Following our extended look of the Alan Wake demo showcased at Microsoft's E3 2009 keynote, Remedy lead writer Sam Lake took a moment to answer our questions regarding the evolution of the title, since it was first announced in 2005.

"We have been in the fortunate position where we've had time to do research and do prototypes ... keep the quality bar high and explore, until we find the right combination of different elements," Lake said. "Things have evolved along the way. This is an action game, but there is a lot of variety." Lake also explained that Alan Wake will feature segments of gameplay during daytime sequences, which will allow players to explore and interact with the "quirky locals" of Bright Falls. According to Lake, the day and night cycle is governed by the game's linear storyline.

Lake also made it clear his team is no stranger to the perception that Remedy Entertainment had been taking their time bringing Alan Wake's debut adventure to players. "Remedy is not a factory," Lake said. "We take our time and try out different things until we feel have found the right combination and a good balance for the game." Alan Wake is scheduled to release in Spring 2010.

Following our eyes-only demo of Alan Wake, Remedy lead writer Sam Lake explained the game's levels are structured like a television series season. "The story is divided into episodes," Lake told the small group of journalists viewing the extended Microsoft E3 2009 keynote demo. Prior to the beginning of each level the game will showcase a video Lake described as a "Previously On... segment," to remind players of the important story elements from previous episodes and what relates to the next level the player will experience -- which sounds identical to the storytelling mechanic in Atari's Alone in the Dark.

"It's not a level based game," Lake told the group. "We have a large game world, but the story guides you. So, there is a logical pathway for the player." Lake also explained that, while Alan Wake will tell one linear story, the game will feature "a lot of exploration" for players interested in "digging deeper" into the back story of the universe.

Previously on Alan Wake...

Before June 1, Alan Wake had been in hiding at Remedy Studios while development on the Xbox 360 and PC exclusive continued. During Microsoft's keynote, Remedy showcased a portion of the title to eager gamers, but yesterday we were given an opportunity to go behind closed doors and watch the rest of what those viewers did not see. Jump in to find out more detail behind the level showcased at the conference, including a relatively spoiler-free recap of what happened next.

You read about people watching a new Alan Wake trailer. You may have even watched people watch the trailer on video streams. And now, you can watch the trailer, just like you were sitting at Microsoft's E3 keynote! Except it's not followed by several minutes of searching for "Rusty." And also it's probably not on a gigantic screen with an executive standing in front of it. Maybe it is. We haven't been to your house.

If the trailer isn't Wakey enough for you, check out our gallery! And then download this Xbox Live Premium Theme!

Brightfalls.net, an Alan Wake fan news site officially sanctioned (and hosted) by developer Remedy, has been out of commission for all of 2009. The site has just popped back up, leading one conspiracy-minded Alan Wake forum poster, "shorty," to conjecture that the site is back up in anticipation of some Alan Wake news. Specifically, "that Alan Wake will be shown at E3 on Monday!"

The theories of one guy on a forum may not be enough to base a rumor on, but the following post makes us think something really may be happening. Remedy staffer and forum administrator JoukoRMD responded to that post with "Well, maybe (brightfalls.net site lead) ADM has that feeling too, and thus brought back brightfalls.net," ending with a ;) emoticon. Does that wink signify some secret knowledge? We suppose we'll find out Monday.

[Thanks, Juan Regular!]

With Max Payne 3 announced, Take-Two's marketing machine better get moving -- we've noirly forgotten the whole seedy epic of insane mobsters and one glorious femme fatale. Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne are both available now on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1200 ($15) apiece -- we're sure, this time.

Admittedly, the Xbox price is a bit steep and both games (arguably) play better on PC, so it might be better to wait until Steam has one of its weekend sales to pick up the titles for something like $5 (currently the games are $15 as a bundle on Valve's digital distribution service). But, if Xbox is your only option, feel free to pick up Max, dearest of all our friends.

[Thanks, Disco Ball]

[Add Max Payne to download queue]
[Add Max Payne 2 to download queue]

We're not quite sure how, considering the media blackout approach that Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment has taken, but Norwegian gaming site Gamer.no sat down for dinner with head of franchise development for Remedy, Oskari Häkkinen, this past week. New details were (unsurprisingly) scant, though we were able to glean a handful of facts from the interview. For instance, the game has, "a lot less action than Max Payne," the studio's last franchise which recently had a current-gen update announced.

