our friends overseas won't have to wait much longer than that to get their Wake on -- it's being released in Europe on May 21. In addition, X10 brought word of the game's attractive pre-order bonuses, which include "exclusive content such as avatar gear, an Xbox LIVE theme, and a 'making of' video." We're not sure we want to deck out our Xbox 360's background with shadowy monsters. We're big fans of our current, non-terrifying theme. Microsoft also released product shots of the Limited Collector's Edition (pictured above), as previously detailed on retailer sites. No additional information was provided, but we assume the limited edition release will also hit retail on May 18.
Alan Wake gets new trailer for X10
Can you feel it? After all the delays and waiting, can you feel how close Alan Wake is? If the reality of the situation hasn't fully sunken in yet, we've got a new trailer after the break, slated to be shown during today's X10 festivities. As for the trailer itself, it looks pretty good, right? Not a ton of gameplay, but it certainly rams home the creepiness and the importance of light in combat. Here's hoping we get some more details when the trailer is shown for real later today.
Alan Wake Limited Collector's Edition spotted on retailer sites with May 25 date [update]
Retailers have started listing a Limited Collector's Edition of Alan Wake, possibly in advance of an official announcement later today at Microsoft's X10 event. Both Best Buy and Wal-Mart have listings for the item, with an $80 price tag and a May 25 release date. Wal-Mart's listing actually includes the image seen here, and details the contents of the set: a linen case "designed to resemble a hardcover book" (is this game a book or a TV show?), a 144-page book with a story written by Alan Wake and FBI dossiers included, a soundtrack disc, a token for the first DLC pack, and a disc with an Xbox Live theme and avatar. Update: Microsoft has officially dated Alan Wake for release on May 18 and confirmed the Limited Collector's Edition. %Gallery-64691% [Via VG247]
Remedy: Alan Wake demo unlikely
During an online community Q&A session held earlier this week, Remedy's Mika Reini dashed hopes for an Alan Wake demo before the game's launch. When asked whether or not the game would see a pre-release demo, Reini replied, "Demo before the launch, most likely not." Of course, that doesn't rule out the possibility of demo after the game's release, though Reini didn't imply that one was in the works. Reini also responded to a question regarding whether or not we'll see an Alan Wake collector's edition. He wouldn't confirm if a collector's edition is in the cards, and opted instead to cheekily suggest people keep an eye on the official Alan Wake forum. If Remedy isn't working on a collector's edition, allow us to make a suggestion: Just throw a high-powered flashlight in with the game. Bam, instant collector's edition -- and one that would really mess with the people who bought the Modern Warfare 2 special edition. [Via VG247]
Wake up early for Alan Wake Q&A next Wednesday
Okay, okay -- for some of you, 2PM GMT isn't exactly "bright and early," but for us, it's 9AM, so bear with us for a moment here. As announced by Alan Wake's community manager on the game's forum, next Wednesday at 2PM GMT fans will get a chance to ask questions to their heart's desire of the team behind the game at Remedy Entertainment. As the Q&A will be taking place via IRC (no, we're not kidding), the announcement suggests heading to the web-based client for those of you not familiar with the no-we-can't-believe-people-are-still-using-it chat program. Between now and then, we suggest working on your question list, as the community man also notes the chat will be moderated and only "relevant questions (i.e. questions that haven't been answered already)" will be answered. Get crackin', gumshoes! %Gallery-64691%
Alan Wake will stay up late with post-launch DLC 'episodes'
Remedy's Xbox 360-exclusive Alan Wake, described as "the TV show Lost, as written by Stephen King, and filmed by David Lynch," by Microsoft Entertainment & Devices head Robbie Bach will -- much like Fable II -- be expanded upon via additional downloadable episodes. Bach made the announcement concerning the long-in-development title during the company's CES 2010 keynote this evening, saying, "story-driven like a TV series, Alan Wake will be told in episodes with even more episodes available on Xbox Live after its launch this year." Let's just hope Remedy isn't taking cues from The Sopranos when deciding how long it will be between the release of the game's episodes.
Alan Wake teaser shows us the power of light
Light is, by most accounts, a pretty good thing. It's warm, it makes plants grow and, perhaps most importantly, allows us to see. At least, that was its most important function. Now, thanks to Alan Wake, we know that light's ultimate purpose is to disintegrate monsters. In the small mountain town of Bright Falls, a simple flashbang becomes a weapon of mass destruction and an ordinary road flare is transmogrified from a beacon of hope to a harbinger of doom. If you don't believe us, check out the new teaser -- part of a week-long Alan Wake feature at 1UP -- after the break.
