I am officially obsessed with the forthcoming video game Alan Wake. I was at E3 in 2005 when it was first unveiled, and I got to see it behind closed doors last year as well. I can tell you pretty much anything you want to know about the game, and as it happens, I’m wearing my prized Alan Wake t-shirt as I type this (which I got at the aforementioned E3 ’05). I am counting the days until May 18th, when this most astounding of video games is finally bestowed upon us.
So why all the obsession? Because it comes from Remedy, the company that brought us Max Payne, a game that completely changed the paradigm for how far storytelling in video games can go. And now they’re about to do it again, with a game structured like a serialized television show, about a novelist who vacations in a Pacific northwest town where he finds his latest nightmarish story coming true. Light is his only ally, and his supernatural enemy thrives on the dark. Having seen the game in action, I can promise you it’s like nothing else you’ve ever played.
Today, Remedy announced a series of short films called Bright Falls (named after the fictional town where the game takes place), that have been produced to promote the game. The first two episodes will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members beginning April 25th, all Xbox LIVE members April 26th, and on BrightFalls.com on April 27th. New eps will release every following week, leading up to the game’s arrival. Directed by Philip Van, Bright Falls is a prequel to the events of Alan Wake, and stars Tom Noonan and Cooper Huckabee.
Check out the 30-second trailer for Bright Falls, which I uploaded to YouTube just for you, dear reader. Because I’m just that good to you.
