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Is Alan Wake II the best game Remedy has ever released?

What is Remedy's Best Game?

  • Alan Wake II

    Votes: 55 24.1%

  • Control

    Votes: 45 19.7%

  • Quantum Break

    Votes: 12 5.3%

  • Alan Wake

    Votes: 4 1.8%

  • Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

    Votes: 59 25.9%

  • Max Payne

    Votes: 50 21.9%

  • Death Rally

    Votes: 1 0.4%

  • CrossfireX

    Votes: 2 0.9%
  • Total voters
    228
M

mdkirby

Member
This is promising. Can’t wait to play it. Have got it installed but am working through starfield. That said, starfield is def struggling to hold my attention, I keep either falling asleep playing it, or finding myself distracted by something more interesting on my phone…which is odd for a Bethesda game.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I pre-ordered the game a couple months ago after finally beating Quantum Break and being blown away by how good it was. I think a ton of people were sleeping on Remedy because they skipped Xbox One like I did, so a lot of people never played it. They missed the jump in quality they made on that game. Several of the cinematic set piece moments are on par with Naughty Dog, only it's more fantasy / sci-fi oriented so they can really lean into the explosive art design elements. As soon as I saw a trailer for Alan Wake 2, I knew it would easily be a winner, and would continue the live action film elements they started experimenting with on Quantum Break.

I think Control was a dip in quality for them, probably because of budget, so a lot of people were unaware of how good the team currently is. We saw them also phone it in on Crossfire X due to budget. For many people, this is probably the first fully funded Remedy game they've played since Alan Wake 1, so it's like they are jumping up 2 generations.

1. Quantum Break
2. Control
3. Alan Wake
4. Max Payne 1 / 2

Alan Wake 2 (haven't started it yet, but it has to beat Quantum Break for me. It looks like it will easily be 1st or 2nd place.)
 
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Black_Stride

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
GymWolf said:
Skipping important cutscenes to fix the pace of a game is not in my modus operandi nor my job.
Click to expand...

The TV show was always optional and didnt add anything to the story because you were watching the villains point of view.
Tis the reason its an optional download not part of the main game.
They acted more like a visual codex than main cutscenes.

So not they arent important or mandatory.
I dont think Jack Joyce even appears in any of them.
 
Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
Black_Stride said:
The TV show was always optional and didnt add anything to the story because you were watching the villains point of view.
Tis the reason its an optional download not part of the main game.
They acted more like a visual codex than main cutscenes.

So not they arent important or mandatory.
I dont think Jack Joyce even appears in any of them.
Click to expand...

In the live action stuff? Sure he does

Great scene with him and Paul at 15:22

 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
GymWolf said:
In my old forum we counted the number of encounters in the game and if i remember well it was around 20 to 30 enemy encounters, it was a finite number and every fight was story related, not nearly enough for me, most of the time i was just exploring, reading documents and solving uber simple time travel puzzles and combat once in a while, it was not even in the same realm of perfect action games if you ask me, i was so bored with it that i bailed out 3\4 in, way more combat would have helped immensely.


Skipping important cutscenes to fix the pace of a game is not in my modus operandi nor my job.

Combat was nice and i knew how to play (there was not a cover button so it was clear that it wasn't a cover shooter, but i also remember the protagonist being a bit clunky like he had a broomstick on his ass, movements didn't felt as good as control, same for the gunplay, the time power were the only stand out.


It was better than alan wake 1 i guess, i bailed out from that one way before reaching 3\4 of the game.
Click to expand...
I'd much rather have live action TV episodes than slow walk sections of gameplay. You can get through a chaotic fight, save, go grab a drink and chill for 10 minutes while you kick back and watch it. They were on par with some lower budget sci-fi shows I've been into.

I think Quantum Break was 15 years ahead of its time. I wouldn't be surprised to see Netflix try something like that in 5 years.
 
GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
Black_Stride said:
The TV show was always optional and didnt add anything to the story because you were watching the villains point of view.
Tis the reason its an optional download not part of the main game.
They acted more like a visual codex than main cutscenes.

