As redundant as the title for this DLC sounds, "Alan Wake: The Writer"'s overall gameplay is able to stray from any excess thanks to both a few new ideas and more gameplay variation. Although this DLC is a bit short for the 560 MS points, it's still an adventure worth jumping into for Alan Wake fans.
The story starts off in the "Previously on Alan Wake" (the motif that it's now known for) video showing what happened beforehand and then dropping you right into a familiar area. You now know what task you need to accomplish in order to "save yourself" and The Taken will try to thwart you from getting said task accomplished. In general, the story told in this piece is argueably the pedestal of the TV-format imbedded in the game's veins. It's one of those that's not only able to close some questions, but also raises new ones by questioning certain answers many assumed were written in stone. Even though it can come to a dissapointment for some to know that leaving questions unanswered may seem strange, there's also a silver lining in knowing that Alan Wake's storyline is first and foremost that of a TV series format within a game.
In the other half of the presentation department (graphics and sound), "The Writer" is able to hold up with the stiff competition on the market. It may not break the mold when comparing to the popular DLC shown in the last few months, but it does offer some grand vistas that take you deeper into the crazy mind of Wake. From claustrophobic tunnels to Alan Wake's house suspended on a spinning wheel, there's really never a dull moment as Alan tries to reach his objective. When it comes to sound design, you're really not going to hear anything that more engaging from what you've heard recently in the Alan Wake soundtrack. Having said that, props should be given to the "To Be Continued..." song choice upon completion.
"The Writer" brings a few more subtle (and some not so subtle) variations to what one might come to expect. Building upon the light/dark foundation of the previous DLC, "The Writer" incorporates some different set pieces that require you to "burn" certain words that can provide protection or be used take out an entire group at one time. There's even one area that you can pass through without even having to fire a single bullet; even more interesting about this is that this area has the most enemies you will face throughout the episode.
Overall, "The Writer" is another great concoction of different elements that make Alan Wake such an entertainment. It might not exactly contain all of the best ingredients, but it is still one heck of a dish. Don't expect every scene to feel fluid like that of "The Signal", but expect to have an enjoyable time. I would recommend this DLC in a heartbeat for any Alan Wake fan, but I can't recommend for anyone on the fences about it since the 560 MS points is a bit steep considering how long it takes to complete it.
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The two expansion packs for Remedy Entertainment's 2010 Xbox 360 thriller Alan Wake are now free. You can grab The Signal and The Writer on Xbox Live right now at no cost.
I think they do require Alan wake. On the Xbox site it says "This add-on works with Alan wake".
American nightmare is the only one that's independent.
You are correct, Spicelicka, both free episodes are add ons to Alan Wake. American Nightmare is the only stand alone. Interesting thing I noticed while looking the content up though... There's a 6 episode, live action prequel called Bright Falls on the marketplace I didn't know they made. I'm thinking about ckecking it out but I want to read into it a bit more.
Cool does anyone know when they will send codes out for those who preordered quantum break I still havent got mine and want to play american nightmare after I am done with it. Quantum break has been great so far
american nightmare took 2weeks after I preorderd QB and Alan Wake is 7-10 days after release of QB
Did that game do well? I remember playing it at a friends and being so surprised that it doesn't have more recognition.
Telling the story of a writer plagued by his own demons, Alan Wake delivered both an enticing story and an innovative gameplay mechanic: the use of light as a weapon. The main game followed Wake's quest to rescue his wife from the darkness, while the first DLC episode, The Signal, chronicled Wake's battle for his own sanity. The second installment, The Writer, expands on the events seen in The Signal, all the while keeping the experience fresh and the story moving forward.
Go! Gaming Giant- "The darkness of Bright Falls just won’t leave writer and video game protagonist, Alan Wake, alone. The most recent downloadable content available for the game is titled, The Writer. For all of the fans of the Alan Wake game, prepare to be pleased because it does exactly what Remedy said it would do: bridge the gap from the first Alan Wake and take us deeper into the darkness itself and guide us toward the light of a sequel."
Hope everyone enjoyed the review. As with the "Alan Wake: The Signal" review, I'm having to resubmit these since the site has a few issues on the backend with simply shifting those reviews over, so both my old Alan Wake review and the two DLC reviews fell under "Alan Wake." So, I'm going back and rectifying that for accuracy's sake, both in respect to my user reviews and publication reviews.
Like with The Signal, I'm fast-tracking this since it was approved back then anyways. http://n4g.com/channel/alan...
Hope you're having a good holiday season.
thanks 👍