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ReviewAlan Wake 2 | Fully Ramblomatic (youtube.com)

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[–]TheNumberYellow 478 points479 points  (30 children)

In a podcast Nick Calendra mentioned he had to censor one thing in the first Fully Ramblomatic, the crack pipe. I guess a dismembered baby arm is more aligned with Youtube's TOS?

[–]Skulker_S 194 points195 points  (25 children)

Advertiser friendliness works in mysterious ways, I guess?

[–]TheConnASSeur 197 points198 points  (24 children)

You can be as racist and hateful as you want, but don't you dare use naughty words or depict drug use.

[–]WaltzForLilly_ 215 points216 points  (20 children)

Youtube punishes racists and sexists by putting their videos into recommended lists on every gaming related video ever.

Imagine having lonely angry gamers as your primary audience! That will show those racists!

[–]Shaky_Balance 43 points44 points  (0 children)

And Youtube pretends it isn't their fault. They choose what kind of engagement their algorithm rewards. They literally grouped together videos of "partially-dressed prepubescent children" and had to almost be outed by a major newspaper before that disbanded the cluster of reccommend videos. It is absolutely disgusting what they let their algorithm do for ad revenue.

https://incacs.org/how-youtube-and-social-media-algorithms-drive-people-to-child-pornography/

[–]letssmokesomedoobies 16 points17 points  (3 children)

I think the earth has another mass extinction before humans solve their racial problems. And that's just one of humanities problems.

Not that it's not good that we try obviously. Just kinda thinking out loud lol.

[–]DisappointedQuokka 17 points18 points  (2 children)

It is very easy to minimise more than we currently are, though.

Remove Tate, PragerU, Mark Collett etc. from online platforms. Have actual consequences for parroting great replacement or antisemetic conspiracies such as cultural Bolshevism.

The current bar is so, so low.

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    [–]Flowerstar1 -1 points0 points  (1 child)

    Yea the top YouTubers blast the N word constantly. Shits crazy.

    [–]premortalDeadline -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

    Wait seriously? I know PewDiePie said it but who else? edit: damn so I guess that was bullshit

    [–]llamanatee 22 points23 points  (1 child)

    Crack pipes are easier to recognise than dismembered baby arms, I’d reckon.

    [–]nater255 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Case in point, I thought it was a dick. I was half watching, half working so maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention. :shrug:

    [–]WingsFan242 13 points14 points  (0 children)

    Hahahaha, yea.

    It's always fun checking Yahtzee's stuff cause he'll try to sneak stuff in there and I sometimes have to be like.. Yahtzee... no lol.

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      [–]Tersphinct 186 points187 points  (42 children)

      I think Yahtzee misunderstood the ending of American Nightmare if he sees it as so disposable. If anything, that chapter was pretty important for building up the dark place, Scratch, and even the way Thomas Zane's story was being changed. He went from being an American poet (voiced by James McCaffrey, who voice Max Payne, Alex Casey, and Director Trench) to suddenly being a European filmmaker voiced by Ilkka Villi.

      The way American Nightmare ended was on a movie poster, and there was narration by Alan Wake himself admitting he doesn't know if he really did manage to escape, just that he's blissfully happy now that he's finished writing. And of course this is all still referenced in Alan Wake 2 in slightly roundabout ways.

      [–]alexshatberg 45 points46 points  (8 children)

      American Nightmare sets up AW2 by resolving the storyline of Scratch as a separate malevolent entity. That Scratch was very definitively defeated. The Scratch in AW2 is conspicuously absent for most of the game because it’s not a separate character, it’s just Alan’s shadow. It’s not a very satisfying twist imo, but it definitely leans onto American Nightmare.

      [–]hexcraft-nikk 44 points45 points  (1 child)

      Also the ending of American Nightmare where the documentary Alice makes saves Alan and destroys Mr Scratch is an important part of this game too. It introduces the idea of Alice being more than just some archetypical princess for the hero to rescue, and rather an important part of what saves Alan. The post credit scene is pretty much exactly this idea, and recontextualizes the whole story.

      [–]blitzbom 12 points13 points  (0 children)

      How the fuck do people remember this? I got all the achievements in American Nightmare and barely recall anything about it hahaha.

      [–]sonofaresiii 30 points31 points  (3 children)

      I may have fully misunderstood AW2 but I thought that Scratch wasn't Alan Wake's "shadow" but was the name used to refer to Alan Wake when he was possessed by the Dark Place-- but ultimately did refer to that dark presence, not Wake himself

      Sort of like how Jean Grey gets called Phoenix when she's possessed by the phoenix force, but the phoenix entity is still a distinct entity from Jean Grey

      [–]KingOfSockPuppets 17 points18 points  (2 children)

      Your take is pretty much what the game says, but "Shadow" here might just be a bit of a linguistic difference between the two of you. The game is pretty definitive that the dark place is using Alan to escape and him being possessed is the scratch we know of AW2

      [–]8008135-69420 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      I don't think it's a linguistic difference.

      The other commenter says Scratch isn't a separate malevolent entity. This is probably from the moment towards the end when Alan remarks that Scratch was him, but Alan didn't literally mean he was Scratch, Alan was simply realizing that Scratch was his body possessed by the Dark Place.

      Scratch is clearly a separate malevolent entity, which the other commenter says he isn't. The other commenter seems to believe that Scratch is simply the shadow version of Alan, similar to what happens to other people when they become shadows.

      [–]8008135-69420 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      I don't think that's really it.

      It's pretty clear that Scratch is still a separate malevolent entity. It simply manipulated Alan by possessing him and creating gaps in his memory. The revelation that Alan has about Scratch being "him" is simply that it was his body performing actions when Scratch appeared as him, and not a body double.

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        [–][deleted] 99 points100 points  (19 children)

        I hate to be that guy but Yahtzee either doesn't pay attention or doesn't seem to understand a lot when it comes to narrative nuances

        [–]Princess_Mintaka 75 points76 points  (3 children)

        Yeah he snarkily screeches about how up Remedy is up their own ass as part of their story telling and then doesn't even understand what they are going for, like it's not...that confusing? It's not hard to follow?

        He just didn't get it. Or missed things and got confused, but like most of the video was him talking about stuff where he was wrong about lol (like the flashlight to shadows thing in Alan's portion, like you don't need to spend a charge to see if they are real or not. You just...shine the flashlight on them. He's completely wrong about it)

        [–]rioting_mime 52 points53 points  (2 children)

        The story itself makes sense. Not only that, it's not even that complicated. It's just the way it's told that is absolutely bat-shit, in a great way.

