Editorials
A Wish List for ‘Alan Wake 2’
Reality is Just a Toy for Adults
In the footage Remedy showed off from one of their Alan Wake 2 prototypes, we’re introduced, briefly, to a new mechanic that involves my being granted the ability to bend time and space to my will, for they are my playthings and all who challenge me will burn. There wasn’t enough time to really flesh out the idea, but there’s enough there to give me some ideas.
That is, assuming I understand where they were going with it. Using dimensional tears to rewrite reality is the godlike power I was born to possess, and it’s also a nifty trick employed by Elizabeth, the Master of Unlocking, in BioShock Infinite.
This sort of thing can be an incredibly useful tool for a storyteller like Same Lake, and it can even add a layer of intrigue to the gameplay. Going back to BioShock, the rifts Elizabeth could open could quickly turn a losing battle into a guaranteed victory.
There’s an endless number of ways this sort of mechanic could be used in a series like Alan Wake, which already deals with alternate dimensions and a reality that can be easily rewritten — figuratively, and in some cases literally — so long as the author has the right tools.
Reality is But a Toy for Adults
Keep it Weird
Of the plethora of things I could list that I love about this series, its greatest strength might be how weird it is. These games are unabashed in their strangeness. Its somewhat dreamlike visual style and a tenuous grasp on reality give these games a surreal quality that I’m used to seeing in a David Lynch production.
There’s nothing quite like Alan Wake right now, at least as far as video games go. This is a series that has never sold out, never hesitated to be less than what it is. This series has never been anything less than fully committed to its relentlessly quirky nature, and that’s a small part of why it’s so special. What’s not to love about a franchise that’s wholly unique and honest, with no intention of stealing market share from Resident Evil. You’ll never see an underdeveloped multiplayer get shoehorned in on the whim of a greedy publisher, and if all of that isn’t reason enough to love these games, I honestly don’t know what is.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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