Pushing Buttons: Why Alan Wake 2 will be the most talked-about game this Halloween

In this week's newsletter: The chilling genius of horror games like Remedy Entertainment's Stephen King-inspired sequel is what their warped heroes tell us about our own neuroses

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With Halloween fast approaching there was only one game release to talk about this week: Alan Wake 2. The sequel to Remedy Entertainment's cult action-adventure promises a chilling next-gen horror experience with the eponymous hero trapped in a nightmarish alternate dimension tied to Bright Falls, Washington, the tiny town from which he disappeared 13 years ago.

The original game was heavily inspired by Stephen King, its troubled horror-writer protagonist providing a cipher for the bestselling author himself and the psychologically damaged heroes of his novels, especially The Shining and The Dark Half. But Alan Wake also slots into a long history of incredibly messed-up horror-game heroes who often manifest the very monsters they're looking to destroy.