The Praise AND Hate of Alan Wake 2

[@TheKingerd]

Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to the series, what did you think of Alan Wake 2??? EDIT: yeah I knew what I was getting into making a video that didn’t agree Alan Wake 2 was in the same caliber as the other preachy, overly politicized messaging we’ve been getting in modern media. I know exaggerated outrage would get more clicks and likes but I won't pretend this game is even remotely comparable to things like She Hulk or Doctor Who for the sake of relevancy. Like I say in the video, just because I don't think SBI harmed THIS specific game, doesn't mean I like, encourage, or agree with what SBI stands for. Would love if you'd consider at least watching through that portion to hear, rather than assume, what I have to say on it, but I understand that for some their line in the sand is even the presence of SBI, which I understand and respect. There's too many great things about this game and series for the conversation to be stuck on SBI in my opinion, which is why that's only a portion of this video and not the whole thing. Whether you agree with me or not, thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts 👍🏻

[@BusesAreFatCars]

I think you may have a misunderstanding of what people consider "woke" to be. To define it, in relation to entertainment media it is any product that has been created or altered so as to adhere to the principles of intersectionality. This definitely meets that definition. People are so sick of it everywhere that many people (and more every day) no longer tolerate it at all in their entertainment media in any form, and reward an absence of it. Yes, it's less preachy now, though why is that? It's because of massive push back against it. If people stop pushing against it then it will come roaring back with a vengeance. It needs to go. Entirely. It being subtle just means that those pushing it are biding their time, till there's an opening again. The activists need to no longer be employed or rewarded by the industry. I'd say the same if there were extreme right wing activists winding their tentacles into every crevice of the industry in order to push their ideology too. Though that's not happening and to my knowledge has never even been attempted. The tirade of industry back slapping, preachy articles and year round award ceremonies relating to Alan Wake 2 for ticking the "correct" boxes was absolutely insufferable. The game was fine, from a gameplay standpoint. Not great. Fine. Not what the majority were hoping for. The story? That was definitely not what the majority of fans wanted. It wasn't what the majority of people who were on the fence about the game wanted either. Yet a core of pedantic ideologues praised the game out the a*s. As with many other sequels that are created with a (always left wing lately) political bent, the game suffers, as it's morphed into something other than what people were wanting or expecting. Everyone except the "modern audience". Which has yet to appear, despite many activists attempts to mold and create one, it's still nowhere near large enough to make a success of a triple A title and perhaps never will be. So the game is fine. Though not what it should have been. So it ended up being a commercial failure. Some sequel triple A games have avoided this fate, despite changes made for similar reasons. They were less obvious about it, and each time it's done people are more wary of the next title and wait for reviews, wait for a sale, though they wait, and if a game doesn't sell well right off the bat then it's considered a failure and that will happen more and more in future. Final Fantasy: Rebirth is an example. Some loved it. Many didn't. I know console exclusivity hurt sales, though FF7: Remake wasn't at all what I wanted and doesn't hold up well on replay. So I didn't buy Rebirth, and probably won't, except with a deep discount. Was woke responsible for those changes? Partially. Though most of it was Square Enix not respecting their own franchise and fans, and wanting to create some new "work of art" off the back of a classic IP. It got funded and put into development from gamers asking for it for 2+ decades, though in the end gamers did not get what they asked for. The free venture capital and ESG (Environmental and Social Governance) financing is drying up, and companies can't afford to hate or disrespect their audiences anymore (or won't be able to very soon). Changing games to adhere to a fringe ideology (and yes it is fringe. California is not what's considered the western world has around a billion people. Even most of the western world don't support intersectionality and the other 7 billion+ definitely don't) is not profitable. Good games are made by making games that gamers enjoy. Not trying to reach some mythical modern audience. Reggie Fils Aimes had it right when he said "The game is fun. Because if it's not fun, then why bother..." Make games for the gamers and they'll buy them. Keep making fun games and more people will be drawn to playing games over time. It's as simple as that. The activists need to go. The alternative is perpetual counter activism, within the industry and within games companies, and I would really rather not see that. It's my hope that this problem is solved in time, though when people talk about the industry self correcting, it's not self correcting, it's direction is being forcibly changed by massive pressure from gamers, who at the end of the day are the deciding factor in whether gaming continues to grow or whether it crashes. If they don't buy the games then the companies fail and the jobs disappear. It's happened before, and if companies don't stop pushing what they want in the games, rather than what the gamers want, then it will happen again. The financial means that allowed them to do so up to now is very nearly exhausted.

[@Skobeloff...]

Unfortunately the only way to tell if a game is any good is to play it, marketing and fanboys make it that way. This is why gamers should always be pushing for demos.

[@TheKingerd]

I recognize this comment is likely in regards to me being a longtime Alan Wake fan but I still acknowledge that it's very true. Demos and timed trials are easily the best way to get the most accurate taste of what a game will really be like, far more so than any video on the internet

[@Skobeloff...]

@@TheKingerd I have no idea who you are. My comment is as it is.

[@TheKingerd]

@@Skobeloff... Fair enough, just figured you were commenting on the video making it clear I'm a fan so of course I give it a positive review. Nevermind then, thanks for sharing your thoughts

[@marcoelmadafaka6770]

its a good game just play it bro

[@Devspace007]

True!

