I love the way the words were used, especially in that one sequence where you have to cross that field of words and your like SHIT I can't point my flashlight at ANYTHING, what a great representation of a world where a writer's words are used against him. Brilliant.
The Cross over the lamp-post field was heart pounding stuff, i was swooping, ducking and diving all over the place, and the cinematic camera working as it should.
from a sound effects point of you, i loved the way barry disappeared and reappeared as you made your way across the map, it made me chuckle every time, great back and forth between Alan & Barry too.
OH, and that sequence when you pass through the jackets in the hallway and emerge, well, you know where, what a fantastic fucking transition, i was blown away, that was Hollywood movie stuff.
shall play THE WRITER tomorrow, can't freak-en wait. Also, The Writer has the best credits roll song thus far.
I love the way the words were used, especially in that one sequence where you have to cross that field of words and your like SHIT I can't point my flashlight at ANYTHING, what a great representation of a world where a writer's words are used against him. Brilliant.
The Cross over the lamp-post field was heart pounding stuff, i was swooping, ducking and diving all over the place, and the cinematic camera working as it should.
from a sound effects point of you, i loved the way barry disappeared and reappeared as you made your way across the map, it made me chuckle every time, great back and forth between Alan & Barry too.
OH, and that sequence when you pass through the jackets in the hallway and emerge, well, you know where, what a fantastic fucking transition, i was blown away, that was Hollywood movie stuff.
shall play THE WRITER tomorrow, can't freak-en wait. Also, The Writer has the best credits roll song thus far.
This game is a part of my soul dammit.
Glad someone was as late to the party as I was. Finished the Signal and Writer back to back like two weeks ago. It's such a rich universe and The Writer is only more intriguing.
The scene with the lampposts was so so so so awesome. Like, the slo-mo in that scene worked better than any other. I loved totally dodging Taken last second into the lit posts and having them straight-up disappear.
I fee like, overall, the Signal offered plot fodder, meaning it just did well to expand the universe without pushing the plot too far forward, but was the best moments of tension from Vanilla Wake turned up to 11.
stevemarks44 on
0
Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
I love the way the words were used, especially in that one sequence where you have to cross that field of words and your like SHIT I can't point my flashlight at ANYTHING, what a great representation of a world where a writer's words are used against him. Brilliant.
The Cross over the lamp-post field was heart pounding stuff, i was swooping, ducking and diving all over the place, and the cinematic camera working as it should.
from a sound effects point of you, i loved the way barry disappeared and reappeared as you made your way across the map, it made me chuckle every time, great back and forth between Alan & Barry too.
OH, and that sequence when you pass through the jackets in the hallway and emerge, well, you know where, what a fantastic fucking transition, i was blown away, that was Hollywood movie stuff.
shall play THE WRITER tomorrow, can't freak-en wait. Also, The Writer has the best credits roll song thus far.
This game is a part of my soul dammit.
I still think that when it comes to credit roll songs, Roy Orbison at the end of the first episode is goddamn perfect. Everything about that ending fits together like some kind of well-oiled machine.
I love the way the words were used, especially in that one sequence where you have to cross that field of words and your like SHIT I can't point my flashlight at ANYTHING, what a great representation of a world where a writer's words are used against him. Brilliant.
The Cross over the lamp-post field was heart pounding stuff, i was swooping, ducking and diving all over the place, and the cinematic camera working as it should.
from a sound effects point of you, i loved the way barry disappeared and reappeared as you made your way across the map, it made me chuckle every time, great back and forth between Alan & Barry too.
OH, and that sequence when you pass through the jackets in the hallway and emerge, well, you know where, what a fantastic fucking transition, i was blown away, that was Hollywood movie stuff.
shall play THE WRITER tomorrow, can't freak-en wait. Also, The Writer has the best credits roll song thus far.
This game is a part of my soul dammit.
I still think that when it comes to credit roll songs, Roy Orbison at the end of the first episode is goddamn perfect. Everything about that ending fits together like some kind of well-oiled machine.
Space Oddity as the credits roll for the end of Vanilla is one of my favorite game experiences ever. It was terrifyingly isolating.
