I just finished Alan Wake 2 and the 3 episodes of the DLCs. Alan Wake 2 is a literal masterpiece in my opinion, the gameplay was similar to its first game but refined, the story dark, mood, mysterious and weird. I also loved the references to the other games. Like Ahti. The ending of Alan Wake 2 made me wonder and sad (I won’t mention it to avoid spoilers).
The 3 DLCs made me immensely hyped up though - they were weird and like a love-letters to their fan-base of all three games. Spoiler tagged, don’t open if you have not played the DLCs (you have been warned);
spoiler
In the second episode you play as Jesse Faden and try to find your brother, this is basically a teaser for its sequel which was confirmed by the developers. The ending twist of this episode! I can’t wait for the sequel. The third episode its a love letter and possible teaser to Quantum Break. I genuinely hope, they do make a sequel of that one too.
I was not certain how much, I could write without spoilers therefore it might be a little underwhelming or not much.
I assume they’re planning a second DLC for Alan Wake and I will get that one as well. In the meantime, I will take a little break and then replay Quantum Break and Control.
Perhaps someday it’ll come to Steam so I can enjoy it. :/
Oh man, wanted to play AW2 someday. I didn’t know it was only on Epic. Fuck those guys.
Yea it’s just dumb and a waste of effort imo (Epic should focus on actually providing a functional store first, not second)
Supposedly Control 2 at they very least should be on Steam…
Alan Wake 2 was published by and likely would not exist without Epic. It is unlikely it will come to steam
Is Control on steam? I have the GoG version. But that game is “multiplatform” then Alan Wake very well could be too
Control is on steam because it was published by 505 games.
Don’t get me wrong I’m anti epic buying exclusivity for games. But like if they fully funded the development and published it…
Ah gotcha. Thanks. I was assuming it was the same publisher .
And I agree with you. It’s been like that for forty years. I never understand why people get so upset over it recently.
Epic would make more money selling it on Steam :/
Oh for sure I definitely agree there haha. As far as software is concerned I don’t like the epic store. Steam is much better on that front. But I also don’t have any true moral issue with the epic store. Especially for playing a game they funded. Epic also funded and published the Alan Wake remaster. They effectively were able to bring back a long dormant series, and for that I am happy since Alan Wake 2 ended up being one of my all time favorite games.
I wish they didn’t have to keep it in their store, since I like steam more, but at the end of the day I’m not too bothered by it
Alan Wake 2 was by far my standout choice for GOTY last year. I’m still bummed it didn’t win more awards, particularly narrative ones as I think it handily beats BG3 in that department. I love Remedy and Sam Lake, and I love them pushing the envelope of AAA games. It’s one to add to the example list of “video games as art” in my opinion.
I’m glad the DLC was great, I’ve been trying to hold off until I can play both at once but maybe I’ll need to cave soon…
If it helps you decide, the Night Springs DLC is technically a prequel to AW2 but more or less standalone. The DLC is also pretty short with 3 separate chapters that are just a couple hours long total, and locations are reused from the base game. I believe there were supposed to be a couple extra chapters that got scrapped (partially due to James McCaffrey’s passing). That being said, I did enjoy it and think the third episode in particular was pretty interesting.
I’m currently playing The Final Draft. Totally agree, I think AW2 is a masterpiece and has sold me as a big fan of Sam Lake and his work. I liked the first game (and loved Control), but the sequel is a lot more fun than the first gameplay-wise.
Night Springs DLC spoiler
I was a little confused by the three episodes, obviously they’re intended to be other characters (Rose, Jesse, Sheriff Breaker), but apparently they are all just stories written by Wake as attempts to escape the Dark Place prior to AW2. The third episode talks about how all characters have “echoes” and with the multiverse are basically real and canon (even relating to their real-life counterparts). Sam Lake = the Director = Alex Casey = Max Payne, etc - each is as real as the others and they’re tied together by a string. Pretty interesting take, and I like that this episode basically canonizes Max Payne and Quantum Break in the Remedyverse.
After I finish the Final Draft, I will have to play Quantum Break. I think a Max Payne remake is rumored, so hopefully that will see light not long after. I have already played Control and it’s DLCs multiple times and can’t wait for that sequel.
I’m debating to play ‘‘The Final Draft’’. I read its basically the same game but with a slightly more story regard the ending of the game. I did not notice/ know that;
spoiler
The three stories were written by Wake to escape prior Alan Wake 2 story. I probably have missed that somehow.
I unfortunately never played any Max Payne games, are they worth to get into?
Yeah if you just finished your first playthrough it might be a little soon for the Final Draft. I beat it a few months ago and just finished the DLC a week or so ago, so I think it’s a good time for me. I bet you could just watch the cutscenes or differences on YouTube though.
I actually haven’t played the Max Payne games, but I’ve heard good things. I think there’s a remake of those rumored, so I’m probably going to wait and go check out Quantum Break next!
The original two Max Payne games are lovely and a favorite of mine to replay every few years or so, personally. They are very straight forward shooters though and can be a little hard at times, but extremely fun.
If you enjoy Sam’s writing, you’d very much enjoy Max Payne 1+2. Experience where it started, as it were.
SHOW ME THE CHAMPION OF LIIIIIGHT
Does it play like the first one? If so, I’ll just go read a plot synopsis. The gameplay was so dull and frustrating for me in the first one, but the story was good.
I find the game plays a lot better than the first one. I played the remaster recently and found it a bit of a slog to get through but absolutely adored the sequel
Good to know! Thanks
Totally agree that the first one’s gameplay doesn’t hold up. The second is a HUGE step up. Night and day difference.
Oh, good. Might be worth a look, then
The gameplay is similar/ the same. You have a light and a gun/ shotgun. Though the game is much more about the immensely dark atmosphere, storytelling and characters played in it. Honestly the game has some great shock-moments. I played it in PC with mouse and keyboard and the controls were (butter) smooth in my opinion.
Don’t forget the very first Alan Wake was released in 2010. So the gameplay will feel dull and lackluster in comparison to todays gaming standards. It’s unfair to compare the two games due to the amount of years and technological advancements of today.
You can watch a video or read synopsis but you’ll do yourself a disservice.
EDIT: changed ‘‘fill’’ to ‘‘feel’’
Thanks! I’m no stranger to old games, so I don’t hold the age against the first one. I just know I wouldn’t have fun if the actual gameplay (not the story elements) was largely the same.
I might watch someone play the first hour only, to see if it fits my playstyle.
Alan Wake 2 was our GOTY last year. The story was amazing, the game was polished… I didn’t hate Baldur’s Gate 3, but we played it on couch co-op and the experience was very unpleasant (plus the Act 3 was very unfinished).