How Alan Wake Was Rebuilt 3 Years Into Development | War Stories | Ars Technica

[@BeastOfSoda]

So, this is basically 20 minutes of Max Payne talking about game development. Cool.

[@rekware9320]

Bet me to make that comment!!

[@darkdotz2361]

ITS PAYNE, WHACK THE SUCKA!

[@flobbie87]

Yeah, why does he look like Max Payne?

[@thesystempunk]

@@flobbie87 He wrote Max Payne and lend his likeness for the first game.

[@knifedreamer]

Max Payne 3 didn’t feel the same without his face lol

[@AntiChangeling]

I clicked on this just so I could see Max Payne in the flesh.

[@gs-nq6mw]

Max Payne,Alan wake and control?That guy is a genius

[@wowcruz3516]

Lmao i did the same thing

[@sluxi]

Wish they didn't change the character to some generic looking dude in MP2.

[@elimalinsky7069]

@@sluxi All the faces in the first Max Payne were of Remedy employees.

[@daliilars3350]

Is it a good game?

[@tayfuntuna]

I LOVED how each and enemies in Alan Wake had professions (like woodsman, or salesman, can't quite remember) and their war quotes during the battle was simply one-liners about their job. Like "Omega 3 fatty acids are good for your heart!" Or "Modern camping equipment is lightweight!". It was creepy as hell.

[@valettashepard909]

My favorite has to be “There are 65 million pigs and cows in the world!”

[@AceRazor]

@@valettashepard909You beat me to it!👏🏽

[@tiagometallica007]

The fact that he wrote Max Payne just because he had some english literature lessons is absolutely insane. Amazing work

[@joeofmacabre07]

Dont forget that he is Max Payne, literally 😂😂

[@mylifeingaming]

Been really looking forward to this. Alan Wake is absolutely one of my favorite games from last generation. Love that soundtrack!

[@MixologistMilo]

My Life in Gaming agreed!

[@happydawg2663]

My only problem with Alan Wake was the dullness of the facial expressions of the characters, it took me a little off from the experience. Great game, none the less.

[@MixologistMilo]

Steven Hunt 👊

[@samred]

Sam here from Ars Technica. Thanks for the shout, MLiG! We're big fans of yours, as well.

[@shintaii8608]

Same! Best of the best The story of this game is crazy💖

[@ARIXANDRE]

"Ordinary"..."object of power"..."lightswitch"..."CONTROL night and day"...Sam said everything I want to hear about CONTROL while talking about A. WAKE. Cant wait for CONTROL's second DLC. Love it.

[@MrEldorado15]

Huh ! Thanks for the Connections ! CONTROL is AWEsome !

[@someguymatt]

Man I loved Control.

[@vincentclark8386]

I like it but the texture pop in and poor framerate at times just really took it away for me. Think I'm gonna wait to finish it on ps5.

[@ShinkeiDEI]

@@MrEldorado15 I see what you did there...

[@nicoshihadeh9727]

I'm honestly at a loss as to why everyone loves Control so much. I personally think its Remedy's weakest game. The setting and the world building is incredible, but the lack of story, characterization, good voice acting, along with repetitive gameplay and a forgettable protagonist disappointed me immensely. And jeez, that menu map is probably the worst that I've ever seen implemented into any game. I was frustrated and bored by the 2/3rds mark and just wanted it to be over. The ending wasn't even worth the effort at all, but I will say the art direction and graphics were some of the best I have ever seen.

[@cdeepmusic]

Alan Wake was actually an amazing piece.

[@evanharrison4054]

Basically the king of character oriented mystery horror. I would go even so far as to say that it is the only game to ever do lovecraftian horror properly, not just relying on the surface tropes, but actually capturing the deeper meaning of cosmic horror by tapping into that...instinctive fear of the great unknown that we all know is there. While I cannot say that the ending line *"It's not a lake. It's an ocean."* was the best ever, I am confident that it's the best ending that was never followed up with a proper sequel. American Nightmare is great, don't get me wrong, but the ending is just heartbreaking. You finally see Alan reunite with Alice, only for it to dawn on you that this reality is not that reality. Brilliant. Think about it, the first installment was structured as a contemporary tv show, while the "sequel" was not at all subtly similar to The Twilight Zone. It was practically telegraphed from the first moment that Alan's writing has forced him to descend through the different layers of reality, all the way down to fiction. I could go on longer, but the point is that most people really missed the deeper significance and just wrote it off as a second tier horror game. Probably because they didn't play the two DLCs. There's some seriously important information there that probably should have been part of the original game.

