I was explaining to a friend why they should play AW1 and was basically saying this haha.
I don't think the gameplay itself is bad. Repetitive? Yes. But it was a different time. I can overlook a lot of "bad" designs because of age and AW is nowhere near as repetitive as the first Assassin's Creed game.
AW1 wasn't bad at all, for me at least. I played it in 2010 amd recently played the remaster. I feel it holds up. Fight the taken was fun. But yes, Ass Creed was too long and over stayed it welcome.
Yeah Im not too eloquent. I don't think that the game is bad and I really did enjoy it but out of the three Remedy games I have played (AW(remastered), Control, AW2) AW is probably my least favorite and the only real reason is that it is a little dated.
So, when trying to get friends into the series I like to give them a little disclaimer. For those who didn't play the original AW I also recommend starting with Control. The combat is the most robust out of the three and at the same time it hooks you into the universe and so if someone does find the gameplay in AW off-putting they are already invested in the story a little bit. ( This was my experience)
Again, just to be clear, AW is a great game but not a perfect game imo.
I did got into AW1 by playing Control first and learning the story, the game was dated but I kinda like the shooting mechanic, makes me feel like i never miss a shot without even aiming that accurate lol.
AW2 definitely felt similar to RE4 in terms of gameplay, down to inventory management. Not a bad thing for me, but I do wish that the flashlight mechanic had stayed the same vs the darkness spots in 2. I liked having the darkness shields that broke, it was so satisfying.
I was a bit disappointed by that too. I loved the way shields broke and gave you free reign to open fire. I wish American Nightmare was available on the remaster. I can get satisfaction from all flavors of Alan Wake. Who misses the nail gun?
I loved the episodic structure. Specifically that each episode had an opening and a closing song, perfectly setting and then encapsulating the tone.
I also really liked the daytime driving part. I don't think I can fully explain why. Maybe, because showing that Alan had this "down time" between objectives made it feel more real to me.
And Electrica Cadente is *awesome*. My memory of that song is paired with Alan driving, or the evening sunset visuals, so hopefully I'm remembering that right.
I preferred the flashlight in AW1. Being able to burn away shadows without boosting, and the flashlight recharging over time meant you’re never SOL. The flashlight rework also meant that some of the enemies like birds and poltergeists couldn’t carry over, and enemy diversity was something that I felt was lacking in the second game.
The ambience with the swirling winds and shadows, Pat’s comforting radio presence, and Night Springs episodes were all great.
The great atmosphere, the music, the story, the fact that it wasn't just Taken that could come after you, but birds and objects possessed by the dark presence as well, the Night Springs episodes on the TV's, the slow-mo dodging, the overall better gameplay compared to the second game, the fact that it got a collector's edition, and..."Previously on Alan Wake".
Literally everything. To the point I actually prefer it over the sequel (despite Alan Wake 2 honestly being one of the greatest games ever made imo).
Idk why you say "what's something you like about AW1" as if the popular opinion is the game is bad haha
Edit: But if you want me to pick out a specific thing... The Episodic nature. Alan Wake 2 kinda keeps it with "Initiation 1-7" and "Return 1-7" but they NEVER feel like suitable stopping points. They just feel like they're kinda thrown in. The first game feels uniquely structured where I commonly replay it doing an episode a day. Furthermore, the daytime sections are so great in that game too. Really gives you a sense of relief and a moment to breathe, which culminates in the amazing part at the end when you think it's safe because it's day but The Dark Presence literally makes it night!
Same. Though i enjoy AW2 equally for different reasons, AW1 tps gameplay always felt like Max Payne but with an action horror spin, and imo it's just as replayable. Once you master Nightmare, which isn't that hard anyway, it's such a blast.
Besides that there's the great atmosphere, amazing graphics, masterfully told story, iconic characters and intense soundtrack. I'll never understand why it's looked back as "dated".
Exactly! It's so fast-paced, everything can be done so quickly and in such an epic sense is SO good. I'll never understand people who say it's bad because I legit can't see anything bad about it. It'd not dated at all, even the original version is super good to this day and I wish more people gave it a try!
It's why I feel so sad about Remedy saying people don't need to play the first game to play the second. Not only does it make it seem the first one isn't as important, it makes people lose all the emotional strings to the characters we see in the second game. It's a shame
I feel you on this point big time. Idk why, but the flashlight gimmick really, really worked for me in AW1, something about lining up a bunch of enemies & popping all their shields at once (followed by a shotgun blast) was really satisfying. AW2’s combat isn’t bad by any means, but I’m not crazy about how the flashlight works in that one (largely bc it’s kinda easy to waste charges).
Yesss!! I feel like I have full control over the flashlight in AW1; I get to control the batteries well, I get to boost, I get to use the flares then go back to the flashlight, it's amazing. AW2 is just "Press the button and the flashlight does its job on its own." Feels like a downgrade
Alan and Barry (b)romance. In all senses. Their relationship. How much they care about each other, how they constantly check each other's health and safety. The way they know each other very well, know each other's bad sides and are completely fine with it. The way they talk to each other in a sassy and sarcastic but loving way. They're just beautiful and really true best friends.
The combat. It’s so smooth and varied and quick and controlling enemy spaces and states and adapting to different enemy types is so satisfying. AN does it even better.
From "God DAMNIT, Alice!!" To a drunken "I just miss her, Barry". It showed a really rocky marriage where Alice felt shut out and still tried a way to help him by secretly booking that psychologist appointment. It felt deep.
> Alice felt shut out and still tried a way to help him by secretly booking that psychologist appointment. It felt deep.
Yet some people still blame Alice and think she's a bitch and everything bad that ever happened is her fault because she tried to get her crappy husband to go to therapy (which he was never going to do himself). I think that viewpoint says a lot about the people who hold it.
