I don't think I really stressed how much Barry saves this game. It would genuinely go down an entire point without him. SLIGHT CORRECTION: Hartman was using artists for the power of the lake, not for the money. I think my brain got fried with all of the other shit I misunderstood.
They released a bit of supplementary lore (outside the game iirc), where it's revealed that Nightingale WAS a highly skilled FBI agent once, alongside his partner. But then his partner got Taken by the darkness, and Nightingale spiraled into depression and paranoia. He isn't even on the force anymore during Alan Wake 1, and is just lying about his authority.
It's impossible to overstate just how critical the "Children of the Elder God" sequence is to making this game work. I mean, all at once it is: 1) The game's most fun and memorable sequence, 2) the biggest tip-off to the audience not to take the game too seriously and just roll with the weird stuff, and 3) the best example of how much pure, undiluted passion the devs poured into the game. It's so out of place that it makes everything else the game throws at you make sense.
That's what I love about remedy games. Most of em are solid 6-8/10 but the love they put into em is so incredibly clear and they ooze with passion and weirdness that you can't help but enjoy the world and characters they create. Really excited for bricky to see the musical number in Alan Wake 2.
@@combatcorncob6334 I'm really glad their games have been so successful lately, since they genuinely seem to be improving on a core aspect with each release. With Quantum Break they learned how to do visuals and envoirments, yet it still played like shit. Then with Control, it's like their pitch was "guys, we really need to work on this movement thing" and made a game where you actually feel "in control" of your character. AW2 proves Sam Lake went to writer's school and turned the goofy story of AW1 into a serious work of art that somehow still retains it's goofyness. I really can't wait to see what they do next
@literallyjustgrass meanwhile every game rockstar makes feels more sluggish and shitty to play than the last cause they want that cinematic realism while simultaneously making it more of a handholding on rails cinema system.
It's one of my favourite moments in all of gaming. And unpopular opinion but I found the gunplay satisfying and am surprised most people hate it. The flashlight breaking the takens defence barrier always feels cool af and it's beam being the reticle for the guns feels fresh because basically no other games do that.
I really liked the ending, it leaves a lot of things open ended, as it should imo, but provides a decent amount of resolution too, the darkness is banished, Alice is saved, Alan is stuck in the dark place. The "it's not a lake, it's an ocean" line then sets up the gist of the Remedy-verse. The ocean is dark, deep, vast and unknown, what happened at Cauldron Lake isn't contained to that one locale, there's an entire universe's worth of it out there, so much so that Alan might never find his way out.
I also like how it directly leads into Control's AWE, which while being a kinda crappy DLC gameplay wise also is a really good teaser for Alan Wake 2, what with the end of Alan Wake 1 being Departure, while the ending of AWE talks about "An Arrival".
Sam Lake and the Remedy team are just so likeable and filled with so much passion for art that it makes you love even their more mediocre titles. The Max Payne series will always be their greatest contributions for me but I still enjoy the Alan Wake games.
Fight or flight has been expanded in recent years to include other trauma responses. Its now Fight, Flight, Freeze (staying very still or being unable to act), Fawn (making yourself more appealing to the danger), Flop (going boneless or dithering), and Flock (seeing how other people around you are responding and doing what they do). Little psych fun fact there
so excited for Bricky to experience Control and Alan Wake 2! Those games are genuine fucking art. (Even though Control has a few lows, the highs are just so good)
It's just insane how good Remedy has become, I thought it would be hard to top Control's ashtray maze. But then they gave us We Sing and Herald of Darkness and DAYUM
@@shurno1588If you love control, pleaasseee do alan wake 2. It's a sequel to both control and the OG Alan Wake but they don't say that upfront. If you provide proof that you beat Control, I'll buy you a copy of AW2, no joke. I just love the game that much that I want others to experience it.
@@carepackage2389bricky is very open about the fact that hes not doing a deep dive or anything. Hes approaching it from a casual perspective, and so will review it in a casual perspective.
Its so cool, looking back. You can see the progression and their learnings through each one (sometimes stepping backwards, but much more commonly forwards). I can't imagine how it'd be like to play them all in a row for the first time, especially jumping from Alan Wake to Control lol
Big agree. Though, not in Remedy-verse, I found Alan Wake 1 more enjoyable after right after binging Max Payne series. You might notice the similarities, contrasts and reflections: Max’s internal monologues to Alan’s novel narration, the transition from making a neo-noir action game to an action horror thriller (eventually more horror in AW2) in Sam Lake’s writing. It’s a stretch but the moment I booted Alan Wake up after Max Payne binge I was like “Sam Lake just went from being a face of the character to be a character insert as Alan Wake”. Or all of that, a load of bull, just because I had Pepe Silva moments after seeing too much of Remedy BTS stuffs.
@@joshbored15 Its kinda obvious when you’re first introduced to Alan Wake as the character, a neo-noir writer turned to horror genre after finishing off the series of “Alex Casey” (mirroring Remedy stated they were done with Max Payne before selling off the IP to Rockstar). While it would sound great to have “Max Payne” in Remedy-verse, “Alex Casey” benefits better from flexibility by not having to be tied down by the parameters MP set up and exploring new materials (late James McCaffrey portrayed Casey with the range/blend from Max Payne 2-3 in AW2). Quantum Break might be the same case since there’s some carried over ideas but I haven’t played it enough to know how much. Just it’s not in the same vein as Max Payne/Alex Casey.
When I played this as a middle schooler, the first time I popped a flare while surrounded by several Taken and saw the game go into slow-mo and hit me with the cinematic music sting and camera pan shot, I knew I was always going to love this game. It's the perfect example of weird janky 360-era games that had a ton of fucking heart and are still worth playing today
The Thomas Zane plot with the clicker was something that I took a LOT more literally. Specifically how Thomas was Alan's father. The comments that the clicker came from his father, the fact that Thomas does look similar to Alan, and the fact that Alan never knew his father are interesting facts in regards to theorizing about this. Thomas also, in relation to Cynthia Weaver, is shown to be willing to hurt others to try and save everyone from the darkness. It is entirely possible that Thomas had a child with some other woman, and simply wrote that this child would take over if the darkness came back. The fact both Alan and Zane are committed writers is another interesting similarity that could have them be related. Though whether or not this relation is because they are truly related and Zane wrote it in, or if one of them simply wrote up this paradox is up for debate. I have not finished Alan Wake 2, so I of course could be wrong lol. Still fun to think about!
@@Sandblaze1 I didn't know they changed, I literally JUST started Armour of Contempt, so I'm only like halfway through the books rn. Definitely my favorite 40k series I've read so far tho, hope the bring Toby back before the sabbat worlds crusade comes to an end...
As much as I adore Jonathan Keeble's narration, I kinda wish they had gotten Toby back for The End and The Death books. Would have been fitting to both start and end the Horus Heresy with Abnett and Longworth
@@tyjames3339 yea its only for like a book or two but its really jarring especially going from armor of contempt to salvations reach but if you can push through it its a great story. I still cant understand why they decided to switch up narrators.
Alan Wake. Ok game. Great story. One that’ll always stick with me. Also, as far as I know, the Lake doesn’t REWRITE reality, more it REALIGNS reality/timeline to the fiction written. If you write in a dragon, it doesn’t just CREATE a dragon, it just pushes reality closer to having a dragon (like a paper dragon) or such. Alan Wake was going to be born anyway, but Zane’s writing pushed him into the path of being a writer, going to the Lake, and defeating the darkness. If that makes sense.
