The new DLC for Alan Wake II sure is frightening. But nothing is scarier than getting stuck on an obscure p??uzzle. These Computer Passwords are quite tricky. We've created a guide det??ailing how to find the passwords, and what the passwords are.

Lake House Office Computer

The first computer you'll come across is in the main office on the ground floor of the Lake House facility. There's a note detailing that passwords have to be something significant, not a current date, and be 6 numbers. Putting together some context clues around the room will help you figure this first one out. Search the room and look for any text with a bold numbe??r. That'?s likely a hint.

You'll find an article about the actress Hedy Lamarr, and find the significant number 38. You'll also find a document stating that the Lake House will be finishe??d o?n July 18. Remember that the Doctor whose office you are in is European, so they'd format the date as 18/07. Put these numbers together for the passcode.

The passcode is 180738.

Level Sublevel 2 Computer

Deeper into The Lake House is the second sub-floor, with another computer that requires some sleuthing to gain access to. You'll need the Level 2 Clearance Keycard to access the room nearby where you'll find some more clues. Inside is a computer that has some emails containing the information you're looking for. A very special day related to a first date b?etween two coworkers. The special day is a week from "this" Friday. "This" Friday being the first one in the week of September 14.

They also mention that the other part of the code is related to a "Brown shape with horns." Next to the te?rminal is some text about different paintings. Find the one with the matching that description and examine its number. Put that together with the special date.

The passcode is 092225

Other Computers

There are a few more computers elsewhere in The Lake House that require a passcode. However, these are alm??ost always accompanied with a sticky note with the passcode written on it. If you do this in real life, please consider at least putting the sticky note under your keyboard and not on the monitor.

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Remedy Entertainment has officially closed its online store and merch shop due to the ongoing costs of running such a venture and the simple fact that without much larger orders, it can't afford to support the side business while also crafting brilliant games like Alan Wake 2.

The store was closed on June 19, 2024, taking with it quite the collection of incredible Remedy game-themed merch. Among clothes sporting the developer's logo were products like the Night Falls Blend coffee. However, the most popular products, such as the Oh Deer Diner Thermos, were created in partnership with other companies and will be available again in the ?future. For now, though, anyone ?with a Remedy Entertainment sweater or t-shirt has a piece of wearable history.

Hold your Remedy Entertainment merch close now the official store is closed

The closure of Remedy Entertainment's merch store was announced well in advance. Following the closure, Thomas Puha, the developer's communications director, provided some cont??ext about the realities of running a merch store.

The post is honest about the challenges even a developer with the reputation Remedy Entertainment has faced while running a merch store. "It's near impossible to make merch break even unless you have a large volume and order from China." This feels ?like an impossible situation because the store could have made large volume orders to bring costs down and sit on stock, but I don't know many game developers with space to spare for hundreds of boxes of clothes.

Puha goes on to say, "While people think we are leaving money on the table, we really aren't. You need massive volumes for this to work. For now the way is to find great partners to collaborate with like Airam and Makia and not having us worrying about stock, shipping logistics, customer service, etc, etc." It's important to note here that the best and easiest produ?cts to produce and sell from Remedy's point of view were those that involved a third-party who handled shipping, production, and stora??ge.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Remedy Entertainment is a game developer, first and foremost, and always will be. But the closure of the merch store doesn't mean merch is off the table forever. Puha added alongside this ??explanation. "Still, we definitely want to do merch, for sure, it sucks that we don't have more of it for all of you and at reasonable prices and shipping. We'll get to it sooner rather than later."

I love video game shirts and sweaters. Most of them tend to be incredibly well made, with logos and details printed onto clothing that fits well and stands the test of time. At the time of writing, I don't own a thing with the Remedy En??tertainment logo on it, but I really hope the studio lets me change that one day.

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Alan Wake 2 - Night Springs is brief and not too heavy on the puzzles, but it does have something to tease your brain. The second episode of the Alan Wake 2 DLC takes you b??ack to Coffee World where you must track down some codes and, well, become coffee??.

You revisit Coffee World in Night Springs Episode 2: North Star. During the episode, you're playing as Control's Jesse Faden (or maybe some version of her), who's on the trail of her missing brother. The episode takes place in a twisted version of Coffee World, which was clearly taken over by a mysterious group (that could be a cult or some government agency) representing Dark Triangle Coffee. Right, as if we expected the DLC for a game like Alan Wake 2 to be anything but a tad weird.

Alan Wake 2 Night Springs DLC: All Coffee World puzzle solutions

How to find the gate code

Arriving at Coffee World, Jesse finds that the entrance gate is locked by a code. To locate the gate code, approach the ticket booth to the left of the gate and peek inside. There will be a notebook with codes corresponding to different days. The unseen ally helping Jesse will highlight the correct code: "Saturday 15th - 238." Punch 238 into the keypad and you're inside.

Mission statement word location

You?'ll eventually realize that you must enter the Dark Triangle Coffee Warehouse, the former Kavala Knights Workshop. To get inside, you'll have to convince the person behind the intercom that you are one with the coffee by answering several questions. First, you'll need to correctly reply with the fourth word of the Dark Triangle Coffee mission statement. It's in a video, so let's hunt it down.

First, head to Coffee World's Welcome Center to the far right of the entrance. Activate the VCR (ask your parents) to the left of the TV to learn that the tape is gone. Go back and speak with the Sheriff, who tells you he hid it in cup number 4 in the 'Slow Roaster' Ferris wheel up the hill nearby. Get the tape and watch it to learn the first question's answer: "Truth."

How to get the optimal coffee temperature in Fahrenheit

Ah, now we're finally ready to puzzle. The second question asks you to reply with the "optimal roasting temperature for Dark Triangle Coffee beans, in Fahrenhe?it." To figure out this puzzle, return to the Coffee World entrance. Look for the Roasting Bar by the playground, where you'll find bags of coffee sandwiching what looks to be a large coffee grinder with a keypad attached to its front. To figure out the code, look for the posters to the right of the grinder.

The posters give you all the hints you need to solve the riddle. I'm sorry to say, that it takes rudimentary math knowledge to solve (oh, good lord no). Don't panic! It's not as bad as it could have been. Remedy has taken pity on us.

Look for the orange words in the "Did you know" sections for the clues. The first poster tells you that the temperature is higher that the sum of the triangle, shown?? here with three?? 60-degree angles. With the second poster, we're told that the second digit of the number is twice as much as the first, and the third digit is one less than the second. Finally, the third poster tells us the temperature is less than 500 degrees Fahrenheit and also the "number of light years between Earth and Planet X-13."

Let's break it down. First, the only hard math you really need to know is this: The sum of a triangle is always 180 degrees. So, the number is higher than 180. Considering the second and third hints, we have a few possible solutions, such as "2-4-3." But thinking on that Planet X-13 clue, replacing X with 500 gives us 500-13, or '487', which fits the puzzle. Punch 487 into the grinder keypad and it's solved.

Where to find and drink the coffee

Your final test is to BECOME COFFEE by drinking it, of course. Look for the Tasting Room next to the Ferris wheel. I?t used to be the Coffee World Gift Shop, in case you're confused. Inside will be a cup with your name on it.

How to find the key in the Dark Triangle Coffee Warehouse

Once inside, you must hunt down a door key while dodging two massive coffee mascots who can kill you instantly. Wait for the first mascot to round the corner to your left and then head to the right of the entrance. On a desk with a yellow lamp is a red toolbox.

Open it to find the key.

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The once-unlikely sequel to Alan Wake has even more surprises on the way, as Remedy just announced Alan Wake 2 DLC, Night Springs, launches tomorrow on June 8. That's also when pre-orders for a physical run of Alan Wake 2 open up, too.

In Alan Wake 2's additional saga, thre?e characters will contend with the Dark Place again in self-contained episodes. According to its PlayStation Blog description, those tales play out with familiar, but new, faces in a TV show the tortured artist once wrote for, Night Springs.

Notable Remedy/Alan Wake characters include ??likenesses to Jesse Faden, Rose Marigold, and Shawn Ashmore / Sheriff TImothy Breaker.

The Alan Wake 2 Expansion Pass � included in the digital deluxe edition �covers the Night Springs DLC. However, if you're looking to pick it up separately, Night Springs runs $20. If you?'re ordering the new physical deluxe or collector's editions of Alan Wake 2, those also include the expansion content.

Tomorrow's big updates also include a free Photo Mode, taking inspiration from Alan's wife, a professional photographer, and adding settings like f-stop, focal length, and other effects you'd find in similar, dedicated modes. But this is Remedy, so of course, I've got loftier expectations for how I want my Alan Wake 2 photography to shape up.

(Story Developing)

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This June marks the return of a summer speedrunning staple, as Summer Games Done Quick prepares to kick off another weeklong stream of incredible gaming feats. It all starts on June 30, and ahead of that the full list of games has been revealed. 

There are a ton of classics being revisited this time around, and there's also the typical mix of new games getting their very first run in the spotlight. Chief among them is the PlayStation 5 version of Alan Wake 2. Speedrunner suavepeanut has an "Alan%" run â€?meaning just the Alan-centric Initiat??ion chapters from Remedy's celebrated sequel â€?planned, aiming for roughly an hour and some change. 

Developer LocalThunk's poker roguelike Balatro is also in the mix for the first time as a Bonus Game. These games are typically inserted into the schedule after a specific fundraising incentive has been met. Folks who donate to the cause, which is once again humanitarian medical nonprofit Doctors Without Borders, can decide which goal they want to contribute toward. Keep that in mind if you're dying to see a "3 Deck Random Seed, Skipless" run of Balatro! 

While no one has tossed in the sprawling Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth into the mix yet, tapioca is cooking up a 90-minute any% run of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Happybythree will throw their hat into the heist-pulling ring with an Any% PlayStyle A run of Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. The week typically closes with a lengthy role-player, and this time it's the Nintendo Switch remake of Super Mario RPG from runner V0oid. There's no better way t??o bring the house down than to bring Smithy down LI?VE.  

Still goin' fast

If you're familiar with the Games Done Quick streams, you'll see plenty of familiar titles this time around, from a handful of Mega Man games �Mega Man 4, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man X5, specifically �to a Super Metroid race. There are welcome oddities in there, too. Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain will have TheShadedMaster going for 100% in roughly 15 minutes. There's also the Silly Games Done Quick block, which features the likes of Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, Barbie on NES, Birds Aren't Real: The Game, Mad Panic Coaster, and more.

Most importantly, there's a Chibi-Robo! race on the way, pitting Jaxler and Kobazzco against one another in the 1v1 Lockout Bingo category. It all goes down June 30 - July 6 at the Hilton Minneapolis Downtown in Minnesota, streaming live on Twitch and the official site. If ?you see my p??roductivity dropping that week, you know what's up. 

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Yesterday, the BAFTA Game Awards 2024 honored the past twelve months of the industry. Hosted by comedian and former Taskmaster contestant Phil Wang, the show was a celebration of what gaming ?has achieved?? recently.

As is typical with a lot of award shows, there were some varying attempts at humor. Which is a shame because, knowing Phil's work, I suspect he was not responsib??le for a lot of the jokes written on the teleprompt?er.

Still, it didn't?? detract from the jubilation, as a lot of games released in the past year �as well as their respective developers �were given their due credits. Below are the list of all the winners and nominations from this year's event.