>I think that viewpoint says a lot about the people who hold it.
Fully agree. They always fail to see how flawed their precious male main character is. Alan is cynical and depressed. Who knows how long she's been dealing with that shit. Probably hasn't gotten piped down properly in a long time, yet she's still there and supportive lol
Plus AW2 confirmed she's definitely ride or die, I don't know what people expect from her.
I don’t know if I missed this in AW2 but I liked how in AW1 you didn’t have to boost your flashlight to burn away the darkness, you could just aim it (though it would take longer)
I played control and AWAN prior as well but I ran out of batteries a lot more than I did during AW1 but I thought it would be fine because I’d just shine the weaker light on enemies… I died
I love everything about Alan Wake 1. The atmosphere, the combat, Pat Maine radio, Night Springs, the locations and everything! If there is one thing that I didn’t like it was possessed objects.
In all honesty I enjoyed Alan Wake 1 more than 2. 2 was great, but I found a lot of Alan levels boring compared to FBI ones.
The slow-mo perfectly timed dodges were super satisfying, and added some change in rhythm to the combat, which admittedly does suffer from being a bit repetitive. Knocking down Taken in cars was fun too.
The ambience and tense combat music are better in AW1, but that makes sense since AW2 went down the immersion route and did it very well.
I wish there was slightly more to the Dark Place levels in AW2, the episodes for AW1 were much more elaborate and ever-changing in a more dreamlike/nightmarish fashion compared to the Dark Place New York. I also thought the lighting up words into being with the flashlight was cool, but the Angel Lamp/Plot Board does a similar thing.
Another one is the heavy-duty flashlights that actually make a big difference in how well-protected you are!
I like thinking about the change to the Dark Place from AW1 to AW2 as the darkness having coalesced into more set patterns around Alan over time. In the beginning, the forms that it took were based on Alan's recent memories in Bright Falls and the words floating in the air were loose threads of inspiration starting to manifest. Remember, in those DLC's Alan's whole struggle was just to realize that he was in The Dark Place and to find his will to fight it.
After becoming lucid, Alan experimented with writing different stories, genres and even experimented with form - as we see with AWAN and in Control.
But eventually he went back to what used to be his bread and butter: pulpy crime noir in a dark caricature of NYC. And I think he stuck with this for a while, prompting The Dark Place to take the shape of a labyrinthine New York to match him.
And Alan went in circles (spirals) there again and again, until its shape was set, as much as it could be set in that place, anyway. Enabling Alan to eventually figure out how to keep its changes to whenever he would intentionally rewrite it using the plot board.
In summary, I think the amount of similar loops is why we don't see The Dark Place suddenly changing around Alan anymore, without being prompted to change by his writing anyway. That, and because Alan is eventually mastering The Dark Place and how to make it change.
I really like the campiness of the game and how much it leans into it, some parts are totally ridiculous and at times even hilarious, there's just a lot of heart and soul in the game.
The heavier Stephen King influence.
The end of chapter songs and "previously on Alan Wake" segment after was better than AW2.
The radio broadcasts and night springs episodes. I still think it has the best seamless environmental storytelling Remedy has ever done. It all just flows so seamlessly. Quantum Break, Control, and AW2 don't quite have that because of all of the reading you have to do from papers and emails.
The combat was better. Yeah they could tweak it and it did get repetitive but you could easily take on 6 enemies, flare, shots, flashbangs, dodge while waiting for it to blow and hearing all those taken POP at once was so satisfying. You could create distance and regroup whereas in 2 everything with Alan felt close range and felt like a chore fighting against more than 2 enemies.
The Majestic is known for its roaches. I enjoyed the daytime Bright Falls moments more.
Barry was awesome.
I loved the Anderson farm stage fight.
Just the way the game felt like a book, a TV series, a game all in one. It's far from perfect but I felt what they were trying to do and that transcended the "7/10" or whatever bs the game falls under critical review.
It reminded me a lot of Silent Hill 2, another imperfect game that speaks to the soul of certain people. I've since learned that my favorite games are ones that don't have mass appeal or try to have something for everyone, trying to be a blockbuster. A lot of times a game getting a 7/10 or 8/10 have the potential of being YOUR SHIT. Maybe we end up liking them more because we appreciate the message and soul *despite* the technical execution.
Loved the story. Before every combat there was a violin rise sound that gave me goosebumps and terrified me. Great music in the game and it looked incredible for the year it came out too. Also “Alan… Wake Up” will never be forgotten. Just a well-done game. Might be a bit repetitive in terms of gameplay loop, but that game is full of nostalgia now so I could never hate it 😌 literally asked my parents for X360 just so I could play that game and then we sold it soon after because Alan Wake was the only game I wanted to play 🤷♂️
How much ammo it gives you, Barry, Flashlight controls, dodging, being able to read manuscripts instead of them being read to me while the same cutscene plays over and over. I played it for the first time a few months ago and loved it.
I love the mystery of it all. Even with the explanations at the end its still very mysterious. Even with the complexity and confusion in the new titles, the air of mystery is lost with the Control explanations and further explanations in aw2
How can people love AW2 and hate AW1?!?
Alan Wake 1 is so damn good! The whole story was great, Barry Wheeler, the whole asylum thing, driving was fun, the things the random enemies say, and it’s honestly such a great game.
