Alan Wake 2 - snooze fest?

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on another note, make sure you have ray reconstruction enabled on RTX cards, it's another 9% performance, 11% with a new dlssd 3.7.0 dll

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was gonna either start death stranding or return to final draft, really wanted to try the kojima game, but could not resist aw2
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missed this before, Jesse Faden in her blue executive pantsuit and pinned hair fighting the Former, a reference to Control AWE DLC that you unlocked once the main game was completed, along with the suit.
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If, by chance, you're experiencing stutter/performance drop after +2hrs, restart your game, there's a slight vram leak that might be a problem over time. There was as much as 1.3GB vram usage difference before and after restarting.

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the nursing home part is prolly my favorite with Saga, the atmosphere is just incredible (no spoilers in these shots). On second thought, it's not on the same level as the Cauldron Lake part, but you just can't beat that. Let's put it that way - story-wise the Nursing home is better, location wise it's not, though it's still fantastic.

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4070 Super, the more GPU limited you are the bigger the gains from using ray reconstruction. 9% was measured using DLSSQ+max PT, 11% using DLAA (but that only ran at 47fps, so not really settings I'd keep)
 
After watching a fair bit more of gameplay footage, I watched this review of the game by Under the Mayo.


Sadly of what I've seen so far, I have to agree with him. It also seems really odd that you cannot discard charms, and I'm seeing many say it causes inventory space problems. I should mention however that I totally disagree with him on AW1, as I thoroughly enjoyed that game.
 
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Yeah, this is not a survival horror. And I'd be disappointed if it was. I do agree it's not even really a game in conventional sense. AW2 is all about discovering the story bit by bit and piecing it together, and few (no?) games ever have done it in the way that Remedy managed. btw the guy didn't get what purpose "repetition" and "lack of resolution" serves in this game,which is essential. He doesn't get Alex Casey's involvement either,which is pretty basic understanding of the storyline. He doesn't get the mind place either. I know that people buy games for gameplay though. I personally prefer games that really require you to follow the story, not just run and shoot.
 
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Yeah, this is not a survival horror. And I'd be disappointed if it was. I do agree it's not even really a game in conventional sense. AW2 is all about discovering the story bit by bit and piecing it together, and few (no?) games ever have done it in the way that Remedy managed. btw the guy didn't get what purpose "repetition" and "lack of resolution" serves in this game,which is essential. He doesn't get Alex Casey's involvement either,which is pretty basic understanding of the storyline. He doesn't get the mind place either. I know that people buy games for gameplay though. I personally prefer games that really require you to follow the story, not just run and shoot.

Well, since Remedy MADE IT CLEAR this was intended to be their very first attempt at the "Survival Horror" genre, it seems to me since you feel it does not in fact play like SH, that at the very least, they missed their main theme there.

Of course I won't know until I play it, but the obvious things to me so far are...

1. It spends so much time in Saga's Mind Place, going through the motions of photo arranging things that have already been discovered, that it comes off as more a mystery novel than horror game period, let alone survival horror. This also reminds me of why cop shows and movies aren't filled with the reality of paperwork, because it's boring and non immersive! At that point IMO it doesn't really matter what purpose the repetition and lack of resolution serves, because they've already taken me out of the immersion of the story. Am I supposed to think at the end of the game, "OH, so THAT'S why they made me spend countless boring hours flipping photos and backtracking!" I mean, who frickin CARES at that point?

2. It goes so much out of it's way to tie Wake and Casey in with Control and Max Payne that it loses a lot of it's identity along the way. It's like a cheap way of advertising their franchises within one franchise, much like they forced us to look at the Nissan signs in Quantum Break. The funny thing there though is, Quantum Break felt more interesting to me than this game looks. Even when there wasn't any combat, the puzzles were plenty interesting.

3. Whether anyone thinks the writing is clever, or brilliant, or just thought/mood provoking, a survival horror game has to do a better job of presenting a theme of desperation and desolation than just stringing you along with bread crumbs. There's FAR too many scenarios where you can avoid immediate danger, and not enough moments of visceral horror. And I'm sorry but the images of horror they keep flashing onscreen are just an ill conceived gimmick.

4. In many respects it seems to play like a poorly made adventure game. Go here, skip that container until you FINALLY get what unlocks it, keep running around, then running around again when the floodwaters go down, only to find many containers still show on map even when they're empty. And the inventory system is clunky to use and poorly designed in what you can and can't discard, leaving you lacking needed space at times. The latter is especially annoying since there are many Rhymes that yield the same exact charm as others, yet you can't discard them!

5. I would think the cheesy dance routine segment near the end playing WHILE you're dealing with enemies would make it obvious this is a game built as much on cheap theatrics and gimmicks as anything of substance. I actually got more immersed into a feeling of horror playing the original, but after seeing the gimmicks and arcade shenanigans used in American Nightmare, I worried that demented style would wind up in AW2, and sure enough, it did.

