Multiplatform Alan Wake II

[Zazen]

Yikes, I'm not really enjoying this game much. It is VERY slow and this is coming from someone that adores first party PlayStation games known for their cinematic storytelling. I appreciate them doing something different but the mind palace is immersion breaking and not very fun. Would rather just have a traditional menu to be honest. I barely got any time with the gameplay, there doesn't seem to be a lot of it and it doesn't feel that great to me. I didn't expect RE4 but these are the devs that made Control which I liked. Does the game get better after three hours or so?

 

[Chubz]

Just finished it a few minutes ago. Man, the story was a TRIP. I sure wish the gameplay were actually good, though. What little combat there was was very unsatisfying, and the sheer lack of action almost made the entire weapon upgrade system feel completely pointless/superfluous. I think the original game did a much better job when it came to providing lots of combat as well as lots of story, whereas this one tilted way too far in the "story" direction to the point of it becoming downright boring and tedious at times.

Overall I enjoyed it just for the insane story (and some truly great acting), but the mind-numbingly dull, disappointing gameplay has pretty much ensured I'll never play this one ever again. As much as it pains me to say this, it's one of those games you'd might as well just watch on YouTube.

Does the game get better after three hours or so?

In a word: no. The first few hours sum up the entire game pretty well. Tons of walking and talking, with small bursts of combat that pop up every once in a blue moon. It's a very, very slow-moving, story-focused game.

 

[Zazen]

Just finished it a few minutes ago. Man, the story was a TRIP. I sure wish the gameplay were actually good, though. What little combat there was was very unsatisfying, and the sheer lack of action almost made the entire weapon upgrade system feel completely pointless/superfluous. I think the original game did a much better job when it came to providing lots of combat as well as lots of story, whereas this one tilted way too far in the "story" direction to the point of it becoming downright boring and tedious at times.

Overall I enjoyed it just for the insane story (and some truly great acting), but the mind-numbingly dull, disappointing gameplay has pretty much ensured I'll never play this one ever again. As much as it pains me to say this, it's one of those games you'd might as well just watch on YouTube.


In a word: no. The first few hours sum up the entire game pretty well. Tons of walking and talking, with small bursts of combat that pop up every once in a blue moon. It's a very, very slow-moving, story-focused game.

Ugh that's frustrating to hear. Control was awesome but the gameplay here is very weak. I think I'm going to put the game into Story Mode and just try and enjoy the story. Not liking the sponge enemies.

 

[krelianx]

I can confidently say this game is garbage.

The writing is trash, the voice acting is trash. The story is clichéd convoluted nonsense, the characters are morons. And the gameplay is an embarrassment to anyone who is not 12yo.

Worst game I have played in a long time. And to think people have the audacity to compare this to Twin Peaks...

 

[krelianx]

Yikes, I'm not really enjoying this game much. It is VERY slow and this is coming from someone that adores first party PlayStation games known for their cinematic storytelling. I appreciate them doing something different but the mind palace is immersion breaking and not very fun. Would rather just have a traditional menu to be honest. I barely got any time with the gameplay, there doesn't seem to be a lot of it and it doesn't feel that great to me. I didn't expect RE4 but these are the devs that made Control which I liked. Does the game get better after three hours or so?

Nope.

 

[Zazen]

I can confidently say this game is garbage.

The writing is trash, the voice acting is trash. The story is clichéd convoluted nonsense, the characters are morons. And the gameplay is an embarrassment to anyone who is not 12yo.

Worst game I have played in a long time. And to think people have the audacity to compare this to Twin Peaks...

I'm very surprised by all the 10s this game is getting. None of the reviews I read talked about the emotionless characters. Saga is such a bore and so are all the side characters. Early on when you fight Nightingale (that fat dude) there's a scene where the cops come downstairs to see what happened and they don't even react to dead bodies. It's just all so weird, it feels like none of these people are human. Maybe there's an explanation later for why people act so weird but it as of now I can't relate to anyone. I'm going to see it through to the end because I hate wasting money but I'm very disappointed because this got stellar reviews

Oh and another weird thing.... Saga just seems to never be afraid. Like all this crazy shit just happens and she remains monotone and even mentions it's exciting in a monotone voice of course.