So not they arent important or mandatory.
I dont think Jack Joyce even appears in any of them.
Click to expand...
Oh cmon, they are optional but not really, watching the villain gave more perspective than just barely seeing him, we can calle em optional but we both know that everyone interested in the plot watched them.

Tbh i was not disturbed by that more than the lack of combat.

I just reinstalled the game btw, i wanna see how it looks maxed out at 4k120 (previously i played the game like shit because it was super demanding).

Btw, does the steam version include everything in the package or i have to download the serial in another place?
 
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GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
Punished Miku said:
I'd much rather have live action TV episodes than slow walk sections of gameplay. You can get through a chaotic fight, save, go grab a drink and chill for 10 minutes while you kick back and watch it. They were on par with some lower budget sci-fi shows I've been into.

I think Quantum Break was 15 years ahead of its time. I wouldn't be surprised to see Netflix try something like that in 5 years.
Click to expand...
Nah, i still take walking sections, they are never as long as 20 min and they are less cringe (usually), also i can control the character, the camera etc. and that is the difference between a videogame and a serial tv.

I don't think it was ahead of fucking nothing tbh except maybe some graphic effects :lollipop_grinning_sweat:
 
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Muffdraul

Muffdraul

Member
I haven't started AW2 yet, I just finished Spider-Man 2 yesterday and immediately jumped into MGS1 PS5. That shouldn't take too long, even after not playing it since the first time it became available on PS3, my gobs of playthrus from 1998-2008 are seared into my synapses and I still remember every step of it like the back of my hand. After that I intend to start AW2... if I can stop myself from going straight to MGS2.

I loved AW1 when I played it in 2010, but when I played the remaster on PS4 Pro whenever that came out, I certainly did NOT love as much as I did when it was new.

I never played either of the Remedy Max Paynes. I'll be all over the remasters if they ever release. I thought MP3 was OK.

I tried very hard to get into Quantum Break, and some sections of it were great... but as an overall package, I just couldn't do it. Never finished it, not sure how close I came to the ending.

Control was my 2019 GOTY. Replayed it so many times in the last four years. So fucking good. Easily my fave Remedy by a hundred miles. People who don't like it are dumb and ugly. Maybe AW2 will usurp its throne, but I won't be holding my breath.
 
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Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
GymWolf said:
Nah, i still take walking sections, they are never as long as 20 min and they are less cringe (usually), also i can control the character, the camera etc. and that is the difference between a videogame and a serial tv.

I don't think it was ahead of fucking nothing tbh except maybe some graphic effects :lollipop_grinning_sweat:
Click to expand...
I'm just talking about the format. I think it's the only thing that exists that is basically the equivalent of a Netflix Limited Series + AAA shooter. I predict we may see more things like that in the future.

Imagine how much faster you could get The Last of Us 3 out if you combined the HBO show with 10 hours of gameplay segments.
 
Windom Earle

Windom Earle

Member
A game that is so light on actual gameplay, celebrated by the press, shocking. Following after the brilliant Control it's a bit disappointing. Still love Remedy though.
 
GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
Punished Miku said:
I'm just talking about the format. I think it's the only thing that exists that is basically the equivalent of a Netflix Limited Series + AAA shooter. I predict we may see more things like that in the future.

Imagine how much faster you could get The Last of Us 3 out if you combined the HBO show with 10 hours of gameplay segments.
Click to expand...
I just threw up in my mouth a little :lollipop_grinning_sweat:

Not sure if i can handle deformed clickers AND forehead in the same section.
 
GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
MidGenRefresh said:
Alan Wake II is amazing but it's more of a experience than video game. Their best game, hands down, is Max Payne 2.
Click to expand...
I would argue max payne 1 plot was better, but then again, mp1 didn't had a level with vinnie gognitti in a giant rabbit costume and a bomb in his head, so what do i know?
 
GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
MidGenRefresh said:
Strongly disagree. When was the last time you replied these 2? Max Payne 1 is notorious for cheap enemy placement and dream sequences that killed the pacing.
Click to expand...
Yeah i may have mixed memories about the 2, it has been almost 20 years since the last time i played both.

I clearly remember liking the plot of the first one a bit more tho.
 
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proandrad

proandrad

Member
I’m still fairly early in the game, but so far it seems like people are extremely overrating the game because it’s pretty. Gameplay wise the first couple of hrs in control were a lot better.
 