        [–]8008135-69420 9 points10 points  (1 child)

        And it's pretty standard for this genre of fiction (where humans are interacting with forces beyond their comprehension).

        The book series that the film Annihilation is based on I think is the best example of this, where the narration is structured to make you feel the same way that the characters are feeling (without just creating a jumbled mess of a story). This is incredibly difficult to pull off effectively and I think Control + Alan Wake 2 stand among the best examples in this genre.

        [–]breadrising 49 points50 points  (14 children)

        I recognized about 8 years ago that I can no longer watch Yahtzee for actual game recommendations. He's far too busy obsessing over flaws he can work into his next joke rather than actually playing the game and aiming to understand what's being presented.

        Is he funny? Absolutely. And I appreciate him as an entertainer quite a lot. As a critic...not so much.

        [–]Cynaeon 20 points21 points  (3 children)

        But he liked and recommended Alan Wake 2?

        [–]breadrising 11 points12 points  (2 children)

        Sure. At the very end. After shitting all over it for 99% of the review.

        If I didn't know who Yahtzee was and watched this to decide whether to buy the game or not, how the hell am I supposed to interpret whether he actually liked the game or not?

        Again, it's why I just don't look to him for recommendations. Funny guy, and very entertaining. But him and I value very different things in games and I can't take his criticisms or his recommendations seriously.

        [–]enesup 4 points5 points  (0 children)

        how the hell am I supposed to interpret whether he actually liked the game or not?

        He actually stated in one of those Extra Punctuation videos that he purposefully likes to do this, as opinions can be complex. Which is why he stated he disliked numbered reviews.

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          [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (2 children)

          To be fair, he's harsh but I agree with him most of the time. I enjoyed AW2 a lot but would agree with everything he said in this video. You can still enjoy something while pointing out its shortcomings.

          [–]breadrising 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          You can still enjoy something while pointing out its shortcomings.

          Absolutely. But the opposite is also true. You can still be critical of something without spending 99% of the duration dragging it through the mud.

          Oh the game definitely has shortcomings. But the game offers a lot of amazing things, none of which Yahtzee touches on. And I get that that's kind of his schtick, and that's exactly why I watch him as an entertainer, not as a serious critic.

          Maybe it's just me getting older and busier, but when I only have so much time and the world around me is dark enough as it is, listening to people vomit up a bunch of angry rants and call it a review is just mentally draining. So most of the time, I'd rather just not engage with it at all.

          [–]SkiingAway 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          Eh, I think there's a pretty clear difference between his shtick and the "angry game review" kind of thing.

          He's going to harp on whatever flaws he feels are in the game to a disproportionate degree, but I don't feel the presentation is typically angry.

          Personally I appreciate getting the inverse of the typical "sunshine and rainbows for 80% of the article and a brief mention of all the flaws before going back to gushing over it" that a lot of the rest of gaming media tend to do for all but the absolute worst games.

          [–]Zaphid 3 points4 points  (1 child)

          He even said so much, people tune in to watch him rant, no to give an honest critique

          [–]breadrising 3 points4 points  (0 children)

          And that's fine. It's definitely what he's leaning into, and it's great fun to watch him.

          I think the downside is that a sub-faction of the gaming internet takes his word as bible, and parrot his reviews to criticize a game they haven't even played. And it's pretty insufferable.

          [–]CloudCityFish 4 points5 points  (4 children)

          For me, he's one of the few reviewers I can watch without having to sift through review threads and the first wave of internet hate/cope. He's a quick way to get flaws out of a property. Alan Wake 2 is a great example, as the first week was really hard to get someone to say the combat is mediocre. Believe me, that's what I had to do, and really only came to that conclusion after reading about what people weren't gushing about and asking in said review threads.

          [–]breadrising 4 points5 points  (3 children)

          I love the game to death, but yeah the combat is mediocre. It's certainly not bad by any stretch; I had fun with it. But when directly compared to RE4R or Dead Space, it's nothing amazing.

          But that's okay because the game doesn't put the combat front and center. Combat (in a very survival horror way) is just your obstacle between you and the next surprising set piece or story revelation.

          And that's what becomes mentally draining about watching a critic like Yahtzee (and the many others that do the same thing). For a game that's offering so much industry changing technology and new styles of media and storytelling, critics love to circle the drain on the small flaws. It's like playing a life-changing racing game, but spending 90% of the review complaining that the character models are mediocre.

          No pun intended, but it shows their inability to see the forest for the trees (or their deliberate unwillingness to do so because hate gets more clicks).

          [–]CloudCityFish 1 point2 points  (2 children)

          critics love to circle the drain on the small flaws

          Maybe it's the reviewers you're following? Alan Wake 2 got critical acclaim so I'm not following. To me it's the opposite. 90% of reviews are basically the same, sterile "opinions". Again, look at Alan Wake 2 and it's difficult to find any of the mainstream reviews spend more than a few sentences on combat.

          I'm fully onboard that games don't need good combat to be great (even if I completely disagree with your assessment on what combat is in a survival horror), but look at Attack of the Fanboy's only mention of combat:

          " It doesn’t feel like the most satisfying combat, and it’s rather easy to beat, but this is also exactly what I wanted and more from an Alan Wake sequel."

          I have no idea what the combat is like from that, or why he feels the way he does. Solution? Go to Yahtzee and watch it for 5 minutes and I know exactly what he doesn't like about it.

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            [–]2th 380 points381 points  (38 children)

            My only gripe is the red background. I liked the changing colors, but default red ain't it for me. Other than that, always glad to have Yahtzee back.

            [–]WingsFan242 410 points411 points  (19 children)

            Yea, we agree, we're going to fix that for the next episode don't worry.

            [–]megaapple[S] 42 points43 points  (0 children)

            Hey Nick, just wanna say great first ep!

            Love the changing background as the subjects changed.

            [–]2th 143 points144 points  (12 children)

            Not to backseat, but the light tan used during the plot summary was the best. It's so neutral that it does the job of just being the background and letting Yahtzee's words and animation take center stage. Definitely a fan of changing colors for different scenes, but that tan is my vote for the default background color.

            Also, thanks for responding Nick!

            [–]WingsFan242 151 points152 points  (11 children)

            We had a red before that worked, we just updated to be closer to the branding. Next week you won't have any issue watching!