I have to say i was a little dissapointed, i think this is because of how much I LOVED the signal & everybody claiming this was much better. We did get more story progression, that was cool, but I don't feel like the gameplay mechanics changed it up in the way the Signal did, other than the Rotating room, which was awesome. I also died more in THE WRITER than i did in all the rest of Alan Wake combined. I think the reason I'm feeling so deflated, is, this didn't feel like the end, there was no cliffhanger, it was just over, it seems so wrong that this brilliant story could end right there with THE WRITER if we don't get an ALAN WAKE 2. I thought The Signal was far better an ending point.... However, watching the Light House spin icy cold death around you was totally worth it.. I'm also pissed I may never know how Mr. Scratch fits into everything... that little tease in THE WRITER just pissed me off, since there was no payoff....but really this is the same sort of love/hate emotion i had with LOST for so many years
I have to say i was a little dissapointed, i think this is because of how much I LOVED the signal & everybody claiming this was much better. We did get more story progression, that was cool, but I don't feel like the gameplay mechanics changed it up in the way the Signal did, other than the Rotating room, which was awesome. I also died more in THE WRITER than i did in all the rest of Alan Wake combined. I think the reason I'm feeling so deflated, is, this didn't feel like the end, there was no cliffhanger, it was just over, it seems so wrong that this brilliant story could end right there with THE WRITER if we don't get an ALAN WAKE 2. I thought The Signal was far better an ending point.... However, watching the Light House spin icy cold death around you was totally worth it.. I'm also pissed I may never know how Mr. Scratch fits into everything... that little tease in THE WRITER just pissed me off, since there was no payoff....but really this is the same sort of love/hate emotion i had with LOST for so many years
A website called Hell Descent just recently did an interview with Sam Lake and the other head of Remedy (whos name I will not attempt to spell from memory.) Its a good read, and offers some hope for AW2 ('We cant announce anything at this time, but Alan Wake is close to our hearts.')
But they specifically ask him a question you just asked david, and it is perhaps the greatest teaser in the history of awesome teases:
HD: What IS Mr. Scratch?
Sam Lake: Mr. Scratch is obviously another name for the devil, and thus probably refers to nothing good. Whenever we hear his name, we don’t actually hear what’s really being said, we hear a scratching noise, like the word had been censored, or “scratched out,” thus we don’t know the real name that’s being said. When Wake sees Mr. Scratch in the Dark Place, he looks like Wake. Thomas Zane tells him that his friends will meet Mr. Scratch when Wake is gone. When Barbara Jagger disappeared into Cauldron Lake, a dark presence in her form came back. Are these clues? Maybe we’ll find out at some point, but it might turn out to be something very unpleasant. Maybe we should hope we’ll never have to find out. You have been warned.
I have to say i was a little dissapointed, i think this is because of how much I LOVED the signal & everybody claiming this was much better. We did get more story progression, that was cool, but I don't feel like the gameplay mechanics changed it up in the way the Signal did, other than the Rotating room, which was awesome. I also died more in THE WRITER than i did in all the rest of Alan Wake combined. I think the reason I'm feeling so deflated, is, this didn't feel like the end, there was no cliffhanger, it was just over, it seems so wrong that this brilliant story could end right there with THE WRITER if we don't get an ALAN WAKE 2. I thought The Signal was far better an ending point.... However, watching the Light House spin icy cold death around you was totally worth it.. I'm also pissed I may never know how Mr. Scratch fits into everything... that little tease in THE WRITER just pissed me off, since there was no payoff....but really this is the same sort of love/hate emotion i had with LOST for so many years
A website called Hell Descent just recently did an interview with Sam Lake and the other head of Remedy (whos name I will not attempt to spell from memory.) Its a good read, and offers some hope for AW2 ('We cant announce anything at this time, but Alan Wake is close to our hearts.')
But they specifically ask him a question you just asked david, and it is perhaps the greatest teaser in the history of awesome teases:
HD: What IS Mr. Scratch?
Sam Lake: Mr. Scratch is obviously another name for the devil, and thus probably refers to nothing good. Whenever we hear his name, we don’t actually hear what’s really being said, we hear a scratching noise, like the word had been censored, or “scratched out,” thus we don’t know the real name that’s being said. When Wake sees Mr. Scratch in the Dark Place, he looks like Wake. Thomas Zane tells him that his friends will meet Mr. Scratch when Wake is gone. When Barbara Jagger disappeared into Cauldron Lake, a dark presence in her form came back. Are these clues? Maybe we’ll find out at some point, but it might turn out to be something very unpleasant. Maybe we should hope we’ll never have to find out. You have been warned.
Thanks a million for recommending this, BritishDavid, having a blast with it.
Also, mega internet points to you for hooking me up with a free DLC code - winkeysmiley!
Just finished episode 3... my attempts at studying for a career-related interview have gone out the window until I finish this game. I love how it's characters telling a story about writing a story about the process of story writing - while my brain implodes occasionally, it implodes with greatness.