As someone who's been doing a pretty hardcore dive into the lore of these games recently, this is a very good summary. (I'd still argue that Zane's page is only there because Alan wrote that Zane wrote about him, but considering AW2 that might just be the act that wedged Alan in this "spiral" in the first place...)
Played the console version and literally ran into no bugs, so hearing how abysmal the PC version of the remaster was actually a bit of a shock. Sorry that version was the one you ended up playing.
@@Lead_FootIt's weird because I was watching his streams and commented on the artifacting. I have an AMD GPU and CPU. I had artifacting too, but it was only some speckles for a couple of seconds in the top left corner of the screen as a cutscene was about to start, instantly disappear during the cutscene, reappear after the cutscene for a couple of seconds, then gone. So it seems the artificating is AMD related, but I wonder what caused his artifacting to be so atrocious.
remembering that 10:24 is the last time Alan directly interacts with his wife makes this game's story, and in a broader (spoiler free) sense Alan Wake 2, much sadder 15:31 i think this is why Barry works so well as a character, he isn't *just* comic relief, he's a normal dude and actually Alan's friend; he doesn't just run around acting like the comic relief, he's an actual character and part of the story Subscribed because i *need* to hear what you say of the rest of the Alan Wake and Control stuff
definitely play Alan Wake 2 though, everything about it is an improvement on this game Survival Horror instead of Clunky 3rd Person Action Adventure, theres waay more to chew on in the story, and the acting and characters are amazing
yea what i personally love about Barry is that the game sets him up as this slimy greedy agent caricature whos just in it for the money, and then its almost immediately revealed that he's actually Alan's best friend (since childhood!), genuinely enjoys his writing, and really is just an all around loyal and decent person, esp in comparison to Alan lmao. in fact Barry's biggest flaw is arguably that hes TOO loyal, to the point of being a bit codependent (built his entire life around Alan, has jealous beef with Alan's wife, tries to insert himself into Alan & Alice's romantic getaway, enables Alan's alcoholism, goes along with his most deranged ideas without question, etc etc). that's a surprising amount of layers and depth to a character who just looks like a loudmouth sidekick on first glance
35:23 I´m sory to say that you missed the shot there, Bricky. Hartman is not proffiting with the artist of the clinic, he know that artist around Cauldron Lake have the ability to change reality like Zane, Wake or the Anderson. He himself was the assistant of Thomas while he was writing so he experience the power of the lake. That's why he manipulates Alan to go to his clinic and insist so much on him writing to "feel better", so he could use the magic of the lake.
Yep, he manipulates artists, trying to understand the supernatural properties of the Lake. At first I was also confused by this character, after only watching the AW1 story on youtube... but looking back at the Control DLC, his behavior/intentions makes more sense
Played this before getting AW2 and your title alone sums up my opinion on this game. It’s nowhere close to the best game I’ve played but I still love it. It made it that much more surprising when Alan Wake 2 was amazing.
@@Exel3nce wasn’t super familiar with their games till I played the first alan wake. I’m getting into their back catalogue since I just beat Alan Wake 2 last week.
The Childrens of the Elder God sequence is genuinely what made the entire game for me, i totally forgot all of the flaws that this game had just from that one scene until you brought it up again
50:00 I never really saw the clicker background as a paradox. I always saw it as Thomas Zane barely crawling out of the battle, knowing he would loose the war against the darkness, and deciding to write a cliffhanger/prologue for the sequel that set up the ultimate weapon against the darkness and the hero who would wield it. The scene of Alan getting the clicker is pretty much like a scene of a young king Arthur finding a sword in the stone long before he would have to pull it. Zane didn't write Alan's story, just tagged him in, and gave him the tools to do his job in the hopes that he could succeed. I haven't played Alan Wake 2 yet, so this theory might be completely disproven there, but that is how I always read this story beat.
It's the simplest explanation, but they do kind of play around with it in 2, and nothing gets 100% confirmed or denied. The ambiguity is intentional, to enhance the mindfuck of fractal levels of fictionality, and to illustrate how impossible it is to draw the line between what's "real" and what was "written in" using the power of the lake (and, perhaps most scarily, how that distinction might actually be completely meaningless). Basically any (combination) of the following could be the case: - Zane pulled in Alan, an existing person, to be the hero (as you suggest) - Zane literally invented Alan whole-cloth - Alan used Zane, an existing person, as a background character in his writing - Alan invented Zane whole-cloth, to set up his story - Zane and Alan are actually the same person Again, the recursive mindfuck of it is the point. Alan/Zane need (or at least they believe that they need) to make a convoluted, layered story filled with lots of set-up in order to outsmart the darkness, which (they believe) will not accept/will corrupt a simple retcon. And this is not even getting into all the other authors who are involved - Like how the Old Gods of Asgard might have actually kicked off the whole thing with their songs (which are also "stories", which the power of cauldron lake considers a valid medium and reacts to). It's a messy web of artists influencing each-other's work.
First time I saw Bricky do his livestreams all the way to a new video of the game! Glad to experienced this progress from the first livestream to the American Nightmare one! Cant wait for you to play Alan Wake 2! It is LEAGUES better than the first game!
Great video! If i had to add anything, it's that Hartman isn't in it just for money. He knows what Cauldron Lake can do. He was Tom Zane's editor/assistant. He's using the artists in an attempt for them to sculpt the Lake's power FOR him
One of my all time favorite games. Beat this on Nightmare mode on the 360 back then. Beating it on this difficulty taught me how master Alan's dodge, which is mandatory against all the axe throwing Taken. The feeling of bobbing and wheeving out of the way of 5+ axes is just pure bliss.
The Dark Place is much deeper, bouth figuratively, and literally. That's why it's an ocean. Plus Alan eventually attempts to tie in his other works to escape, thus making it an ocean, containing the aum of his works.
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend listening to or reading the red rising saga. It is a series of insane plot twists and outstanding battle scenarios and awesome character development. By far the best book series I've read pls pls give it a go :)
Totally agree. I listen to the audiobooks semi-regularly because they’re so enjoyable. Although I do tend to prefer reading to listening for Iron Gold and Dark Age because the narration isn’t as strong.
Given the Zane chicken-and-egg conundrum, I think it's likely that Alan wrote Zane writing him. One of the things that bothered me about the game was that Zane the Poet's supposed world-changing works was written entirely in prose.
I love that Bricky is out of nowhere jumping into one of my favourite book series. Mate you are in for a treat. The second trilogy is brutal asf and makes me want a set of minis based on the universe. : D
Bro the red rising series is absolutely goated, some of the best characters development, world building, and battle scenes I’ve ever read or seen 10/10
Dr. Hartman wasn’t necessarily trying to use creative people for money. The idea is that Zane had an assistant called Emil (later Dr. Emil Hartman), who, because of Zane, knew about the “power of the Cauldron Lake”. Emil tried to use Zane but wasn’t able to (and then Zane disappeared), so Hartman tried to write by himself, however he wasn’t creative enough for the lakes “magic” to activate. Therefore he founded his clinic specifically for creative people with problems, so that he can find someone able to use the lakes power, as well as be susceptible for the Hartman’s control. Hartman is basically a human version of the Dark Presence, they both want to abuse the lakes power through authors and artists for their own benefits.
