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Graphics aside, is it a good game? Do you like it? My wife and I enjoy playing through story games, but only if they’re not dumb. Spiderman 2 is awesome. It wa

Graphics aside, is it a good game? Do you like it? My wife and I enjoy playing through story games, but only if they’re not dumb. Spiderman 2 is awesome. It was one of the few preorders that have ever worked out for me. So I’m cautiously optimistic about recent mainstream games, and the preview for Alan Wake looks neat.

LelouBil 3y ago
I liked Control, there's a lot of story that you can discuss. It's like if someone made a game about SCPs but with an actually overarching story.
kevinmchugh 3y ago
You should draw no conclusions about quality or how well a game will run at launch from a game by another studio.
Drybones 3y ago
The first game was good. This one is not. I don’t understand how a big game like this could have you just walking around doing nearly nothing for several hours straight. Every puzzle and lock solution is basically on a sticky note next to it in game removing the minimum challenge the game presents. Movies are more engaging. As for the story, it’s just Alan Wake 1 retold but louder and in your face about it.
- sillysaurusx 3y ago
  Thank you! Exactly what I was hoping to hear, unless it was actually good. Thanks for saving us from disappointment.
  - jahsome 3y ago
    The first couple hours are intentionally slow. It's not "doing nothing" it's building suspense and laying out the foundation for the story. I don't understand why people need to hear whether games are "worth it" based on someone else's opinion.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - chungy 3y ago
      It helps to make a decision about whether it's worth buying. Of course opinions can vary wildly, which is why looking up multiple reviews and/or videos might be a wise idea. As an example, I've struggled to get people to fully play one of my favorite platformers of all time, VVVVVV. And then the much vaunted Ocarina of Time bores me to tears and I can't push myself to get through it.
      - ShamelessC 3y ago
        > As an example, I've struggled to get people to fully play one of my favorite platformers of all time, VVVVVV. And then the much vaunted Ocarina of Time bores me to tears and I can't push myself to get through it. VVVVV appears to be a fairly low budget indie game with graphics that haven't aged very well compared to modern indie games. I'm sure it was fun and it seems it was very well received when it came out. Ocarina of Time was a AAA game that came out during the first real mainstream transition toward 3D graphics. It effectively kickstarted the RPG and free-roam genres while still presenting a typically polished Zelda experience. It was fun when I played it (when it came out) but it has not aged very well compared to modern games. If you didn't play it when it came out you're probably not going to enjoy it - but at least you can respect its impact on gaming. Anyway the point is that games don't age well and similar to music, people don't tend to like other people's favorite games unless they're highly aligned in the first place. Reviews are pretty pointless as well but in general you can tell in the first 2 hours of a game if you're going to like it or not, at which point you can choose to return it or not return it.
        Reticularas 3y ago
        VVVVV was released during the initial wave of indie game popularity. It may not be the most influential of that group- but it's more relevant than it probably seems from a present day standpoint
  - ShamelessC 3y ago
    > Thank you! Exactly what I was hoping to hear, unless it was actually good. Thanks for saving us from disappointment. Eh let's be real - you decided you didn't like that game the moment you saw any sort of press about it.
  - satvikpendem 3y ago
    It is good, but you have to go into it with different expectations. Skill Up has the best review of it that I've seen [0], where the game is actually a 4th wall breaking meta commentary on the story driven and mystery game genre as a whole, with live action parts interspersed with the gameplay and cutscenes. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh1vq0SljoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh1vq0SljoU
    - reroute22 3y ago
      I hate meta. It always sucks.
  - izacus 3y ago
    > Thank you! Exactly what I was hoping to hear, unless it was actually good. So you were just peddling around to confirm your preconcieved bias for it to be bad? (Pretty much all reviews have been universally VERY good in media.)
- ShamelessC 3y ago
  > I don’t understand how a big game like this could have you just walking around doing nearly nothing for several hours straight Isn’t that exactly how Alan Wake 1 starts out?
  - illegalsmile 3y ago
    I started AW1 the other day because it had been on my list after playing through Control. There's definitely a lot of walking around and cut scenes but I wouldn't say you do nothing. You do have to fight people, collect items and do some very simple puzzles.
    - ShamelessC 3y ago
      Huh fair enough thanks for clarifying. How does Alan Wake 1 hold up?
- lloeki 3y ago
  > I don’t understand how a big game like this could have you just walking around doing nearly nothing for several hours straight Alan Wake 1 had a lengthy walking around/watching cutscenes first part, so this sounds good to me: I like walking simulators (e.g Gone Home, Firewatch). Not every game has to be about blowing things up to smithereens or solving over-rehashed puzzles. The most recent example for me was Scorn: for me it was fantastic until I got to the area where you get a thinly veiled shotgun thing with mandatory combat + solve those rotating puzzles over and over whose essential logic has been seen a thousand times (in stark with the first big room environmental puzzle whose logic wasn't that complex but was immersive), at which point I dropped the game as it was just killing the mood for me.
- ljm 3y ago
  The first game was more action oriented while this one is more like survival horror. I think it's a refreshing change from pushing back the hordes as it's much more of a tense and atmospheric slow-burn. Personally I'm hugely fond of it but I absolutely love the weirdness of Remedy's extended universe, and for me it's less about the gameplay but the story and atmosphere. So, my bias couldn't be more apparent but I think there's a lot more to it than what you're dismissing it for.
wincy 3y ago
As a counterpoint I’m two and a half hours in and like the pacing. I’ve been drinking in the scenery and just had some really creepy stuff happen. I really like the whole “descent into madness” trope in my games though, and this definitely is scratching that itch.
norwalkbear 3y ago
I didn't like it, feels like the story lost the twin peaks charm

LelouBil 3y ago

I liked Control, there's a lot of story that you can discuss. It's like if someone made a game about SCPs but with an actually overarching story.

kevinmchugh 3y ago

You should draw no conclusions about quality or how well a game will run at launch from a game by another studio.