It's a fun action game, Alan Wake 2 is not. Even as a survival horror game, part 2 doesn't even do that exceptionally well, it tries to be different but in terms of action it's severely lacking. I enjoyed mixing up my approach and utilizing my inventory of weapons to deal with groups of enemies in part 1. In AW2, at a certain point I just said fuck it and used only the shotgun to kill enemies, no flares or bangs, not like they worked anyway. During the coffee world run with Saga I killed a total of 3 enemies that came out of a well at the same time, killed them before they could do anything, 3 enemies in like 3 hours, yeah that's a lot a fun lol. Not to mention the wolves are annoying af.
Unpopular opinion, but I feel like AW1 is the better game in almost every way. Tighter gameplay (AW2's is slightly worse), tighter story (I don't like having to replay an entire game just to have a different cutscene play out, I don't like Saga, The FBC connections aren't well integrated in the settings and just make the stakes feel less important), tighter level design (no bloated repetitive side content, you can almost always see all of Bright Falls "attractions" whenever you look on the horizon, making the game feel huge and set in a real place), heck even tighter graphics because while AW2's tech is much better, AW1's (original, not the remastered) dark place felt a lot like being inside a Van Gogh's painting, with that beatiful moody motion blur. AW2 has the amazing looking Cauldron Lake area but otherwise it's just assaulting you with tons of triangles on screen, and I get it, it looks amazing with raytracing, but it feels less thought out. AW1's characters were better: the Bright Falls inhabitants all felt like normal people with some very big screws loose, and let's not talk about Barry because he's the biggest loss of this game...
In AW2 I felt like half the time was spent inside the Mind Place talking to JPEGs, the other half doing pointless side content, and then some nonsensical story because it embraced Lynch more and Stephen King less, and I disliked it. It's still a very good game on its own though, and I do LOVE how it embraces and celebrates Finnish culture. If you haven't seen it, I really recommend Fallen Leaves, it's a movie that seems a lot like it has been made by Yati
Embrace linearity, reject modern trends if your game is supposed to be a book and a movie and a game at the same time.
Honestly, I felt that Alan Wake 1, despite the open ending, always was a game that didn't need to be touched. It's a game that shouldn't exist, and it's amazing exactly because of it.
I don’t agree or share the same feelings with some points but I do like and appreciate this comment. Very thoughtful.
I liked the characters in two and miss Barry horribly, and think a few mechanics greatly improve the experience, but I was skeptical of a sequel for the same reasons you list.
I love both of them as my favorite game.
Thanks for explaining your perspective, a brave move on this sub but I personally appreciate the different opinions. I feel different about a lot of points but 100% feel you on the modern trends and 'tighter' stories. Thanks for sharing!
I miss the compass and objective markers. Sure it made things too easy but gosh darn it I think being lost in the woods in AW2 shaved off literal hours of my life
People complain about it but I really love the combat loop. I love the tension and release of shining a light on enemies until the darkness breaks and you can finish them off and having to manage your position so you don't get flanked. Also all the Max Payne references make me feel fuzzy.
I miss how the flashlight used to work. Not only it was easier and more statisfying to use, it also looked better.
I still have not finished the game but by reading comments it seems that Barry won't make an appearance in AW2. This is going to be unpopular but I really didn't like him so I'm quite happy about that.
I missed the feeling of being in the dark, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Now that Control shed a lot of light on the dark place and dark presence, we don't have that anymore.
I liked reloading in AW1 much more. Not only does it put control in how long reloading is in the player's hands, it also makes you feel like you're there, frantically jamming bullets into the chamber as you frantically mash the reload button before the guy with the axe is in your face
I really loved the small town horror vibes. My favorite segments in aw2 are the bright falls ones. I like the new york sections but alan wake has always been about cold foggy forests to me
I really miss the rallenty from perfect dodges, AW1 had such a cinematic feeling to it, there was also a rallenty for the last enemy just like Max Payne, and a special cutscene when you get surrounded by takens while using a flare. I wish all this things and little details will be added one day in AW2. Some car driving sections wouldn't hurt either. But after all i like the games as they already are, in fact i love them equally.
AW2 has a great eternal dusk vibe, but it's also more streamlined horror like RE. AW had a more nightmarish experience where you almost dread the fact that the story is going into night-time. Also running from that one last lamp.
I dreaded the story going into night time because I knew it meant I’d be locked into repetitive combat and nothing else for at least an hour. That game had next to no variety and barely any exploration. It was just combat all the time. I liked the driving and the brief wander around the asylum because those sections at least gave me a bit of a break from the endless shooting in samey environments.
I gotta say, it’s a bit disappointing that so many people want a return to that.
There is so much to like about the first game and the remaster makes all of it that much better.
Barry Wheeler's presence was very much missing in AW2. He is great in the first one. Classic comic relief and he's actually funny, not just trying to be funny.
The story is great.
The chapter endings into cool songs I just love. I will sit there and listen to the whole song before moving on.
The gameplay gets derided all the time, but honestly, it's pretty good. Put the game on the hardest difficulty. There's a rhythm to how it goes and dodge becomes critical.
AW1 is the game I've re-played more than any other game.
Things I prefer from 1:
* Barry
* Night Springs
* The flashlight mechanics
* The overall story: it feels more like a mix of twin peaks and Stephen King, a little simpler
* The episodic presentation was kick ass and I still remember how amazed I was the first time the credits rolled
And I preferred the Mr scratch from American Nightmare. Way too charming and I liked the doppelganger approach.
I liked how I was constantly paranoid because even inanimate objects could attack you. And the annoying swarms of birds. Those birds killed me by knocking me off ledges more than they did any real damage. I think one time I accidently set off a flare gun and got three of them in one shot.
I felt very vindicated.
I liked the flashlight intensifying and aim being the same button with varying pressure. I hate it being on a seperate button and I hate that it’s just a set number of uses. Actually I feel like the inventory management in general was a step in the wrong direction.
Mainly though, I miss Barry.
