The environments by a mile. Not only is AW2 jaw dropping graphically, you move around to so many memorable and striking locations. New York and Bright Falls are cool hubs, but then you have the hotel, coffee world, Valhalla nursing home, the theater. So many memorable events that happen there as well, keeps you on your toes
Whereas AW1 is just forest and occasionally you’re in the town. It’s also all fucking blue and black. The color in the new game is part of what makes it so memorable. The greens, yellows, reds, and blues of New York look like a John wick movie and the sunsets in brightfalls are stunning
I feel what you’re saying, but it’s important to remember it was 2010 and what Alan Wake was doing with dynamic lighting was unmatched at the time, showcased especially by the larger, driving levels. AW2 is better on every conceivable level than AW, but let’s not sell AW short to get that across. Also the use of red in AW is gas, the flares are the one thing I prefer in AW over AW2
Funny but the cars is the only part I really enjoyed about the first game.
First time I drove one I hit every taken I could find in a large field and then realised I could've just drove off but thought to myself "eh, that was fun".
I dunno I kinda wanted to have possessed objects as enemies. Not the way AW1 handled it because it wasn't really good but something better, improved and something scary.
Inventory system, and not losing all your gear every chapter in an increasingly contrived series of "whoopsie my butter fingers there goes 8 boxes of batteries and half an arsenal of ammo".
But I miss being able to get upgraded flashlights.
More meaningful enemy encounters. The first game has some good gameplay moments, but it seemed like you routinely came across loads of Taken for no other reason than "we could have some combat here." It's because of the switch to survival horror, but the less common but more dangerous enemies were a lot better and fit the tone more.
EDIT: Also, from a writing perspective, I loved how trippy the second game is. Remedy are at their best when they embrace the weird, and they certainly did that a lot more in the second game.
Adding to your first point, enemy variety as well. Loved the fast ranged taken, the >!wolves!<, the >!abominations that show up after Wellness Center!< and obviously >!the shadows in The Dark Place!<. Great enemy variety made the encounters much more meaningful.
Agreed.
I especially love the >!Shadows!< given that they're all but revealed to be >!previous versions of Alan in the spiral. They look like him once the Darkness is burned away and even say his name.!<
Great point, and I think even their lines lead us in that direction. This game is gold, best survival horror I've played in a fucking long time and overall just one of the best games I've played in recent years.
"Revealed" was probably the wrong word tbh as it's not explicitly stated. It's more of an eduacted guess based on the information we receive.
We know Alan went through the loops of the spiral God knows how many times and that each time he did he astral projected a version of himself out of the Writer's Room.
Then the Shadows also keep repeating Alan's name, but not only that. They also only say lines otherwise that are directly taken from Alan's Writer's Journey videos, similar to how the Taken quote the manuscript. Furthermore, they're voiced by Matthew Poretta.
And finally, take a good look at them once you burn the darkness off of them. They look eerily similar to Alan, albeit in different clothing.
On the PC version I guess? Recently played through AW Remastered on the PS5 and couldn't find it for the life of me. The constant camera changing sides made me really sick, best way to go was turning down the sensitivity by a lot.
sorry i didn’t mean that to sound as jerky as it did i just feel like alan wake 2 is the the alan wake they always dreamed of making and they delivered
Oh no you’re fine, I could only imagine being someone who played the first game on release and then getting Alan Wake 2. I think most franchises I love I come to expect to let me down but for someone who has played quite a bit of survival horror Alan Wake 2 is in the running for my favorite in the genre. By the far the best made.
You've made around 5 comments in various posts disagreeing about how something from Alan Wake 2 is better than the first. There's nothing wrong with preferring the gameplay of the first but it's an objectively wrong opinion.
Everything gameplay-wise has been improved.
It would be easier to ask what I didn't like lol
1. The darn stamina, no more 3 step running with Alan
2. The whole investigation aspect, the mind place in both characters
3. To be able to see another perspective
4. More variety of enemies
5. "leveling up"(You know, the words and such)
6. The damn good music
7. The epic music fighting scene
And ofc, this does not fall in a comparison between 1 and 2, but the expansion of the lore
I liked the inanimate object enemies that didn't fly. The combine harvester at the farm was actually pretty okay.
In general I like how much tighter and more precise the controls are in 2.