So it's kinda implied that people who wield the powers of the lake can see well in advance in the future. Common theory is that Tom Zane saw a vision of Alan and the Clicker so he wrote about it even tho those events have yet to unfold
if you thought this plotline was wild, hope you ready for the next remedy game word of personal advice: play control and alan wake 2 with a group of friends, trust me the more braincells one can put into understanding the deranged insanity of remedy storytelling the better, the writer where taking something fierce when making these storylines
My eyes were blinking so hard after almost every line of dialogue trying to figure out the many foreshadows, callbacks, plot twists, character developments I think I went into a state of REM sleep. Sam Lake is a 10/10 writer.
Come to think of it, didn't remedy state that all of their previous games were part of a shared universe? Assuming that their future games will be part of this universe too, trying to untangle everything will probably be a bit more than an American Nightmare.
I can’t wait to see what you have to say about Control, in my opinion one of the best games I’ve ever played and I hope you enjoy your time playing it as much as I did. Also take control is a banger in that game just like children of the elder god by old gods of Asgard.
@@syrusalder7795 It has highs and lows, but the experience is definitely better once you unlock more abilities and weapon-forms. Jesse is way under-equipped when the explosive swarmer enemies are introduced at the NSC.
I played this in the 360 days since it was an Xbox 360 exclusive and loved it as a kid. Played it again on steam in 2019 on sale(was almost delisted due to music licenses). I know remedy didn't consider it horror but getting out of the dark woods was such a relief.
I remember playing the original and loving it. It's what introduced me to Poets of the Fall and got me into many of their songs, so it'll have a soft spot in my heart. That said, I never fully comprehended how confusing the Alan/Thomas paradox is until now. Almost gave me a migraine since I thought it was something like “Alan wrote Thomas back from the darkness” and not “Alan created him.” Can't think of many games that get that kind of trippy...
Told my girlfriend as she’s falling asleep using her arm as a stand for my phone “I’m not gonna watch the whole video rn” to her snoring next to me and an hour and 28 seconds later smiling with joy. Cant wait to finish this journey with you bricky and looking forward to your 2024 year. You became my new “once this guy posts I get excited and instantly presses the notification” button to watch. Love you bricky. Thank you
I cannot stress enough how much I love seeing other people get into Alan Wake and Remedy games. Having loved everything they have produced over the years and seeing somebody I respect like Bricky get into them makes me so joyous, Remedy is finally getting the recognition they have long deserved. You are going to love Control and AW2 more than you could possible imagine. Keep up the great work man.
Barry is the kind of friend who always has your back. He didnt actually believe Alan at first but went with him anyways cause he's a true bro. Was sad he wasnt in Alan Wake 2 cept for a short mention in a missable email message
Ah I love 6/10 games like Alan Wake or Asuras Wrath. So much that’s bad but it does just one thing so well that you remember it over games that are 7 or 8 out of 10s
@@Ramonatho I just realized both games have the episode stick where an episode ends and give you recaps of previous episodes at the start of the new episode. I think the only difference is Asuras Wrath give you the Next time on Asuras Wrath bit
Honestly I was always surprised at how much attention Alan Wake got back in the day considering it came out the same year as Deadly Premonition which imo, is a much better game.
Is Alan Wake a perfect game? No, of course not. Is it one of my favorite games? Yes, absolutely. I played it back on the XBOX 360 and it was one of the first games I really played through completely blind and that made it so much more impactful for me. One of my favorite things about this game is actually the strategy guide. The whole thing is written like a narrative novel and it's really fun to read.
I think one of the underappreciated aspects of this game is the environment and sound design. It wasn't really brought up in this video, but this game nails the PNW vibe with its visual design and the soundtrack is phenomenal. When you're walking through the foggy woods and the wind starts to howl and you hear this heavy breathing all around you, that's peak atmosphere.
“It’s not a lake, it’s a ocean” might be sequel bait but man it’s super badass and that sequel was amazing so it ended up being paid off because Alan wake 2 was amazing
The VA for Alan Wake sounds like he's trying to do his best impersonation of Christian Bale in American Psycho. It really feels that way during his narration, less so when he has dialogue.
Never played Alan Wake, but I think you misunderstood how the clicker came to Alan. It's not a time paradox. Instead, it is Alans writing of Zane coming to life, and getting the clicker to Alan as (somehow) Zane knows about the powers of writing in the area , and he also knows how powerful the clicker can be in said situation. The event has happened in the past, but Zane is just fleshing out the story behind the clicker, not making it up in the first place.
Can confirm the console is significantly better. I beat the entire game last month in preparation for Alan Wake 2 on my PS5 playing the PS4 version and it ran perfectly. I don't think I encountered a single bug actually. So when I saw your streams I was truly baffled at how hilariously bad the game ran.
I don't think it's actually a paradox. Alan Wake wrote Zane into his story in order to save himself from the cabin, and then finish Alan's story so Alan can banish the darkness from the lake. But just like the Beatrice that Zane produced wasn't the actual Beatrice, the Zane that Alan produced isn't the actual Zane. Zane's Beatrice was conceived of an influenced by the Darkness that was manipulating him, hence why she took on its motives and characteristics; similarly, Alan's Zane is a creation of Alan's own mind. He's capable of writing a story and improvising, but the inspirations this new Zane draws from to write *are the same ones Alan would be drawing from*, since Alan's Zane was created from Alan's understanding of the man. Essentially, Alan realizes he's been gaslit by the Darkness, and can't trust himself to finish the story. So he creates a being that is purely his own instincts to finish the story for him, without the risk of being influenced by the Darkness. The real plot hole here isn't the paradox, it's the fact that Zane writing Alan doesn't cause Alan to suddenly gain bullet time powers, given that the best-selling book that made Alan the award-winning author he is now is none other than **MAX FUCKING PAYNE**.
Golden son absolutely blew me away. One of the few books that not only brought me to tears but managed to make me audibly panic. If you know, you know.
Idk if you've already started Alan Wake 2, but I really think you should play control just to see how much better remedy has gotten at making games. Plus, alan wake tie in's lol Edit: got to the end of the vid, my condolences for American nightmare but hopefully control and AW2 make it worth it lol
Alan Wake introduced me to Poets of the Fall and they’ve been one of my favorite bands ever since. Their sound was great in this game, and their music got me through highschool.
Yeah combat is a bit mid. But back on the 360. This was one of the best game i have ever played. One sitting 100% playthrough. This and Maxey made me a Remedy fanboy.
Considering the moment at 38:43, the Maze in Control, and that entire song and dance at the latest VGAs, it seems like Remedy’s signature move is to bust out an awesome set piece backed by a tone-shifting rock song. And I love it.
I really can’t help but feel your overall experience at the very least would’ve been 7.1 had you’d played with the ORIGINAL ps3/360 version. The lighting is way better, there’s a nice fitting grain to it, the flare gun is WAY fuckin more satisfying in that…and just about everything else is too now that I think about it, lol
No the gameplay is still dogshit like every other remedy game unfortunately. Their strength is everything but that lol. At this point they should just turn the remedy universe into a movie series or something
“The best 6/10 game I’ve ever played” is probably the most accurate way I could describe this to someone. Best way I’ve heard it put….great vid as always Bricky
It's extra funny that the alchohol they drank was distilled with actual Darkness. The old brothers drank it with darkness to improve their metal and it sorta turned them into actual Thor and Odin kinda sorta.
