Who Stole My Stuff?

 I'm not going to post a full review of Alan Wake here. I'll save that for the actual reviews section of the site. 

Flashbangs in Alan Wake are probably the most useful weapon against enemies in the game. So obviously, to keep the game challenging, the number of flashbangs you'll have with you, will be somewhat limited. But do I really have to give them up completely whenever I start a new level? In fact, Remedy deemed it best to simply strip you of all items on a frequent basis, whether there was any logic behind it or not. Ok, there is always a reason: it's a cheap and easy way to make the game more challenging.

 At first, the game kind off provides you with some reasonable explanation as to why you've just been stripped of all items that will help you fend off hordes of crazies. But I guess they ran out of excuses, and decided to basically just tell the player to deal with it.  

The irony, however, is that it actually doesn't add a whole lot to the game's difficulty. There are plenty of other things that make the game harder (and more frustrating), but I'll save those for the review. Suffice to say that, generally, only the first encounter, after losing your stuff, tends to require more skill. After that you'll quickly find a new batch of items. And you'll find them frequently enough throughout each level, that you never really have to worry about running out. I think I only ran out of bullets for my weapons once or twice, and it felt like it was deliberetly designed that way.

Personally, I think they should've gone that route more often. Sure, I cussed up a storm when I did run out of ways to defend myself, but it also added to the tension in a good way. I'd say that the most satisfying moments of the game were the ones where I managed to escape into a nearby safe haven, where I'd find just enough ammo to fend off the Taken (weird-ass name).