I strongly recommend: Alan Wake II (Spoiler-free review)

Find out how Nvidia's cutting edge technology like DLSS 3.5 improves powerful new features like Full Ray Tracing, making games like Alan Wake II and Cyberpunk 2077 look their absolute best: www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/.... Thanks to Nvidia for sponsoring the video.
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With Alan Wake II, Remedy knew how to honor and acknowledge their rich legacy as studio, while also bellowing out with this new, clear voice that will carry them into their next two, three or four games as they build out this connected world, and continue to hone a story-telling style that no one else in the industry can lay claim to.
Video written by Ralph P, edited by Stuart K.
#Review #AlanWake2 #Remedy
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[@SkillUp]

Find out how Nvidia's cutting edge technology like DLSS 3.5 enables powerful new features like Full Ray Tracing, making games like Alan Wake II and Cyberpunk 2077 look their absolute best: www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/alan-wake-2-dlss-3-5-full-ray-tracing-out-this-week/. Thanks to Nvidia for sponsoring the video.

[@celozzip]

🤣

[@duvvly]

boooo

[@denomizotakh]

I switched to amd and i couldn't be more happy

[@stmsin]

"alan finds words of power on the wall" lol is he dragonborn?

[@85yugs]

Is there race swapping in this game? That bs needs to be called out by content creators or soon games industry will be Disney's Snow White.

[@FifthOfNovember_Original]

10 points for Remedy for continuing to stay original and weird. Game space really benefits from games that dares to be true to themselves.

[@cozminr]

Woke ain't original

[@Suckko]

@@cozminr how is this game woke?

[@elmerikuvaja9355]

​@@SuckkoIdiots think this game is woke because it has a black woman main character

[@flytonthc]

@@elmerikuvaja9355a black person cant be in a game without it being “woke” 😭🤦‍♂️

[@Gnix1996]

​@@cozminr calling this game "woke" for having a black main character dilutes the concept of "wokeness" at all. While I believe things can be woke, which oftentimes ruins them, we can't call every single thing woke or the term won't mean anything at all. It's already a term that holds little weight because people like you cry wolf on everything that's slightly different.

[@gdoumit]

11 and a half hours in and I’m absolutely loving this game. The storytelling is second to none. For me, this is like the first season of True Detective meets LA Noir, meets the X-Files. Just incredible. This is what gaming should be. They didn’t play it safe. They didn’t chase trends. This game is pure art. Everyone needs to experience this game.

[@orfeas2335]

I finished it twice, saw recap videos, studied wiki many times and still i only get the very general idea of the plot. I don't think this is a good sign of storytelling..

[@SystemBlocked94]

​@@orfeas2335try exploring a little more you might be running past things without really looking around the world. I'm sorry you feel that way man because I'm at chapter 5 and have found everything. This is a game about looking for clues and what not you can't just run through it.

[@JohnnyDog]

Dang. I have been eyeing this game for a while, and your comment just sealed the deal for me. I loved True Detective, so I guess I'm going to give this a shot now!

[@The_StairTool]

That's exactly what I told a friend. We had been talking about how great season 1 of TD was then I started playing this game and told him it totally gave me TD vibes.

[@The_StairTool]

​@@JohnnyDogI just replied to his post agreeing that it sooo much reminds me of TD season one. Do yourself a favor and just play Alan Wake.

[@itsaUSBline]

Huh, I didn't feel like the weapon upgrades were out of place at all. I think it makes sense for your guns to be upgraded to be able to do things they shouldn't literally be able to do. It drives home the point that you're existing in a reality that's crossing over with the tropes of fictional works, and the little bits of narration from Alan when you get an upgrade is a great way of emphasizing that. I think it was integrated really well to be quite honest.

[@jeremyallen5974]

It's better implemented than the USUAL system where you pay some Mook to upgrade your gun

[@theoutsiderprod]

Even more than the success of AW2, it feels like this symbolizes remedy beimg unleashed. They have always seemed to be holding back, with control they were close, but with AW2 they pulled out all the stops, they were fully true to themselves and their vision, and I am almost certain that because of their whole self confidence, Control 2 is going to be incredibly successful.

[@Werewolf8608]

My body is ready... For AW2 and Control 2

[@Softlol]

What, didn’t even know Control 2 was a thing. Its one of the most interesting games I have ever played. I read every single document in that game and got really into the lore. Sure the game has its flaws, but there is nothing like it. Currently playing Alan Wake Remastered so I can get the full picture while playing AW2. Man its a good time to be Remedy fan!

[@marxelox7]

idk if it had to do something with publishers and things like that, i mean now they distributed the game tnx to epic games, but they had distributed other games in different companies before that seem to have more hold on what they can and cannot do. hmmm

[@ABIADAB]

@@Softlol hey man, its good to know that you're playing the first alan wake before playing this game. I actually disagree with skillup on the point that you dont need to play alan wake 1 before playing alan wake 2. i think that playing the first game and playing control is such an integral part of my enjoyment while playing this game.

[@casual1118]

​@ABIADAB I totally agree with you however. If you just look at aw2 by itself, it for the most part explains everything to the new player via saga. Yes FBC isn't really delved too much detail, but for a new player it's just another layer of mystery that might intrigue them even more to go back and play those older games.

[@user-ch3qv6nv7n]

Can't wait to see how Max Payne remake will look like. We need this type of action games back.

[@celozzip]

you mean maxine payne, right?

[@Iffy350]

@@celozzipHopefully not an egs exclusive.

