What the fuck?/What a fucking game/Holy fuck
Addendum a day later:
While not a perfect game, Alan Wake 2 is without a doubt one of the most interesting pieces of media of any kind in recent years. Once again, Sam Lake's Twin Peaks influence is on full display here, with all the vague, obscure and oftentimes convoluted intertwining plot threads, mystical alternate reality imagery, and of course, lovably offbeat humour all over this thing.
Do I wish the combat had a bit more variety and challenge? Yes, definitely. I played on the hardest difficulty and only died 4-5 times throughout my 25ish hours. Do I wish Saga's voice actor could keep a consistent accent instead of sometimes letting the British soak through and distractingly ignoring the letter R? Yeah, probably. But the fact that I'm grasping at a straw like that so early when thinking about AW2's flaws is pretty telling isn't it? The fact is, this is an incredibly inventive, terrifically gorgeous looking (other than those wonky mirrors) and just flat out ridiculously compelling video game. Not to mention that fucking sound design, I mean god damn this might actually be the best sounding game I've ever played in my life.
It's more than a game though, really. Much like the original's notorious final line; "it's not a lake, it's an ocean", there's much more to this thing than just what you see on the surface. It's all walks of art come together to create something truly special, perhaps the foremost example of what a multimedia experience can and should be. Gameplay. Music. Film. Literature. Photography. joined together in a chorus of beauty and intrigue unlike anything else.
WE SING.
Addendum a day later:
While not a perfect game, Alan Wake 2 is without a doubt one of the most interesting pieces of media of any kind in recent years. Once again, Sam Lake's Twin Peaks influence is on full display here, with all the vague, obscure and oftentimes convoluted intertwining plot threads, mystical alternate reality imagery, and of course, lovably offbeat humour all over this thing.
Do I wish the combat had a bit more variety and challenge? Yes, definitely. I played on the hardest difficulty and only died 4-5 times throughout my 25ish hours. Do I wish Saga's voice actor could keep a consistent accent instead of sometimes letting the British soak through and distractingly ignoring the letter R? Yeah, probably. But the fact that I'm grasping at a straw like that so early when thinking about AW2's flaws is pretty telling isn't it? The fact is, this is an incredibly inventive, terrifically gorgeous looking (other than those wonky mirrors) and just flat out ridiculously compelling video game. Not to mention that fucking sound design, I mean god damn this might actually be the best sounding game I've ever played in my life.
It's more than a game though, really. Much like the original's notorious final line; "it's not a lake, it's an ocean", there's much more to this thing than just what you see on the surface. It's all walks of art come together to create something truly special, perhaps the foremost example of what a multimedia experience can and should be. Gameplay. Music. Film. Literature. Photography. joined together in a chorus of beauty and intrigue unlike anything else.
WE SING.