Bamtan

Other than Alan Wake being a masterpiece in gaming narrative and pacing, the collector’s edition is remarkably value for money.

I don’t buy CE’s much because lets face it, they want to get more bucks out of the hardcore fans, and rarely is it worth it. I’m not a fan of “weapon upgrades” or poorly painted plastic figurines. 

It includes a nicely glossy and embossed cover slip, enshrouding a black canvassed box that’s styled as a book. Inside this contains:

• A copy of Alan Wake, duh. 
• A code for the Summer DLC they’ll release. I assume it’ll be another chapter in the story, or a prequel.
• The excellent soundtrack by Petri Alanko.
• Bonus content such as behind the scenes, video documentaries, xbox themes, avatar stuff.
• The Alan Wake files: A separate investigation following the aftermath of Alan Wake, going into depth about characters you come across. This would usually be plot filler for most games, but Bright Falls is so well realised that it’s worth it. Also in canvas black with silver print on it.

All in all, a highly polished game with a highly polished collector’s edition. I loved Max Payne 1 & 2, so I’m not surprised to love this.

Finished Mass Effect 2 wallpaper courtesy of MacBook Air Gamer from the SA games forum.

See something awesome today. PIXELS: Retro Gamers.

Heavy Rain was a fantastic game. From the demo, I suspected issues regarding the voice acting (mainly of Norman Jayden) and lip syncing, but the full game is worth it all. The story is one of the most compelling and carefully written narratives I’ve seen in a game. They gain emotional response not only through sublime acting, but painfully tense quick-time-events, that strain your hands and bring you right into the game.

Talking to friends about the endings and outcomes they had show that half of the content is stuff you won’t experience in one play through. That said, I will be trading it in ASAP, because I know Bad Company 2 will grip me for the coming month. I might as well get my money’s worth now, and potentially rebuy it for cheap later.

This is an excellent Alan Wake presentation narrated by the face and writer of Max Payne. It’s been a long time coming, but I can’t wait till 2010.

Two weeks till we see the cast reunited in a virtual world. Can’t wait.

Kojima updates his site, also check out the FOX logo in the bottom right.

I think I just wet my pants. E3 next week, I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

What’s the betting Jack Thompson will make a publicity comeback on top of this? The rabid conservatism is going to be delicious.