            [–]Eyro_Elloyn 53 points54 points  (5 children)

            Cool. I will say I liked that the colors did change, seems like a great way to signal a topic transition.

            [–]AyekerambA 8 points9 points  (4 children)

            So fuckin' stoked for you folks.

            [–]Eyro_Elloyn 20 points21 points  (3 children)

            I have nothing to do with this.

            [–]AyekerambA 11 points12 points  (0 children)

            Sorry, replied to wrong comment :p

            [–]nater255 8 points9 points  (0 children)

            I'm stoked for you folks that get to watch this new stuff. I also have nothing to do with this.

            [–]TheConnASSeur 6 points7 points  (0 children)

            Keep up the good work, you scallywags!

            [–]Tornada5786 6 points7 points  (2 children)

            For the record, I thought the red was great. But I'm sure the new one will work just fine as well.

            [–]WingsFan242 13 points14 points  (1 child)

            Yea we're just going back to what we previously had. It's a lighter shade and much easier on the eyes.

            [–]White_sama 8 points9 points  (0 children)

            I actually like the red, it's still flashy like the piss yellow was, while being easier on the eyes so I don't get flashbanged when I wake up and yathzee's still prattling on in my ears.

            The pinhole eyes freak me out though.

            [–]C-C-X-V-I 5 points6 points  (1 child)

            That's a shame, we all thought the red was such a great look. Don't get caught up in people complaining just because it's different from what they're used to.

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              [–]FilteringAccount123 51 points52 points  (4 children)

              It's hard for me to tell if I don't like it, or if it's just my brain screaming "wait this isn't what ZP looks like!"

              I feel like it's in the uncanny valley for me right now, and it's going to take time for my brain to adjust lol

              [–]KingGumboot 23 points24 points  (0 children)

              After 16 years of weekly videos in the exact same style it's certainly a big adjustment to take onboard

              [–]RJ815 11 points12 points  (2 children)

              While the visuals are clearly different, it's recognizable enough to me to be like a sequel. And for 16 years it honestly feels like his voice (or microphone) has hardly changed, which is impressive in and of itself.

              [–]Loeffellux 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              it's funny how much he still encapsulates that pre-gamer gate energy that mostly died out.

              Like, he's the last fast talking sarcastic brit from that era who still managed to stay relevant. That's generally speaking already a feat in the internet age but I specifically mentioned gamer gate because I feel like in hindsight it acted as some sort of big filter that sabotaged a lot of gaming channels because they fell down the anti-feminism pipeline and therefore rendered themselves irrelevant to most people by 2023.

              The other one probably would've been Totalbiscuit, RIP

              [–]RJ815 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Idk if it's ironic or not but Yahtzee absolutely got on the train of talking about gamer gate on his personal playthrough series Let's Drown Out. From what I recall though his general opinion was along the lines of "both misogynists and SJWs are kind of wankers".

              [–]Harrien1234 11 points12 points  (0 children)

              We've gone from Persona 4 to 5.

              [–]blond-max 6 points7 points  (0 children)

              It's too agressive yeah

              [–]coalburn83 242 points243 points  (26 children)

              The criticism about not knowing whether or not shadows were enemies was odd IMO. It's really not hard to tell, you just have to get close to them, which is kinda the point. You can waste resources you chase the shadows away even if they're nothing, or you can risk getting up close and personal to see if they vanish. It's a tradeoff to make you feel unsafe, and I think it works

              [–]BlackberryCivil5271 32 points33 points  (1 child)

              You can actually also upgrade Alan’s ability to be undetected by enemies with his Words of Power. I also made the mistake very early in the game of over charging my flashlight at every ghost, when in truth you can slowly walk up to them and have them fade away relatively quickly, and the enemies that ARE real will be noticeable more aggressive walking towards you

              I can see how he confused it, seeing as you play as Saga first and the game goes ‘Ah holy shit fuck shine the light to remove their shield’, so moving into Alan’s segment a couple hours later and you’re trained for it.

              Don’t understand why he says the combat is horrendous? I found it really fun. Loved upgrading my gear and playing very carefully like a survival Horror kind of asks. But every frenetic fight ended and the game was judicious to giving me more loot anyway?

              The monster designs were lovely (the weird double upper torso monster was a highlight), and each event demanded a different style to counter. Damn those wolves were frightening in a way only really well done feral animals could be.

              And you’ve got a Tonne of cool Gadgets to get through the fights, and Alan and Saga’s kit is pretty different, heck I’m just really excited for new game plus later.

              Seems like his complaints about combat were underbaked and trivial.

              [–]Killergryphyn 17 points18 points  (0 children)

              Not only are the hostile Shadows in Alan's world more aggressively pursuing Alan, if you use your eyes, you can also tell they have weapons in their hands. Honest to god... I think he's just bad at the combat, I have yet to run out of battery in normal mode and I think I'm only somewhat decent LMAO.

              [–][deleted] 80 points81 points  (18 children)

              Yeah, it seemed like he thought he had to spend flashlight charges on all of them, which is just not true. Also I'm not sure how he could've possibly run out of batteries unless he was trying to. The enemies drop resources when you're running low.

              [–]HolmanUK 36 points37 points  (4 children)

              Wait…all this time I thought all shadows can hurt you, but only some become corporeal when you flashlight them. I’m gonna save so much battery lmao.

              [–][deleted] 36 points37 points  (1 child)

              Yeah, you can stand back and hit em with the low beams or approach cautiously and most of them will vanish. The ones that are moving around quicker/spazzing out/holding a weapon are the dangerous ones.

              [–]HolmanUK 7 points8 points  (0 children)

              Ahhh sick. Appreciate the info.

              [–]SurlyCricket 33 points34 points  (1 child)

              A neat thing though is that the "passive" shadows ALSO attack you sometimes if you get near them - they don't do damage but will throw you around to freak you out.

              [–]HolmanUK 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              I’m learning so much lmao.

              [–]SquireRamza 9 points10 points  (3 children)

              Honestly, I think I barely ever fired my gun or used my flashlight outside the Herald of Darkness segment. You just never have to. Most shadows dont bother attacking you even if they are real, and unlike in Saga's part where Taken can tap into the Speed Force to keep up with you you can just pull a Resident Evil 2/Silent Hill 2 and run away from them forever.

              [–]ItsCatchingUp 1 point2 points  (2 children)

              Huh? That entire sequence is a giant combat section for the most part. I suppose you could run past them, maybe, but all the enemies were real and there were more than at almost any other point in the game.

