Remedy reveals next-generation game

After tantalizing the game industry with word that it would reveal its first next-generation game at E3, Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment has taken the wraps off the title in question. As indicated, the game is not Max Payne 3, but rather, it's an all-new "psychological action thriller" called Alan Wake.

Besides launching the official Web site for Alan Wake, Remedy also released the first screenshots and trailer for the game. Unfortunately, all three give only a small taste of the game. The bare-bones site says the "psychological action thriller" is coming to "next-generation consoles and PCs." No plot details, release date, or publisher is mentioned, although the site does promote Remedy's E3 presentation at the ATI Theater (although it doesn't list a day or time).

Alan Wake Trailer

Check the trailer for Remedy's first next-gen game!

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That said, the two Alan Wake screenshots featured on the site do give some clue to its setting. The first shows an unshaven man, presumably Wake, standing in an intersection in front of several mountains. The second shows a valley at either sunset or sunrise, with a North American-style highway running through a dense pine forest.

As for the trailer, it begins with a gritty sepia-toned picture of the same unshaven man holding a flashlight, over which the title "Alan Wake" is superimposed. After showing scenes of what appears to be a pastoral coastal community in the Pacific Northwest--think of a seaside Twin Peaks--a title card appears that reads, "Some are born to light."

After a shot of a pine tree-filled valley impressively lit by a setting sun, the trailer then shows a nighttime shot of a shadowy figure sitting on a cargo dock. With ominous mountains in the background and dark clouds above, the camera pulls back as the shot fades to black. Another title card then appears, which reads, "Some are born to endless night." The title then reappears...and the trailer ends.

GameSpot will have more information on Alan Wake from E3 in less than two weeks' time.