Time names Alan Wake game of the year

Forget Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo: Reach – this year’s No.1 game is Alan Wake according to Time Magazine.

The US publication named Microsoft’s Xbox 360 exclusive action thriller its game of the year, ahead of Angry Birds in second place and Red Dead Redemption at No.3.

Lots of video game covers have a bold M on their lower left corner, but none have felt as mature as Alan Wake does,” said Evan Narcisse on the Time website, as reported by CVG.

Its unsettled titular character carries adult concerns – a stalled career, a troubled marriage – into a psychological thriller set in a town taken over by a shadowy occult force.

He added: Alan Wake’s biggest triumph lies in turning metaphor into gameplay. Yes, you fight the possessed townspeople of Bright Falls with the typical pistols and shotguns, but only after shining light on them to burn the darkness off.

Its mix of meta-awareness and Hitchcockian suspense make Alan Wake a unique and fun experiment and one of the best games of the year.”

Alan Wake went on sale in May. It currently has an average Metacritic score of 83 per cent.