Lance passed away in March. Since this game was in development for many years, I would think Remedy could've used him for this title had they wanted to (and he was willing and available).
Alan Wake 2
- Thread starter Diabolical
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The 3 save slots definitely hurt me a bit. After finishing, I found I was missing two collectibles (the two missable ones), and only had a save that enabled me to get 1 of the 2. Guess the last one will wait for NG+.
I had to look up the solution to a cult puzzle from Return 3, at the Slow Roaster Ferris Wheel. Screenshots in the spoilers.
Count the [redacted]. Got it.
How am I supposed to do that, game?
Instead, they were on the ground, and I only found one. Had to look this one up.
I wonder if that was on purpose. I heard screaming while walking around exploring nearby.
This is what is supposed to be there, apparently. Grabbed this from a guide.
Edit: And when I reloaded, they all magically appeared back on the wheel. Freaking weird man.
Count the [redacted]. Got it.
How am I supposed to do that, game?
Instead, they were on the ground, and I only found one. Had to look this one up.
I wonder if that was on purpose. I heard screaming while walking around exploring nearby.
This is what is supposed to be there, apparently. Grabbed this from a guide.
Edit: And when I reloaded, they all magically appeared back on the wheel. Freaking weird man.
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Sounds like a bug, everything was working as expected when I hit that point, but yeah, that would be super confusing
Lance also played a role in Quantum Break - could be that they were just trying to honor the memory of a good actor who'd contributed to Remedy games.
The role Lance Reddick played in Quantum Break is a very similar not-quite-human entity to the one David Harewood here in Alan Wake 2, and he is orbited by another character played by Shawn Ashmore who plays the protagonist Jack Joyce in QB. Quantum Break is not strictly part of the RCU because Microsoft own it, but Mr. Door and Tim Breaker are the copyright-safe equivalents of Martin Hatch and Jack Joyce the same way Alex Casey is to Max Payne.
@GloatingSwine , I was not aware that Quantum Break was under Microsoft’s control. Like how RockStar owns Max Payne 1&2, and the references to them in the original Alan Wake is oblique at best.
Best to think of Max Payne and Quantum Break as alternates to the primary Alan Wake / Control Remedy universe, then.
In AW2, I’m currently:
Alan: Just started on Initiation draft 3, that starts in the flooded green room of In Between With Mr. Door.
Saga (just switched back to her): On Old Gods, on the way up the backwoods to Valhalla Nursing.
I am having an absolute ball with this.
And since I just picked up a new monitor (the Alienware 34” QD-OLED panel), and am moving from a 7-year-old IPS LCD?
HDR and color response is bloody astounding, and this game really shows it off to great effect.
Best to think of Max Payne and Quantum Break as alternates to the primary Alan Wake / Control Remedy universe, then.
In AW2, I’m currently:
Alan: Just started on Initiation draft 3, that starts in the flooded green room of In Between With Mr. Door.
Saga (just switched back to her): On Old Gods, on the way up the backwoods to Valhalla Nursing.
I am having an absolute ball with this.
And since I just picked up a new monitor (the Alienware 34” QD-OLED panel), and am moving from a 7-year-old IPS LCD?
HDR and color response is bloody astounding, and this game really shows it off to great effect.
I finished my play through. All in all, I really enjoyed the game, it was spooky, had interesting mechanics, good story and good acting, and all the wonderful weirdness Remedy like to showcase.
For the ending itself...
It definitely ends a bit on a cliffhanger, a little like the end on inception where you aren't sure what reality is anymore. I imagine they are setting up for a third game at some point, hopefully if that's the case it takes less than 13 years.
The other big question of course, are Saga, Casey and Alan in the dark place at the end of the game, or just the attic of the wellness center in Bright springs.
Also, where did Odin and Tor wander off too, they just sort of vanished... And Warlin Door is a bit of an enigma still too. I guess these are the sorts of open questions that feed a connected universe, maybe Control 2 will answer some of this...
I think I will be thinking about this game for a while.
For the ending itself...
It definitely ends a bit on a cliffhanger, a little like the end on inception where you aren't sure what reality is anymore. I imagine they are setting up for a third game at some point, hopefully if that's the case it takes less than 13 years.
The other big question of course, are Saga, Casey and Alan in the dark place at the end of the game, or just the attic of the wellness center in Bright springs.