March Climber

March Climber

Member
Black_Stride said:
If Quantum Break released right before Control as a multi-platform game, I guarantee you it would have been alot better received both critically and from the public.
Unfortunately it came out when hating anything Xbox One was cool and alot of people played it like it was a cover shooter.......its not a cover shooter, ive watched some people gameplays and reviews and im like "you are fucking retarded thats why you think this game sucks".
Click to expand...
I've been catching up on XBO exclusives lately as I missed that entire generation of games on that system, and coming from someone who played it recently...Quantum Break doesn't suck but it also isn't the masterpiece some here want it to be. You use cover a lot for about half of the game(which essentially feels like 2.5 hours if you cut out the TV footage stuff) until you unlock the better powers in the second half that allow you to perform better in battle with the most aggressive gameplay.

The second half of the game is also when the game finally brings out more challenging enemies(they should have added one more difficulty above it's hardest one), and the entire final boss fight, while doable once you learn the trick to it, is annoying and in a giant open room, which reminded me a lot of why I didn't like Halo Infinite's boss fights when playing it recently as well, since they did the same thing. I still don't understand why certain shooters will have great gameplay and/or level design, and then decide that a boss fight should mimic a third person action game's arena even though it's 100% clear the two don't really mesh. Maybe Doom is to blame. Idk.

Regardless Quantum Break is a solid C grade title with great combat(once it finally unlocks), with mediocre TV episodes(with reused footage for different choices), mediocre level design, mediocre encounter design, and end of chapter narrative choices that feel almost smoke and mirrors esque due to how little they change in the big picture sense.

None of this has anything to do with it being an exclusive. It's just an okay game.
 
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N

Nonehxc

Member
analog_future said:
For me the answer is an easy "Yes".

Alan Wake II really does feel like the culmination of all of the games before it, and is Remedy's magnum opus thus far. It's everything they've been trying to achieve over the last 20+ years all coming together into this one game.


I'd personally rank the Remedy titles I've played as such:

  1. Alan Wake II
  2. Max Payne 2
  3. Control
  4. Quantum Break
  5. Max Payne
  6. Alan Wake

Haven't played Death Rally or CrossfireX.
Click to expand...
YES.

Also fuck your retarded list 😐

Quantum Break and Control before Alan Wake and Max Payne... ☹️
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
March Climber said:
I've been catching up on XBO exclusives lately as I missed that entire generation of games on that system, and coming from someone who played it recently...Quantum Break doesn't suck but it also isn't the masterpiece some here want it to be. You use cover a lot for about half of the game(which essentially feels like 2.5 hours if you cut out the TV footage stuff) until you unlock the better powers in the second half that allow you to perform better in battle with the most aggressive gameplay.

The second half of the game is also when the game finally brings out more challenging enemies(they should have added one more difficulty above it's hardest one), and the entire final boss fight, while doable once you learn the trick to it, is annoying and in a giant open room, which reminded me a lot of why I didn't like Halo Infinite's boss fights when playing it recently as well, since they did the same thing. I still don't understand why certain shooters will have great gameplay and/or level design, and then decide that a boss fight should mimic a third person action game's arena even though it's 100% clear the two don't really mesh. Maybe Doom is to blame. Idk.

Regardless Quantum Break is a solid C grade title with great combat(once it finally unlocks), with mediocre TV episodes(with reused footage for different choices), mediocre level design, mediocre encounter design, and end of chapter narrative choices that feel almost smoke and mirrors esque due to how little they change in the big picture sense.

None of this has anything to do with it being an exclusive. It's just an okay game.
Click to expand...
I thought it was awesome. Even before you can dash around everywhere, just having a time freeze blast changes how you play TPSs. Never gets old to freeze someone, empty a whole clip of ammo into the time distortion, then have it all shred them at once when it disappears. Or all the cool fights where half the enemies are frozen and half have the backpacks so they can move during the time freeze, and the time freeze keeps turning off and on like a temporal Ikaruga. Game doesn't have to be a masterpiece to be really good and have tons of cool ideas.
 