Ok, Emil Hartman’s motivation isn’t to profit off of Alan’s work. He’s trying to understand the power of the lake and knows that Alan’s work can come to life, so he’s trying to convince Alan to use his skill for his own purposes. To use Alan to bend reality to his own will. That’s why he is working with artists, to understand the lake’s effect on art. I don’t know what misled you but I found that pretty obvious.
The repetitive combat really lets this story down, even though the gimmick idea is great. Control plays a fair bit better. AW2 plays A LOT better. And all together they combine into a great story and an average of an 8/10 on gameplay. Looking forward to your experience with the rest of the games, the streams of AW1 were super fun! FYI (Not a spoiler) in Alan Wake 2 headshots bypass the shadow shield.
I am, SO GLAD, that you got to cover the whole Thomas Zane clicker paradox. I just played through the game again, and they REALLY brush over this part fast, even in the DLC. On purpose, mind you. My mind was bending so hard trying to figure that whole segment out, and I love that you just can't answer it (like a lot of stuff in this game). I think my head cannon is that Alan Wake seen the box of Thomas Zane's books in the cabin before the darkness took Alice, and then he used the idea of Thomas Zane in his story to help forge a way out. Thomas Zane, Barbera, the island sinking in the 70s, is all just fiction that Alan made up for his story. BUT, then again, Alan has the dream with God/Tom BEFORE they get to Bright Falls and the cabin, and I'm pretty sure the cabin in his dream at the beginning of the game has Thomas Zane stuff in it. So you really can't answer this.
I replayed this game last year and i loved it far more than i thought it would. yeah the combat dog ass but i loved the feeling of watching a series. Listening to each radio broadcast and tv broadcasts and trying to piece the story go together from what i remember from playing it the first times. Its just.. fun.
I'm not even going to lie. Those "Previously on Alan Wake" Segments really helped me get back into the game after a long time of not playing it. The episodes were really good stopping points that helped me after a day or two of not playing it.
I can confirm thaf the Switch version doesn't have that artifacting and the frame rate and resolution is somewhat consistent. It also helps that I bought it for 2 dollars since they made a mistake when putting the game on sale. And yeah the game is good but flawed, but things like the concert stage level really carry the game.
As a writer myself, I felt called out a lot when I played this game. I only summoned an eldritch abyss one time! They don't have to keep reminding me about it!
I remember the first time my friend and I opened the game and we had a long conversation about, "Wait, Remedy is a Finnish company, right? This looks exactly like small-town PNW, what the hell? Did they go on-location to get the environments right?"
I played through remastered on pc around the same time this video came out and i had zero problems with it. No glitching, no insanity, nothing. It ran perfectly fine. No clue why, and no clue as to whether my experience or your experience is the more common one.
One of the things I am infinitely grateful for about Alan Wake is the very fact that it introduced me to one of my favorite bands of all time: The Poets of the Fall. Absolutely my favorite 6/10 game ever.
I have only seen the audible ad so far, but Bricky I implore you to listen to the Red Rising series! It's fantastic! Thank you for the quality content as always
One thing you missed about the clinic section is that in the manuscript pages it's revealed that the doctor dude knows about how the lake somehow makes stuff artists/writers make come true. And he is specifically trying to get Alan to be committed and writing for him because he wants to be the one to direct Alan's writings to make them come true for his benefit. It's also why he has backup power and generators everywhere - to prevent the darkness from getting in while he does that.
Sounds like the "Children of the Elder God" section is something Remedy likes, considering there's a similar situation in Control with the Ash Maze. That one section of the game made me so fucking hyped up I've replayed the game a few times now just to experience it again.
I don't think I really stressed how much Barry saves this game. It would genuinely go down an entire point without him.
SLIGHT CORRECTION: Hartman was using artists for the power of the lake, not for the money. I think my brain got fried with all of the other shit I misunderstood.
Hey Bricky play Project Mikial from the Muv Luv franchise. Purge Xenos in fighter plane inspired mechs.
OH cmon Bricky, not mentioning the Poet and the Muse song? with is basicly giving more clues about the story not only it's beeing and absloute banger
Why i hate the sequel. No Barry…
It’s the cargo pants and boots. The man radiates dominant energy.
Woe! Screeb upon ye!
I love the implication that Nightingale actually reads A LOT. He calls Alan Wake like 15 different names through the game.
They released a bit of supplementary lore (outside the game iirc), where it's revealed that Nightingale WAS a highly skilled FBI agent once, alongside his partner. But then his partner got Taken by the darkness, and Nightingale spiraled into depression and paranoia. He isn't even on the force anymore during Alan Wake 1, and is just lying about his authority.
He picks very particular writers too
@@blackitten81so he’s doing a Soldier TF2? Gotcha
@@blackitten81Well that makes his paranoia a lot more sense now.
@@TheHipisterDeerYeah, he also became aware of the name 'Alan Wake' through his nightmares, iirc, which is why he believes Alan is at fault.
Bricky: This might not be a longer video
Me: Checks timeline
Timeline: 1:00:28
Me: Bricky you hack
EXACTLY
(affectionate)
Have your thousandth like!
*Spam like button*
MESSATSU!
Have your thousandth like!
*Spam like button*
MESSATSU!
😂
It's impossible to overstate just how critical the "Children of the Elder God" sequence is to making this game work. I mean, all at once it is: 1) The game's most fun and memorable sequence, 2) the biggest tip-off to the audience not to take the game too seriously and just roll with the weird stuff, and 3) the best example of how much pure, undiluted passion the devs poured into the game. It's so out of place that it makes everything else the game throws at you make sense.
That's what I love about remedy games. Most of em are solid 6-8/10 but the love they put into em is so incredibly clear and they ooze with passion and weirdness that you can't help but enjoy the world and characters they create. Really excited for bricky to see the musical number in Alan Wake 2.
@@combatcorncob6334 I'm really glad their games have been so successful lately, since they genuinely seem to be improving on a core aspect with each release. With Quantum Break they learned how to do visuals and envoirments, yet it still played like shit. Then with Control, it's like their pitch was "guys, we really need to work on this movement thing" and made a game where you actually feel "in control" of your character. AW2 proves Sam Lake went to writer's school and turned the goofy story of AW1 into a serious work of art that somehow still retains it's goofyness. I really can't wait to see what they do next
@literallyjustgrass meanwhile every game rockstar makes feels more sluggish and shitty to play than the last cause they want that cinematic realism while simultaneously making it more of a handholding on rails cinema system.
It's one of my favourite moments in all of gaming. And unpopular opinion but I found the gunplay satisfying and am surprised most people hate it. The flashlight breaking the takens defence barrier always feels cool af and it's beam being the reticle for the guns feels fresh because basically no other games do that.
Lmao as someone who's absolutely obsessed with the Remedyverse and Alan Wake in particular, "the best 6/10, I love it" is SUCH a good summary
yes
I really liked the ending, it leaves a lot of things open ended, as it should imo, but provides a decent amount of resolution too, the darkness is banished, Alice is saved, Alan is stuck in the dark place. The "it's not a lake, it's an ocean" line then sets up the gist of the Remedy-verse. The ocean is dark, deep, vast and unknown, what happened at Cauldron Lake isn't contained to that one locale, there's an entire universe's worth of it out there, so much so that Alan might never find his way out.
I also like how it directly leads into Control's AWE, which while being a kinda crappy DLC gameplay wise also is a really good teaser for Alan Wake 2, what with the end of Alan Wake 1 being Departure, while the ending of AWE talks about "An Arrival".
