Taking inspiration from the best of Stephen King and David Lynch, Alan Wake sends a troubled writer and his wife to the Pacific Northwest, searching for peace, but only finding horror. You would expect great storytelling from a game that stars a novelist, and Alan Wake’s tale delivers on that front. And even after the credits roll, the story's not over. Jacket is plagued by visions and nightmares, unsure if the instructions he's receiving are even real or who might be manipulating him. Hotline Miami's plot thickens as you start to lose your grip on reality, eventually reaching a psychedelic viscosity akin to a cocaine-and-blood-based batter. Oh yeah, and he always dons an animal mask before the killing starts. Jacket's day-to-day in 1989 Miami involves waking up, checking his answering machine to hear cryptic messages, then driving to shady mob hangouts to murder everyone in sight. Who says ultra-violent video games can't have captivating stories? Hotline Miami gives purpose to all its gory mobster killing by taking us down an acid-soaked rabbit hole, all seen through the hazy eyes of our silent, unnamed protagonist (who fans have named Jacket, thanks to his trademark varsity duds). Platform(s): PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Android, PC and Linux.