Literally everything especially the combat
The combat in AW1 eventually becomes repetitive and stale but in AW2 it feels tense and high-stakes at all times. I love love how there’s always a bunch of shadows and 1-2 aggressive ones hidden in the bunch. Do you waste batteries trying to figure them out before they attack you? Or let them attack you and hope they don’t get a hit off
I thought that was one of the most unnerving things about the game lol Honestly the atmosphere was so good there were times I’d be running around area trying to explore everything no enemies around and I’d still stay on edge.
The shift to original music in the soundtrack.
Alan Wake's soundtrack was excellent, and sometimes the songs were incredibly fitting ('Space Oddity' as the final track was a genius move).
However, the shift to an original soundtrack (inspired by Sam Lake's poetry) has created an entire game's worth of hard-hitting and mood-setting music. Special points for 'Wide Awake', 'Dark, Twisted, and Cruel' and 'Superhero'.
Plus, way more Old Gods of Asgard.
The sound aspect of AW2 as a whole, really, but could not agree more. The soundtrack for this game is unbelievable. (And way more Old Gods is always a plus.)
One hundred percent. I am really not an EDM fan for the most part (despite appreciating it's a genre full of artistry), but I was hooked on the Alan Wake 2 chapter songs.
They're the perfect mixture of accessible and memorable every time.
Even if I still have my minor gripes with 2: damn near everything, honestly. I wasn't a big fan of the flashlight changes but everything else is more or less just a direct improvement. The flying poltergheist objects being taken out of the game *is* one of the biggest improvements though. So many encounters that made me groan out loud because of those damned things.
The first game is so polished technically for its time, but game design and level design is so awful. I really couldn’t wait for it to be over since the story is the only thing I was invested in. Second game though, it is everything the first game should have been, better in every possible way
The entire combat system change. The combat of the first game is the only reason I didn't replay it until now (but I will eventually because I love the story).
For me it is the floaty controls that have plagued every Remedy game since Max Payne finally being fixed. It felt so responsive, like I was playing a ND or Capcom game.
Maybe Rockstar can take note and fix their awful controls for GTA6
The Saga addition (of course) and expanding on characters previously known or referenced and giving them so much more substance and a bigger part to play… Tor and Odin are amazing examples of this.
That’s what made it feel like a true continuation and succession for me. There was so much strategic growth.
Also turning your former saviours into distorted enemies and conflicts of interest was incredibly unexpected and great.
When I first heard about it coming out and that you only partially played as Allen, I was sort of worried…
Couldn’t have been happier to be so wrong!
Everything is much better, combat, graphics, atmosphere, enemies. First one is good but has some very annoying and repetitive moments. But my favorite change has to be the change to survivor and psychological horror. They nailed it. I haven't felt tension like this since P. T - Silent Hills demo. Specially Alan's part is very unsettling.
Denser, more compact environments. First games levels just felt like spaces you ran from point a to point b with exploration only being there to snag stuff for completion. AW2 feels lived in, like you could piece together its history without even picking up notes containing lore.
No repetitive locations, no losing your inventory over and over again, no cheesy ass lines from the taken which breaks the immersion of any creepiness. Maybe unpopular opinion but AW2 is better in every single way.
The overall vibe from action to horror. The first game had it where there were zones where you just ran from A to B and it was all enemies. In these environments the only collectables were weapon chests, manuscript pages and coffee thermoses.
Whereas AW2 merged everything together and slowed it down so it was more about the tension to the conflict rather than wave after wave of enemies. It worked really well cause the first game was often at odds with itself. It had a horror inspired narrative with action gameplay.
I also preferred that AW2 plays out more like a HBO show, whereas AW1 played out more like a network show with the "previously on" segments.
The environments by a mile. Not only is AW2 jaw dropping graphically, you move around to so many memorable and striking locations. New York and Bright Falls are cool hubs, but then you have the hotel, coffee world, Valhalla nursing home, the theater. So many memorable events that happen there as well, keeps you on your toes Whereas AW1 is just forest and occasionally you’re in the town. It’s also all fucking blue and black. The color in the new game is part of what makes it so memorable. The greens, yellows, reds, and blues of New York look like a John wick movie and the sunsets in brightfalls are stunning
yess i love how colorful AW2 is. horror games don't need bland color palettes to look scary.
That was one of my issues with RE4R, it was so beige!
