Alan Wake’s PC Review

 

Alan Wake was originally announced as being released on both PC and 360, however after an exclusivity deal with Microsoft, the PC version was cancelled. Remedy Entertainment, who has strong ties to the PC community through its famous series, Max Payne, continued to push for its clearance and now two years after its initial release, a PC version has been made available to fans.

The game centres around the titular Alan Wake who has travelled to the small mountain town of Bright Falls with his wife to relax and hopefully overcome his long-lasting writers block. This is quickly proceeded by the disappearance of his wife, amnesia and being dragged into a hellish nightmare where you’re not quite sure what is real and the things you do know are few.

The beautiful setting, the interesting kooky characters, the eerie “something’s not quite right here…” atmosphere, all scream Twin Peaks. One of the best parts of the game is that it rewards exploration, not with points, but the ability to learn more about the world and it’s characters. You’ll overhear conversations, read signs and listen to the local radio station. These aren’t in the menu, they’re part of the world.

The game pushes you along itself, without large text pointing out every single thing you have to do or shoving a cut scene down your throat every few minutes. Truly, Alan Wake is a great example of good game design. You play the game with a minimalistic HUD and you’re guided along by the moody lighting, sounds and character interactions.

However, one of the biggest flaws of the game is the arbitrary collectables, which have no in game purpose and seem out of place. You’d be running away from what ever horror of the night to suddenly stop for a second and pick up a Thermos. It can really destroy the sense of emergency.

What is near flawless however, is the storytelling. The game opens up with a quote from Stephen King.  ‘Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there’s little fun to be had in explanations’, and they follow this approach pretty successfully, keeping a sense of mystery and fear while still trickling down enough information to feel like you’re progressing the story. After all, there’s only so many times you can hear a reference to “possessed book shelves” without it feeling dumb. The hidden manuscript pages are extremely rewarding and tell the story in a non-chronological way that helps you fill in gaps in the story. Reading about your yet unencountered chainsaw wielding enemy is particularly unsettling.

Although the gameplay isn’t the main focus, it’s competent and manages to capture the psychological thriller vibe with the best part being the dodge mechanic. It involves is pressing the directional and run key together in time with a murderous axe swing to initiate a very cool dodge, which has Alan Wake ducking, twisting and almost stumbling, narrowly missing the fatal axe swing. The other cool gameplay factor is how light is used as both a weapon and a safe haven. Your flash light and lighting in the environment is as much a weapon as your guns. The basic combat can feel invigorating at times, but by the end of the game it does begin to feel a bit stale.

 

As you play through the game the product placement becomes abrasive. Though initially bearable, it gradually worsens. Imagine you’ve come to the climax of the story, you’re racing towards the finish only to be confronted with a giant Verizon billboard placed directly in front of you. Worse yet, down the road there’s another one for Energizer and then a little more down the road? Another Verizon one. To put them in most prominently at the climax of the story was a little disheartening.

The PC port, for the most part works beautifully. The standard graphics increase that comes along with most PC ports is present and the performance isn’t too bad either. Playing the game entirely using a mouse and keyboard, I never felt like I needed a controller, although the way Alan Wake walks from an angle can be confusing. The only significant issue was the mouse acceleration, which as of writing can be fixed by a command parameter added in the most recent patch.

As of writing, the game is only $30 on steam and includes both DLC. Although its a notch below the main game in quality (and includes more awful product placement including one of the main characters saying “Can you hear me now?”) it’s still enjoyable and a decent addition, so you really can’t overlook the value proposition.

For all it’s niggles and faults, it can’t help but be one of those games where you can simply overlook it. If Max Payne is one of the few games that managed to capture the essence of a noire film in video game format, then Alan Wake does the same thing for psychological thrillers, and it’s damn entertaining.

5/5

 

Top Tips for travelling students: Part 1

Those of you who aren’t sure what to do during winter break, have a read and think about your options. Sure you could get an internship, tirelessly work and earn money or prepare for semester 2 but is that what you really want? Is that what you really need?

Stop denying it and take the risk. Jump on a plane and go somewhere. After trudging through a semester of uni, you deserve to put your feet up and what better place to do so than ANYWHERE in the world.