Aside from an emphasis on story, Mr. Häkkinen says that weather effects will play a role in gameplay, specifically noting (by way of a strange sounding Google translation from Norwegian), "Everything in the game can be influenced by the weather. If you are running the car, run conditions will be worse by heavy rain, than if the weather was good ... the weather is dynamic, since it will influence how you play the game."

Furthermore, Mr. Häkkinen tells Gamer.no that, "Lighting is very important in the game, and this is a unique item that really has not been used in the game before on the way we do it." The obvious comparison here would be to last year's conceptually strong Alone in the Dark -- here's hoping Remedy can deliver on the lighting concept where Alone in the Dark more or less failed.

So, we officially still know little-to-nothing! We'll keep an eye out for information at E3 2009 in June, but, ya know, we're not holding our breath or anything.

[Via IGN]

Fresh Alan Wake information text has made its way online, with a cryptic message appearing on the official Alan Wake forums. The paragraph, penned by Alan Wake himself, was posted by the forums' community manager and supposedly comes from developer Remedy Entertainment. It reads:

"The amount of pages keeps growing each night. There are also new edits on the old pages. They keep getting more aggressive. The story is rewriting itself. The protagonist is now my namesake, and his wife is called Alice. The most worrying aspect: the genre seems to be shifting. It's turning into a horror story. I can no longer be certain whether the hero can succeed or even survive. Apart for jumbled fragments of bad dreams and an oppressive feeling, I can remember nothing of the process when I wake up. But this morning, a breakthrough! When I came to my senses, I could smell her perfume on my shirt. I am close. I know it. I must push on.

- Alan Wake"

So, some pages are being re-written, a horrible horror story is starting and there's perfume that smells like shirts ... or something. Honestly, we have no idea what this all means, but feel free to share your thoughts. Who knows, maybe there's a new trailer or a release date hidden in there somewhere.

[Via IGN]

After its Finnish premiere last week, the latest Alan Wake trailer is now available to the internet savvy masses. For a game that's been completely dark for what seems like years now, the trailer is appropriately cagey about the game, revealing very little that we didn't already know. We get a sweeping panorama of the game's setting of Bright Falls, Washington, hear rumblings of strange disappearances, meet Alan Wake's friend Perry (along with some locals) and get an overall sense of creepiness. That's about it really. No release date (or even a release window), no gameplay details, nothing. We suppose beggars can't be choosers and, hey, at least we got some new screenshots out of it right?

Finnish magazine Pelaaja just uploaded an exclusive interview with Alan Wake lead writer Sami Järven (recapped on the Alan Wake forums due to it being in Finnish) and informed us that a new Alan Wake cinematic trailer would debut during the Max Payne movie premier at the Finnkino movie theaters on October 15th. The trailer will only feature in-game cinematics and no actual gameplay, because Remedy is still holding their cards close to their chest. But, to hold you over for the next few weeks, Remedy released a screen-grab teaser from the upcoming Alan Wake cinematic trailer. Anyone excited to see what Remedy has been up to for the past 12 years?

Giving us a smidgen more proof that a new Alan Wake trailer will be debuting alongside the new Max Payne flick, comes videogaming247 and their two cents in regards to the rumor being legit. According to VG247 and their Finnish source, the new Alan Wake trailer rumor is "100 percent true" and they say that we'll learn more about the trailer goodness this Friday, October 3rd when the Finnish magazine Pelaaja will reveal additional details.

Again, we're skeptical, but are becoming increasingly interested in the possibility of fresh Alan Wake news. How exciting!

Update: This rumor is no longer a rumor, because it has just been confirmed to be real. Click here to learn more.

Here's an interesting rumor for you. Word on the Finnish streets (yes, Finnish streets) is that a new Alan Wake trailer will be debuting during Finland's movie premiere of Max Payne on October 17th. Because, you know, developer Remedy is based in Finland, so why wouldn't they debut the trailer in their home land. This delicious Alan Wake rumor comes from video game magazine Pelaaja who seems quite confident that this new Alan Wake trailer will be debuted in a few weeks. We're a bit more skeptical because, after all, it is Alan Wake. A game that has been M.I.A. for far too long.

[Via Crispy Gamer]

According to CVG, Xbox World 360 magazine (also owned by Future Publishing) claims that Max Payne 3 is being produced internally at Rockstar Toronto, the team behind The Warriors. This follows rumors by EGM that the game is currently in development.

Original Max Payne developer, Remedy, is currently picking its nose hard at work on Alan Wake. There's currently no timetable for when (or if) Max Payne 3 will become official. We've contacted the folks at Take-Two in the hopes that they'll shed some light on the issue.