Animation

• Alan Wake 2
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• WINNER: Hi-Fi Rush

Artistic Achievement

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cocoon
• Diablo 4
• Finaly Fantasy XVI
• Hi-Fi Rush
• WINNER: Alan Wake 2

Audio Achievement

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Hi-Fi Rush
• The Legend of Zelda: tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• WINNER: Alan Wake 2

British Game

• Cassette Beasts
• Dead Island 2
• Disney Illusion Island
• Football Manager 2024
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
• WINNER: Viewfinder

Debut Game

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
• Viewfinder
• WINNER: Venba

Evolving Game

• Final Fantasy XIV Online
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Genshin Impact
• No Man's Sky
• WINNER: Cyberpunk 2077

Family

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Disney Illusion Island
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Hogwarts Legacy
• WINNER: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Game Beyond Entertainment

• Chants of Sennaar
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Terra Nil
• Thirsty Suitors
• Venba
• WINNER: Tchia

Game Design

• Cocoon
• Dredge
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Viewfinder
• WINNER: Dave the Diver

Multiplayer

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Diablo 4
• Forza Motorsport
• Party Animals
• WINNER: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Music

• Alan Wake 2
• Assassin's Creed Mirage
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• WINNER: Baldur's Gate 3

Narrative

• Alan Wake 2
• Dredge
• Final Fantasy XVI
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Star Wars Jed: Survivor
• WINNER: Baldur's Gate 3

New Intellectual Property

• Chants of Sennaar
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Jusant
• WINNER: Viewfinder

Performer In A Leading Role

• Amelia Tyler (Narrator in Baldur's Gate 3)
• Cameron Monaghan (Carl Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor)
• Neil Newbon (Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3)
• Samantha Béart (Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3)
• Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker in Marvel's Spider-Man 2)
• WINNER: Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales in Marvel's Spider-Man 2)

Performer In A Supporting Role

• Debra Wilson (Cere Juna in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor)
• Ralph Ineson (Cidolfus "Cid" Telamon in Final Fantasy XVI)
• Sam Lake (Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2)
• Tony Todd (Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2)
• Tracy Wiles (Jaheira in Baldur's Gate 3)
• WINNER: Andrew Wincott (Raphael in Baldur's Gate 3)

Technical Achievement

• Alan Wake 2
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Starfield
• WINNER: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

EE Players' Choice Award (public vote)

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Fortnite
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Lethal Company
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• WINNER: Baldur's Gate 3

Best Game

• Alan Wake 2
• Dave the Diver
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• WINNER: Baldur's Gate 3

BAFTA Game Special Award

• SpecialEffect, presented to founder and CEO Dr. Mick Donegan MBE for "outstanding contributions to games, film and television" in helping "people with even the most severe physical challenges to access video games."

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When it was initially released, Alan Wake 2 stunned players with its immersive visuals, storytelling, and gripping horror elements that never seem to let you go. However, the game wasn't all spooks, scares, and monolo??gues; it also has its zany, wild moments, ma??ny of which stand out long after you've finished it.

Maybe the most iconic scene in the game is the Herald of Darkness song. It's a musical version of an interview that almost comes out of nowhere when players encounter it. Thanks to the fairly fluid nature of the game's themes, though, it fits well and provides a moment of relaxation, if not confusion, in the middle of quite an intense journey. In keeping with the fairly jarring experiences this series throws at you, one fan has now decided to recreate the entirety of Herald of Darkness using Lego.

The Lego version of Herald of Darkness leaves me eagerly awaiting more

On Twitter, Elizabeth - IX shared their incredible recreation of Herald of Darkness from Alan Wake 2. It begins right at th?e point when you're made to think this will be like any TV interview, but then things take a musical turn. The scene appears to capture every moment, ??including the cuts from Alan to the trio on stage.

While I'd love to? tell you that this is the complete sc?ene, it's only the first of a multiple-part series. The whole song is split into four parts in the game, so I'd expect Elizabeth - IX to release each part as they finish them.

As you can see in the video above, the quality of this Lego version of Herald of Darkness is pretty good. Not only does it stick close to the source material, but it mimics the style of the Lego movies as opposed to any Lego TV show. Speaking as a father of a four-year-old who has seen every Lego Ninjago episode several times over but the movie only o?nce, there's a big difference in the quality of the animation.

Movies such as The Lego Movie, Lego Batman, and The Lego Ninjago Movie all have a much more refined animation style that appears to include many more frames. Not only that, but the Lego bricks are ??used to create a lot of the movement in the movies, while the TV shows, whic?h obviously have a smaller budget, rely somewhat on bending bricks and taking liberties where they can.

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When it launched last October, Alan Wake 2 was noted as a superb follow-up to its c??ult Xbox 360 predecessor. Visually, it was something to behold. However, being quite a graphically dema??nding game meant people with older hardware were left out—until now.

Recently, Eurogamer was given exclusive access to an upcoming patch for Alan Wake 2 which aims to optimize the sequel for previous-gen graphics cards. Specifically, the update will p??ut focus on making the game compatible with Nvidia GTX 10-series GPUs, powered by the Pascal architecture.

In a benchmark test, a Digital Foundry video found that, once the patch starts rolling out on March 6, those with GTX hardware should see some pretty significant up?ticks in performance.

It's not a cure-all, though

Currently, the likes of the GTX 1060 (which is the fourth most used GPU on Steam) don't support mesh shaders, something AW2 uses for better visual ac??uity. However, the new pa?tch should fix this.

The video above shows that framerates do increase, boosting overall performance by around 45%, even up as much as 85% for the likes of the GTX ?1080.

However, the? aforementioned 1060 is still not entirely suitable for the game to run at a decent rate. While Digital Foundry saw increases from 15 to 25 frames on average (thanks to the removal of mesh shaders) in dense areas, this still falls short of what most gamers expect these days, which is 30fps at the very minimum.

There also appear to be no optimizations for the AMD equivalent, the RX 580, a card that came out in 2017. Given that Team Red is no longer supporting this GPU, it's probably not in Remedy's best interests to make Alan Wake 2 compatible with this (and much older) hardware.

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Last year's Alan Wake 2 was a triumph, not only in the survival horror genre but in AAA gaming in general. Given the high praise, it's no wonder we declared it one of our favorite games of 2023. And for good reason, too.

As well as great reviews all around, the Alan Wake follow-up has also been selling well. According to developer Remedy Entertainment, the long-awaited sequel has sold 1.3 million units, as of February 2024. A post on the developer's website says it's the fastest-?selling game? the company has ever released "so far."

Indeed, it's not been out for too long, so time will tell how big the game can get in terms of sales, especially once DLC hits. By comparison, Control has sold over four million units since it launched in 2019. However, AW2?? has sold "over 50% more copies and over three times more digital copies in its first two months" than that.

Awards, they keep a-comin'

On top of this, Remedy was proud to announce that Alan Wake 2 recently received the DICE Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction." That's one more accolade to be thrown on the pile, right next to such wins as "Critics Choice Award" at Golden Joystick, "Best Direction" and "Best Narrative" a??t The Game Awards 2023, as well as some others.

Selling 1.3 million units in just a couple of months is mighty impress?ive, even if you take into account the fact that the game was launched not long before the holidays.

Of course, we also need to consider that Alan Wake 2 is a digital-only release. Whether you agreed? with that decision or not, one can't help b?ut wonder how many more could have been sold by now if there was a physical copy available as well.

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Though there are countless directions life flows in, we'r??e constantly fed narratives on what choices lead you down the supposed good path. It's wise to take advice, especially from the experienced, but what happens when our internal desires clash with the stories society outlined for us?

In Alan Wake 2, Saga finds herself confronting this many-faced problem. However, in typical Remedy fashion, things are presented through metanarratives th?at defy convention. Through Saga, we discover the power these tales have in our lives, and how a steely inner resolve give??s us the reality-changing ability to forge our own way.

Spoilers for Alan Wake 2 and the Final Draft below. 

Saga Anderson and the Hero's Journey

There's a typical structure myths and stories from around the world take, according to mythologist Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. You're probably familiar with it already. Though it's fallen out of favor in academic circles, the theory continues to have great popularity within the arts and entertainment, with several artists citing Campbell as a major influence, including Star Wars creator George Lucas.

Described briefly, the Hero’s Journey centers on an everyman who is thrust out of his ordinary world into a?n adventure that tests them and ultimately has them facing death. By overcoming death, the hero is reborn, and they return home, bringing with them the treasures they earned.

Remedy’s writer is stuck in a horror story taking the form of the mythologist's Hero’s Journey. The titles of his books - Departure, Initiation, and Return - are all distinct stages of Campbell's outlined monomyth structure. It's no surprise to find Wake ?in this position. For him to fin??d the perfect ending to the unfolding horror narrative, he has to lean on any literary heroes he can find. On his hunt for the perfect ending, he's latching onto any literary theories that could aid him.

It's also a trait he shares with Sam Lake. As the artist explains in an interview with IGN, he claims he relies on three ?narrative structures for help: "the three act structure, the hero’s journey, five or seven stages of grief??." These aren't followed religiously, but they do aid in giving his stories direction.

The Hero's Journey deconstructed

Perhaps Alan's biggest mistake was ever believing a character ?as complex as Saga could be confined to ??a formalized narrative structure. One of the first hurdles we see appear is that we're dealing with a narrative structure that has been repeatedly conceptualized as masculine.

This is a point that has been highlighted several times, including in the French text The Second Sex, which argues that “children’s literature, mythology, tales, and stories reflect the myths created by men’s pr??ide and desires." Consequently, "the little girl discovers the world and reads her destiny through the eyes of men.�nbsp;

If we get a little more modern, Samantha Ellisâ€?2014 text How to be a Heroine passionately argues “in his archetypal The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell says a hero must cross a border, defeat a dragon and return with treasure that will heal his people. Notoriously, Campbell thought women didn’t need to make these journeys. But I do.â€?/p>

Alan Wake 2 doesn't gloss over this growing societal realization. Rather, it's made quite apparent that her gender makes it difficult for many around her to view her as any kind of hero. It's more obvious in one of the manuscripts by Dark Presenc?e-possessed Thornton and Mulligan, which dismisses her as that "FBI bitch," a gendered insult.

Though Alan writes Saga as the hero of his story, he hasn't freed her from the masculine clenches of the Hero's Journey. It's still ultimately his imag?ination and it is his desires that are to dictate the outcome of her tale. At some point, Alan does recognize th?e recklessness of his actions, but it's not a lesson that comes easily.

It requires shrinking his ego to finally r?ealize that the people around him are more t??han mere side characters in his personal Hero's Journey. He pays dearly for his wrongdoings - after leaving the Dark Place, he realizes he must once again return if he is to set things right.

A heroine writes her own story

We face the conflict between th??e story and Saga's desires early on. According to the tale, her daughter died in a drowning accident. No matter who tells her this or how many times it's repeated, Saga refuses to believe the story's contents. She is adamant that she will defy t??he narrative.

After thirteen years, Alan has been unable to write himself out of the Dark Place. There are a few t?heories one could pose as to why. My hypothesis is that Alan lacked the character to create the right piece of art that could combat the Dark Place.

Through his writings, his vanity, anger, and selfishness stil??l shine through, leading to a twisted story that drags innocent people like Saga and Alex into its horror. Inasmuch as Scratch is the malevolent villain of the tale, all his misdeeds, whether it's his rage torturing Alice or his desire to have the world obsessed with ??his perfect art are ultimately borne of Alan's psyche and its flaws.

With Saga's help, Alan sheds these darker aspec?ts of his character and writes a story in which he is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to fix some of the wrongs he has brought about. Alan doesn't write the final ending in isolation - it wouldn't have been possible without Saga's input. 

In the sequel’s original version, things end on a cliffhanger, though if you play the Final Draft, we see that the plan has worked. Using the manuscript and the Clicker, she? changes how the story ends.

Saga's sense of self

The FBI agent and her role have stayed on my mind since my first playthrough, but it's particularly her role in Remedy's metastory that lingers. She breaks conventions in many ways, but this wouldn't be enough to set her apart, as plenty of other protagonists from other pieces of media achieve this as well. Instead, what makes her interesting is how s?he manages to do this on multiple layers.

On the most obvious level, we're presented with the archetypal Hero's Journey. Its structure is placed upside down by Saga who ??makes it clear she isn't interested in playing out whatever narrative Alan set out for her. It's also worth remembering her gender, and how it shatters the outlined Hero's Journey which has seldom accommodated heroines.

This is not to say that it was imagined as such. As Campbell states, "the whole sense of the ubiquitous myth of the hero’s passage is that it shall serve as a general pattern for men and women." However, it is easy to disagree?? with the mythologist because even when analyzing the bulk of the myths discussed by him, they are almost exclusively masculine.