[@seniorsterling1064]

They can't do a remake since they don't own the property

[@ChuckTownRC51]

He will now be trans and identity as a black woman

[@LudwigsUnholySpade]

@@seniorsterling1064Remedy have confirmed that they have an agreement with Rockstar to remake the first two games.

[@HeWhoShams]

It's good to see Ahti within the game. Truly a being without equal if you catch my drift

[@erinaldo2260]

Had to pause the game to celebrate. I guess this is where his vacation was?

[@HeWhoShams]

@@erinaldo2260 Definitely. I hope to see more of Ahti as this universe is filled out with more games

[@ryanlindsay3923]

I was excited but also disappointed. Thanks for the spoiler skillup…

[@ForTheViolence]

I love spoilers.

[@HeWhoShams]

@@ForTheViolence Ahti is shown within the review video you are watching lol

[@Taziod]

I like how they made the minimum specs "minimum specs to play the game at a very fun and enjoyable level" and not "minimum specs to be able to load menus"

[@Sally55100]

Bro the live action in this game is incredible. I’d watch it as a full length movie or TV series. The Alan Wake/Mr. Door section about everybody just being in one big story was just awesome. Truly made me feel heightened emotions for the characters

[@alingavrilescu1508]

Fun fact. In the Alan playthrough after you finish the cinema part if you stick to the cinema room, a short 15 minutes live movie plays. For sure a ton of work went into making that for only a couple of people to actually see it. Be sure to check it out the next time you reach that part.

[@bonniedykstra6722]

@@alingavrilescu1508the movie that plays is actually Thomas Zane’s missing short film that was mentioned several times before

[@shadowthi3f421]

I found the live action stuff in Quantum Break pretty good actually. Underrated game that clearly taught the team a lot for Control and AW2 to shine.

[@straightupgamer354]

omg so true, i loved quantum break.

[@davidsimmons4731]

Agreed. I enjoyed quantum break

[@yojoono]

I wish Quantum Break got a "next-gen" update

[@AirBulletin]

i think quantum break taught remedy how to actually intergrate live action into their games much better. Cause man it sucked in that game.

[@journeyman1218]

I loved quantum break. Genuinely loved finding all the little changes in the story that changed. The way the live action blended with the game was amazing.

[@Jago-pl7op]

The fact that Max Payne is there is awesome. Still sucks that there are no physical copies.

[@Dr.Yakub22]

Its a low budget game and a niche title. Maybe if the game is a commercial success we will see a physical copy

[@zangoon4546]

@@Dr.Yakub22”Low buget game” yeah sure

[@TheBasedBalkan]

@@Dr.Yakub22I was able to get lords of the fallen in a physical copy. If they can do it, it’s no excuse for Alan wake

[@vihaan3973]

@@Dr.Yakub22 bro said low budget lmfao. this might just take over cyberpunk for being nvidias game to showcase new graphic improvement features

[@Dr.Yakub22]

@zangoon4546 60 million is a low budget for a AAA game when compared to games like forspoken that had a budget of +100 million starfield that had a budget of +300 million. Also Remady previous games and Alan Wake in particular weren't commercially successful and barely broke even.

[@TheRealTanSeeker]

I do remember Alan Wake 1, picked it up on xbox360 for $4.50 on deep sale. One of the most memorable and unique games i ever played.

[@cratecruncher4974]

Wake and Payne were fun games but everything about Control exceeded my expectations. The level design and effects were just incredible. Curious to see if Remedy will add another solid game or a jaw-dropping masterpiece to their impressive list with Wake 2. I certainly will be watching for this one!

[@benmcreynolds8581]

When i was bored, I absolutely loved just going around and messing stuff up in control. The way objects reacted was so addictive because things didn't feel repetitive. It was generated each time depending on what you were doing. It's honestly such amazing gaming development and software design capabilities. I wish they would use this object software tech in their other games. It's so fun to just mess with things or break things. I can play any game that lets me do stuff like that

[@StillWeRide]

​@@benmcreynolds8581yesh control blew me away. Remedy is a studio that just keeps pushing the envelope...its refreshing

[@rbwatkins13]

Control was doo doo

[@cratecruncher4974]

@@rbwatkins13 Individual tastes. I hated that Garett crap but love Cyberpunk. Go figure.

[@ABIADAB]

control story is ass imo, but that's not why i love that game, that game worldbuilding so good that it made hunt every single collectibles on that game just to read on that sweet sweet lore

[@Alcatraz760]

You can tell the way Remedy slowly refine the way they use live action, from full episodes in Quantum Break, to clips in Control, and now its both clips and cutscenes.

[@raresmacovei8382]

They went full Hellblade.

[@mattperkins261]

Shame the story and game are so poor quality.

[@pandagonerogue.140]

@@mattperkins261tf 💀

[@jahmedgilani4043]

@@mattperkins261 lol troll

[@superwhizz114]

​@@mattperkins261Nope.

[@ymn3112]

Man, ShillUp, the way you draw from your knowledge of movies, shows, and books to talk about video games, the way you dissect each thought train, and intentionally word your findings. I could listen to you talk video games for ages. No one does it quite like you do, man. I'm such a ShillUpShill.