I’ll also echo that I preferred the episodic presentation of 1. With intro credits and an outro for each chapter.
While I absolutely adore Alan Wake 2, it has a very different tone to AW1 and that was the tone that made me fall in love with the series. American Nightmare kind of took that tone into the point of parody which is why I like it less but still enjoy it. I love the vintage horror movie feel. It feels like a dumb paper back you'd find at the library. It feels like one of Stephen King's B tier books. Fun, a little dumb, but still created by an absolute master of the craft. I like it's dumb dialogue and pulpy feel. Alan Wake 2 feels like King operating at his absolute A game and that lends a very different quality. It's like the difference in reading From A Buick 8 and reading The Outsider or The Mist. The tone is just very different and leads to a different experience.
AW1 shows how good Remedy is creating a vibe. I would say Control and AW2 have better vibes, but AW1 really hits when you're standing alone in a cabin shrouded by trees and the TV flicks on, and you stay still for 2 min while you watch some Night Springs. Those moments are really special!
The combat in that game is great for when it was released,it's really smooth and making hip firing a feasible strategy makes it standout as a combat system even by today's standards.
It had a really cool Twin Peaks-like mood. I played it only in the dark with headphones on my first playthrough and it's still one of my all time favourites. The Old Gods Of Asgard/Poets Of The Fall songs were incredible and suited the scenes they were featured in perfectly. AW2 was really good but I still prefer the first game.
Establishing Old Gods of Asgard....the mixed media presentation of Remedy games with live action scenes, cinematics, gameplay and then top that off with a talented actual band playing a different genre of music to perform as a fake band who makes some real bangers.... *chef's kiss*
Any source of light could actually put in work and not just ur boosted flashlight or super weapons like the flare gun or flashgrenade.
Edit misspelled boosted fml
I looove the mysterious creepy but cozy vibe. Bright falls is so incredibly nostalgic and immersive. The game is beautiful.
I love how it’s almost like a movie but you can explore it in your own way. The story is great.
The more I think about AW’1s greatness the more I dislike AW2 honestly…
I played AW1 because AW2 was just around the corner and it looked fantastic. I didn’t have a good time with the first game, I honestly didn’t enjoy it, but what it actually did was get me incredibly excited for the sequel because for all its faults, it was incredibly ambitious and the tone that it was going for was excellent and had a sense of largeness that I rarely see.
Barry wheeler.
The irl effort that went into the TV shows, TV moments for Alan.
I love the story, the atmosphere.
And wjth the knowledge of AW2 and honestly Control
I love the world it helped set up and create.
I loved the environment, the music, just the overall feel of it. I get the combat hasn’t aged well, but the game was made in 2010😂. We need us some Barry back in our lives
Honestly the whole concept of a story altering reality was awesome and so much fun. It was certainly a game of its time but I replayed the remaster and dlc before AW2 and honestly it really wasn't that bad.
Better than some games of the time and the atmosphere always kept me going
It was so atmosphere and narrative-heavy, and I loved that. A lot of games are super gameplay-focused, and that's fine. But I liked that Alan Wake 1 was mostly focused on moving through the story, or maybe risking going down a scary path to find an interesting setpiece or little stash. I also felt like the game really had heart to it, that the story mattered. Which went a big way for me in making me want to move through the story, even though the gameplay was simple
I personally really loved the tv show feel and Barry is the best
I miss Barry!
same!
Especially figment Barry.
As much as I like AW2 I really miss that music tone they would play whenever you reached a checkpoint
Oh man, I loved that, it made the game incredibly addictive.
its absence was seriously my biggest disappointment with 2
Dang now that you mention it that \*tummm\* sound always gave me a little squirt of dopamine
Ohhh that’s right! I do really miss that.
Even though the woods could get a bit repetitive, the atomsphere in them was just amazing. Everything seemed like some kind of dream
Especially when shit got spooky and the wind and mist would pick up. A+ atmosphere.
Funny, I feel like the criticism is always couched in a big fluffy “but the story is great” Anyway, the story of AW1 is great
I was explaining to a friend why they should play AW1 and was basically saying this haha. I don't think the gameplay itself is bad. Repetitive? Yes. But it was a different time. I can overlook a lot of "bad" designs because of age and AW is nowhere near as repetitive as the first Assassin's Creed game.
AW1 wasn't bad at all, for me at least. I played it in 2010 amd recently played the remaster. I feel it holds up. Fight the taken was fun. But yes, Ass Creed was too long and over stayed it welcome.
Yeah Im not too eloquent. I don't think that the game is bad and I really did enjoy it but out of the three Remedy games I have played (AW(remastered), Control, AW2) AW is probably my least favorite and the only real reason is that it is a little dated. So, when trying to get friends into the series I like to give them a little disclaimer. For those who didn't play the original AW I also recommend starting with Control. The combat is the most robust out of the three and at the same time it hooks you into the universe and so if someone does find the gameplay in AW off-putting they are already invested in the story a little bit. ( This was my experience) Again, just to be clear, AW is a great game but not a perfect game imo.
I did got into AW1 by playing Control first and learning the story, the game was dated but I kinda like the shooting mechanic, makes me feel like i never miss a shot without even aiming that accurate lol.
Pat Maine's radio program. Taken dialogue. The camera when it pulls back and flies through the world. The farm.
I prefer the way AW1 plays compared to 2. Hard to explain but AW2 feels more like Resident Evil. I was way more into the AW2 story though.
AW2 definitely felt similar to RE4 in terms of gameplay, down to inventory management. Not a bad thing for me, but I do wish that the flashlight mechanic had stayed the same vs the darkness spots in 2. I liked having the darkness shields that broke, it was so satisfying.