While the facial animations could and should have been improved upon, the realisation of the setting is top notch. And I have many notches, hhem hhem hhem.
Katsuhiro, I'm super pumped for you to get finished so that you can talk more about the idea of writing within writing kind of thing.
As for BritishDavid, I'm bummed you didn't like The Writer more, but I get your complaints. I did find the gameplay to be less exciting and inventive than The Signal, but the story had me compelled.
I felt it was appropriate that it ended where it did. Wake has regained his sanity, is in somewhat control, but is now stuck under the water. If things had ended as they did in the Signal, it would've been a cliffhanger, and if we didn't get AW2, it would've been torturous to me. At least at the end of the Writer, we have established Wake's external situation. If there is never a sequel, we can look at Wake at a lost soul who is trapped deep underwater, scheming and attempting to figure out just how he can escape this. Maybe he'll live out the rest of his days there, forever tormented.
The facial animations are just fine in the DLC, too bad you don't see enough of them.
But hey if they do AW2 people won't have that to complain about any more.
So the first person you meet in the WRITER is actually Mr. Scratch... want proof? Read on.
First, quote from Sam Lake, lead dev at Remedy:
Sam Lake: Mr. Scratch is obviously another name for the devil, and thus probably refers to nothing good. Whenever we hear his name, we don’t actually hear what’s really being said, we hear a scratching noise, like the word had been censored, or “scratched out,”
for the purpose of my theory, i have replaced all the distorations at the start of the SIGNAL with the word "Mr. Scratch."
The Signal opens with a waitress who says
"Welcome to *Mr Scratch*" translation "Welcome to Hell"
The waitress then turns to the cop sitting at the table, and describes him to Alan.
"*Mr Scartch* is no longer human, nothing but black coffee under a thin layer of skin."
Translation: Even if it's not the cop, it's a description of *Mr Scartch* (the devil). Also Coffee, thus, is code for THE DARKNESS from this point forward.
The Cop at the table (who may or may not be *Mr Scratch*) then says to Alan:
"Try the Coffee (The Darkness), just don't blame me when you fall in love 'cause it'll break your heart when you have to leave."
Translation: try the darkness Alan, live here, you'll fall in love with it, but it will break you if you try and leave.
The Waitress then turns to Alan and says
"Are you Staying Long *Mr Scratch* (in Hell) I can't believe It! I'm having a conversation with *Mr Scratch* (the devil, or the cop sitting at the table)"
The two rockers then have this conversation:
"do me a favor sonny. I could really use a tune right now *Mr Scatch* is Number six in the jukebux
id do it myself, but both of my legs have gone to sleep, bad circulation. Yeah!
Translation: The Devil, is number 6, pretty cut and dry
Are you Serious *Mr Scratch* again? You disgust me . Call yourself a rocker.
You're Pathetic *Mr Scratch*
just cause we're brothers dont think i wont murder you in your sleep
Yes that's my favorite tune *Mr Scratch*
Translation: Death and murder, is the song of the devil, his favorite tune indeed.
Although, Im sure you remember but just incase you forget:
everyone is just repeating exactly what they said in the intro of the game, when you first enter the diner. It doesn't hurt your theory at all, because its a very clever way of taking that very innocent first encounter in Bright falls and making it much more sinister.
mxmarks on
PSN: mxmarks - WiiU: mxmarks - twitter: @ MikesPS4 - twitch.tv/mxmarks - "Yes, mxmarks is the King of Queens" - Unbreakable Vow
Although, Im sure you remember but just incase you forget:
everyone is just repeating exactly what they said in the intro of the game, when you first enter the diner. It doesn't hurt your theory at all, because its a very clever way of taking that very innocent first encounter in Bright falls and making it much more sinister.
sure, but Remedy obviously picked the word's they *Mr. Scratch* 'd out. I don't think they picked 'em at random, do you? Especially with Sam's quote.
No, no not at all. I totally agree with you that they very deliberatly went through that to mirror the intro, and selected stuff that would fit. Just wanted to point it out because I remember you saying it had been awhile between playing Alan Wake and the DLC.
I dont know what i'd respect more - planning that out from the beginning and writing the intro around it, or reworking the intro later to make it fit so well.
mxmarks on
PSN: mxmarks - WiiU: mxmarks - twitter: @ MikesPS4 - twitch.tv/mxmarks - "Yes, mxmarks is the King of Queens" - Unbreakable Vow
I'm less interested in Mr. Scratch and more interested in what Zane said on the bridge. He mentioned the Ocean being home to more then just the Dark, so what else is down there?
