Arguably one of the best games this year thus far. Videos and stills just do not do this game justice, nor do reviews, as it's a game that one needs to 'experience', not watch.

Come check out the extensive review, heaps of screenshots and videos on the game and an interview with the games writer, no, not Alan Wake.

So. Alan Wake. The story of the game’s development is almost as interesting as the game itself – a twisting tale of extended production, major design changes, exclusivity deals, removal of the PC version and numerous E3 showings that each displayed a seemingly different game.

Developer Remedy has certainly been through the wringer in bring their ambitious vision to our screens, from being one of the first games announced for the 360 to releasing when most other games are already on their second or third iteration on the current generation.

In a way it’s similar to Splinter Cell Conviction’s development tale in switching from sandbox to linear when so many franchises are heading the other way.

But does it pay off? Have we been handed a disjointed, confused mess of a game or a diamond in the desert?

The context: you’re Alan Wake (A. Wake, har har), famous crime and thriller author taking some time out with his wife in the picturesque town of Bright Falls after some nasty writers’ block. While his fame can’t escape him, Alan and his wife rent out a little cottage on an island in the middle of a lake formed in a volcano’s crater.

XboxOZ360 via oxcgn.com »