              [–]SquireRamza 5 points6 points  (1 child)

              Yeah, that's why I said I never really fought anything OUTSIDE the Herald of Darkness section. I definitely fired my guns more there than anywhere else in the game.

              [–]highTrolla 9 points10 points  (3 children)

              In Alan Wake 1, the battery would recharge over time, and it only wasted one if you didn't want to wait for it to recharge. Did they change that?

              [–]Yankee582 21 points22 points  (2 children)

              So far as i can tell (very shortly in the game) yeah it doesn't seem to recharge at all now.

              Also, frankly, i find the new flashlight mechanics kinda a pain in the butt; very short window of use before its wasted, it seems to aim really weirdly, the communication on what did and didn't need the flashlight felt odd (humans do, wolves dont?)

              Again im barely in, chapter 2~3, but i really dont like new flashlight as is

              [–]VortalCord 11 points12 points  (0 children)

              You kinda get used to it but I agree. Most enemies seem to need 90% of a charge to break their shield and more often than not I wasted 20 or so percent because the flashlight was pointing just a tiny bit off center. Luckily the game pretty much always throws batteries at you once you're low.

              [–]DariusLMoore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              I've finished the game and I still don't have a clear idea about when the flashlight needs to be used.

              I guess the fun/horror is supposed to come from not knowing? But it gets annoying at some points.

              [–]KingOfSockPuppets 13 points14 points  (1 child)

              I mean I can see how it happened. I will say, as much as I love AW2, the flashlight mechancis were really jank. It takes almost 100% of a perfect charge to break someone's darkness shield. I Can see people struggling with it a lot, it's legit one of my few gripes about the game, the lightbeam aiming in Saga chapters sucks ass.

              [–]aphidman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              I think that's the point. Each Boost of the Fladhlight will break 1 shield. It's kind of locks onto the nearest enemy. Unlike AW1 you're not supposed to aim thr flashlight while you're boosting to hit multiple enemies. 1 charge per enemy.

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                [–]Gow_Ghay 12 points13 points  (0 children)

                Yeah it's a weird criticism that I've seen from a couple people too. Like the game puts you in multiple situations too when you first see the shadows where it pretty clearly communicates that not every shadow is an actual enemy and I feel like the game teaches you this instead of just spelling it out pretty well imo. That tension of whether or not a shadow is real or not works super well. I suppose remedy might have to go an add something to the tutorial prompt that spells this out for people.

                Like sure you learn some obvious tells (like ones holding weapons are clearly real enemies) but some aren't obvious and that balance and tension really does wonders for the game.

                Also seen some criticisms about not having enough resources and I'm like lmfao the game is a survival horror game, resource management is just inherent to the genre and the real/fake shadows directly play into this and the tension of whether or not you should waste resources or not if you're not sure.

                [–]Jataka 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                Actually, it's weirder than that. Most of the game you can actually kite (albeit in a much slower fashion than usual) virtually every initially stationary shadow and make it disperse with the flashlight. It has to aggro a bit and glitch from spot to spot 3 or 4 times and you have to be decently close and shine the light on them every step of the way. It is a ridiculous waste of time, though. And it is pretty damn irritating when that rule just up and changes quite a ways in.

                [–]pakkit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                Yeah I think it's a tremendous addition and I hope it finds it's way to more horror games. Puts you on edge without immediately putting you into the power fantasy of action gameplay.

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                  [–]ZeUberSandvitch 130 points131 points  (52 children)

                  I know some people really didnt like the combat or how little of it there was, but personally the combat-narrative ratio didnt bother me. I liked the combat well enough but I dont think it was good enough for me to want more of it. I haven't played the first game, but apparently that game had the opposite problem of having too much combat. I guess you could say AW2 was an overcorrection depending on who you ask, but I actually liked it.

                  I think the main issue going against AW2 in terms of gameplay is that we had 2 absolute survival horror BANGERS earlier this year in the remakes of dead space and RE4, so for a game to come along where its gameplay is just "decent" kinda stings.

                  Still, I feel like the rest of AW2 is so good that it ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. I haven't connected so much with a game like this since I played The Outer Wilds. If I had to compare it to anything, I'd compare it to Death Stranding due to how self-indulgently weird it gets. Its not a game for everyone, but if you vibe with it, it goes hard.

                  [–]Dino-taicho 104 points105 points  (10 children)

                  I actually enjoyed the fact enemies weren't everywhere left and right, which allowed the exploration to breathe. Especially since the combat isn't really that great, so more enemies or harder enemies would have bogged down the experience.

                  I think Remedy was aware of the limitations their combat system had and I think the enemy amount is the reflection of that.

                  [–]JeanVicquemare 40 points41 points  (0 children)

                  I totally agree. I think combat in AW2 might be tedious if you had to do a lot more if it, but you don't. I spend a lot more time fearing the next enemy I'm going to see than I actually do fighting them, and that ratio is good. The threat of the occasional encounter is enough to supply the tension during exploration.

                  And honestly I enjoy combat as Saga - the mechanics work well enough for me.

                  I think it's much better than the first game both in the ratio of tension to actual combat, and mechanically.

                  [–]hexcraft-nikk 15 points16 points  (0 children)

                  That's how I feel. It doesn't have the enemy variety and quantity of an action horror like RE4 or dead space, so it doesn't need the full kit those games respectively have. Having the taken so much stronger and in less numbers makes for a much scarier experience than how they tossed dozens of dudes to shoot down in the first game.

                  [–]five_of_five 2 points3 points  (4 children)

                  I appreciate and agree with a lot of this. I haven't played the game, and feel like if it has this sort of combat-ratio going on, that's pretty fine/good. But also, this is a weird narrative...we know our combat isn't great, so we made sure there wasn't a lot of it...and that's praised? It would still be better to have better combat...it's really fine of course, and it makes sense for games to prioritize accordingly. But still, feels weird to like praise this as a design choice.

                  [–]VincentRAPH 5 points6 points  (3 children)

                  I'm not sure if it was a deliberate design choice, but if it was I can kind of get a maybe theoretical gist of that perspective.

                  It's a horror game, and you're not really supposed to be super powerful or particularly experienced against these monsters. So maybe they made the combat clunky on purpose, to discourage you feeling like some kind of bad-ass.