6. It's a shame, because graphically, it brings in a level of detail and effects that have the potential to set the player on edge. I also loved the look of the lake edge battle, but these moments are unfortunately overshadowed with a ton of boring scenes. I also feel the HDR could have been done WAY better, and the overall color palette of the game is never as dynamic as it could be because most of the time it's so dark and foggy the colors are very desaturated. Even the sunset shots that people rave about are fairly bland because of the lighting.
 
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Well, since Remedy MADE IT CLEAR this was intended to be their very first attempt at the "Survival Horror" genre, it seems to me since you feel it does not in fact play like SH, that at the very least, they missed their main theme there.

Of course I won't know until I play it, but the obvious things to me so far are...

1. It spends so much time in Saga's Mind Place, going through the motions of photo arranging things that have already been discovered, that it comes off as more a mystery novel than horror game period, let alone survival horror. This also reminds me of why cop shows and movies aren't filled with the reality of paperwork, because it's boring and non immersive! At that point IMO it doesn't really matter what purpose the repetition and lack of resolution serves, because they've already taken me out of the immersion of the story. Am I supposed to think at the end of the game, "OH, so THAT'S why they made me spend countless boring hours flipping photos and backtracking!" I mean, who frickin CARES at that point?

2. It goes so much out of it's way to tie Wake and Casey in with Control and Max Payne that it loses a lot of it's identity along the way. It's like a cheap way of advertising their franchises within one franchise, much like they forced us to look at the Nissan signs in Quantum Break. The funny thing there though is, Quantum Break felt more interesting to me than this game looks. Even when there wasn't any combat, the puzzles were plenty interesting.

3. Whether anyone thinks the writing is clever, or brilliant, or just thought/mood provoking, a survival horror game has to do a better job of presenting a theme of desperation and desolation than just stringing you along with bread crumbs. There's FAR too many scenarios where you can avoid immediate danger, and not enough moments of visceral horror. And I'm sorry but the images of horror they keep flashing onscreen are just an ill conceived gimmick.

4. In many respects it seems to play like a poorly made adventure game. Go here, skip that container until you FINALLY get what unlocks it, keep running around, then running around again when the floodwaters go down, only to find many containers still show on map even when they're empty. And the inventory system is clunky to use and poorly designed in what you can and can't discard, leaving you lacking needed space at times. The latter is especially annoying since there are many Rhymes that yield the same exact charm as others, yet you can't discard them!

5. I would think the cheesy dance routine segment near the end playing WHILE you're dealing with enemies would make it obvious this is a game built as much on cheap theatrics and gimmicks as anything of substance. I actually got more immersed into a feeling of horror playing the original, but after seeing the gimmicks and arcade shenanigans used in American Nightmare, I worried that demented style would wind up in AW2, and sure enough, it did.

6. It's a shame, because graphically, it brings in a level of detail and effects that have the potential to set the player on edge. I also loved the look of the lake edge battle, but these moments are unfortunately overshadowed with a ton of boring scenes. I also feel the HDR could have been done WAY better, and the overall color palette of the game is never as dynamic as it could be because most of the time it's so dark and foggy the colors are very desaturated. Even the sunset shots that people rave about are fairly bland because of the lighting.
you and the YT reviewer are missing Remedy's point entirely.
You spend time in Saga's mindplace because the game is about Saga interpreting the events, not you. Jesus, how do you not get this......
As Remedy clearly demonstrated, the survival part of this game is about the characters survival in the story, not whether the players have good reflexes.
You're trying to blast your way through a narrative, skipping facts and focusing on dealing with enemies. Whether you like the story or not is subjective, like any narrative, but it seems you just missed the concept entirely.
If it's so easy for you, I wonder what difficulty did you play ?
 
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you and the YT reviewer are missing Remedy's point entirely.
You spend time in Saga's mindplace because the game is about Saga interpreting the events, not you. Jesus, how do you not get this......
As Remedy clearly demonstrated, the survival part of this game is about the characters survival in the story, not whether the players have good reflexes.
You're trying to blast your way through a narrative, skipping facts and focusing on dealing with enemies.
If it's so easy for you, I wonder what difficulty did you play ?

LOL, I know full well many that fall in love with games to the point of literally hijacking a thread about it, and turning it into their personal travelog often like to think themselves the ONLY ones that get the narrative, but please, don't think I'm obtuse about the Mind Place. OF COURSE it's trying to convey Saga's interpretation of the clues, how could ANYONE not see that?

You're hugely glossing over the fact that Saga never actually interprets the clues in MP though. She's merely sorting the photos, then saying, "Could it be this, or that"?, she never really has any solid ideas about them. It's the game doing a horrible job making you waste hours as they try to make her look like a detective, when in fact she's just pinning up photos. It's clearly padding as UtM said it is, and in your having fallen so in love with it, you apparently can't see that.

