This review is not based on the game itself, which I consider a masterpiece, but of the remaster, and the content it comes with, and whether or not it's worth the $10 upgrade.

So as far as the remaster is concerned, replaying the game I did notice an improvement in textures, details, and lighting throughout the game. Part II already looked great, but this made it looks ever more realistic, albeit a small change.

Then we have the Lost Levels aspect, which ended up just being three handpicked incomplete levels that were cut from the main game. It includes little commentary on different aspects of the levels, and overall, I appreciated what they did here.

The biggest change though is the rogue like game mode called No Return. Now, I'm not super into this particular genre, and thus I haven't spent a ton of time with this mode, but it's probably the biggest addition to the game, and a cool one at that.

Now for the main question, is it worth the $10? Honestly, maybe, but I can also see why it's not for some. For me personally, I liked the extra detail to the game, and $10 is no big deal. But I feel like it could've been free, and the overall reception would be higher.

I was excited for the release of the two DLC's for this game, even more surprised to find that the first DLC released the same night it was announced. Wasn't able to play it last night, but I did beat it in one go this afternoon.

Echoes of the Fallen doesn't feel like much of a detour like some other DLC stories, it actually ties into the main plot pretty well. And overall, it was pretty good.

The story is decent, but I was just happy to play as Clive again, going on another adventure with the team. And as soon as I booted the game back up, I was just happy to be back.

Gameplay and combat took getting used to, I haven't played the base game since July, so I was a bit rusty. But there's nothing quite like having the controls click again after awhile. And you need to, because Echoes of the Fallen is no walk in the park.

What seems to be the main focus of the DLC is dungeon crawling, encountering boss after boss, wave after wave of enemies. It was cool seeing some new enemies, a new area to explore, and some phenomenal music. The final boss especially was so much fun, and the boss music was so unique to the game, and just incredible.

By the end you get some new items, and a new sword, the strongest in the game as well. And you're ready for the next DLC, or New Game + perhaps. Echoes of the Fallen wasn't mind blowing or anything, but it was a nice tie into the main story, and just a great return to what I consider one of the best games of the year.

I remember playing the first Alan Wake a few years ago, and was captivated by its unique world and storytelling, inspired by surreal horror like Twin Peaks (which I love.) But I was a bit let down by repetitive gameplay and combat encounters.

Fast forward a few more years and I played Control on launch day, also developed by Remedy, and it seemed to fix everything I didn't like about Alan Wake with a brand new trippy and surreal horror story. Even better it seemed to be linked to the Alan Wake world, even more so with its final DLC that directly connects the two games.

Once Alan Wake II was finally announced I built my anticipation around what I loved about both previous games. I wanted a story and theme just as interesting as both games, but a definite improvement to combat and overall gameplay.

So now Alan Wake II is out, I beat it after a little over 30 hours, and I can confidently say that my expectation for this game were blown out of the water. This game is incredible, and an achievement in tension, storytelling, and visuals. Totally deserving for a Game of the Year nomination and is my personal game of the year at the time of reviewing.

The game obviously has you playing as the titular Alan Wake, but we have another character thrown into the mix, FBI agent Saga Anderson, as well as her partner, Alex Casey (played by the absolute legend himself, Sam Lake.) Both stories of Alan escaping the Dark Place and Saga solving a series of murders becomes increasingly connected as you play both characters.

I found the story incredible, and much like the first Alan Wake, the best part of the game, it's just phenomenal. I noticed a lot of inspiration from Control in how certain story moments are presented, and it made me really happy to see. Both characters stories are interesting, and how it all connects is so unique, I loved every second of it.

Gameplay is simple, pretty close to the first game, but definitely improved on all fronts. Much like the story, Alan and Saga have different approaches to gameplay. Combat is essentially the same, but Saga's ability to connect facts and progress on a case board, as well as a supernatural ability to communicate with people involved to further solve the game, and Alan's ability to write different themes to his story to literally rewrite reality to progress was all so interesting. Much like Control, this feels like a game I've never played before, and it's that unique feeling playing a game that I love and cherish so much.

Alan Wake II allows you to approach the story however you want with the ability to switch characters at almost any time, and I have mixed feeling about this. I feel like it doesn't always work with the pacing of the game, I couldn't switch during times I'd like, and thus the pacing felt a bit mixed at times. Still, I loved that both characters gameplay is varied enough that it broke up certain gameplay aspects enough that you don't get tired of doing one thing with one character for too long. Because as much as I love playing as both characters, I found myself having more fun playing as Alan, some of Saga's chapters felt long.

I wanted to throw in really quick that a lot of the gameplay reminds me of the most recent Resident Evil game, all the way down to the over the shoulder camera angle, as well as backtracking to explore different areas of the game as the story progresses and as you gain new items to unlock new areas.

Visuals are also absolutely insane, easily the best graphics of the year in my opinion. I was playing on quality mode on my PS5, and overall, it was a smooth experience, with a pretty choppy framerate in some areas. That's easily fixed with performance mode, but I was so blown away by the visual that I wanted to experience it in its full potential. But honestly, it's a travesty that this game didn't come with a photo mode, because almost every shot in the game was worthy of one. Who knows how many more hours I'd have in this game just taking pictures to spam social media with.

So, when the credits rolled, was I satisfied? One hundred percent, yes. This is the sequel I wanted and more. The way it ends has me so excited for what the future holds for both Alan Wake and Control. Remedy absolutely went above and beyond with this game. Again, this is my game of the year.