Hey peeps, this video was taken down by copyright claims, so I had to go in and edit some parts out. If you see any weird things, it's probably a result of that.
I'm an unapologetic Alan Wake fanboy so AW2 is _my_ game of the year, but I'm glad you had the balls to do this review. You're right, the overwhelming "OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER" vibe is bizarre considering the more fair response Remedy usually gets and it all feels like there's a "corporate plant" type thing going on, what with the simultaneous Epic Games & Nvidia team-up. It's annoying to me how so many of the comments on this video even are all "it actually sucks" or "no, you're wrong, though" with hardly any nuance. The only real defense I can make that feels reasonable is "Remedy is practically a AA studio". Like, they've got their _vision_ and they often compromise a whole lot to get it out. They tried to make this game for the past 13 years in one form or another. They're not a giant like Naughty Dog. (And that isn't even a real defense, y'know? I'm just forgiving of what they screw up because I like their vibe. I'm the first to say that Remedy makes the some of the best shitty games out there.) People going "actually you can't criticize the gameplay because the gameplay doesn't matter" are particularly annoying considering Remedy's decision to stuff New Game+ full of actual new stuff. I'm playing through it because I _love_ this game but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit of a slog to chunk through again. 8:40 I'm gonna take issue with your point about movement here because having only played the original RE4 recently (and REMake not long after) I think RE4 _did_ focus on movement a lot. ...Or, more specifically, positioning. By forcing you to stand in place while you shoot it forced you to think hard about where you stopped, and it's "clunkiness" actually served to crank the feeling that you were playing a goofy arcade game, in a good way IMO. Like a lightgun shooter where you have control over where the scenes take place. If you wanted to play it well you needed to be moving constantly (you were still roundhouse kicking everyone) and it wasn't gonna make that easy for you. 9:11 The dodge button does work. Remedy just has a habit of making the dodge button extremely timing-dependent to the point where people write it off before figuring it out. AW2 actually _still_ slows down time when you dodge correctly. (Also I really do think the difficulty of _seeing_ anything in combat is an intentional choice to up the panic, although when combined with dudes who will literally Fist of the North Star you it's pretty excessive.) 10:03 It's genuinely interesting that you prop up Control as a game where the combat _doesn't_ get repetitive quickly when it pretty much boils down to pressing E at things a whole lot and you never really react to what enemies are doing at all. This is a big fallacy that I see people make with video games in general, where the ability to cancel animations and move relatively quickly is seen as an absolute good and choosing _not_ to do that is seen as an absolute negative. Obviously it's a very common preference but it's weird how objective people make it out to be, usually without considering intent at all. 18:00 I'm honestly even more critical about the Mind Place than you are, BUT as far as Profiling is concerned- the way people speak when Profiling them is odd because it's all just mashed-up bits of the Return manuscript. There's no "regular thoughts" to sus out of people because whatever should be in their heads is being replaced by Return in the same way that the Taken always just yell lines from the novel. Still agree that it gets tedious quickly and it's just over-used. I wish that Remedy pushed Tom's lamp mechanics farther. It's _implied_ that you're going to be moving a limited number of light sources around, making hard choices about where to leave them behind, but it's never capitalized on in the same way that the manual save system is never capitalized on. I get the impression that Alan's sequences _literally_ came second through the game's development and there came a point where Remedy had to just wrap it up and move on. 28:25 Paradoxes are kinda essential to this whole thing, is the problem. The FBC says as much in one of their documents. Part of the horror of the narrative is the way Alan has wedged himself into an inexplicable time-pretzel. Alan was inspired by Thomas Zane's things on Diver's Isle to write a story about how Thomas Zane was on Diver's Isle in the 70s, leading him to be inspired by Thomas Zane's things on Diver's Isle (before writing Diver's Isle away and inserting himself as the protagonist)... Alan gets out of the lake near the beginning of AW2 so that he can jumpstart the events that get himself out of the lake... Alan jumps into the Dark Place to save people from problems that he himself caused by getting himself out of the Dark Place (twice over now). Ultimately it's about how everyone is getting caught up in Alan's spiraling cycle of self-criticism and self-sabotage.
Very good points! I have a tremendous amount of respect for Remedy because they have unique visions and aren't afraid to chase them in an age where complacency seems key to financial success. We need more developers to chase new ideas and not be afraid of what people will think simply because they want to deliver on something they are passionate about because passion breeds innovation. Alan Wake 2 may not have been 100% for me, but I'm glad it's finding its crowd of people that are dedicated to it. It's also important to share and talk about the aspects that don't work so that maybe they can change things in their next game. I really respect your views and that you aren't afraid to list things you don't like about it. It's not a bad game, and it doesn't suck, but people are really over critical on video games now. Which is honestly part of the reason I want to make these videos and to try and be as fair as possible.
after watching the video , I have to agree with some of the points in this video: 1, Alan wake section is way too short , 2.Saga profile section doesn't make too much sense while the main protag just get it , 3. The combat is not that fluent (maybe it actually grounded to reality and that what Remedy going for ) ,4. Rewite reality isn't adding alot of content to game (this can be caused by the restriction of the horror genre and the script he working with in the game ) ,5.The enemies are extremly boring ,there only like 4 types of enemy in the whole game. But for me , AW2 is still my game of the year ,as I more attracted to narrative driven game ,and AW ,Control hit that sweet spot for me. This is very well thought out video with solid opinions imo.
I appreciate that! I can see it winning goty and I get why people feel it should. Regardless, it's just awesome to be able to play all of these great games. 2023 was epic for gaming.
LMAO, neither of you redditors actually watched Twin Peaks and it shows, AW2 doesn't even come close to that show, bunch of references and general inspiration doesn't make it as good, nor as nuanced.
@@Andriej69 ok- woa, you’re super slow. You obviously missed the point where OP said “like Twine Peaks, it’s not for everybody” and using “redditors” as an “insult” is quite sad. grade level comeback 😭
Yeah, I'll probably skip this one. I liked the first one for its satisfying combat and unique environment, both of which seem to be missing in this "walking simulator". Plus I don't know how to take the infamous "Another white (person) telling me what to do" line. I don't think I should be funding what Remedy's become, in any case.
I see a lot of people talk about that infamous line you mention and while I can beyond entirely understand why people have a big issue with it, given that that’s just Saga’s dark, intrusive thoughts being brought to life (Due to the power of the Dark Place), I don’t take issue with it because there is a narrative justification for it and especially when you consider what Alan’s writing has our Saga through thus far in the game, I find that line entirely in line with her character.
@@fictionnerd78 I guess the problem is that, in this day and age, it isn't widely agreed upon (especially in mainstream entertainment, and especially in games co-written by Sweet Baby Inc.) that a black person *shouldn't* think that way. Anti-white racism is more fashionable at the moment than anti-black racism. So it isn't clear to what extent Remedy might actually *agree* with what darkness-controlled Saga was saying there. Hopefully none of it, but it's not something we can just assume.
@@fictionnerd78 Most of these ppl really didn't play the game nor tried to understand what the game tries to tell to even thinks if these dialogues makes sense to them or not, saga dialogue about the white dude is literally the inner angerness she's having for wake because he put her daughter and her into the story just like he did with alex casey.
@@Rosy-uz5ld Well, yeah, I definitely agree that the comment Saga makes is not a valid way to judge her view of Alan as a person. I think if people replayed the game with prior context, this scene might click for them better because they’ll have the information they need to connect the dots. On first playthrough, I think it’s is a reasonable assumption to make, which is why I say a second playthrough is necessary.
Is a mediocre game with some good aspects, but no enough to make it a good game let alone GOTY tier. For a long time I waited for the Alan Wake sequel, but this sequel really disappointed me. >B-but the story is amazing and the graphics! In general, when I see someone praising the writing of games, especially modern ones, I judge that they are not a big fan of reading books. I saw someone saying exactly that a while ago and to this day that person has been proven right. And I don't care about graphics. Gameplay is king, a good story makes the game have a lasting legacy, meanwhile graphics age like milk and only attract superficial people.