Report: Alan Wake stops snoozing May 2010
Alan Wake will allegedly premiere in late May of next year on Xbox 360. MCV reports that "a source close to the game" gave the new release date and suggested that the title would be promoted "in the style of a Hollywood movie."Officially, we know that Wake's drawn out development will conclude in "Spring 2010" -- around the 5-year mark. We've also previously been told that the game has been done since August and is in hibernation being polished over and over again. We've followed up with Remedy and Microsoft to see if either would like to confirm today's reported release date.
Alan Wake dev wants to avoid including game's ending in press copies
According to a Remedy managing director Matias Myllyrinne, the studio wants to discuss the possibility of leaving the ending of its upcoming thriller Alan Wake off discs sent to press with its publisher, Microsoft. "I think we're going to be insanely careful about how much of the story we reveal," Myllyrinne told G4TV. "I'd like to hold it back, [I] don't want anybody to spoil it for the audience. That's just my personal feeling." Using the twist ending of The Sixth Sense as an analogy, Myllrinne says he'd prefer players be able to piece together the secrets of Bright Falls on their own before having them spoiled by others. Although admirable, his analogy can only mean one of two things: Alan Wake is dead or he's Haley Joel Osment. Either way, we're already terrified.
Interview: Microsoft Game Studios' Phil Spencer
If given the choice of becoming a (presumably) anthropomorphic vegetable, Phil Spencer would opt for an eggplant. Sure, we spoke to the confident head of Microsoft Game Studios about other things -- Halo, Project Natal, Fable, Crackdown, the Xbox 360's successor, blah blah blah -- but with that profound scoop out of the way, there's barely any reason to read this interview. Mind you, the part where Spencer suggests that alternate forms of input (whether in addition to or in substitute of traditional controllers) might become a common expectation is pretty interesting. You should definitely read that. Joystiq: We just came out of the Tokyo Game Show panel discussion for Project Natal ... Phil Spencer: The creators panel. Yes, the creators panel. Hideo Kojima was there; they brainstormed about all these games. How much focus is Microsoft Game Studios placing on Natal development internally in comparison to other projects? It's a big focus for us in first party. As a first party, I think it's our duty, it's our responsibility to look at the new technologies that we bring to our platform. We did this with Live. We did at launch of 360. When we look at Project Natal as an opportunity for first party to truly innovate on our platform, creating new experiences, new intellectual property, we're very focused. A large percentage of the studio right now is thinking about Natal as part of what they're doing.
Impressions: 'Alan Wake' runs toward darkness
click to enlarge Previously on Alan Wake... in search of lost manuscript pages for a novel he doesn't recall writing, Alan Wake is searching the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls for his missing wife. The pages aren't only a clue as to where Alan must search next, but seem to be the basis of a dark force taking over the small town. In the latest demo of Alan Wake, the title character is without a weapon or the protection of a light source -- the only thing that can slow down the darkness taking over the small town. During this section of the game, Alan must retreat into the darkened forests, pursued by an FBI agent named Nightingale who is sure Wake is to blame for all of the terrible things happening in the town. Sadly, Nightingale may not be wrong.%Gallery-64691%
Lessons from GDC Europe: The 'seven pillars' of a Remedy IP
During his speech at GDC Europe – exhaustively titled "From Max Payne to Alan Wake: Creating Intellectual Properties the Remedy Way" (air!) – Remedy Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne laid out the seven pillars the company uses for its games: 1. Strong Lead Character -- Main character is iconic and easy to get on the surface. Things went wrong when Myllyrinne wanted the Max Payne sequel to simply be called The Fall of Max Payne. The compromised title admittedly didn't work out in the sales department. He didn't mention anything about Rockstar's reimagined Max Payne in the latest sequel. 2. Mainstream approachability -- Avoiding niche and cliché settings (for video games that would mean no WWII setting, dragons, sci-fi, etc.). Having gameplay mechanics that are approachable (low barrier of entry to start playing the game). 3. Cinematic -- Taking lessons learned from movies. The presentation of Max Payne makes this pretty obvious. With Alan Wake the company is focusing on the trinity of the flashlight, Alan himself (see: pillar one), and the gun. This also lead Myllyrinne to an anecdote about presentation, saying "It's not what things are, it's what the audience thinks things are." He mentioned the Ingram gun was made bigger in Max Payne because people expect that gun to be larger than it actually is in real life.