                  Some might say that Saga is a trained FBI against - I'd agree, and point out that while the actual combat mechanics (flash-light + weapon) are the same with Saga, she does feel a bit better because her weapons are better. Alan gets a 6 shot revolver and a sawed off shotgun, Saga gets a semi-automatic that starts at... 12 or some-odd shots and can a 50% upgrade bump down the line, and eventually gets a pump-action shotgun. Off the top of my head, most of her weapon upgrades also go well together to make it easier to take control during combat (stun-lock bonus, abilities to take advantage of stun-locks, maybe an upgrade that heals everytime you get a kill with certain weapons?)

                  For most of Alan's play-time, I just tried to fucking book it whenever possible -- with Saga, I didn't really feel any qualms with back-tracking and deliberating starting shit because most of the time I could take care of business with trouble. Boss battles were 99% of my trouble with Saga.

                  That being said, combat is definitely still clunky, and I think it showed most during 1-2 unavoidable areas of high stress when its lack of forgiveness really showed its teeth and things could feel unfair (like a certain survival segment towards the end of the game) that made me say "Okay, this just isn't fun now.")

                  TL;DR it's undeniably clunky. And it should be critiqued to a point. But likewise, the character who SHOULD be good at fighting did feel noticeably better to me during fights, even though the actual combat system didn't really change. It was far better than AW1, and seemed to know not to over-stay its welcome for like 98% of the game. So they seemed to be aware of this, and it was probably intentional at least to some degree.

                  [–]anethma 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                  Ya with saga you get a pistol upgrade where 2 headshots stagger the enemy and a shotgun upgrade that does a lot more damage to a staggered enemy so you could take anything down with 3 quick shots. And destroy bosses fast too.

                  [–]SoloSassafrass 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                  I definitely think it was intentional that Saga feels more powerful and competent in combat. She's trained for it, knows what she's doing. Alan's combat experience is largely self-taught life or death panic from his prior adventures.

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                    [–]MVRKHNTR 19 points20 points  (0 children)

                    If I had to compare it to anything, I'd compare it to Death Stranding due to how self-indulgently weird it gets. Its not a game for everyone, but if you vibe with it, it goes hard.

                    When the game opened with a naked man around his late 50s running through the woods at night, I knew it was going to be a great time.

                    [–]BlackberryCivil5271 13 points14 points  (1 child)

                    Agreed. I think something about a game being confident in itself and how weird it is is something I deeply desire from games. Alan wake 2 and outer wilds had that confidence to just roll with the own insanity and I loved it.

                    [–]SoloSassafrass 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                    Agreed. It's not just aware it's weird, it revels in it from time to time, and if you're into that it's very easy to just get swept up in it and have a great time.

                    [–]lalosfire 25 points26 points  (0 children)

                    I replayed AW1 this year and American Nightmare for the first time. I ended up liking 1 much more than I did originally but agree that the combat was not interesting and there was far too much of it. Likewise for American Nightmare though in that case I was basically skipping every encounter I could because I think that game is pretty poor even for being an XBLA title.

                    What the series does well is story and setting so them focusing much more on it in 2 is the absolutely correct decision. The combat is fine to good imo but the more you have of it the worse it probably ends up feeling.

                    [–]Twerck 10 points11 points  (0 children)

                    The combat was more infrequent but of a higher quality. AW1 lost its horror edge because combat was so frequent you could almost predict when and how you were going to be ambushed by yet another handful of faceless shadow loggers that you would mechanically dispatch the same way each time. The predictability detracted from the horror experience. The game also threw resources at you.

                    In AW2 you experience fewer enemies but the ones you do face are more difficult, creepy, and intelligent than from the first one. The game does a much better job of dropping just enough loot points so that you can succeed but not so many that you become complacent. People who walk in expecting RE4 combat are missing the point that AW places atmosphere and story above all else.

                    [–]BillyBean11111 31 points32 points  (7 children)

                    the critiques about wasting flashlights on shadows is a bit odd, that's literally why it exists and is one of the best parts of playing alan.

                    [–]11tracer 43 points44 points  (6 children)

                    It sounds like he never figured out that you can simply point (as in literally just point, not burn battery) your flashlight at the shadows and they'll fade away if they're fake, which TBF I don't really blame him for. The game does not communicate at all how Alan's enemies work, though it kinda feels intentional to keep players guessing.

                    [–]TheDoodleDudes 12 points13 points  (0 children)

                    It might come across as throwaway dialogue but I do remember Alan specifically talking about it. It might have been in a manuscript page or optional in some other way through.

                    Still don't blame people for getting it mixed up, the knowledge never helped me all that much.

                    [–]Snipey13 8 points9 points  (2 children)

                    He was also wrong about enemies being invulnerable if you're out of flashlight charges. Their weak point is covered, as is most of their body, but headshots still work, although I think they're a bit less effective without the flashlight.

                    [–]hexcraft-nikk 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                    Also your punches break through their shields.

                    [–]DancesCloseToTheFire 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                    I think attacks still do damage too, just reduced. And there's even a weapon Saga can use that pierces shadows' shields.

                    [–]celesleonhart 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                    I feel this is likely, I had to google why I was so completely out of battery several times into the start of the Dark Place.

                    [–]RogueThrax 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                    It's also reminiscent of how Alan Wake 1 worked, where you'd shine your light an at enemy over time to make them vulnerable, but you can enhance the light to burn them away quicker by using batteries. That's how I figured out you could make the other shadows fade away without combat.

                    [–]thoomfish 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                    Haven't played Alan Wake 1, but my only problem with Control was that there was about (however much combat Control had) more of the combat than I'd have preferred, so that sounds promising for Alan Wake 2. I am also excited by anything someone compares to Outer Wilds.

                    [–]dadvader 41 points42 points  (13 children)

                    I find the amouth of combat to be just right. I get where peoples are coming from but for me, this is what made Alan Wake 2 stand out among survival horror and the like.

                    Games like The Last Of Us 2 have incredible story but got dragged down by a lot of unnecessary stealth and killing section that you just know they put it to drag the hell out of the game for the sake of being a game. By middle of Abby's part i was actually feeling tired of it and just want to go to the next big moment.

                    Then there's games like Dead Space and RE4 which let's be real, the story are not the point of these games at all. Everyone remember it more for delivering tight and exciting survival horror gameplay. And that's what make it a great game in the first place. Those game need a lot of combat to stay entertaining throughout. Of which they did a fantastic job of it.