@@torinriley7569 and Alan Wake 2 being return
6/10 game, 10/10 experience
this sentance makes no sense. if you have 10/10 experience, than it is a 10/10 game
@@ScrewY0UguyS no
Sam Lake and the Remedy team are just so likeable and filled with so much passion for art that it makes you love even their more mediocre titles. The Max Payne series will always be their greatest contributions for me but I still enjoy the Alan Wake games.
Fight or flight has been expanded in recent years to include other trauma responses. Its now Fight, Flight, Freeze (staying very still or being unable to act), Fawn (making yourself more appealing to the danger), Flop (going boneless or dithering), and Flock (seeing how other people around you are responding and doing what they do). Little psych fun fact there
Huh, I only knew bout Freeze addition, gotta look into it
The Brickster does it again and never misses. Just like me when I chuk cinder blocks at 12 years olds.
You do that too 😎
I'm not the only one?
hey watson
“Think fast chucklenuts”
ii thought i was the only one
so excited for Bricky to experience Control and Alan Wake 2!
Those games are genuine fucking art.
(Even though Control has a few lows, the highs are just so good)
mood
It's just insane how good Remedy has become, I thought it would be hard to top Control's ashtray maze. But then they gave us We Sing and Herald of Darkness and DAYUM
I'm about to try Control , i hope it's good
@@shurno1588If you love control, pleaasseee do alan wake 2. It's a sequel to both control and the OG Alan Wake but they don't say that upfront. If you provide proof that you beat Control, I'll buy you a copy of AW2, no joke. I just love the game that much that I want others to experience it.
@@shurno1588it is very good.
Go all in on upgrading flight and telekinesis. Then have fun!
Hartman did not exploit artists for money, he was exploiting them to try and use the powers of the darkness for his own benefit
You're right, but to be fair, it was never established what he would've then done with that power.
Yeah, there's a few points in this video that made me question this guy's media literacy
@@carepackage2389bricky is very open about the fact that hes not doing a deep dive or anything. Hes approaching it from a casual perspective, and so will review it in a casual perspective.
The "Remedy-verse" really does get better with every game. I think you'll look back even more fondly on this title as the start of a greater journey.
Its so cool, looking back. You can see the progression and their learnings through each one (sometimes stepping backwards, but much more commonly forwards). I can't imagine how it'd be like to play them all in a row for the first time, especially jumping from Alan Wake to Control lol
Big agree.
Though, not in Remedy-verse, I found Alan Wake 1 more enjoyable after right after binging Max Payne series. You might notice the similarities, contrasts and reflections: Max’s internal monologues to Alan’s novel narration, the transition from making a neo-noir action game to an action horror thriller (eventually more horror in AW2) in Sam Lake’s writing. It’s a stretch but the moment I booted Alan Wake up after Max Payne binge I was like “Sam Lake just went from being a face of the character to be a character insert as Alan Wake”.
Or all of that, a load of bull, just because I had Pepe Silva moments after seeing too much of Remedy BTS stuffs.
Second that big agree I love how it all ties together. Like each game stands on its own but it can be part of a bigger overall interwoven universe.
@@heybimoMax Payne 1+2 is part of the remedyverse as Alan's Alex Kasey novels, they just had to change the name because rockstar controls the IP
@@joshbored15 Its kinda obvious when you’re first introduced to Alan Wake as the character, a neo-noir writer turned to horror genre after finishing off the series of “Alex Casey” (mirroring Remedy stated they were done with Max Payne before selling off the IP to Rockstar).
While it would sound great to have “Max Payne” in Remedy-verse, “Alex Casey” benefits better from flexibility by not having to be tied down by the parameters MP set up and exploring new materials (late James McCaffrey portrayed Casey with the range/blend from Max Payne 2-3 in AW2).
Quantum Break might be the same case since there’s some carried over ideas but I haven’t played it enough to know how much. Just it’s not in the same vein as Max Payne/Alex Casey.
When I played this as a middle schooler, the first time I popped a flare while surrounded by several Taken and saw the game go into slow-mo and hit me with the cinematic music sting and camera pan shot, I knew I was always going to love this game. It's the perfect example of weird janky 360-era games that had a ton of fucking heart and are still worth playing today
The Thomas Zane plot with the clicker was something that I took a LOT more literally. Specifically how Thomas was Alan's father. The comments that the clicker came from his father, the fact that Thomas does look similar to Alan, and the fact that Alan never knew his father are interesting facts in regards to theorizing about this.
Thomas also, in relation to Cynthia Weaver, is shown to be willing to hurt others to try and save everyone from the darkness. It is entirely possible that Thomas had a child with some other woman, and simply wrote that this child would take over if the darkness came back. The fact both Alan and Zane are committed writers is another interesting similarity that could have them be related.
Though whether or not this relation is because they are truly related and Zane wrote it in, or if one of them simply wrote up this paradox is up for debate.
I have not finished Alan Wake 2, so I of course could be wrong lol. Still fun to think about!
0:45 The Dan Abnett x Toby Longworth duo is an absolute treasure, their writing and narration bring the first and only to life like no one else
The Narrator change in salvations reach really throws off the quality unfortunately
Jonathan Keeble is also a premium Narrator, dude is an absolute gem for Gotrekcand Felix
@@Sandblaze1 I didn't know they changed, I literally JUST started Armour of Contempt, so I'm only like halfway through the books rn. Definitely my favorite 40k series I've read so far tho, hope the bring Toby back before the sabbat worlds crusade comes to an end...
As much as I adore Jonathan Keeble's narration, I kinda wish they had gotten Toby back for The End and The Death books. Would have been fitting to both start and end the Horus Heresy with Abnett and Longworth
@@tyjames3339 yea its only for like a book or two but its really jarring especially going from armor of contempt to salvations reach but if you can push through it its a great story. I still cant understand why they decided to switch up narrators.
Alan Wake. Ok game. Great story. One that’ll always stick with me.
Also, as far as I know, the Lake doesn’t REWRITE reality, more it REALIGNS reality/timeline to the fiction written. If you write in a dragon, it doesn’t just CREATE a dragon, it just pushes reality closer to having a dragon (like a paper dragon) or such. Alan Wake was going to be born anyway, but Zane’s writing pushed him into the path of being a writer, going to the Lake, and defeating the darkness. If that makes sense.
As someone who's been doing a pretty hardcore dive into the lore of these games recently, this is a very good summary. (I'd still argue that Zane's page is only there because Alan wrote that Zane wrote about him, but considering AW2 that might just be the act that wedged Alan in this "spiral" in the first place...)
It didn't make the asphalt, it just paved the roads
I wonder what they will do with Alan being sent into the Entity's realm with Dead by Daylight for his crossover moment. Canon or likely not
@@TheReZisTLust I could see Remedy having a cheeky little "lol Dark Place moment" reference
@@colbyboucher6391 gonna have a Dwight or Meg pop up in o e of his notes lmao
Played the console version and literally ran into no bugs, so hearing how abysmal the PC version of the remaster was actually a bit of a shock.
Sorry that version was the one you ended up playing.
Sucks but I'm glad to hear the remaster on console is really good, which is what I'd hoped.
im glad I got the original version
Apparently there are major issues running it on AMD CPUs.