And where did I say or even IMPLY a SH game has to be about "good reflexes"?

You talk like I'M clueless, "skipping facts" blah, blah, blah, yet you didn't even notice my video post, AND the 2nd paragraph of my summary post, I made it clear I'd been extensively watching gameplay footage and hadn't played it yet. I'm simply surmising from what I've seen the game is not at all as advertised, and even YOU said it is not really SH like they said it would be!!!

Lastly, I'm not even sure one can justify calling the game hard, because in games like this, they are often gimped with a horrible camera to make them FEEL harder, just as Under The Mayo said at the end of his review.

JESUS indeed! I mean, take a step back dude and realize you aren't the only one with an opinion on the game. :rolleyes:
 
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LOL, I know full well many that fall in love with games to the point of literally hijacking a thread about it, and turning it into their personal travelog often like to think themselves the ONLY ones that get the narrative, but please, don't think I'm obtuse about the Mind Place. OF COURSE it's trying to convey Saga's interpretation of the clues, how could ANYONE not see that?

You hugely glossing over the fact that Saga never actually interprets the clues in MP though. She's merely sorting the photos, then saying, "Could it be this, or that"?, she never really has any solid ideas about them. It's the game doing a horrible job making you waste hours as they try to make her look like a detective, when in fact she's just pinning up photos. It's clearly padding as UtM said it is, and in your having fallen so in love with it, you apparently can't see that.

And where did I say or even IMPLY a SH game has to be about "good reflexes"?

You talk like I'M clueless, "skipping facts" blah, blah, blah, yet you didn't even notice my video post, AND the 2nd paragraph of my summary post, I made it clear I'd been extensively watching gameplay footage and hadn't played it yet. I'm simply surmising from what I've seen the game is not at all as advertised, and even YOU said it is not really SH like they said it would be!!!

Lastly, I'm not even sure one can justify calling the game hard, because in games like this, they are often gimped with a horrible camera to make them FEEL harder, just as Under The Mayo said at the end of his review.

JESUS indeed! I mean, take a step back dude and realize you aren't the only one with an opinion on the game. :rolleyes:
ranting about a game and then saying you've never played it, lol.
and ranting about the main characters linking events in their mind in an investigation game......
 
ranting about a game and then saying you've never played it, lol.

Well, based on your lack of observation skills I pointed out, I can see how you'd think that.

The "Clicker" this game really needs is one that clicks you to the good spots, and turns it into more like a 15 hr experience, without all the unnecessary padding.

You go ahead and do you though, imagining all that time spent in Mind Place that Saga is actually interpreting clues, vs just sounding stumped. It's what people that fall for the look of a game do. LOL
 
Well, based on your lack of observation skills I pointed out, I can see how you'd think that.

The "Clicker" this game really needs is one that clicks you to the good spots, and turns it into more like a 15 hr experience, without all the unnecessary padding.

You go ahead and do you though, imagining all that time spent in Mind Place that Saga is actually interpreting clues, vs just sounding stumped. It's what people that fall for the look of a game do. LOL
Yes, cause it's so strange for characters to link events in an investigation story......
 
Yes, cause it's so strange for characters to link events in an investigation story......
But you claimed Saga was "interpreting" clues in Mind Place. I merely pointed out she never actually says anything to convey she's interpreted anything. All she does is speculate, does it mean this, or that? You DO know what interpret means, right?

Like I said, you've gone so gaga over the look and feel of simply pinning up photos, you imagine it to actually serve a purpose. Get a clue, it's padding, nothing more.

Congratulations, maybe Remedy will hire you for creative ideas, because you'd make a really bad detective. I mean have you even noticed you admitted to buying a game that is not SH as advertised, then said you were glad it isn't, as if you buy games on a lottery whim? It's really hilarious you call myself and UtM clueless, because it's so easy to see you're the clueless one here! LOL
 
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I would think the cheesy dance routine segment near the end playing WHILE you're dealing with enemies would make it obvious this is a game built as much on cheap theatrics and gimmicks as anything of substance. I actually got more immersed into a feeling of horror playing the original, but after seeing the gimmicks and arcade shenanigans used in American Nightmare, I worried that demented style would wind up in AW2, and sure enough, it did.
You realize the character that plays the part in that late show musical is not actually Alan Wake ? Of course you don't, cause you're ranting about a game you never played and don't understand. of course that part is cheesy, most late show interviews are cringy and unnatural.

But you claimed Saga was "interpreting" clues in Mind Place. I merely pointed out she never actually says anything to convey she's interpreted anything. All she does is speculate, does it mean this, or that? You DO know what interpret means, right?
She does, when all pieces are complete, but you skipped that part too.

you admitted to buying a game that is not SH as advertised, then said you were glad it isn't.
Yes, cause I knew it was heavily story focused, not gameplay focused. I read proper reviews before buying, not listened to some YT garbage that doesn't even get the game and skips half of it.

