Alan Wake has finally broken its lengthy vow of silence and put in an appearance at E3, by way of Microsoft's press conference. During a live demo of the game, Remedy finally showed off what this mysterious title is all about, shedding some light on a game that has existed as little more than a name and a premise until now. They even gave us a release window, too. How nice.

The game is set up with TV show-style "previously on" introductions, very much like the episodic stages of Eden's Alone in the Dark, with Alan Wake himself narrating the story while trudging in the darkness with a flashlight. The title is third-person, and he is shown being attacked by strange flying objects in a very atmospheric and scary setting. Then the real sh*t throws down, with a scary axe-wielding bastards getting all up in Wake's face. They're destroyed with some third-person shooting action. 

As well as combat, Alan Wake features Quick-Time-Events. A QTE was shown in the demo, with Wake having to start a generator to progress. Then it was more axe dudes, some incredible lighting effects, and a huge truck slamming into the side of a cabin to end that particular "episode." The game is also scheduled for Spring 2010. 

There you have it, Alan Wake is a third-person scare-fest with shooting and QTEs. Check out our liveblog for all the hotness from Microsoft's E3 press conference.