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[Gamer79]

It's like the Beach Blonde with the big tits you know has a Double Digit IQ. Damn fine to look at but not much else going on. I wanted to like this game but after 6 hours it is a snore fest. The whole "Imagination Land" angle slows an already slow paced game down to a snore fest. I have played board games with more action. With that said, it is a fantastic piece of art to look at. I am running a 4070 so can only run Path Ray Tracing outside of the woods but it is a fantastic piece of art in motion. The Woods themselves in the opening scene is breath taking and all I could think of was having a Friday the 13th game in those same woods. Then Going indoors the lighting and artwork is just superb. Even scenes when Allen first leaves the tv studio into the city neighborhood is a jaw dropper. Lighting a Flare or shining a bright light in dark scenes is kinda a magic touch on my Qd-Oled tv. It really is a Jekyll/Hyde situation. Looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane.

** some spoiler warnings ahead **

The Story was a mess in the first game and continues on an even more bizarre rabbit hole than the first one. Maybe I am not bright enough or maybe I am not taking the same kind of Acid the story writers wrote but good luck making sense of the Main plot. It's easy to understand the little things but the overall plot is a completely hot mucking mess. The Whole Dark place and the doppelganger, along with Saga who just somehow just knows things and never really explained. A dead guy gets up with no heart early in the game. Attacks and kills 2 cops and nearly Saga herself. Instead of calling in the cavalry like anybody would, they make the decision to go alone and chase this Huge Zombie with his dick hanging out in the woods at night by themselves. Cliche smart people making dumb decisions. The game has moments of action and maybe it gets better later in the game but I am 6 hours in and it is a real drag.

She is a looker though: For reference I am playing on a moderate 4070 system. I can still pay this game at 4k Dlss Peformance with all settings on high and path ray tracing (outside the wooded area) and getting close to 60fps. I am sure it looks even better on more capable systems.

Youtube has a bit of compression but here are some samples.

Alan Wake 2 - Screenshot-Galerie | pressakey.com

Stöbere durch 31 Screenshots, Artworks und Wallpaper zu Alan Wake 2 - Survival-Horror von Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games für PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S.

pressakey.com

 

[PonyStation4]

Saga knows things and it's not explained? Her name is Saga, which means Seer in Norse mythology, relating her to the Anderson family. Everything she does is guess work based on manuscript pages and the seer ability that I recall the FBI talking about and linking her to an AWE.

 

[Mortisfacio]

I found the story of Alan Wake 2 to be very well done, but I've found opinions to be pretty polarized on that. Seems to be a lot of love or a lot of dislike/hate, but not much meh/decent feelings towards it. I played it after a stretch of open world games in BG3, CyberPunk: Phantom Liberty and Starfield, so it being a more linear style game appealed to me more than normal at the time as I was burning out on long open worlds. I thought the Wake segments were better, on average.

 

[bundylove]

Agree.

 

[HJuggernaut]

the first one wasn't a hoot either

 

[Draugoth]

I really like slow horror paced games like AW2, but i found Control super confusing

 

[BacklashWave534]

Nothing wrong with a slow paced horror game. I had a great time playing it and thought the story was excellent. Sounds like it's not your type of game.

 

[OverHeat]

You are right OP a Technical Showcase but an average game.

 

[Doom85]

Saga knows things and it's not explained? Her name is Saga, which means Seer in Norse mythology, relating her to the Anderson family. Everything she does is guess work based on manuscript pages and the seer ability that I recall the FBI talking about and linking her to an AWE.

Yeah, Saga is meant to be a genius detective just as Alan is a genius writer. The first game opens with Barry talking about how brilliant a writer Alan is, and likewise the second game opens with Casey talking about how brilliant a detective Saga is. Then both leads each had their incredible abilities enhanced through the supernatural elements of the games. It’s actually quite cool how the two leads mirror each other in that way.

 

[Hohenheim]

Loved the game. Everything about it was perfect for me. The Lynch-ish atmosphere was top tier.
Best game from 2024 for me.
And yeah, it looks amazing too.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I wanna stick my Alan in her.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Total dog shit.

Control though, now that was a game

 

[M.W.]