                    Remedy are not interested in becoming memorable for their gameplay this time around. Survival Horror are simply fit for the theme of the story they are going for. A supernatural surreal thriller mystery. So they simply put the combat in the game only when it feels right to have one. And that way, they manage to keep the gameplay refreshing enough to not dragging their momentum nor outstayed its welcome. All while delivering their true goals which is the narrative and weird surreal mood they are aiming for.

                    And i wish more video games did that actually. An actual vision to the game. To know where the weakness and strength are and go all the way without compromising for the sake of accessibility.

                    [–]lalosfire 35 points36 points  (6 children)

                    Everyone remember it more for delivering tight and exciting survival horror gameplay.

                    Also for me most of those games, much as I love them, end up losing any fear they had quite quickly because you're so frequently fighting the enemies. I'm at about 12 hours into AW2 and am perpetually on edge. Won't be the case for everyone but I think less is more in terms of atmospheric horror.

                    [–]MelanomaMax 14 points15 points  (0 children)

                    To me it works because the combat is just annoying enough that you try to avoid fights, which makes running through the woods scarier lol.

                    [–]FireworksNtsunderes 4 points5 points  (4 children)

                    Yep, there are a few sections in RE4R that are genuinely scary the first time around but subsequent playthroughs diminish the horror. At this point it feels closer to a character action game like Devil May Cry where I'm running around popping off heads and suplexing villagers like an action hero. The Dead Space Remake is spookier but once you know what to expect and how to approach it the horror is lost. That's one of the things I love about survival horror games, the real sense of power you gain through knowledge and mastery, but it creates a very different vibe than horror games that don't emphasize action.

                    [–]HolmanUK 1 point2 points  (2 children)

                    What sections did you find scary in RE4R? It’s been a while since I’ve played it and can’t think of any

                    [–]sturgeon01 8 points9 points  (1 child)

                    Ashley's stealth section, the regenerators, and the verdugo assassin fight are all fairly tense/scary. It's definitely the least scary of the remakes, but it has its moments.

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                        [–]funktasticdog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                        AW2 has two chapters (of I think ten regular chapters) where there are basically no enemies whatsoever, which definitely drag a bit. But I liked the combat a lot honestly.

                        [–]VonDoom_____________ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                        Play the first game, the balance between combat and environmental storytelling is perfect. Personally I find the later Remedy games too heavy on filler dialogue and fancy VFX.

                        [–]cefriano -2 points-1 points  (10 children)

                        I agree with pretty much all his points on the combat. I didn't hate it, but it's clunky has hell. Not just because of how sluggish you are, that's expected in a survival horror game, but because, as he points out, the camera is janky as shit. Also lots of annoying things like automatically equipping my crossbow every time I healed or interacted with anything, which is the slowest weapon to load and use. Or refusing to equip my propane tanks, causing me to keep fumbling through the quick slots during a very hectic fight and getting killed. Or, as he points out, the dodging being wildly inconsistent in its effectiveness, to the point where at times it felt like you were dodging into a knife or hatchet being thrown at you. Just janky things like that which were clearly not the things that were designed that way due to the genre choice. I will say that, generally, the combat felt serviceable enough.

                        The writing is definitely up itself. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's a drag. Saga's voice acting is pretty awful IMO, which isn't helped by the almost complete lack of facial animation for her. I'm almost to the end of the game and just went through a narrative section with her that I REALLY wanted to end. By contrast, I actually found the Alan narrative sections to be way more engaging, despite often being more incomprehensible.

                        In general, I've been enjoying it a lot, but not as much as I thought I would.

                        [–]ZeUberSandvitch 21 points22 points  (5 children)

                        the writing is definitely up itself.

                        See, I dont know if I can 100% get behind that statement. Yahtzee calls it pretentious/"up its own" but I think a better term would be self indulgent. That's why I compared it to death stranding, because they're both games that are not afraid to go on long, bizarre tangents that will either really click, or will fall flat and come off as the creator loving the smell of their own farts. They're very uncompromising in their creative visions.

                        Thats why calling something "pretentious" as a criticism always somewhat rubbed me the wrong way, because its just an inherently subjective take. All art criticism is ofc, but calling something "up its own ass" feels especially subjective. It reminds me of that joke from Family Guy where the family are gushing over The Godfather, and Peter just says "I did not care for it. It insists upon itself."

                        It's like calling something overrated, but instead of meaning "people like this thing more than it deserves", it means "this thing isnt as deep or meaningful as it and/or its fans think it is". Its kinda hard to prove that right or wrong because what resonates with one person will come off as complete nonsense to another. Neither of us are wrong for thinking AW2 is up its own ass or not, its more a matter of taste.

                        Sorry for the incoherent ramble lol, I guess this just gave me a nice opportunity to talk about these sorts of ideas.

                        [–]DariusLMoore 7 points8 points  (3 children)

                        I think it's pretentious, goes up it's own ass and self indulgent, but I was entertained and enjoyed it. It doesn't have to be a bad thing.

                        [–]Pat_Sharp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                        Yeah I love the vibe and atmosphere of Remedy's games and I really enjoy the world building - especially in Control. I think the mixed media presentation is really interesting even if it doesn't always work, and when it does work it's fabulous.

                        Having said that the actual plot is often self-indulgent pretentious nonsense that doesn't work for me at all. Still really enjoy the games though.

                        [–]ZeUberSandvitch 1 point2 points  (1 child)

                        you definitely can like something in spite of thinking its pretentious ofc, I just dont agree that AW2 is pretentious is all.

                        [–]whomwould 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                        I think "pretension" is a criticism a work gets when it (or someone involved in it, even) insists on, very broadly, something the viewer does not buy. As a label, imo, this is indeed so broad as to be largely useless in the first place, and as you say it is also largely subjective. As a simple example, there are many who work in cinema who say the only true way to experience a film is in the theater. There is a grain of truth to this, as a theater is a unique environment compared to your home, or on your phone, but to most people this view is just "pretentious".

                        Anyways, I agree, I don't think Alan Wake 2 is particularly pretentious, as it's pretty open to the player experiencing it however they want. Alan Wake the character certainly is pretentious, but the story of these first two games is, in part, a story of him getting over himself. To see that all the things he's insisting on aren't necessary, and sometimes even harmful to himself and others.

                        Death Stranding is another fun example, because like 95% of the game is dedicated to the theme that "it's good to care about other people". One could argue that it's pretentious to dedicate a multi-million multi-media art project to something people are supposed to learn in kindergarten, but that's kind of the exact reason I loved it. A game sincere enough to let me spend forty hours or whatever dedicated to being nice to both fictional and other real people was quite refreshing.