[@ecokrazy]

It was basically the Alan Wake of video gaming

[@m1garand164]

The open world change into a more structured form somehow added tremendously to the atmosphere and believability of this game world. You can look off into the distance and see a past objective or a future one all there waiting for you to get there. You can see the fog enveloping it along with the great lighting, with all the great soundscape design happening during the action/scary parts, but as well in the downshift daytime "safe" scenes of serenity. It all culminated in an epic masterpiece of environment and writing and dialogue and characters that remains unforgettable.

[@MrBowmanMakes]

Remedy is seriously the best at strong concept, story/character driven games.

[@GreedAndSelfishness]

Gameplay is always in the end, a bit weak. But the story always carries the game.

[@tiagometallica007]

@@GreedAndSelfishness Remedy? Weak gameplay? What?

[@HansWurst-ht3jh]

@@tiagometallica007 I think you could call it repetititive, but not exactly weak

[@acedias12]

@@tiagometallica007 The lack of standard enemy variety. Can't speak for Max Payne, but Alan Wake and Control, despite both having supernatural stuff going on, mostly stick to the creepy humanoids template. Control has some cool bosses, but normal mobs are still rather dull as Alan Wake's. I love Alan Wake, but that is still a glaring issue.

[@ShinkeiDEI]

@@GreedAndSelfishness Remedy to 3rd person shooter what Platinum games is to Character Fighters, I wouldn't categorize their gameplay weak. Not trying to sound rude BTW.

[@paracaue]

Alan Wake is at sale on Steam right now, 90% off.

[@MaxMonsterGaming]

And its coming to Game Pass soon.

[@TheAngelOlguin]

Thank you

[@sashen6678]

@@KurosuKirie But you lose achievements...

[@FabioSilva-op2tn]

thank you. such a great buy for less than $2

[@mjolnir112]

@@KurosuKirie Come on, does that really matter when the game is like 2 bucks?

[@droptheshiv4796]

they did a awesome job with Control as well. Remedy is one of the best gaming studios out there right now!

[@Szmajdzik]

Always has been.

[@nagsterthegangster]

This was one of the first games to actually get me insanely interested into the story of a game. I just couldnt wait to see what happened next! And my favourite part is how you can watch the secret "Night Springs" episodes and take a few minutes to chill.

[@derekosterholm1350]

Yeah those moments were nice took you out of the tension for a minute while keeping you immersed in the world

[@Andrey-il8rh]

Yes, insane attention to every detail is what sets Remedy apart!

[@KimStennabbCaesar]

I fondly remember the different tv shows in the Max Payne games (the first 2). It made the world so much more immersive.

[@nagsterthegangster]

@@KimStennabbCaesar Im'a go play those 2 games now! Thanks for the tip! :D

[@KingLich451]

IT'S PAYNE! WHACK'EM!!!!

[@madeiraislander]

Hey... You Max Payne?? Affraid so! Max! I'm Mike, Vladimir's Frie- Ehhh!, who taught you to shot??? UUUGH! ENOUGH COP! AAAAAAHHHHH!!! "ragdolls out of the window" MAX! DEarEst Of AlL My FrienDs!!! JESUS CHRIST APOCALYPSE NOW!!! WE HAVE SOME HEAVY SHI- PAYNE!! SHOOT TO KILL!!!! *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* "everyone ragdolls" Neighbor: NO ONE'S DRIVING ME OUT OF MY HOME!!!! Max Payne -> Touches big painting. Neighbor: YOU GIVE ME NO CHOICE!!! *shotgun blast* *shotgun blast* I loooove Max Payne 2 xD

[@madeiraislander]

@Bryce Czirr Winterson would have found a way to do this nice, neat and clean!

[@Wordplay7891]

HALT IT

[@madeiraislander]

@@Wordplay7891 HEY YA!!! iT'S PAYNE!!! SHOOT SHOOT!!! OH IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS! *dies* -OPEN THE DOOR! SOMEBODY!!! IM GONNA BURN ALIVE IN HERE!!! SOMEBODY GET SOMEBODY,CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, HELP!!! *max shoots the door, it opens* -HEY WHAT THE HELL, WATCH IT ROOKIE!!! THAT DOES IT YOU PSYCHO!!! pew pew pew!! *Max dies, sad violin music plays*

[@Dream0Asylum]

I came for exactly this quote, and was not disappointed.