I must say I don't fully agree. There are many artistic styles and titles that still hold up today, i.e., borderlands, doom 3, halo ce. Plus, graphical fedelity helps bring a game together depending on the narrative and themes it's trying to accomplish. There are plenty of people that just buy a game for graphics, but I'd say a majority don't and while graphics aren't the most important aspect, they do play their role no matter the game. As for reading novels, I think these two mediums offer a very different experience with how their narratives can be told. In books, while descriptive, they also leave a lot open for our own creative interpretation as we imagine the events we're reading unfolding in our head. You also aren't actively a part of the story, just a viewer. While in gaming, you are an active participant in the unfolding story that is also interactive. There isn't a lot left up to the imagination within the settings because what you see is what you get in most games. What both mediums have in common is that a vast majority of content is average in terms of writing. However, there are those diamonds in the rough with amazing writing. But that is just my opinion.
ya know, I had more fun watching that Thomas Zane snuff film in the game (ya know what I mean). It was pretty interesting but the game itself is quite... sterile despite all the fancy dressing.
Alan Wake 1 was so much fun. I loved it. Alan Wake 2 was so boring that I gave up on it. Exploring and going off the beaten path was not rewarding, and the Mind Place just slowed everything down for no reason.
The OG Alan Wake and American Nightmare were actually masterpieces, in terms of Alan Wake. I can't say the same for AW2 as it wasn't much an Alan Wake game but tried to be RE4 Remake with some woke agenda spashed onto it. I'm playing American Nightmare, unfortunately on Xbox and not Playstation, and it's alot more enjoyable than AW2.
i posted this under another vid of yours but somehow it disappeared. again, we have the same opinion. you know, alan wake 1 is the nutella to my fresh roasted toast. i love this game to pieces, mainly because it is a playable stephen king novel in twin peaks. i love everything about this game, the atmopshere, the characters, the writing, the plot with writing itself being the plot, aaah man, it is a dream coming true for someone who is a writer and video game enjoyer. (i dont write in english, its just my third language, thats why my comments are full of mistakes and they suck grammatically) and like you, when i started alan wake 2, i wanted to love the game to the moon and back, till it wants to be my baby, but unfortunately it was just "good" for me. now, for every other game a "good" would be "good" but not this one. my expectations where high as my 16 year old self on friday evenings. i dont know why. somehow the magic was gone for me. the story was "to fucked up" where nothing made sense anymore. because of the world in a world in a world in a wolrd concept, nothing had gravity anymore and no consequence was lasting. it felt to me like the multiverse problem in the marvel movies for example. when you create a deus ex machina, nothing matters anymore, because it can change everytime. and i guess, thats what the intention was, because sequels and franchise bla bla. also: the enemies kinda sucked. they were not the best part of the first game either but there they did not bother me that much. graphics and atmosphere and voice cast and sound were great tho. and it also had some greatly fun and creative ideas like the musical and like i said, it is a good game and i had a lot of fun with it. it just hurts that it didnt want to be my baby. it is someone elses baby fo shure. just not mine. just not mine :(
Thank you for this, it needs to be said more loudly - Epic shills and "plot explained" video addicts are overhyping this game way too much. It IS good and it DID keep me hooked for a while, but ultimately it goes from "Salem's Lot"/"Needful Things" to "Regulators" quality level near the end, picks up a bit in few final sequences and overall leaves a bit to be desired. Certainly not my GOTY, nor it should by for anyone
I put this video in my "watch later" list for now as I am not done with it. First Remedy game I ever played was Control... (I am a PS loyalist, so I never got into the first Alan Wake and never actually played a Max Payne game... Quantum Break is apparently never coming to Playstation so that's out)... I REALLY liked the atmosphere and setting and SCP level story, however I was FURIOUS with some sections that made me yell at my TV, "why even bother giving me a life bar?! Just give me two pips to show that if I get hit twice I die!" Plus, the original release of Control, my god, the checkpoint system was insanely broken. You'd die and spawn miles away from where you just were. This being said I beat it out of spite and kinda was like, "man, I REALLY want to like that game, but it feels so broken at times." Eventually I revisited it and played it more casually and while it was frustrating at times, like some bosses, I did like it a lot better and turned my opinion around... I did drop the money on the PS5 version and played both DLC's and honestly it feels like Remedy nerfed a lot of things from the vanilla release because there's just no way I was THAT good on the PS5 version... I consider Control today one of the best games I've ever played and there certainly isn't anything like it. When Alan Wake was announced to be remastered and put on Playstation, I pre-ordered it. I had heard so much about how niche it was and so many people years ago loved it... And, yes I was playing an older game after being spoiled by newer games, but it as "OKAY" it was fun at parts and frustrating at others. I did not play the other attached games, like expansions or DLC, I just read up on them... And I still feel the story of it, while intriguing, leaves a lot to be explained (something I feel Control handled much better of making the "unexplained" things more fun than just dead ends). I am currently playing Alan Wake II and I am guessing I am about half way through right now and I am more frustrated that having fun... I am very naturally bad at puzzles and tend to wildly overthink situations rather than keep things a rudimentary level. This being said I've had to do the, "RUclips lookup of shame" multiple times so far to get through puzzles or even figure out where I'm supposed to go at some parts... The enemies are bullet sponges to the point where I'm not even scared of them because it's so fucking dark on screen that I literally cannot see the threats coming at me and then suddenly I am dead... I have read online that the reason some sections are widely disorienting is because Remedy really wanted you to feel, "lost in the woods"... I get it from an artistic standpoint, but knowing I paid $80 to be lost in polygon woods is really angering. Overall I'm trying to give it the benefit of the doubt and MAYBE like Control I'll resist it someday and really like it... I still have no idea where the story is going or how it's going to end, however as we know Control 2 is in development, I am much more eager to play that and feel that if I had played Alan Wake when it initially came out I probably would be more fond of the sequel. It clearly is a game made for the die hard fans of the original... The game literally expects you to remember crucial elements from the past games, whilst here I am just going, "aw yeah" anytime the FBC, or so far the two times I saw Jesse show up. Can't win them all.
It's funny you bring up the past games because I've seen so many reviewers say Alan Wake 2 can be enjoyed as a stand alone experience l, but the story is the main driving point of the game. It's way better if you understand the entire plotline. Idk why Remedy have made it their goal to establish all of their games into one connected universe. If they keep going, it'll feel like jumping back into Marvel after 8 tv shows and 12 movies have come out. The fact they they didn't include a recap of a game that came out 13 years ago is crazy to me.
“It clearly is a game made for the die hard fans of the original”🤣🤣🤣🤣 absolutely not! I am a die hard fan of the original alan wake. Got the 1st game when it came out on pc also got remastered one and i can assure u its not meant for us either. The story has a lot of retconns especially with some characters backstory. Brightfalls was suppose to be small little American town in the middle of nowhere and suddenly in the sequel it became finnish town full of finnish ppl. Tom was supposed to be local poet and in the sequel he is suddenly a filmmaker. Mr. Scratch was supposed to be alan’s evil doppelgänger but in here they are both the same person. In the og game The anderson brothers owned a huge farm land but in the sequel they live in trailer park. Gameplay wise they also downgraded a lot of things. They completely removed driving. U cant drive cars anymore or use headlights to kill ur foes. In the og the taken only appeared at night because the LIGHT HURTS THEM. But in the sequel they can appear in broad daylight! Wtf! This is a bad retcon. Also u never lose ur weapons which makes the game monotonous. In the og u occasionally lose weapons which forced u to use completely different playstyles. But in here there is no such variation. Also they nerfed the flare gun to a simple granade launcher. On top of that the the connected universe doesnt help either.