                        [–]alezul 4 points5 points  (2 children)

                        equipping my crossbow every time I healed or interacted with anything, which is the slowest weapon to load and use.

                        Slowest weapon is an understatement. It's not even that powerful to deserve such a slow reload. Bonus points for fucking up your camera as well because you look down to reload it.

                        [–]Snipey13 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                        It kind of is that powerful, especially upgraded. I refused to use it as I went on purely because it felt like I was cheating the game due to how strong it was plus the ammo being near infinitely reusable and plentiful.

                        [–]hexcraft-nikk 6 points7 points  (0 children)

                        That's the sacrifice a weapon with unlimited ammo always makes in these survival horror games. No real way around it, you gotta handicap the player somehow to make it not overpowered.

                        [–]DariusLMoore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                        The combat felt like a chore so much of the time. The worst part was clearing an area, exploring a little and then they respawn. Completely lost my interest in exploration after.

                        [–]LogicKennedy 122 points123 points  (10 children)

                        Yahtzee’s new rantsona feels a little overdesigned compared to the simplicity of the old one. Ah well, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

                        [–]wolfpack_charlie 70 points71 points  (1 child)

                        Lmfao "rantsona"

                        [–]asdiele 28 points29 points  (0 children)

                        At least it doesn't cross its arms or point up with one finger (how the hell did we let rantsonas become a thing, so many YouTube channels would be better off as just voiceovers)

                        [–]Goodbye_Galaxy 17 points18 points  (0 children)

                        Looks like CGPGrey dressed as a cowboy.

                        [–]Cranyx 42 points43 points  (2 children)

                        Something about him having distinct pupils is off-putting to me

                        [–]Nanvia 6 points7 points  (0 children)

                        Tiny pupils unobscured by eyelids make people look like they have their eyes uncomfortably wide open

                        [–]aftertheradar 9 points10 points  (0 children)

                        The eyes on the other characters felt off to me as well

                        [–]TheOneBearded 48 points49 points  (0 children)

                        I like this one more tbh. Kinda looks more like him. Not overdesigned imo.

                        [–]palebrowndot 11 points12 points  (0 children)

                        I like the extra detail. The old designs were simple because they were created at a time when HD video was a rarity.

                        [–]HDDIV 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                        Do you think it's a copyright issue that The Escapist owns? The imps are gone too. Could simply be a design change, though.

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                          [–]biezel 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                          Hmm. I haven't watched Yahtzee in a few years and that schtick is... definitely not for me anymore haha. Glad they're able to do their own thing away from the escapist anyway.

                          [–]Lambpanties 29 points30 points  (0 children)

                          I know it's necessary because of The Escapsit holding rights, but I do question the choice of bright red?

                          It's really, reallly hard to not make red discomforting to stare at or read on. Even Persona 5 used more red on black than black on red to maintain theme, seem stylish and not discomfort the player.

                          This is a small grievance now, but these things can add up down the line.

                          [–]Basquilly 32 points33 points  (0 children)

                          I'm gonna go against the grain here it seems, but I love the red and the redesigns and everything else about this. I think they've done a fantastic job at giving the show a new identity while retaining its character and style

                          My only gripe might be the music because I'm not sure it's as catchy as the ZP intro

                          [–]Recomposer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

                          Honestly I was expecting more of a change thinking there might've been a IP/licensing issue if they hedged too close to the original but it looks like they're confident because it very much is just ZP with slightly updated visuals, some color changes, and a different intro/outro song.

                          Quite happy regardless to see Yahtzee doing his bread and butter, and hopefully with a fresh set of eyes on it, people can appreciate the series a bit more as being an actual criticism piece because while there are a lot of jokes thrown in, I could always appreciate this (or ZP in recent years) for throwing a couple nuggets of criticisms that is more valuable to me than trudging through an hour or two of long form video essays that says so much while saying so little at the same time.

                          [–]XelaIsPwn 18 points19 points  (12 children)

                          I really like the video, but I saw this as a real chance for Yahtz to spread his creative wings and escape (no pun intended) from the box he's been put in for well over a decade now. I wasn't exactly expecting for him to full-on go video essayist or recipe videos or something, but I was hoping for literally anything other than his old show with the serial numbers filed off. Maybe this could have taken a little more time in the oven.

                          Great episode still, plan to keep watching. Still fully in support of Second Wind and what they're trying to do here.

                          [–]grarghll 41 points42 points  (3 children)

                          Some people don't want change, and that's fine. From what I've heard, Yahtzee loves doing ZP, and fans have stuck with it because it's an enjoyable format; can you think of many creators that have been around and successful for half as long as he has?

                          [–]n080dy123 16 points17 points  (1 child)

                          I think if he's gonna change it more it'll be a bit more over time. Zero Punctuation is one of the few things at the Escapist that unequivocally worked, to the point of being the backbone content for many many years, and it's clear they want to start with what they know works to get their feet under them.

                          [–]TheCrusader94 9 points10 points  (0 children)

                          He has been spreading his wings for a while now. Iirc he writes novels, makes games and some other stuff. ZP might have been his biggest source of income but he hasn't restricted his creative output to just that

                          [–]mostrengo 4 points5 points  (1 child)

                          This just goes to show that making this, in this style is exactly what he wants to do and he is content.

                          If you were expecting something different you should have seen his interviews ahead of the lauch of this channel and show - he was very clear "it's going to be a scripted animated review show with knob gags taking the piss out of video games".

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                            [–]LordHayati 9 points10 points  (1 child)

                            I had a feeling they were gonna use the old name again! I mean, if you can't use ZP, the old one will do.

                            Either way, feels nice to hear Yahtzee's voice again.

                            [–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (1 child)

                            Good to see nothing's changed, and I like the new visuals more. Will probably support them, albeit at the lowest tier as I'm broke.

                            As for the review, I largely agree. I love Remedy games despite none of the elements being 10/10. They're just fully, earnestly committed to their own subject matter in a way I find endlessly endearing and that makes them more than the sum of their parts for me.

                            [–]WingsFan242 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                            Hey, any tier is appreciated. Just think if all 200,000 of our subscribers gave us $1 a month haha. We'd be beyond set!

                            [–]Crazed_pillow 4 points5 points  (13 children)

                            What happened to ZP?