Not a fan of Remedy to be honest.

 

[struggler_guts]

First one was better, better written too.

Sounds like you haven't hit that music part yet...

 

[Spukc]

loved it, really something else finally that music stage easy best gaming moment i had in 2024

 

[Spukc]

Not a fan of Remedy to be honest.

 

[DanielG165]

Eh, I’m a sucker for crime thrillers and psychologically cutting stories, so AW2 was rather interesting and compelling to me.

 

[qbxwhi]

First one was better, better written too.

Sounds like you haven't hit that music part yet...

yeh the first game is better.

 

[Jesb]

Still haven’t played it. I just didn’t find the first game fun to play when enemies showed up. Atmosphere and graphics are obviously top notch though. I still would like to try it one day.

 

[Johnny Concrete]

You guys really deserve the Concords, Veilguards and all GAAS games that are coming your way when you can’t appreciate the work of art that is Alan Wake II.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I'm right there with you. If this game didn't have the production value it does, I wouldn't have finished it. But it does have that production value, so I did.

I reinstalled it last week, thinking I'd play through it again. Got bored and uninstalled it after an hour.

 

[EDMIX]

I found the story of Alan Wake 2 to be very well done, but I've found opinions to be pretty polarized on that. Seems to be a lot of love or a lot of dislike/hate, but not much meh/decent feelings towards it. I played it after a stretch of open world games in BG3, CyberPunk: Phantom Liberty and Starfield, so it being a more linear style game appealed to me more than normal at the time as I was burning out on long open worlds. I thought the Wake segments were better, on average.

I like most of what you played so I trust your input. I haven't had much time and my gaming log is booked lol

I might buy the physical version some time this year if I can get a good deal. I like thriller type stories but I feel in gaming that is rarely done well imho, but if you found the story really well done, I might check it out sooner then later.

Draugoth , DanielG165 , Doom85 and Hohenheim convinced me, OP....this thread didn't turn out the way you may have wished, I'm now looking to just get it on Amazon based on the replies

 

[Moses85]

Yes, it is boring and even more stupid.

I platinumed it last week but

After all these years I already forgot how stupid and boring already Alan Wake 1 was! And

 

[M.W.]

You guys really deserve the Concords, Veilguards and all GAAS games that are coming your way when you can’t appreciate the work of art that is Alan Wake II.

 

[bundylove]

Yes, it is boring and even more stupid.

I platinumed it last week but

After all these years I already forgot how stupid and boring already Alan Wake 1 was! And

RIght there with you.

Joke of a game.

At the end i was jusr screaming to make it stop. Never again. This game was pure torture.

Loved control but this shit?

 

[Bitstream]

AW2, the perfect game for anyone who has never worked in an office or tried cleaning their room. Why was 50% of that game clicking and dragging photos? Why was another 45% of it listening to nonsensical rambling from shadowy figures? Spooky old ladies make for epic boss fights... fuck outta here.

 

[Rockman33]

Sooo boring

 

[Crystal Winters]

Did you just assume its gender?

 

[ChoosableOne]

There were negative comments about RDR 2, and the same for this game. Both turned out to be amazing games. I think these are the two biggest examples showing that you need to try a game for yourself.

 

[Moses85]

RIght there with you.

Joke of a game.

At the end i was jusr screaming to make it stop. Never again. This game was pure torture.

Loved control but this shit?

 

[bundylove]

I like most of what you played so I trust your input. I haven't had much time and my gaming log is booked lol

I might buy the physical version some time this year if I can get a good deal. I like thriller type stories but I feel in gaming that is rarely done well imho, but if you found the story really well done, I might check it out sooner then later.

Draugoth , DanielG165 , Doom85 and Hohenheim convinced me, OP....this thread didn't turn out the way you may have wished, I'm now looking to just get it on Amazon based on the replies

I will reserve you a seat next to me for when you come crying about your experience.
I will give you some beer and a steak to make you feel better.

 

[Senua]

Loved the game, twin peaks and true detective s1 vibes throughout. Incredible atmosphere especially in the forest. And yea graphically it's one of the very best

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

RIght there with you.

Joke of a game.