Paradoxically,?? Saga's heroism comes from her dogg?ed determination refusing a path written out for her. She exudes a sense of self-confidence and belief in her abilities strong enough to repel the Dark Presence from her Mind Place, and even unlearn childhood lessons she was taught about her mental abilities.

Much like Saga, we can follow manuscripts within our own lives, though these may take social forms. This isn’t inherently bad. There are some pretty good "manuscripts" on life out there. Alternatively, we ?can heed our imaginations and desires, and seek to write our own unique stories. They may not be what's expected, but perhaps that's what makes us truly heroic.

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My review of Alan Wake 2 makes it obvious I'm a huge fan, not just of the game but Remedy's work overall.

With that said, I'm not blind to? some of the flaws of the company, including the often missing features at launch such as chapter selection. It's not compulsory by any means, but when you consider the lack of photo mode as well, you begin to wish things were a little more filled out.

Slowly but surely, the Finnish developer has been working on the game, even after the dramatic Final Draft which gave many the narrative closure they were searching for. This time around, the latest update has? added a? chapter select feature. As the name suggests, this'll let you replay any of the past chapters you've completed already which, for many, means multiple replays of Chapter 4.

Personally, I'm a fan of Old Gods and am impressed with Remedy's abilit?y to turn an old age home into one of the scariest locations I've explored. It also means you don't have to wait until that no point of return in Chapter 6 to complete your collectibles grind.??

Somewhat unexpectedl?y,? Remedy adds these two caveats:

• Using this feature loads a pre-made save game regardless of your own progression.
• This means that item progression and inventory will be pre-determined depending on the mission.

Full list of 1.05. Remedy update

The full list of updated features is as follows (contains spoilers):

New features

• Added Chapter Select menu.
• Added option to choose between Low and Normal horror flash visual and audio intensity.

Gameplay and missions

• Fixed an issue in The Final Chapter (New Game Plus) where if the player already had Saga’s crossbow in their inventory, they could not complete/open all required Cult Stashes and thus couldn’t get the Lighthouse Key from the final Cult Stash.
• Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck if they opened the notification about having finished watching the final Koskela brothersâ€?advert:

  • During RE09 Deerfest when you go to the Oh Deer Diner, the last Koskela commercial is shown and you are given a prompt that you can see it in the Mind Place, but if you press the touchpad as instructed to view it in the Mind Place, nothing happens, and your controls are frozen. The issue remains until you reload the last save.

• Fixed an issue where the player was not able to collect all the clues around Nightingale’s body.
• The objects required for the Overlap ritual in RE03 Local Girl can now only be picked up after the player finds their respective clues.
• The 10th Echo Scene after meeting Casey in the alley now unlocks properly.
• Players now receive the Coffee World Mug Charm in the The Final Chapter (New Game+) instead of a duplicate Hammer Charm.
• Fixed the camera perspective on opened Cult stashes, so the note on the lid is now legible.
• Additional fix for the Cynthia profiling not being available if the player exits the diorama too quickly in the Nursing Home.
• Resolved an issue in RE05 Old Gods where players could pick up the fuse in the basement from a locked container without solving the attached combination lock puzzle.
• Propane tanks will no longer reappear after reloading the game in Watery. Less explosions, less fun, but a smoother game.
• Gave Saga a chance to gain more resources in the RE10 Come Home mission in the subway station.
• Added missing descriptions for some case files in the Case Cabinet in Saga’s Mind Place.
• Fixed a multitude of issues with Meta Case clues.
• Added descriptions for cases that are in progress to the Case Cabinet files.
• Igniting a flare while hiding in Safe Haven will now be seen as a hostile player action and collapse the Safe Haven if enemies are nearby.
• Fixed an issue with the player camera occasionally “micro jitteringâ€?when rotating the camera in Prologue.
• Removing the fun. It’s the beginning of the year. Explosions will no longer deal damage through doors.
• Prevent players from accidentally boosting the flashlight and wasting batteries when picking it up.
• FBI Service pistol and Revolver now deal enough damage to make cultistsâ€?masks fly off with one, carefully aimed shot. Fuck yeah!
• Curtain Call. Not the best album. Fixed curtains being incorrectly closed in the Theater Hall in some instances.
• Fixed an issue where the crossbow with double-barrel upgrade was not being holstered properly.
• Saga’s phone conversations can’t be interrupted by switching the Flashlight on and off anymore.
• The item pickup indicator has been re-tuned, so the indicator should be more easily visible now.
• The player can no longer run off the ledge behind the Monitoring Station in Cauldron Lake.
• Fixed an issue where Fadeouts in the Poet’s Cinema Theater would sit in the air or inside of the theater seats. That was too spooky.
• Fixed a, well, uh, issue with a rogue boot moving along the Cynthia boss fight arena.
• Fixed an issue in IN05 Room 665 where items from a Tim Breaker’s stash could be picked up through the wall in Room 101.
• Fixed an issue where the wolves would get killed instantly by approaching the cliff at the Radio Tower in Watery.
• Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck in Norman’s room in the Bright Falls Nursing Home.
• Fixed an issue where the doors at the Bright Falls Wellness Center kept opening at the wrong time. It’s not spooky season yet.

UI

• [PC] Added preview images for most tweakable settings in the graphics menu.
• Add per-chapter counts for found Manuscripts in the Mind Place.
• Fixed UI layout issues with localized content in the Case Board, computers, and inspectable items.
• Fixed month names so they display correctly on save game UI.
• Fixed the Options menu scroll position not to resetting when quitting the Options menu with the start button on controller.

Audio and haptics

• Re-tuned haptics on the “key eventsâ€?such as weapon firing and reloading, using the Light Shift mechanic, burning off Source Points and using the flashlight.
• Added audio to the ancient computers in the Bright Falls Sheriff Station.
• Added audio for impacts when the Espresso Express hits the player. Don’t try it please. Coffee World is in enough trouble as it is.
• Cassette eject sound added to Mr. Drippy.
• Added TV static audio to the Nursing Home TV Safe Haven location.
• Fixed an issue where the TV tape selection in the Writer’s Room was not triggering any sound effects.
• Fixed an issue in RE08 Summoning where a Tank enemy weapon played the wrong weapon audio.
• Multiple fixes for the Nursery Rhymes audio.
• Improved the audio quality for crouching footsteps.
• Improved the audio performance during the RE08 Summoning mission across all platforms.

Visuals

• General visual polish.
• Fixed an issue where an enemy became partially invisible when seriously wounded.
• Fixed the vegetation not always reacting to explosions in a cool way.
• The wind has picked up in Coffee World.
• Made the basement of the Valhalla Nursing Home more atmospheric, with a lot of added dust.
• Turned off Safe Haven indicator during the Scratch fight in the parking lot.
• Improved waterproofing of the Elderwood Lodge. It should not rain indoors anymore.
• Fixed the Hunting Knife being scaled up when Alan picked it up.
• Fixed missing lighting on some narrative items.
• Improved the quality of shadows in various off the beaten path locations in the forest.
• Fixed lighting pop-in in some locations.
• Fixed some abrupt color grading changes in Watery.
• Reduced shimmering around windows inside Suomi Hall in Watery.
• Reduced shimmering inside the Elderwood Lodge in Bright Falls.
• Lighting improvements in off the beaten path areas in Watery.
• Fixed Alan’s wild shirt glitching in some cinematic sequences where Alan is sitting down.
• Improved animations for Saga’s scare reactions while running.
• Fixed some animations restarting when toggling the flashlight.
• Fixed the player character so they use arms as expected while running just after picking up items.

General

• The SDR brightness setting now affects UI and 2D videos correctly.
• Fixed maximum display luminance being outdated in Brightness calibration menu.
• [PC] You can now tweak the FOV (Field of view) in the UI.
• [PC] Improved DLSS Frame Generation stability for Alt-Tab.
• [PC] Resolution is clamped correctly to the maximum supported resolution.
• [PC] Made the warning message about there not being enough physical memory and allow the game still to start a lot more serious.
• [PC] Mouse button icons now correctly reflect the Windows primary button setting in the UI [PC].
• [Xbox Series] Fixed a threading issue that could lead to rare crashes.
• Subtitle fixes.

Performance (aka the Northlight flex section)

• [PlayStation 5] Fixed the random stuttering during perfect dodge slow-motion moves.
• [PC] Changing the graphics settings is nowâ€?snappier.
• [PC] Optimized shadow map rendering saving up to 0.3ms in the Dark Place.
• [Xbox Series] Optimized point and spotlight culling, shaving off 0.3ms in locations where lights are aplenty.
• [PlayStation 5] Optimized UI rendering when there are a lot of UI elements on screen, such as when the Inventory is visible, resulting in smoother performance.
• Optimized character controller code for improved CPU performance, saving up to 1ms â€?2ms in locations with dense geometry.
• Lighting optimizations inside the Overlap in RE01 Invitation saving 1ms â€?1.2ms for smoother performance.
• Lighting optimizations around the Valhalla Nursing Home during RE05 Old Gods saving 0.3ms â€?0.4ms.
• The good kind of lighting and fog optimizations around Watery that didn’t result in downgrading the visuals.
• Slightly optimized texture memory usage. Slightly.

We're still waiting for a few more updates from Remedy, including a photo mode. There are also two DLCs planned with the first, Night Springs, scheduled for Spring 2024.

The post Alan Wake 2 update finally adds chapter select appeared first on Destructoid.

You could say that Alan Wake 2 was decades in the making. Last year’s blockbuster from Remedy saw the studio return to its roots and the horrors therein, dredging up the past to loop into something new, now. But it wasn’t just the main character or gameplay style we saw return, but the sounds and inspirations of the original Alan Wake too, bubbling up ??from Cauldron Lake through the music of Poe.

When I was playing Alan Wake 2, I was pleasantly surprised—maybe even a bit shocked—to hear a song that sounded like Poe between chapters. And a quick search later, I had verified as much: singer-songwriter Poe had collaborated with Remedy’s Sam Lake to record a new song, “This Road,�just for Alan Wake 2.

For fans of meta-textual works, this was an incredible piece of news. It felt like several lon?g threads, reaching back through old references and inspirations, now tying a new knot. So naturally, I needed to know as much as I could about how it happened, and reached out to both Sam Lake and Poe to discover. As it turns out, it was more of a full-circle?? moment than I could have anticipated.

A door between two rooms

First, we need to lay out a bit of a timeline. Before Alan Wake was released in May 2010, there was a book called House of Leaves, written by Mark ?Z??. Danielewski, and published in March 2000. 

The book follows several characters through a meta-textual journey: a tattoo apprentice named Johnny Truant discovers a manuscript from the strange author Zampanò. It follows a documentary about Will Navidson, a photojournalist who discovers his house is larger on the inside than the outside. The story twists and turns as you read through both the do??cument itself and several different layers of footnotes, as the text and book itself feel like they start to warp too.

Alongside House of Leaves, there is Haunted by Poe. The musician happens to be Danielewski’s sister, and Haunted can be easily seen as a counterpart and companion work to House of Leaves, including tracks like “Exploration B,��&½ Minute Hallway,�“Dear Johnny,�and “House of Leaves��a??ll references to?? the novel.

It’s not hard to see how House of Leaves became an inspiration for Lake as the team at Remedy was building the layers of Alan Wake. And, through that, Poe’s music.

�em>House of Leaves is one of my favorite post-modern novels. It has been a big inspiration for me through the years, for the original Alan Wake, and for the sequel as well,�Lake told me over email. “The writer, Mark Z. Danielewski, is Poe’s brother, and Poe’s album Haunted is a sort of a companion piece to the novel. This is how I found her music and fell in love with it. I feel Poe’s music fits Alan Wake perfectly.�/p>

So, the title track from Haunted wound up on the original Alan Wake soundtrack. It’s a fitting song, and I’ve even seen some people who discovered Poe and her music through it. For Poe, Haunted would be the last studio album in her discography, though? she’s continued to make and release music over the years, including a song called �a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvbI-nS-VN0">September 30th 1955.�Released on YouTube 11 years ago today, that tune �and the re-release of the original Alan Wake �would lay the foundation for Remedy, Lake, Poe, and the House to overlap all over again.

