When comparing Alan Wake vs Spec Ops: The Line, the Slant community recommends Alan Wake for most people. In the question“What are the best story rich games on PC?” Alan Wake is ranked 18th while Spec Ops: The Line is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose Alan Wake is:
The story of an author trying to break out of a writers block slump, who is trying to meet a deadline, decides to travel to the countryside with his wife in order to relax. Of course the wife is kidnapped as weird events start following the protagonist around. This is just the outline, but it is very fleshed out through great voice acting as well as interesting TV like scripted segments that break up the gameplay. Overall it shows a lot of polish and makes for a story that is intriguing, that player wants to stick around to resolve.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Immersive story
The story of an author trying to break out of a writers block slump, who is trying to meet a deadline, decides to travel to the countryside with his wife in order to relax. Of course the wife is kidnapped as weird events start following the protagonist around. This is just the outline, but it is very fleshed out through great voice acting as well as interesting TV like scripted segments that break up the gameplay. Overall it shows a lot of polish and makes for a story that is intriguing, that player wants to stick around to resolve.
Pro Gameplay keeps one on their toes
The gameplay is constantly changing with environmental effects to new enemies and weapons that they use. This keeps the player constantly learning and adjusting their playstyle in order to be successful.
Pro A dark exploration of whether the player has a choice
It is up to the user on how the take in the meaning of the content of the game. There are no cutscenes, everything is portrayed by gameplay, which makes the interpretation somewhat personal. This type of presentation also explores whether the player has any choice in what they are doing in the game, which can be liberating while also weirdly strict.
Cons
Con Late game drags
Sadly the late game story and gameplay drags a bit, making for a title that is stretched just a bit to long as the written and played scenarios get more and more outrageous.
Con Multiplayer progression is lacking
While playing multiplayer modes there is a progression system where you can unlock new gear and weapons, though it feels a bit contrived and not that rewarding.
Con Little player agency
Almost an on-the-rails shooter means it reduces some of the impact of the points it makes.