Corporate greed has been seeping its way into the gaming world for years now. But, thankfully, the consumer does still get some W's. I would've gladly paid $20 for a Ragnarök DLC. Santa Monica Studios is making the highest quality video games out there AND setting an example of how to treat your fans right.

This was a cool DLC. It didn't have quite as much roguelite depth as other games of the genre, but it was still saved by the fact that it was God of War. The roguelike mechanics felt most influenced by Hades. We got some insight into Kratos' character, and I'm a sucker for that; he is one of the most complicated characters in video game history and one of the most prestigious.

This kind of game is like PapaJaeger catnip. I just gobble this stuff up. What starts off as a quirky, seemingly innocent puzzle solver ends up having an emotional ending that really challenges your... perspective. Puns aside, this is exactly the kind of game I like when looking for something short and sweet.

There was a lot to love with this game. The puzzles were weird and unique and were handled exceptionally well by a well designed engine. I'm not even sure how it's possible to code something like this. The levels were really well designed and felt unique from one another. The game also has a fantastic sense of humor; I laughed out loud on several occasions.

It felt thematically influenced by Portal (and even mechanically at parts) with it's inventive puzzles and kooky sense of humor. Portal will always remain king of this particular sub-genre, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm glad there are still devs out there making games like this.

76/100

I didn't get this game, and I'm bummed about it. I wish I could've really loved this game. The design of it didn't work for me, I don't understand what the point of it was, and the story, if there even was one, was lost on me. The gameplay was weirdly inconsistent; I don't like how it went from being super fast paced to suddenly slowing down completely in the next puzzle.

However, it wasn't completely without its merit. The music slapped really hard and was my favorite soundtrack of the year. The boss fights were well designed and probably the most fun I had while playing. It also had a great sense of humor and didn't overstay its welcome.

I could see why this game is so well liked, but as far as side scrolling platformers go, I don't think I'll look back on this one too much.

Video games are my favorite way to be told a story. I believe we have officially reached the point where video games have passed all other forms of media when it comes to storytelling potential. When crafted as masterfully as Alan Wake II, and when consuming it properly, video games can deliver a more engaging experience than movies, books, attractions, etc. The art of storytelling has evolved from sitting around a campfire telling scary stories to experiencing these tales through ultra-quality experiences like this game. Playing this on my big TV, alone in the dark, with quality surround sound headphones was one of the most immersive things I've ever done.

On quality alone, this game in unrivaled. A pure technical spectacle. A tour de force of gamemaking the likes of which I haven't quite seen before. The lighting, the sound design, the graphics, the directing, the acting, the immersion, it was all spot on. The game engine was robust and able to handle a lot of things thrown at it. I still can't believe we're at a point where loading screens are mostly extinct. Could you imagine have to sit through a loading screen every time you went to the Mind Place?

Speaking of, the Mind Place was a brilliant idea, both thematically by being literally inside the mind of the protagonist and mechanically by having a place to gather all of your info, collectibles, maps, and upgrades. I love when gameplay compliments story and this was just such a cool idea and worked perfectly for this game. It reminded me of Sanctuary from Fable III, but done even better. I liked the little puzzle of pinning things to the case board. The profiling was also a neat mechanic, although it was more cinematic and not a puzzle. The Writer's Room was also awesome, but was obviously secondary as there wasn't as much put into it. At first I was upset that coming to the Mind Place/Writer's Room didn't pause the game, but upon reflection I think I appreciated that it didn't because the lack of an easy out kept me immersed... whether I liked it or not.

And while we're at it, let's talk about immersion. It is, I think, the single most important aspect of AAA gaming in this generation, and Remedy handles it like no other. Control was also an excellent showcase of this studios ability, but they honed in their craft with Alan Wake II. I love when a game commands my entire focus. I shut off the rest of the world and pour all of my energy into it and am transported inside of it. Usually this lends to a good ol' carefree time exploring a fun fantasy world, but in this case it meant literally feeling like I was in the Dark Place, hearing the subtle whispers of lost souls in my head as I walk by. Being alone in the dark. Feeling all of the anxiety. What a wild ride. There were so many moments where I wanted to pause and take a break out of fear but stopped myself in an effort to keep myself in it. These are the kind of feelings my video gaming life lives for.

The story hooked me immediately and kept fresh to the finish. It's been over 10 years since I played the first game, and I never thought this little cult classic game would spawn this incredible sequel. The mystery was set-up well and there were some great characters added; Saga Anderson was a great protagonist, and I also really liked Alex Casey (played by the incredible Sam Lake. What can't this guy do?!). I also admire how weird it got. The musical sequence was so out of pocket and bizarre and I loved every second of it. I respect games that take big swings and in this case I think they hit a home run. I enjoyed playing as both characters and enjoyed their stories in different ways, though overall I think I enjoyed Saga's side just a little more, though the Writer's Room reality-bending mechanics for Alan were really, really cool. Also, I'm glad I played Control before this as I feel feel rewarded for doing so with a lot of references to it in this game. I find myself suddenly invested in Remedy's Connected Universe and I'm ecstatic to see what they do next.

