Games To Try Before You Die: Alan Wake (Xbox 360)

A Games to Try Before You Die that is not a retro game?!?! WHAT?!?! Well I like new games too ya know...This is a game that many people shoved to the side, and that is just sad. With a video game market clogged by FPS' and MMO's, what happened to the classic survival horror thriller? Silent Hill is my most frightening game with disturbing visuals and stuff, and then this one came around and proved you don't need gallons of blood to freak you out.

What: Alan Wake is a 3rd person perspective game where you play a struggling writer Alan Wake. You and your wife retreat to a quiet cabin in Bright Falls so Alan can ditch his writers block. Alan get's mad at the fact and feels as though his wife is forcing him to write, and gets in a fight with her and leaves the cabin. He comes back to find her being pulled into DARKNESS. Alan must save his wife and battle his inner demons.

Why: The story, this game is full of twist and turns and keep you playing because you want to find out what is next! The graphics, this game look amazing. The detail of the dark woods and colorization of everything puts you in the mood to play this game. You recover health by finding lights (The whole darkness vs light thing...ya know?). Seeing a light in the distance as you are being chased by, "The Taken" gives you a crazy sense of urgency and you just need to RUN! The voice acting is spot on, and you are basically playing a very well written Stephen King novel. This game could have easily been a movie. It's just sad that it is a game that will fade into the background. because it is very good. What matters though, is that you know about it.

There is a sequel that you can download on Xbox Live name "Alan Wake's American Nightmare." Not much in storyline, but has the same great gameplay and eerie setting.

Check this one out if you enjoy a good thriller, you will be satisfied.