Yeah I played about half way and had 0 major bugs. Hell most of the bugs were ones I caused to happen by being a dumbass and not being where I should
@@Lead_FootIt's weird because I was watching his streams and commented on the artifacting. I have an AMD GPU and CPU. I had artifacting too, but it was only some speckles for a couple of seconds in the top left corner of the screen as a cutscene was about to start, instantly disappear during the cutscene, reappear after the cutscene for a couple of seconds, then gone. So it seems the artificating is AMD related, but I wonder what caused his artifacting to be so atrocious.
remembering that 10:24 is the last time Alan directly interacts with his wife makes this game's story, and in a broader (spoiler free) sense Alan Wake 2, much sadder
15:31 i think this is why Barry works so well as a character, he isn't *just* comic relief, he's a normal dude and actually Alan's friend; he doesn't just run around acting like the comic relief, he's an actual character and part of the story
Subscribed because i *need* to hear what you say of the rest of the Alan Wake and Control stuff
definitely play Alan Wake 2 though, everything about it is an improvement on this game
Survival Horror instead of Clunky 3rd Person Action Adventure, theres waay more to chew on in the story, and the acting and characters are amazing
yea what i personally love about Barry is that the game sets him up as this slimy greedy agent caricature whos just in it for the money, and then its almost immediately revealed that he's actually Alan's best friend (since childhood!), genuinely enjoys his writing, and really is just an all around loyal and decent person, esp in comparison to Alan lmao. in fact Barry's biggest flaw is arguably that hes TOO loyal, to the point of being a bit codependent (built his entire life around Alan, has jealous beef with Alan's wife, tries to insert himself into Alan & Alice's romantic getaway, enables Alan's alcoholism, goes along with his most deranged ideas without question, etc etc). that's a surprising amount of layers and depth to a character who just looks like a loudmouth sidekick on first glance
35:23 I´m sory to say that you missed the shot there, Bricky. Hartman is not proffiting with the artist of the clinic, he know that artist around Cauldron Lake have the ability to change reality like Zane, Wake or the Anderson. He himself was the assistant of Thomas while he was writing so he experience the power of the lake. That's why he manipulates Alan to go to his clinic and insist so much on him writing to "feel better", so he could use the magic of the lake.
Yep, he manipulates artists, trying to understand the supernatural properties of the Lake. At first I was also confused by this character, after only watching the AW1 story on youtube... but looking back at the Control DLC, his behavior/intentions makes more sense
Played this before getting AW2 and your title alone sums up my opinion on this game. It’s nowhere close to the best game I’ve played but I still love it. It made it that much more surprising when Alan Wake 2 was amazing.
why suprising. remedy never misses
To be fair, they also had Alan Wake's American Nightmare to get it right.
@@Exel3ncewell there was that contract to make a single player campaign for CrossfireX that we'll just ignore
@@Exel3nce wasn’t super familiar with their games till I played the first alan wake. I’m getting into their back catalogue since I just beat Alan Wake 2 last week.
The Childrens of the Elder God sequence is genuinely what made the entire game for me, i totally forgot all of the flaws that this game had just from that one scene until you brought it up again
Can we at least appreciate that being trapped for years in the Dark Place did wonders for Alan’s cardio
52:47 that's not just any stupid smirk, that's Max Payne's look!
50:00
I never really saw the clicker background as a paradox. I always saw it as Thomas Zane barely crawling out of the battle, knowing he would loose the war against the darkness, and deciding to write a cliffhanger/prologue for the sequel that set up the ultimate weapon against the darkness and the hero who would wield it. The scene of Alan getting the clicker is pretty much like a scene of a young king Arthur finding a sword in the stone long before he would have to pull it. Zane didn't write Alan's story, just tagged him in, and gave him the tools to do his job in the hopes that he could succeed.
I haven't played Alan Wake 2 yet, so this theory might be completely disproven there, but that is how I always read this story beat.
It's the simplest explanation, but they do kind of play around with it in 2, and nothing gets 100% confirmed or denied. The ambiguity is intentional, to enhance the mindfuck of fractal levels of fictionality, and to illustrate how impossible it is to draw the line between what's "real" and what was "written in" using the power of the lake (and, perhaps most scarily, how that distinction might actually be completely meaningless).
Basically any (combination) of the following could be the case:
- Zane pulled in Alan, an existing person, to be the hero (as you suggest)
- Zane literally invented Alan whole-cloth
- Alan used Zane, an existing person, as a background character in his writing
- Alan invented Zane whole-cloth, to set up his story
- Zane and Alan are actually the same person
Again, the recursive mindfuck of it is the point. Alan/Zane need (or at least they believe that they need) to make a convoluted, layered story filled with lots of set-up in order to outsmart the darkness, which (they believe) will not accept/will corrupt a simple retcon.
And this is not even getting into all the other authors who are involved - Like how the Old Gods of Asgard might have actually kicked off the whole thing with their songs (which are also "stories", which the power of cauldron lake considers a valid medium and reacts to). It's a messy web of artists influencing each-other's work.
First time I saw Bricky do his livestreams all the way to a new video of the game! Glad to experienced this progress from the first livestream to the American Nightmare one! Cant wait for you to play Alan Wake 2! It is LEAGUES better than the first game!
Great video! If i had to add anything, it's that Hartman isn't in it just for money. He knows what Cauldron Lake can do. He was Tom Zane's editor/assistant. He's using the artists in an attempt for them to sculpt the Lake's power FOR him
One of my all time favorite games. Beat this on Nightmare mode on the 360 back then. Beating it on this difficulty taught me how master Alan's dodge, which is mandatory against all the axe throwing Taken. The feeling of bobbing and wheeving out of the way of 5+ axes is just pure bliss.
That "Eh, what the Hell." At 40:30 is what earned my like, such a great whiplash moment.
The Dark Place is much deeper, bouth figuratively, and literally. That's why it's an ocean. Plus Alan eventually attempts to tie in his other works to escape, thus making it an ocean, containing the aum of his works.
it’s crazy how much the voice the actor of alan wake improved through his career
He had a career before Alan Wake lol. Matthew Poretta was in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
@@mememachine-386 i’m sure he did never said he didn’t😂 just said he’s gotten a lot better
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend listening to or reading the red rising saga. It is a series of insane plot twists and outstanding battle scenarios and awesome character development. By far the best book series I've read pls pls give it a go :)
Is this about audible?
@gridwall2828 Yes it is!
Totally agree. I listen to the audiobooks semi-regularly because they’re so enjoyable. Although I do tend to prefer reading to listening for Iron Gold and Dark Age because the narration isn’t as strong.
Goated book series
HAIL REAPER
Alan Wake is what introduced me to Poets of the Fall (the Old Gods of Asgard in game) as a kid and I am forever bloody grateful for that
Given the Zane chicken-and-egg conundrum, I think it's likely that Alan wrote Zane writing him. One of the things that bothered me about the game was that Zane the Poet's supposed world-changing works was written entirely in prose.
Alan Wake 1 is one of those love it or hate it games and goddamn do I love it.
I love that Bricky is out of nowhere jumping into one of my favourite book series. Mate you are in for a treat. The second trilogy is brutal asf and makes me want a set of minis based on the universe. : D
"I have the power of God and Smith & Wesson on my side!" -Alan Wake, 2010
Bro the red rising series is absolutely goated, some of the best characters development, world building, and battle scenes I’ve ever read or seen 10/10
The fact that this mf Zane was just like "oh yeah here's this evil guy all your loved ones will meet while you're stuck here" is like????
