8. Alan Wake
Microsoft Game StudiosWith its Stephen King inspired story and strong characterisation, Alan Wake was a well-made, spooky narrative experience. The game also made good use of light and dark, entwining the theme into both narrative and gameplay. The mechanic of using light was an interesting one, and it mostly worked quite well. However, just about everything else in the combat wasn't great. The dodging was unreliable and clunky, while the guns felt like you were firing BB pellets. The intention was to make the player feel under real danger, but this was at the expense of high levels of frustration. The fights were also wildly unbalanced, with long stretches of the game being far too easy, interspersed with occasional difficulty spikes when confronted with groups of four or more enemies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m0G2_t16WY