Some say that it loops forever

In the summer of 2020, Remedy was in the process of re-licensing songs for Alan Wake Remastered. At the time, Lake says, the team was discussing the possibility of making new music for Alan Wake 2, so he reached out to Poe. He was looking to create “original tracks that would be tailor-made to fit the mood and for lyrics to be about the story, an extension to ??the story,�as Lake puts it.

One Twitter exchange later, Poe a??nd Lake were? talking.

“Being a super fan of Alan Wake and of Sam, I was obviously floored and let him know that and then we started communicating and riffing with each other,�said Poe over email. “Sam and I riffed and riffed and then we riffed some more and then some more and then eventually we started doing Zooms and riffed more there� you get the picture.�/p>

After several initial Zoom meetings early on, Lake says things got put on hold until the project went further. Then, in May 2023, they linked back up and started work on the song that would appear in Alan Wake 2, “This Road.�/p>

Not only would this be a new song from Poe for the soundtrack, but Lake would be collaborating on it. Poe describes the collaboration as a trip; “at times it felt literally telepathic,�she says. Lake was into the song “September 30th 1955�that Poe had shared on YouTube, and Alan Wake 2 fans will probably recognize its refrain: “And some say that it loops forever / This road that I lose you on every time.�/p>

“‘September 30th, 1955�is about a road and a story that loops forever and the only way to get off that road and escape that story is to get off of time,�said Poe. “In order to expand the song for Alan Wake 2 I felt like I needed to rip a hole in time and space and Sam was obviously all for that ha ha!�/p>

A whole plane shaking

When creating the concept for how Poe’s song would fit into Alan Wake 2, Lake says he had a clear idea for the song: where it would be used, and what kind of structure Remedy needed. (I should note that, at this point, we’re probably going to get into some general story spoilers for Alan Wake 2.)

Lake shared?? a quote from the document he wrote for Poe:

“The Dark Place Song, a story from Alice’s POV, as she watches her husband struggle and fail to escape the Dark Place. Dreamy, hazy, haunting, beautiful, intimate, dark. Can also be a bit creepy and threatening, as there is a voyeuristic and manipulative aspect to the setup. The story loops around three times, getting progressively darker. Optimal would be three verses plus a chorus, the full song also cut to three different, short versions. The first verse plus the chorus for the first loop, the second for the second, the third for the third.�/p>

Lake also wrote a short story, and later a poem, to help serve as inspiration, which he did for other song makers too. “Sometimes these poems end up as lyrics directly, sometimes they simply serve as inspiration, a starting point,�said Lake. “Poe is a wonderful writer. She took the idea of what I had, but made it her own, and much better with that, much more nuanced.�/p>

“You know that feeling when a plane lands and the whole c??abin?? starts shaking?�Poe says about the sound and creation of the song. “I usually get this momentary sense of panic and excitement when that happens because there’s always that split second when it feels like it could go one of two ways: either the shaking is going to mellow out and you’ll land safely; or it’s going to do the opposite and just keep escalating until� something unimaginable happens.

“Pondering that unimaginable thing that could happen led to a few decisions about how to approach the recording: the new road needed to start with the original vocal samples from ‘September 30th, 1955�(because those samples were residue from the exact moment in time when an important part of this journey took place); the music needed to start on the grid, submissive to an external clock, and then it needed to let go of that imposed sense of time, fall off the grid, and slow down over a long period of time; and finally, the slow down section of ‘This Road�had to be recorded live in one take.�/p>

With all these conditions and deci??sions determined, Poe and Lake pulled together musicians and gave it a try. What happened then, as Poe describes, wa??s mind-altering.

“We only did one take and it was one of the most transcendent musical moments I’ve ever experienced in my life,�said Poe. “We all looped the chords from the main refrain and we slowed down instinctually. It was the first time we’d ever played it together and everyone stayed perfectly connected.�/p>

Darrel Thorpe, the engineer on the track, was manipulating an AMS delay on Poe’s voice and even that landed with, as Poe describes it, “perfect imprecision.�/p>

“It felt as though maybe we really did tear a hole in time and space because, when it was over, the road I was on turned out to be different from the road I w?as on,�said Poe.

A loop, a spiral

One of the questions I asked Poe was whether this all felt like a full-circle moment. The first Alan Wake, heavily inspired by House of Leaves and Haunted; the sequel, building on those inspirations, bringing Poe on for an original track. Poe simply said “more than you know.�/p>

She described Lake heading to East West Studios (formerly Ocean Way) to hear “This Road�for the first time. East West was where “Haunted�was made, and where Poe did final read-throughs and edits on “House of Leaves.�/p>

“I hadn’t been back there in over 20 years,�said Poe. “The studios look completely different now from how they looked when I was there. The interior has been upgraded, complete with a life sized horse that’s a lamp, 50 foot velvet curtains, 30 foot tall chalkboard walls to write on, and a hidden hall of mirrors.�/p>

But as much as things change, they still stay the same in their strange ways. The changes here, as Poe says, were ?all super??ficial.

“The guts of the place, the important things, haven't changed at all,�said Poe. “It has the same exquisite old machines �Neves, Trident, and SSL boards �the same linoleum floors that were there when Sinatra recorded; it even has the same?? shitty coffee machine (poor Sam); which is all to say that when Sam arrived it felt like the road had definitely looped back around only this time it had brought with it Sam who had con??jured a whole universe and given a home, among his ideas, to some of the ideas that took shape at Ocean Way.

“I guess you?? could say that Sam arrived at East West to hear ‘This Road�via a 23 and a ½ year hallway,�said Poe.

Wh??en she first played “This Road�for Lake, Poe says he was silent at first, which really unnerved her.

“Then he swiveled around in his chair with a huge grin on his face and said, ‘Poe it’s not a loop! It’s a spiral! It feels like we’re going around in circles but it’s actually taking us somewhere.�I was very very moved by this,�said Poe. “On a personal level, I felt ‘This Road�was leading me backwards and forwards in time simultaneously. Where it’s taken me is someplace familiar but exquisitely brand new and I have Sam to thank for that.�/p>

As Lake tells?? it, he was quite enthused with the final tra?ck.

“I absolutely love the finished song,�said Lake. “The Dark Place in Alan Wake 2 is a dark dream of New York City, with a nightmare Noir feel to it. This Road could be a song sung in a smoky nightclub of this city, its aching echoes, distorted, heard in the endless night.�/p>

An endless stanza

Describing the process, Poe says she definitely thought differently when it came to making ??a song for a game than for a “traditional�music platform.

“In Alan Wake 2 for instance, there was no real end game to the creative process other than serving the story and the experience–no algorithms to please, no song lengths to conform to. Pure instinct and inspiration,�said Poe. “It was heaven for me.�/p>

Poe says she looks forward to experimenting more in the gaming world. “There are new ways to perform, to broadcast, to distribute, even to create within these worlds that are extremely exciting to me.�/p>

As for Remedy and Lake, ??the team there is no stranger to music. ??In fact, it’s a core part of the process.

“Music is vital,�said Lake, about the importance of music in Alan Wake 2. “The custom created songs are vital, a key extension to storytelling. We have many artists working with us on them, starting with Poets of the Falls in the role of Old Gods of Asgard. And many other artists for the end of chapter songs in Saga Anderson’s story.�/p>

Lake highlights how other collaborations have helped shape Remedy games, too. Poets of the Fall, a.k.a. The Old Gods of Asgard, are an obvious part of that. But Lake also notes Chisu, one half of ROOS+BERG, who created the song “No One Left to Love.�/p>

“Chisu’s earlier song ‘Polaris�was a big inspiration for me when creating Polaris for Jesse Faden in the story of Con??trol,�sa?id Lake.

For Alan’s side, “This Roadâ€?created a punctuation for his story in the Dark Place. It loops around, again and again, even into New Game Plus. It builds on top of the story, while still interweaving it with th?e past, tying in even outer layers of inspiration and thematic synergy with other work?s. 

Just untangling the threads of this, running from a novel at the dawn of the 21st century to 23 years later in Alan Wake 2, is complicated. But it’s the tangle of threads that makes it interesting; seeing how, in exploring the Dark Place, both Poe and Remedy pushed to build off? each other and create something pro??found in the process.

It all builds up, it all loops around. This creative feedback loop is, as Lake said, a spiral, pushing further into what these collaborations can achieve. Because in the right place, and the right time, it can be something as excellent as “This Road�and Alan Wake 2.

The post Alan Wake 2 forges a full-circle moment with Poe on ‘This Road’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Behaviour Interactive is keeping the Dead by Daylight crossover train chugging with DLC based on 2024’s winner of some awards, Alan Wake 2. ??The eponymous wordsmith will be joining the game as a surv??ivor.

Dead by Daylight was released back in 2016, and since then, it’s been piling on the crossover content. By now, they must be running out of things to crossover with. Recently, they introduced a survivor DLC that is just Nicholas Cage. Like, just the dude with a few different jackets. Eventual?ly, maybe we’ll just be getting various unrelated celebrities. Orson Welles, perhaps? Columbo?

But for now, Alan Wake is a pretty decent fit. The tormented writer is no stranger to horror and, when he’s not at a typewriter, spends much of his time under duress. The trailer shows how he gets tied into the slasher playground of Dead by Daylight. By writing, of course. Live by the pen??, die by the pen.

If you’re not familiar, Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer game where up to four players take the role of the survivors trying to escape, and one person is a slasher trying to carve them up. It has previously crossed over with properties like Alien, Silent Hill, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Alan will first be available on Dead by Daylight's Public Test Build starting o?n January 10 at 11am EST. He’ll then be released for purchase on January 30.

The post Alan Wake is joining Dead by Daylight appeared first on Destructoid.

Though they're wildly different games on the surface, Alan Wake 2 and Spider-Man 2 are sequels representing massive achievements for their respective studios. In an IGN interview, Remedy's Sam Lake and Insomniac's John McAdam? discuss some of the intricacies of game development, and how they dealt with having two protagonists.

Alan Wake 2's story is split between Alan Wake the writer, and Saga Anderson the FBI agent who has been dragged into a twisted tale. In Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker's back bu?t he shares the spotlight ??with Miles Morales.

According to ?McAdam, having the two protagonists forced the studio to shift from the original ideas driving the narrative. At first, Venom was going to ?be a central character that "was going to weave in and out of all the other characters in the story and affect them."

However, with two protagonists to juggle as well, i?t felt like there was too much going on. Consequently, things had to change. This was mostly driven by writer? Lauren Mee who decided that Miles should have his own arc with Martin Li. This change ensured that it doesn't feel like Miles "was not participating in the story because it's Peter who succumbs" to the symbiote.

Lake highlights how dual protagonists complicate the process of building suspense. Typically, you'd "lead th?e character into a cliffhanger and that's the point to switch." But players have freedom concerning when they switch, so that tool isn't availab?le anymore. Like McAdam, Lake relied on a lot of other writers to get the two character arcs right, including Clay Murphy.

Of course, the challenges that come with having two protagonists aren't limited to narrative. There are also gameplay elements to consider. Though it was tough to include the feature to switch between characters in an open-world game like Spider-Man 2, it was worth it because it?'s "so freein?g for the player."

What goes into creating Alan Wake 2 and Spider-Man 2

The two creatives also discuss how they go about planning these large narratives. Lake? admits he takes an old-school approach and relies on a whiteboard. As his theoretical backbone, he uses "three helper structures: the three act st?ructure, the hero's journey, five or seven stages of grief." McAdam has an approach that isn't too different, as he also uses a whiteboard and describes himself as a "structure nerd."

Both creatives also se?em quite obsessive in just how detailed and planned their narratives need to be. Lake describes his stories as having multiple layers that begin with a synopsis. But he's usually not satisfied at first, which motivates him to "write a proper treatment that can be anything from 30 pages to 50 pages on the detail level of what is actually going on and happening." This is something McAdam r??elates to, and he also likes "to do a detailed treatment."