The gameplay also worked really well for me. It isn't a game I would recommend if that's all you care about, but it is an effective compliment to the themes of the game and is a great playstyle example of a horror-survival. I love how you never felt strong; it always made me consider my choices and how to use my limited resources, and also made me anxious that any small fight could end my life. I also like how they made fighting mostly optional, minus some boss fights of course. I found myself skipping enemies as often as I could to save the ammo. The puzzles, while admittedly not particularly challenging, thematically worked well with the world, which is something I feel games don't usually care about. Where most games just throw in puzzles because they think they're fun and don't care about how it works within its setting, Alan Wake II's puzzles felt natural to the world it was set in, and were even used to worldbuild. Overall the combat was just the right amount of challenge. I only died once during the entire game during Saga's first boss fight, but it still wasn't easy. My favorite boss fights are the ones that I beat on the first attempt but still make me work for it and feel earned; dying breaks the immersion, and the feeling of figuring out a fight on the fly feels natural.

Even though I think this game is a technical and artistic masterpiece, I initially didn't give it a perfect rating. My reasoning is personal; even though I was never bored, I had a hard time having "fun" with this game. It isn't relaxing, I was stressed out after play sessions, and it took a lot of energy out of me. There were times where I had to force myself to keep playing even though my anxiety was rampant. It took me over a month to beat this game because I couldn't play for more than an hour at a time. Even though these aspects of my experience may seem negative, I think they're actually a testament to how perfectly crafted this survival-horror game is. Art is supposed to invoke strong feelings, and this sure as hell did for me. Very few games have incited such strong feeling in me like this, and I respect it for that reason. After thinking a while on it, I decided it was worthy of my (albeit meaningless) crown of Masterpiece.

In the spirit of fairness, I should list the critiques I have, though they are few. It was a liiiiitle too long. Not because it dragged or it didn't need that time, but for this particular genre it can get a bit exhausting after 20+ hours. It also had a few weird audio kinks I noticed. When Saga was talking on the cell phone, the surround sound did not pick it up correctly. When there was a radio playing it had an edited layer of radio fuzz, and that layer went away when coming out of the Mind Place. A few little awkward things sound editing bits that could've been patched up. Oh and while most of the horror was well-earned, there were a few cheap jump scares that I did not think the game needed to stoop to. But other than that, I don't think I have anything negative to say.

Also, at the risk of sounding like an elitist, I have a quick note about consuming video games. I fully believe when playing a video game like this you need to get as immersed as possible. Turn off all the lights. Put your phone in a drawer. Indulge in surround sound. Put everything else in the world aside and get as locked into a game as possible. There are so many little things you'll miss otherwise. Yes, it makes it scarier, but I promise you will get a more fulfilling experience if you do it this way.

Video games of this caliber come around infrequently and remind me why I love this medium so much. Video games are the ultimate form of storytelling expression, and I'm tired of pretending like they're not. A movie has never been able to make me feel as scared as this game did. A book has never invoked a mystery in my head like this game did. In my youth, I enjoyed video games that were fast paced, colorful, and fun. Nowadays, video games are much deeper than that. Video games can span genres just like anything else and are so much more than just Call of Duty and Fortnite.

Alan Wake II is my new Golden Standard for the survival-horror genre, a title previously held by Alien: Isolation (which is still fantastic in its own right). It is one of the best video games I've ever played.

100/100

As video games are becoming increasingly more sophisticated over the generations, one thing I've been valuing more and more is atmosphere and ambience. In my opinion this was Controls strongest aspect. When I play games, I do so in my dark room with my big TV and surround sound headphones to try to get as immersed into the experience as possible. I feel as though that method of gameplaying was heavily rewarded by this game. It had a fantastic aura about it.

The story in this game was successfully intriguing enough to keep me interested throughout my runtime. I felt compelled to read every collectable document I came across and was rewarded for doing so with not only funny moments, but insight that helped me understand what was happening. The worldbuilding was done well; there are a ton of names, ideas, and acronyms thrown at you, but I was able to keep up and I think that's a testament to good, disciplined writing. Unfortunately, the ending didn't land as cleanly as I would've hoped. There were still things I wasn't clear on and questions I had that went unanswered, but I suppose that leaves room for a sequel. Still, even though the destination wasn't as satisfying as I would've hoped, the journey still made the game well worth playing.

Like I said before, this game excels in atmosphere. It wasn't a "horror" game per se, but that didn't stop me from being spooked out on numerous occasions. There were a few chilling moments that made me pause and take a breather. There was also a lot of detail put into its lighting and sound design which amplifies the immersion. I really appreciate stuff like that. I also kind of loved the setting; the Oldest House, a bureaucratic government agency cursed with incalculably shifting corridors is a funny self-juxtaposition. This game had a lot of fun playing around with paranormal ideas and there were a ton of cool moments that stemmed from those ideas.

The engine in this game was surprisingly polished and innovative. A few things I want to highlight that I thought particularly impressive:
- It had a robust destructible environment engine, for no reason.
- The lighting engine was impressive; there are projectors in the game that, when moved around, will still project the image as if it would in real life. Never seen that before and thought it was really neat.

The gameplay in this was serviceable but wasn't anything too special. There wasn't much besides combat, which was fun for a time but didn't evolve much and the difficulty was only hiked by bullet sponging the enemies. There was one particularly memorable boss fight: The Former. I wish the game had more boss fights like this. It's a shame it was just part of a side mission. But thankfully this games other aspects were strong enough to keep me wanting to play. Oh and the skill tree was uninspired and I didn’t really care for the mod system.

I put the game down after completing the main story. I didn't do many of the side quests and I don't think I'll play the DLCs. I wish that I wanted to, especially since my favorite gameplay moment (The Former Fight) is in a side mission, but there are too many other games on my backlog and I feel content with what I played.

77/100