Dr. Hartman wasn’t necessarily trying to use creative people for money.
The idea is that Zane had an assistant called Emil (later Dr. Emil Hartman), who, because of Zane, knew about the “power of the Cauldron Lake”. Emil tried to use Zane but wasn’t able to (and then Zane disappeared), so Hartman tried to write by himself, however he wasn’t creative enough for the lakes “magic” to activate. Therefore he founded his clinic specifically for creative people with problems, so that he can find someone able to use the lakes power, as well as be susceptible for the Hartman’s control.
Hartman is basically a human version of the Dark Presence, they both want to abuse the lakes power through authors and artists for their own benefits.
Last time i was this early horus was still loyal
As was Konrad and Lorgar.
So it's kinda implied that people who wield the powers of the lake can see well in advance in the future. Common theory is that Tom Zane saw a vision of Alan and the Clicker so he wrote about it even tho those events have yet to unfold
I can't wait for you to experience Matthew Poretta's incredible acting in both Control and Alan Wake 2.
He's also really good in American Nightmare.
Oh man, I can't fucking wait for you to play Control. That was the first time I genuinely hated and loved a game with equal passion.
if you thought this plotline was wild, hope you ready for the next remedy game
word of personal advice: play control and alan wake 2 with a group of friends, trust me the more braincells one can put into understanding the deranged insanity of remedy storytelling the better, the writer where taking something fierce when making these storylines
My eyes were blinking so hard after almost every line of dialogue trying to figure out the many foreshadows, callbacks, plot twists, character developments I think I went into a state of REM sleep. Sam Lake is a 10/10 writer.
DON'T do that lmfao are you crazy?
Throw in Quantum Break too. That has references that won't be seen until Alan Wake 2.
Come to think of it, didn't remedy state that all of their previous games were part of a shared universe? Assuming that their future games will be part of this universe too, trying to untangle everything will probably be a bit more than an American Nightmare.
Yeah its INSANELY rewarding to figure out an obscure plotline for yourself. God its so intruiging
36:41 I don't even remember this being a problem. I Just stood near the gate and dealt with them without even moving
I can’t wait to see what you have to say about Control, in my opinion one of the best games I’ve ever played and I hope you enjoy your time playing it as much as I did. Also take control is a banger in that game just like children of the elder god by old gods of Asgard.
I stopped playing when you had to fix the power, did it get better later on?
@@syrusalder7795 It has highs and lows, but the experience is definitely better once you unlock more abilities and weapon-forms. Jesse is way under-equipped when the explosive swarmer enemies are introduced at the NSC.
I'm glad you played Alan Wake, now I am eagerly waiting for you to play Control. Its my favorite Remedy game and the DLC is a fantastic add-on.
I played this in the 360 days since it was an Xbox 360 exclusive and loved it as a kid. Played it again on steam in 2019 on sale(was almost delisted due to music licenses).
I know remedy didn't consider it horror but getting out of the dark woods was such a relief.
I remember playing the original and loving it. It's what introduced me to Poets of the Fall and got me into many of their songs, so it'll have a soft spot in my heart.
That said, I never fully comprehended how confusing the Alan/Thomas paradox is until now. Almost gave me a migraine since I thought it was something like “Alan wrote Thomas back from the darkness” and not “Alan created him.” Can't think of many games that get that kind of trippy...
Yes! Someone talking about the Red Rising trilogy! The three best books I have ever read!
You know there’s more right?
You gotta read the “sequel trilogy”. It expands the world and the depth of the story in an incredible way.
Need to read the rest of the books! Book 6 is gonna wreck you in the best ways possible.
Ah,i missed these types of videos. Reminds me of the Uncharted review series,i love that one.
Keep it up,Brickster! You never dissapoint!
Red Rising is absolutely amazing. You're gonna love it.
Told my girlfriend as she’s falling asleep using her arm as a stand for my phone “I’m not gonna watch the whole video rn” to her snoring next to me and an hour and 28 seconds later smiling with joy. Cant wait to finish this journey with you bricky and looking forward to your 2024 year. You became my new “once this guy posts I get excited and instantly presses the notification” button to watch. Love you bricky. Thank you
As someone who lives in the pacific northwest, this game is a 100% accurate representation of everyday life
Sometimes your grandpa turns into a shadow demon and you gotta exorcise him with a flashlight and .40 S&W. That's just how it goes in the PNW.
I cannot stress enough how much I love seeing other people get into Alan Wake and Remedy games. Having loved everything they have produced over the years and seeing somebody I respect like Bricky get into them makes me so joyous, Remedy is finally getting the recognition they have long deserved. You are going to love Control and AW2 more than you could possible imagine. Keep up the great work man.
Remedy always puts out amazing unique games. They might not be for everyone but, they are truly wonderful pieces of art
Barry is the kind of friend who always has your back. He didnt actually believe Alan at first but went with him anyways cause he's a true bro. Was sad he wasnt in Alan Wake 2 cept for a short mention in a missable email message
Ah I love 6/10 games like Alan Wake or Asuras Wrath. So much that’s bad but it does just one thing so well that you remember it over games that are 7 or 8 out of 10s
Asura's Wrath is such a different vibe and yet I understand the comparison perfectly
@@Ramonatho I just realized both games have the episode stick where an episode ends and give you recaps of previous episodes at the start of the new episode. I think the only difference is Asuras Wrath give you the Next time on Asuras Wrath bit
Honestly I was always surprised at how much attention Alan Wake got back in the day considering it came out the same year as Deadly Premonition which imo, is a much better game.
Red Rising is an awesome series, I actually got the 5-book collection for Christmas last year
Is Alan Wake a perfect game? No, of course not. Is it one of my favorite games? Yes, absolutely. I played it back on the XBOX 360 and it was one of the first games I really played through completely blind and that made it so much more impactful for me.
One of my favorite things about this game is actually the strategy guide. The whole thing is written like a narrative novel and it's really fun to read.
I think one of the underappreciated aspects of this game is the environment and sound design. It wasn't really brought up in this video, but this game nails the PNW vibe with its visual design and the soundtrack is phenomenal. When you're walking through the foggy woods and the wind starts to howl and you hear this heavy breathing all around you, that's peak atmosphere.
3:27 As someone who owns the remaster on ps5 I haven’t seen any of those weird glitches. My game for 99% of the time is fine
“It’s not a lake, it’s a ocean” might be sequel bait but man it’s super badass and that sequel was amazing so it ended up being paid off because Alan wake 2 was amazing
The VA for Alan Wake sounds like he's trying to do his best impersonation of Christian Bale in American Psycho. It really feels that way during his narration, less so when he has dialogue.
No, it doesn’t.
@@Jason17300 It absolutely does.
Never played Alan Wake, but I think you misunderstood how the clicker came to Alan.
It's not a time paradox. Instead, it is Alans writing of Zane coming to life, and getting the clicker to Alan as (somehow) Zane knows about the powers of writing in the area , and he also knows how powerful the clicker can be in said situation. The event has happened in the past, but Zane is just fleshing out the story behind the clicker, not making it up in the first place.
Alan Wake was such a fun game to play during the Xbox 360 era.😺
Can confirm red rising is a good series. I read it with my father and we both loved it.
Can confirm the console is significantly better. I beat the entire game last month in preparation for Alan Wake 2 on my PS5 playing the PS4 version and it ran perfectly. I don't think I encountered a single bug actually. So when I saw your streams I was truly baffled at how hilariously bad the game ran.