Also, where did Odin and Tor wander off too, they just sort of vanished... And Warlin Door is a bit of an enigma still too. I guess these are the sorts of open questions that feed a connected universe, maybe Control 2 will answer some of this...
I think I will be thinking about this game for a while.
We already know about the names of the two DLC drops we're going to get: Night Springs, and The Lake House. My best guess is that the Night Springs DLC will focus on cleaning up some of the otherwise loose ends hanging around in the dark place...
The second DLC is probably going to be more about the Remedy Connected Universe and a Control 2 tie-in, considering the Lake House already exists in the Cauldron Lake area and is obviously a FBC installation.
Mr. Door, in particular, who did a Night Springs intro in one of the findable videos, but also Captain Breaker, who is constantly humming the Night Springs theme when you find him. I give it 50/50 if we figure out where Odin and Tor went in that DLC, or in the other one.
The second DLC is probably going to be more about the Remedy Connected Universe and a Control 2 tie-in, considering the Lake House already exists in the Cauldron Lake area and is obviously a FBC installation.
Alan is in the Dark Place, this time with an actual guide instead of one he's tried to invent for himself. Saga and Casey it's deliberately ambiguous but I think they were in a very large Overlap and have been kicked out of it like you are the others during the game.
The really big question though is where's Barry? Is he safe? Is he OK?
Some of this may be explained and/or revealed in the New Game+ ending. Apparently, data miners have revealed that some things left ambiguous in the normal game ending aren't so much in the New Game+ ending.
Oh man, I didn't know they were doing that with NG+, that sounds awesome
I thought Odin and Tor went into the dark place to rescue Saga.
I have the same questions about Door - though the Control references tied him in a bit as some kind of entity between worlds, but how is he Saga's father? Or was that a ruse?
Didn't know the tip about NG+, thanks!
I f'ing loved it, especially the tie-in to other Remedy games. I installed a Philips Hue backlight when I started playing, and it really helped with the immersive experience.
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Yes, Odin and Tor went into the Dark Place to help Saga. I suspect that they are better at navigating it than Alan is and were able to appear there in such a way that they could be present with Mr. Door to set Alan on the path he needed to be on.
There are multiple references to a Warlin Door who disappeared in 1988 from around the Cauldron Lake area, that's also the year Odin lost his eye for real in a confrontation with someone (the patch is on the opposite eye in the Dark Place, he wore it as a stage affectation, the note says "he took the wrong eye"). Tor mentions that he regrets driving away Saga's father.
The lyrics to Anger's Remorse also contain the lines:
Dive through the dark
To find the light on the other side
You will find him there
The piece you're missing
The man I drove away
(I don't think anyone's found any messages in the songs played backwards yet though.
Door, from the name, is also implied to be essentially Martin Hatch from Quantum Break. He's not so much "between realities" as he exists in all possible realities, cannot be killed as long as he exists in any one of them, and in QB wanted to allow the end of time to occur so that he and people like him (shifters, people exposed to the side effects of a time machine, the word "shifter" is regularly spelled out on the floor in the "We Sing" sequence) can exist without the impossible pain that being exposed to time causes them.
It is, as Ahti suggests, very sensible to be afraid of Mr. Door.
I rather infamously don’t replay games. I also uninstall things when I’m done playing them, and then they go away to not be played again.
This game may be the exception that proves the rule. Because I really want to know…
Me just brainstorming on paper… Well, gushing, really.
That mid-credits scene with Alice? Back into the Dark Place? Which is set up by documents you find in Control?! And the spiral? And why it shows up and how it’s not a loop, implying an ‘end’? Is THAT going to be addressed in NG+? Because that would absolutely fit the narrative of it not being a loop, rather a spiral, implying that repeated playthroughs will get different results?! And the DLC packages, how is that going to tie in? Sheriff Breaker has apparently seen Jesse as well, but may not know who she is? Since the symbols on the doors in the Ocenview Motel (not Hotel, like here) in Control have file names that hint at future games? The pyramids-board-entities, alanwake2, control2, Vanguard (the multiplayer thing) and doors?! And playing around with multiple realities and entrance to and exit from is heavily hinted at through Quantum Break (as you all have mentioned) AND in various parts of Control?
I love this. Absolutely love it. Whatever Remedy is planning? Count me in.
What are they going to sneak into the remakes of Max Payne??!
The music in this game? Was also on point.
This game may be the exception that proves the rule. Because I really want to know…
Me just brainstorming on paper… Well, gushing, really.
