I was one of the people who actually played the original Alan Wake on the 360 not long after it came out.
I had no idea what it was, it was a library rental when I was around 15, and it changed my life. Remedy’s brilliant approach to storytelling and writing, truly unique third person shooting, often unpredictable and equally terrifying. I was who this game was made for.
And they did it, they really did it. Everything: the sound design, the production design, dialogue with NPCs, the detective work, the world bending, the two egregiously detailed semi-open hub worlds, and a mixed media presentation unlike anything seen since Control (but done in an alarmingly more effective way), the acting work, the overall creative direction, the shift to true survival horror, EVERYTHING works.
The more time I’ve spent away from the game, the more I dwell on how special of a piece this game is; the result of a veteran studio who has never ever been afraid to stick to their guns and problem solve over and over and over again.
Play the first Alan Wake, then play the second. They are stories you will never forget.
Alan Wake II was the best game of 2023.
I had no idea what it was, it was a library rental when I was around 15, and it changed my life. Remedy’s brilliant approach to storytelling and writing, truly unique third person shooting, often unpredictable and equally terrifying. I was who this game was made for.
And they did it, they really did it. Everything: the sound design, the production design, dialogue with NPCs, the detective work, the world bending, the two egregiously detailed semi-open hub worlds, and a mixed media presentation unlike anything seen since Control (but done in an alarmingly more effective way), the acting work, the overall creative direction, the shift to true survival horror, EVERYTHING works.
The more time I’ve spent away from the game, the more I dwell on how special of a piece this game is; the result of a veteran studio who has never ever been afraid to stick to their guns and problem solve over and over and over again.
Play the first Alan Wake, then play the second. They are stories you will never forget.
Alan Wake II was the best game of 2023.