XCOM. Civilization. Half-Life. There are certain games we adore here at PCGamesN, certifiable PC classics that we consider part of our personal canon. Certainly, when it comes to collector’s editions, reissues, or the occasional game of the year overhaul, we’d be tempted to buy a second copy of some of these beloved stalwarts. And maybe, just maybe, we’d go a little further – if it’s a game we really, wildly adore, we might buy it twice, just in case one copy breaks, or so we can play it on PC and also another, second platform. But even with Baldur’s Gate 3, Doom, and Command and Conquer, it’s hard to think of a game that we love so much we’d buy it 4,000 times. Alan Wake 2 was fantastic. Control, Max Payne, and even the overlooked Quantum Break more than prove that Remedy is one of the best mainstream game-makers today. But is that enough to justify owning 4,000 copies of the studio’s original, 2010 horror shooter? For one Alan Wake fan, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’
Spooky, smart, and with a sharp, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, Alan Wake remains one of the must-play horror games of the past 15 years. Alan Wake 2 improves on the original in every single way, pushing our hopes for the Max Payne and Max Payne 2 remakes to their highest. But the first outing for the troubled, titular horror writer remains to this day one of Remedy’s strongest works, beloved by one fan so intensely that she’s bought 4,000 downloadable copies.
Speaking exclusively to PCGamesN, Alisa is an AV technician and supreme Alan Wake fan. “What I love the most about Alan Wake and Remedy games in general is their way of storytelling and their absurd attention to detail,” she explains. “Alan Wake 2’s world especially feels truly alive, with so much hidden lore that many players will miss. A lot of the lore is also just really weird and charming. And Sam Lake is a genius.” Having spotted an unusual listing on eBay – two boxes of Alan Wake download codes for $240 – Alisa decided to give it a shot. She is now the owner of 4,000 printed, promotional cards which each contain a separate download for the original Alan Wake.
“I imagine that these download cards originate from a game store that was shut down at some point, and for one reason or another had way too many Alan Wake download cards left on their shelf,” Alisa explains. “The cards came in two rectangular cardboard boxes that took a bit of damage in the month they took to arrive from the USA to Finland. Both boxes weigh around 25 kilograms each for a total of 50kg of psychological action thriller goodness.”
Having tried about 20 of the cards herself, Alisa (who refers to the bulging boxes of Alan Wake download cards as an “object of power,” in a loving, tweeted homage to Control) says she has contacted Microsoft customer support to see if it’s possible to make any of them work. It seems however that the cards were never activated by the store that purchased them and that they are likely more than ten years old. You might be thinking ‘why?’ Why buy 4,000 Alan Wake download cards? Alisa has the answer.
“The short answer is ‘it’s funny,’” she explains. “The long answer is that I’m currently in the process of making an Alan Wake 2 fan video that is inspired by Alan Wake 2’s live-action cinematics, and as soon as I saw the eBay listing for 4,000 Alan Wake download cards, I had a vision in my mind for a scene that would use an absurd amount of those things. After that’s done, I’ll probably cover a wall in my room with the cards, because that sounds funny. Also, I just really love Alan Wake.”
We previously reported on one adamant player who was determined to buy copies of the erstwhile Bethesda and Splash Damage FPS game Brink until someone, somewhere greenlighted a sequel. That might never happen, but Remedy, if you’re reading this, I think Alisa deserves some recognition. This is fandom at its most devout.
Check out some of the other best story games, if you’re a big Alan Wake fan, or maybe the best survival games if you want an extra dimension to your horror.
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