[@damonm3]

You do realize what a shill is right? It sounds like you’re doing it intentionally but idk. He is in a way but I take shill as a con. Someone who’s essentially lying for profit. Not necessarily illigal, nothing like a grifter but I’d say it’s an insult. Ex: if he spoke about nvidia but without disclosing that he’s being paid by them to do it is shilling…

[@joaopedroformozo6555]

​@@damonm3 shillup is a running joke from the channel, even ralph calls himself that way at times, either on the channel or at the friends per second podcast

[@damonm3]

@@joaopedroformozo6555 ooo, I see haha

[@nickguitarfreak17]

A breath of fresh air. You don't see AAA devs making the game they want to make instead of chasing trends. So many memorable moments. Some truly terrifying moments and absolute zany perfection. The old gods songs in this are living rent free in my head right now

[@Davitron_87]

Remedy has been one of my favourite developers since Max Payne. They just have this unmistakable style. I just love how they can blend fun action, cheesy dialogue, fourth wall breaking moments and the supernatural into something cohesive, with each element never really feeling out of place. It’s truly impressive.

[@philkensebben6672]

This is turning out to be one hell of a year for gaming

[@yusux]

Best year of all time

[@alabaster3535]

It already is. By far the best year in gaming in the last 10 years

[@eb2681]

It's been turned

[@missedmurphy]

​@@yusuxThat's an absolute joke. 07 was arguably the best year for gaming. If not, then most years in the 00's. I would know because I was lucky enough to live through it

[@E2STOPTV]

Both RE4 and Alan Wake 2 sounds like a blast for diffrent reasons but both the spooky vibe.

[@gameskyjumper1721]

I personally find the upgrades to Alan Wake pretty fitting. He has the power to write stuff and then it would become true. So he is finding phases on piece of paper that would improve his odds of survival. But it is kinda immersion breaking that you just find a random piece on the street. A more clever way can be he was reading some books. Then from certain page and certain lines he cut out the phase that he can use on himself.

[@BackwardsPancake]

If nothing else, at least they're simple, and that's already a big step up by contrast. In Control, having to micromanage and recycle a thousand different dropped mods with minor percentage-point differences which didn't really meaningfully give you options for strategizing anyway (Since the flat +Damage was just always objectively better than everything else) was a borderline anti-feature that took more away from the experience than it added. In AW2, at least it's very straightforward, and the way the weapons visually and mechanically change in response to some things is neat.

[@voltrainer]

what? alan never finds pieces of paper to change the scenes. he writes them based on echos he sees

[@leoultimaupgraded9914]

@@BackwardsPancakeas someone who’s finished the game, I agree. Honestly, i wish there were more quests in Control that give you unique and power mods, instead of there only being 5-6 and a bunch of random ones

[@d_dayne_e]

I'm about 6 hours in and I can confidently say this game is one of the most unique experiences I've ever played. It also might just be the best looking game ever made. Absolutely worth a try at least

[@miko67]

literally not even an hour in and I already know this is gonna be a banger. Such a breath fresh of air to come across a good game nowadays lol.

[@gotworc]

​@@miko67there are so many good single player games that have come out in the last few years what are you even talking about. It's multiplayer games that have been suffering

[@bobbo8074]

After watching how in-depth Ralph went in on analyzing the movie like qualities and writing. I’d be really interested to see him review an actual movie sometime. Dude clearly as the knowledge and appreciation for this kind of stuff

[@Patricswift]

Between Dead Space, RE4, and Alan Wake 2 it's been a good year for survival horror to say the least

[@bc9554]

Two of those aren't from this year

[@OiCroco]

@@bc9554He’s talking about the remakes that released last year my guy

[@bc9554]

@@OiCroco Imagine thinking re-releasing games from previous years is a "good year" for gaming

[@OiCroco]

@@bc9554 They said it’s been a good year for survival horror. Dead Space Remake while not adding much new, was incredibly well made. RE4 remake is effectively a brand new game, just using the story and setting of the original. We probably didn’t need a dead space remake, but RE4 came out in 2005, and the remake allows newer audiences to experience it with a modern touch.

[@ArathirCz]

I am roughly 7 hours in. AW2 is such a love letter to the fans of the Remedy connected universe. I love every second of it. Definitelly my GOTY. And my god does it look gorgeous!

[@yaminnather521]

Nah man finished Control last week and read every document I came accross, loved the lore and the story,but watching gameplay for this is soooo boring

[@paullucci]

@@yaminnather521I’m 5 hours in and I kind of regret buying it. I’m obviously in the minority but I dislike the crime/plot board stuff and the combat is slower and less engaging than Control or even AW1, which I remember being on the action side of things. I’ve also had a couple bugs that required replaying sections that mostly involve running from point to point. One had me hunting for a prompt that didn’t load, halting my advancement. It’s incredibly annoying hunting for a way out of a small area, thinking there’s potentially something you are doing incorrectly when it’s the game simply failing to let you advance.

[@steveo0127]

Spider-Man 2 is game of the year if not AW2 will be 😂

[@yaminnather521]

@@paullucci I get it bro. Was so hyped for this after playing Control and absolutely loving it, but very disappointed now. Sucks that people are so much easier to impress with visuals and story than awesome gameplay in a Video Game lol

[@Shane-gg3hl]

@@steveo0127 100% neither will be GOTY. Quote me on this.

[@TheCyberkitten]

I love the writing of your reviews so much. They feel so original and special and are super great and alluring to listen too. Thank you!

[@ryo-kai8587]

The level of artistic quality on display in every moment I've seen so far is just insane-but on top of that, the technological achievement here shows that "next-gen" is truly a thing once again. I believe that on top of all the RT and DLSS advancements, mesh shaders are the next huge advancement. The quality of geometry here is absolutely ridiculous to be running in real-time at any level of smoothness, and I look forward to seeing this become the norm over the coming years. Finally, another huge technological leap is here, and I'm excited for the future of game visuals.

[@steel5897]

Yup this is the first game that feels next gen to me.