Drybones 3y ago

The first game was good. This one is not. I don’t understand how a big game like this could have you just walking around doing nearly nothing for several hours straight. Every puzzle and lock solution is basically on a sticky note next to it in game removing the minimum challenge the game presents. Movies are more engaging. As for the story, it’s just Alan Wake 1 retold but louder and in your face about it.

sillysaurusx 3y ago
Thank you! Exactly what I was hoping to hear, unless it was actually good. Thanks for saving us from disappointment.
- jahsome 3y ago
  The first couple hours are intentionally slow. It's not "doing nothing" it's building suspense and laying out the foundation for the story. I don't understand why people need to hear whether games are "worth it" based on someone else's opinion.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - chungy 3y ago
    It helps to make a decision about whether it's worth buying. Of course opinions can vary wildly, which is why looking up multiple reviews and/or videos might be a wise idea. As an example, I've struggled to get people to fully play one of my favorite platformers of all time, VVVVVV. And then the much vaunted Ocarina of Time bores me to tears and I can't push myself to get through it.
    - ShamelessC 3y ago
      > As an example, I've struggled to get people to fully play one of my favorite platformers of all time, VVVVVV. And then the much vaunted Ocarina of Time bores me to tears and I can't push myself to get through it. VVVVV appears to be a fairly low budget indie game with graphics that haven't aged very well compared to modern indie games. I'm sure it was fun and it seems it was very well received when it came out. Ocarina of Time was a AAA game that came out during the first real mainstream transition toward 3D graphics. It effectively kickstarted the RPG and free-roam genres while still presenting a typically polished Zelda experience. It was fun when I played it (when it came out) but it has not aged very well compared to modern games. If you didn't play it when it came out you're probably not going to enjoy it - but at least you can respect its impact on gaming. Anyway the point is that games don't age well and similar to music, people don't tend to like other people's favorite games unless they're highly aligned in the first place. Reviews are pretty pointless as well but in general you can tell in the first 2 hours of a game if you're going to like it or not, at which point you can choose to return it or not return it.
      - Reticularas 3y ago
        VVVVV was released during the initial wave of indie game popularity. It may not be the most influential of that group- but it's more relevant than it probably seems from a present day standpoint
- ShamelessC 3y ago
  > Thank you! Exactly what I was hoping to hear, unless it was actually good. Thanks for saving us from disappointment. Eh let's be real - you decided you didn't like that game the moment you saw any sort of press about it.
- satvikpendem 3y ago
  It is good, but you have to go into it with different expectations. Skill Up has the best review of it that I've seen [0], where the game is actually a 4th wall breaking meta commentary on the story driven and mystery game genre as a whole, with live action parts interspersed with the gameplay and cutscenes. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh1vq0SljoU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh1vq0SljoU
  - reroute22 3y ago
    I hate meta. It always sucks.
- izacus 3y ago
  > Thank you! Exactly what I was hoping to hear, unless it was actually good. So you were just peddling around to confirm your preconcieved bias for it to be bad? (Pretty much all reviews have been universally VERY good in media.)
ShamelessC 3y ago
> I don’t understand how a big game like this could have you just walking around doing nearly nothing for several hours straight Isn’t that exactly how Alan Wake 1 starts out?
- illegalsmile 3y ago
  I started AW1 the other day because it had been on my list after playing through Control. There's definitely a lot of walking around and cut scenes but I wouldn't say you do nothing. You do have to fight people, collect items and do some very simple puzzles.
  - ShamelessC 3y ago
    Huh fair enough thanks for clarifying. How does Alan Wake 1 hold up?
lloeki 3y ago
> I don’t understand how a big game like this could have you just walking around doing nearly nothing for several hours straight Alan Wake 1 had a lengthy walking around/watching cutscenes first part, so this sounds good to me: I like walking simulators (e.g Gone Home, Firewatch). Not every game has to be about blowing things up to smithereens or solving over-rehashed puzzles. The most recent example for me was Scorn: for me it was fantastic until I got to the area where you get a thinly veiled shotgun thing with mandatory combat + solve those rotating puzzles over and over whose essential logic has been seen a thousand times (in stark with the first big room environmental puzzle whose logic wasn't that complex but was immersive), at which point I dropped the game as it was just killing the mood for me.
ljm 3y ago
The first game was more action oriented while this one is more like survival horror. I think it's a refreshing change from pushing back the hordes as it's much more of a tense and atmospheric slow-burn. Personally I'm hugely fond of it but I absolutely love the weirdness of Remedy's extended universe, and for me it's less about the gameplay but the story and atmosphere. So, my bias couldn't be more apparent but I think there's a lot more to it than what you're dismissing it for.

wincy 3y ago

As a counterpoint I’m two and a half hours in and like the pacing. I’ve been drinking in the scenery and just had some really creepy stuff happen. I really like the whole “descent into madness” trope in my games though, and this definitely is scratching that itch.

norwalkbear 3y ago

I didn't like it, feels like the story lost the twin peaks charm