Took nearly a year but I have finally completed Alan Wake Remastered including the two extra episodes that were originally DLC. The story is fantastic as it used the concept of light and darkness in both a literal and metaphorical sense as you have the titular character goes on a journey to save his wife from The Dark Place. However, I found the gameplay to be plain and average at best and painfully frustrating and horrid at worst, and the one major aspect that prevents Alan Wake from being a truly stellar game.

The overall premise of Alan Wake is the titular character is a best-selling author who decided to take a vacation to Bright Falls with his wife and best friend as a way to recover from writer's block for his next novel.

However, during the first night, his wife suddenly disappears and shadow figures called The Taken start to arise to kill him. As Alan proceeds onwards to uncover the mystery of his wife's disappearance, he starts to realize the events of a novel he yet to write was coming true in his reality.

Alan Wake is structured as a TV series, in which each level serves as a roughly two-hour-long episode with recaps at the start of each episode and the end of an episode featuring license music (which are really good bangers)! Alan Wake takes a dive into the character's psyche and mindset in this psychological thriller adventure.

The atmosphere of the overall game is unsettling but it's very fitting as well. You spend the majority of Bright Falls during nighttime when it's nearly dark.

From the ambient music, the feeling of being alone for the majority of the time in the dark, and the surprise presence of The Taken, Alan Wake emphasizes the haunting and mysterious place of Bright Falls.

Speaking of the town, Bright Falls has quite a lot of character and details as you progress into the game, such as reading signs to reveal the location's culture and history. As well as radio shows scatter across the game that features Bright Fall's citizens engaging in various conversations.

Not to mention there are brief live-action TV episodes called Night Springs that are akin to The Twilight Zone and serve as an eerie parallel to the game's own strange events unfolding around Alan Wake.

The story is just fantastic and a very creative horror as it uses Alan Wake's own imagination as his greatest nightmare comes true and it delves into a plot-twisting journey as he reveals the truth about a manuscript that serves as the key to ending the darkness around him and his wife.

I have 0 complaints about the story since it's so tightly written and gripping but unfortunately, all of my grievances come from the gameplay. Despite the interesting gameplay that works well from a narrative perspective, the gameplay just feels like an afterthought compared to the story.

The gameplay is a simple linear shooter. The main goal is to point A to point B while surviving against The Taken. Light is thier greatest weakness against these shadow figures, so Alan Wake is often equipped with a flashlight to shine on The Taken to weaken them as you use one of four guns to shoot at them to make them disappear.

The Taken can also form as birds or inanimated objects to shine light at to defeat. You also can use more rare weapons such as flares, flashbangs, and flare guns to assist Alan Wake to keep himself away from The Taken and even defeat multiple enemies in one shot.

The gameplay sounds fine and all on paper but it is just horribly executed. Controls can be chunky and awkward, especially dodge and run controls. I can not count the number of times I have died in the game all because of poor and slow dodges or slow running since all of the Taken can easily defeat Alan in close combat within a few hits and Alan have absolutely no way to defend himself in close combat beside a flare.

Also, there are just a number of very frustrating sections when you have to fend off waves of enemies to proceed onwards and the average Taker can easily outspeed and out-damage Alan and this is especially difficult if Alan is ill-equipped. It also does not help that some Taker enemies are health sponges and can consume a large number of your resources just to defeat a single one of them.

Overall Alan Wake is a brilliant story about a writer fighting against his own creations as well as his mind but...I feel like Alan Wake is one of those games that would be much better within a different medium such as a TV show since the game is structured that way anyways since I did not enjoy much of the gameplay to be completely honest. And sadly, the stiff and hair-pulling gameplay drags down what would otherwise be a near-flawless game.

That said, if you are willing to deal with the painstaking waves of combat and simple gameplay, then you're in a treat for one of the best psychological horror adventures I have seen in a story.