[@mythicpeyote]

I wish we got lance reddick as warlin door but the actor they got really fucking knocked it out the park

[@RJH755]

Yes! RIP Lance 🙏

[@paer76]

20:09 actually the blending of real footage and game graphics started with the very first Max Payne they might be comic book panels but they are based off photographs with low budget Photoshop effects to make them look drawn. Alan wake 1 also had live action scenes on the TV. First off we have the Twilight Zone ripoff scenes "Night Springs" or "Zone X" in other languages as well as the "Alan in the cabin" scenes that are filmed during the missing week he has spent in the cabin to write the manuscript.

[@linkfreeman1998]

Not really related to the video unfortunately but i think watchinf the game awards isnt a good idea. Its half packed with things which had nothing to do with the awards at all. I tried to watch last years' show and i can hardly bother with 90% of the games shown. What a waste of time in my part. Props for you for sit righr through it buddy.

[@DerSektenspinner]

I will never support a game that publicly admits involvement of a consulting firm like SBI. The concept of fixing everyones stories up to adhere to some small group of ideologues standards is absurd. The only reason some people defend it, is that they happen to agree with the current set of rules those ideologues are forcing, which is very short sighted and stupid.

[@og_ice_freezer]

Great vid. I especially liked the introduction part by Max Payne himself. What a legend

[@TheKingerd]

Thanks! Wish my editing chops could’ve made that bit more emotional but i thought it’d still be awesome to see the 10 year contrast between him announcing no sequel and them celebrating it

[@DS3Enjoyer]

@@TheKingerd RIP James McCaffrey

[@TheKingerd]

@@DS3Enjoyer fr. The second playthrough hit different

[@jotaiyokai]

I waited a decade for a conclusion to Alan’s story only to get sequel baited again. I LOVED the first one. I played it probably ten times. Saga wasn’t written as well as Alan unfortunately (even though I liked her gameplay segments fine). And like you the ending was just suuuuuper underwhelming for me. I also miss the animated pots and birds and stuff. Alan in particular really really needed some enemy variety. Saga had possessed wolves and Alan really needed something more than just dudes. Artistically it was really beautiful and had GREAT music but it just didn’t “do” it for me as far as the story was going towards the end. It definitely deserved commendation for art direction and music, but I don’t think it was the best game of the year by any means.

[@alaskacpu]

DEI & Woke - I'm gone! Not a dime today, tomorrow & forever

[@TheDansonT]

I want to play as Alan Wake and just him. It worked well enough for me in the original game and American Nightmare.

[@cregerbot8217]

Personally, I think it was better with having a newcomer playable character. Not just narratively, but setting-wise. With someone in the real world, it lets us explore Bright Falls and other places in the location we wouldn't otherwise be able to see on purely Alan's perspective. And I don't know if it is just me or not, but I like the Alan Wake games not only just for the main character but also the world and side characters. Saga was a bit flat, but I enjoyed the opportunities to see characters like Odin, Tor, Maine, and Rose again (WHERE"S BARRY???) That's my 2 cents. I wasn't sold on Saga originally either, but I see it as more of an opportunity as a recap, exploration/worldbuilding, and fits the writers journey that the Alan Wake games work within (Saga represents the "salvation/assistance from without" part).

[@MillywiggZ]

You can understand at least, if people only bought and played ‘Alan Wake 2’ it’d be useful playing as a new character being introduced to the lore as if you knew nothing. At the same time though players of AL1 should not expect to go back to zero again. The solution is to have the option at the beginning of the game. Asking if you’ve played the previous title before MG2 style. That way everyone is happy, including new comers that once they’re caught up on the lore can play again knowing what went before. I still think that it’d be better playing as a Sam Lake FBI character, rather than some Sweet Baby homunculus token.

[@bopsie55]

I personally dont understand the hate for the games "wokeness". For starters in the entire game there are only like 4 black characters and im seeing online people complaining the game is too diverse. They make up about 10% of the games characters and minus saga about a collective 15 minutes of screen time. Then you have the 2 "anti white" pieces of dialogue that make complete sense narratively. For instance the "another white guy trying to control me" line is quite literal. Alan wake did intentionally fuck with sagas life and possibly destroyed her family for the sake of his story. In her eyes she owes nothing to him and hes taken everything from her. For the darkness to exploit her and make her think like that is completely understandable. Its mot out of left field and it leaves the story as quickly as it shows up so if people were genuinely offended they need to grow up. Then the fact saga is now black doesnt matter. The orignal saga was a 1 dimensional easter egg that had zero significance to the story. So the change is meaningless. If thats not enough though you can use the excuse of its to either A. Sell the idea that saga may be related to door better. B. To make the question of whether shes related to her grandfather or if its just the storymore intriguing and ambiguous. C. To further the concept that Alan wake/scratch/door could have changed reality to make her black in a similar vain to thomas zane mow being a famous film maker and not a poet. So if anything it adds a couple of layers to the overall plot. Finally back to the dialogue there is like 2 lines in a campaign over 20hours long. I think thats more than acceptable. It seems the majority of people upset about this stuff are the same people that cried when starfield and hogwarts legacy had a pronoun picker and got upset when forza added a prostetic limb option. It adds nothing for you at worst and enhances the experience for a lot of people at best. If you are genuinely upset you are playing a black woman in a video game then you are the problem not the game.