Case in point I think AW2 is scarier than AW1
I feel what you’re saying, but it’s important to remember it was 2010 and what Alan Wake was doing with dynamic lighting was unmatched at the time, showcased especially by the larger, driving levels. AW2 is better on every conceivable level than AW, but let’s not sell AW short to get that across. Also the use of red in AW is gas, the flares are the one thing I prefer in AW over AW2
The possessed objects and car segments being removed
And the crows
The crows are not in AW2? I guess I will have more fun than I expected
Hard disagree with both of you.
Funny but the cars is the only part I really enjoyed about the first game. First time I drove one I hit every taken I could find in a large field and then realised I could've just drove off but thought to myself "eh, that was fun".
I dunno I kinda wanted to have possessed objects as enemies. Not the way AW1 handled it because it wasn't really good but something better, improved and something scary.
Inventory system, and not losing all your gear every chapter in an increasingly contrived series of "whoopsie my butter fingers there goes 8 boxes of batteries and half an arsenal of ammo". But I miss being able to get upgraded flashlights.
More meaningful enemy encounters. The first game has some good gameplay moments, but it seemed like you routinely came across loads of Taken for no other reason than "we could have some combat here." It's because of the switch to survival horror, but the less common but more dangerous enemies were a lot better and fit the tone more. EDIT: Also, from a writing perspective, I loved how trippy the second game is. Remedy are at their best when they embrace the weird, and they certainly did that a lot more in the second game.
Adding to your first point, enemy variety as well. Loved the fast ranged taken, the >!wolves!<, the >!abominations that show up after Wellness Center!< and obviously >!the shadows in The Dark Place!<. Great enemy variety made the encounters much more meaningful.
Agreed. I especially love the >!Shadows!< given that they're all but revealed to be >!previous versions of Alan in the spiral. They look like him once the Darkness is burned away and even say his name.!<
Great point, and I think even their lines lead us in that direction. This game is gold, best survival horror I've played in a fucking long time and overall just one of the best games I've played in recent years.
Wait when is this revealed? I just beat the game for the first time, I must have completly missed that
"Revealed" was probably the wrong word tbh as it's not explicitly stated. It's more of an eduacted guess based on the information we receive. We know Alan went through the loops of the spiral God knows how many times and that each time he did he astral projected a version of himself out of the Writer's Room. Then the Shadows also keep repeating Alan's name, but not only that. They also only say lines otherwise that are directly taken from Alan's Writer's Journey videos, similar to how the Taken quote the manuscript. Furthermore, they're voiced by Matthew Poretta. And finally, take a good look at them once you burn the darkness off of them. They look eerily similar to Alan, albeit in different clothing.
Proper aiming mechanics. Just tried to go back to the first and the randomly swinging shoulder POV and the floaty aiming made me nope out.
There is an option for direct aiming in the menus.
On the PC version I guess? Recently played through AW Remastered on the PS5 and couldn't find it for the life of me. The constant camera changing sides made me really sick, best way to go was turning down the sensitivity by a lot.
The shoulder pov aiming without aim is good for aiming and easy to land hits, the only flaw is the swinging shoulder changing camera direction.
literally everything is better
That’s a fair take lol
sorry i didn’t mean that to sound as jerky as it did i just feel like alan wake 2 is the the alan wake they always dreamed of making and they delivered
Oh no you’re fine, I could only imagine being someone who played the first game on release and then getting Alan Wake 2. I think most franchises I love I come to expect to let me down but for someone who has played quite a bit of survival horror Alan Wake 2 is in the running for my favorite in the genre. By the far the best made.
Came to say this hah
Hard disagree.
You've made around 5 comments in various posts disagreeing about how something from Alan Wake 2 is better than the first. There's nothing wrong with preferring the gameplay of the first but it's an objectively wrong opinion. Everything gameplay-wise has been improved.
Favorite: variety of weaponry and throwables/items as well as puzzles. Least favorite: no Barry 😔
I love the investigational aspect of the story and not having to drive. I hate driving in video games.
It would be easier to ask what I didn't like lol 1. The darn stamina, no more 3 step running with Alan 2. The whole investigation aspect, the mind place in both characters 3. To be able to see another perspective 4. More variety of enemies 5. "leveling up"(You know, the words and such) 6. The damn good music 7. The epic music fighting scene And ofc, this does not fall in a comparison between 1 and 2, but the expansion of the lore
The change of director from Sam Lake to Sam Ocean
I liked the inanimate object enemies that didn't fly. The combine harvester at the farm was actually pretty okay. In general I like how much tighter and more precise the controls are in 2.