I loved AW2 from the start and loved it even more after all 4 playthroughs it took to platinum it on PS5 and PC. The story, its structure and associated mechanics are novel and fascinating. The atmosphere is superb as are the visuals. The dread the game conjures is just sublime. And the ending is pitch perfect. The combat is good, not great but does the job well enough. It reminds me of the recent RE remakes and is certainly a step above The Callisto Protocol's which didn't even have a true dodge. I agree that TLOU2 has great gameplay, especially when compared to the first. If AW2 had combat and traversal mechanics equal to TLOU2, we'd have a game for the ages. I disagree that AW1 has better combat than AW2. AW1's combat is run n' gun and felt weightless. I couldn't wait for those sequences to end so I could get back to the story. In Control, you play as a supernaturally empowered hero. A legit action hero. Alan is a writer and Saga is a detective. Normal people. I think the combat in AW2 is appropriate and weighty given the characters we play as. To have them play as action heroes is contrary to the horror atmosphere they're trying to make. I do wish there was more variety in enemy types. Like get a little crazy and horrific with the designs. I feel like the roster of enemies in AW2 stops about halfway through the tier list of a typical horror game rogues gallery. All that said, I still consider AW2 worthy of a GOTY nod and right to be called a masterpiece. Can't wait to see what Remedy cooks up next.
I also wanted to like the game more then I did. I like the game mostly because of the story. Gameplay wasn't my favorite. I both love and annoyed at the game. Overall I would say I liked the game. Question is. Would I play it again? Not sure. I don't feel like it right now. I rate it 8 out of 10. Its honestly how I felt about Control. I wasn't the biggest fan of Saga but she did grow near the end. I didn't like the Mind Place. Also thought the voice actor for Saga was flat. More like reading the script then feeling like a character.
After watching this full video, I Don't Agree..... You wanted a RE clone and thats not what this series is. The gameplay is there to immerse you in a story, and some of us prefer story.
Yeah, but not really. I just wanted something with more to back the story. The story is great, but let's be real, the gameplay is clearly inspired by RE without the depth. It's fine for people that only care about story. But also, isn't all gameplay supposed to compliment other parts of a game? Like people play RDR2 for the story, but the gameplay and world are just as deep as the narrative is.
@@Centrifewgi I don’t know some would make the argument that riding a horse back and forth for hours is boring, but it drives the story and immersion. Control had amazing arcade style gameplay but the story wasn’t as hard hitting. Just look at RE games for the perfect example, yes RE4 has crazy fun arcade style gameplay but do you not think the immersion and story is weaker then RE7 and Village that have slow gameplay?
@ephesiangaming2302 Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't put immersion in the same sentence as any of the RE remakes. They are a vessel for fun with tense gameplay. RE7 7 was the only game I'd say was really immersive because it was a contained first-person experience.
I just witnessed a fanboy claim that some of us 'prefer story' in our GAMES. Story is great bro, when the gameplay is good enough to support it. If the gameplay is basic and lacking, I can get a god damn story on netflix. Get out of here with that bs.
@@phant0mdummy You sound generic, games are interactive media. They come in all shapes and genres, to build an immersive story like Remedy is trying to do you have to focus on more then arcade style gameplay. If you want that there’s plenty of games for it, the gameplay here isn’t generic nor lacking it’s just different then what you want. It’s like saying Baldurs Gate 3 is stupid because you just click once or twice and then watch animations play out, if I wanted to watch the game play itself I could just go watch a streamer. Orrrrrrrrr it’s a dungeons and dragons style game where turn based fits the immersion and world building the developers are trying to create and some people prefer that. 👍
@@phant0mdummySo, Alan wake 2 is “woke (?) for including a black woman? Holy crap, you’re desensitized from reality. If a person of color is DARE associated with a WHITE person in a video game it’s WOKE !!!
I think your review was pretty good. Glad to watch a critical review that isn't just a rant. I give Alan Wake 2 a 7.5 or 8/10. Story is great, it has some really creative parts and beautiful environments. But the combat was really unfun (even worst than the 1st which was mediocre to begin with), the exploration wasn't as interesting as it could have been and the pace felt a bit slow in the middle part of the game. I also thought the NG+ ending should have been the normal one as that just felt...like a nothing ending. I think they should have finished Saga's story (she can still pop up in the DLC maybe), Alan's can remain unresolved to conclude in AW3 (maybe with Alice as the 2nd playable character).
Good video. Lots of honesty in it. It's definitely not a masterpiece and I wouldn't say it's GOTY material, either. It does come across as very artsy fartsy, although I don't think it is the most pretentious movie-game we've seen. It seems as though the people who made it did have fun in the process, which somewhat redeems it even if it isn't the most fun to play. Still, being obscure for the sake of being obscure is not how you do good storytelling. There's an obvious David Lynch influence, but the issue is there can only be on David Lynch. The gameplay definitely is forced to take a backseat to the "narrative" stuff going on, and although no single element is bad per se, it's a little generic compared to superior survival games that it rips off. To me Alan is conservatively somewhere between a 7-8, which in perspective of all the 10/10 scores is more sober. Not necessarily a bad experience overall but certainly not a masterpiece in game form.
Just fyi, this comment contains spoilers. I haven't finished listening to your entire video yet but we know that Saga turns out to be Alan's co-author. Think about it, she goes to her "mind" place to upgrade her weapons, using guides similar to "Guns and Ammo" to get information on how to do it. This is something writers must do- research. They do the same thing in The Last of Us, finding books that teach them different combat applications, medical upgrades and crafting deadly devices, the difference is that they/the player performs the task themselves, not in their mind (where story ideas come from). We haven't made a video yet because we've been unable to complete a successful run of "Final Draft" due to bugs that prevent us from obtaining all collectibles, which Remedy apparently put out an update for recently..but, we have to play the game all over again. We're hoping to touch on things that often get missed. I'm really enjoying your video, so I'm gonna go finish listening :)
Ive tried so hard to like AW2, but in the end i fell off before i could finish it. I didnt feel much for the combat, im a "story first, gameplay second" kind of guy. My issue was that it was way too wrapped up in itself to be a fun story. Everything that happened left me asking "what?" and just frustrated. It was a beautiful game, but as it went on and everything became darker and drearier, i was honestly left feeling kind of bummed out. I will admit that the Live Action bits were a huge highlight. It just wasnt for me, and on a pettier note, it being digital only left a sour taste before i even played it so maybe im bias. Either way, i enjoyed the video as always.
Respect your opinion. In my case, I loved it. It's been a long time since a video game excited me so much (the last time was with the first nordic God of War, with the swords scene). But it's true that I enjoyed it because of all the references and the Remedy Lore. It definitely shouldn't be the first Remedy game one should try. For me, at heart, it's GOTY.
I've got tons of control issues personally. The performance is an issue as well, obviously, but the fact that every now and then (quite frequently, to be clear) Saga/Alan just refuse to fire their weapons when I tell them to or get stuck in some sort of animation loop when I try to switch weapons is... pretty infuriating, I'll say.
@@Centrifewgi Yeah I seem to be in the minority there. That issue got worse the farther I got into the game, so I'm thinking it might be performance-related, what with the ever increasing amounts of enemies and visual effects in the later parts.
You seem to be a fan of deep combat in video games, the question is how much can you step over yourself to play some good games ? you can try to play God Hand, ex-Capcom guys, then became Platinum guys, but this game is nothing that they have ever made.