[@Freak80MC]

I recently replayed Alan Wake and its DLC's and I'm so happy to see something like this uploaded and share in my love of Alan Wake with fellow fans in the comments here! This game is so underrated. Beautiful setting (I want to move to Washington state because of this game!) and an interesting gameplay mechanic with the light, sure, it isn't the most varied game, doesn't have tons of enemy types or tons of weapons but I think it's better for that, it's a tighter narrative and knows its limits instead of trying to go all out and get lost for it, it's still interesting and honestly a really great fun game. Also I have to say I hope whenever we see Alan Wake 2, they take the mechanics in the first game and not American Nightmare into account when it comes to the enemies darkness shields as I feel like it added a lot of strategy to trying to break their shields with focusing the flashlight, draining your batteries, then not wanting to waste batteries, going back to draining slowly by just pointing and dodging. I feel like it took away from that in AN where you could only break the shields by focused light, and nothing else.

[@Chillton]

01:37 Modestly failed to mention he was also the face of Max Payne ;)

[@bfkc111]

A too painful memory.

[@Raddland]

I would have missed that, but I knew something was driving me nuts about this guy.

[@niksarass]

Judging by the comments I think it didn't need to be reminded

[@brucetus]

i think its a finnish thing

[@ernestogcosta]

I still dream of an Alan Wake 2! This game is like Bioshock Infinite or reading Lord of the Rings for me: once a year, two years maximum, I'll play it again, because it's so freaking good it must be replayed every opportunity you get!

[@WillyWankers]

Yes, its a masterpiece

[@grahamtaylor8912]

I have one chapter left to play and I dont want it to end. So I have started playing Tomb Raider (2013) just so I can go back to Alen Wake later.. Brilliant game.

[@johnh5646]

I do that with the Max Payne Games.

[@giacobmx]

Same! First Life is Strange too!

[@tremorstudio9766]

Alan Wake 2 is a reallity now!

[@Niall-jd8zw]

Lucky to have new videos on Alan wake I'll cherish this.

[@strixin79]

Alan Wake is probably one of the most underrated games of all time. A true masterpiece.

[@josephbrown9685]

I agree. It was unfortunately released on the same day as Red Dead Redemption in North America, which I think led to it being overlooked. I played both games that year, and I enjoyed A. Wake more, though RDR received far more accolades.

One of my fave games ever. I loved the story and the character

[@sznt8648]

@Timothy Dexter Source?

[@happydawg2663]

This is a brilliant video, these insights are priceless.

[@cretan982]

Yes he's so open, humble and frank. I was astonished. Obviously not an American.

[@misterBIEL12]

This video inspired me. Sam Lake is so amazing. Alan wake is truly a gem, I hope we get a sequel some day!

[@jc2348]

I can listen to this guy talk for hour his voice is very soothing.

[@Tycerax]

He LITERALLY called The Clicker an Object of Power... Oh... :)

[@jinzokrim9979]

Alan Wake Control shared universe confirmed !

[@kamilv1992]

@@jinzokrim9979 Anyone who has read the documents in Control knows that it is exactly like that.

[@happyguycol]

@@kamilv1992 that and the fact that you can actually see alan wake in the containment area 🤣 looking forward to the dlc

[@MidnightBootySnatchr]

@@happyguycol wut? I missed that part

[@happyguycol]

@@MidnightBootySnatchr yup. Yo may play it again 😀

[@incensus5407]

Thanks for the precious memory you gave to us. You won’t believe but even I remind Alan Wake, I can feel the environment and the mood & feeling of the game . I just feel it. Only limited things can do give same impact to my emotions; few games, few books, few songs..

[@Andrey-il8rh]

Not a lot of people mentioned it here, but I would like to highlight how good is the music in their games. Remedy and POTF - union made in heaven!

[@bpcgos]

Alan Wake just nail the atmosphere like other Remedy games... Awesome...