That mid-credits scene with Alice? Back into the Dark Place? Which is set up by documents you find in Control?! And the spiral? And why it shows up and how it’s not a loop, implying an ‘end’? Is THAT going to be addressed in NG+? Because that would absolutely fit the narrative of it not being a loop, rather a spiral, implying that repeated playthroughs will get different results?! And the DLC packages, how is that going to tie in? Sheriff Breaker has apparently seen Jesse as well, but may not know who she is? Since the symbols on the doors in the Ocenview Motel (not Hotel, like here) in Control have file names that hint at future games? The pyramids-board-entities, alanwake2, control2, Vanguard (the multiplayer thing) and doors?! And playing around with multiple realities and entrance to and exit from is heavily hinted at through Quantum Break (as you all have mentioned) AND in various parts of Control?
I love this. Absolutely love it. Whatever Remedy is planning? Count me in.
What are they going to sneak into the remakes of Max Payne??!
The music in this game? Was also on point.
Just started playing this and man these jumpscares, get my heart pounding. Ugh. I hate hate hate jumpscares, but also seems like a good story so far. Might only have to play during daytime, not late at night 
Sounds like the update to add in NG+ has dropped. I will be very curious what was added in. Though, not sure how soon I will get around to replaying it.
Same. I’m thinking much closer to the first DLC drop. Plus, that’s just more and more performance improvements that can be done until then as well.
Game is already 20% off on PSN. Think I'm going to grab it now. I'm still finishing up Control AWE. I've gotten so much stuff in the holiday sales, I think my gaming for the next year is sorted - AW2, Hogwarts Legacy, Jedi Survivor, Plague Tale (first one).
I watched a run through of all the ‘new’ stuff and the new ending from NG+, aka “The Final Draft“ DLC. I’m glad I did that as opposed to replaying it.
So, now just waiting on the actual DLC.
So, now just waiting on the actual DLC.
Finished the game last night, and really enjoyed my ride. MUCH more challenging than the first one, which I played through beforehand via the remaster. I overall liked Control better, but that game was incredible and the combat was top tier, while AW2 is 'only' excellent with solid combat.
I do love how all the story beats tie together at the end, it's really masterfully done:
I think I'll also hold off doing the Final Draft until at least the first DLC comes out, depending on how long that takes to come out. It took me 31 hours to finish, and I definitely missed a few things, but was overall fairly thorough.
I do love how all the story beats tie together at the end, it's really masterfully done:
The subversion of Saga's Mind Place when she enters the Dark Place was superb, and seeing Scratch's version of reality was fun too.
I think I'll also hold off doing the Final Draft until at least the first DLC comes out, depending on how long that takes to come out. It took me 31 hours to finish, and I definitely missed a few things, but was overall fairly thorough.
Same. I agree with all of this.
What boggles my mind is whenever I see someone post or comment that Alan Wake 2 has better combat and controls than Control. Alan Wake 2 has decent combat for a survival horror game. Which means that the controls and mechanics are going to be compromised in ways that rather conform with the genre. Compromises that would be huge no-no’s in other kinds of games.
Control had pretty darn solid, bordering excellent combat for an action game.
Comparing the two is like comparing apples and fried calamari. Yeah, you eat both of them. But that is about where the similarities end.
Story wise? They’re both pretty spectacular in their own ways, narratively. I just liked Control more. But that’s because I like that kind of mystery more than this kind of mystery.
Basically my feelings too. AW2's gunplay is supposed to be a little clunky, slow, and difficult to do well - and enemies that can now teleport / Naruto-run around make it significantly harder. These choices make perfect sense, but combat is hamstrung and not very fluid. That's fun, and made battles rewarding, but it didn't make me look forward to fighting enemies nearly as much as Control, where I'm picking up welding carts while flying through the air and railgunning heavy troopers trying to mow me down.
I think from a technical perspective AW2 definitely has the better story - the composition and payoff are just great, but I also like the goofiness of Control better. I loved all the weird bits of SCP-style lore you find, like the note from a guy saying that Abe Lincoln helped him fix his lawnmower, or the post-it notes slowly taking over that office, the clocks, etc. Still, I'd say AW2 is the best game I played in 2023 and I'm looking forward to where they go with the DLC.
After playing “Death Stranding” I’m AOK if the walkin is well done. I just bought AW2 on sale together with the remaster of AW1 (I haven’t played it yet). I have a small backlog of stuff but will likely dive into AW1 in the next week or two (I’m beginning to tire of Assasins Creed Greece).