I heard you out, but its still my GOTY easily, other one that even competes this would be BG3, but even with all its flaws it just raised so much more emotion than BG3 could in me, and that alone is what decides everything for me. If Experience does not raise emotion, its waste of time; BG3 did, but not to this degree. And Yes, AW2 is not perfect game, not even close, but even with its flaws it does what so many other games fail to do. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and AW2 has such sheer amount of detail in the world and stories, even those who are fan of Remedy will miss out on. My biggest complaint for me in AW2 would be that it just was bit too easy, even on Hard mode, but maybe newgame+ and nightmore mode will fix some of that. I still enjoyed the combat a lot. But as I'm typing this.. I died at least 3-4 times on my first playthrough of AW2, when in AW1 I don't think I have ever died in that game.. so I guess its little upgrade on that regard.. oh well.
Totally fair. I agree that it did stir up a lot of emotions, and it left an impact on me days after I played it. Despite me not thinking it's GOTY material, I think there's a good chance it wins, and if it doesn't BG3 will
I thought it was only me. I fell for the hype and a few hours in i almost fell asleep twice while playing. This is the most boring game I've ever played
What a great video, glad to have it been recommended to me! To be honest at the beginning of the video I thought the criticisms would be unjustified, however, they are completely fair.
I haven't played the game yet as I'm catching up on my backlog of shame. Though from the footage I've seen, looks pretty generic from a game play perspective. Great review BTW. You articulated your points very well. Ignore the RE fan boys. You've earned my sub.
Speaking of Spider-Man 2, I'm currently playing through it as my relaxation game at night. Gotta say it's pretty disappointing. Even the combat is just okay to me. It takes you away from both heroes too often. Travesal is the best part of that game so far.
AW2 is not GOTY is not news, since BG3 is the GOTY. However to receive the same amount of nominations at Game Awards (before Player's Choice) as BG3 is pretty huge. The game has already been recognized as one of the top games of the year by the game industry itself. There were some good thoughts and some wrong facts, comments below 06:55 "Although the arsenal is tad basic for a game where fiction meets reality" Alan can't write anything he wants into existence, as explained in the game 07:30 "All the combat system was boiling down to was stun an enemy with flashlight before finishing them off with three rounds to the head" Perhaps try out the hunting rifle which allows shooting through darkness then? Crossbow is also capable of dropping regular taken with a single headshot. Handy also against the big dudes if you get the Magnetic Pull upgrade which draws pistol bullets towards targets 07:56 "Enemies hardly even react to your shots, something you could strategically take advantage of" Dude? Enemies react to light. You stun/blind them with light to buy time for reloading/healig etc. Something you took strategically advantage of the whole game. Also, Alan don't need to kill every shadow on his path, he can just quietly walk pass them flaslight turned off. 08:20 "Alan Wake 1 has faster paced combat...where you could run away dodging and shooting overwhelming amount of enemies" Alan Wake 1 was horror/action and not a true psychological horror/survival horror game, where the whole game is about the anticipation something bad is going to happen, and not really about the action. 10:05 "It's shocking Remedy nailed the combat in Control...made you feel like a paranormal goddess" Control is not psychological horror/survival horror but a scifi/action where you are supposed to feel like a goddess-warrior, whereas Alan Wake 2 is now more realistic, it feels like you are a regular human. Alan Wake 1 was super unrealistic since a writer somehow suddenly becomes an action hero. I'm glad they fixed this. Anyway, it kind of feels you were expecting another action game, which is probably why people who don't know anything about Remedy did not know what to expect and had more positive reaction to it. Remedy wanted clearly step away from action to be able to focus on storytelling, which is why they chose slow paced survival horror, which is about atmosphere, anticipation and not about the action. 15:45 "Radiostation that broadcasts a story which can only be described as sad" Nah, not sad. Well it is, if you take it out of context. In the end it is just telling the reality around you is changing. Ot perhaps it's just dementia. Comment somewhere below "The fact they they didn't include a recap of a game that came out 13 years ago is crazy to me." They did include a recap, in a musical form, which will be played at Game Awards 2023 live today/tomorrow, I think it was even titled as such. Anyway, you don't need a clear recap, or actually it would pretty much ruin the game, because there is Saga Anderson at the same level as new players, figuring out what's going on. "Idk why Remedy have made it their goal to establish all of their games into one connected universe" Perhaps wasn't the first thing in their mind but when it was, licensing forbid to do so. Why to establish RCU? Why there is MCU or SWU? Because of the story, which is far more interesting than any stand-alone game/movie. You want to play/watch them all to get the big picture
Really working that remedy midnight oil ….. I’ll get right to it , goty needs balance a flow from story to game play and this has none , I have played 9 hours of this walking simulator and been in 7 quote gun fights that lasted to seconds not counting nightingale, and about 65 percent of those 9 hours was spent going back and forth through the mind place or Alan’s whatever , that’s not engaging definitely not goty the end
@@troystohr67 yes, you are right Sherlock, definitely not goty, because BG3 was the goty. this is not a shooting simulator, where you walk through field/tunnel/corridor and then fight - and repeat. that is boring and so many games do that nowadays. Action does not equal gameplay, action equals action. In a psychological/survival horror game too much action ruins the whole atmosphere and the anticipation. If action is all you want from games, then perhaps choose an action game and not a game for more mature audiences if you are looking for Fast & Furious you don't buy The Shining and complain why no cars + why you have to walk in a maze.
One of the worst comments I've read here are you really defending the combat god I can't modern gaming fans they don't nothing about gameplay and pretend to be experts like you
about gameplay i blame microsoft sooooo much they fked up gameplay aspect of alan wake when first alan wake came out ppl loves alan wake so much in story and their idea .they all time says wish this game had more horror to it then microsoft owner of alan wake focus on arcade section of industry so much and remedy some how forced to create alan wake american nightmare....( they even bother say its cannon to main story till remedy community accept it and sam says its cannon) if you notice qb was the game lost potintal bcz microsoft campain to sell xbox and they knew remedy is best in that field they focused ! about gameplay looks like remedy wanted do what their community wants insted of focus on new baseline players...and make it unbalance af control was a game focus on combat so much but didnt satisfy me as someone loves remedy as a storyteller company bcz they dosent have budget and resource to balance everything. actually we mislead remedy about aw2 they focus on something community wants and other part missed in term of gameplay.....but still is fantastic 50 dollar AAAgame with 350 employee works on this game..something ubisoft with twice employe can not do correctly for one game! om glad they try do whay they want not something ppl wants ( look naughty dog how lost it identity as one of best storyteller in games to remake remaster studio these days )
Hey peeps, this video was taken down by copyright claims, so I had to go in and edit some parts out. If you see any weird things, it's probably a result of that.
I think Alan Wake 2 wants to be a movie horror/musical. But they just put a game in the middle for some reason
It definitely feels like that sometimes.
I'm an unapologetic Alan Wake fanboy so AW2 is _my_ game of the year, but I'm glad you had the balls to do this review. You're right, the overwhelming "OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER" vibe is bizarre considering the more fair response Remedy usually gets and it all feels like there's a "corporate plant" type thing going on, what with the simultaneous Epic Games & Nvidia team-up.
It's annoying to me how so many of the comments on this video even are all "it actually sucks" or "no, you're wrong, though" with hardly any nuance. The only real defense I can make that feels reasonable is "Remedy is practically a AA studio". Like, they've got their _vision_ and they often compromise a whole lot to get it out. They tried to make this game for the past 13 years in one form or another. They're not a giant like Naughty Dog. (And that isn't even a real defense, y'know? I'm just forgiving of what they screw up because I like their vibe. I'm the first to say that Remedy makes the some of the best shitty games out there.)
People going "actually you can't criticize the gameplay because the gameplay doesn't matter" are particularly annoying considering Remedy's decision to stuff New Game+ full of actual new stuff. I'm playing through it because I _love_ this game but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit of a slog to chunk through again.