-that aint drip that’s sweat ‼️‼️ ass ending
-david lynch truly ruined media literacy for generations. not only that but he ruined how ppl conceptualize and empathize w rural america. in rural america the supernatural and paranormal take on real tangible presences bc these backroads of america exist to oppress each new generation. i grew up in a town where there was countless paranormal stories, glowing cemetery headstones and cars that when turned off at the top of the hill move on their own these are stories made to distract people from how tiresome and boring and dull and seemingly inescapable these lands are. my hometown was also very infamous for like having a meth problem. there’s smth to be said about the correlation of rural america’s fascination w the otherworldly and it’s rampant violence/racism/sexism/drug use, how made up stories are easier to comprehend than having to realize the horror stories come from our own sleepy towns. calling smth lynchian kind of just proves your own privilege and shortsightedness lmaooo. idk rural america is not quirky or weird it’s just hollow and depressing and I think this game nails it where someone like lynch never could and any comparisons between the two are so surface level and rlly only present in the first chapter.
ive seen every lynch thing besides the 2nd and 3rd seasons of twin peaks and rlly this does not have any specific vibe that made me think oh yeah lynch. I did however think of the late 90s scooby doo movies and I know what u did last summer and the original version of the fog at least in terms of map designs.
-ive seen a bunch of ppl saying the enemy designs are all very basic which sure yeah but i dont think that’s a bad thing and if anything serves as more thematic tissue of how ppl in this town are disposable for the darkness. plus I like how many of them get their own unique voice lines which are cute.
-bret easton ellis ref…sam lake go on the pod bitch
-episode three is rlly interesting mechanically as it turns the lights on you instead and puts you in the role of the enemies that you’ve spent the prior two episodes killing, it’s cool and reminds me a lot of like what if the prague chapter from mgs4 was actually uhhhh good. i like when games strip you from the central mechanics and powers of the playable characters and make you weak/vulnerable
-have only played the base game as of rn…will get to the dlc and american nitemare soon/eventually. feel like I’ll love nitemare bc rlly into the big wide open maps the base game has and how there’s plenty of ways to go about enemy encounters,,fun stuff that makes u think more logically about each fight. want to play alan wake 2 real bad but it’s seemingly the only reason to own a next gen console rn !

Long before I got to actually play any of these games, I remember seeing an image online of a bargain bin with an entire stack of used copies of Max Payne 3 being right in the middle of it, and because I was only vaguely familiar with the titular character's name at the time, it made me curious to see why that game in particular was apparently so controversial. As I became a bigger fan of the series by playing through and loving the first two games, my intrigue towards playing Max Payne 3 only grew due to how divisive it apparently was in the fanbase, but hearing about how the game was made by Rockstar this time around rather than Remedy gave me the feeling that the game was in good hands. While Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne improved on everything the previous game had established, Max Payne 3 ended up feeling like a total evolution of what made the series so special to me, as it struck a great balance between retaining the soul of the previous two games and revamping the gameplay and presentation in ways that ended up making this game my favorite in the trilogy.

One of the most noticeable and controversial additions to the gameplay in Max Payne 3 would be that of the cover system, and while I do kind of understand why people were coming from (especially with how the game industry was horrendously oversaturated with third-person cover shooters at the time), I felt that it ended up working alongside the John Woo-inspired bullet time and shootdodge mechanics that made the series iconic rather than against them. Thanks to the reduced amount of painkillers, weightier physics engine, and limited weapon slots that have a built-in risk-reward system, the gunfights in Max Payne 3 ended up being so much more dynamic, intense, and engaging than the ones in the previous two games, as you're given more freedom to approach each encounter while still being effectively punished for being too reckless or not having a plan. In both Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, I killed pretty much all of the enemies in my way by dodging to the side in slow motion and holding on R1 until they died, but here in Max Payne 3, I would pull off stunts like dive off of a railing, headshot as many enemies as possible before landing on the ground, staying on the ground to pick off anyone I missed, and then rolling into cover to blind fire at the new enemies arriving in the area, and having those strategies go well felt incredibly satisfying. Although you can find optional clues in each mission to help make sense of what's going on, a lot of the detective work and especially the platforming from the previous two games were toned down in favor of focusing on the shootouts and cutscenes, but since the moment-to-moment gameplay is so fun and rewarding to experiment with (especially thanks to how good these guns feel to handle and how cruel the violence ends up being), it doesn't end up feeling like a loss at all.

Even before I got the chance to actually play Max Payne 3, I was well aware of its visual style (so much so that I remember referencing it in at least one of my movie reviews), but I not only felt that it was a perfect fit for the story and its themes, but I also thought that it was even more appealing to my own tastes than the presentation of the rest of the series. If Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne took cues from the noir genre, then Max Payne 3 did the same with neo-noir, as the comic panel cutscenes and grimy New York apartments were replaced with a sun-baked, yet sleazy São Paulo setting, an incredible soundtrack by HEALTH, and a barrage of woozy, hyperactive flourishes that feel straight out of digital-era Tony Scott films like Man on Fire and Domino. Max was literally never able to catch a break in any of the three games, but what he goes through here in Max Payne 3 felt outright depressing, as his intense and debilitating addictions to alcohol and painkillers added another layer of tragedy to a story and plot that are significantly darker and bleaker than the first two games. The game starts with Payne hitting rock bottom before having him somehow ruin every worst case scenario he finds himself in, and as the twists and betrayals stack up on top of each other, the fog of failure and self-hatred that clouds his judgement thickens right alongside it. James McCaffrey's performances in Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne were already brilliant, but he absolutely nailed it here in Max Payne 3, as he conveys just how beaten-down, exhausted, and bitter Payne has become with every line. Max Payne 3 was a phenomenal conclusion to what is easily my favorite video game trilogy (although I'd still consider Metal Gear to be my favorite overall franchise in gaming), and since Rockstar's focus has shifted towards making open world games over the past decade, I can't imagine them making something like this ever again.