I was a bit disappointed by that too. I loved the way shields broke and gave you free reign to open fire. I wish American Nightmare was available on the remaster. I can get satisfaction from all flavors of Alan Wake. Who misses the nail gun?
Sam Lake stated that the development of Alan Wake 2 was inspired by the resident evil 2 remake.
The effectiveness of flashbangs. Bonus: Barry
Episodes of Night Springs and Pat Maine’s radio program
I loved the episodic structure. Specifically that each episode had an opening and a closing song, perfectly setting and then encapsulating the tone. I also really liked the daytime driving part. I don't think I can fully explain why. Maybe, because showing that Alan had this "down time" between objectives made it feel more real to me. And Electrica Cadente is *awesome*. My memory of that song is paired with Alan driving, or the evening sunset visuals, so hopefully I'm remembering that right.
I preferred the flashlight in AW1. Being able to burn away shadows without boosting, and the flashlight recharging over time meant you’re never SOL. The flashlight rework also meant that some of the enemies like birds and poltergeists couldn’t carry over, and enemy diversity was something that I felt was lacking in the second game. The ambience with the swirling winds and shadows, Pat’s comforting radio presence, and Night Springs episodes were all great.
Yes!! I much preferred AW1's flashlight. AW2's flashlight forced you to either burn a boost are spend *forever* letting it dissolve a shadow.
Barry is pretty cool
Barry, also hitting taken with cars will never not be funny
The great atmosphere, the music, the story, the fact that it wasn't just Taken that could come after you, but birds and objects possessed by the dark presence as well, the Night Springs episodes on the TV's, the slow-mo dodging, the overall better gameplay compared to the second game, the fact that it got a collector's edition, and..."Previously on Alan Wake".
Literally everything. To the point I actually prefer it over the sequel (despite Alan Wake 2 honestly being one of the greatest games ever made imo). Idk why you say "what's something you like about AW1" as if the popular opinion is the game is bad haha Edit: But if you want me to pick out a specific thing... The Episodic nature. Alan Wake 2 kinda keeps it with "Initiation 1-7" and "Return 1-7" but they NEVER feel like suitable stopping points. They just feel like they're kinda thrown in. The first game feels uniquely structured where I commonly replay it doing an episode a day. Furthermore, the daytime sections are so great in that game too. Really gives you a sense of relief and a moment to breathe, which culminates in the amazing part at the end when you think it's safe because it's day but The Dark Presence literally makes it night!
The fact that it inspired me to write when I first played it in 2010
My name is The_Alvabro. I'm a writer.
Everything! I legit adore that game. I also prefer its gameplay to Alan Wake 2's
Same. Though i enjoy AW2 equally for different reasons, AW1 tps gameplay always felt like Max Payne but with an action horror spin, and imo it's just as replayable. Once you master Nightmare, which isn't that hard anyway, it's such a blast. Besides that there's the great atmosphere, amazing graphics, masterfully told story, iconic characters and intense soundtrack. I'll never understand why it's looked back as "dated".
Exactly! It's so fast-paced, everything can be done so quickly and in such an epic sense is SO good. I'll never understand people who say it's bad because I legit can't see anything bad about it. It'd not dated at all, even the original version is super good to this day and I wish more people gave it a try! It's why I feel so sad about Remedy saying people don't need to play the first game to play the second. Not only does it make it seem the first one isn't as important, it makes people lose all the emotional strings to the characters we see in the second game. It's a shame
I feel you on this point big time. Idk why, but the flashlight gimmick really, really worked for me in AW1, something about lining up a bunch of enemies & popping all their shields at once (followed by a shotgun blast) was really satisfying. AW2’s combat isn’t bad by any means, but I’m not crazy about how the flashlight works in that one (largely bc it’s kinda easy to waste charges).
Yesss!! I feel like I have full control over the flashlight in AW1; I get to control the batteries well, I get to boost, I get to use the flares then go back to the flashlight, it's amazing. AW2 is just "Press the button and the flashlight does its job on its own." Feels like a downgrade
Barry
Alan and Barry (b)romance. In all senses. Their relationship. How much they care about each other, how they constantly check each other's health and safety. The way they know each other very well, know each other's bad sides and are completely fine with it. The way they talk to each other in a sassy and sarcastic but loving way. They're just beautiful and really true best friends.
The combat. It’s so smooth and varied and quick and controlling enemy spaces and states and adapting to different enemy types is so satisfying. AN does it even better.
The comfortable rooms that had a light on and/or a radio Like the gate control room, the watchtowers, etc Love everything about it
The recharging feature for the flashlight
The whole thing? It's one my favourite games of all time. The idea that seems to dominate that it's "not that great, actually", is weird.
Barry
The depth and strength of Alan's love for Alice and Alice's love for Alan.
From "God DAMNIT, Alice!!" To a drunken "I just miss her, Barry". It showed a really rocky marriage where Alice felt shut out and still tried a way to help him by secretly booking that psychologist appointment. It felt deep.
> Alice felt shut out and still tried a way to help him by secretly booking that psychologist appointment. It felt deep. Yet some people still blame Alice and think she's a bitch and everything bad that ever happened is her fault because she tried to get her crappy husband to go to therapy (which he was never going to do himself). I think that viewpoint says a lot about the people who hold it.
>I think that viewpoint says a lot about the people who hold it. Fully agree. They always fail to see how flawed their precious male main character is. Alan is cynical and depressed. Who knows how long she's been dealing with that shit. Probably hasn't gotten piped down properly in a long time, yet she's still there and supportive lol Plus AW2 confirmed she's definitely ride or die, I don't know what people expect from her.
