I wanted to love the first one, as I'm a huge Remedy fan (and Max Payne is in my top 5 greatest games of all time), but I had to be honest with myself; I my only loved some portions of it, while I hated others. All in all, I didn't like the character Alan very much. He hasn't nearly as loveable as Max. That said, the game play mechanics were novel, the atmosphere was top-notch and the story was incredible.
MS funded the first Alan Wake, and Remedy had to make some big changes to the initial game. It was supposed to be open-world, with strategic elements (light traps, etc), but Sam and the team had trouble keeping it open-world, while keeping player-story engagement high, so it turned into what it is today. I suspect based on everything they've learnt from Quantum Break, Control and other games in the survival horror or psychological thriller genres, they might be able to deliver something a bit closer to their initial idea, while still excelling at the strengths they have. They have much more to play with, story-wise as well, because I believe Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Control all take place in the same universe. I'm not too sure how QB might fit into that story though, or if it ever will, as I believe MS still owns the IP.
In any case, I'm excited to see what they do with Alan Wake 2. I believe in them. At the very least, we can expect amazing writing, an amazing story, top-notch visuals/graphics, great sound design and an incredible musical score - those are the things Remedy excels at