8:40 I'm gonna take issue with your point about movement here because having only played the original RE4 recently (and REMake not long after) I think RE4 _did_ focus on movement a lot. ...Or, more specifically, positioning. By forcing you to stand in place while you shoot it forced you to think hard about where you stopped, and it's "clunkiness" actually served to crank the feeling that you were playing a goofy arcade game, in a good way IMO. Like a lightgun shooter where you have control over where the scenes take place. If you wanted to play it well you needed to be moving constantly (you were still roundhouse kicking everyone) and it wasn't gonna make that easy for you.
9:11 The dodge button does work. Remedy just has a habit of making the dodge button extremely timing-dependent to the point where people write it off before figuring it out. AW2 actually _still_ slows down time when you dodge correctly. (Also I really do think the difficulty of _seeing_ anything in combat is an intentional choice to up the panic, although when combined with dudes who will literally Fist of the North Star you it's pretty excessive.)
10:03 It's genuinely interesting that you prop up Control as a game where the combat _doesn't_ get repetitive quickly when it pretty much boils down to pressing E at things a whole lot and you never really react to what enemies are doing at all. This is a big fallacy that I see people make with video games in general, where the ability to cancel animations and move relatively quickly is seen as an absolute good and choosing _not_ to do that is seen as an absolute negative. Obviously it's a very common preference but it's weird how objective people make it out to be, usually without considering intent at all.
18:00 I'm honestly even more critical about the Mind Place than you are, BUT as far as Profiling is concerned- the way people speak when Profiling them is odd because it's all just mashed-up bits of the Return manuscript. There's no "regular thoughts" to sus out of people because whatever should be in their heads is being replaced by Return in the same way that the Taken always just yell lines from the novel. Still agree that it gets tedious quickly and it's just over-used.
I wish that Remedy pushed Tom's lamp mechanics farther. It's _implied_ that you're going to be moving a limited number of light sources around, making hard choices about where to leave them behind, but it's never capitalized on in the same way that the manual save system is never capitalized on. I get the impression that Alan's sequences _literally_ came second through the game's development and there came a point where Remedy had to just wrap it up and move on.
28:25 Paradoxes are kinda essential to this whole thing, is the problem. The FBC says as much in one of their documents. Part of the horror of the narrative is the way Alan has wedged himself into an inexplicable time-pretzel. Alan was inspired by Thomas Zane's things on Diver's Isle to write a story about how Thomas Zane was on Diver's Isle in the 70s, leading him to be inspired by Thomas Zane's things on Diver's Isle (before writing Diver's Isle away and inserting himself as the protagonist)... Alan gets out of the lake near the beginning of AW2 so that he can jumpstart the events that get himself out of the lake... Alan jumps into the Dark Place to save people from problems that he himself caused by getting himself out of the Dark Place (twice over now). Ultimately it's about how everyone is getting caught up in Alan's spiraling cycle of self-criticism and self-sabotage.
Very good points! I have a tremendous amount of respect for Remedy because they have unique visions and aren't afraid to chase them in an age where complacency seems key to financial success. We need more developers to chase new ideas and not be afraid of what people will think simply because they want to deliver on something they are passionate about because passion breeds innovation.
Alan Wake 2 may not have been 100% for me, but I'm glad it's finding its crowd of people that are dedicated to it. It's also important to share and talk about the aspects that don't work so that maybe they can change things in their next game. I really respect your views and that you aren't afraid to list things you don't like about it. It's not a bad game, and it doesn't suck, but people are really over critical on video games now. Which is honestly part of the reason I want to make these videos and to try and be as fair as possible.
after watching the video , I have to agree with some of the points in this video: 1, Alan wake section is way too short , 2.Saga profile section doesn't make too much sense while the main protag just get it , 3. The combat is not that fluent (maybe it actually grounded to reality and that what Remedy going for ) ,4. Rewite reality isn't adding alot of content to game (this can be caused by the restriction of the horror genre and the script he working with in the game ) ,5.The enemies are extremly boring ,there only like 4 types of enemy in the whole game.
But for me , AW2 is still my game of the year ,as I more attracted to narrative driven game ,and AW ,Control hit that sweet spot for me.
This is very well thought out video with solid opinions imo.
I appreciate that! I can see it winning goty and I get why people feel it should. Regardless, it's just awesome to be able to play all of these great games. 2023 was epic for gaming.
@@Centrifewgi indeed brother
The game is amazing but like Twin Peaks is not for everyone, got my vote for GOTY
True. Sam Lake also listed A24 movies as inspo and I know that's not for everyone as well
LMAO, neither of you redditors actually watched Twin Peaks and it shows, AW2 doesn't even come close to that show, bunch of references and general inspiration doesn't make it as good, nor as nuanced.
@@Andriej69 Are you replying to everyone’s comments?
Yeah, there were only two, so...
@@Andriej69 ok- woa, you’re super slow. You obviously missed the point where OP said “like Twine Peaks, it’s not for everybody” and using “redditors” as an “insult” is quite sad. grade level comeback 😭
Yeah, I'll probably skip this one. I liked the first one for its satisfying combat and unique environment, both of which seem to be missing in this "walking simulator". Plus I don't know how to take the infamous "Another white (person) telling me what to do" line. I don't think I should be funding what Remedy's become, in any case.
I see a lot of people talk about that infamous line you mention and while I can beyond entirely understand why people have a big issue with it, given that that’s just Saga’s dark, intrusive thoughts being brought to life (Due to the power of the Dark Place), I don’t take issue with it because there is a narrative justification for it and especially when you consider what Alan’s writing has our Saga through thus far in the game, I find that line entirely in line with her character.
@@fictionnerd78 I guess the problem is that, in this day and age, it isn't widely agreed upon (especially in mainstream entertainment, and especially in games co-written by Sweet Baby Inc.) that a black person *shouldn't* think that way. Anti-white racism is more fashionable at the moment than anti-black racism. So it isn't clear to what extent Remedy might actually *agree* with what darkness-controlled Saga was saying there. Hopefully none of it, but it's not something we can just assume.
@@fictionnerd78 Most of these ppl really didn't play the game nor tried to understand what the game tries to tell to even thinks if these dialogues makes sense to them or not, saga dialogue about the white dude is literally the inner angerness she's having for wake because he put her daughter and her into the story just like he did with alex casey.
@@Rosy-uz5ld Well, yeah, I definitely agree that the comment Saga makes is not a valid way to judge her view of Alan as a person. I think if people replayed the game with prior context, this scene might click for them better because they’ll have the information they need to connect the dots. On first playthrough, I think it’s is a reasonable assumption to make, which is why I say a second playthrough is necessary.
Is a mediocre game with some good aspects, but no enough to make it a good game let alone GOTY tier. For a long time I waited for the Alan Wake sequel, but this sequel really disappointed me.
>B-but the story is amazing and the graphics!
In general, when I see someone praising the writing of games, especially modern ones, I judge that they are not a big fan of reading books. I saw someone saying exactly that a while ago and to this day that person has been proven right.
And I don't care about graphics. Gameplay is king, a good story makes the game have a lasting legacy, meanwhile graphics age like milk and only attract superficial people.
I must say I don't fully agree. There are many artistic styles and titles that still hold up today, i.e., borderlands, doom 3, halo ce. Plus, graphical fedelity helps bring a game together depending on the narrative and themes it's trying to accomplish. There are plenty of people that just buy a game for graphics, but I'd say a majority don't and while graphics aren't the most important aspect, they do play their role no matter the game.
As for reading novels, I think these two mediums offer a very different experience with how their narratives can be told. In books, while descriptive, they also leave a lot open for our own creative interpretation as we imagine the events we're reading unfolding in our head. You also aren't actively a part of the story, just a viewer. While in gaming, you are an active participant in the unfolding story that is also interactive. There isn't a lot left up to the imagination within the settings because what you see is what you get in most games. What both mediums have in common is that a vast majority of content is average in terms of writing. However, there are those diamonds in the rough with amazing writing. But that is just my opinion.