 

[93confirmed]

I can confidently say this game is garbage.

The writing is trash, the voice acting is trash. The story is clichéd convoluted nonsense, the characters are morons. And the gameplay is an embarrassment to anyone who is not 12yo.

Worst game I have played in a long time. And to think people have the audacity to compare this to Twin Peaks...

That's crazy too hear because other people have it as their Game of the Year. I'm very confused. I'll grab it on clearance.

 

[Valhoven]

That's crazy too hear because other people have it as their Game of the Year. I'm very confused. I'll grab it on clearance.

Same. Divisive sequel, clearly.

 

[krelianx]

I'm very surprised by all the 10s this game is getting. None of the reviews I read talked about the emotionless characters. Saga is such a bore and so are all the side characters. Early on when you fight Nightingale (that fat dude) there's a scene where the cops come downstairs to see what happened and they don't even react to dead bodies. It's just all so weird, it feels like none of these people are human. Maybe there's an explanation later for why people act so weird but it as of now I can't relate to anyone. I'm going to see it through to the end because I hate wasting money but I'm very disappointed because this got stellar reviews

Oh and another weird thing.... Saga just seems to never be afraid. Like all this crazy shit just happens and she remains monotone and even mentions it's exciting in a monotone voice of course.

I remember that early part in the morgue also, it's so bad I couldn't believe it. The two dodos come down, there is literally a dead body lying next to them and they don't flinch and start cracking jokes within two seconds. Also, an utterly insane thing just happened where a dead body comes back to life and murders a bunch of people, and neither Saga nor her moronic partner, nor anyone in the fucking station seem flustered in the slightest. Then she gets told by the diner waitress about her and her kid drowning and she seems completely meh, even though she knows her name. Not to mention all of this after I spent a solid 30 minutes exploring the town and found literally nothing except, of course, a photograph. The world feels utterly hollow because you can only interact with a diminute fraction of it in a completely scripted and indicated way.

Also, after you return to the forest to once more dwell around this tortuous winding path, after I got to the Store and shot down the guy (2nd time I used my gun in like three-hours of gameplay) I was supposed to collect Nightingale's heart. But the thing didn't appear in the freezer because I hadn't utterly exhausted his profiling in the Mind's Place. So I did and then the heart just magically appeared right where I was standing. Why wouldn't the heart be there regardless? It doesn't make any fucking sense.

That you can't skip recorded dialog audios and just read text is such an unforgivable design flaw. It forces you to plod through the abysmal voice acting, dialog, and cutscenes or else miss the story altogether, in a game that is 9:1 story: gameplay ratio.

The stereotypes are so extreme and the writing and voice acting are so immature and bad I simply cannot believe how this game is so highly regarded, considering that it is basically an interactive movie. The gameplay is sparse, generic, and completely uneventful.

 

[kenetics]

I can confidently say this game is garbage.

The writing is trash, the voice acting is trash. The story is clichéd convoluted nonsense, the characters are morons. And the gameplay is an embarrassment to anyone who is not 12yo.

Worst game I have played in a long time. And to think people have the audacity to compare this to Twin Peaks...

You love to hyperbole lol

 

[krelianx]

Oh, and while we're at it, I absolutely hate it when the script tries to tell you how awesome the game is, as if you are an impressionable child.

"This case is getting more and more interesting!"

"That was crazy!"

"I wonder where this journey will lead us?!"

Like, shut up, the game sucks, and you suck.

 

[krelianx]

You love to hyperbole lol

I passionately hate this game.

 

[deadshot138]

Dude this game was touted as possible game of the year. Is there ANY honesty in gaming media anymore ?

 

[Zazen]

Same. Divisive sequel, clearly.