                            [–]BootManBill42069 27 points28 points  (12 children)

                            He left the escapist in support of their lead editor who was fired after vague “not meeting expectations”

                            The escapist owns the rights to zero punctuation and imagery

                            [–]Crazed_pillow 4 points5 points  (11 children)

                            Damn, I missed that news cycle

                            [–]Farisr9k 20 points21 points  (7 children)

                            Most of the Escapist creators left in solidarity and are now in the fold of the 100%-independent Second Wind channel.

                            Whichever executive fired the editor-in-chief reeeaaallllyyy fucked up.

                            [–]ChurchillianGrooves 13 points14 points  (6 children)

                            From what it sounds like listening to their post firing/quitting youtube interview the escapist parent company's business model was "more content, more often, more clicks" whereas the escapist team was going more for building a smaller hard-core fan base with less frequent but high quality content. The owners apparently just wanted to shoe horn their business model into an organization where that doesn't fit from what it seems.

                            [–]Farisr9k 2 points3 points  (4 children)

                            Except they were developing and publishing new, popular shows all the time... as Yahtzee said, they were in a massive growth phase when this happened.

                            Maybe they still weren't satisfied with the pace. Who knows?

                            But I don't think the owners quite understood their own business.

                            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                            C-section that golden goose!

                            [–]ZenLikeCalm 5 points6 points  (0 children)

                            Not only did Yahtzee quit. The entire video production team at The Escapist also left.

                            [–]Durinthal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                            Firing/exodus from The Escapist, announcement of Second Wind, and introduction stream with Nick and Yahtzee all last week.

                            They've been incredibly quick about moving on with minimal interruption.

                            [–]Fluid-Arm-128 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

                            Not much REAL info info found here in r/Games, isn't it?

                            I totally agree.

                            [–]Naelok 12 points13 points  (1 child)

                            Since it seems that Nick is watching the thread: I think that the new Yahtzee avatar is too Walter White. I kept wondering when Yahtzee was going to say that he is the danger.

                            Looks great though. I'll get on that Patreon or Kickstarter or whatever at some point.

                            [–]ItsStaaaaaaaaang 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                            Rip in peace Escapist. I guess they'll always have the trickle of revenue from people watching the old Zero Punctuation episodes. Talk about fucking around and finding out...

                            [–]About7fish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                            That intro music tho. I feel like I'm about to hear a guntuber giving bad advice in front of a Gadsden flag.

                            [–]grzzzly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                            Immediately subbed on Patreon when I heard about this. Best of luck to you guys. ZP has been such a constant in my life for over 10 years now, and I‘m so happy you’re continuing.

                            [–]Cypeq 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                            With observational skills of dimwitted elephant, he misses Tomas Zane being Alan in the dark place as well. He missed a lot mostly a point.

                            [–]_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ 11 points12 points  (1 child)

                            Called it

                            [–]WaltzForLilly_ 9 points10 points  (4 children)

                            I actually think that Alan's combat was perfect, genius even. Not being sure if shadows are hostile or not brings a lot of tension and decision making into the gameplay. While Saga's parts were alan wake 1 tier annoying, especially when you have to deal with hordes of enemies like the big combat bit near the end.

                            [–]11tracer 31 points32 points  (0 children)

                            Ehhh I don't really agree regarding Saga. My main issue with her was that 90% of her combat was in dense forests where it's a nightmare getting a clear line of sight on enemies, especially with how much some of them move around. In terms of sheer amount of enemies, this game doesn't hold a candle to AW1. You're just getting ganked 24/7 in AW1 whereas I never really felt that way in AW2. There is the bit towards the end with Saga but the assistance you get from the other characters and frequent ammo drops makes it fairly manageable IMO.

                            [–]BlackberryCivil5271 4 points5 points  (1 child)

                            But that combat bit is just one instance, and it’s about survival more than defeating them, so you just gotta chill with flares while shit goes down.

                            [–]WaltzForLilly_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                            It's just the part that stuck the most with me. Lake monsters are another example - they are not that hard, but dumping half of your ammo into one is just not that fun.

                            [–]erikaironer11 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                            Man I really didn’t dig the combat.

                            The huge lack of enemy verity, the lack of options in dealing with threats and it just overall felt unsatisfying compared to other survival horror like Dead Space, Resident Evil 2 remake, Evil Within…

                            I wouldn’t mind if it had WAY less combat and it was more focused on puzzle, atmosphere and mind trip moments that was what this game excelled at

                            [–]IntrepidEast1 -5 points-4 points  (12 children)

                            I'm really not liking the combat at all especially with Alan, and the general levels and puzzles end up just feeling tedious. I really agree with Yahtzee in the combat's issues and obstacles feeling less like good survival horror and more just plain annoying, especially the torching shadows which may or may not be enemies.

                            There's good in the writing but everything is just way more drawn out than it deserves to be and there's not enough of a focus on more central narrative points, so together with the tedious levels and poor combat it just feels super bogged down.

                            Big step down from Control where exploring the House was a much more fun adventure both as a part of narrative and in gameplay with metroidvania inspired level design, and the combat was actually fun (for most of the game anyway).

                            [–]TheUberMensch123 14 points15 points  (3 children)

                            You can point the flashlight without boosting it at shadows. After a few seconds, they will dissipate if not hostile.

                            [–]that_dude_you_know 15 points16 points  (2 children)

                            Also the hostile ones are holding weapons (usually? always?).

                            [–]dadvader 16 points17 points  (1 child)

                            Yeah once you get that Alan's section become much more enjoyable. It was really unique to have constant anxiety represent into actual gameplay. All without making you feel vulnerable like most horror game tend to do by stripping you weapons and leave you with unkillable enemies.

                            [–]KinoTheMystic 13 points14 points  (6 children)

                            When you say torching the shadows, do you mean with the flashlight boost? That's not something you should be doing anyways

                            [–]fishwithfish 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                            I think people misunderstood your question, which seems to about the use of "torch" as a verb; in British English, flashlights are called "torches."

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                              [–]blackmes489 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

                              I agree with all of this. The game started out so strong but about midway you start to see the wireframe and it becomes incredibly tedious with menu taxes. And although a good idea and presented excellently, the story board and communicating with spirits or whatever becomes egregious very quickly.

                              I also found all the Alan wake levels very average compared to sagas. And the light mechanic of changing areas felt really double A and undercooked.

                              Absolutely loved the first 4-5 hours though, was an incredible set up, but became lethargic towards the middle and end.

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