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Painful Laughter, Killing Castro And My Other Favorite Gaming Moments of 2010
Suicide, laughter, and the believed death of a communist leader. These were just some of my ten favorite moments from my favorite games of 2010. (Spoilers) We’ll have favorites from the rest of the team throughout the week. There are SPOILERS ahead so don’t read it if you don’t like SPOILERS Brian Crecente’s Favorite Gaming…
By Brian Crecente Published January 12, 2011 -
The Year In Disappointments
There were so many things to get excited about in 2010! So many things to cherish! Sadly, life isn’t all kittens and rainbows, and for every up, there must be a down. These are 2010’s biggest video gaming disappointments. Now, before we go any further, know that few of the things we’re listing below were…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 30, 2010 -
Alan Wake Coming To XBL Games On Demand
Alan Wake, which released May 18, arrives on the Xbox Live Marketplace’s Games on Demand service six months later. Major Nelson listed Alan Wake in his most recent update; it’ll get here Nov. 23. A price wasn’t listed in North America but MCV reports it’ll be £19.99 in the U.K.; those who balked at it…
By Owen Good Published November 14, 2010 -
Can We Give Alan Wake An Award For Best Ads?
Alan Wake is not a shoe-in for Game of the Year 2010, but these ads for the exclusive Xbox 360 thriller are so lovely they deserve some sort of high-caliber 2010 praise. The ads ran in Canada in May and were created by the MacLaren McCann agency. [Alan Wake ads, Ads of the World] The…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 14, 2010 -
ReviewsReview: Alan Wake: The Writer
Back when I played through Alan Wake I heaped on the accolades. It redefined interactive storytelling, I wrote. I said it likely won’t be topped in 2010. Enter now the final chapter in this brave experiment of blending the interactive nature of video games with the compelling hooks of episodic must-see-TV. The Writer is the…
By Brian Crecente Published October 12, 2010 -
What Do Game Developers Know About Real Guns?
In game after game, there they are: guns. Weapons are a common trope. They are a catalyst for action and an instrument for destruction. In-game guns and, well, guns are different. What do game developers know about the real deal? Not every game developer who makes games with firearms has handled an actual weapon, just…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2010 -
The Ways Alan Wake Is Unrealistic
Shadow-possessed people are not the only unrealistic elements of celebrated Xbox 360 game Alan Wake. Over at Magical Wasteland, Matthew Burns interviewed writer Tom Bissell for a fun chat that turned into a breakdown of what Alan Wake the game gets wrong about the life of a writer. New York literary agents do not talk…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 30, 2010 -
Reviews
Alan Wake’s The Signal Review: A Short Dash
Psychological thriller Alan Wake hit the Xbox 360 a few months back delivering a taut, deftly-written experience that straddled the line between television and video game. The disc-based game was broken into chapters that open and close as if they’re television shows, and the game itself wrapped with the sort of cliffhanger expected in a…
By Brian Crecente Published July 26, 2010 -
Alan Wake Expands Mysteriously Next Week
The first downloadable expansion for this spring’s celebrated Xbox 360 horror game Alan Wake arrives next week. It’s called The Signal, and it’s a mystery. The official description of The Signal indicates that our writer-hero Alan Wake continues to be “ravaged by dark forces” as he longs for his wife. “In ‘The Signal,’ Alan finds…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 22, 2010 -
Alan Wake Ads Inspires Fear Of The Dark In Canada
Our neighbors to the north have likely already seen and been irrevocably horrified by Alan Wake’s big, spooky and, most important, clever ad push, which intimidated Canadians with its warnings about just how evil the darkness is. Ad firm MacLaren McCann‘s promotional push for the Xbox 360 game is likely Old News to some Canadian…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 21, 2010 -
Let’s Discuss The Ending Of Alan Wake – Now
Our latest Game Club ends today, as we’ve reached the final episode of Alan Wake. Let’s talk about it. But first! A couple of thank-yous are in order, to all of you who have contributed to the discussion for the past week and to Mikko Rautalahti, one of Remedy’s two writers of the game. As…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 27, 2010 -
Let’s Discuss Alan Wake Episode Five – Now
We are up to Alan Wake’s fifth episode and a well-lit room. Time to talk about a few things. -How’s the gameplay holding up for everyone? Enough variety? I’d already played a preview version of the game, which included the spotlight moment on the dam. So that was spoiled for me. There is just enough…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 26, 2010 -
Let’s Discuss Alan Wake Episode Four – Now
We’re far into Alan Wake now people. It’s Episode 4 and Alan says he feels like he’s in a horror movie. Your thoughts? Do you agree with the narration at the beginning of this chapter, that the game has begun to turn into a horror experience? You’ve been playing as Alan for a while. What…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 25, 2010 -
Let’s Discuss Alan Wake Episode Three – Now
Let’s go back to me in high school. Sophomore year. English class. Camus’ The Plague. None us read it. The teacher made us sweat it out silently. You talk about Alan Wake Episode 3 please. I, uh, am behind! Sorry folks, but your Game Club hits rough waters today thanks to a skipper spending his…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 24, 2010 -
Alan Wake‘s Second Episode is “The Writer”?
A peek through the downloadable content menu in Alan Wake reveals a listing for the game’s second, as yet unannounced episode, “The Writer.” “Our second downloadable content pack, ‘The Writer,’ finds Wake in strange circumstances; now fully aware of the thing that opposes him, he must survive one increasingly nightmarish situation after another.” The chapter…
By Owen Good Published May 22, 2010 -
Let’s Discuss Alan Wake Episode Two – Now
It is time for the latest installment of Kotaku’s Game Club. We are discussing Alan Wake’s second episode: Taken. Just as we did for the first episode, we’re doing this in the comments. If you, like me, have only played the first two chapters so far, what do you make of the mystery so far?…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 20, 2010 -
Thank Duke Nukem, A Little, For Alan Wake
Alan Wake is not like Heavy Rain, Halo Reach, God of War III, Splinter Cell: Conviction or any of the other big 2010 games that are not named for their star character. That’s intentional. With Alan Wake, we’ve got a game that was named more like Super Mario Brothers than like Tomb Raider, more like…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 20, 2010