[@TheKingerd]

Good summary. Sucks that the conversation about the game is dominated by the woke debate but to be fair I suppose that’s the choice a studio makes when they partner with a company like sweet baby, it invites that kind of controversy

[@BorsukowskiB]

@@TheKingerd To be fair, Sweet Baby Inc is also unfairly demonized by the "anti-woke" crowd, who make ludicrous claims about their supposed power over the gaming companies they work *for* as consultants. It is conspiracism 101, really, very big claims made on limited actual evidence. Unlike "anti-woke" people would have us believe, there are decision-makers and leading creatives in many game studios who *want* to champion progressive issues (like diversity) themselves, for their own reasons, without needing a consulting company come from the outside to force them into advancing such matters. AW2 is a case in point: everything Sam Lake and others at Remedy have said about the character called Saga Anderson (in interviews and "making of" videos, etc) seems to point to them having made the decision themselves to build Saga as a black (or rather mixed race) character, and only then approach Sweet Baby to help them write that character better. The principal writers at Remedy are white guys after all, and had never written a black protagonist before - it makes sense that they might want to ask someone with experience of that sort of thing for assistance.

[@Devspace007]

The line that she said IS off though, why is she saying "another white guy" she could have really said some insult to him as a writer, you know... his thing? The line makes her look like she starting to judge him by his race, especially when "another" is in the line, the anti white lines, I feel they way they did the lines, stick out like a sore thumb since they dont futher the plot. The 2 line wouldn't make me stop playing the game but i wouldn't blame others if they felt annoyed by them. Though people may have been over blown with the game being "too diverse" and calling it woke. The youtuber is correct though that revent collaborating with sweet baby inc did heavly casued this conversation.

[@BorsukowskiB]

@@Devspace007 You have to understand the context, though. That line is not spoken by the real Saga, but "Other Saga", an imaginary character that is basically a combination of her worst aspects and fears, created by the Dark Presence to gaslight her and break her mind. What "Other Saga" is saying with that line is then not aimed at Alan Wake to insult him, but at Saga's real, balanced personality itself. She is being lied to, told that she is a bad mother, a bad FBI agent, an overall bad and weak person who is not in control of her life. A failure of a human being. Using racism and misogyny she may have experienced in her life, real and imagined, is one of the levers the Dark Presence is using to grind her down, to play with her weak spots. The way Saga beats this ordeal is by finding evidence in her memories that she is a better person than what these lies are making her, and seeing through the illusion to escape the torture. So, being able to look at the wider context is everything with this one.

[@FunnyMonkey781]

​@@Devspace007there is a similar line that happens in the therapy scene with hartman in the second DLC for the first game so it isnt too off for a line especially since its something from the dark presence

[@JuniiHejjiko]

IS a very simple explanation really on the saga character change. When they did that bit of Alan wake 2 easter egg, it was obvious they did it on a lower budget with probably someone close to the staff to do the recording. Character designs, story, game structure that always changes through development, so they always knew an FBI female and Alex Casey FBI was gonna be on alan wake 2. That said, with even more evidence that the Saga we know was always the original character they wanted is extremely simple with the story. We know that Saga mom was Freya Anderson from swidish decent who was White and the theory dad is that is Warlin door. The interesting part of all of this is that Saga never knew all through the story Alan wake interjected made her forget her family is all White folks with the power of being a seer. This works extremely well with the fish out of water situation she is in that she start to question her own reality and origins of where she is from and how everything is being affected by the dark presence. I think Saga journey on trying to fight scratch story made for her made it really intense because not only her reality was in danger but her daughters too but it also seems to make things fuzzy for her because she clearly has origins on being born in Bright Falls and having family in there so we still don't know how much of it is her reality being shifted or her memories messing with her own "delusional" past. Her being a black woman actually does made her story better due to the phycological horror she might being going through in trying to understand her reality. This would have not work with pre alpha Saga cause it would have been too easy to put 2 and 2 together. Also another thing, using real people has been a thing since Max payne, is just their style at this point.

[@skeetsofrage9517]

Sweet Baby Inc fucked this one up. - their 'incentive' is getting a high ESG score for more funding from Blackrock.

[@connor1910]

What are you talking about

[@skeetsofrage9517]

@@connor1910 Facts, intersectional writing

[@user-eq2fp6jw4g]

Very much true. People who ignore this fact just play along emperor's new clothes children story.

[@Night_Owl_Noah]

Fuck yeah...sweet bay shit all over this

[@BorsukowskiB]

Can you tell me how, exactly, the nature of a game's content does help Remedy to get a better ESG score? As I understand ESG scores, they are about a company's decisions with regards to such things as the carbon footprint, corporate governance, and hiring and staffing practices, not about the content of products like a game. Maybe you can show sources that can shed some light on this. Also, can you show me how much money BlackRock has given Remedy for making this game? Maybe there is a Remedy or BlackRock document or publication that says this, or maybe a reputable market analyst has made an estimate about this? These claims get made by many people, but there seems to be no proof. For once I would like someone to prove them with actual sources. To show that they are not, you know, just making this stuff up as they go.

[@thegroovygamer1604]

Funny , i found alan's sections of having to rewatch echos if i go out of the place or die.. before saving ..a lot more chore Than piecing out clues for saga ..i infact LOVED the mind place..cuz i would go there after a long time..and would start puzzling pieces which would really keep the whole story in the back of my head

[@Qeiji]

15:19 the actor himself confirmed that he was replacing lance riddick

[@ThaDrez]

Completely off topic. What's the name of the shelf in your background?