[@TheHulksMistress]

I haven’t looked into it (at all clearly) but does it run on unreal 5? All those tech demos were amazing but I’ve been wondering if they’d translate into real games or not. Is it their fancy-pants geometry rendering they’re using to create so much detail?

[@xjaskix]

​@@TheHulksMistressnah their own Northlight Engine, i think.

[@mandrews6282]

@@TheHulksMistress yah it’s their inhouse Northlight Engine. It’s always been ahead of the curve though and their games are generally cutting edge for their time.

[@mandrews6282]

I think devs need to get a better handle on mesh shaders to really optimize. Especially considering PS5 uses primitive shaders to the same visual and performance result (only XBox and PC use mesh shaders here). Also, I couldn’t believe I saw someone comment that Wake 2 is a ‘low budget’ game. But to be fair the game only cost 60 million. Considering how bloated modern triple A budgets are it is absolutely wild what they were able to deliver for this and it really is the most next gen looking game I’ve seen. Wake 2 is what a game can be when a passionate studio takes actualy risks and it pays off. Considering how safe most studios play it these days, it really stands out.

[@GFMarine]

Alan Wake 1 has one of THE best story exposition methods I've experienced in the form of a song, if you know, you know, due to the build up and the desperation of the characters at that point in the story, I have that song on my gym playlist because it still gets me hyped up regardless of how many times I listen to it. I still haven't played AW2 since I'm finishing up another game but I'm glad the Remedy trope of amazing music segments is back again.

[@meni32]

Let me guess: The poet and the ? muse by the old gods of asgard I have it too on my playlist and a few other songs from the original game.

[@GFMarine]

@@meni32 Yeah it's Poet and the Muse, the song by itself is great but with the context of the game it became on my favorite songs.

[@mister-pinkman]

I’m way too stupid to fully understand the story in Alan wake 1

[@Lonely_Gamer85]

15:58 Correction Ralph, James McCaffrey apart from voicing all 3 Max Payne games used as model for Max Payne in the 3rd game as well . Sam lake was the face of Max Payne just in the original. For Max Payne 2 they used Timothy Gibbs as model.

[@fyodortyutchev7898]

Man... I always loved your mature approach to your reviews. The ability to frame complexity beyond black and white is not an easy feat and shows how good your scripts are. But this review is on a whole new level and you overdid yourself. Kudos for that!

[@plsdontbanmeagainyoulibtards]

I'm guessing you already agree with his opinion that the game is good.

[@Crossovahh]

Honestly his choice of words and amazingly vivid narration continues to impress me every review.

[@formulaic78]

Yeah, this might be the best KZbin videogame review I've ever heard (was doing dishes while mostly just listening to it).

[@sinaa995]

I agree completely. It’s rare in these days to claim something or someone is your singular favorite. I can def say skillup is my favorite video game reviewer. You feel more intelligent after each video. We’re in drastic need of this kind of media. Hope he continues to make reviews and more for the foreseeable future.

[@salmark9080]

can you guys stop sucking him off

[@EthanRom]

I know lots of ppl were calling it an RE clone, but I swear 5 seconds into this game I was like “yep this is completely different and its own thing.” I really hope this game wins GOTY. It deserves it so much. We need to support smaller IPs instead of big franchise games like Assassin’s Creeds and Call of Duty/s

[@aabens]

RE and Alan Wake 2 have similar combat mechanics and both have a horror theme, but the similarities end there. Definitely far from being a "RE clone".

[@LordTactusMe]

Yeah, I feel it’d be a match between BG3 and AW2. The former is an incredibly impressive game and a product of a hard and long labour, but Alan Wake 2 is just something else. Its novelty and freshness are everything I want from a game. It shows how much regurgitated garbage there is in the entertainment world nowadays.

[@night1952]

It wishes it was an RE clone, at least the combat would be fun if it was.

[@vincentthendean7713]

Wait, so Sam Lake is the director, writer, AND actor? The guy's an auteur in the video game world. Wild.

[@CookiesFTA]

This game makes me ludicrously hyped for Control 2.

[@brady9750]

I can’t wait for more Ahti!

[@Tac495]

I am SO EXCITED for CONTROL 2!!! If they can keep a steady momentum, I have a feeling that Remedy can become a top game developer. They are giving 100% , instead of pushing out a half made product with micro transactions, and a false promise of improving.

[@sunekoo]

They already are a top game developer

[@dansuduhast1051]

Jesse Faden became one of my top video game characters of all time! The game is fkin amazing!

[@HeloisGevit]

They already are a top dev

[@gavinderulo12]

​@@dansuduhast1051I love control, but the characters are not one of its strengths

[@humbleservant7797]

@@gavinderulo12in ya opinion. I liked jesse because a lot of hee inner monologue during convos was sometimes things i said. She felt like a very relatable character, as if one of us discovered paranatural stuff.

[@josephbrown9685]

Thank goodness there are still developers like Remedy. Even with their flaws, the games they make have a certain something to them that feels unique in a good way.

[@tiltedtoken1450]

For those who played Alan Wake 1 and Control, take time to soak it all in with the lore and exploration. There is so much attention to detail with nods to both games. I'm 5 hours in and only on chapter 3. Take it slow, take it all in and enjoy the ride.

[@madmanjoe1002]

Same thing I do. I spent an hour in the first little bit just enjoying the forest. I'm genuinely scared of woods so the game is one nerve racking experience.

[@IJDKProductions]

I have spent almost 15 hours on the game and im only half way…trying to find everything and put together the mystery on my own and piece it all together

[@user-qp8yp5et9y]

If you really think about it they made the game (at least the first 3 chapters) around exploration. You have to look around to find most objectives and tie them together

[@Ashtonyss]

Damn it Ralph, I've been trying to keep myself from buying this game now. I'm trying to be patient but I want it so bad. You're fanning the flames!