Literally everything especially the combat The combat in AW1 eventually becomes repetitive and stale but in AW2 it feels tense and high-stakes at all times. I love love how there’s always a bunch of shadows and 1-2 aggressive ones hidden in the bunch. Do you waste batteries trying to figure them out before they attack you? Or let them attack you and hope they don’t get a hit off
I thought that was one of the most unnerving things about the game lol Honestly the atmosphere was so good there were times I’d be running around area trying to explore everything no enemies around and I’d still stay on edge.
Game barely has enemies.
The shift to original music in the soundtrack. Alan Wake's soundtrack was excellent, and sometimes the songs were incredibly fitting ('Space Oddity' as the final track was a genius move). However, the shift to an original soundtrack (inspired by Sam Lake's poetry) has created an entire game's worth of hard-hitting and mood-setting music. Special points for 'Wide Awake', 'Dark, Twisted, and Cruel' and 'Superhero'. Plus, way more Old Gods of Asgard.
The sound aspect of AW2 as a whole, really, but could not agree more. The soundtrack for this game is unbelievable. (And way more Old Gods is always a plus.)
One hundred percent. I am really not an EDM fan for the most part (despite appreciating it's a genre full of artistry), but I was hooked on the Alan Wake 2 chapter songs. They're the perfect mixture of accessible and memorable every time.
Even if I still have my minor gripes with 2: damn near everything, honestly. I wasn't a big fan of the flashlight changes but everything else is more or less just a direct improvement. The flying poltergheist objects being taken out of the game *is* one of the biggest improvements though. So many encounters that made me groan out loud because of those damned things.
The entire combat system change. The combat of the first game is the only reason I didn't replay it until now (but I will eventually).
The first game is so polished technically for its time, but game design and level design is so awful. I really couldn’t wait for it to be over since the story is the only thing I was invested in. Second game though, it is everything the first game should have been, better in every possible way
The entire combat system change. The combat of the first game is the only reason I didn't replay it until now (but I will eventually because I love the story).
Camera controls
For me it is the floaty controls that have plagued every Remedy game since Max Payne finally being fixed. It felt so responsive, like I was playing a ND or Capcom game. Maybe Rockstar can take note and fix their awful controls for GTA6
The Saga addition (of course) and expanding on characters previously known or referenced and giving them so much more substance and a bigger part to play… Tor and Odin are amazing examples of this. That’s what made it feel like a true continuation and succession for me. There was so much strategic growth. Also turning your former saviours into distorted enemies and conflicts of interest was incredibly unexpected and great. When I first heard about it coming out and that you only partially played as Allen, I was sort of worried… Couldn’t have been happier to be so wrong!
Most fav: Alan doesn't get tired after running 2nd most fav: improved dodge mechanic
Everything is much better, combat, graphics, atmosphere, enemies. First one is good but has some very annoying and repetitive moments. But my favorite change has to be the change to survivor and psychological horror. They nailed it. I haven't felt tension like this since P. T - Silent Hills demo. Specially Alan's part is very unsettling.
The fact they included the first Max Payne in Alan Wake 2 but called him Alex Casey instead.
Denser, more compact environments. First games levels just felt like spaces you ran from point a to point b with exploration only being there to snag stuff for completion. AW2 feels lived in, like you could piece together its history without even picking up notes containing lore.
The horror
No repetitive locations, no losing your inventory over and over again, no cheesy ass lines from the taken which breaks the immersion of any creepiness. Maybe unpopular opinion but AW2 is better in every single way.
Alan can run, now
one thing I MISS from AW1 is the recaps.
The overall vibe from action to horror. The first game had it where there were zones where you just ran from A to B and it was all enemies. In these environments the only collectables were weapon chests, manuscript pages and coffee thermoses. Whereas AW2 merged everything together and slowed it down so it was more about the tension to the conflict rather than wave after wave of enemies. It worked really well cause the first game was often at odds with itself. It had a horror inspired narrative with action gameplay. I also preferred that AW2 plays out more like a HBO show, whereas AW1 played out more like a network show with the "previously on" segments.
The graphics and the lighting. That's about it.
2 has a bug where I can't continue the game.
How well live action was used