I think the ocean is actually the battle ground between the Devil and God, I believe God will be introduced at some point, or there was a plan to introduce him in ALAN WAKE 2. Alan wake is a homage to Steven King, his biggest and best work are THE DARK TOWER and THE STAND, both feature the devil, they also feature GOD.... i also believe, that Zane could be GOD, and Alan created him, a Genesis type deal, these are just thoughts I have buzzing around in my head
i disagree with you on that one, i don't see the Lovecraft influences... Sam Lake had the opportunity to describe the darkness as something etherial and alien, but he chose "The Devil" a Christian concept. That's just my opinion man... I'm not 100% committing to that theory about GOD either, it's just where my thoughts are headed at the moment. Also, Christianity hasn't really been explored in many games that I'm aware of, even if its for entertainment purposes.... i think the "youth" wouldn't react to well to it, probably, but I'm cool with it.
you know this is a great thread to go back and read, as i have just done. It's good fun and id forgotten half the stuff others had written, let alone myself, hope you do it Kat!
you know this is a great thread to go back and read, as i have just done. It's good fun and id forgotten half the stuff others had written, let alone myself, hope you do it Kat!
The same goes for SOME of the threads on the official Alan Wake forums. Some good stuff.
But you guys are much cooler. I've re-read this a couple times now, and someone always says something I missed on a previous read.
mxmarks on
PSN: mxmarks - WiiU: mxmarks - twitter: @ MikesPS4 - twitch.tv/mxmarks - "Yes, mxmarks is the King of Queens" - Unbreakable Vow
you know this is a great thread to go back and read, as i have just done. It's good fun and id forgotten half the stuff others had written, let alone myself, hope you do it Kat!
Oh indeed I shall - I need my dose of lunchtime corporate escapism!
Kicking into Episode 4 tonight, and possibly a smattering of Dead Space 2 multi if you're on for it!
I still think that when it comes to credit roll songs, Roy Orbison at the end of the first episode is goddamn perfect. Everything about that ending fits together like some kind of well-oiled machine.
I agree, that part was what sold me on needing to burn through the game, without multi-tasking with other games. It was the best moment other than....
I paced myself on Alan Wake. No more than an Episode a day.
I did the same - one episode each night after the sun set. I just meant "burn through" in he sense that I beat it in X consecutive days without taking it out of the tray.
I regret playing it on Hard straight off, because I think that made me hate the combat more than it deserved. But it made that part in Episode 4 way more satisfying.
It's a completely different game on Nightmare than on Normal. On Normal, there's enough ammo, and the enemies are soft enough, that you can pretty much shoot everybody all the time.
On Nightmare it's more "oh fuck oh shit turn around shine the light on them now run away oh SHIIIIT I'm not going to have enough bullets for the fight I can't skip"
I agree with DarkPrimus here. If I could rewind time and play it for the first time again, it would be on Nightmare without paying any attention to collectibles. Of course, Nightmare isn't unlocked by default, but hypothetically I think that would be the best way to play.
I wouldn't want it to be my first time through, but it's certainly something to do if you like the game. A lot of games on harder difficulties just feel tedious, but Alan Wake made it feel like a true survival horror game.
Like in Chapter 2
The guy with the chainsaw and everything - I just popped a flare there and said FUCK THIS and ran as fast as I could to the next light area.
I found this Edgar Allen Poe poem that sounds an awful lot like something from a Zane manuscript page or an Old Gods of Asgard song.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named Night,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space- out of time.
Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters- lone and dead,-
Their still waters- still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains- near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,- by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls,-
By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth- and Heaven.
For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an El Dorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not- dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named Night,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.
Halfway through Episode 5 before I had to call it a night due to it being this cubicle warrior's bedtime. Loving it so far.
Anyone notice how the FBI agent looks decidedly like Glenn Beck? Oh how I chuckled when he got promptly yanked out into the night in the police station.
Balls. I played this before, but I have a new slim xbox now, and it doesn't seem to be seeing that I have a save game. Which means I can't play nightmare.
I think the ocean is actually the battle ground between the Devil and God, I believe God will be introduced at some point, or there was a plan to introduce him in ALAN WAKE 2. Alan wake is a homage to Steven King, his biggest and best work are THE DARK TOWER and THE STAND, both feature the devil, they also feature GOD.... i also believe, that Zane could be GOD, and Alan created him, a Genesis type deal, these are just thoughts I have buzzing around in my head
I think it will end up being similar to The Lodges in Twin Peaks.