[@spilchsaysstuff1427]

Alan Wake was one of the reasons I got an Xbox 360 (the other being Arkham Asylum), but Alan Wake was a 360 exclusive. After reading an article in a game magazine, I couldn't wait. I got the limited Edition. After playing the opening prologue, I was hooked. I played through it, then again on Nightmare difficulty. I got a copy of the novel, read that. Along with the book in the limited edition. Downloaded the Bright Falls minisodes. Got so deep, I needed to talk about the many mysteries. I found the Alan Wake forum on the Remedy site and discussed on and off for the next two years, the many theories posed by the story. The Clicker in the shoe box. The red leather chairs. Did Thomas Zane really have Alan's best interests? The secret group in Bright Falls led by Breaker. I'm both thrilled and apprehensive about this game. Will it live up to the expectations the original mysteries left behind? Will it acknowledge them at all. Will it tie everything up or leave the story hanging tantalisingly just out of reach again. The enduring hold Alan Wake has had on me-if not all stories-was its incompleteness. The other issue I have is that I don't have a game console anymore. I'm at that place I was all those years ago when I first came across that article about a small narrative driven game called, rather plainly, Alan Wake. To create a following that you wish to convince of themselves that they choose of their own will, you merely have to create a mystery. Well, I'm hooked.

[@deviousdanny2066]

Such a good year for gaming with my hopes returning with Gems like these , was a massive fan of Alan Wake 1... and the 13 years were definitely worth the wait completed the game last night and what a master piece it is.

[@7oshiki19]

Don't get your hopes up....goes downhill fast.

[@leoultimaupgraded9914]

@@7oshiki19thats fair. in that case, when gaming takes another dip, you just gotta sift through the sand to find the diamonds in the rough (the incredible games being buried by the mediocre)

[@Ryosmart]

Alan Wake 2 is pretty difficult game to review. It is astonishing how you're describing this game, Ralph. It is a piece of art about a piece of art

[@BioKek]

Jesus 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Maxxximilian90]

@@BioKekif you had the mental capacity to understand the game, you’d get it tbh

[@nopenope7482]

It's fkin boring

[@joshuatealeaves]

⁠@@Maxxximilian90Looking at the comments you left on this video, I’m not sure why you keep insulting people. The person you replied to here didn’t even state their stance on the game & you came at them for their mental capacity?? Ask yourself this. Why do you feel the need to make yourself feel superior over those who harbor a different opinion than you? You’re trading in your teaching opportunities for opportunities to attack others. It’s a very self centered narcissistic trait. You’re better than that friend c’mon bro

[@neon1718]

​@joshuatealeaves Not a fan of attacking people, but check the other guy's comments on the video. He's stated his opinion.

[@nat_the_gray]

The game breaking bug thing triggered a memory for me: when Alan Wake 1 came out I bought it at a local game store. I played almost all the way through it and hit a game breaking bug where I was unable to proceed or go back to a previous checkpoint. I returned the game and never finished it lol.

[@DV-ou1yu]

Lol renember which part?

[@specialk4006]

Sucks for you... Alan Wake is my favorite game beside Dead Space.

[@martincerny3294]

@@specialk4006you should check out death stranding! Also one particular location in that game is straight out of Alan wake!

[@VermillionThaKid]

That happened to me too

[@liveraloneguy]

That dang lift glitch. The lift gets clipped to wooden pole and this only happened on the remaster. The original on Xbox I beat and it didn't happen.

[@fourierbird]

As someone who loved the Ash Tray maze and only just started playing AW2, your comment is making me look forward to that moment even more! Gosh I love Remedy’s unique identity.

[@zaid88fh]

Finally , Ralph, I have been waiting for your review for days. Thank you .

[@957ad]

I’ll try it out once they put it on steam

[@BITEKC]

It will never come to steam. it is 100% funded Epic game and Epic. This game would not exist without Epic money. It is 100% forever EGS exclusive game.

[@animon9819]

It fills my heart with joy to see Remedy receive all this love.

[@daksans6764]

They deserve it

[@KewlBeansGuy93]

control was messy but i really loved it. the atmosphere and world-building were just top notch, and it was a must experience game for me.

[@isabellam1936]

Best review ever. Jesus. You just go so much farther and are so much more educated and worldly than other reviewers. Definitely subscribing.

[@WhoDidYouSay]

Hearing you say there’s a sequence similar to the Ashtray Maze in this game has me very excited

[@paulrhodes6564]

This is one of the first game in a long time where I actually take the time to read all the notes and manuscripts and things like that. In most other games I’ll collect that stuff but never engage in reading it. Here though, I actually feel like reading them is important

[@TheSkaOreo]

It’s very much a mood. And what really helps that mood is if you read every single thing you see.

[@supertrendymoneymaker0722]

That what I feel with Control read every note 🗒️ cause the story was so good! It will be the same with this game for me. I am currently playing it.

[@NF0RCED]

Guess I'll play this in a year or two whenever the epic store exclusivity is done and it can be released on steam.

[@Krenisphia]

Perfect timing for me to wait a little longer for patches/fixes on this as I am currently in the middle of Phantom Liberty. But once I finish that, I am really looking forward to Alan Wake 2. Really glad to hear it's in good shape.

[@TheRetifox]

If you need to restart the game, or a developer has to send you a save file, because of bug. Then the game is more than "a little bit buggy" I get it you, you liked the game, but you are very selective compared to other games you tear up apart for such bugs.