At the end i was jusr screaming to make it stop. Never again. This game was pure torture.

Loved control but this shit?

Wow, they got a Keanu DLC?

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

It’s a game for people who appreciate psychological detective thrillers. If you need explosions every few seconds so as not to get bored it’s probably not the game for you

 

[Fortuneelsewhere]

This game is a masterpiece.. sad it didn't sell well.. still hoping it will have some legs and turns profitable..

 

[JimmyRustler]

The game was way too bloated for it’s own good. Replayed the first one multiple times but I don’t see myself ever going back to AW2. Total slog. But yeah, it looked darn good.

 

[FireFly]

AW2, the perfect game for anyone who has never worked in an office or tried cleaning their room. Why was 50% of that game clicking and dragging photos? Why was another 45% of it listening to nonsensical rambling from shadowy figures? Spooky old ladies make for epic boss fights... fuck outta here.

You are only forced to use the case board at specific moments and outside of that it can be ignored.

 

[rofif]

Way too much talking heads.
And I found the exploration that unlocks in a cheaper after finishing it, completely boring. Should be cut.

 

[artsi]

I loved:

- Saga gameplay, exploring the towns and other areas
- Music

I hated:

- Alan dream world gameplay
- Putting clues on the board
- Profiling
- Jump scare screens

 

[mdkirby]

Each to their own, I loved the game and story, graphics were decent I guess, I wouldn’t say they were anything special tho.

That said I play games for interesting mysteries, and like the slow pace of walking simulators.

 

[Bojji]

First Alan wake game is UP TO 8/10 experience. This one is still a decent game, but it's worse for sure.

Graphics, art, and music are the best aspects here. Story is pure nonsense and gameplay is mediocre.

 

[midasmulligan]

You guys really deserve the Concords, Veilguards and all GAAS games that are coming your way when you can’t appreciate the work of art that is Alan Wake II.

Let me guess, you loved Joker 2, didn’t you

 

[Zuzu]

Silent Hill 2 Remake > Alan Wake 2. Silent Hill 2 Remake has better bosses, better puzzles, better writing, better characters and just does psychological horror better overall than AW2. SH2 does have it's own flaws but its better overall than AW2.

 

[Corporal.Hicks]

Alan Wake 2 is a work of art (especially we sing chapter). I can appreciate art, so I loved this game.

The first Alan Wake 1 was a good game, but it was more focused on combat and felt almost like an arcade shooter. The sequel is a slow-paced game with an emphasis on atmosphere and storytelling, although there's still plenty of combat as well. I enjoyed reading the notes and discovering the story through subtle clues, but I can understand that some people do not like to play a game for 30 hours or so, but might preferring to run through the levels without taking the time to enjoy what the developers have prepared for them.

BTW. I highly recommend turning off auto-aim if you are playing on gamepad. It makes combat much more challenging and fun. With auto aim, combat felt too easy and almost boring, but without auto aim I had a good time just shooting.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Alan Wake 2 is pure atmosphere. It carries the game, imo. It feels like you are thrown into a Twilight Zone episode of True Detective.

If AW2 had the quality of combat of an RE4R, it would probably be one of my favorite games of all time. Sadly it was incredibly mediocre, with an ending that was pretty lackluster. Great experience overall tho

 

[Thief1987]

OP you made this thread just to brag about your new shiny pc... one more time?

Also I will never understand people who play trash games just because they are look nice, need to justify money spent, I guess

 

[RoadHazard]

I don't find it boring at all. The gameplay is pretty meh, yes, just like the original, but the story is super interesting to me. But I love Twin Peaks and everything like that.

Not done with it yet, so no spoilers please.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Visually it was good, but the story was dogshit, and anyone who thinks otherwise probably loves smelling people's farts and calling it art. Alan Wake 2 is the hippie of writing.

 

[Roufianos]

Was a bit of a slog, which was a surprise after the stellar reviews. Silent Hill 2 is leagues above IMO.

 

[damidu]

its barely a game, pretty much a walking simulator.
if you need to kneecap action this bad for whatever reason, at least make the detective work interesting and fun. but nope. everything progress pretty much in autopilot