A common conception of the Black Lodge is that it is a realm of total evil which has usurped, absorbed or occupied its White counterpart with the possibility that the White Lodge has become the red waiting room of the Black Lodge (still enabling benevolent spirits and angels to manifest themselves there), or that the waiting room is a neutral location, and the action of the inhabitants therein determine procession to either the Black or White lodge. During the second season, Windom Earle relates a past-tense story about the White Lodge which is replete with Edenic imagery, suggesting that the White Lodge belonged to a time now lost or forgotten.
"Once upon a time, there was a place of great goodness, called the White Lodge. Gentle fawns gamboled there amidst happy, laughing spirits. The sounds of innocence and joy filled the air. And when it rained, it rained sweet nectar that infused one's heart with a desire to live life in truth and beauty. Generally speaking, a ghastly place, reeking of virtue's sour smell. Engorged with the whispered prayers of kneeling mothers, mewling newborns, and fools, young and old, compelled to do good without reason ... But, I am happy to point out that our story does not end in this wretched place of saccharine excess. For there's another place, its opposite:"
Earle then describes the Black Lodge in the present tense, perhaps indicating that it has replaced the White Lodge:
A place of almost unimaginable power, chock full of dark forces and vicious secrets. No prayers dare enter this frightful maw. The spirits there care not for good deeds or priestly invocations; they're as like to rip the flesh from your bone as greet you with a happy "good day." And if harnessed, these spirits in this hidden land of unmuffled screams and broken hearts would offer up a power so vast that its bearer might reorder the Earth itself to his liking.
Deputy Hawk describes the Black Lodge as
"the shadow-self of the White Lodge. The legend says that every spirit must pass through there on the way to perfection. There, you will meet your own shadow self. My people call it 'The Dweller on the Threshold' ... But it is said, if you confront the Black Lodge with imperfect courage, it will utterly annihilate your soul."
Life in the Lodge is difficult to describe. Time seems to have no meaning in this dimension (runs normal, slower or stands still as a coffee cup held by Agent Cooper demonstrates), and space is fractured between rooms linked by narrow corridors of red drapes.
Inhabitants of the Lodge speak in a warped dialect of English and often speak in riddles and non-sequiturs. This may be seen as parallel to some versions of shamanism, where the inhabitants of the otherworld may sometimes speak backwards.
The presence of doppelgangers, or "evil" aspects of a person's personality, is possibly the most unsettling feature of the lodge. Doppelgangers are identical to their real world counterparts, with the exception of glassy-colored eyes. The full function and position of the Doppelgangers in the Black Lodge is unknown, though there is a hierarchy implied for inhabitants of the Black Lodge: "inhabiting spirits," the strongest being BOB, and Doppelgangers who are represented by The Man from Another Place.
I think the ocean is actually the battle ground between the Devil and God, I believe God will be introduced at some point, or there was a plan to introduce him in ALAN WAKE 2. Alan wake is a homage to Steven King, his biggest and best work are THE DARK TOWER and THE STAND, both feature the devil, they also feature GOD.... i also believe, that Zane could be GOD, and Alan created him, a Genesis type deal, these are just thoughts I have buzzing around in my head
I think it will end up being similar to The Lodges in Twin Peaks.
A common conception of the Black Lodge is that it is a realm of total evil which has usurped, absorbed or occupied its White counterpart with the possibility that the White Lodge has become the red waiting room of the Black Lodge (still enabling benevolent spirits and angels to manifest themselves there), or that the waiting room is a neutral location, and the action of the inhabitants therein determine procession to either the Black or White lodge. During the second season, Windom Earle relates a past-tense story about the White Lodge which is replete with Edenic imagery, suggesting that the White Lodge belonged to a time now lost or forgotten.
"Once upon a time, there was a place of great goodness, called the White Lodge. Gentle fawns gamboled there amidst happy, laughing spirits. The sounds of innocence and joy filled the air. And when it rained, it rained sweet nectar that infused one's heart with a desire to live life in truth and beauty. Generally speaking, a ghastly place, reeking of virtue's sour smell. Engorged with the whispered prayers of kneeling mothers, mewling newborns, and fools, young and old, compelled to do good without reason ... But, I am happy to point out that our story does not end in this wretched place of saccharine excess. For there's another place, its opposite:"
Earle then describes the Black Lodge in the present tense, perhaps indicating that it has replaced the White Lodge:
A place of almost unimaginable power, chock full of dark forces and vicious secrets. No prayers dare enter this frightful maw. The spirits there care not for good deeds or priestly invocations; they're as like to rip the flesh from your bone as greet you with a happy "good day." And if harnessed, these spirits in this hidden land of unmuffled screams and broken hearts would offer up a power so vast that its bearer might reorder the Earth itself to his liking.
