Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
“Stephen King once wrote “Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear””- so begins Alan Wake, protagonist suspense writer Alan Wake's wearisome tones narrating over the sweeping vistas of the idyllic setting of Bright Falls. Inspired by the collected works of novelist Stephen King and the TV series Twin Peaks, Alan Wake by the Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment has been a while coming to fruition- revealed a whole 5 years ago at E3 2005 in fact.
The serial drama style seeps through every aspect of the title, which is split into six chapters of varying length, each with their own “Previously on Alan Wake” opening and dramatic cliff-hanger close to the 'episode'. As a matter of fact, Remedy handle the proportions of drama and tension extremely well, with each close to the episode delivering enough force for want to play through the following section of the game. The TV stylistic undertaking can be commended and praised in maintaining an engaging narrative that settles on the writer's-blocked suspense writer Alan Wake as he searches for his missing wife in small-town Bright Falls, infused with bleak psychological horror, paranoia, delusion and the psyche of a schizophrenic. Also no doubt a helping hand in the pacing department, Alan Wake is a prime example of how to approach said trait, with each episode both a contained narrative in of itself whilst also contributing to the on-going plot, perfectly proportioned to deliver enough set-piece and chilling moments in equal to the array of quieter scenes between the mis-matched cast of supporting characters. It's such a shame that Remedy seem almost to have forgotten about writing a decent set of characters to relay the narrative back to us, choosing one of the most depressing and damp squibs of a protagonist (with a tiresome voice actor to support) seems strange for a title so revolved around its dramatic ambition. Characters come and go in a flash, with only Wake's highly irritating manager, Barry, sticking round long enough to get a thorough glimpse towards a true personality (even if his failed purpose is to serve the script's comic relief- badly).
Playing a major element within the game, light is dealt with on a number of levels- a marker towards the darker thoughts in Wake's mind, the thematic link to the horror underbelly, and the lack thereof within enemies- 'The Taken'. Doing very little in terms of innovative game play mechanics, Alan Wake's combat tasks players to 'extract' the darkness from those that have been consumed by the dark (focusing the beam until a flash of light expels from them), allowing you to use conventional weapons. Of course, Wake's torch is often the tool of choice when approaching foes (topped up with product-placed Energizer batteries scattered around areas), although Remedy also allow the use of flash bang grenades, car headlights, spotlights, and flares- the ever reliable spark that forces enemies back for a brief respite from their close-quarter combat in allowing your health and batteries to re-generate and re-charge respectively. Using each item effectively and in the correct way will ensure you are to escape the darkness, although the emphasis on close-quarters combat is often frustrating due to the lack of a melee option for Wake, instead solely focused on guns. It's a huge oversight by Remedy, and can make the game demanding in tight spaces when enemies attack from all sides, with dodging doing little to escape their attacks. Also lacking in enemy type, the game instead focuses on three types; small (that dark can be extracted from whenever), large (the darkness meter will recharge if not drained for a while) and environmental objects (possessed by the darkness and thrown at you- where a well-timed dodge is your best option). Entirely devoid of any ideas, Alan Wake's action sequences are verbose and dull, rarely altered throughout the game. The control scheme is also twitchy and fiddly, with Wake's animations breaking up any fluidity that can be sought.
And while it's extremely hard to speculate on whether the planned open-world sandbox design that was planned to go ahead for the game would have worked, you can't help but feel that the game often suffers from large bouts of linearity and 'A to B' syndrome. Working well when the action takes place within Bright Falls -where the artistic design is minute yet necessary for the small-town feel- the game falters where vast stretches resort to running past tree after tree in any of Bright Falls' wooded areas, not helped along by the repetitive tasks, such as finding a generator to power the gate that halts progression. The team more concerned with trying to infuse these strenuous sections with collectibles (manuscript pages from Wake's as yet unwritten novel, or strangely, coffee Thermoses), although they are merely lazy and pointless additions that add little to the core game play, other than allowing Remedy to tick the box labelled 'Replayability'.
More than favourable in presentation stakes, Alan Wake's drama is lent a hand by the well composed cut scenes that intersperse the action, with well shot sequences and exceptional lighting and particle effects, only animation and lip-syncing of Wake et. al diffusing from the overall gorgeous graphics and presentational style.
Alan Wake is a compelling and engaging experience, in which the narrative is strong enough to remain involved within the game, although its control method and repetitive manner sometimes draw you out of what could have been an exceptional drama and game to boot. In the end, it's slightly above average but by no means great.
If you've been enjoying Birkett's Blog then why not take a look at my new gaming site that I have only just set up. It can be found at www.dedicatedtogamers.co.uk and I'd love it if people could get joining the forums, posting comments etc. to create a burgeoning community. 