"Hey, chin up. I know the night just got darker, but it won't last forever."

Fallout 4 is definitely a good game, overhated because what came before was better (not that I'd know, I've never played them).

While the gameplay was relatively lackluster and it felt like I was either one-shotting or mag dumping every enemy, it was pretty fun. Building up the camps was fun at first, but quickly became tedious when resources got short and more survivors joined. Not to mention me not being able to figure out how powering lights works.

The story was serviceable, while I have a few minor grievances they aren't nearly big enough to go on a tangent about. My biggest gripe was that some times the response prompts would not make it easy to figure out what I'd actually end up saying (or I'm just dumb). The characters, on the other hand, were pretty great. My favorite companion (besides Dogmeat, of course), is Nick Valentine, and boy did they cook with him. A cop with a heart of gold and instincts of steel from before the Great War who's consciousness got put into a prototype synth who has to grapple with the fact that he isn't actually Nick Valentine? Peak. Other supporting characters like Deacon and Preston Garvey were great too, especially Preston (Minutemen best faction).

80/100.
Deathclaws suck to fight, especially without power armor.

"The Hero Turns To Look Inside, Is Destroyed By What He Sees, And Is Redeemed."

Finished Alan Wake 2 last night and oh my, I absolutely get the praise for Alan Wake 2 now. It's an experience like no other game and not only does it greatly improve from the first game in every single aspect, but this is easily Redemy Entertainment's magnum opus with its unique multimedia method of storytelling and immersion.

The graphics are just astonishing, especially with how carefully Redemy has been crafting thier usage of lighting to the point there are many scenes when you could easily mistake the game for live-action. The audio design is one of the best I have experienced and it's incredibly immersive to hear sounds from all directions and angels from pouring rain, ringing phones, a conversation between people, and eerie monstrous sounds. From an aesthetic viewpoint, Alan Wake 2 does an excellent job of sending the message that this is a survival horror story.

Speaking of survival horror, Alan Wake 2 makes a drastic change in gameplay from the first game. No longer an action-adventure game shooting down dozens of Taken and dealing with frustrating combat sections. The gameplay emphasizes less action and more on slowly walking through nerve-wracking uncertainly.

While the survival horror combat itself is nothing groundbreaking, what helps make Alan Wake 2 stand out is how the duel protagonists, the titular character himself Alan Wake, and FBI agent Saga Anderson, solve their obstacles to resolve the issue at hand.

With Saga's mind place to help put together pieces she finds throughout the game to solve the surrounding mysteries and interrogate suspects. As well as Alan's plot board changes the surrounding environment around him as if he's rewriting "plot elements" for a story. It's a fresh and creative layer to prevent the gameplay from ever being stale.

The shining gem of Alan Wake 2 is the story and narrative and while it's very difficult to talk about its story without going into spoilers and details. What I can say is it masterfully presents its story like no other game I've played.

You have live-action segments of a short film, an operatic rock musical, video autobiographies, commercials, etc. As well as songs that play during and at the end of each chapter and scattered pages of incomplete manuscripts, all complimentary to the spiraling complex narrative that explores the psychological descent of the duel protagonists.

While each unique segment of Alan Wake 2 does sound disjointed and nonsensical on paper, it all comes together flawlessly in a meta manner of speaking to tell a story about a story and how these characters are trapped in a horror story coming to life.

Not to mention, the worldbuilding and easter eggs that Remedy have set up with thier previous games Quantum Break and Control help sell the overall dark surrealism and atmosphere that extends beyond the main focus and scope of Alan Wake 2. So it's very rewarding to play Redemy's previous games to appreciate these finer details that would be harder to pick up.

Truthfully, Alan Wake 2 is a near-flawless game. While I do think some of the enemies are a bit too health spongey and the checkpoint system could be more forgiving, those are just nothing more but minor nitpicks. It's otherwise masterfully executed in game design, narrative, and presentation with its creative multimedia approach.

I'm not a huge horror fan so I can't say with confidence it's one of the greatest horror stories of all time. But what I can say is it's a hallmark of visual and audio entertainment and sets a new standard of story presentation and game design. As far as I know, Alan Wake 2 is easily one of the greatest games of all time and that is something I do not say lightly.