[@TheKingerd]

lol it’s just planks and paint, my wife built them for her books 💪🏼👧🏻

[@d33pblu3]

The only sketchy thing about remedy is that they’ve repeatedly worked with tencent, epic is a tencent subsidiary and their next game is a collaboration with tencent.

[@bopsie55]

Tbf it's almost impossible to not indirectly work with tencent in the gaming industry. They either own a large share holding, own the parent companies or directly own every company in the industry at this point. Activision, ubisoft, epic, digital extremes l, Warner brothers, meta, riot, etc. They own at the very least a notable amount of shares for. There is no point complaining about it cause there is nothing you can do.

[@d33pblu3]

@@bopsie55 i can sail the seven seas!

[@Capnsensible80]

@@d33pblu3 Are you suggesting that everyone do that? Because if you are, then games make no money, therefore games stop being made. If not, your comment is meaningless.

[@shaggysweetness]

For me personally, on top of no physical release (which hurt sales a ton imo) and working with atrocious companies like sweet baby, I didn't want to play as Saga at all. She'd be fine as a side character I guess, but I want to play as Alan Wake. I have no interest in her. I want to continue the story of the character I started 2 generations of consoles ago and follow that journey. An original "strong female character" was created in Control that I already enjoyed. I just really hope they don't make similar mistakes with the upcoming Max Payne remakes. Also speaking of Control, it had a much better "music stage" imo.

[@TheKingerd]

Fair points. I wouldn't be shocked if they do it with Max Payne 2. And i keep hearing that I really need to finish Control

[@Scoopsdepoop]

Youre being a baby.

[@UncleSev]

Have played the old Max Payne games + the first Alan Wake (damn I feel a bit old). Quantum and Control didn't land with me at all. The boring TV show parts and boring combat didn't help either. Think it's safe to say I'm not a fan of their way of making games. So will properly not play this one. But hey, it's good to hear the opinion from someone who has played it to the end with a mix of Pros and Cons. Have seen some Let's Plays. I must say, the FBI agent is a boring character. The same problem I had with the leading roles of their last 2 games. The supporting cast is more interesting funny enough.

[@sh4nkst4r]

I 1000% agree with you on the "Song"-Chapter. Gotta be careful not to spoil anything. But it had my mouth open, gasping and smiling over both ears all the time. Seeing Sam Lake, aka: Alex Casey, aka: Max Payne dance it off to a killer song while playing the Game just can never be topped in my opinion! And this hasen't happen to me for a long time and i am playing Games since nearly 30 years! All the Game's flaws aside: This was still an instant Hit-Entry into my personal Hall-of-Fame!

[@TheKingerd]

Another fine addition to my collection of old gods of Asgard Spotify playlist

[@cregerbot8217]

I feel like this video did NOT get the right audience lol you did a great job putting together this video as someone who enjoyed AW2, I agreed or understood all of your points here. Also YES about the walking sim claim, so many people calling it that but its clearly just not a game style for them. And something to add, the OG concept actress for Saga in the QB easter egg I believe left acting for a music career, which could have been another factor (besides the lore reason) for the recast. From my perspective, Saga allows a reintroduction/introduction to the series that allows us to see Bright Falls and old characters while also being able to progress Alan's story. In some factors of the "writers journey" which the games are based off of (Departure, Initiation, Return) an outside force is supposed to help the hero, which would be Saga, so a second character honestly just makes sense to me when in this perspective. Remedy rarely does things for no good reason, although I think they should have definitely fleshed her character out more earlier in the story. Overall I'd say I liked Alan's character and locations and themes, but liked Saga's exploration and locations and side characters. Alan needed more exploration, but he also overlapped a couple times into the Return/Saga chapters so it evens out imo Anyways, great work!

[@TheKingerd]

Thanks! And couple the outside perspective from another character with remedy’s original intention to have a playable fbi agent in the series and it really does make sense to have a second character in the game. I’d love to only play as Alan as well but from a storytelling perspective, i get it, especially if their intention was to try introducing new characters to the lore from the grounded perspective of a normal character who hasn’t experienced any of this yet. I’m guessing they didn’t wanna shove us straight into the dark place’s shenanigans right off the bat and I think that’s a good way to ease in new audiences

[@DanteCrowlley]

I played the OG, I don't like the changes in this one, it has levels of woke but isn't as hardcore as other IPs for now, but still has the message in different layers n I dislike it even if gameplay wise the game is good, the narrative is important to me as much as the gameplay design

[@pietbokvanrensburg8131]

Saga being a DEI insert hurts the game to me. I wish our entertainment could not be a victim of the culture wars and we get games again that does not push political actvism but actually just make good games. Like in the old days. 😁

[@AB-vp9mi]

If Alan Wake 2 is woke, then that's how it's done. How it's not done? CoD Black Ops Cold War, LoU2, etc.

[@kurtis-m]

Hey Kingerd, love your videos bro, how you match video and images to what your saying in your script is very impressive. If you don't mind me asking, what is the secret sauce you use, like what is your process in finding clips and images that match perfectly with what your saying especially clips from movies, just not sure how you key word search for that online. I have my own channel and have been making videos for over 6 years off and on, Implementing your technique would really make my videos pop more when it comes to understanding the message. My channel is focused on things more abstract in concept so the easier I can convey to my audience in a visual format the better. Keep up the good work bro!