We also get a glimpse into the editing process. Even at th?e heights Lake and McAdam work at, they still occasionally have a hard time with the editing process and letting go of ideas tha??t they and the team love but might not work for the project.

As Lake explain??s, you need to be in a mental place where you "bear the fact that things are not locked. And for some people, it's harder and a lot more stressful.??" McAdams relates, though he admits the following: "one of the things I've learned to embrace as I've gotten older is it's okay if we change things, because if we're changing it, we're changing it for a good reason."

Both Spider-Man 2 and Alan Lake 2 have been well-received and have collected plenty of accolades. At The Game Awards, Remedy's sequel nabbed three awards while Insomniac's project dominated the player-voted PlayStation awards.

The post Alan Wake 2 an??d Spider-Man 2 cre?ators discuss the challenges of having two protagonists appeared first on Destructoid.

Movies and ??games have always had an ambivalent relationship. Gaming's the new kid on the block, and it seems pathologically obsessed with clinging onto Hollywoodesque tropes and ?presentation styles. Nevertheless, with its flourishing popularity, the gaming industry does occasionally show deep-seated desires to forge an independent identity.

FMV games complicate the situation further. They're not quite movies, as you're invited to? i??nteract with the story. On the other hand, when you have live-action scenes in your game, it's understandable to feel like you're engaging with the work of folks who'd much rather be on film sets.

Stubb??ornly resistant to concrete categories, FMVs exist in a liminal space populated with both potential and pitfalls. Despite producing some of gaming's earliest hits, this strange genre took a hiatus as creators set their sights on other forms of innovation. As the world turns, we ofte??n find ourselves back where we started, and that seems to be the case with FMV games that are slowly but surely being leveraged again.

To truly appreciate the art of FMV and its ??role in gaming, it's useful to explore its ??history just to see how far things have come. For those of you who are new to the genre, welcome, and I hope you discover experiences that expand your perception of video games.

The early days of FMV

Using live-action videos in games used to be a staple during the medium's early days. For many years, it was far cheaper to simply film a cool cutscene instead of re??lying on CGI. Perusing YouTube to find some of these videos can be quite the nostalgia tickler.

When we're discussing FMV video games, we're typically talk?ing about titles that attempt to be interactive movies. Your actions determine what live-action scene will play next, and sometimes you can interact with elements of the live-action scenes. It's about as close as you can get to "playing a movie."

It wasn't always possible for games to do this; early film only allowed for content to be p??layed linearly. This made it unfeasible to make the kind of FMV games we enjoy today, though, with some deep pockets and ingenuity, you could get past this.

For example, arcade machines could use two projectors, with player inputs determining which image would be displayed. It's difficult to pin down precisely which was the first FMV game, but many sources point to Nintendo's Wild Gunman arcade game which used the aforementioned technology.

With the birth of the LaserDisc, a whole new world of possibilities opened up to developers. Now, players could?? enjoy FMV games without leaving the house. In the 1990s, these types of games gained popularity faster than snow melting in summer, and it was from this era that we gained many of the defining elements that characterize the genre to this day.

They have branching narratives and attempt to weave in meaningful player choices, resulting in higher replay value. These titles also most fall? into the mystery/detective or romance genre which is something that disappointingly remains common in modern games, though the acting has mercifully improved.

If we're discussing 90s FMV games, it's impossible to not mention Night Trap. Originally released on the Sega Genesis in 1992, the game presents you with a house full of teens being attacked by vampires. It's up to you to protect the teens by switching between surveillance cameras and triggering?? the traps at the right time.

Whether the ??game holds up well in the modern day is debatable. The? attire and lingo will remind you straight away that you're dealing with a pre-millennial relic, but that doesn't mean it's no fun. Poke around forums, and you'll find that most contemporary opinions on the game are negative, but I adore this weird game's cheesiness regardless.

You can pick the 25th-anniversary edition, and a single playthrough will take you about 30 minutes, though you'll get hours of gameplay out of? it if you try to get all the endings.

The FMV resurgence

M?uch like your first heartbreak, gaming trends never truly go away, and this still holds when it comes to the use of live-action in the medium. As the industry began to chase graphic prowess instead, FMV games and live-action cutscenes fell out of favor.

This didn't entirely spell the end of live-action in games, though developers began to implement it in unexpected ways. One of my favorite examples of this is Need for Speed: Most Wanted's cutscenes which utilize live-action later edited with CGI to give it a unique, almost dreamy look. We'd see this implemented in Carbon as well.

The current resurgence of ambitious FMV games wouldn't have been possible without Wales Interactive, which has published some of the most noteworthy games in the genre in recent years. If you're interested, I'd suggest you start with The Complex, then move on to I Saw Black Clouds.

Of course, Wales In??teractive isn't the only one flexing its creative muscle, and if you're willing to broaden your horizons, you'll find some amazing examples of studios blending film and gaming in revolutionary ways. The FMVs I'll be discussing aren't Wales Interactive titles - they've had plenty of att??ention paid to them already. Instead, I'd like to highlight some of the other offerings that may have flown under your radar.

Erica - The heights of FMV

My favorite FMV game of all time is Erica, and I'd argue it is one of the best titles in the genre. Developed by Flavourworks, it was originally released as a PS4 exclusive in 2019, and it did a good ??job of showcasing some of the Dualshock 4's features, including its Vita-inherited touchpad, which is used to interact with objects in the environment and mak??e choices. A PC port was released in 2021, but I'd advise you to use a controller if you choose to play on this platform.

Erica is a mystery thriller with a story bolstered by fantastic writing and excellent performances. As a child, the titular protagonist's father is brutally murdered, but it's clear that this is not an ordinary attack, as a strange symbol is carved into his chest. Years later, Erica receives a package ??with disturbing contents.

She's taken to Delphi House for her safety, but soon discovers that there are pl??enty of secrets to unravel that may give her the answers she needs regarding her father's death. It's a layered story that leaves you to decide who you'll trust and who you'll abandon when danger strikes. Your choices feel like they ?matter, and during my three or four playthroughs, I saw a good variety of content.

Its story and gameplay aside, Erica is just an aesthetically pleasing game. Delphi House, with it??s pastel color scheme and antiquated decor, perfectly teeters between cozy and creepy. The? gorgeous use of light is pure eye candy, and some of the settings feel downright otherworldly.

If it was just a Holly Earl-led movie, it wouldn't be much more than a campy B-rated thriller (which?? isn't the worst fate). However, with interactivity to immerse you in the tale, it ends up becoming a unique gaming experience that demonstrates what's possible when FMV is wielded by experts.

Motesolo: No Girlfriend Since Birth - FMVs and dating sims

As I said, when FMVs don't go the mystery route, they'll often take the form of dating sims instead. You'll find more than a couple on Steam but as is the case with real-world relationships, they won't fill the void or end the searing existential agony. Nevertheless, for something that manages to stand out in this crowd, I'd direct you toward Motesolo: No Girlfriend Since Birth.

Presented in a quirky, humorous fashion, it centers on Kimo Kang, who has never been in a roman??tic relationship but is hoping to change that with a blind date. He puts sincere effort into making the date a success, but he is tortured by a conga line of humiliating occurrences that are occasionally too cringe-inducing to watch.

It's your job to try and direct this date in th??e right direction and salvage the situation, and the game does a good job of ensuring your choices feel impactful. There were several situations where I absent-mindedly made a choice early on and only suffered the unfortunate consequences much later. I haven't managed to reach the ending where Yumi doesn't leave in disgust, and at this point, I'm too dejected to keep trying.

Sam Barlow - Are these even video games?

Sam Barlow's Her Story is easily the most unusual game I'll be discussing, and it's managed to polarize audiences sin?ce its release. The premise is relatively simple. You're presented with a PC desktop so dated it would offend a Luddite.

The computer contains unarchived interrogation videos surrounding the death of Simon. All the interviews are with a ?woman who introduces herself as Hannah, and she has a per??sonality and a half, to say the least. To view all the videos, you have to enter search terms based on the keywords you hear in the short interrogation clips.

Consequently, the story unfolds in ??a way that isn't chronological, which can make it somewhat confusing to follow. If you pay at?tention to Hannah's clothing, you can keep track of which interrogation videos occurred on the same day.

I've already described all the gameplay available - nothing but entering search terms. Maybe you'll find this to be the hallmark of minimalist gameplay. It's equally possible you'll see it as nothing but a failed experiment that has no right to be called a game. As for me, I liked i??t a??nd I'm really happy I got to experience something so unique.

Don't let my nod of approval fool you into thinking I'm not aware of some of the game's glaring flaws. Depending on what search terms spark your interests first, you could potentially solve the entire mystery ??within ten minutes or ??less. The game's not completely dumb about this - looking up terms like "killer" or "confe??ssion" isn't going to help you much. Nevertheless, it's not really hard to figure out what's going on quite quickly.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that its lack of gameplay means there's n??o real win state to work toward. Much like my futile life, it exists for the sake of existing, you're stuck replaying past events you can't change, and it's not always clear why y?ou should continue.

Watch enough videos, and you'll eventually be asked whether you understand Hannah's story. Say yes, and there's a final surprise uncovered, though it's about as shocking as finding microtransactions in a Ubisoft title. If you're looking for that "I beat the game" or even the "I got to the end of the story" feeling, Her Story isn't going to provide that.

For something from Barlow that's a bit more clever with its secrets, try Immortality. It took me a ??while to figure out how to "play" this game, and there aren't many clear instructions online, so ??I'll try to explain it as simply as possible.

The story centers on Marissa Marcel, an actress who starred in three films and then went missing. By watching her movies, you're ?supposed to piece togethe?r the mystery behind her disappearance. To do this, you’re presented with video clips from her three movies, as well as an interview.

You unlock more videos by clicking on interesting items in the clips. Sometimes, they’re crucifixes, and other times it’s a woman standing in the background. Like Her Story, it’s up to you to piece together the fragmented story and come to your own conclusions. The interactivity remains minimal, as you spend most of? the game selecting more clips to watch in an experience that simulates editing films on a Moviola machine.

The question of whether Her Story and Immortality are video games deserves its o??wn lengthy article. Just take Barlow's games as interactive experiences and appreciate the?m for what they are.

Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake 2, & the Kings of FMV

Fully-fledged FMV games have managed to stay alive, but t?hey're still exceptionally niche. Despite that, there have been a couple of games that have ?been implementing live-action in atypical ways, with some intriguing effects.

Remedy has firmly established itself as a leader in this field, and the studio has been experimenting with it for several titles. In Quantum Break, the game's chapters are interspersed with episodes from a live-action show. I wouldn't argue against anyone who claims the game didn't stick its landing, but I deeply apprec?iate the ambitiousness of the project and its desire to demolish the line between television and gaming.

The studio learned a lot from Quantum Break, including the differences between live-action and video game productions. In an interview with Insomniac's Ted Price, Remedy's Sam Lake admits that due to some ?of the friction endured during the time-bending game's development, the team decided to scale back the use of live-action in its future games.

Going forward, the studio decided to use it for stylistic purposes and to complement the esoteric themes presented. You see this in Control, where you can find several video clips that give further insight into the S?CP-inspired title's often mind-be?nding world.

These clips are fitting in a game obsessed with overlaps. We see the natural overlapping with the paranatural, Jesse's world overlapping with Alan's, and sometimes even somewhere overlapping with nowhere, so it's also natural we'd see the real and the animated cross paths as well. The studio doesn't limit itself to humans in its live-a??ction, as we also see the puppet Threshold Kids.

This concept is greatly expanded upon in Alan Wake 2, which features some of the best use of live-action in recent years, and perhaps in gaming as a whole. Once again, it's used on television sets, as seen with the hilarious Koskela Brothers ads. ?This time around, the live-action scenes complement the constan??t overlapping of the real with the fictional.

