The Signal felt like it was set on Nightmare setting be default. I found it harder than the regular game.

I'm looking forward to it. This game definitely didn't get enough props from the gaming world. My only gripe is that the chapters seemed too long. I could have picked 2-3 ending points in each chapter only to find the level to keep going.

I also never understood the complainers of too little ammo. I never seemed to run out of ammo. Maybe this was one of those games that I was actually good at

The Signal is much harder than the actual game. I've already died 5 or 6 times and I just got to the basement.

they expect you to already have an idea of how the game plays, so they do make it harder right away....

Rob, have you played through on Nightmare?

No, I don't have that kind of ambition and I literally have a backlog of 12-13 games that I want to get to. I plan to get thru all the DLC for Alan Wake though as I doubt there will be a sequel.

I just started Nightmare yesterday and I've only got the final episode left. It hasn't been that tough if you just run, run, run.

Does the same strategy work in The Signal or do you have to fight more?

Not sure... running, to me, is probably the most frustrating part. I want to run away at times, but I find myself getting slammed by a thrown axe or an equally fast Taken. Wake has a huge stamina issue IMO.

I find myself fighting every last Taken in The Signal. It's got a unique twist to it on how you can defeat them and how you acquire weapons and batteries... you'll see. Very, very cool.

I get that Al isn't in great shape, but at some point "fight or flight" adrenaline has to kick in. Unless he's morbidly obese, has emphysema or some undiagnosed cardiac condition, it seems unlikely that when faced with certain death he would slow to a leisurely saunter after just a few dozen yards sprinting away from an angry Taken.

^^ Exactly. I'm thinking that if my ass is on the line, I'm booking for at least a mile or so. He needs to take off his jacket too -- that can't be helping his sprinters form.

The same strategy works for the most part. There may be a few more tight spots in The Signal where you're almost forced to fight, but you can run through the most difficult (i.e., Taken Swarm) sections.

I played through it last night and had 0 issues. I would have got all the achievements in one go if I knew what to expect from the ending sequence. Died a few times and had 0 flare gun shots. I plan to fix that up this morning and lend out the game this weekend.

I finished The Singal today and honestly I feel a bit ripped off. I kinda feel like it's just this loooong journey or madness and Remedy will release DLC after DLC to pillage of us $10 or so just to find the true ending. This game should have probably been an 8 chapter game that actually FINISHES the story and doesn't force us to fork over $80 (or what have you) to do it. Still a great game but Remedy seems to be taking a page from EA in the "screw the customer" book.

I disagree with that. I think the 6 episodes included on the disc told a complete story. The little shot of really brought closure to it.

I didn't really consider The Signal as a continuation of that story but rather a new story that Alan is encountering in his new home. We already know there's a 2nd DLC coming called "The Writer" but I'm not really sure what that's about yet. But if it has even half the production quality of The Signal, I won't complain.

Oh, and plus the 7th episode was really free anyway for original purchasers so it's hard to feel ripped off

You obviously caught more of the story than I did... when

I don't feel ripped off because I love the game. I guess I just hope the entire saga is wrapped up with the next DLC and not a continuation of Wake

Didn't they recently confirm, or at least strongly hint, that the 2nd DLC will also be the last?

I finished the first DLC this morning. I then traded in at Gamestop for credit towards Halo Reach. Alan Wake was not bad but I most certainly did not live up to the hype. IMO.

Any idea when the 2nd DLC comes out? I'd like to trade this in too -- before it's value falls anymore.

I only got $18 in trade from Gamestop..

Ugh, that sucks. I might just keep it then.

The game has an MSRP of $39.99 now and comes with a non-reusable DLC code. It's a game that's been out for months and has very limited replayability. I'd say that 45% of new retail price is actually a pretty fair value, all things considered.

BTW : I did Episode 3 last night and I sort of see what Rival11 was talking about, saying the game picks up at that point. Still, it wasn't that different (though it was certainly longer). I'm going to play through since I like the story and want to see where it goes. I'm wondering if I should have played the game on Hard as there really isn't much challenge on Normal. In any case, it's not a slog and I sort of enjoy the game. It's just not that great as I thought it would be.

Did you folks fight the flying machinery or just avoid it?

The different difficulties only make things harder to kill and sort of limit your supplies. There are very few fights, even on Nightmare, that you HAVE to do. Most of the time you're just running. It's sort of a catch-22, really, from a development standpoint. So I wouldn't worry too much about Hard over Normal (especially now that you're slightly more than half-way through ). But if you want more, Nightmare can be pretty fun.

Oh, and you should love the sequence in Ep4! Wear headphones after the little one(s) go to bed and crank that shit up!

I fought almost everything. I played on Normal mode and got uber-pissed at Wake's lack of physical fitness. Level 4 rules!

I ordered a cheap used copy of Alan Wake through goHastings and the DLC code was unused!