[@TheKingerd]

Thank you! Honestly so far it’s all come from my head, I’m like one of the humans in Wall-E I’ve sat and consumed a lot of media in my day, so I usually just mentally gloss through the catalogue, except for occasionally like a trending meme; that’s just repeat exposure probably embedding itself into my brain

[@kakirosaurio]

The praise: Alan's campaign The hate: Saga

[@SpitefulSalad]

If you really wanna know why SB Inc. was hired, short answer is additional funding from DEI.

[@BorsukowskiB]

Who exactly has given Remedy additional money after they hired Sweet Baby Inc? Do you have any actual source for this claim? You know, like a financial document, or a statement by a Remedy executive.

[@chris_player2995]

once the DLC comes out I´ll give it another try I wanted to like it but it was a bit slow for me

[@The_Good_Captain]

Regardless of what part Saga plays in a Alan Wake game, she was created as a white character.. Lets race swap Black Panther for just a cutscene in any Marvel game and watch POC flip their lid.

[@thegroovygamer1604]

And for the last time she Was Not raceswapped..she was supposed to be daughter of mr. Door since quantum break

[@richardbrown7258]

Why am i here? Because i keep forgetting the game came out.

[@BladeOpotato]

This was a fantastic watch! And I agree on so many points. This game deserves so much praise!

[@TheKingerd]

Thank you 🤝

[@tbowne05]

I liked AW2 a lot on my first playthrough but it lost mush of its shine for me on my unfinished ng+ run. Things like all the empty space, mind space and repetitive combat wore on me. To me it's not even a real survivor game either. I'm not a Master gamer but on normal difficulty I don't think I ever felt any pressure when it came to ammo and batteries. Making a game look like RE does not make it a survival horror game. I also thought the game lost much of its charm by becoming so serious. it would also have been nice for remedy to finish the story considering how long it took to make the bloody sequel.

[@Stock--Rosso]

I think you're a little kind, but nice video anyway. Just imagine the line being "Another black asshole" and them race swapping Saga from black to white. I think the problem is, people see the tide always goes one way! Don't get me wrong, I did enjoyed the game, but if they release another one It'll make me think twice about my purchase👍🏼

[@_Mista_X]

So that's unacceptable but you are not bothered by the Sherriff's dark sides saying "her kind always sticks together," implying black people choose to side with other black people, regardless of circumstances? You can't be upset about one and not the other.. unless your biased.

[@Stock--Rosso]

@@_Mista_X The point you just raised, doesn't exactly show Thornton and Mulligan in a good light does it, but what Saga says makes her look like she's been oppressed by white people. Like I said, I enjoyed the game and I'm playing devils advocate here and if you knew my marital circumstances, you wouldn't consider me biased. Honestly, I'm looking at all angles here. Thanks for the reply👍🏼

[@TheKingerd]

I enjoyed it too, but like I mentioned with slippery slopes I will be interested to see how the industry responds to all the sweet baby inc criticism (ie will they keep using them, will they slow down, etc) and how much farther they may try to push it in future games. While I was fine with *this* game, I could very well see it moving much farther across the line if they get too confident over time

[@Stock--Rosso]

@@TheKingerd 👍🏼

[@thegroovygamer1604]

I wouldnt really mind the circumstances u said... Saga being white and saying black assho*e means nothing except that dark presence is scary af...

[@captainthunderbolt7541]

Alan Walk.

[@judsonhester1407]

This is from the perspective of me, who never played the first game: I thought the game was phenomenal, and there were definitely points where I couldn't understand what was going on. There were a few characters that made no sense to me (Thomas Zane), and I definitely didn't understand Alan's motivations for the vast majority of the game. In contrast, Saga's sections of the game were incredibly fun and I could follow along very well with them. The characters were all enjoyable and the plot twists were genuinely surprising to me. The setpieces really felt earned to me (especially the one at her finale). In fact, I liked Saga's story so much more than Alan's, that I didn't touch Alan's story unless I was forced to. So that led to me having a blast for the first 2/3 of the game, and when I finished Saga's story, I groaned at having to go through Alan's all at once. Bc I had no idea what was going on, nothing felt earned, and it somehow felt more deus ex machina than Saga's profiling (which is probably my main criticism with her story). Consequently, Herald of Darkness felt way less cool to me than Dark Ocean Summoning, although I haven't found anyone else echoing that sentiment (granted, I haven't been engaging in much Alan Wake discourse online, so I may just be missing it). All in all, still an awesome and enjoyable game, but I wish I knew what was going on in Alan's portions.

[@TheKingerd]

Thank you for sharing! It’s interesting to hear from someone who hadn’t played the first one. The dark place and Thomas Zane are so integral to the first one’s plot and are so unexplained in 2 I had a feeling what you described is how it might go down And despite favoring Alan in my Alan Wake games, I think you made a good point that Saga’s story is easier to follow, which I *think* was the whole point of having a playable character who’s not stuck in the dark place like Alan is. More accessible I suppose All in all thank you, I really appreciate hearing your perspective

[@bnkosu]

Only politics that mattered in the game was Setter’s clean campaign to fix up every facet of Bright Falls life. He had my vote by the time I left Valhalla.

[@TheKingerd]

Truly a man(?) of the people

[@oscarpinillacastro5893]

Remedy: Worst optimized games ever... Add the woke and you've got a game without a profit

[@DS3Enjoyer]

What is the game at 3:35?