Remedy's Sam Lake shows off Remedy's Alan Wake
Remedy writer Sam Lake narrated a video presentation of Alan Wake at gamesCOM, providing the most detailed look we've seen yet at the psychological thriller. We see Wake realize that his wife is missing, and begin the undertaking of piecing together the manuscript that he doesn't remember writing, and whose events are coming true. Lake discusses the role of the game's light sources, which act as shelter and weapons against the shadowy, possessed townspeople. We're delighted to see this much of Alan Wake. By revealing this much footage, Remedy seems to be treating it like a real game that, in fact, "is done." %Gallery-64691%
Reassuring: Alan Wake is 'done,' being polished
Remedy Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne tells Joystiq that Alan Wake is finished and getting all gussied up for its release next spring. After a GDC Europe presentation on how Remedy handles intellectual property, we asked the executive if the long-in-development title would be ready to wake when the snow melts. Myllyrinne noted, "It's all done, we're just polishing at this point." Wow, great! With something like six months to go before its "spring 2010" launch, Alan Wake should shine by the time it's released. Considering the title has been in development since 2005, it's good to know that the game is "done" and just trying to become its very best. %Gallery-64691%
Interview: Remedy's Oskari Hakkinen on Alan Wake
Now that Alan Wake is officially out of hiding, we decided it was time to hit up Remedy for some info. Thankfully, Remedy only slammed the door on us a few times before finally acquiescing to our request for an interview. Foot planted firmly in the doorway, we had a chance to ask Oskari Häkkinen, Head of Franchise Development, a few questions. Read on to learn about the game's shift from open-world to a more linear adventure, choosing a writer as the protagonist and just what you'll be doing when you aren't killing monsters with a flashlight. Also, because we just had to know, find out what Remedy thinks of the new Max Payne.
Remedy: Alan Wake PC decision is in Microsoft's court
The official Alan Wake fan site, Brightfalls.net, has received word from developer Remedy that the decision whether or not to produce a PC version of the game is entirely in the hands of its publisher, Microsoft. "Remedy has a deep heritage in PC gaming and would love to see a PC version available to its PC followers," the statement reads. "Ultimately however this decision lies with our publisher."Still, Remedy seems to expect Microsoft to eventually free up the game from 360-exclusivity, as it says that, "PC plans are currently open," but "it's safe to say that at least a simultaneous launch with the Xbox version will not happen at this late stage." Perhaps these are the comments on the PC version's outlook Remedy had promised us earlier this month.
Alan Wake PC plans 'up in the air'
Further doubt has been cast on Alan Wake's timely arrival on PC ... if he ever shows up at all. Following up on a Remedy forum post, which put the mouse and keyboard edition to the back of the line, Edge discovered the PC version is in an even more precarious state than first thought. Sam Lake, lead writer for Alan Wake, told the site that the Xbox 360 version is currently getting all the attention and plans "are up in the air and open." He added, "Once we get this version done we'll see."When pushed further, Lake repeated that "plans are open" and the company will "evaluate the situation and see what makes sense." Given our wide range of programming expertise, we know that Xbox 360-to-PC (and vice versa) development is only a slightly more evolved form of ctrl-c, ctrl-v, so what's going on with Mr. Wake is a bit of a mystery to us.
Alan Wake may scare up 360 first, PC later
Potentially bad news for PC-toting Alan Wake fans, a recent forum post by Remedy's MarkusRMD has left the release window of the PC version dangling in suspense. When asked directly about the development of the PC version of Alan Wake, MarkusRMD responded, "Unfortunately all I can say at this point is that we're focusing all our efforts on the 360 version and will be making comments in regards to the PC at a later in time."While not an outright confirmation, it certainly sounds like the PC version could release later than the Xbox 360 version, which is currently scheduled to release in spring 2010. We've contacted Microsoft -- the game's publisher -- and will update this post as soon as we hear anything new.[Via Shacknews]
E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup
E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted. We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.
Joyswag: Rare Alan Wake goodies from E3 [update]
Update: Congratulations to Joyswag winner heyo007! Sweet dreams ...After emptying our pockets post-E3, we came across some nifty Alan Wake swag that was tucked away in the side pockets of our carpenter jeans. And, in Joystiq tradition, we're giving it all away to one lucky reader.Up for grabs is an exclusive (and quite rare) Alan Wake E3 faceplate that's numbered 477 out of 500 and an attractive Alan Wake t-shirt (sized XL, of course). If you think about it, the swag pairing makes logical sense: the faceplate covers your Xbox 360 and the tee covers your buff, naked self. To enter, leave a comment telling us about your most recent nightmare. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person. This entry period ends at 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, June 11. At that time, we'll randomly select 1 winner to receive a Alan Wake E3 faceplate and t-shirt (ARV: $50). Please check your email! For a list of complete rules, click here