Damn that’s correct , so tired of cinematic walking simulators
ya know, I had more fun watching that Thomas Zane snuff film in the game (ya know what I mean). It was pretty interesting but the game itself is quite... sterile despite all the fancy dressing.
The Thomas Zane moments were great.
thank you for saying this. The first game is my favorite game of all time, but i was pretty disappointed by Alan Wake 2...
Alan Wake 1 was so much fun. I loved it. Alan Wake 2 was so boring that I gave up on it. Exploring and going off the beaten path was not rewarding, and the Mind Place just slowed everything down for no reason.
The OG Alan Wake and American Nightmare were actually masterpieces, in terms of Alan Wake. I can't say the same for AW2 as it wasn't much an Alan Wake game but tried to be RE4 Remake with some woke agenda spashed onto it. I'm playing American Nightmare, unfortunately on Xbox and not Playstation, and it's alot more enjoyable than AW2.
i posted this under another vid of yours but somehow it disappeared. again, we have the same opinion. you know, alan wake 1 is the nutella to my fresh roasted toast. i love this game to pieces, mainly because it is a playable stephen king novel in twin peaks. i love everything about this game, the atmopshere, the characters, the writing, the plot with writing itself being the plot, aaah man, it is a dream coming true for someone who is a writer and video game enjoyer. (i dont write in english, its just my third language, thats why my comments are full of mistakes and they suck grammatically) and like you, when i started alan wake 2, i wanted to love the game to the moon and back, till it wants to be my baby, but unfortunately it was just "good" for me. now, for every other game a "good" would be "good" but not this one. my expectations where high as my 16 year old self on friday evenings. i dont know why. somehow the magic was gone for me. the story was "to fucked up" where nothing made sense anymore. because of the world in a world in a world in a wolrd concept, nothing had gravity anymore and no consequence was lasting. it felt to me like the multiverse problem in the marvel movies for example. when you create a deus ex machina, nothing matters anymore, because it can change everytime. and i guess, thats what the intention was, because sequels and franchise bla bla. also: the enemies kinda sucked. they were not the best part of the first game either but there they did not bother me that much. graphics and atmosphere and voice cast and sound were great tho. and it also had some greatly fun and creative ideas like the musical and like i said, it is a good game and i had a lot of fun with it. it just hurts that it didnt want to be my baby. it is someone elses baby fo shure. just not mine. just not mine :(
Thank you for this, it needs to be said more loudly - Epic shills and "plot explained" video addicts are overhyping this game way too much. It IS good and it DID keep me hooked for a while, but ultimately it goes from "Salem's Lot"/"Needful Things" to "Regulators" quality level near the end, picks up a bit in few final sequences and overall leaves a bit to be desired. Certainly not my GOTY, nor it should by for anyone
No, thank YOU for watching and commenting!
AW2 is GOTY for me.
I put this video in my "watch later" list for now as I am not done with it.
First Remedy game I ever played was Control... (I am a PS loyalist, so I never got into the first Alan Wake and never actually played a Max Payne game... Quantum Break is apparently never coming to Playstation so that's out)... I REALLY liked the atmosphere and setting and SCP level story, however I was FURIOUS with some sections that made me yell at my TV, "why even bother giving me a life bar?! Just give me two pips to show that if I get hit twice I die!" Plus, the original release of Control, my god, the checkpoint system was insanely broken. You'd die and spawn miles away from where you just were.
This being said I beat it out of spite and kinda was like, "man, I REALLY want to like that game, but it feels so broken at times." Eventually I revisited it and played it more casually and while it was frustrating at times, like some bosses, I did like it a lot better and turned my opinion around... I did drop the money on the PS5 version and played both DLC's and honestly it feels like Remedy nerfed a lot of things from the vanilla release because there's just no way I was THAT good on the PS5 version... I consider Control today one of the best games I've ever played and there certainly isn't anything like it.
When Alan Wake was announced to be remastered and put on Playstation, I pre-ordered it. I had heard so much about how niche it was and so many people years ago loved it... And, yes I was playing an older game after being spoiled by newer games, but it as "OKAY" it was fun at parts and frustrating at others. I did not play the other attached games, like expansions or DLC, I just read up on them... And I still feel the story of it, while intriguing, leaves a lot to be explained (something I feel Control handled much better of making the "unexplained" things more fun than just dead ends).
I am currently playing Alan Wake II and I am guessing I am about half way through right now and I am more frustrated that having fun... I am very naturally bad at puzzles and tend to wildly overthink situations rather than keep things a rudimentary level. This being said I've had to do the, "RUclips lookup of shame" multiple times so far to get through puzzles or even figure out where I'm supposed to go at some parts... The enemies are bullet sponges to the point where I'm not even scared of them because it's so fucking dark on screen that I literally cannot see the threats coming at me and then suddenly I am dead... I have read online that the reason some sections are widely disorienting is because Remedy really wanted you to feel, "lost in the woods"... I get it from an artistic standpoint, but knowing I paid $80 to be lost in polygon woods is really angering.
Overall I'm trying to give it the benefit of the doubt and MAYBE like Control I'll resist it someday and really like it... I still have no idea where the story is going or how it's going to end, however as we know Control 2 is in development, I am much more eager to play that and feel that if I had played Alan Wake when it initially came out I probably would be more fond of the sequel.
It clearly is a game made for the die hard fans of the original... The game literally expects you to remember crucial elements from the past games, whilst here I am just going, "aw yeah" anytime the FBC, or so far the two times I saw Jesse show up.
Can't win them all.
It's funny you bring up the past games because I've seen so many reviewers say Alan Wake 2 can be enjoyed as a stand alone experience l, but the story is the main driving point of the game. It's way better if you understand the entire plotline. Idk why Remedy have made it their goal to establish all of their games into one connected universe. If they keep going, it'll feel like jumping back into Marvel after 8 tv shows and 12 movies have come out.
The fact they they didn't include a recap of a game that came out 13 years ago is crazy to me.
“It clearly is a game made for the die hard fans of the original”🤣🤣🤣🤣 absolutely not! I am a die hard fan of the original alan wake. Got the 1st game when it came out on pc also got remastered one and i can assure u its not meant for us either. The story has a lot of retconns especially with some characters backstory. Brightfalls was suppose to be small little American town in the middle of nowhere and suddenly in the sequel it became finnish town full of finnish ppl. Tom was supposed to be local poet and in the sequel he is suddenly a filmmaker. Mr. Scratch was supposed to be alan’s evil doppelgänger but in here they are both the same person. In the og game The anderson brothers owned a huge farm land but in the sequel they live in trailer park.
Gameplay wise they also downgraded a lot of things. They completely removed driving. U cant drive cars anymore or use headlights to kill ur foes. In the og the taken only appeared at night because the LIGHT HURTS THEM. But in the sequel they can appear in broad daylight! Wtf! This is a bad retcon. Also u never lose ur weapons which makes the game monotonous. In the og u occasionally lose weapons which forced u to use completely different playstyles. But in here there is no such variation. Also they nerfed the flare gun to a simple granade launcher. On top of that the the connected universe doesnt help either.
Max Payne trilogy is a must play.
@@zd3994 this
if you wanna play the first Max Payne on PC make sure to patch it tho (it shouldnt take more than 5 minutes) the 2nd and 3rd game require no fixes
I loved AW2 from the start and loved it even more after all 4 playthroughs it took to platinum it on PS5 and PC. The story, its structure and associated mechanics are novel and fascinating. The atmosphere is superb as are the visuals. The dread the game conjures is just sublime. And the ending is pitch perfect.