Deputy Hawk describes the Black Lodge as
"the shadow-self of the White Lodge. The legend says that every spirit must pass through there on the way to perfection. There, you will meet your own shadow self. My people call it 'The Dweller on the Threshold' ... But it is said, if you confront the Black Lodge with imperfect courage, it will utterly annihilate your soul."
Life in the Lodge is difficult to describe. Time seems to have no meaning in this dimension (runs normal, slower or stands still as a coffee cup held by Agent Cooper demonstrates), and space is fractured between rooms linked by narrow corridors of red drapes.
Inhabitants of the Lodge speak in a warped dialect of English and often speak in riddles and non-sequiturs. This may be seen as parallel to some versions of shamanism, where the inhabitants of the otherworld may sometimes speak backwards.
The presence of doppelgangers, or "evil" aspects of a person's personality, is possibly the most unsettling feature of the lodge. Doppelgangers are identical to their real world counterparts, with the exception of glassy-colored eyes. The full function and position of the Doppelgangers in the Black Lodge is unknown, though there is a hierarchy implied for inhabitants of the Black Lodge: "inhabiting spirits," the strongest being BOB, and Doppelgangers who are represented by The Man from Another Place.
TWIN PEAKS SPOILER
I am totally on board with this theory and think the resemblance of these two universes is really uncanny. I think also important, is that even after the discussion of "Mr Scratch", you can look at the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and the Series Finale of Peaks as an indication of possibly where Scratch is going.
When Cooper enters the Lodge, he is overtaken by it, much like Wake is with the Lake. When "Cooper" awakens in the real world, we're shown the scene of Cooper smashing his head against the mirror, possessed or at least encouraged by the spirit of BOB. This is not the Cooper we once knew. He's essentially replacing the Cooper, who is now trapped in the Black Lodge.
Later, in Fire Walk With Me, Laura awakes to find Annie in bed next to her. I can't think of the exact quote, but Annie lets Laura know that Cooper is trapped in the Dark Place (also implying that the Lodge is timeless, as this happens before the events of the series finale, chronologically)
I think this is the Wake/Mr Scratch deal. How it will play out is anyone's guess, but Zane describes Scratch as someone who effectively will be taking over for Wake in his absence. He is a carbon copy of Wake, except that he is evil. I think Scratch is going to be a very important part in Wake to come, and I wouldn't be surprised if Alan himself comes to find out with that Emily is shacked up with a doppleganger in the real world.
stevemarks44 on
0
Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
edited February 2011
Thanks for spoilerboxing Twin Peaks spoilers, guys, I still haven't watched the second half of the second season.
For the sake of 100% clarity: this is not sarcastic at all, I really haven't
I think there is a really good chance we will be seeing an Alan Wake 2. Just looking at its sales figures sitting at close to 1 million. Then looking at Forza 3's huge jump in sales due to the bundle, which Alan Wake is included in. For some reason they're not putting those sales in with Alan Wake, but Remedy counts each one of those as a sold copy. According to a post in their forums from a Dev that I don't have handy. Forza has jumped up a little over 1 million in the US and almost 1.5 worldwide so far because of it.
Posts
The Cross over the lamp-post field was heart pounding stuff, i was swooping, ducking and diving all over the place, and the cinematic camera working as it should.
from a sound effects point of you, i loved the way barry disappeared and reappeared as you made your way across the map, it made me chuckle every time, great back and forth between Alan & Barry too.
OH, and that sequence when you pass through the jackets in the hallway and emerge, well, you know where, what a fantastic fucking transition, i was blown away, that was Hollywood movie stuff.
shall play THE WRITER tomorrow, can't freak-en wait. Also, The Writer has the best credits roll song thus far.
This game is a part of my soul dammit.
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
Glad someone was as late to the party as I was. Finished the Signal and Writer back to back like two weeks ago. It's such a rich universe and The Writer is only more intriguing.
I fee like, overall, the Signal offered plot fodder, meaning it just did well to expand the universe without pushing the plot too far forward, but was the best moments of tension from Vanilla Wake turned up to 11.
I still think that when it comes to credit roll songs, Roy Orbison at the end of the first episode is goddamn perfect. Everything about that ending fits together like some kind of well-oiled machine.