[@steven_orban]

Bramble: The Mountain King

[@stevenmaswabi-zz9kt]

SBinc, the Makenzie and Co of the gaming industry. Even the mention of the name is enough to divide a fanbase and customers. 😢

[@astari_1014]

I stil stand by my thoughts at release. There has been nothing quite like alan wake 2. Even the first one doesnt compare imo. 1 is great but something about 2 just KILLS it. I absolutely adored alan wake 2.

[@Aa-dn1oq]

Comparing a studio's output to a Jackson Pollock painting isn't even a backhanded compliment, it's just a straight up insult

[@tomboyraider1015]

Probably one of the best breakdowns of AW2. This video should be one that pops up if anyone is searching for AW2 discussion videos.

[@SLRModShop]

This youtuber later recanted his praises and gave up on Remedy for being awful racists and woke people 😅

[@maxentirunos]

Remedy going fully from action games to a detective (puzzle) walking sim with some combat in-between, worse, inside the same gaddamn license. It would have probably been better received to have a single game called SAGA with this gameplay, and Alan Wake 2 focussing on him with a better version of the action survival gameplay of the first game. The pacing is extremely slow and is constantly cut by the mind place which is frankly useless. Any other game would have simply had Saga made her deduction live when interacting with the items or characters, but no, Remedy had to add a clunky forced menu that isn't really one and just have the character either repeat things, or litteraly narrate evident things. Profiling feel like deus ex machinas conviniences again and again to make the story advance instead of being written correctly. The twilight quirky ambiance of the original game is gone for a darker rainy gloomy ambiance that seems contradictory with the place. Every time I meet or hear of a previous character, the voice acting seems lifeless and whatever made the character unforgettable in the first game is gone. Game-wise, outside of the mind palace, the game feel like it is just a slower copy of Resident Evil 2 Remake with a very artificial Alan Wake coat of paint. Same open environments with backtracking, same 'puzzle' that are just basic 'go there, look at that, do math'. Same ressource management. I keep comparing it to AW1 because, in the end, it is the sequel to it. The story of AW1 was way better paced by its environnement, that while quite large, was actually just one way forward with no backtracking and some optional search around the one path forward. It was also helped that Alan wasn't that f..king slow and could use cars in the more open places And to those that say it's closer to control, the open environment of control made clear which way was the way forward and Jess movement speed made it litteraly fun to backtrack and re-explore. AW2 give you 'keys' instead that just open by backtracking 'chests' with ressources that aren't worth because you consume them doing this backtracking in the first place. The story is really bad, which doesn't help with the pacing. We waited 13 years for a conclusion to Alan wake story-line with teases and DLCs in other games, only for another sequel/DLC bait. At this point, it doesn't feel like Remedy want to actually make Alan Wake. They are instead milking the licence. This sensation isn't helped either by the saga race-swapping scandal, the sweet baby writing and the allegation of Saga having actually been turned into the SB writter self-insert/mary sue.

[@Scoopsdepoop]

"saga race swapping scandal". What small issues you care about.

[@maxentirunos]

@@Scoopsdepoop And the fact of all my comment, this is what you focussed on. Who's the one who care here about meaningless things ? Edit :Tho, do you want to know what really make me care, what REALLY grind my gears ? When some two bits coping virtue signaler misconstruct a stawman out of a partialy and out of context quote to ad hominem someone and use it to justify not having to answer to the actual points the person made.

[@violau8550]

​​@@maxentirunoswhy surprised? AW2 fanboys all are simple minded and very binary, lack of observation. They thought people dislike this game just because of race swap, in fact there are reason why they make Saga as black super woman (FBI do autopsy? Must be super genius that able to graduate from Med school before 16), to justify how perfect a black woman is and also give them reason to shout "Another white asshole".

[@RunnyElephant44]

I liked it I respect people's opinions but I love it

[@scottbuck1572]

Y'all he is saying niche right. In the United Stated, even in the scientific community, it is pronounced that way. Aluminum and Aluminium, both are correct

[@watchmehope6560]

Subbbed. Thank you for being open minded about the race swapping thing. Usually its easier to insult/ mock than try to understand where people come from. Even though i hate they got baby inc for this game its still my favorite and i really loved saga as a character.

[@TheKingerd]

Thank you! And for sure it’s easier and more acceptable to go full outrage mode. There’s times where I think it can be fine, and times where I think it can’t. Saga is an example where I acknowledge the intention but I don’t see it harming this particular product. For a lot of people though the intention is all it takes and I can respect that.

[@agingerbeard]

You really want to claim that SBInc has no political agenda? Spend a few minutes and browse their mission statement... they are absolutely a radical left-wing political agency, and their influenece on gaming has been very strong in the last two years especially. If you want to deny it, feel free, but it won't make the truth go away.

[@rubenthekid]

Wait, he denied SBinc as being a purely political company? Not wasting my time on this video then, just more fan boy cope.

[@Skobeloff...]

Those dang left wingers are trying to take away our god given right to inbreed y'all

[@fabiobianciardi3987]

Wow, you both are really narrow minded.

[@andyyzzz]

At what point does he claim that?

[@agingerbeard]

@@andyyzzz he claims they have no DEI agenda. DEI is just the weaponized social wing of radical Marxism in its current iteration. They absolutely have a DEI and political agenda. He even admits partway thru the video that some decisions were made "just to tick boxes" but then backpedals. So close but just can't accept the truth.