The beginning is slow and there's not a lot of enemies, so I can see this a little. Toward the end there's a LOT more enemies out there and it was rare for me to go more than a minute or two without encountering a group.
Overall, I thought the pacing was good - encounters are tough and one or two mistakes can kill you, and resources are relatively limited, so that slower rate of combat encounters felt good, and the worldbuilding and environments were excellent. I wasn't bored just looking around as I walked, but it's definitely not an action game even to the level of the first one, let alone Control.
I'll add my thoughts re: Control v Alan Wake 2
I thoroughly enjoyed both games, but for me, Alan Wake 2 edges out control. Which I find odd, perhaps, since I had to set Alan Wake 2 to Story Mode.
Control was a fantastically fun game to play, a power fantasy, fast paced, and weird. The mechanics of combat were great, easily giving me the impression of being super powered better than any other game I've played, while also not making me feel invulnerable. My biggest complaint with the game, is it felt a bit homogeneous and as a narrative, not super interesting. But what they did with lore and atmosphere was really impressive.
Alan Wake 2 is a genre I don't like, survival horror (horror in general), is not my cup of tea. And I found the combat tedious and difficult, hence setting it to story mode. Where the game excels for me, is in the story telling, atmosphere and the world itself. The first Alan Wake was pretty much a one trick pony, fun, but quite same-y, and painfully, relentlessly under-saturated (as many games of that era were I suppose). Alan Wake 2 with its two protagonists and very different, very beautifully rendered worlds never got boring to me. And within those worlds, the game kept things interesting and fresh. The game is a work of art and takes everything Remedy is best at and dials it in. I also feel like a lot of what they did was quite risky and they pulled it off which is quite impressive in its own right. Plus, the Herald of Darkness song is a banger.
In the end a simple difference is all it takes to make me pick a 'favorite', I am looking forward to replaying Alan Wake 2, and have no real desire to replay Control.
I am looking forward to any and all sequels to anything Remedy does for the foreseeable future.
I thoroughly enjoyed both games, but for me, Alan Wake 2 edges out control. Which I find odd, perhaps, since I had to set Alan Wake 2 to Story Mode.
Control was a fantastically fun game to play, a power fantasy, fast paced, and weird. The mechanics of combat were great, easily giving me the impression of being super powered better than any other game I've played, while also not making me feel invulnerable. My biggest complaint with the game, is it felt a bit homogeneous and as a narrative, not super interesting. But what they did with lore and atmosphere was really impressive.
Alan Wake 2 is a genre I don't like, survival horror (horror in general), is not my cup of tea. And I found the combat tedious and difficult, hence setting it to story mode. Where the game excels for me, is in the story telling, atmosphere and the world itself. The first Alan Wake was pretty much a one trick pony, fun, but quite same-y, and painfully, relentlessly under-saturated (as many games of that era were I suppose). Alan Wake 2 with its two protagonists and very different, very beautifully rendered worlds never got boring to me. And within those worlds, the game kept things interesting and fresh. The game is a work of art and takes everything Remedy is best at and dials it in. I also feel like a lot of what they did was quite risky and they pulled it off which is quite impressive in its own right. Plus, the Herald of Darkness song is a banger.
In the end a simple difference is all it takes to make me pick a 'favorite', I am looking forward to replaying Alan Wake 2, and have no real desire to replay Control.
I am looking forward to any and all sequels to anything Remedy does for the foreseeable future.
Severely disappointed in AW2 within the first thirty seconds.
No invert X camera option.
What. The. Fuck.
I know Northlight supports it, control and AW remastered had it. Just put a freaking check box in the interface options.
Sigh now to debate trying to get a refund from Sony, hope they patch it soon, or try to force my brain into something unnatural.
No invert X camera option.
What. The. Fuck.
I know Northlight supports it, control and AW remastered had it. Just put a freaking check box in the interface options.
Sigh now to debate trying to get a refund from Sony, hope they patch it soon, or try to force my brain into something unnatural.
What an incredibly idiosyncratic hill to die on.
Fascinating.
Oh well. Guess you could watch a let’s play with no commentary.
Fascinating.
Oh well. Guess you could watch a let’s play with no commentary.
It ain't dying on a hill man, I can't play stuff that way. I have to literally stop and think to turn the camera, and even then I get it wrong half the time. Forget about moving and aiming at the same time.
