Alan Wake 2 questions

I don't think Alan Wake 1 is necessary for playing Alan Wake 2, but it definitely adds to the experience considerably. It may longer be the case, but I think Epic Games Store was giving out the remaster of the first with a purchase of 2, but that may be a limited time thing that has expired.

Gameplay wise, AW2 is not really like either of the games you listed. I played RE4make right after AW2 and it took me a while to get in the swing that RE4make was an action game not a survival horror. Ammo is generally constrained throughout AW2 and there is constant threat that something is going to happen, along with semi regular jump scare type antics. I've talked to friends who liked other remedy games but couldn't stand the gameplay and thought it felt bad. Personally it didn't register with me, but your mileage may vary. Overall the story is the main draw to me, but the gameplay was not a negative.

It is absolutely my favorite game of the year, but that's not a unique position. I did play Alan Wake 1 and American nightmare when they originally released though, so not sure the response from someone who hasn't played them

I loved Control. Never played AW1. Tried AW2 on Halloween and ended up refunding it. I found the game tedious and repetitive in its first few hours, it ran poorly on my 3080Ti with stutters and audio desyncs, and I wasn't happy to support an Epic Game Store exclusive.

The mind palace investigation system felt totally on rails, and sorta like the forced concepts review at the end of an educational show. I anticipate it gets more interesting later in the story, but by that point I was out.

I decided to wait until it comes out of exclusive before trying it again, since there were so many other great story driven games of this year.

...though all that said, it leads to the question: why not give it a try and refund if you don't like it?

1. Not in my opinion. You will have extra context if you play AW1 first, but it's not necessary and definitely shows its age. I still love it but I can see it being hard to get into now. Definitely a product of its time. I would argue playing Control first is more important than AW1.

2. So I saw your response to the other poster so with that in mind I would say AW2 is a better horror game than RE4. Comparing it to Control is hard. You're not as powerful as you are in Control and ammo is a little more scarce (although I had no problem managing it). Both Control and AW2 share the same universe, so that alone might help you like it.

3. It's my personal game of the year, but I basically love everything Remedy does including Quantum Break. That said, there are some amazing moments, great graphics and I really enjoyed the gameplay. Since it's on sale and you get AW1 I think it's worth giving a try and you can always try AW1 later if you like AW2.

I am maybe Alan Wake 2's biggest fan alive so bear in mind that I'm pretty biased here. My recommendation, however, is to buy the game, with some caveats. At the current price -- what, $26? it's absolute highway robbery for maybe? the best narrative I've ever experienced in a game. That said, if you're in it for the gameplay, Alan Wake 2 probably won't wow you.

Alan Wake 2 has been written to onboard players who haven't played the first game: both with an audience surrogate who learns about the world as you do and a mindfuck of a chapter wholly devoted to recapping the first game. That said, if you want to engage not just with the plot but the lore -- the rules of the strange world Remedy are creating, the connections to Control, and what's going on behind the scenes, it would behoove you to either play Alan Wake, American Nightmare, Quantum Break, and Control and the DLCs -- or else watch recaps thereof. Frankly, though, if you're okay with a little bit of confusion and some unanswered questions here and there, it's fine to go in more or less blind.

Now, gameplay. So, I also love RE:make 4 and Control, but I think they're generally good for different reasons than AW2. Specifically, they're action games with strong senses of place, atmosphere, and especially in Control's case, presentation. AW2 has all that too, but it isn't an action game. In comparison to the two games you mentioned it's really slow paced, narrative-focused, more interested in building tension and intrigue then in being a canvas for skill expression. If you liked Control's presentation -- its use of live action, its music, its stark lighting and use of color, its huge block capital titles when you entered a new area, you'll find all of those elements in AW2, much improved. But if you liked RE4's fantastic combat you'll be disappointed by the lack of depth and, on higher difficulties, the resource squeeze in AW2. I think the combat in AW2 feels good, don't get me wrong, and I also think the narrative structure does a great job of not becoming boring despite its length and slow pace. But combat encounters are few and far between, and the game is much more about taking you through a great, mind-bending story than it is about being a fun power fantasy.

I bought AW2 for full price, on launch, and also bought the Ultimate Edition upgrade after completing it just to give the developers more money. While I can't conclusively say it's my game of the year right now, as I'm only in Act II of Baldur's Gate 3, what I can say is that it's probably in the top 3 of the games I've finished. It has that effect on you where you lie awake at night thinking about it afterwards, or find yourself watching streamers play through it just to experience the highlights of the experience through them. The thing that most comes through, I think, is the game's utterly unique voice. It's really like nothing else on the market today, and while that does come with some irregularities and surface imperfections that some players might bounce off of, it's utterly confident in what it wants to say and how it wants to say it, and the resulting experience, I think, ultimately speaks for itself.

I can't answer these questions, but you could also watch someone play a bit of the intro chapter to see if you're still interested in the game. If you like the genre, I heard that AW2 was more "survival horror" than AW1's "action thriller".

For what it's worth, I'm not remotely interested in AW2 because I strongly disliked AW1, which also received various best game awards. You'll just have to see for yourself!