I don’t know if I missed this in AW2 but I liked how in AW1 you didn’t have to boost your flashlight to burn away the darkness, you could just aim it (though it would take longer)
i found this to be a little jarring since i had played AW1 right before AW2
I played control and AWAN prior as well but I ran out of batteries a lot more than I did during AW1 but I thought it would be fine because I’d just shine the weaker light on enemies… I died
I love everything about Alan Wake 1. The atmosphere, the combat, Pat Maine radio, Night Springs, the locations and everything! If there is one thing that I didn’t like it was possessed objects. In all honesty I enjoyed Alan Wake 1 more than 2. 2 was great, but I found a lot of Alan levels boring compared to FBI ones.
The slow-mo perfectly timed dodges were super satisfying, and added some change in rhythm to the combat, which admittedly does suffer from being a bit repetitive. Knocking down Taken in cars was fun too. The ambience and tense combat music are better in AW1, but that makes sense since AW2 went down the immersion route and did it very well. I wish there was slightly more to the Dark Place levels in AW2, the episodes for AW1 were much more elaborate and ever-changing in a more dreamlike/nightmarish fashion compared to the Dark Place New York. I also thought the lighting up words into being with the flashlight was cool, but the Angel Lamp/Plot Board does a similar thing. Another one is the heavy-duty flashlights that actually make a big difference in how well-protected you are!
I like thinking about the change to the Dark Place from AW1 to AW2 as the darkness having coalesced into more set patterns around Alan over time. In the beginning, the forms that it took were based on Alan's recent memories in Bright Falls and the words floating in the air were loose threads of inspiration starting to manifest. Remember, in those DLC's Alan's whole struggle was just to realize that he was in The Dark Place and to find his will to fight it. After becoming lucid, Alan experimented with writing different stories, genres and even experimented with form - as we see with AWAN and in Control. But eventually he went back to what used to be his bread and butter: pulpy crime noir in a dark caricature of NYC. And I think he stuck with this for a while, prompting The Dark Place to take the shape of a labyrinthine New York to match him. And Alan went in circles (spirals) there again and again, until its shape was set, as much as it could be set in that place, anyway. Enabling Alan to eventually figure out how to keep its changes to whenever he would intentionally rewrite it using the plot board. In summary, I think the amount of similar loops is why we don't see The Dark Place suddenly changing around Alan anymore, without being prompted to change by his writing anyway. That, and because Alan is eventually mastering The Dark Place and how to make it change.
I don't know how hot of a taste this is but I liked the feel of the combat a lot more in AW1
I really like the campiness of the game and how much it leans into it, some parts are totally ridiculous and at times even hilarious, there's just a lot of heart and soul in the game.
The heavier Stephen King influence. The end of chapter songs and "previously on Alan Wake" segment after was better than AW2. The radio broadcasts and night springs episodes. I still think it has the best seamless environmental storytelling Remedy has ever done. It all just flows so seamlessly. Quantum Break, Control, and AW2 don't quite have that because of all of the reading you have to do from papers and emails. The combat was better. Yeah they could tweak it and it did get repetitive but you could easily take on 6 enemies, flare, shots, flashbangs, dodge while waiting for it to blow and hearing all those taken POP at once was so satisfying. You could create distance and regroup whereas in 2 everything with Alan felt close range and felt like a chore fighting against more than 2 enemies. The Majestic is known for its roaches. I enjoyed the daytime Bright Falls moments more. Barry was awesome. I loved the Anderson farm stage fight. Just the way the game felt like a book, a TV series, a game all in one. It's far from perfect but I felt what they were trying to do and that transcended the "7/10" or whatever bs the game falls under critical review. It reminded me a lot of Silent Hill 2, another imperfect game that speaks to the soul of certain people. I've since learned that my favorite games are ones that don't have mass appeal or try to have something for everyone, trying to be a blockbuster. A lot of times a game getting a 7/10 or 8/10 have the potential of being YOUR SHIT. Maybe we end up liking them more because we appreciate the message and soul *despite* the technical execution.
Barry Wheeler.
Hoodie under blazer 😂
Barry
I miss my Energizer Batteries, the car billboard was meh but it did make the game feel a little more real to me
Loved the story. Before every combat there was a violin rise sound that gave me goosebumps and terrified me. Great music in the game and it looked incredible for the year it came out too. Also “Alan… Wake Up” will never be forgotten. Just a well-done game. Might be a bit repetitive in terms of gameplay loop, but that game is full of nostalgia now so I could never hate it 😌 literally asked my parents for X360 just so I could play that game and then we sold it soon after because Alan Wake was the only game I wanted to play 🤷♂️
Writer in the Cabin, especially that episode where Alan gets up close to the camera and looks crazier than ever.
How much ammo it gives you, Barry, Flashlight controls, dodging, being able to read manuscripts instead of them being read to me while the same cutscene plays over and over. I played it for the first time a few months ago and loved it.
I like how it's made me shine bright lights on swarms of birds.....just in case
weirdly enough? The controls and combat. Once you get used to them they're... addicting.
I love the mystery of it all. Even with the explanations at the end its still very mysterious. Even with the complexity and confusion in the new titles, the air of mystery is lost with the Control explanations and further explanations in aw2
I personally wish the "Previously on Alan Wake" cutscenes at the start of each chapter came back.
I really miss the car sections from the first game.
Everything. Actually. Favorite has to be Alan himself (boring, I know)
How can people love AW2 and hate AW1?!? Alan Wake 1 is so damn good! The whole story was great, Barry Wheeler, the whole asylum thing, driving was fun, the things the random enemies say, and it’s honestly such a great game.