What if they only had the invert option and you couldn't switch to your preferred? Think you'd enjoy the game that way?
What if they only had the invert option and you couldn't switch to your preferred? Think you'd enjoy the game that way?
And I repeat:
It’s shitty, but if it isn’t an option now, what makes you think they have any plans of adding it later? Time to try contacting Remedy directly, see what they say, I guess.
It’s shitty, but if it isn’t an option now, what makes you think they have any plans of adding it later? Time to try contacting Remedy directly, see what they say, I guess.
Just curious, but how'd you get started playing with inverted X? I don't play on consoles, but even having the option isn't something I would have thought of. Is that a common option that you find in most games? I do agree that if that's something you always play with, it would be VERY tough to get used to - if Y i inverted on the rare times I pick up a controller, I'd probably give up too.
BUMP!
Alan Wake 2 DLC will be available... nowish? Sometime today.
DLC is a 3-episode-thing of Night Springs, the in-verse TV show that Alan Wake worked as a writer on and has featured across the Remedyverse in a variety of ways.
I'm in the middle of finishing up Horizon: Forbidden West, but as soon as I'm done with that? Pretty darn good chance I'm coming back to Alan and Saga's wacky story.
Note: There is another DLC coming (The Lake House) which allegedly about the Bureau of Control. No idea when that is coming.
Alan Wake 2 DLC will be available... nowish? Sometime today.
DLC is a 3-episode-thing of Night Springs, the in-verse TV show that Alan Wake worked as a writer on and has featured across the Remedyverse in a variety of ways.
I'm in the middle of finishing up Horizon: Forbidden West, but as soon as I'm done with that? Pretty darn good chance I'm coming back to Alan and Saga's wacky story.
Note: There is another DLC coming (The Lake House) which allegedly about the Bureau of Control. No idea when that is coming.
Re-installing the game now. I upgraded to the digital collectors edition to unlock the DLC (this one and The Lake House). I guess tomorrow or the next day I'll be diving back in to this nut house of a world.
Oh. Boy.
Oh. Boy.
I haven't gotten this one yet (it came out when too many other games were already in the queue), but now that DLC is out it may be a good time to pick it up. Loved most of the first one, though the ending wasn't particularly satisfying.
Just an FYI, the DLC appears to be completely standalone.
Well, you need the game, of course. But it isn’t integrated into the storyline.
Contrast that with Control, where the DLC was interwoven in with the rest of the campaign.
Well, you need the game, of course. But it isn’t integrated into the storyline.
Contrast that with Control, where the DLC was interwoven in with the rest of the campaign.
I was watching someone else online play this game. This game and Control are tied together in the same universe, but I hate playing Alan Wake (and from what I watched of 2 it would be the same). The main characters appear to usually be scared, confused, they don't know what is going on, they are constantly out matched and barely make it through alive. That is just too stressful for me. Compare that with Control, where even when the main character doesn't know what is going on exactly, she isn't stressed and feels like she is where she is supposed to be. There are tough monsters but you are a match for them. Also, with unlimited ammo, telekinesis, and the ability to FREAKIN' FLY, the Control main character is pretty much a badass. Alan Wake (series) is a survival game. Limited ammo/batteries, things jumping you, chasing you. It's not the kind of game I can play (which I didn't realize until after I had bought it).
I only made it halfway through watching someone else play AW2. The wife was watching with me when she decided she didn't want to watch anymore. If I could find where I left off on the Let's Play, I can probably finish it up.
(edit: I would like to clarify that I don't think the game is bad. I'm just not good at survival games... or Soulslike games. At least not anymore, but I DO enjoy watching other people who are good at them.)
I only made it halfway through watching someone else play AW2. The wife was watching with me when she decided she didn't want to watch anymore. If I could find where I left off on the Let's Play, I can probably finish it up.
(edit: I would like to clarify that I don't think the game is bad. I'm just not good at survival games... or Soulslike games. At least not anymore, but I DO enjoy watching other people who are good at them.)
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Wait... what??? You can't invert the mouse in AW2? You sure as hell could in AW, and in... well, every other game on Planet Earth.
According to a survey several years ago around 25% of gamers play with inverted Y, and they're concentrated among older gamers who grew up with joysticks (going back to the original Atari) that all mimicked an aircraft joystick. You push forward to go (or look) down. We grew up with the mental picture that the mouse is gripping the top of your head. Push the mouse forward to look down.
That's... stunning. Glad I saw that before purchasing.