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
A website called Hell Descent just recently did an interview with Sam Lake and the other head of Remedy (whos name I will not attempt to spell from memory.) Its a good read, and offers some hope for AW2 ('We cant announce anything at this time, but Alan Wake is close to our hearts.')
But they specifically ask him a question you just asked david, and it is perhaps the greatest teaser in the history of awesome teases:
Full interview - do not read unless you're done with the game and all DLC
Wait, that makes me think back to the beginning of the SIGNAL when we heard
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
Also, mega internet points to you for hooking me up with a free DLC code - winkeysmiley!
Just finished episode 3... my attempts at studying for a career-related interview have gone out the window until I finish this game. I love how it's characters telling a story about writing a story about the process of story writing - while my brain implodes occasionally, it implodes with greatness.
While the facial animations could and should have been improved upon, the realisation of the setting is top notch. And I have many notches, hhem hhem hhem.
As for BritishDavid, I'm bummed you didn't like The Writer more, but I get your complaints. I did find the gameplay to be less exciting and inventive than The Signal, but the story had me compelled.
But hey if they do AW2 people won't have that to complain about any more.
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
First, quote from Sam Lake, lead dev at Remedy:
for the purpose of my theory, i have replaced all the distorations at the start of the SIGNAL with the word "Mr. Scratch."
The Signal opens with a waitress who says
The waitress then turns to the cop sitting at the table, and describes him to Alan.
"*Mr Scartch* is no longer human, nothing but black coffee under a thin layer of skin."
Translation: Even if it's not the cop, it's a description of *Mr Scartch* (the devil). Also Coffee, thus, is code for THE DARKNESS from this point forward.
The Cop at the table (who may or may not be *Mr Scratch*) then says to Alan:
"Try the Coffee (The Darkness), just don't blame me when you fall in love 'cause it'll break your heart when you have to leave."
Translation: try the darkness Alan, live here, you'll fall in love with it, but it will break you if you try and leave.
The Waitress then turns to Alan and says
The two rockers then have this conversation:
id do it myself, but both of my legs have gone to sleep, bad circulation. Yeah!
Translation: The Devil, is number 6, pretty cut and dry
Are you Serious *Mr Scratch* again? You disgust me . Call yourself a rocker.
You're Pathetic *Mr Scratch*
just cause we're brothers dont think i wont murder you in your sleep
Yes that's my favorite tune *Mr Scratch*
Translation: Death and murder, is the song of the devil, his favorite tune indeed.
*Mr. Scratch* now there's a song for you
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
Replaying the signal just to see this myself.
Although, Im sure you remember but just incase you forget:
sure, but Remedy obviously picked the word's they *Mr. Scratch* 'd out. I don't think they picked 'em at random, do you? Especially with Sam's quote.
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
I dont know what i'd respect more - planning that out from the beginning and writing the intro around it, or reworking the intro later to make it fit so well.
Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
And then I SPOILERED his SPOILER, but not before I SPOILER'd his mother in the SPOILER.
Must. Not. Click!
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
The same goes for SOME of the threads on the official Alan Wake forums. Some good stuff.
But you guys are much cooler. I've re-read this a couple times now, and someone always says something I missed on a previous read.
Oh indeed I shall - I need my dose of lunchtime corporate escapism!
Kicking into Episode 4 tonight, and possibly a smattering of Dead Space 2 multi if you're on for it!
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
I agree, that part was what sold me on needing to burn through the game, without multi-tasking with other games. It was the best moment other than....
Chapter 4 awesomeness spoilers:
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
This guy knows what's up. You've got to savor it.
I did the same - one episode each night after the sun set. I just meant "burn through" in he sense that I beat it in X consecutive days without taking it out of the tray.
I regret playing it on Hard straight off, because I think that made me hate the combat more than it deserved. But it made that part in Episode 4 way more satisfying.
On Nightmare it's more "oh fuck oh shit turn around shine the light on them now run away oh SHIIIIT I'm not going to have enough bullets for the fight I can't skip"
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Twitter 3DS: 0860 - 3257 - 2516
Like in Chapter 2
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
Poop.
I think it will end up being similar to The Lodges in Twin Peaks.