Alan Wake 2 is one of my favorite uses?? of live-action in gaming, and for that, a big thanks is owed to the stellar performances from Ilkka Villi and Melanie Liburd. Furthermore, without spoiling too much, if you explore the Dark Place enough, you'll find a sh??ort live-action film worth watching from start to finish.

FMV and live-action in 2023 and beyond

I've already rambled for too long, though this is a topic I could write thousands more words on. Innovation hasn't stopped in this realm, and you can still find it within titles like Not For Broadcast, which is now available on Steam and PS VR2.

I'm not a fan of movies, barring a few special titles. I find it incredibly d??ifficult to sit down passively while a story plays out in front of me. Furthermore, reading facial expressions, tone??, and body language has never been a strong suit of mine. With FMVs, I get a taste of the cinematic world while still being protected by the far more familiar gaming world. For this reason alone, I hope developers continue to experiment in this field to bring us new experiences.

The post From Night Trap to Alan Wake 2: ??Exploring the highs and lows of live-action in gaming appeared first on Destructoid.

Deck the halls, write to Santa, and update your respective consoles before the traditional Christmas network outages. 'Tis the se??ason, so we're wrapping up another year of gaming at Destructoid with 2023's best games, and that includes a heavy-hitting category of PlayStation nominees.

Destructoid's process is pretty simple, our very own Eric Van Allen explains as much in his Indie Nominees rundown. Games can only be nominated in one category, and our 'year' begins in December 2022 �December 2023 games don't make the ?cut.

Anyway, in the spirit of kicking another holiday hornet's?? nest, here's our nominees for best PS4 / PS5 game of the year.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Insomniac's last Spider-Man game launched in 2018, thus kicking off this category's theme of "What year is it again?" �I had to double-check that after suggesting we just got one of these within the last? couple of years.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the quintessential Sony recommendation for folks looking to buy the current-gen PlayStation. It's polished to a degree that remains beyond impressive and captivating, even to those not into the whole superhero scene. Miles Morales steals the show as a series favorite, and all of the usual staples like webslinging, New York neighborhoods, and, of course, Venom, return in a show of Spider-Man's best. It's one that really sold me on Spidey's direction going forward, and I certainly wasn't the only one.

Final Fantasy XVI

Though it just launched in June this year, Final Fantasy XVI was one of those games I was certain came out last year, but no, I'm just turning into dust. The hazy time-lapse is equal parts owed to the build-up and fanfare around another entry to the Final Fantasy series and how much of the year RPG lovers spent seq?uestered off with a screen.

In our review, Eric confirmed one of my biggest suspicions: Final Fantasy XVI is a Final Fantasy game. Perhaps it's not my favorite, but that's not much of a critique in a series full of titans that established and inspired developers for decades. Clive's journey is a flashy, Devil May Cry-inspired adventure fusing some of the best inspirations from the sights and sounds of FFXIV: Heavensward into a lengthy, single-player RPG.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

As a mech girly, I'm always rooting for any game with gargantuan robots and metal-on-metal sparkling firefights. Thankfully, this year didn't leave me wanting as Armored Core 6 debuted to critical praise, and that includes our own review where Destructoid's head honcho Chris Carter reassured longtime fans that "the spark of the series is still very much alive" in Fires of Rubicon.

After such a lengthy stint between series releases, Armored Core's 2023 resurrection was certainly among the year's bigger surprises, but FromSoft more than delivered yet again. I've probably hit a fail state in Armored Core VI more times than all of the othe?r games on ?this list combined, but I keep going back to it for more. That's more impressive when you consider there's a rhythm game below.

Street Fighter 6

There's a reason talk of a Capcom "Golden Age" keeps happening, and Street Fighter VI feels a bit symbolic of that. The classic fighter saw plenty of praise and held its own in a year packed with other Capcom darlings like Resident Evil 4 and Monster Hunter.

As a button-masher, it's one of the few fighting games I'm willing to revisit when the shine of "new release" wears off and my friends have moved on. Its sprawling roster, upcoming collaborations, and support from Capcom turn Street Fighter VI into a constant spectacle that's just as much fun to bumble your way through as ??it is to watch on the big screens of EVO.

Theathrythm Final Bar Line

Ah, the bane of my existence, Theathrythm. I say that in the most loving way possible, as my endless Theathrythm replays on 3DS ??destroyed my handheld's buttons, and I figure the same is soon true for my PlayStation ??controllers.

That's a very roundabout way of saying Final Bar Line absolutely rules. While the bar (ha, bar, get it?) for spin-offs isn't very high, there's nothing about this latest entry that feels like a cheap afterthought. It's just as much proper rhythm game as it is impassioned love letter to Final Fantasy. All year long, I've lost nights to replaying a handful o??f tracks, desperately honing my skills to crank the difficulty up just a little more. And even if that's not your cup of tea, its guided tribut??es to the past are still worth the time.

Alan Wake 2

As an editor, I'm obviously partial to the work my team does, but if we had a category for 'review of the year,' I'd throw Smangaliso Simelane's piece on Alan Wake 2 into ??the ring for the title without a second thought. In the 9/10 review, Smangaliso concluded:

??"I can say that it’s one of my favorite titles in an extremely competitive year. Not only has it redefined what I believe video game narratives are capable of, but it also left me invigorated to see how Remedy will innovate once again."

Sold �anyway, with how everyone talks about Alan Wake, I deeply regret not diving into the first one. Remedy's gorgeously dismal setting calls for me in many of the same ways Control initially did, using bold, striking pops of light and color for the initial hook. Then, it's suddenly 3 a.m. on a Monday, but I swear I only meant t?o play an hour or two.

Octopath Traveler 2

It's 2023, but this looks like what I imagined games would as a little thing in the late '90s and early '00s. Octopath Traveler 2 squared up in a year full of other gorgeous pixel art games like Sea of Stars, but held its own as a??n RPG powered by industry veterans.?

Even as someone just a few hours in with an end-of-the-year cram session, the second game seems to fix some of my pain points from the original Octopath Traveler, all while maintaining the art direction and music I adored. Of course, once again, my RPG-enthused coworker Eric Van Allen reviewed the classic throwback, notin??g: "It somehow has everything I’d want out of an RPG inspired by the old days, but moving forward into new ones too. "

What's next for Destructoid's GOTY?

For those of you curious as to where we'll land, check back on December 18 for our best of PlayStation winner. And with all of that said, here's our quick, bul??leted nominees list to refresh you for discussions:

Destructoid's Best PS4/PS5 Games of 2023:

• Spider-Man 2
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Armored Core 6
• Street Fighter 6
• Theathrythm Final Bar Line
• Alan Wake 2
• Octopath Traveler 2

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best PS4/ PS5 game ??of 20??23 appeared first on Destructoid.

After winning big last night at The Game Awards and bagging trophies in three major categories, Remedy Entertainment has just announced "The Final Draft" for Alan Wake 2; a major update that not only introduces the New Ga??me Plus mode we've been waiting on, but also unlocks an additional ending to the main story.

With all the intricate plot threads and surrealist narrative developments in Alan Wake 2, a few more playthroughs are definitely in order to wrap ?your head around Sam Lake's acclaimed sequel. And why start from scratch when you can retain all your equipment and i?nstead contend with more challenging mobs?

The studio is teasing numerous "subtle additions" in the New Game Plus experience, including a Nightmare Difficulty setting and even new manuscript pages and videos. There are also bug fixes and performance optimizations, which might help t?he demanding game run more smoothly on older PC hardware. The Final Draft is scheduled to go live on December 11.

How to unlock the New Game Plus mode in Alan Wake 2

It goes without saying that a completed playthrough of th??e game is required to unlock the New Game Plus, but it looks like the new additions in The Final ??Draft will also require you to finish the game at least once.

You retain all your Charms and character upgrades, but the? weapons will be found in the character's first available shoebox, as opposed to their inventory.

It's unclear if the new ending can be unlocked during your first playthrough, though with two more expansion packs (Night Springs and The Lake House) coming our way in 2024 and beyond, this probably won't serve as the definitive conclusion to the stories of our main protagon?ists.

The post Alan Wake 2 is getting a “New Game Plus experience” next week appeared first on Destructoid.

The curtain has closed on another year of The Game Awards, with Baldur's Gate 3 taking home the top prize - Game of?? the Year - at ?The Game Awards 2023.

For the biggest names of the night, a few took home a bevy of awards. Baldur's Gate 3 led the charge with 6 trophies, while Alan Wake 2 took home a solid 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom picked up a surprising single trophy.

For a game as tough as this year has been for the actual industry and developers, the games were at least pretty good. Hopefully, the developers who took home some hardware tonight?? can feel accomplished for all they managed?? to make this year.

Here are all the winners from The Game Awards 2023, listed in bold, a???longside the other nominated titles.

Game of the Year

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Resident Evil 4
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Alan Wake 2
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best Game Direction

• Larian Studios - Baldur’s Gate 3
• Nintendo - Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Nintendo - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Remedy - Alan Wake 2
• Insomniac Games - Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Best Ongoing Game

• Apex Legends 
• Fortnite 
• Cyberpunk 2077 
• Final Fantasy XIV 
• Genshin Impact 

Best Narrative

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Alan Wake 2
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Best Art Direction

• Hi-Fi Rush
• Alan Wake 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Lies of P
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best Score/Music

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Alan Wake 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Hi-Fi Rush

Best Audio Design

• Alan Wake 2
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Resident Evil 4
• Dead Space

Best Performance

• Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield - Final Fantasy XVI
• Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Melanie Liburd as Saga Anderson - Alan Wake 2
• Neil Newbon as Astarion - Baldur’s Gate 3
• Idris Elba as Solomon Reed - Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Best Community Support

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy XIV
• No Man's Sky

Games for Impact

• A Space for the Unbound
• Chants of Sennaar
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Tchia
• Terra Nil
• Venba

Best Independent Game

• Sea of Stars
• Dredge
• Viewfinder
• Dave The Diver
• Cocoon

Best Debut Indie Game

• Venba
• Dredge
• Viewfinder
• Pizza Tower
• Cocoon

Best Mobile Game

• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure
• Terra Nil
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Monster Hunter Now

Best VR/AR Game

• Horizon: Call of the Mountain
• Humanity
• Synapse
• Gran Turismo 7
• Resident Evil Village VR Mode

Best Action Game

• Dead Island 2
• Ghostrunner 2
• Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
• Remnant 2
• Hi-Fi Rush

Best Action/Adventure Game

• Alan Wake 2
• Resident Evil 4
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Best Role-Playing Game

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P
• Starfield
• Sea of Stars

Best Fighting Game

• Street Fighter 6
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
• God of Rock
• Pocket Bravery

Best Family Game

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Pikmin 4
• Disney Illusion Island
• Party Animals
• Sonic Superstars

Best Simulation/Strategy Game

• Company of Heroes 3
• Cities Skylines II
• Advanced Wars 1 & 2: ReBoot Camp
• Fire Emblem Engage
• Pikmin 4

Best Sports/Racing Game

• Forza Motorsport 
• The Crew Motorfest
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
• EA Sports FC 24
• F1 23

Best Multiplayer Game

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Diablo IV
• Street Fighter VI
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Party Animals

Content Creator of the Year

• Iron Mouse
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best in Accessibility

• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Diablo 4
• Forza Motorsport
• Street Fighter VI
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Hi-Fi Rush

Best Adaptation

• Castlevania: Nocturne
• The Last of Us
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• Twisted Metal
• Gran Turismo

Most Anticipated Game

• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Tekken 8
• Hades II

Best Esports Game 

• Counter-Strike 2 
• DOTA 2 
• League of Legends 
• PUBG Mobile
• VALORANT 

Best Esports Athlete

• Mathieu "Zywoo" Herbaut (CS:GO)
• Lee “Fakerâ€?Sang-hyeok (LOL) 
• Max "Demon1" Mazanov (Valorant)
• Paco "Hydra" Rusiewiez (Call of Duty)
• Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk (LOL)
• Phillip "Imperialhal" Dosen (Apex Legends)

Best Esports Team

• Evil Geniuses
• Fnatic
• Gaimin Gladiators
• JD Gaming
• Team Vitality

Best Esports Coach 

• Christine "Potter" Cie
• Danny "Zonic" Sorensen
• Jordan "Gunba" Graham
• Remy "XTQZZZ" Quoniam
• Yoon "Homme" Sung-Young

Best Esports Event

• EVO 2023
• 2023 League of Legends World Championship  
• Blast.TV Paris Major 2023
• The International DOTA 2 Championships 2023
• VALORANT Champions 2023 

Player's Voice

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Genshin Impact
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 wins Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Sam Lake is one of the creative powerhouses behind the eclectic masterpieces released by Remedy. If you're trying to make sense of the Finnish artist's incredible imagination, it would be a great idea to start by having a look at his recommended reading list, which he ??has rec??ently shared.