Most still like it I think. Problem is I expected so much more in the gameplay department with the glowing reviews. So many compared it to resident evil but there’s no comparison to which is better. This game feels very stiff. That could be forgiven if other aspects were good but the whole mind palace is breaking immersion. Your constantly sticking pictures to a wall to progress to the next dialogue. Several times the characters just awkwardly stood there until I figured out I just had to post more photos. I thought this would be what evil within 2 was to evil within 1. The sequel was a pretty big departure and doubled down on being a survival horror but that game is way more fun. Alan Wake 2 is basically a modern day Kojima game. I don’t mean this in a good way. It’s pretentious and feels more like a movie than a game and that’s my exact same criticism with stuff like death stranding. Oh well I liked most stuff I bought this year, there is always going to be that one that disappoints

 

[Fraz]

I passionately hate this game.

 

[krelianx]

Please kill me.

 

[krelianx]

Most still like it I think. Problem is I expected so much more in the gameplay department with the glowing reviews. So many compared it to resident evil but there’s no comparison to which is better. This game feels very stiff. That could be forgiven if other aspects were good but the whole mind palace is breaking immersion. Your constantly sticking pictures to a wall to progress to the next dialogue. Several times the characters just awkwardly stood there until I figured out I just had to post more photos. I thought this would be what evil within 2 was to evil within 1. The sequel was a pretty big departure and doubled down on being a survival horror but that game is way more fun. Alan Wake 2 is basically a modern day Kojima game. I don’t mean this in a good way. It’s pretentious and feels more like a movie than a game and that’s my exact same criticism with stuff like death stranding. Oh well I liked most stuff I bought this year, there is always going to be that one that disappoints

I thought the aesthetics, voice acting, writing, and characters were total shit too.

 

[krelianx]

Dude this game was touted as possible game of the year. Is there ANY honesty in gaming media anymore ?

I unfortunately think most media is sincerely impressed with this garbage. It's 2023, and people are lauding this game for its storytelling and writing. Anyone who thinks AW2 has good writing or is a good story needs to read a book.

 

[method115]

Dude this game was touted as possible game of the year. Is there ANY honesty in gaming media anymore ?

Seems it's just a game some people like. It's like Deathstranding. I'm trying to give it a chance but I don't know I don't get it. Yet if you check Steam reviews that shits a 9/10.

 

[listrahtes]

Dude this game was touted as possible game of the year. Is there ANY honesty in gaming media anymore ?

Its not so much about honesty if you ignore IGN and other big media that just gets bought to rate. Its more about a very serious downfall in quality. Back then you had few gaming print magazines and they fought each other via quality. So problem number one MUCH less quality. To get in you really had to develop journalistic skills and truly understand gaming. When I look into gaming journalism 20 to 30 years ago in my country the level of skill was much much higher. You had IT experts as journalists or people who translated games...etc. They were real professionals. Look at them today.

Nowadays its more about who gets the first headline online screaming the loudest and clicks are generated by either destroying a game or hyping it to the moon. Thats were mainstream media has gone. There are still fantastic review sites but they are niche and you have to look for or better like I do just ignore all and make up your own mind.

3 point. You have modern day leftist woke agenda enforcing itself into every journalism and that goes along with "diversity " hires and not by merit and the rating of games by being in line with their agenda or stomping on them if not. Robocop Rogue city got a huge downrating by a big european gaming site because it didnt portray cops as evil and corrupt. The inability to take a game just for what it wants to be.

Alan Wake II is ok. Its not pure shit like some say but it has very serious shortcomings in gameplay and character portrayal (and for me the story but that might just be me). gameplay is the worst in a long time by Remedy. I even think the original is better and that one also sucked in that regard. So rating can vary depending on how you rate the problems but most mainstream media wont even recognize them or talk about it. Thats the problem. I would say everything from a 6/10 to a 8/10 is fine. I rate it at a 6.

So I would advise either look for small gaming channels / sites that still have quality or just buy games on a whim and decide for yourself.

Funny enough I didnt buy it because a friend has it and we looked into it together and I thought well than I just buy the way inferior Robocop Rogue City . Turns out Robocop is an incredible blast with storytelling true to the first movie and fantastic in near all aspects. Most mainstream media rates it poorly. Its like a light hearted gory Deus Ex. Recommend it to anyone who enjoys the first Robocop movie.