November 5th, 2023: Had a great time playing this one. The story was as confusing as ever which is expected for Alan Wake, the combat was far better than the original, the live action sequences were fantastic and fun to see as a movie guy myself, and the core combat system never got repetitive unlike the original for me.
Only reason why this is four stars instead of five is because I was severely disappointed with how the game ended. 13 years and we got another cliffhanger, but it's worse this time cause unlike the original game, there's way too many questions unanswered to justify the game ending right there in that point in time. The story in general is excellent and there's nothing wrong with the writing, but it's the fact that the game ended right there instead of wrapping up everything that could also lead into sequels like what Remedy wants.
I was also not a fan of the Chapter Songs in this game, that's a personal thing. The songs in the original game were far better and whenever Poets of the Fall showed up, they stole the show without much effort since the competition isn't very good.
But yeah, great game overall. Kinda sucks that Remedy held back story content for New Game Plus, the second expansion, and possible sequels.
January 2nd, 2024: I'm done with the game. I get what Remedy was trying to do with The Final Draft, but it was one of the most miserable experiences I've ever sat through in my life. I enjoyed playing the game in the first run, I did. But being forced to replay the ENTIRE game again just to get the ending you want with almost ZERO differences during the journey to get there was one of the most grueling gaming experiences I've ever sat through especially since the game already starting to get repetitive by the normal end. Yes, the ending is fixed. Though saying "fixed" is a stretch in of itself. Some characters do have closure now, but getting there is just as painful as being Alan Wake in The Dark Place writing Return for 13 years. And it's because you already played this before. It makes sense from a narrative perspective, but OneShot Solstice did this much better cause at least Solstice was actually different so you wouldn't get bored getting to the new unraveling of mysteries. In here, you are literally repeating the game just so you can get a new ending. Again, it fits the looping concept, but it is so mind-numbingly boring and repetitive where you wish you could stop playing. Instead of using New Game Plus like how it is in most games, why not make The Final Draft a full experience like the main game and then give us New Game Plus after finishing both Main Game and Final Draft. Main Game Plus and Final Draft Plus would've been far better than this. New Game Plus should only ever be used for when you want to just replay the game, not forcing yourself to replay the game for a new plot point unless if you actually take this concept and fully flesh it out instead of pulling a half measure like what this mode was.
With The Final Draft, the pacing is completely fucked and the game doesn't even justify its now 30 hour runtime. If it wasn't for my devotion to my boyfriend, I wouldn't have finished the game and just look up the new ending on YouTube instead. OneShot Solstice did this exact same thing and did it better in every single way imaginable. Not to mention when you think of the plot in a way where you can piece it together, it gave me a migraine and I barely understand it in the end. I should also mention that the new ending doesn't even fix all the issues I had with the original finale. It fixes some things, doesn't resolve some things that should be resolved, and it creates even more questions. So there's that.
Overall with everything now available, Alan Wake II left me with a sense of sadness cause I had a great time with the game until the original ending and once it happened, it was all downhill from there and it only got worse once I realized that The Final Draft was a literal half baked concept wasting the potential of what could've been taking the concept of New Game Plus and making it a new experience within itself, yet The Final Draft barely does anything worthwhile to justify the New Game Plus run or even the excessive runtime especially for Survival Horror standards.
Alan Wake II is an artistic achievement still, but it could've done so much more instead of tripping at the finish line so hard that it scuffs any enjoyment I previously had with it. The original Alan Wake is a far better experience for me. Even if it has it's sloppy controls and floaty combat, it's a far more satisfying experience compared to the sequel and at least you aren't forced to replay the game again to get the ending.
Only reason why this is four stars instead of five is because I was severely disappointed with how the game ended. 13 years and we got another cliffhanger, but it's worse this time cause unlike the original game, there's way too many questions unanswered to justify the game ending right there in that point in time. The story in general is excellent and there's nothing wrong with the writing, but it's the fact that the game ended right there instead of wrapping up everything that could also lead into sequels like what Remedy wants.
I was also not a fan of the Chapter Songs in this game, that's a personal thing. The songs in the original game were far better and whenever Poets of the Fall showed up, they stole the show without much effort since the competition isn't very good.
But yeah, great game overall. Kinda sucks that Remedy held back story content for New Game Plus, the second expansion, and possible sequels.
January 2nd, 2024: I'm done with the game. I get what Remedy was trying to do with The Final Draft, but it was one of the most miserable experiences I've ever sat through in my life. I enjoyed playing the game in the first run, I did. But being forced to replay the ENTIRE game again just to get the ending you want with almost ZERO differences during the journey to get there was one of the most grueling gaming experiences I've ever sat through especially since the game already starting to get repetitive by the normal end. Yes, the ending is fixed. Though saying "fixed" is a stretch in of itself. Some characters do have closure now, but getting there is just as painful as being Alan Wake in The Dark Place writing Return for 13 years. And it's because you already played this before. It makes sense from a narrative perspective, but OneShot Solstice did this much better cause at least Solstice was actually different so you wouldn't get bored getting to the new unraveling of mysteries. In here, you are literally repeating the game just so you can get a new ending. Again, it fits the looping concept, but it is so mind-numbingly boring and repetitive where you wish you could stop playing. Instead of using New Game Plus like how it is in most games, why not make The Final Draft a full experience like the main game and then give us New Game Plus after finishing both Main Game and Final Draft. Main Game Plus and Final Draft Plus would've been far better than this. New Game Plus should only ever be used for when you want to just replay the game, not forcing yourself to replay the game for a new plot point unless if you actually take this concept and fully flesh it out instead of pulling a half measure like what this mode was.
With The Final Draft, the pacing is completely fucked and the game doesn't even justify its now 30 hour runtime. If it wasn't for my devotion to my boyfriend, I wouldn't have finished the game and just look up the new ending on YouTube instead. OneShot Solstice did this exact same thing and did it better in every single way imaginable. Not to mention when you think of the plot in a way where you can piece it together, it gave me a migraine and I barely understand it in the end. I should also mention that the new ending doesn't even fix all the issues I had with the original finale. It fixes some things, doesn't resolve some things that should be resolved, and it creates even more questions. So there's that.
Overall with everything now available, Alan Wake II left me with a sense of sadness cause I had a great time with the game until the original ending and once it happened, it was all downhill from there and it only got worse once I realized that The Final Draft was a literal half baked concept wasting the potential of what could've been taking the concept of New Game Plus and making it a new experience within itself, yet The Final Draft barely does anything worthwhile to justify the New Game Plus run or even the excessive runtime especially for Survival Horror standards.
Alan Wake II is an artistic achievement still, but it could've done so much more instead of tripping at the finish line so hard that it scuffs any enjoyment I previously had with it. The original Alan Wake is a far better experience for me. Even if it has it's sloppy controls and floaty combat, it's a far more satisfying experience compared to the sequel and at least you aren't forced to replay the game again to get the ending.