[@noah9942.]

Lol devs have to send a save file? There's no way this game should be recommended

[@atlien1988]

It's like this across gaming media.

[@noah9942.]

@atlien1988 no, bugs like that are not common.

[@bakutie]

@@noah9942.if theres a progression bug ofc the devs sent a save file with that bypassed quickly, what do you want them to fix the bug just for the reviewers copy?

[@noah9942.]

@@bakutie I'm saying that bugs that big are not the norm.

[@ancientflames]

Did anyone else almost not want it to go supernatural after playing the intro section 😂 it made me want an LA noire game with saga and Casey just bumming around beautiful locations, talking to witnesses, getting clues and chasing the occasional murderer.

[@chiefinasmith]

Same. I’m only like 8 hours in, but I like the cult/crime shit way more than the paranormal shit

[@DeadlyRogueee]

Im like 2 hours in, but yeah, Im loving that krimi thriller vibes getting me. Walking around in FBI jacket trying to solve murder.. didnt play LA noire, but for me this is actually interesting enough😂🌚

[@krimsonkingdom]

IM SO GLAD YOU LOVED IT. this makes me rlly happy, im enjoying if so far but im so busy so i couldnt rlly finish it for now

[@TrophyHunterTyler]

R.I.P. James McCaffrey (Max Payne and Alex Casey)

[@andrewreynolds7560]

The first five minutes is why I love watching your reviews. It’s beautiful how you put words together (I’m only 5 mins into the review)

[@MrDramaticForSur]

This is what next gen should be for real…Lovin this Survival Horror

[@MrMetalforever5]

Dropping in to leave a like and comment to avoid as many spoilers as possible, but I was super relieved to see this title on my subscriptions.

[@Psyteth]

Ive gotten mostly into gaming during the firsr big lockdown here. So RDR2 and modern Warfare got me through it. I havent played Alan Wake 1 but I loved Control and i look forward to diving into this.

[@Downsider24]

Everything Remedy has ever done, from Max Payne to Control, all of it leads to Alan Wake II - I could not have imagined anything else. I am thoroughly enjoying my play-through, despite some bugs and hiccups, and slight performance dips, but nothing too egregious (so far)

[@thesenate7710]

I haven’t played the first game but this game looks really cool, I don’t have enough money to get both games so if I bought this one do you think I’d be confused by the story?

[@ScorpoCorpo]

​@thesenate7710 Truly your discretion when you could always watch a recap or walkthrough of the first game.

[@Girvo747]

@@thesenate7710Watch a recap video for the first game on KZbin. This is a superior *game* :)

[@socratese5]

You playing on pc or console?

[@Downsider24]

@@socratese5 There ain't no way I could get the game performing adequate on my rig, got it on PS5 instead

[@dualman02]

I didn’t listen to you about The Callisto Protocol, I am going to listen now about Alan Wake 2. It’s very fortunate then that the game is generally regarded as great.

[@pimpkurosakiii]

Thanks again! You help me with your reviews

[@violatorut2003]

The X-Files shall never be “too old for some of you” because A. it’s awesome and 2. it has access to alien technology that can probably travel through time. Awesome show, definitely top 5.

[@dark_winter8238]

What a year for games. It really has been insane.

[@winfriedmaus]

Yeah, an insane year. Were there any really good game released this year except for DREDGE and SHADOW GAMBIT? Now already two reviews have mentioned game BREAKING bugs in Alan Wake 2, so the game should not have been released in its current state: The moment you hit a game breaking bug, all the nice graphics, awesome sound and great story become completely irrelevant in a second. But hey, we live in a world where everybody has decided to now hype Cyberpunk 2077 - which even after three years and multiple patches STILL has game breaking bugs that have been in there since the original release and the NPCs still have a braindead AI and the city is still completely lifeless (but was advertised as a game where the whole world "is alive and responding to you"). What's insane is that the industry is getting away with it and that people still buy - and hype! - the shit that's being sold to them.

[@xMorumoto]

@@winfriedmaus Stay salty

[@parsashirali8957]

​@@winfriedmauswe're witnessing a mental breakdown everyone

[@blacklightrr]

Yep, got all of 2024 to catch up until gta6.

[@GD1_3]

My only complaint is the needless back tracking. It just felt tedious.

[@bxile730]

“Name another developer that would try to pull something like this off!…… ok you probably said Kojima, name any other developer besides kojima!.. you cant see” lmaoo i thought kojima to but he’s absolutely correct.. the only two developers that would dare even take on these weird but amazing artistic visions

[@Caboose2711]

overall thoughts: great review! glad it resonated with you. Im in love with this game and I cant believe we got a sequel of this quality and magnitude.... 13 years later. few musings: I agree on the weapon upgrade thing. I guess they wanted the player to progress to aid the game's length, so there was something to look forward too, but only maybe 2 of the upgrades for Saga feel like they mean anything. I thought the original had a great loop though, and you never got (or needed) any kind of weapon upgrade like that, but they did dictate what weapons you had access to in each level, so I guess they felt it necessary since you keep weapons the whole game this time around. you mention not needing to play Alan Wake 1 though, and I'd take the opposite stance. Alan Wake holds up and is still fantastic today, and this game is a true sequel to it. I replayed it the weekend before 2's release, and it's been such a joy to see all the connections, character updates, and changes to Bright Falls over time. if you have the time, the original is only an 8 hour playthrough, its totally worth it to play first. The DLC and spin-off game are not necessary, but I think the original campaign is. It explains so much and really sets the groundwork for this game, not to mention it's ending being what this launches off of. the connections to Control are amazing. the nursery rhymes look and feel exactly like experiments the FBC were running in the Oldest House, it's so cool seeing them in the wild. Ahti coming back made me so happy, I hope he continues to be around in their games. I cant believe the engine looks so good. they switch between live action cutscenes and in game ones, and at times I couldn't tell the difference. it's just so damn cool. I love this game.