Developer: Bizarre Creations
You'll see no weapon-drops or items that you've not seen before, lets be honest, so everything from rocket-type shock projectiles, 'Nitro' and 'Mines' are all here, although Blur manages to add enough new design choices that the racing somehow feels fresh and skilful, allowing players to use each power-up differently and to their own preferred style. An example of such a statement derives when 'Nitro' is equipped. Sure, you can go ahead and use the power for an added speed boost (and sensational blurring of the screen), or choose to speed into a corner, only to hold back on the directional pad and use it for an 'air brake', slow-motion approach into the corner. Another example would be the use of 'Mines' where they can be dropped behind you in a normal fashion for static bombs on track, or be fired as a missile in front. It's such instances that Blur exceeds expectations and lifts itself from being another hackneyed power-based arcade racer into a true, skill-based racing game. The handling system rarely equates to anything on their realism levels of Project Gotham, although it needn't be. The handling feels responsive and weighty enough to make perfect racing lines remain the best way to first place, although there is enough room to allow the perfectly balanced and multi-coloured weapons to be effective, while not make racing an impossibility, nigh, an utter nightmare. In actuality, being hit from an opponent's weapon is so deftly handled in a short animation that the frequency of such occurrences never get too much and you'll be up to speed in no time. The only handling aspect I feel Bizarre could have refined is the drifting mechanic, which feels much too weighted down and difficult to pull off. With Blur pulling out a number of varying challenges to reach its 'One-on-One' meetings with the 'bosses' at the end of each section within career mode, the game is also deftly handled for each race to remain interesting and insane fun. In addition to building up stacks of 'Lights' in order to unlock further instances in career and more 'Mods' that alter power-ups, the four meta-game style challenges to get the chance to race/defeat each driver for another 8 lights range from nitro-ramming five cars (using nitro to shunt opponents) to drifting for a total of 1,500m. And it doesn't stop there, for the 'Fans' system will also award fans within each race for individual 'Fan Challenges' that lay about the track and might request that you exceed a certain speed or destroy a car whilst drifting, for example. Between the meta-game devices, fan challenges and the fan multiplier scoring system, you'd be hard pressed to find a more engaging racer. In my hours invested in the game, I've found myself so engrossed in the short and sweet modes that I've lost all track of time, only to look up and it being several hours later without me realising. If only Bizarre could have bolstered the number of modes (Race, Destruction, One-on-One and Checkpoint), then I'd have even more reasons to praise Blur than that which I already have..jpg)
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My latest look towards one of the leading developers within the industry is a studio I much admire for the fact that they were the team behind one of my most favoured racers of all time in the Project Gotham Racing series. The developer is also one of few remaining leading studios staying put within the UK- Liverpool to be exact.
Developer: EA Canada
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The 'flick-stick' swing mechanic returns once again (ever difficult to master as always!), whilst the ability to put spin on the ball mid-air, adding extra power through repeatedly tapping 'X' and improving accuracy (reducing the size of the expected drop-zone circle) by pressing 'X' within the shot preview screen are also all here. If you'd rather, you can also click the right stick for a more accurate (and my more preferred) setting to hitting the ball, the precise flick mechanic replaced by a more friendly and accessible cursor mechanic in which you must click to begin the back swing, click for power selection and then click when it approaches the right zone. The amount of 'draw' or 'fade' can also be altered by moving the cursor over where you wish to hit the ball. The basic set-up is as ever, tight and easy to use, however, what the latest offers elsewhere is what the game can be remembered for in differentiation from its rivals. The addition of the versatile and brilliantly implemented 'Focus' meter- its semi-circle folded over the HUD of the ball and club type- will enamour those who loved the previous games' granting of unlimited ball spin or power boost in every shot, whereas here you'll have to take into account what aspects of your game are lacking/which will suit the hole, since using any of the mentioned power boost, spin and putting previews will slowly drain the meter (only filled in slight quantities if un-used for a single shot). The system works so well that in actuality, it gives PGA Tour 11 a new lease of life from those that came before it, which were ever so slowly ebbing towards a stale death. You'll be cursing your impatient use of spin onto the green once you then approach a long putt with little more than the coloured gradient grid to help you along, putt preview an impossibility, yet a necessity, with the focus meter drained of all its accrued matter. 
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Drawing immediate comparisons to the likes of Sony's flagship God of War series is no mean feat for a game that was overlooked at launch due to Platinum Games' swift, excellent and ravishing combo-heavy Bayonetta, but Darksiders plays akin with some of the most effective and joyful videogame tropes available in an engaging, action-rich experience (albeit with a terrible and clichéd story to back it up!)
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