Two years ago I went to Europe for 6 weeks between semesters. I chose to go on my own, I have a selfish personality and I accepted, before I left, that I wanted to do what I wanted to do and I was going to become very difficult if someone got in my way.

Tip #1: Know yourself before you plan your trip. If you are confident and know that you can fill every minute of every day independently then consider taking that risk and going on your own. It is not a problem if you don’t fit this category, just choose your friends wisely and before locking anything in (especially airfares) think about who you are going to be sleeping on top of at the back of economy.

This tip is based around your itinerary, your accommodation, everything! If you know yourself, don’t change.

My whole trip was independent travel except for a 3 day tour of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Once again this is based on me knowing who I am and what I would enjoy. As spectacular as the Amalfi Coast was, I was restricted to a tour group. A group of Aussie guys and gals who were not so much on a tour of the Amalfi Coast. They were more on a tour that just happened to go along the Amalfi Coast and the mentality of what happens on tour stays on tour definitely came in to play.

Tip #2: Choose between a tour or just going your own way. I have nothing against tours but that is just not how I like to travel. They are great for meeting people especially if you have just popped overseas on your own but choose your tour wisely. You could be stuck with loved up, sex driven travellers from anywhere from a day to a month. Do your research and read feedback forums on everything and anything you choose to do.

Paris was the only place that I ran into any trouble.

Scene: Tolbiac Station, 9:00am, approximately 8-10 people on the station

Characters: Smooth Drunk (beautiful French accent) Happy Traveller (‘don’t like being disturbed and will yell at you in French’ accent)

Smooth Drunk: “Bonjour, is your name Juliet?”

Happy Traveller: “Pardon, mais no”

Smooth Drunk: “But you must be Juliet because I am your Romeo”

Happy Traveller: Innocently giggles and just shakes her head

Smooth Drunk: Off come the pants and Happy Traveller becomes a drunk and wall sandwich.

I kept my cool, got on the train and got off at the station closest to the Eiffel Tower. I knew there would be people and more importantly, people of every nationality.

 

Keep your eyes peeled on Degree for the next part of our Travel Guide!

Autumn Fashion at UWS!

 Welcome back to yet another fabulous semester at UWS and great season of fashion. Summer has ended and  Autumn has began, so, what can we expect to see this semester? Firstly, fur seems to be making a comeback  everywhere you look. Whether it’s a coat or a vest, faux or real, it’s a must. Got for lighter, neutral tones like beige or caramel. Think Rachel Zoe or boho 70’s vibe. Dress it down with a maxi skirt and an over sized bag or dress it up with platform pumps and a cocktail dress.

source: blogloving.com

In accessories expect to see a lot of African neon’s, especially in orange. These will help those dreary cold days and add pop to any casual outfit. Furthermore, look for collar necklaces in plain gold or Moroccan style beading.

Diva $34.99

 

Finally, in footwear, suede has to be the material of choice. Pick a colored suede platform or boot in deep red or teal. Make sure to use a waterproof sealant, otherwise one puddle will ruin them. Alternatively, one could go for worn leather boots in tan or brown leather.

Wittner boots $189.95

Until next week, stay fabulous.

Motivate Me

I love going back to Uni. I love the excitement, learning new things and most of all my rapidly declining social life. But I know there are some of you out there who don’t, or cant, get excited for a new semester, and a new year, of Uni. For those ‘weird’ ones out there, this is for you. I have personally put together some tips to help you through this time in your life. No, don’t thank me; I just couldn’t wait to provide you with my nonsense. So enjoy, and if you really want to thank me, I accept cupcakes.

Go shopping.

Its scientifically proven, somewhere, that shopping releases endorphins that make you feel much more motivated and happy. Seriously, Google it! What other excuse do you need to head to the shops? You don’t even have to be a stationary nut like me. Clothes, books even video games that you can convince everyone somehow relates to your Uni degree, they will all help you be ready for the new Uni semester, according to science.

Get organized.

Buy one of those annoying diaries, you know the one that you write everything in and then leave sitting on your desk under a pile of papers for the rest of the year. Even if you only use it that once to write out all your plans for the semester, even if it’s just your new social calendar, it will get you excited for the New Year. I promise. 

Retrain your body.

