Okay, so, fairly recently Remedy began the process of bringing back Alan Wake in a big way. The Xbox 360 classic received a remaster on modern platforms, and we got confirmation of Alan Wake 2 being in the works. Well, the 2021 remaster has now been ported to Nintendo Switch, and it makes us look back fondly on the Xbox 360 version.
Since the game's shadow launch on Switch, a comparison video between the 360 version and its Switch counterpart has already begun circulating online. It doesn't make for great viewing for those interested in Nintendo's platform, but we want to focus on how well the Xbox 360 version holds up. Seriously!
The lighting, effects and overall presentation still look spot on in the original, something the Switch seemingly can't quite match up to. Sure, the Xbox 360 version has a pretty low resolution but other than that, it still looks great.
To top it all off, if you play Alan Wake via backwards compatibility it takes advantage of FPS Boost on Xbox Series X and S, meaning smooth 60FPS action. Sure, we still recommend the remaster on modern platforms without a doubt, but the Xbox 360 original is still a great way to play this Xbox classic in 2022!
What do you make of this comparison? Surprised at how good it looks on 360? Let us know down below.
Comments 11
Honestly, I think I liked the 360 version better. The remaster sort of highlighted a certain clunkiness of the original by giving it a new coat of paint. One of my favorite games of all time (and potentially my favorite exclusive of the 360 era, outside maybe Halo 3), but I felt the remaster didn’t do the original any favors.
@somnambulance Personally I haven't played through the Remaster, but I too think the 360 version is still solid. The resolution is low, but man, with FPS Boost it really does work great.
Sorry, I may be part of te problem here, but Alan Wake is one of my all time faves - so I just bought it on Switch (but haven't tried it yet).
Currently, now I have the original X360 game (which plays beautifully with FPS Boost, like @Kezelpaso said), the Remastered version (on PS5 - just love to have it on a PS platform too) and now on Switch.
I am a sucker for Remedy games - now, bring back Quantum Break to the shared universe (with a sequel, maybe)!
@Kezelpaso The 360 version with FPS boost is arguably the better version of the game, oddly enough. It’s got better technical performance, which makes for a more immersive game. I mean, technically, the remaster has upgraded visuals, but Remedy didn’t do anything to make the upgraded visuals look more natural. It’s like they just superimposed a generational upgrade over the existing character models. It’s strange. And even then, it’s not THAT significant an upgrade. And there’s no update to the game from a gameplay perspective. Considering what Remedy did with Quantum Break and Control, Alan Wake Remastered is perhaps the worst looking and playing Remedy game on Xbox One, which hurts for me, considering that I consider the original as perhaps in my top 20 games of all time. Deeply. Groin punch. Lol. I mean, it’s serviceable, but it’s hardly a true upgrade. It was a marketing stunt to get more people to purchase it and on more platforms as well, sooooooo….
At the end of the day, if the lackluster remaster is something Remedy did on the cheap to quickly add funds, so they could invest in Alan Wake 2 and make that fantastic, I can definitely live with it. If Alan Wake 2 tops Control, I’m a very happy man.
@somnambulance Hope you're right, if AW2 is on the same level (or better) than Control, count me happy!
Damn, all these comments make me wanna try it. Is the DLC/Expansion whatever it's called that is on Game Pass any good?
And the greatest the Xbox has ever been with the Xbox360 the glory Xbox days.
Ahhhh the good Ole 360. My 2nd favorite console. Got me thru some tough times.
Because I'm silly and nostalgic, I bought the original for Steamdeck instead of the Remaster.
Obviously a case of poor optimization and lazy porting, and not the Switch hardware itself, but go off!
To me, 360 still stands out as my favorite XB console to date. Even through RRoD, the console provided a ten-year generation where it wasn't feeling gimped in any of the ten years. Right from the first 360 games to the end ones, the 360 provided a lot of entertainment and value.
And many of the 360 games still live on through backwards compatibility to boot.
I never played this game and was curious. Some scenes look better on each platform, but overall the 360 wins here. The Switch looses big in text size with tiny text. Maybe the Switch has text size options, maybe not.
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