The combat is good, not great but does the job well enough. It reminds me of the recent RE remakes and is certainly a step above The Callisto Protocol's which didn't even have a true dodge. I agree that TLOU2 has great gameplay, especially when compared to the first. If AW2 had combat and traversal mechanics equal to TLOU2, we'd have a game for the ages. I disagree that AW1 has better combat than AW2. AW1's combat is run n' gun and felt weightless. I couldn't wait for those sequences to end so I could get back to the story. In Control, you play as a supernaturally empowered hero. A legit action hero. Alan is a writer and Saga is a detective. Normal people. I think the combat in AW2 is appropriate and weighty given the characters we play as. To have them play as action heroes is contrary to the horror atmosphere they're trying to make.
I do wish there was more variety in enemy types. Like get a little crazy and horrific with the designs. I feel like the roster of enemies in AW2 stops about halfway through the tier list of a typical horror game rogues gallery.
All that said, I still consider AW2 worthy of a GOTY nod and right to be called a masterpiece. Can't wait to see what Remedy cooks up next.
Hoping it's Control 2 next. Can't wait to see how they further the combat in that one.
Your comment and arguments are pretty bad
I also wanted to like the game more then I did. I like the game mostly because of the story. Gameplay wasn't my favorite. I both love and annoyed at the game. Overall I would say I liked the game. Question is. Would I play it again? Not sure. I don't feel like it right now. I rate it 8 out of 10. Its honestly how I felt about Control.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Saga but she did grow near the end. I didn't like the Mind Place. Also thought the voice actor for Saga was flat. More like reading the script then feeling like a character.
After watching this full video, I Don't Agree..... You wanted a RE clone and thats not what this series is. The gameplay is there to immerse you in a story, and some of us prefer story.
Yeah, but not really. I just wanted something with more to back the story. The story is great, but let's be real, the gameplay is clearly inspired by RE without the depth. It's fine for people that only care about story.
But also, isn't all gameplay supposed to compliment other parts of a game? Like people play RDR2 for the story, but the gameplay and world are just as deep as the narrative is.
@@Centrifewgi I don’t know some would make the argument that riding a horse back and forth for hours is boring, but it drives the story and immersion. Control had amazing arcade style gameplay but the story wasn’t as hard hitting. Just look at RE games for the perfect example, yes RE4 has crazy fun arcade style gameplay but do you not think the immersion and story is weaker then RE7 and Village that have slow gameplay?
@ephesiangaming2302 Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't put immersion in the same sentence as any of the RE remakes. They are a vessel for fun with tense gameplay. RE7 7 was the only game I'd say was really immersive because it was a contained first-person experience.
I just witnessed a fanboy claim that some of us 'prefer story' in our GAMES.
Story is great bro, when the gameplay is good enough to support it.
If the gameplay is basic and lacking, I can get a god damn story on netflix. Get out of here with that bs.
@@phant0mdummy You sound generic, games are interactive media. They come in all shapes and genres, to build an immersive story like Remedy is trying to do you have to focus on more then arcade style gameplay. If you want that there’s plenty of games for it, the gameplay here isn’t generic nor lacking it’s just different then what you want. It’s like saying Baldurs Gate 3 is stupid because you just click once or twice and then watch animations play out, if I wanted to watch the game play itself I could just go watch a streamer. Orrrrrrrrr it’s a dungeons and dragons style game where turn based fits the immersion and world building the developers are trying to create and some people prefer that. 👍
I'm the opposite - I went in thinking this will be "Alan Woke 2" some garbage story, but was totally awstruck and turned huge Alan Wake II fanboy.
Gotta admire their dedication to crafting stories that they are passionate about. Glad you enjoyed your experience!
It is super woke tho, as you can verify sweet baby flipped a bunch of things on their head for 'equity and blahblah...;'
@@phant0mdummySo, Alan wake 2 is “woke (?) for including a black woman? Holy crap, you’re desensitized from reality. If a person of color is DARE associated with a WHITE person in a video game it’s WOKE !!!
I think your review was pretty good. Glad to watch a critical review that isn't just a rant.
I give Alan Wake 2 a 7.5 or 8/10. Story is great, it has some really creative parts and beautiful environments. But the combat was really unfun (even worst than the 1st which was mediocre to begin with), the exploration wasn't as interesting as it could have been and the pace felt a bit slow in the middle part of the game.
I also thought the NG+ ending should have been the normal one as that just felt...like a nothing ending. I think they should have finished Saga's story (she can still pop up in the DLC maybe), Alan's can remain unresolved to conclude in AW3 (maybe with Alice as the 2nd playable character).
Good video. Lots of honesty in it. It's definitely not a masterpiece and I wouldn't say it's GOTY material, either. It does come across as very artsy fartsy, although I don't think it is the most pretentious movie-game we've seen. It seems as though the people who made it did have fun in the process, which somewhat redeems it even if it isn't the most fun to play. Still, being obscure for the sake of being obscure is not how you do good storytelling. There's an obvious David Lynch influence, but the issue is there can only be on David Lynch. The gameplay definitely is forced to take a backseat to the "narrative" stuff going on, and although no single element is bad per se, it's a little generic compared to superior survival games that it rips off. To me Alan is conservatively somewhere between a 7-8, which in perspective of all the 10/10 scores is more sober. Not necessarily a bad experience overall but certainly not a masterpiece in game form.
Well put!
Just fyi, this comment contains spoilers. I haven't finished listening to your entire video yet but we know that Saga turns out to be Alan's co-author. Think about it, she goes to her "mind" place to upgrade her weapons, using guides similar to "Guns and Ammo" to get information on how to do it. This is something writers must do- research. They do the same thing in The Last of Us, finding books that teach them different combat applications, medical upgrades and crafting deadly devices, the difference is that they/the player performs the task themselves, not in their mind (where story ideas come from). We haven't made a video yet because we've been unable to complete a successful run of "Final Draft" due to bugs that prevent us from obtaining all collectibles, which Remedy apparently put out an update for recently..but, we have to play the game all over again. We're hoping to touch on things that often get missed. I'm really enjoying your video, so I'm gonna go finish listening :)
Ive tried so hard to like AW2, but in the end i fell off before i could finish it. I didnt feel much for the combat, im a "story first, gameplay second" kind of guy. My issue was that it was way too wrapped up in itself to be a fun story. Everything that happened left me asking "what?" and just frustrated. It was a beautiful game, but as it went on and everything became darker and drearier, i was honestly left feeling kind of bummed out. I will admit that the Live Action bits were a huge highlight. It just wasnt for me, and on a pettier note, it being digital only left a sour taste before i even played it so maybe im bias. Either way, i enjoyed the video as always.
I can understand the dislike for digital only.
Respect your opinion. In my case, I loved it. It's been a long time since a video game excited me so much (the last time was with the first nordic God of War, with the swords scene). But it's true that I enjoyed it because of all the references and the Remedy Lore. It definitely shouldn't be the first Remedy game one should try.
For me, at heart, it's GOTY.
Hey, fair enough! Gaming should always be about fun and if you enjoyed it, that's all that really matters.
I've got tons of control issues personally. The performance is an issue as well, obviously, but the fact that every now and then (quite frequently, to be clear) Saga/Alan just refuse to fire their weapons when I tell them to or get stuck in some sort of animation loop when I try to switch weapons is... pretty infuriating, I'll say.
Strange, I never had these issues.
@@Centrifewgi Yeah I seem to be in the minority there.
That issue got worse the farther I got into the game, so I'm thinking it might be performance-related, what with the ever increasing amounts of enemies and visual effects in the later parts.
@HansAlRachid I'd say its gotta be.
You seem to be a fan of deep combat in video games, the question is how much can you step over yourself to play some good games ?
you can try to play God Hand, ex-Capcom guys, then became Platinum guys, but this game is nothing that they have ever made.