[@JerichoTheCity]

Shout out to ahti, the best janitor out there

[@NeovanGoth]

Regarding the tech you forgot to mention to mention that AW2 is Remedy's first game that comes with native HDR support (after Control's recent semi-official mod/patch), which looks gorgeous on a bright OLED.

[@robertbarger6439]

Just bought it this morning getting ready to jump into this can't wait looks great

[@WoozieFace]

i've had few to no bugs. game runs extremely well considering the quality. really good to see a game release this polished

[@joeherrera8826]

Remedy still keeping it weird as always and great. Ill never forget that segment in control where the rock music is playing and your just blasting your way though enemies.

[@BackwardsPancake]

I really appreciate their style for being constantly new and interesting, but it's also definitely a double-edged sword when it comes to actually putting stuff together. Sometimes it works cleanly, and other times it doesn't. Like that very same sequence in Control, for example - I can't shake the feeling that it was one of the last things they finished, and that the process must have been painful. The base idea, visual design, and the song itself are awesome, but the actual final gameplay sequence really doesn't do it justice. The song is cut up and rearranged so that the narrative arc and pacing no longer make sense, the filler pieces are emphasized while the actual good bits only play in combat segments which usually end before the lyrics are delivered, and so on. It's still good, but it's irritating to constantly feel like it could have been more. IDK, maybe I'm just weird and overly-particular about music.

[@BackwardsPancake]

@@therotten6152 Oh, for sure. I'm just saying that there would definitely have been some doable changes that would have absolutely improved it The best way around this problem is to have reactive music, where certain sections can loop selectively if the player takes too long, and this actually _was_ used for the Ashtray Maze (but it feels like they were afraid to fully lean on it, maybe because it's technically janky to implement). Other changes would have been reordering some of the sections to maintain a rising tempo of action, and adding a couple extra enemy spawns to certain rooms to ensure the best parts have time to play.

[@caderlocke8869]

Can’t wait to play this next weekend

[@zhouenlai2569]

The fact that the janitor from control and the "old gods of Asgard" both return here make this a must-play.

[@vincentclark8386]

I can't wait for this!!!!!! Taking my time with Spiderman 2 though. Came here just to hear your opening and then smack that like button

[@amish1der]

Damn it...why didn't this game get a physical realease!? As much as I want to play this game I really don't won't to support that decision cuz I don't like that future for gaming.

[@JC-kl3uc]

It didn't get a physical realease, because it costs a shit ton of money (think milions of dollars) that could be spent better somewhere slse.

[@gotworc]

Yeah and barely anyone buys physical games anymore so it's not even worth producing ​@@JC-kl3uc

[@MrTibster]

Remedy never miss I swear. Iconic company for over 20 years. Max Payne 2 is still an absolute masterpiece of both gameplay and storytelling and this game also looks just as stellar

[@franjaff6919]

I'd say Quantum Break was a pretty big miss personally

[@MrTibster]

@@franjaff6919 I actually really like Quantum Break. It’s got it’s issues but there are elements I loved such as many parts of the story, the gameplay, the graphics and effects they did with their engine. It felt like a prototype to what we got with Control. I don’t like how they implemented the live action sections but it greatly improved with their later games. It’s worth revisiting cause I didn’t like it much at first but now I have a whole new look on it.

[@atlien1988]

​@@franjaff6919 I thought Quantum Break was awesome & actually enjoyed it a tad bit more than Control.

[@chanwooksook]

yeahh! max payne 2 is my fav game ever i think

[@franjaff6919]

@MrTibster I respect that they swung for the fences with it but the execution didn't pan out imo

[@Dowgle]

One of my favourite horror movies is The Invitation, and playing through Alan Wake 2 I couldn't help but be reminded of that film. The way the direction goes for close in shots and lingers on the faces and emotions of the characters is very reminiscent of that film. In The Invitation it was done intentionally to convery the human side of the horror depicted, but also to create a sense of claustrophobia as all the shots are so tight in that you feel like you never know what is happening just out of shot. The film is also set mostly in one house, but again intentionally, they never explicitly show the layout of the house, creating a sense of confusion and reinforcing the clautrophobia further. I feel like Alan Wake 2 accomplishes the same effect, whether intentionally or not (although given how finely crafted everything else is, it assume it was intentional), and it particularly works in the dark place given that it is a shifting, unreliable environment.

[@paulelliott3056]

Finally played this (finished late last night). What a game! What a story! Absolutely loved all the weirdness and will be jumping back in to play 'The Final Draft' to pick up some more of the detail and enjoy some of the differences. Love your review here and having played AW2 it really resonates.

[@onesadlittleboy]

I stilll wait for the physcial release ❤

[@coreycasciano3255]

Same, still annoys me that it was only released digitally

[@or1on89]

Good like with Epic and their shitty business model of exclusiveness…

[@rundown132]

Love how the last 2 minute is an nvidia ad LMAO

[@Puketapu]

Wow! Hard to deny that review. I’m still finishing BG3, but Alan Wake 2 maybe my next thing

[@MythicalSkull13]

I think saying you don’t need to play the first is an insane statement but other than that a good review Also 17:24 clip is definitely a spoiler (unless he’s in a trailer which I also avoided)

[@Mesotheliomasettlements]

12 hours in and i truly cannot explain how much i love this game. It is an experience like no other. Glad you loved it to ralph!