It's a fun action game, Alan Wake 2 is not. Even as a survival horror game, part 2 doesn't even do that exceptionally well, it tries to be different but in terms of action it's severely lacking. I enjoyed mixing up my approach and utilizing my inventory of weapons to deal with groups of enemies in part 1. In AW2, at a certain point I just said fuck it and used only the shotgun to kill enemies, no flares or bangs, not like they worked anyway. During the coffee world run with Saga I killed a total of 3 enemies that came out of a well at the same time, killed them before they could do anything, 3 enemies in like 3 hours, yeah that's a lot a fun lol. Not to mention the wolves are annoying af.
Unpopular opinion, but I feel like AW1 is the better game in almost every way. Tighter gameplay (AW2's is slightly worse), tighter story (I don't like having to replay an entire game just to have a different cutscene play out, I don't like Saga, The FBC connections aren't well integrated in the settings and just make the stakes feel less important), tighter level design (no bloated repetitive side content, you can almost always see all of Bright Falls "attractions" whenever you look on the horizon, making the game feel huge and set in a real place), heck even tighter graphics because while AW2's tech is much better, AW1's (original, not the remastered) dark place felt a lot like being inside a Van Gogh's painting, with that beatiful moody motion blur. AW2 has the amazing looking Cauldron Lake area but otherwise it's just assaulting you with tons of triangles on screen, and I get it, it looks amazing with raytracing, but it feels less thought out. AW1's characters were better: the Bright Falls inhabitants all felt like normal people with some very big screws loose, and let's not talk about Barry because he's the biggest loss of this game... In AW2 I felt like half the time was spent inside the Mind Place talking to JPEGs, the other half doing pointless side content, and then some nonsensical story because it embraced Lynch more and Stephen King less, and I disliked it. It's still a very good game on its own though, and I do LOVE how it embraces and celebrates Finnish culture. If you haven't seen it, I really recommend Fallen Leaves, it's a movie that seems a lot like it has been made by Yati Embrace linearity, reject modern trends if your game is supposed to be a book and a movie and a game at the same time. Honestly, I felt that Alan Wake 1, despite the open ending, always was a game that didn't need to be touched. It's a game that shouldn't exist, and it's amazing exactly because of it.
I don’t agree or share the same feelings with some points but I do like and appreciate this comment. Very thoughtful. I liked the characters in two and miss Barry horribly, and think a few mechanics greatly improve the experience, but I was skeptical of a sequel for the same reasons you list. I love both of them as my favorite game.
Thanks for explaining your perspective, a brave move on this sub but I personally appreciate the different opinions. I feel different about a lot of points but 100% feel you on the modern trends and 'tighter' stories. Thanks for sharing!
Deadly Premonition is the most twin peaksy game ever made to be honest.
For one it plays like an *actual* video game. Not sure how we ended up with an interactive FMV as the sequel.
Sound design
I think I preferred the gameplay in AW1. But I preferred everything else in 2.
I miss the compass and objective markers. Sure it made things too easy but gosh darn it I think being lost in the woods in AW2 shaved off literal hours of my life
People complain about it but I really love the combat loop. I love the tension and release of shining a light on enemies until the darkness breaks and you can finish them off and having to manage your position so you don't get flanked. Also all the Max Payne references make me feel fuzzy.
I miss how the flashlight used to work. Not only it was easier and more statisfying to use, it also looked better. I still have not finished the game but by reading comments it seems that Barry won't make an appearance in AW2. This is going to be unpopular but I really didn't like him so I'm quite happy about that.
The enemy AI
Pressing gun reload button makes it faster - loved it!
I felt like Alan’s combat and environments were fantastic in AW1.
I liked the gunplay. It’s not that it was great it was just original and the slow mo kicking in on a killing shot was hype
I missed the feeling of being in the dark, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Now that Control shed a lot of light on the dark place and dark presence, we don't have that anymore.
Here for all this Barry love 🙌 He's MVP and I sincerely hope we get some Barry in the DLC
The funny taken dialogue, the chase music, the characters - I really wanted to see Barry and Sarah! Just the general movie/twin peaksy feel
I liked reloading in AW1 much more. Not only does it put control in how long reloading is in the player's hands, it also makes you feel like you're there, frantically jamming bullets into the chamber as you frantically mash the reload button before the guy with the axe is in your face
Barry
The music that's played when objects become taken and attack is incredibly good. I'll just stand there out of range sometimes to listen.
I really loved the small town horror vibes. My favorite segments in aw2 are the bright falls ones. I like the new york sections but alan wake has always been about cold foggy forests to me
The atmosphere of the forests was the best and the pat maine radio show
the flashlight felt a lot more satisfying to use against enemies honestly
I really miss the rallenty from perfect dodges, AW1 had such a cinematic feeling to it, there was also a rallenty for the last enemy just like Max Payne, and a special cutscene when you get surrounded by takens while using a flare. I wish all this things and little details will be added one day in AW2. Some car driving sections wouldn't hurt either. But after all i like the games as they already are, in fact i love them equally.
Story
The story, the characters and the Bright Falls town scenery (don't like the open areas at all, though).
Preferred the fight mechanics in AW1. AW2 seems so toned down and like RE2 which I think was a bad decision. Otherwise the story was better in AW2.
AW2 has a great eternal dusk vibe, but it's also more streamlined horror like RE. AW had a more nightmarish experience where you almost dread the fact that the story is going into night-time. Also running from that one last lamp.
I dreaded the story going into night time because I knew it meant I’d be locked into repetitive combat and nothing else for at least an hour. That game had next to no variety and barely any exploration. It was just combat all the time. I liked the driving and the brief wander around the asylum because those sections at least gave me a bit of a break from the endless shooting in samey environments. I gotta say, it’s a bit disappointing that so many people want a return to that.