[@hlauren2001]

Congrats on 10 years Remedy! Thanks for all the wonderful stories and for keeping narrative at the forefront of all you do! I sincerely hope for more Alan Wake in the future in some form. Wonderful to have Mr Lake on here Ars guys. Thank you for focusing the flashlight on him!

[@MikeIsNexciting]

Never played Alan Wake, but after beating and loving Control I went back and watched the story. Really great story! Love the easter eggs and connections they've made between the two games and I'm excited for what the next DLC of Control has in store, further connecting to Alan Wake.

[@hannutimonen4159]

What a wonderful video. Alan Wake was one of my favorites when it was released and as I am now aiming to game design careet myself, it was really great to hear about the story and the progress of the design.

[@Nik930714]

Oh that makes so much sense. The world of that game always felt bigger than the game let on. Now i know why.

[@Semikami]

I loved Alan Wake from the get go. They really “painted the back of the cabinet too” and you can feel it in the world - even if you can set your feet in there. Looking forward to two of my favorite Remedy games colliding in an AWE.

[@pedrovieira-ri7lk]

this man´s a genius. I´m currently playing Control and one of the most intriguing aspects of that game, to me at least, is that, all throughout the game, Jesse, the game´s protagonist, keeps speaking with some kind of voice in her head. What´s amazing about this concept, is that it this serves as a double-edged sword. In another words, it works as narrative tool, inside of the game´s story, and as gameplay tool as well, Jesse, in many situations, starts talking directly to the player.

[@Brunn0121]

Alan wake always had a vastly detailed background world and now it makes perfect sense! And the plot reflecting the group's struggle to find their own identity is just proof of how competent they are in dealing with their hardships. And control was a brilliant game that felt like an open building world with a Castlevania/ Metroid layout. These insights were absolutely priceless wow

[@mjolnir112]

Remedy are one of my favourite studios, ever since Max Payne back in 2001. I recently replayed Alan Wake after finishing Control (their best work imo) and it really holds up, on PC at least. I'm hoping they are going to use the AWE DLC to setup a sequel to Alan Wake, or perhaps a completely new game in this shared universe. There are so many possibilities!

[@evanabbott2737]

I got all excited when I found the files in “Control”, connecting to Alan Wake....😁 I gotta get that DLC!!😲👍

[@Andrey-il8rh]

I must say that Remedy is my favorite game studio. They might not be as advanced as Rockstar from a technical side but man when you play Remedy games there's always this special vibes you can't feel anywhere else and it's in a lot of ways due to the story writing - the very work of this person. Thank you, Sam Lake for making Remedy special for all of us! 🙏

[@secretscarlet8249]

Yes! You interviewed Sam Lake! :D Always loved the stories of Remedy's games. They're not just brainless shooters. I will admit I hadn't seen Max Payne, but my first venture with Remedy was Alan Wake. From the moment I saw that title screen, it just hooked me like no other.

[@alextracythaxton5796]

you really should play some Max Payne as well. great story.

[@PConsoul]

Thank you for your hard work. Alan Wake is one of the best game I ever played in my life.

[@risrange09]

I just love this man. He's got such genius when it comes to writing. Plus I just love listening to him talk in general XD Finnish accents.

[@CSM100MK2]

After playing Control and absolutely loving it, I'm looking forward to playing Alan Wake for the first time, hopefully in time before the new Control DLC, A.W.E. which apparently ties into Alan Wake.

[@nickharris5231]

It's so good. The same grounded mysticism from Control in a cozy pacific northwest landscape. They nailed the David Lynch tone without making a nonsensical pile pf symbolism that lacks story. And at the time, the combat was unique for the survival horror genre, lots of tension from juggling flashlight, battery, and firearm. Now I want to play it again myself!

[@ShinkeiDEI]

I've been playing it for the first time recently (never owned a 360) and let me tell you, when you come after playing Control a lot of things kinda make sense, the perspective you get makes the experience very especial, highly recommended.

[@nickharris5231]

@@ShinkeiDEI well now Im definitely revisiting it!

[@sleeplessindefatigable6385]

You're in for a good time, just know that the camera controls are thoroughly weird and the cutscenes look way worse than the actual game. Good news is if you've even a fairly modest PC you can probably max it out at 4K.

[@Mrdresden]

Oh please, give us another trip into the world of Alan Wake one day! I have never got sucked into game like the AW:1 and AW:2

[@tommyinthewell]

Control is in the same universe and has direct ties. Next DLC is based around Wake.