I'm not saying the game is perfect for everyone, I'm saying YOU don't understand it, and that is a fact.

To tell you more, I would find AW2 as another survival horror game a major disappointment.
 
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You realize the character that plays the part in that musical part is not actually Alan Wake ? Of course you don't, cause you're ranting about a game you never played and don't understand.
I said not a single word who I thought the dancer was, and it wasn't at ALL my point. The point was the routine itself, especially during combat, was cheesy theatric gimmicks.
She does, when all clues are complete, but you skipped that part too.


Yes, cause I knew it was more like a narrative. I read proper reviews before buying, not listened to some YT garbage that doesn't even get the game and skips half of it.
That STILL means most of the time spent in Mind Place is her pinning up pics, if she only finally gets a clue how to interpret everything at the very end. And I didn't "skip" that part, I was just bored to death by then, but at the same time I thought I might as well at least save some spoilers for when it hits the bargain bin, even if it's a bit cheesy they make you wade through TONs of photo pinning until she finally gets a clue what's going on. I've imagined plenty of scenarios that theses scenes conclude with, and no ending can justify the time spent on padding. I've also imagined the ending to lack resolution, just like the first game did, no surprise there either. It's easy to see they want it to at least be a trilogy, and with the mystery solving theme they're going with now, it only makes it more likely the ending will be a cliffhanger.

It being a narrative is a pretty thin basis for making a purchase decision, that's my take anyway, and with what you're refusing to accept as mostly padding, I think it's a justifiable one. Regardless, I feel it's inexcusable they describe this game as survival horror, because the majority of it looks to play nothing like SH.

And whether you think YT posted reviews are garbage or not, matters not, because I only take from it the surface conclusions that can be drawn from it, meaning I rarely agree with everything the reviewer says, and certainly didn't with UtM. I WILL say it's FAR more informative than your mere screenshots though. Nice job playing Saga, the psychic detective though. You really can't see the forest for the trees, just the fact that the main detective character you play as in game has hokey psychic abilities, ought to be a warning sign, but no, as long as it's in a narrative format, it's okey dokey with you! LOL

There are a lot of Remedy fanatics out there that just LOVE to cling to narratives, and even get strangely cultish about it. Like the way when Max Payne 3 came out fans of the original kept whining about no more story boards. Never mind the fact that the actual GAME of MP3 presented itself with FAR more grit and realism, carrying guns properly, and having to leave long ones behind when using an access point that required two hands. It's only glaring flaw IMO were the gimmicky, flashing neon graphics onscreen, but Remedy are like that, they love their gimmicks, usually to the point of degrading an otherwise good game.

Last I checked your posts you were 41 hrs in and hadn't even begun the finale. That seems strange since howlongtobeat.com shows even Completionist time as 30 hrs. So I have to assume you are just so in love with the game you're OK with doing non productive things.
 
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Moderator Request

@D10S @Frag Maniac

Guys, you know we all hate it when mom and dad are fighting, even if it's only a yelling match. Especially when the posts are too long for a busy baby mod to wade thru.

So please let it end here, since locked threads look unsightly—especially when there's no obvious lock you can just shoot off with a pistol.
 
Moderator Request

@D10S @Frag Maniac

Guys, you know we all hate it when mom and dad are fighting, even if it's only a yelling match. Especially when the posts are too long for a busy baby mod to wade thru.

So please let it end here, since locked threads look unsightly—especially when there's no obvious lock you can just shoot off with a pistol.

I agree, but don't you think it's largely due to the fact that instead of D10S making his own AW2 screenshot thread, he hijacked this one and turned it into his own travelog? It was intended to be more of an open discussion thread than an AW2 fan club thread, and D10S is not exactly being open to listening to other's opinions of the game.
 
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Yes to be fair we should have moderated better and perhaps moved the screenshots to a seperate thread. Didnt seem that important until now.

No need to be an ass about it though. There are many ways to have a critical discussion without being aggro. Taps hammer.
 
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Sorry to cause confusion, I'll try to keep the screenshot parts in the screenshot thread, and only refer to the story part here. I hope DLCs are coming soon, I'm having great time with TFD, wonder what's at the end of the spiral. The tone I was using to talk to FragManiac wasn't appropriate either, I just don't know why he insists on calling games like Death Stranding or AW2 boring or mediocre, while the truth is they're not, it's just not his type of thriller when the enemy is not something you can kill.
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Apologies @Frag Maniac
 
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I found it hard on normal at times. Especially with ammo being somewhat scarce. And I'm not really assuming when it's what you said, that the game is hardly about survival in conventional sense (dealing with enemies).
 
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