In conjunction with Microsoft's X10 event in San Francisco,
Xbox Live director of programming Larry
'Major Nelson' Hryb has announced that the Xbox 360-exclusive
horror game will arrive in North America on May 18 and Europe May
21. Players can pre-order the title to receive the Bright
Falls Bonus Pack, which includes exclusive content like Avatar gear, an
Xbox LIVE theme, and a 'making of' video. In addition, Shacknews has
posted new Alan Wake preview. Here's a
taster:
Before the combat level, the demo started with a brief section from the
beginning of the game when Alan and his wife arrive in Bright Falls for
their vacation. This offered a chance to see the daylight side of the
game which tends more to the exploratory side of the game. Alan's wife
dropped him off at a diner to pick up the key for their cottage. Inside
he encountered exactly the expected slightly bizarre characters: the
green uniform clad sheriff who loves his coffee, an eccentric old-timer
with an eye-patch who wants Alan to play something for him on the
jukebox, and eventually, a mysterious veiled woman who hands-off the
key. It was a brief glimpse but the cast and scene looked good and
captured the David Lynch style to a T.
Balance was the theme of the presentation and the last piece Myllyrinne
brought up was how they want to keep players on the edge throughout
each episode and the game overall. To do this they go back and forth
between the sane, safe world of the day and the dangerous, nightmarish
night in each episode. The cool-off, letting players catch their
breath, helps maintain the dramatic tension by giving a hint of some
security and then snatching it away again.