[@Nam3Iess]

Alan Wake is one of my personal favourites. The music, the atmosphere and the graphics are still beautiful even today. It really is/was a masterpiece. Thank You Mr. Lake :)

[@mingli852]

It's good to hear Sam Lake confirming in the flesh that awe expansion is actually contributing to Alan Wake. want to know when it's going to be released.

[@datatsushi2016]

I love hearing this man talk about game development. Could listen for hours

[@9TXONE]

I can't wait for the "Deadly Premonition" episode!

[@imhafdhom]

lol

[@LuckyJensenn]

Honestly….would watch in a heartbeat

[@lewisrobertson1326]

One of my all time favourite games was just beautiful the graphics the story the views the sound track. Would love to see a sequel. If not a game I will go back and play for years to come.

[@greenman5907]

I’d love to watch an extended version of this for quantum break and control too. Just like a full timeline of Remedy games.

[@syedali7285]

One of the best games I played back then. The story telling was simply amazing.

[@grahamtaylor8912]

Yup its awesome.

[@arielcalzada8362]

ONE OF THE FEW BESTS GAMES IN THE WORLD , EVERYTHING IS PERFECT IN THIS GAME I VE BEEN PLAYING IT 2 TIMES A YEAR SINCE CAME OUT

[@cinemalego]

I actually happened to sit in front of Sami Järvi in a Script Seminar in Helsinki last fall. I thanked him for bringing about these amazing games, and he was humbled. A very cool experience.

[@mdml0]

Hi! I'm Sam Lake! Me (whispering): "It's not a lake. It's an ocean." Still one of my favorite games.

[@alphaascii]

You made me smile, thanks!

[@KH0LRA]

*...*

[@IMangame]

"Cinematic Action" is IMO the best formula for video games. Thanks for your work Mr Lake and please, keep them coming.

[@zakixbox]

Best game ever, Why there is no remaster or at least an enhancement for Xbox One X?! Hope we'll get Alan wake 2 one day.

[@nickharris5231]

Man, I have it on pc running max settings at a billion FPS. It's a nice upgrade from the 360 version!

[@zakixbox]

@@nickharris5231 I know, it's the 2012 build. A remaster using the new Northlight engine would be amazing!

[@zakixbox]

@Frankie Basile It's a rumor, we have nothing from Remedy.

[@kerrybaldino8826]

Very cool! Thank you for the interview! Alan Wake is still my favorite game to replay as the story and setting is so amazing

[@mingli852]

Does this mean that Alan Wake 2 is coming? I've been waiting for it for 10 years, maybe after the control awe expansion?

[@lucienlachance8010]

Still do a play through every few months. The setting, levels, characters.. All amazing

[@marekjurko4548]

Alan Wake - my favourite Sam Lake unresolved cliffhanger.

[@BitXer0]

Thanks to Sam and everyone at Remedy for making Alan Wake! One of the most full/enjoyable gaming experiences I've ever had. Amazing Story telling and design, I imagine even David Lynch would enjoy this homage. Looking forward to playing Control and seeing the tie-in. Also this series is awesome, thanks Ars!

[@Grim_Pinata]

I wanna hug Sam Lake so much. I mean, aside from he and his studio's games having such huge amounts of heart and passion put into them, I just look at him and he seems so huggable to me. *cough* I hope he isn't reading this.

[@Jo8Nathan]

I know what you mean. He seems so likable and like someone who I would love to work with or just hang out and talk about fiction.

[@KH0LRA]

saaaame

[@Crazy_Borg]

I never did regret buying a Remedy game. And I certainly never will as long as this man lays the foundation for the story and characters.

[@Jukettaja]

Can we talk about the baby maze in Max Payne?

[@sebainfanta]

D-do we have to...?

[@mjolnir112]

I've been trying to forget that for damn near 20 years.

[@BurgerGrabber]

Weeehhhhhhhh whaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh Weeehhhhhhhh whaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh Weeehhhhhhhh whaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh Weeehhhhhhhh whaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh

[@DatGuyGLK]

i used to have nightmares as a kid because of that level. i regret nothing

[@sleeplessindefatigable6385]

I'd rather not. I like to think somebody at Remedy was in an absolutely FOUL mood when they put that level together.