[@SnooterDude]

I appreciate you breaking down the moment when Saga said the "white asshole" thing. I didn't put together when I played through it that it was the dark presence making her think that way. While I agree that race feels highly out of place in this story, I find the moment bothers me a lot less now with your added context.

[@TheKingerd]

Thanks! It bothered me on my first play through and I was ready to roast it in this video. My second play through is what completely changed my take

[@nicklem9846]

If remedy cared, would have made this game playable even in older hardware. In every major release all pc gamers have to pay the nvidia/amd tax, Screw this!

[@justwentfullchuu2]

Saga's parts were better than Alan's.

[@YuniorGamboa]

In my experience, the game is kind of a mixed bag. Although it can look graphically impressive, unfortunately, I also have experienced many graphical issues on my playthrough and 2 crashes on my PC that prevented me from going forward and took me out of the experience. Interacting with the board can feel clunky, broken, and unresponsive at times and it can be frustrating, to say the least. The jumpscare gets old and repetitive... The game is solid when it's working but performance wise especially on PC needs a patch ASAP. It's a shame really, because I thoroughly enjoy Control till the end. The game remains one of my favorites from Remedy, but Alan Wake 2 is just not hitting the same notes. The music number I thought it was cringed at 1st but it grew on me and was memorable.😅

[@kwisatzhaderach9591]

That musical number is still really gay

[@ardyn3177]

so is the guy on your profile lmao

[@faresoq]

9:29 Why is it matter being black or white women.?

[@SLRModShop]

It does not. The intention matters though. We know for a fact that they hired a woke consultancy firm. Therefore, we know for a fact that this change is for ideological reasons. I hope you're not stupid enough to have paid $60 to be brainwashed lol Years ago, political pamphlets were given for free, nowadays people not only pay to be lectured but they go online to defend their own brainwashing, it's really sad. And I won't listen to a word you say unless you tell me that you're sorry for your white privileges. You want to bow down to an ideology? Bow down before me then, you better get used to it

[@robmorris4056]

My your not clued in what so ever she's originally a white character they race swapped to boost there ESG score, and they worked with sweet b, this game is woke and as a fan of the original i have zero intentions of playing it, the writing is terrible and it's clearly another crap on the male lead and replace him with a woman i.e almost every recent western IP, if you liked it good for you but like most people i'am to clued into this crap to see this is just another wear the skin suit of an original IP to tell the actual story they want to tell.

[@_Mista_X]

Ah you didn't watch the video to say he is not clued in on it. He literally touches on everything you said minus the accusations of what those companies are doing versus actually doing.

[@BorsukowskiB]

This is a prime example of the "anti-woke" bullshit people keep pushing in comment sections everywhere. Sam Lake and others at Remedy actually wanted to have a new kind of a protagonist and more diversity in their game, they were not forced into it by anyone. It is their right to write their characters the way they want, and also to consult anyone they want about their games' content, too.

[@robmorris4056]

I'll repeat it again there signed up to ESG meaning the only reason they added black characters and race swapped Saga is for financial game, what part of this is lost on you what they did was racist, but no trust me bro a small town like Bright Falls from the first game now magically went from 99% white to almost a 50/50 split in the second game. @@BorsukowskiB

[@EzertMusic]

Yes and also this felt like a downgrade in terms of gameplay compared to the previous installments, the board linking sticky notes felt like 500 shorts from a tiktok user trying to find their lost keys, in other words they dragged that way too much, and it doesn’t have or just very little replay value, i don’t mind the sweet baby inc possible input on this one BUT if they consulted in the gameplay or the board and overall pacing then hoping they stop using their services in the future, they dont need them at all.

[@creatorsfreedom6734]

Alan did not need a second

[@gravewalker9162]

I wouldn't call AW2 an AAA game tbh, it had a budget of only $50mil, like it's not small but not big enough to be AAA, it's like between AA and AAA

[@Scoopsdepoop]

Its an AAa game?

[@gravewalker9162]

@@Scoopsdepoop It has significantly less budget than a modern AAA title, the average AAA budget nowadays is around 80 million dollars

[@scottbuck1572]

I think you make a really interesting point about the Darkness and how it handles race; yeah it is kind of weird for incomprehensibly ancient eldritch to be a edgy, 12-year-old-esc, "equal opportunity offender" I think it would have been WAY more impactful if the white characters were already kind of racists, and the weird shit going on because of the Darkness just amplified it. Thats what worked so well in the first; Alan was an emotional mess that was ALREADY neglectful and lowkey misogynistic in his relationship with his wife, but instead of facing his problems, he hid from the, allowing the Darkness to further twist their relationship. Now imagine that, but focusing on the internalized racism that DEFINITELY exist, especially in the FBI. Like it wouldnt even need to be a particularly political; like its pretty well known the FBI doesnt like black people, thats not even controversial

[@diegomauriciogomez1755]

>internalized racism Bro stop using lefty terms, just say that the population is racist thanks to the darkness, but even then in modern times writers can't do stuff like that minus with sbi type of companies

[@worlds_greatest_detective6667]

I can forgive a race swapping character but I can’t forgive a boring, sneeze fest walking and talking chore. Callisto Protocol had better gameplay, better graphics and physics and got bashed while the mediocre AW2 got praised. Alan Wake 1 was legendary but the sequel is trash and the sales figures says it all.