[@MarkaNgamer]

Wow, you haven't play much of games then.

[@MarkaNgamer]

@@nawack2774 Yeah, that's what happens when there is 10+ years of stagnation. Just like in Hollywood, people forgot what a great movie is.

[@memoryboy]

After the last couple of reviews, I can safely say skillup is the absolute best reviewer around today.

[@hki4464]

Very true.Ralph is very cultured. his reviews are so deep and sophisticated that no other reviewer can match.

[@VampiricBard]

Yep I'm glad I came across r/fo76 flaming the hell out of him years ago. 🤣

[@olivergillespie3574]

Man one of my favorite parts of the game is how when you upgrade weapons as Saga using piecing together the fragmented manuscript pieces and it becomes alan reading the manuscript page, leading to the upgrade materializing in the world

[@TheKSUspartan]

I’ve been anxiously anticipating this video since the embargo lifted, but ended up buying the game right after finishing a replay of Alan Wake 1 before hearing your thoughts. It’s been great so far!

[@mikeyangyang8816]

When I played Alan Wake 1 I barely had the English language skills to understand anything. But I loved the game, and I thought the combat played into the game's vision extremely well. For, at that time, a person who understood little of the English language Alan Wake 1 told stories through its format so well that I understood a lot through the combat and settings. Alan Wake is a video game that utilizes its media in a way that no other media allows. I just got to play through the first 4 Chapters of Alan Wake 2, and I think it is absolutely perfect. Can't wait to finish the game.

[@StillWeRide]

Damn respect for learning english...i heard it can be really anmoying to non english speakers

[@aljazslemc9569]

What a year for gaming. It's been a while since so much stuff i wanted to play came out

[@Grimace1047]

Can confirm thay Ralph is not bullshitting us on how good that musical section is.

[@cemberendsen4297]

One of your best reviews! Great exploration of all the different elements in the game and their connections to our world and also told with a lot of passion.

[@72kyzero]

Can't wait to play it in a year when it releases on steam

[@BITEKC]

which will be never.

[@QuanNguyen-bk4pn]

@@BITEKC Hopefully not. No way I'm paying EGS

[@BITEKC]

@@QuanNguyen-bk4pn so stupid

[@72kyzero]

@@BITEKC what do you mean? All epic exclusive shit comes to steam a year later at like 50% off

[@BITEKC]

@@72kyzero Not this game because Epic paid for development of this game and it is it's publisher So, Steam won't have it.

[@rafakolasinski8124]

sweet - very excited to experience it on the actual release - that is, in 12 months

[@Umbra_6]

Disagree about the upgrade system, enjoy it a lot. And I like how they implemented it by Alan Wake writing it in the story to make Saga stronger.

[@xFrostmawx]

Not so much a developer but King wrote himself into being a main character in his own universe back in the 90s via the dark tower series.

[@shamus3477]

Your first of many

[@Phillipmurr]

Yeah, that was after his accident. He was going through some serious issues then. I don’t think the fans appreciate it actually… Alan Wake is actually a lot like ( Duma key ) Great Read. 😊😊

[@gatorarman12]

@@Phillipmurr Also very similar to The Dark Half and Bag of Bones

[@Bentmetal13]

Sometimes I think it's not the medium that hold back narrative in video games but the scale. If Alan wake 2 was a AA Indie game with the same writing staff they'd probably have more freedom to prohibited "gamey" game mechanics like weapon upgrades

[@remydetrou734]

Under promise over deliver my ass. I have a Ryzen 9 64gb of ram and a 3080 ti and I was getting 29 fps with RT on. I can get 90+ on cyberpunk. My rig is in top 10% of them on earth and I can’t run the game. What a fucking NEXT GEN title

[@jmangames5562]

Agree game is trash just a good looking movie. 13700k 7900xt and have to use fsr to get playable frames. 1080p will never be on my screen. Funny part is all the reviewers trashed Starfield but it played better than this game does. If you trash one game for performance than glorify the next one that has worst performance your the problem.

[@ghosface353]

It's amazing they made this game in 3 years (started om the middle of Covid lockdown, I assume that means middle of 2020), with only 130 people (or so) at Remedy. Making shame of every game that gets rebooted and both in develop hell. Sam Lake had a vision, and I feel that made them enable to make this game pretty fast.

[@Itsumi456]

I'm cleaning up some collectables for the endgame rn and I've thoroughly absolutely loved it. It's such a unique experience and I can't wait for nightmare mode and its eventual DLCs.

[@ProjectGamerYT]

You've beat it already?!

[@Itsumi456]

@@ProjectGamerYT Oh no no no but I got the pop up that I'm reaching the end of the game so I've decided to do some collectable stuff beforehand cos I've no idea of that'll still be possible after I beat the game

[@Mitchisable]

​@@Itsumi456Damn I haven't even had the chance to buy it yet lol

[@Soup-Zeus42]

Question is it mission based game or is it like control?

[@warxtimez]

@@Soup-Zeus42 it is divided by chapters, but you can return to previous locations later on by fast travelling.

[@Jim26D]

I'm hoping they included the big music score from old gods / poets of the fall. I loved that scene in control and the original one in Alan wake

[@Jim26D]

I guess I didn't watch far enough into the review

[@rikou1986]

Still can't believe I'm playing alan wake 2 after 13 years I love remedy so much for not letting it die.

[@MrDarksbane]

Just confirming, as I also reviewed it early and got to progressive block you're referring to later: It's gone after latest patches on release day. Plays very well.