UnrealEck

UnrealEck

Member
Alan Wake 2 has great presentation but the gameplay is barely there. There's not much to it. At least from what I've played (10 hours in maybe)
I know their games are all quite simplistic in gameplay but AW2 is one of the lightest in this regard.
 
March Climber

March Climber

Member
Punished Miku said:
Game doesn't have to be a masterpiece to be really good and have tons of cool ideas.
Click to expand...
I agree with this sentence, which is why I gave it a C and why I personally give letter grades and not numbers. There are a lot of fun B and C games with cool ideas out there that people don't give a chance due to the number next to it not being an 8 or above. I consider Quantum Break one of them. My earlier post was to justify why it's a C game and not an A+ experience. After getting the easy 1000 achievement score I don't have that feeling of wanting to go back to the game a third time in the future, and I was mostly annoyed on my playthrough 2's secret finding due to Jack's weird jump and stiff traversal skills. I was also disappointed that the B-side choices weren't as game-altering as I'd hoped.
 
Gambit2483

Gambit2483

Member
What is with Remedy's obsession with Television media and inputting TV shows/FMV in their game worlds?

Think it's actually pretty cool just wondering if anyone knows what's with their obsession.
 
TerribleAtThisGame

TerribleAtThisGame

Member
Control because it's the only Remedy game where the studio didn't prioritize their style over substance auteur crap over solid gameplay and level design.

I'm a major fan of surreal cinema, Lynch, Stephen King and basically everything they rip off and I still don't get how enamored people are with playing a 4th rate video game copy of those things. They copied Agent Cooper's hotel room...sick...how's the combat...ah the same rote filler TPS combat we've been playing for a decade straight...only now there's barely any of it because instead of improving it meaningfully they just axed it. I don't get their priorities.
 
hinch7

hinch7

Member
Nope Max Payne 2 is their best work.

The combat in AW2 is a little sketchy and just a kind of evolution on the first game, which was just point and shoot with light being one of the main mechanics. Also not a fan of the constant files and investigations that drag out for too long and can't imagine it being very fun to go through in another playthrough.
 
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marjo

marjo

Member
Yes it is. When I'm not playing it, I'm thinking about it, which is incredibly rare for me

I don't get the complaints about the combat. I think the amount and implementation fit the game perfectly.

In a year with many great games, this is my favorite.
 
rodrigolfp

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
GymWolf said:
rabbit costume
Click to expand...
christian-bale-confused.gif


Lokaum D+ said:
a remaster/remake
Click to expand...



Why would anyone wait for a remaster/remake of perfection?
 
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O

onnextflix5

Member
2 hours in, it’s already a great game, perfect balance of action,storytelling and puzzles, not a fan of putting pictures on all wall stuff, some of it can be skipped, if you know what your doing,

Ps, hated control, zero storytelling, endless shooting shit,
 
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Danjin44

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
marjo said:
I don't get the complaints about the combat. I think the amount and implementation fit the game perfectly.
Click to expand...
I agree, the actual feel of gunplay is much better than the original game and unlike that game they dont throw hordes of enemies at you, which made the original game very repetitive....especially in Nightmare difficulty which made every enemy bullet sponges.

Edit also MUCH better boss fights.
 
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Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
Punished Miku said:
I thought it was awesome. Even before you can dash around everywhere, just having a time freeze blast changes how you play TPSs. Never gets old to freeze someone, empty a whole clip of ammo into the time distortion, then have it all shred them at once when it disappears. Or all the cool fights where half the enemies are frozen and half have the backpacks so they can move during the time freeze, and the time freeze keeps turning off and on like a temporal Ikaruga. Game doesn't have to be a masterpiece to be really good and have tons of cool ideas.
Click to expand...

Also the whole dash to slo mo aim move was straight out of Vanquish and its a fucking SHAME that didnt get carried over to Control. It's practically begging for it considering you pull off the exact same move.
 
F

Feel Like I'm On 42

Member
I think Alan Wake 2 is being a bit overrated here on Gaf due to its great visuals. This game is more cramped and linear than any Remedy game yet. The combat is not as good as the first AW since we don't have to aim the flashlight. The detective board? What's the point of it again?

I'm enjoying it but it's flaws are becoming more apparent.
 
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