[@VR-iL4ro]

That moment when you realize Black people exist

[@snakekingblues3017]

race swapping saga was not a big deal if I'm being honest here because the character was not fully establish to begin with so it really does not effect anything

[@coltonwilkie241]

I mean she was established. Her being on screen was the establishment of her character.

[@HenryTownsmyth]

So, the game copied the gameplay from RE4 remake, story is a confusing and nonsensical mess, too much walking/talking, goofy png image jumpscares and pre rendered video files turned into a musical stage. What's there to like lol.

[@agingerbeard]

Alan Woke. Enuff said. And it has nothing to do with race.

[@_Mista_X]

If it has nothing to do with race, can you explain what your issue is? (I do find it funny you had to edit your message and add in the last part "And it has nothing to do with race.")

[@amazingdrewH]

sure it doesn't, I definitely believe you don't care about that

[@agingerbeard]

@@amazingdrewH if you think wokeism is about race, and not actually just the latest iteration of radical Marxism, I have a bridge to sell you 😅 race is just the red herring used to enrage and segregate people into the newest versions of elite/plebians. By all means, tell me there is no way to define "woke". The rest of us are going to use whatever word we need to describe the latest push for far-left authoritarianism.

[@agingerbeard]

@@_Mista_X see my reply to the other commenter.

[@agingerbeard]

@amazingdrewH if you think wokeism is about race, and not actually just the latest iteration of radical Marxism, I have a bridge to sell you 😅 race is just the red herring used to enrage and segregate people into the newest versions of elite/plebians. By all means, tell me there is no way to define "woke". The rest of us are going to use whatever word we need to describe the latest push for far-left authoritarianism.

[@saulbueno5640]

Goddamn everyone is so fucking pressed about the race swap. I couldn't care less if a main character I adore becomes blue when they were originally orange. Why the hell is everyone involving political shit into video games?? Everyone's entitled to their opinion, that's valid, but the fact there's people who refused to buy the game because of this actually worries me. Alan wake 2, to ME, is something really special. Yes, it has some things I wasn't big on, but everyone other game I adore has issues that bother me a lot. I love this game so much and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I have 36 hours of playtime and will be doing a new game plus soon. I can't wait for the DLC man.

[@TheKingerd]

36 hours BEFORE you’ve done new game plus? Now that’s taking in the scenery 😂 but really I’m excited too. Remedy usually doesn’t miss with their DLC, and its actual content for $15 instead of a skin or something so I’m here for it

[@BorsukowskiB]

There are many valid opinions about whether this game deserves praise or not, and for what things exactly (graphics, gameplay, plot, music, atmosphere, etc), but it definitely does not deserve the hate it is getting from certain dark corners of the internet. Simply put, Alan Wake 2 is the target of what can only be called an "anti-woke" moral panic, people bashing the game based on a small number of "issues" that are systematically blown out of proportion.

[@TheKingerd]

I feel that. I’m genuinely interested in where a lot of the hate comes from aside from “it’s woke”. I’m not trying to discount the way people feel about companies like Sweet Baby but it would be nice if more discourse around this game could include the game’s actual merits and faults as a video game, not more content for outrage

[@joanfinocchiaro6313]

Yep not a good game

[@RustYdot]

Why is it not a good game?

[@maxentirunos]

@@RustYdot Remedy going fully from action games to a detective (puzzle) walking sim with some combat in-between, worse, inside the same gaddamn license. It would have probably been better received to have a single game called SAGA with this gameplay, and Alan Wake 2 focussing on him with a better version of the action survival gameplay of the first game. The pacing is extremely slow and is constantly cut by the mind place which is frankly useless. Any other game would have simply had Saga made her deduction live when interacting with the items or characters, but no, Remedy had to add a clunky forced menu that isn't really one and just have the character either repeat things, or litteraly narrate evident things. Profiling feel like deus ex machinas conviniences again and again to make the story advance instead of being written correctly. The twilight quirky ambiance of the original game is gone for a darker rainy gloomy ambiance that seems contradictory with the place. Every time I meet or hear of a previous character, the voice acting seems lifeless and whatever made the character unforgettable in the first game is gone. Game-wise, outside of the mind palace, the game feel like it is just a slower copy of Resident Evil 2 Remake with a very artificial Alan Wake coat of paint. Same open environments with backtracking, same 'puzzle' that are just basic 'go there, look at that, do math'. Same ressource management. I keep comparing it to AW1 because, in the end, it is the sequel to it. The story of AW1 was way better paced by its environnement, that while quite large, was actually just one way forward with no backtracking and some optional search around the one path forward. It was also helped that Alan wasn't that f..king slow and could use cars in the more open places And to those that say it's closer to control, the open environment of control made clear which way was the way forward and Jess movement speed made it litteraly fun to backtrack and re-explore. AW2 give you 'keys' instead that just open by backtracking 'chests' with ressources that aren't worth because you consume them doing this backtracking in the first place. The story is really bad, which doesn't help with the pacing. We waited 13 years for a conclusion to Alan wake story-line with teases and DLCs in other games, only for another sequel/DLC bait. At this point, it doesn't feel like Remedy want to actually make Alan Wake. They are instead milking the licence. This sensation isn't helped either by the saga race-swapping scandal, the sweet baby writing and the allegation of Saga having actually been turned into the SB writter self-insert/mary sue.

[@RustYdot]

keep hating it then idc. I'm happy for you/I'm sad for your choice. @@maxentirunos