This is probably the hardest. It involves going to bed at a sensible time and not when the sun is rising. I can hear your groans from here, but you will thank me. Would you rather spend all night up having fun and then struggle through a day of lectures and tutorials or go to bed earlier and be that kid that seems annoyingly happy all day? Actually, don’t answer that.

Actually show up to classes.

Okay, I lied; this may be the hardest tip I’m giving you. Skipping just that one class or lecture might seem tempting. But I’m sure you all know where this leads, down the path of missing the whole unit and pulling an all-nighter on that assignment you have no idea about. Just suck it up and go to the class. Who knows, you might actually enjoy it.

Make friends.

Uni is more fun with friends at your side. Enough said.

Then make time for these friends.

You need this time to unwind, have fun, let loose if you must. As the saying goes, all work and no fun make for very stressed out, not to mention boring, Uni students.

Find something interesting/fun in every class.

Even if it’s just to tease the teacher. In fact, some of the only things I have picked up at Uni are from mocking teachers. But if anyone asks, this advice did not come from me. If you don’t enjoy the class you are more likely to revert to the skipping class routine we talked about before. Trust me, having fun in class will help you in the long run.

Find at least one class you love.  

This is what electives are for! Choose something that wont be such a drag when it comes to assignments and such. It will also make you more motivated to start Uni if you have something to look forward to. Sure a bunch of boring subjects may look good on your record, but you are more likely to put more effort into something you love, or at least like. And good marks look really good on your record.

So there it is. Go forth and enjoy. And like I said, cupcakes are optional.

Editorial: We’re back baby!

Well, that went by quickly didn’t it?

Within the space of three weeks, everyone has to have already gotten into the groove of things, gotten back into the study schedule, spent time buying a whole heap of useless stationary from Officeworks, cried for long nights over the money spent on textbooks no one will read and begun the usual complaints on lack of parking at the Parramatta campus. (I’ve found that if you just get there at around 8.45am, and beat the traffic, you’ll have a good chance of finding that one comfy spot outside your building)

The holidays were over before it seemed like they had begun, with that joke of a Summer coming to a close the way it begun, with underwhelming weather. How hard is it, weather, for us to get some real Summer weather. Melbourne got it! I went there for a week and it never dipped below 30. Why didn’t we get that! But much like a student fresh from a long holiday and looking to study hard, there was no consistency. It just went up and down. And then down and down, until we had flooding all over NSW. Devastating and destructive, it was a reflection of how deeply un-summer like the weather had become. 

But it was an interesting couple of months. We almost had a new Prime Minister. Almost. We also almost had a 6 hour tennis final to the Australian Open. Almost had another NATO invasion in the Middle East. Almost had an awesome new iPad. So close, yet so far. It could be said it was almost a disappointing holiday, were it not for the long sessions of lounging about and doing close to nothing for so long. Waste of time? What waste of time?

It is strange to be back, as it will always be. There will never, ever be a smooth transition from the lounging holidays to the intense scramble of uni life. If there is, then it would come down to beginning your study schedule before the semester begins, something I discovered people actually do, much to my chagrin. I couldn’t understand someone’s intense obsession with law readings. It just baffles me. But I guess that is what uni is about. If everyone was the lazy, poor student I was, then there wouldn’t be that vibrant, competitive atmosphere we cherish and enjoy. There would also be love all around, but that discussion is for another day.

But enough of the depressing stuff, because with that comes the return of everyone’s favourite website! No, the AirUWS FAQ page is not quite what I’m talking about. I’m talking about Degree! The place you can come to to find the most important news and opinion on UWS and all its many beautiful campuses. From the sprawling fields of Penrith, to the cramped cafes of Parramatta to the cosy atmosphere of Milperra, we’ll be there with all the biggest issues, rants and complaints. Its going to be a massive year as well, societies within  the university have absolutely exploded and there looks to be a packed schedule of events and, more importantly, free barbeques, on the horizon.

Degree also looks to be exploding. There are plans of expansion everywhere I look, including and specifically with staff. So if anything I’ve just said tickles your fancy in any way, please, feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to provide you with the tools to finally be published, to finally get your message across to our billions and billions of readers. It’s many students dream to have their articles published on Degree. And over here, we’re in the business of fulfilling dreams.

Its going to be a good year, I can feel it. Keep your eyes on Degree this year and you won’t go wrong.