Lake reveals that these were the books he grabbed o??ff his bookshelf when a friend asked for recommendations. In case you're having trouble seeing all the books, here's the list:

• As She Climbed Across the Table - Jonathan Lethem
• Blood: A Southern Fantasy - Michael Moorcock
• Falling Out of Cars - Jeff Noon
• House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Murakami
• Imperial Bedroom - Bret Easton Ellis
• Lighthousekeeping - Jeanette Winterson
• Lunar Park - Bret Easton Ellis
• Motherless Brooklyn - Jonathan Lethem
• Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro
• The City - China Mieville
• The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
• The Etched City - KJ Bishop
• The Magus - John Fowles
• The Secret History - Donna Tartt
• Vurt - Jeff Noon
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

There are also a few books by a personal favor??ite of mine, Paul Auster:

• Leviathan
• Moon Palace
• Oracle Night

This is far from the first time we've gotten a glimpse at Lake's reading list. In past interviews, he has sp??oken at length about the books that have inspired him and influenced his current creative style. A Tweet from Remedy Entertainment revealed the books on Lake's desk, and plenty of them are video game adaptations.

There are other texts, and though ??I struggled to figure? out all the titles, the following do appear in the pile.

• Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
• Magnolia: The Shooting Script - Thomas Anderson
• On Writing - Stephen King
• The Witcher: Ronin - Rafal Jaki

Analyzing Sam Lake's reading list

Anyone familiar with Lake and Remedy won't be shocked to see Stephen? King's works. I like his books because once you reach the last page the horror is over unlike in real life where you can close all the books in your local library but the harrowing horror of the human condition will continue unabated.

King, with both his personal life and his writing, pretty much forms the backbone of the Alan Wake franchise. Several parallels can be found between King and the fictional Wake, including exces??sive drug use and an unkillable fascination with the horror genre.

If you're interested in improving your writing skills, On Writing is a stupendously good text. It won't revolutionize your artistic abilities overni?ght, but it does give some insight into the grueling dedication needed to master the craft. You also get a slice of some of King's most visceral writing, and the description of him getting his eardrum pierced has never left my mind.

It would be impossible to not see Paul Auster appear multiple times. His influence on Lake's work is massive, and the New York Trilogy, which contains City of Glass, features many of the metafictional elements found in Alan Wake 2. When it comes to detect??ive themes, an interroga?tion of identity, and a mind-bending dive into postmodern narrative storytelling, Lake is essentially the Auster of gaming.

Understandably, some replies on Twitter express shock that Conrad's Heart of Darkness is on the list. It doesn't alarm me at all. Inasmuch as it is plagued by its exoticization of Africa and ignorance regarding pre-colonial African civilization, it's still a tale that manages to capture the intertwined excitement and anxiety that comes with the exploration of a new land. This is a constant in both Control and Alan Wake 2.

The Crying of Lot 49 is another text that would find it impossible to not sneak onto Lake's bookshelf. It's a book with detective themes that refuses to give you any definitive answers. In an interview with The Ringer, he discusses how he studied the novel in college and most of his peers did not like the fact that they could not make head-to-toe of it. Lake, on the other hand, loved the sense of the unknown Pynchon creates, which is something we also get to explore in Remedy games.

A few more books to consider

In many ways, Alan Wake is the ultimate gaming fr??anchise for bibliophiles and w?riters alike. There's no true required reading list needed to enjoy the series or any of Remedy's other games, but there are certainly books available to condition your mind for some of the wackiness the Finnish studio brings.

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I'm shocked that this isn't one of the first books Lake has recommended, considering it features a woman named Alice falling into an alternate, logic-bending world.
• Create Dangerously by Albert Camus - Camus' entire bibliography would be relevant but Create Dangerously is particularly noteworthy in its interrogation of art and its creation, a topic Alan Wake 2 is beautifully obsessed with.
• How to be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis - Some of the rhetoric I've read around Saga Anderson as a co-protagonist has been pretty disgusting, and a book like How to be a Heroine shines a light on why strong female protagonists are vital.
• Michelle Remembers by Lawrence Pazder - It's an old text that found most of its popularity during the Satanic Panic, but I was surprised at how much the protagonist shares parallels with Alan Wake, as they both clash with the forces of evil in ways that leave them feeling like their identities are fragmented.
• The Neverending Story by Michael Ende - The fantasy tale features a boy named Bastion who gets lost in a book that begins to influence reality in strange ways.

Stephen King is a given, and once you're done with On Writing, then you should hit up The Shining, Misery, and the Dark Tower series next. H.P. Lovecraft's texts are a must as well, as they feature cosmic forces beyond our comprehension, with horrors nigh indescribable, much lik??e the Dark Presence.

It'd also be wise to immerse yourself in the fantastically weird world of the SCP Foundation. It's collectively made by fans, so a lot of the entries are hit or miss, but the good ones present some of the most mind-melting sci-fi concepts I've ever come across. The Remedy Connected Universe also borrows heavily from Twin Peaks and other works b?y David Lynch, but I lack the expertise to adequately dive into the connections.

Despite all these inspirations, games from the Finnish studio are like nothing you'll find in any bookshop or gaming storefront. Though mimicry can get you quite far, games like Alan Wake 2 demonstrate that true artistic achievement comes from treating these influences like rocket ships to? propel you to new creative heights.

The post Remedy’s Sam Lake shares some book recommendations appeared first on Destructoid.

Remedy is known for its meta-narratives and in??tricately detailed worlds. Fans are familiar with this, and a hidden QR code demonstrates just how forward-thinking the Finnish developers are.

In Alan Wake, there are QR codes that can be scanned to gain additional content and plot information. They're not essential, but they're nice to find if you're interested in knowing all the details of the Remedy Connected Universe. Alan Wake Remastered,?? released in 2021, features the same gimmick, though there are new codes thrown in.

Some of the new QR codes describe Alan's time in the Dark Place, foreshadowing what we've seen of the location in Alan Wake 2. The code found in Chapter 4 links you to Vision 03 which appears t??o perfectly narrate the opening sequence of the sequel.

Alan describes a dark forest where a nude man walks, terri??fied. He sees a deer carcass on the ground, his fear heightens, and he runs deeper into the forest. This is e??xactly what happens at the start of the sequel which has you controlling Nightingale, naked, as he finds his way through the woods. A YouTuber has played the QR audio over the scene to illustrate the parallels.

This isn't the only Easter egg that Remedy has hidden in prior games. If you visit the Oceanview Motel in Control, you'll spot a door with a spiral on it, which is one of the main motifs of Alan Wake 2. Go as far back as Quantum Break and you'll find live-action scenes featuring Alex Casey and a female F??BI agent, which seems to fores?hadow Alex and Saga's role in Remedy's latest game.

There are likely plenty more secrets hidden within Alan Wake 2 which we'll get to explore more with the upcoming release of NG+. There are also two DLCs set to arrive in 2024, with Night Springs arriving in Spring and Lake House arriving later.

The post Alan Wake Remastered has a well-hidden Alan Wake 2 ??Easter egg appeared first on Destructoid.

Celebrate the festive season Remedy style with Saga Anderson's cozy sweater. With the studio's knitting guide, you'll have a sweater of your own in no time.

The guide is adequately detailed, giving you charts for each of the patterns?? on the sweater, as well as measurements and different yarn colors. Remedy has described the sweater as "distinctly Nordic."

If you want to really nail Saga's look, you can also follow Remedy's cosplay guide. It covers all the details you might need including her hairstyle, gun holster, and sty??lish FBI jacket.

Saga is seen in a couple of outfits in Alan Wake 2. She usually wears her FBI jacket, but you also catch her in a blue Oh Deer! sweater. There's also a red jacket available for her if you've purchased the deluxe edition?? of t??he game.

Season's greetings from Remedy

It's no surprise to see the guide coming from the Finnish studio, as knitting is a beloved pastime in the country, as well as in othe?r neighboring Nordic countries, including Sweden which is part of Saga's ancestry.

This isn't the first time Remey has attempted to get its fans into the festive spirit. Notably, in 2015, Sam Lake appeared in a somewhat unsettling video wishing players happy holidays while teasing a bit of what was to come in both Quantum Break and, quite interestingly, Alan Wake 2 as well.

If you do decide to purchase Alan Wake 2's deluxe edition, you'll receive the game's two upcoming DLCs. The first one, Night Springs, is scheduled to arrive in Spring 2024.

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The Epic Game Store's Black Friday sale 2023 has kicked off, bringing plenty of discounts for games. Most notably, Epic is offering a 33% off coupon during the sale, which can be applied toward Alan Wake 2.

The Epic Coupon can be used throughout the event. It lets buyers take 33% off any checkout purchase that rings up to $14.99 or more. Even though Alan Wake 2 is already set at a reasonable $49.99, using the coupon during the sale will drop it to an even more reasonable $33.49 USD. I may be biased, but that's a damn good deal for a very recently launched GOTY contender. It's a fantastic game that can last you up to around 30 hours.

Alan Wake 2 and more are on sale at the Epic Games Store

The Epic Coupon seems to be pretty much the sale of the Epic Games Store Black Friday sale. You can find a host of games at a discount, but the coupon itself seems to be what's taking off the big, meaty chunks. The rules of the coupon state that it can be used at checkout, and you'll get another every time you "complete an eligible transaction." And by that, Epic means any purchase, solo or combined, that adds up to $14.99 or more. Likely, that means you can apply it to Assassin's Creed Mirage Deluxe Edition, even though it's already listed at 20% off.

Having both games already on such a steep sale isn't such bad news. The year has been full of bangers, so some may at least appreciate the softer hit on their wall??ets.

The Epic Games Store Black Friday sale lasts from November?? 21 at 11 am ET to November 28 at 10:5??9 am ET.

At the other side of the aisle, the Steam Store has also started Black Friday shenanigans with its Autumn Sale, which also lasts until November 28.

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After 13 long years, Alan Wake has returned and his flashlight is brighter than ever. Ilkka Villi, who stars as Alan in Alan Wake 2 and its predecessor, recently had an interview with Wassup Conversations where ?he discussed his experiences playing the writer.

Villi explains how he landed the role over a decade ago. He claims he was already familiar with Remedy in 2005, and he went for an audition for the studio. Not long after, he got a call from Sam Lake and found himself as the protagonist of Alan Wake.

It's no easy feat playing Alan, as ??separate people perform the character's voice and motion capture. While Villi handles the motion capture, Matthew Poretta voices the writer. Achieving this requires fine-tuned coordination, as Villi has to ensure his performance matches the voice acting.?

Alan isn't the only character Villi has played in the franchise. He reveals that he also did motion capture for one of the Anderson brothers and even a few female NPCs in the first game. In Alan Wake 2, he also plays Scratch and Thomas Zane.

When discussing Alan's personality, Villi points out how the character can be quite angry and abrasive at times. Alan "really gets a punishment" by being trapped in the Dark Place, though Villi admires how the character never gives up?? despite his monumental challenges.

Working with Sam Lake

Villi also discusses working with the creative genius Sam Lake. He reveals how it's a pleasure working with Lake because of how full of ideas he is. Despite this, he's always open to suggestions and he always wants to know how others feel about ideas. Thanks to the use of his face for Max Payne and Alex Casey, Lake h?as become a recognizable figure in gaming but Villi claims that the writer remains humble despite the fame.