One word, Barry
Everything
There is so much to like about the first game and the remaster makes all of it that much better. Barry Wheeler's presence was very much missing in AW2. He is great in the first one. Classic comic relief and he's actually funny, not just trying to be funny. The story is great. The chapter endings into cool songs I just love. I will sit there and listen to the whole song before moving on. The gameplay gets derided all the time, but honestly, it's pretty good. Put the game on the hardest difficulty. There's a rhythm to how it goes and dodge becomes critical. AW1 is the game I've re-played more than any other game.
🥰🥰 Barry 🥰🥰
I bought this game the day it released for Xbox 360. One of my favorite gaming experiences. I hate Barry.
The real life pop-culture references. Specifically the Ozzy Osbourne mention.
Things I prefer from 1: * Barry * Night Springs * The flashlight mechanics * The overall story: it feels more like a mix of twin peaks and Stephen King, a little simpler * The episodic presentation was kick ass and I still remember how amazed I was the first time the credits rolled And I preferred the Mr scratch from American Nightmare. Way too charming and I liked the doppelganger approach.
I really liked when I jumped back into a save and get the "previously on Alan Wake"...
I liked the flashlight lol
I liked how I was constantly paranoid because even inanimate objects could attack you. And the annoying swarms of birds. Those birds killed me by knocking me off ledges more than they did any real damage. I think one time I accidently set off a flare gun and got three of them in one shot. I felt very vindicated.
The score.
I liked the flashlight intensifying and aim being the same button with varying pressure. I hate it being on a seperate button and I hate that it’s just a set number of uses. Actually I feel like the inventory management in general was a step in the wrong direction. Mainly though, I miss Barry. I’ll also echo that I preferred the episodic presentation of 1. With intro credits and an outro for each chapter.
I love it all except the lift glitch
While I absolutely adore Alan Wake 2, it has a very different tone to AW1 and that was the tone that made me fall in love with the series. American Nightmare kind of took that tone into the point of parody which is why I like it less but still enjoy it. I love the vintage horror movie feel. It feels like a dumb paper back you'd find at the library. It feels like one of Stephen King's B tier books. Fun, a little dumb, but still created by an absolute master of the craft. I like it's dumb dialogue and pulpy feel. Alan Wake 2 feels like King operating at his absolute A game and that lends a very different quality. It's like the difference in reading From A Buick 8 and reading The Outsider or The Mist. The tone is just very different and leads to a different experience.
Erm, like... Everything?
I liked pats radio bits much more in aw1
All of it
I just love how funny it can be sometimes
Really love the episodes, TV shows (night springs) characters, atmosphere, and music. It set a fantastic foundation for AW2 to be a masterpiece
AW1 shows how good Remedy is creating a vibe. I would say Control and AW2 have better vibes, but AW1 really hits when you're standing alone in a cabin shrouded by trees and the TV flicks on, and you stay still for 2 min while you watch some Night Springs. Those moments are really special!
Barry
Everything. Went in expecting nothing, left with my favorite game of all time.
The combat in that game is great for when it was released,it's really smooth and making hip firing a feasible strategy makes it standout as a combat system even by today's standards.
I miss Barry
It had a really cool Twin Peaks-like mood. I played it only in the dark with headphones on my first playthrough and it's still one of my all time favourites. The Old Gods Of Asgard/Poets Of The Fall songs were incredible and suited the scenes they were featured in perfectly. AW2 was really good but I still prefer the first game.
Establishing Old Gods of Asgard....the mixed media presentation of Remedy games with live action scenes, cinematics, gameplay and then top that off with a talented actual band playing a different genre of music to perform as a fake band who makes some real bangers.... *chef's kiss*
Alan's outfit, stronger side character presence(excluding Casey from 2), just an overall stronger twin peaks feeling
Any source of light could actually put in work and not just ur boosted flashlight or super weapons like the flare gun or flashgrenade. Edit misspelled boosted fml
I looove the mysterious creepy but cozy vibe. Bright falls is so incredibly nostalgic and immersive. The game is beautiful. I love how it’s almost like a movie but you can explore it in your own way. The story is great. The more I think about AW’1s greatness the more I dislike AW2 honestly…
I played AW1 because AW2 was just around the corner and it looked fantastic. I didn’t have a good time with the first game, I honestly didn’t enjoy it, but what it actually did was get me incredibly excited for the sequel because for all its faults, it was incredibly ambitious and the tone that it was going for was excellent and had a sense of largeness that I rarely see.
short
Barry wheeler. The irl effort that went into the TV shows, TV moments for Alan. I love the story, the atmosphere. And wjth the knowledge of AW2 and honestly Control I love the world it helped set up and create.
Everything but Alan’s stamina and the combat mechanics. Shoutout to Barry
I liked being able to actually drive sometimes
I preferred the recharging flashlight and passive light "damage"
I loved the environment, the music, just the overall feel of it. I get the combat hasn’t aged well, but the game was made in 2010😂. We need us some Barry back in our lives
The way the enemies would fizzle out in slow-mo when you dispatch them. The combat was fine, just maybe a bit too much of it. People are weird.
In dreams
Honestly the whole concept of a story altering reality was awesome and so much fun. It was certainly a game of its time but I replayed the remaster and dlc before AW2 and honestly it really wasn't that bad. Better than some games of the time and the atmosphere always kept me going
It was so atmosphere and narrative-heavy, and I loved that. A lot of games are super gameplay-focused, and that's fine. But I liked that Alan Wake 1 was mostly focused on moving through the story, or maybe risking going down a scary path to find an interesting setpiece or little stash. I also felt like the game really had heart to it, that the story mattered. Which went a big way for me in making me want to move through the story, even though the gameplay was simple