For once an Alan Wake story has arisen without months of silence prefacing it. Last week Remedy announced that they were going to show a special trailer at the Max Payne premier in Finland. Today 1UP put up an interview with Sam Lake, lead writer behind Alan Wake. Among a smattering of topics, one key thing can be gleaned. Alan Wake appears to be nearing completion.

From the interview:

With the first Max Payne, we were only a couple of months from the release when the bullet-time found its final form. We always knew we wanted something like that in the game, but we went though many different iterations until we found the final design. Alan Wake remains true to the original vision of the game, but we are still fine-tuning different elements, making sure that this will be a best possible realization of that vision.

The comparison between the final changes in Max Payne (months before release) and Alan Wake can be construed as a sign that the game is possibly close to completion. It’s odd that Lake would talk about final fixes without thinking that Wake was years away. It’s a thin rope, but I’ve remained hopeful that the game is on the horizon since the Xbox 360’s launch.

What do you guys think? Does a new trailer on a big screen and talk of “fine-tuning” make you think close to final form? Do you still have obsessive Alan Wake thoughts as you lay in bed at night?