Alan Wake

Play it on: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Switch, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Reconnect with the world before the sequel
Buy it from: Amazon | GameStop

My Xbox 360 and I were permanently separated in the late 2000s (there was a brief fling for a weekend, but we decided to go our separate ways shortly after). In 2014 I had a talk with my PS3 about opening up our relationship, though. It was amenable, so I met a new Xbox 360 and caught up on some exclusives I’d missed out on. One of those, of course, was 2010’s Alan Wake

I love Remedy’s games, especially Max Payne and its sequel. And Alan Wake was a bit of a departure for me, as it wasn’t so action-oriented. The lack of adrenaline-pumping gun fights didn’t dissuade me though. I loved the presentation of its storytelling and its Pacific Northwest setting. I delighted playing it to completion and kept hope alive that a sequel would some day emerge. That day, as it turns out, is this coming October 27, the launch date of Alan Wake II. I’ve kept exposure to the trailers as distant as this job allows me to because I am eager to return to this character’s life and don’t want too much spoiled.

But it’s been a while since I’ve caught up with this character, and my immediate memory of his first adventure isn’t so sharp. I’m hoping to revisit Alan Wake over the weekend to reconnect with its Twin Peaks-style presentation and refresh myself on some of the main plot points. I’m not sure if I’ll play it to completion this time, but I’m looking forward to reconnecting with its tone and sense of horror before what I anticipate will be a delightful gaming treat at the end of the month. — Claire Jackson

And that wraps our picks for the weekend of October 6, 2023. What games are you playing this weekend?