"Once upon a time, there was a place of great goodness, called the White Lodge. Gentle fawns gamboled there amidst happy, laughing spirits. The sounds of innocence and joy filled the air. And when it rained, it rained sweet nectar that infused one's heart with a desire to live life in truth and beauty. Generally speaking, a ghastly place, reeking of virtue's sour smell. Engorged with the whispered prayers of kneeling mothers, mewling newborns, and fools, young and old, compelled to do good without reason ... But, I am happy to point out that our story does not end in this wretched place of saccharine excess. For there's another place, its opposite:"
Earle then describes the Black Lodge in the present tense, perhaps indicating that it has replaced the White Lodge:
A place of almost unimaginable power, chock full of dark forces and vicious secrets. No prayers dare enter this frightful maw. The spirits there care not for good deeds or priestly invocations; they're as like to rip the flesh from your bone as greet you with a happy "good day." And if harnessed, these spirits in this hidden land of unmuffled screams and broken hearts would offer up a power so vast that its bearer might reorder the Earth itself to his liking.
Deputy Hawk describes the Black Lodge as
"the shadow-self of the White Lodge. The legend says that every spirit must pass through there on the way to perfection. There, you will meet your own shadow self. My people call it 'The Dweller on the Threshold' ... But it is said, if you confront the Black Lodge with imperfect courage, it will utterly annihilate your soul."
Life in the Lodge is difficult to describe. Time seems to have no meaning in this dimension (runs normal, slower or stands still as a coffee cup held by Agent Cooper demonstrates), and space is fractured between rooms linked by narrow corridors of red drapes.
Inhabitants of the Lodge speak in a warped dialect of English and often speak in riddles and non-sequiturs. This may be seen as parallel to some versions of shamanism, where the inhabitants of the otherworld may sometimes speak backwards.
The presence of doppelgangers, or "evil" aspects of a person's personality, is possibly the most unsettling feature of the lodge. Doppelgangers are identical to their real world counterparts, with the exception of glassy-colored eyes. The full function and position of the Doppelgangers in the Black Lodge is unknown, though there is a hierarchy implied for inhabitants of the Black Lodge: "inhabiting spirits," the strongest being BOB, and Doppelgangers who are represented by The Man from Another Place.
With a little Lovecraftian flair in the mix.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RCV7T_Z7I/AAAAAAAAAxY/Wyp_XeIKEe0/s1600/bells003.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RCVq80m1I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/uzWxmmIKtiI/s1600/bells004.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RCFl4HX-I/AAAAAAAAAxI/woaDTytCGPY/s1600/bells005.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RCFNyGOYI/AAAAAAAAAxA/Yjr87rVDN9w/s1600/bells006.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RCEneqJYI/AAAAAAAAAw4/86QMI4liYMg/s1600/bells007.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RCEBuH0aI/AAAAAAAAAww/IzzbR861RMg/s1600/bells008.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RBzG-4k1I/AAAAAAAAAwo/DSVxdiVNHPs/s1600/bells009.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RBy_p-HgI/AAAAAAAAAwg/BMmeD3lIQPY/s1600/bells010.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RByUEodfI/AAAAAAAAAwY/IbxSh0Gk6vs/s1600/bells011.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wC9ZaNZtlrw/S8RByDsYTuI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/QC_L_PnB8x0/s1600/bells012.jpg
Or they'll surprise us with something no one called.
TWIN PEAKS SPOILER
When Cooper enters the Lodge, he is overtaken by it, much like Wake is with the Lake. When "Cooper" awakens in the real world, we're shown the scene of Cooper smashing his head against the mirror, possessed or at least encouraged by the spirit of BOB. This is not the Cooper we once knew. He's essentially replacing the Cooper, who is now trapped in the Black Lodge.
Later, in Fire Walk With Me, Laura awakes to find Annie in bed next to her. I can't think of the exact quote, but Annie lets Laura know that Cooper is trapped in the Dark Place (also implying that the Lodge is timeless, as this happens before the events of the series finale, chronologically)
I think this is the Wake/Mr Scratch deal. How it will play out is anyone's guess, but Zane describes Scratch as someone who effectively will be taking over for Wake in his absence. He is a carbon copy of Wake, except that he is evil. I think Scratch is going to be a very important part in Wake to come, and I wouldn't be surprised if Alan himself comes to find out with that Emily is shacked up with a doppleganger in the real world.
I'll see if I can dig that post up.
Thank God you didn't see my non spoilered pics of the end scene I posted recently in SE++.
edit:
http://forum.alanwake.com/showpost.php?p=110781&postcount=57
Guess they're not counted by the NPD because it's a digital download. Whereas Forza is a physical copy.
Xbox | x Dredgen Yor x |
Some call it laziness. Me? I call it "paving the way for the sequel".
... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.