I heard you out, but its still my GOTY easily, other one that even competes this would be BG3, but even with all its flaws it just raised so much more emotion than BG3 could in me, and that alone is what decides everything for me. If Experience does not raise emotion, its waste of time; BG3 did, but not to this degree. And Yes, AW2 is not perfect game, not even close, but even with its flaws it does what so many other games fail to do. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and AW2 has such sheer amount of detail in the world and stories, even those who are fan of Remedy will miss out on. My biggest complaint for me in AW2 would be that it just was bit too easy, even on Hard mode, but maybe newgame+ and nightmore mode will fix some of that. I still enjoyed the combat a lot. But as I'm typing this.. I died at least 3-4 times on my first playthrough of AW2, when in AW1 I don't think I have ever died in that game.. so I guess its little upgrade on that regard.. oh well.
Totally fair. I agree that it did stir up a lot of emotions, and it left an impact on me days after I played it. Despite me not thinking it's GOTY material, I think there's a good chance it wins, and if it doesn't BG3 will
I thought it was only me. I fell for the hype and a few hours in i almost fell asleep twice while playing. This is the most boring game I've ever played
When entering a music scene and dancing, I laughed, WTH is this? Bollywood?
I like Alan Wake the first, but Alan Wake 2 is not enough for my liking.
its seems that you are not versed enough on David Lynch, or taste
Damn, got em
Honestly this game has beautiful David Lynch esque color grading. Literally any time of day in the game is beautiful
Wow, here we have an expert, he read all of reddit and watched all of "Lynch explained" videos. Back to fucking reddit with you
@@Andriej69i'm tired of fanboy comments like yours
@@juanmanikings Fanboy of what exactly, mr. illiterate?
What a great video, glad to have it been recommended to me! To be honest at the beginning of the video I thought the criticisms would be unjustified, however, they are completely fair.
Thanks! I try to be as fair as possible.
I haven't played the game yet as I'm catching up on my backlog of shame. Though from the footage I've seen, looks pretty generic from a game play perspective.
Great review BTW. You articulated your points very well. Ignore the RE fan boys. You've earned my sub.
Clearing ones backlog is quite the endeavor. I have so many games I need to play. Thanks for the sub!
It doesn't deserve it.
I rather have a game with "serviceable" gameplay, but a great story (like in AW 2) than a game with great gameplay but a dogshit story (Spider-Man 2).
Speaking of Spider-Man 2, I'm currently playing through it as my relaxation game at night. Gotta say it's pretty disappointing. Even the combat is just okay to me. It takes you away from both heroes too often. Travesal is the best part of that game so far.
AW2 is not GOTY is not news, since BG3 is the GOTY. However to receive the same amount of nominations at Game Awards (before Player's Choice) as BG3 is pretty huge. The game has already been recognized as one of the top games of the year by the game industry itself.
There were some good thoughts and some wrong facts, comments below
06:55 "Although the arsenal is tad basic for a game where fiction meets reality"
Alan can't write anything he wants into existence, as explained in the game
07:30 "All the combat system was boiling down to was stun an enemy with flashlight before finishing them off with three rounds to the head"
Perhaps try out the hunting rifle which allows shooting through darkness then?
Crossbow is also capable of dropping regular taken with a single headshot. Handy also against the big dudes if you get the Magnetic Pull upgrade which draws pistol bullets towards targets
07:56 "Enemies hardly even react to your shots, something you could strategically take advantage of"
Dude? Enemies react to light. You stun/blind them with light to buy time for reloading/healig etc. Something you took strategically advantage of the whole game.
Also, Alan don't need to kill every shadow on his path, he can just quietly walk pass them flaslight turned off.
08:20 "Alan Wake 1 has faster paced combat...where you could run away dodging and shooting overwhelming amount of enemies"
Alan Wake 1 was horror/action and not a true psychological horror/survival horror game, where the whole game is about the anticipation something bad is going to happen, and not really about the action.
10:05 "It's shocking Remedy nailed the combat in Control...made you feel like a paranormal goddess"
Control is not psychological horror/survival horror but a scifi/action where you are supposed to feel like a goddess-warrior, whereas Alan Wake 2 is now more realistic, it feels like you are a regular human. Alan Wake 1 was super unrealistic since a writer somehow suddenly becomes an action hero. I'm glad they fixed this.
Anyway, it kind of feels you were expecting another action game, which is probably why people who don't know anything about Remedy did not know what to expect and had more positive reaction to it. Remedy wanted clearly step away from action to be able to focus on storytelling, which is why they chose slow paced survival horror, which is about atmosphere, anticipation and not about the action.
15:45 "Radiostation that broadcasts a story which can only be described as sad"
Nah, not sad. Well it is, if you take it out of context. In the end it is just telling the reality around you is changing. Ot perhaps it's just dementia.
Comment somewhere below "The fact they they didn't include a recap of a game that came out 13 years ago is crazy to me."
They did include a recap, in a musical form, which will be played at Game Awards 2023 live today/tomorrow, I think it was even titled as such. Anyway, you don't need a clear recap, or actually it would pretty much ruin the game, because there is Saga Anderson at the same level as new players, figuring out what's going on.
"Idk why Remedy have made it their goal to establish all of their games into one connected universe"
Perhaps wasn't the first thing in their mind but when it was, licensing forbid to do so. Why to establish RCU? Why there is MCU or SWU? Because of the story, which is far more interesting than any stand-alone game/movie. You want to play/watch them all to get the big picture
Really working that remedy midnight oil ….. I’ll get right to it , goty needs balance a flow from story to game play and this has none , I have played 9 hours of this walking simulator and been in 7 quote gun fights that lasted to seconds not counting nightingale, and about 65 percent of those 9 hours was spent going back and forth through the mind place or Alan’s whatever , that’s not engaging definitely not goty the end
@@troystohr67 yes, you are right Sherlock, definitely not goty, because BG3 was the goty. this is not a shooting simulator, where you walk through field/tunnel/corridor and then fight - and repeat. that is boring and so many games do that nowadays.
Action does not equal gameplay, action equals action. In a psychological/survival horror game too much action ruins the whole atmosphere and the anticipation. If action is all you want from games, then perhaps choose an action game and not a game for more mature audiences
if you are looking for Fast & Furious you don't buy The Shining and complain why no cars + why you have to walk in a maze.
One of the worst comments I've read here are you really defending the combat god I can't modern gaming fans they don't nothing about gameplay and pretend to be experts like you
@@juanmanikings please... i've been playing games for 30+ years, how about you, expert?
about gameplay i blame microsoft sooooo much they fked up gameplay aspect of alan wake when first alan wake came out ppl loves alan wake so much in story and their idea .they all time says wish this game had more horror to it then microsoft owner of alan wake focus on arcade section of industry so much and remedy some how forced to create alan wake american nightmare....( they even bother say its cannon to main story till remedy community accept it and sam says its cannon) if you notice qb was the game lost potintal bcz microsoft campain to sell xbox and they knew remedy is best in that field they focused ! about gameplay looks like remedy wanted do what their community wants insted of focus on new baseline players...and make it unbalance af control was a game focus on combat so much but didnt satisfy me as someone loves remedy as a storyteller company bcz they dosent have budget and resource to balance everything. actually we mislead remedy about aw2 they focus on something community wants and other part missed in term of gameplay.....but still is fantastic 50 dollar AAAgame with 350 employee works on this game..something ubisoft with twice employe can not do correctly for one game! om glad they try do whay they want not something ppl wants ( look naughty dog how lost it identity as one of best storyteller in games to remake remaster studio these days )
I see why this guy has this many subscribers 😂
Thanks for the view!
@@Centrifewgi not like I finished that god awful video but yeah you're welcome you definitely need the views.
@hethen5846 I see kindness just oozes out of you lol.
Yet you felt the need to whine and cry. Mission completed
@@hethen5846not that I care about your god awful opinion modern gaming fans opinions like yours are worthless