[@fhbjr]

It's so cool to see what they were aiming for when you've played (or seen other people play) Control, wich may be the kinda full realization of Alan Wake.

[@teijoaflecht8450]

"We have this supernatural Object of Power, this old light switch that Alan Wake has..." Can't wait for the AWE DLC...

[@cooledi9116]

@Yggdrasil Actually the Control DLC is called AWE. Control will try and explain Alan Wake.

[@Szioul]

Sounds a bit like something out of that Syfy mini-series The Lost Room.

[@Ancor_Vantian]

@@cooledi9116 Wait, are you serious? Didn't play the game but I know the story of it and the Foundation DLC. The second DLC revolves/ties to the Alan Wake universe?

[@ShinkeiDEI]

@@Ancor_Vantian It is indeed, confirmed by Sam himself.

[@aqsw57]

@@Ancor_Vantian it does not revolve around alan wake but there will be some explanation related to alan wake

[@elijahalexandersickles]

Just replayed Alan Wake and beat it yesterday for the first time since it came out when I was 11, there were parts I remembered and parts id completely forgotten about that blew my mind all over again. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it, it’s our for free on the Xbox game pass right now.

[@CHROME-COLOSSUS]

Love this - always loved “A. Wake” and think about it still. I actually remember a dream I had that took place in that game (with a large bridge and interior corridors within some maintenance access area), and I always wondered if I’d come across the same location (I didn’t finish it because I’m terrible, and so I never found out)!

[@APerson-tx7ei]

There is a giant bridge with a control center, the bridge spins around and stuff to connect the two different sides, there’s also one bridge like that that’s filled with stuff. You should try again to beat the game, the end is really good!

[@cordycat9798]

Why did you abbreviate Alan Wake?

[@DreamDemonify]

What he's describing as the original concept of Alan Wake is what they're now doing with Alan Wake 2. Hopefully, the advancements in technology will make their original vision come to life. After Control, I trust Remedy fully whatever they decide to do. Love ya, Sam, stay safe and keep making masterpieces.

[@_chemicalbeat_]

That's makes me so excited that Alan Wake 2 will probably me more open world. I'm so excited to see their original visions come true! Makes me so much more hyped for the game, I can't wait!!! 😁

[@IAMjessiebristol]

Alan Wake was one of my favorite games last generation. Would love to see a sequel or a remake with ray tracing on Series X.

[@michaelaldan6969]

I will never forget Alan Wake...thank you for never making me forget

[@Av-vd3wk]

He looks like Max Payne!

[@Wofaze]

What a crazy coincidence.

[@Av-vd3wk]

Wofaze okay, smarty - what I’m saying is, now we know where the character model for Max Payne came from - it’s interesting to know.

[@Cuzjudd]

Only 98%

[@ghostz2802]

That is max Payne

[@Barbabapan]

He does because they actually really took his face model. No kidding.

[@George-mr6fy]

A lovely well-spoken gentleman who happens to be a legendary video game writer.I can't wait for this dlc hoping it paves the way for a second installment for Alan Wake.

[@lukesanders5310]

I love how they incorporated the spawning enemy into Control

[@spider123839]

Alan wake and Max Payne...my favs...still remember the Max Payne 2 Demo disk I got with my tech magazine...started my gaming journey when I was a kid

[@chosenone8408]

This is great information, but seriously, where's Alan Wake 2?

[@MohammadAbdullah-xw7kq]

Did you enjoy it!?

[@AlexanderHawley]

This series reminds me in a great way of the old Game Developer magazine post mortem articles. Please keep doing these.

[@MidnightSt]

It's so weird to be watching max payne talking with a voice of someone else.

[@Anant6925]

Max Payne was one of the first games I ever played, love the series, and his face to this day.

[@Storm1672]

This is literally one of the best gaming series out there. I'm talking both about "War Stories" and "Alan Wake", each in their respective category. We need more from both. ps. Dear mr. Lake, give us more "Alan Wake". Open world, linear, both, everything. We will play the sh*t out of it.

[@Chinaski83]

Alan Wake is still with me after dozens of video games and many years. Love this game. Much respect.

[@1chiTheKiller]

I frickin love the fact that this story is told by Max Payne himself. Ok, now to actually watch the video.

