Epic Games Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition - PS5

Bought as a gift and he ended up adoring the game! 10/10!

Alan Wake 2 is an amazing psychological horror and narrative-driven game. It builds on the foundations laid by remedy's connected universe while being fresh and full of innovative experiences. The story is gripping , atmospheric asf , and well-crafted mechanics makes it a standout title that both fans of the genre and newcomers can appreciate. I dont why people are saying its boring if you pay attention and take your time you can really experience something different and unique. If you're looking for a game that offers both deep narrative and genuine scares, Alan Wake 2 is a must play.

Not what, I thought it would be

Let me say, I hated this game for 70% of my first playthrough, because the story got in the way of any fun I was having. So. Much. Story. And don't get me wrong, I love a good story. "Firewatch"? Great story-based game with very simple gameplay. The problem is the story in AW2 is a total slog: pretentious, poorly paced, and a weak imitation of so many novels and tv shows that came before it.We've seen this problem before in other games, but strong characters, dialogue and voice acting can take a mundane story and turn it into an unforgettable experience (take The Last of Us, for example). I'm happy to say, at least the dialogue and voice acting in AW2 aren't quite as as obnoxiously terrible as the first game (couldn't get worse, right?) but it's a half step up, if that. The writing still seems amateurish, and the many, many info dumps are unncessary (because what's happening is totally obvious) or redundant (cause the same points are hammered relentlessly), and time consuming. The player is often ten steps ahead of the "mystery," and the voice actors just sound like they skipped acting class so they could their lines straight off the page in separate rooms (with the exception of James McCaffrey, who can make anything work.)As for the gameplay, the combat looks incredible and feels really satisfying, I just wish there were more of it.All too often, you're forced into boring tasks which obviously take valuable time away from killing demons. The detective work, for example. Detective work sounds interesting in theory, but here is the problem: your detective work is shallow, dull, and ultimately pointless.You find clues in the environment, which taken together paint a pretty obvious picture of what is going on, who dunnit, and where to go next. But that's not enough, oh no. Saga (your FBI agent character with one brain cell) has to take your real-world clues, then sift through them in her mind (in a zone called the "mind place" lol). Yes, some genius thought it would be fun for players to take information they've already found, then spend hours in the mind place arranging it, making charts in menu screens, ostensibly piecing clues together (but not really), matching evidence, etc., to arrive at conclusions players themselves have already drawn. There is no time limit to arranging the clues, and unlike in LA Noire (the gold standard of detective games), you can't possibly fail at arranging them (the game simply won't let you). Most egregiously, nothing revelatory ever happens in the mind place, because you, the gamer, are way ahead of it. So I ask, why include it at all? To crank up the game length? Mission very accomplished.For example, you find a human heart in a freezer. One of the questions you need to answer in the mind place is "where is the heart". You found it already--in the freezer, remember? But you cannot proceed with the story until you match a photo of the heart in the freezer with "where is the heart," along with the helpful note, "the heart is in the freezer." Yeah.Another question asks "where do I go next." Saga finds a clue which suggests in no uncertain terms, "go to the lake." For ten minutes, I was stuck in a room, unable to go to said lake, and I couldn't figure out why. It was only after spending several minutes in the mind place that I realized I could not go to the lake, because duh! I first I had to first match the clue ("go to the lake") to the question ("where do I go?") Oh, silly me. It's frustratingly dumb moments like this....for over a dozen hours.Alan Wake's sections aren't nearly as terrible. His puzzles have you manipulating story beats to change the environment around you, which is pretty original and cool. My only gripe is sometimes the right beat seems totally arbitrary and you end up confused as to what to do next, wondering around the same four rooms (and your inner writer's room) trying desperately to progress. It's only through trial and error you eventally figure it out (particularly in the hotel and the movie theater). It can be a real mind-numbing time suck, but I'd take it over Saga's brain shack any day.All in all, I didn't hate this game as much as I thought I did, but I would only recommend it to die-hard Remedy fans. Sam Lake created one of the best characters in gaming history with Max Payne, and I'll always love him for that, but this story just didn't do it for me on any level, and I wish someone had reined him in with the David Lynch thing because his writing lacks the depth to accomplish it. It will drive no discussion, there are no questions to be asked or arguments to be made; it's just...there. His fans will say I don't get it. Trust me, uh, I get it. Because every solitary thing has been explained in cutscenes, dialogue, the mind place (lol), or in found documents at least ten times. How can you not get it?Btw, whoever came up with the mind place at Remedy: move them to the accounting department. Had all this empty filler been converted into skippable cutscenes, this game would be a five. The best graphics I've ever seen, awesome gunplay, great music (and musical levels), and fun (if short) dlc. But, alas.