Lake plays a large role in Alan Wake 2 where he plays Casey and sometimes even himself. Villi compliments Lake's acting sk??ills, though he also hilariously describes how the writer was later reluctant to perform ?scenes he had written for himself.

Since its launch, Alan Wake 2 has been celebrated by critics, and it managed to snag 8 The Game Awards nominations. T?hough Alan may be in the Dark Place, it's clear that Remedy's future is looking bright.

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There are plenty of mysteries to solve and secrets to uncover in Alan Wake 2. Don't forget to get to the bottom of Mayor Setter's campaign, as it comes with a surprising revelation. Alan Wake 2 spoilers are below.

As you explore Bright Falls, you'll likely notice all of Mayor Setter's ad campaign. The ads are eye-ca?tching, especially because despite the passionate campaign, it doesn't seem like Mayor Setter has much competition. The game does give you hints along the way regarding?? who the mayor is, though it's easy to not piece the story together if you're not paying enough attention.

Meeting Mayor Setter

There are six Mayor Setter ads ?scattered throughout Bright Falls and Watery. You'll find them on the parts of the map marked below.

By Return 6: Scratch, you will have access to all the ads, but don't go any further, or else you'll be locked out of full exploration. Find them all then head into Saga Anderson's Mind Place where you'll find a poster depicting the cutest dog. Go to Suomi Hall, and you'll discover the dog on stage, waitin?g to be petted. That's Mayor Setter!

It's worth petting the dog, as you'll earn the Nice Things in Life achievement, and you'll score a ??charm that allows you to see all collectibles on the map. This is very useful to have if you're aiming to 100% complete t??he game.

Mayor Setter has become quite popular among Alan Wake fans on Twitter and Reddit, indicating that the pup politician has a good shot at winning debates without barking a word. Petting Mayor Setter is also a nice break from the more morbid petting Saga does when she encounters taxidermy deer heads.

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In an interview with Game Developer, Remedy's Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley spoke at length about Saga Anderson, her imp?ortance in the story, and how the team went about creating this intriguing character.

Though Alan Wake 2 still tracks the story of the fictional famous writer who finds himself up against supernatural forces, the inclusion of Saga Anderson allows players to switch between two realities and experience the narrative from different perspectives. It was a bold move, especially considering how long fans have waited to finally spend some time with Alan, but judging by criti?cal reception, the risk paid off.

Making Saga wasn't easy, and fin??ding her took more time than any previous game from t??he studio. Remedy had to get some help from narrative consultant Kim Belair of Sweet Baby Inc. who helped the studio refine Saga's voice and perfect her character arc.

The birth of Saga Anderson

Saga, who is played by Melanie Liburd, was added to the game because the creators felt that players would benefit from having an outsider perspective on the supernatural shenanigans in Bright Falls. She contrasts well with Alan.?? While Alan tends to be dramatic and emotionally motivated, Saga is a cool-headed FBI agent who prefers to deal with facts.

She nonetheless finds herself embroiled in a reality-??bending world and has to quickly learn how to defeat the Dark Presence i??f she wishes to save her daughter. To help her piece clues together, she has an internal Mind Place where she organizes the facts of the cases she's dealing with. It's a neat way to keep players in the loop regarding the game's several sinuous plotlines.

Crafting Saga was a collaborative process, Lake explains. They would spend a lot of time discussing the character with Melanie who wou??ld also give? her input regarding the direction the character should take.

Remedy's first Black protagonist

Alan Wake 2 presents quite a few firsts for Remedy. It's the first survival horror title from the Finnish team, and it's the first title to feature a Black protagonist. Because of this, developers took extra care to ensure she ??wouldn't be sidelined and she would have an equal amount of the game's attention as Alan. As Lake explains, "a lot of thought and dedication especially went into Saga."

There are also multicultural elements to Saga. As we learn in the game, she has Swedish ancestry, which is more than an incidental fact, as her story ends up intertwining elements of Nordic mythology. ?This made things interesting for Lake and the rest of Remedy, as they got to witness "these different aspects coming together to form a very unique and fresh character."

Alan Wake 2 ends on an ambiguous note, leaving us with many burning questions. They'll hopefully be answered in the upcoming DLC.

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There’s plenty to appreciate in Alan Wake 2 including the clever use of music and lyrics. One catchy song in particular has been popular enough to inspire a fan-made music video for it. Major spoilers are ahead if you haven't played Initiation 4: We Sing.

In Initiation 4, Alan finds himself in a weird musical featuring Sam Lake, Mr Door, and the Old Gods of Asgard. The chapter mixes live action with animation, and it provides lyrics so that you can sing along while catching up on the plot thus far. An unofficial video has been made ??by blending different scenes from throughou??t the game. It’s done so brilliantly that you’d swear it was an official music video from Remedy.

Music in Alan Wake 2

The song, called 'Herald of Darkness', is performed by the Finnish band Poets of the Fall who appear as the fictional band Old Gods of Asgard in the Alan Wake franchise. They play a pivotal role in Alan Wake 2 by helping Saga perform a summoning ritual near Cauldron Lake. The band's songs also contain lyrics that?? are relevant to the game.

Alan Wake isn’t the only game where Remedy has gone crazy with music. In Control, the soundtrack helps to set the at?mosphere, and the Ashtray Maze in particular offers an unforgettable blend of music and game to keep your adrenaline pumping.

'Herald of Darkness' is hitting major streaming sites, including Spotify and Apple Music, on November 15. On December 8, you’ll be able to pick up the Old Gods of Asgard Rebirth - Greatest Hits album. It contains songs from the band found in the Alan Wake series and Control.

We may still get to hear more from the band, as Remedy has DLC planned for Alan Wake 2. The first offering, Night Springs, is scheduled to launch in Spring 2024.

The post Thereâ€?™s an ama??zing fan-made video for Alan Wake 2’s Herald of Darkness song appeared first on Destructoid.

Alan Wake 2 is already a scary game. Having a guy who looks and sounds like Max Payne coming at you like an aggressive red panda probably isn't necessary. Luckily, a new update for Alan Wake 2 fixes a T-posing Alex Casey while addressing progression-halting ?bugs.

To be fair, the latter is arguably far more terrifying. Most should agree that a bug stopping your story progress in a game is both scary and frustrating. In fact, it actually happened to me yesterday in Alan Wake 2. The rides at the Espresso Express were clipped into the wooden platform, and the capsule that was supposed to move out of the way wasn't. And I didn't feel like pushing a wheelbarrow around.?? Luckily, things should be sorte??d out after today.

Alan Wake 2 update addresses Espresso Express and other bugs

The update brings a lot of other fixes to issues that have plagued Alan Wake 2 players. For one, the game's first boss battle has been rebalanced in the players' favor. The HDR toggle in the menu now do??es what it's su?pposed to do, and it shouldn't rain inside from here on. Of course, my favorite in the list: "Fixed instances of Alex Casey t-posing menacingly." I just love how that's written. Another issue involved being unable to speak with Casey after the autopsy section, but you should be able to now.

The update also addresses some mission-specific issues. A button-mashing segment in the Subway no longer requires as much mashing. The Room 665 Echo has o?nce more been tweaked, and will respawn if players fail to "watch the video to the very end."

Developer Remedy Entertainment has been quick on updating the game since its launch. The last patch is only a few days old, and it follows a previous update that included 200 fixes. Fixing games is a laborious process. I doubt we've seen the end of them for Alan Wake 2, but hopefully, there are few?er progression-blocking bugs left af?ter today.

The post Alan Wak?e 2 update fixes progression-halting bugs and? aggressively T-posing Alex Casey appeared first on Destructoid.

The Oh Deer Alan Wake thermoses have been sought after by franchise fans, but it has proven difficult to secure one. They were briefly restocked by iam8bit, but not ?many? have managed to get one for themselves, as they have sold out in seconds.

The "super limited batch" of thermoses went on sale at 09:00 AM PT today and there wasn't much of a window available, as by 09:01 AM, they were already sold out. Understandably, th??is has resulted in a lot of? upset fans who are once again left without a thermos.

As many on Reddit report, they were there as soon as the blue thermoses went live, but the stock was cleared before they could even finish processing payment. The frustration is compounded by the fact that prior runs were very limited and came with some pretty high shipping costs depending on where you live. ??Remedy's response hasn't helped calm the situation either.

On Twitter, many have already been complaining about how quickly the thermoses have sold out, with some suspecting that there may be bots scalping them so they can be resold at exorbitant prices. A Tweet from the studio's communications director Thomas Puha doesn't deny this, stating that it is "common at popular merch drops and restaurant bookings where bots are often used to do the ?buying" without giving any assurance that genuine buyers will be protected from scalpers clearing stock.

For those sti?ll itching to get their hands on one of the blue thermoses, you'll have to wait until a restock, which won't be coming un??til next year.

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Developer Remedy Entertainment dropped a new update for Alan Wake 2, one that should cl??ear a few progress-halting issues some players are having. Oh, and apparently it fixes that one annoying problem that seemingly kee??ps coming back.

The latest update is on the smaller side, but it's likely a welcome sight for anybody stuck due to a bug. Last week's update brought a whopping 200 improvements and fixes to the game, covering everything from lip-syncing to overall polish. However, there was one that came back �ironically enough, just like an echo.

Latest Alan Wake 2 update fixes Hotel progress-halting issues again (maybe)

The last patch attempted to fix an Echo not a?ligning correctly in the Oceanview Hotel Lobby. Remedy itself called it "annoying" while issuing an apology. The bug has been a hard one to squash and is addressed once more in the new patch. Remedy writes that it was "fixed in the previous update, but Echo hell still persisted."

Here are the patch notes via Remedy:

• Xbox Series

  • A workaround fix for the issue where the audio cut out intermittently in the Prologue. We are expecting a full fix for this issue in an upcoming update.

• ROOM 665

  • Fixed an issue (again) with the Echo scene not aligning and unlocking correctly (this was fixed in the previous update, but Echo hell still persisted)  

• LOCAL GIRL

  • Fixed an issue with a mouse (with a big presence) blocking progress.

Hopefully, Remedy managed to slay the Echo dragon once and for all. Of course, we'll kn?ow for sure when?? the next update rolls our way.

Remedy is also working on an update that will add New Game Plus mode to Alan Wake 2. There is no solid rele??ase date for it, but the mode will add new Manuscript pages and video?? content to slightly alter the narrative.

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Alan Wake 2 is not on??ly a great horror game; it also lo?oks pretty. While it's not always about what something looks like, a recent video really hammers home just how far graphics and graphical technology have come over the years.

In the most recent episode of Digital Foundry, we get an analysis of Alan Wake 2, with particular ref??erence to its use of ray tracing (RT) and path tracing (PT). Side-by-side comparisons really demonstrate just how effective algorithmic-based tweaks can improve the look of a video game.

For example, we can see that without ray tracing, small details are lost, such as sharp shadows, accurate reflections, a?nd some general degradation in global illumination. We can then see that with RT and PT on, there's a noticeable difference in visual acuit??y.

It's lacking in some areas, though

However, it's by no means perfect. The DF video is a little critical of Alan Wake 2's inability to use path tracing to its fullest. The analysis suggests that native glob?al illumination is likely overstepping on any attempts for the PT tech to make improvements, which we see in certain re??flections or lighting. It still looks great, but it seems clear that the game could make improvements to path tracing to make it more effective.

So why does all this matter? For many gamers, it's probably not too important whether a shadow has sharper clarity or windows reflect the condiments of a diner. However, for more graphical purists, especially those who are using top-end AMD or Nvidia hardware, many will want to get the most out of their system. Ray tracing, path tracing,?? and ?image upscaling AI are pretty much standard these days, and it's nice to see that extra bit of work go into making a game look incredible, especially when you consider the price of graphics cards.

The Digital Foundry video also gives some advice on how to optimize Alan Wake 2 to get the best frame rate, without losing too much of that graphical fidelity. W?hile it seems as though Remedy Entertainment could always make it better, we get a nice idea of just how far things like RT and PT have advanced.

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