[@LiminalDreams91]

A true masterpiece of cinematic, story-telling and video game potential combined. I will never forget this game and it changed me as a person. Thank you for this video Sam Lake and everyone involved. God bless and amen. May we still see an Alan Wake 2 one day, as his story is far from finished and haunts me to this day.

[@marcospradel47]

I'm still waiting for mah Alan Wake 2. :C

[@TheMancubjman]

Alan Wake and Control are in my top 3 favorites. Thanks Remedy!

[@greytoeimp]

"And we put the pointer on the face, to tell the story of this mouse that didn't want to move... it all clicked together on my nose"

[@frankb5728]

they blurred it in a few of the "clips" It always bothers me when tech channels don't think about the mouse pointer.

[@Automobiliana]

I appreciate his honesty. Big fan of Remedy

[@Glitch4Twitch]

Ain't nothing like a Remedy game.

[@Felgaldhinio]

One of the best gameplay loops there has been in the last 10 years

[@xXSilentAgent47Xx]

When i completed Alan Wake, i released my finger from the trigger.

[@dillonjohnlane]

lovely to hear more back story! especially that there wasn't as much left on the cutting room floor as I had thought. The building of the open world really does make it so much more believable. one of my absolute all time favorite games, perfectly captures a cross between twin peaks, twilight zone and stephen king. the comfort of being in a day segment or just barely making it into a safe haven contrasted with the anxiety of hearing the whispers and darkness whirling is something so unique to video-games as a medium and remedy's way of crafting them.

[@joffrecueva5662]

Holds a special place in my heart, as I was going through a divorce. I was looking for a remedy for my payne. Come to think of it, playing video games might have been the cause. oh well.

[@Kosake82]

You cheecky punster. ;)

[@joffrecueva5662]

It's true 😥

[@Kosake82]

@@joffrecueva5662 Sorry mate, that sucks.

[@deepspeed7862]

Interesting. My wife almost ruined this game for me with her hatred of games. My marriage limps on and my experience of the game at the time was damaged slightly.

[@matthew2734]

I really love that the special edition of Alan Wake looks just like a book too !!

[@fredrm6023]

Hey, isn't that the Veteran Porter from Death Stranding.

[@Sophie_the_Sapphic]

No, it's payne, wack him!

[@thenextlevel123]

On the off chance anyone at Remedy reads this. When Sam Lake said the cut bits from the old version provide a sense of realness he is 100% right, it totally adds to it. Also I love the fact that you guys are so open with the development of your games and I hope you continue to do so. Thank you so much for some of the best experiences I've had gaming.

[@drallagon]

I don't understand people who aren't paranoid with avoiding leaving the mouse pointer over videos/recordings lol

[@CaptainAhnungslos]

Maybe it´s on purpose. Looks like the "Crosshair/Cursor" from MaxPayne and it´s always in the middle of the screen 🤔

[@drallagon]

@@CaptainAhnungslos Then why they try to blur it sometimes? lol If you notice the cursor will become a round skintoned blob time and again

[@nesnioreh]

It's a broken pixel in the camera.

[@ChesterRico]

Right? My first instinct would've been to move it to the lower right corner. I don't trust software... not completely.

[@justNaka]

I've never played Alan Wake, but Max Payne 1 and 2 were big part of my childhood so looking the prototype of the first Max Payne in the flesh, talking about creativity with the typical lighthearthed Finnish accent was a great feelgood experience.

[@Levitator94]

Comic strips is exactly what Max Payne 3 was missing

[@1classicgamer]

I love how he knew in the back of his mind back then that they were working on Alan Wake 2, and you can just see how excited this guy is talking about the lore.

[@cube2fox]

Like a woman being pregnant but not telling anyone yet. Just dropping a few hints.

[@agamaz5650]

ayyy it is Max Payne

[@klausgartenstiel4586]

you're the "point of no return" guy??? awesome! i absolutely worship that line, and the whole setup that leads to it.

[@mrtwinky2007]

youtube removed my like so i've readded it

[@Chris73619]

Absolutely fantastic, been playing all these games for so long and still love them dearly.

[@YourCRTube]

Imagine in 2020, a game deciding NOT be an open world 😅

[@festival3051]

The master at work! In my top 3 games writers for sure! 1. Sam Lake 2. Chris Avellone 3. Hidetaka Miyazaki