Soooooo hyped for you to play CONTROL. There's so much to find, explore and think on there, and its legitimately one of my favorite games ever
22:34 am I crazy, or is that literally just Bricky saying "Haagh!"?
I'm genuinely excited to see your review on CONTROL, since it is such a bizarre game in my opinion. The Alan Wake DLC in particular is a fun one.
I don't think it's actually a paradox. Alan Wake wrote Zane into his story in order to save himself from the cabin, and then finish Alan's story so Alan can banish the darkness from the lake. But just like the Beatrice that Zane produced wasn't the actual Beatrice, the Zane that Alan produced isn't the actual Zane. Zane's Beatrice was conceived of an influenced by the Darkness that was manipulating him, hence why she took on its motives and characteristics; similarly, Alan's Zane is a creation of Alan's own mind. He's capable of writing a story and improvising, but the inspirations this new Zane draws from to write *are the same ones Alan would be drawing from*, since Alan's Zane was created from Alan's understanding of the man.
Essentially, Alan realizes he's been gaslit by the Darkness, and can't trust himself to finish the story. So he creates a being that is purely his own instincts to finish the story for him, without the risk of being influenced by the Darkness.
The real plot hole here isn't the paradox, it's the fact that Zane writing Alan doesn't cause Alan to suddenly gain bullet time powers, given that the best-selling book that made Alan the award-winning author he is now is none other than **MAX FUCKING PAYNE**.
Barbara, not Beatrice
Hell yes. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Control. That was my gift for all my friends the 12 months after I played it.
Red Rising is such a good series! The first book is the weakest of the series and everything that follows is goated. Totally worth the listen
Golden son absolutely blew me away. One of the few books that not only brought me to tears but managed to make me audibly panic. If you know, you know.
Id argue Iron Gold is the weakest, but that's like say. 7/10 is awful. The standard Pierce Brown has for his writing is ridiculous.
Found your channel through Matara Kan, and your stuff is great. Cant believe I hadnt found your channel sooner!
Idk if you've already started Alan Wake 2, but I really think you should play control just to see how much better remedy has gotten at making games. Plus, alan wake tie in's lol
Edit: got to the end of the vid, my condolences for American nightmare but hopefully control and AW2 make it worth it lol
Alan Wake introduced me to Poets of the Fall and they’ve been one of my favorite bands ever since. Their sound was great in this game, and their music got me through highschool.
Yeah combat is a bit mid. But back on the 360. This was one of the best game i have ever played. One sitting 100% playthrough. This and Maxey made me a Remedy fanboy.
To go from this Alan Wake performance into eventually becoming Doctor Darling in Control, is nothing short of a *dynamite* glow up.
what makes watching this so good are bricky's reaction to the mid-ness
Considering the moment at 38:43, the Maze in Control, and that entire song and dance at the latest VGAs, it seems like Remedy’s signature move is to bust out an awesome set piece backed by a tone-shifting rock song.
And I love it.
I really can’t help but feel your overall experience at the very least would’ve been 7.1 had you’d played with the ORIGINAL ps3/360 version. The lighting is way better, there’s a nice fitting grain to it, the flare gun is WAY fuckin more satisfying in that…and just about everything else is too now that I think about it, lol
No the gameplay is still dogshit like every other remedy game unfortunately. Their strength is everything but that lol. At this point they should just turn the remedy universe into a movie series or something
“The best 6/10 game I’ve ever played” is probably the most accurate way I could describe this to someone. Best way I’ve heard it put….great vid as always Bricky
It's extra funny that the alchohol they drank was distilled with actual Darkness. The old brothers drank it with darkness to improve their metal and it sorta turned them into actual Thor and Odin kinda sorta.
Ok, Emil Hartman’s motivation isn’t to profit off of Alan’s work. He’s trying to understand the power of the lake and knows that Alan’s work can come to life, so he’s trying to convince Alan to use his skill for his own purposes. To use Alan to bend reality to his own will. That’s why he is working with artists, to understand the lake’s effect on art. I don’t know what misled you but I found that pretty obvious.
The repetitive combat really lets this story down, even though the gimmick idea is great. Control plays a fair bit better. AW2 plays A LOT better. And all together they combine into a great story and an average of an 8/10 on gameplay. Looking forward to your experience with the rest of the games, the streams of AW1 were super fun!
FYI (Not a spoiler) in Alan Wake 2 headshots bypass the shadow shield.
wdym, control is much much better and aw2 is far below everything remedy has ever done. even aw1 feels nicer
@@Exel3nce Well, that's, like, your opinion, man. I'm a fan of survival horror games, and AW2 plays like a good RE game.
I am, SO GLAD, that you got to cover the whole Thomas Zane clicker paradox. I just played through the game again, and they REALLY brush over this part fast, even in the DLC. On purpose, mind you. My mind was bending so hard trying to figure that whole segment out, and I love that you just can't answer it (like a lot of stuff in this game).
I think my head cannon is that Alan Wake seen the box of Thomas Zane's books in the cabin before the darkness took Alice, and then he used the idea of Thomas Zane in his story to help forge a way out. Thomas Zane, Barbera, the island sinking in the 70s, is all just fiction that Alan made up for his story.
BUT, then again, Alan has the dream with God/Tom BEFORE they get to Bright Falls and the cabin, and I'm pretty sure the cabin in his dream at the beginning of the game has Thomas Zane stuff in it. So you really can't answer this.
I replayed this game last year and i loved it far more than i thought it would. yeah the combat dog ass but i loved the feeling of watching a series. Listening to each radio broadcast and tv broadcasts and trying to piece the story go together from what i remember from playing it the first times. Its just.. fun.
I'm not even going to lie. Those "Previously on Alan Wake" Segments really helped me get back into the game after a long time of not playing it. The episodes were really good stopping points that helped me after a day or two of not playing it.
I can confirm thaf the Switch version doesn't have that artifacting and the frame rate and resolution is somewhat consistent.
It also helps that I bought it for 2 dollars since they made a mistake when putting the game on sale.
And yeah the game is good but flawed, but things like the concert stage level really carry the game.
Great high speed break down! 40:56
The Light of Allah returns, stronger than ever. Mashallah brothers and sisters.
You mean the light of Alan?😂
As a writer myself, I felt called out a lot when I played this game.
I only summoned an eldritch abyss one time! They don't have to keep reminding me about it!
I remember the first time my friend and I opened the game and we had a long conversation about, "Wait, Remedy is a Finnish company, right? This looks exactly like small-town PNW, what the hell? Did they go on-location to get the environments right?"
I played through remastered on pc around the same time this video came out and i had zero problems with it. No glitching, no insanity, nothing. It ran perfectly fine. No clue why, and no clue as to whether my experience or your experience is the more common one.
32:01 wait, one of them is wearing an eye patch... Are they part of Old gods of Asgard?!
One of the things I am infinitely grateful for about Alan Wake is the very fact that it introduced me to one of my favorite bands of all time: The Poets of the Fall. Absolutely my favorite 6/10 game ever.
I have only seen the audible ad so far, but Bricky I implore you to listen to the Red Rising series! It's fantastic! Thank you for the quality content as always
One thing you missed about the clinic section is that in the manuscript pages it's revealed that the doctor dude knows about how the lake somehow makes stuff artists/writers make come true. And he is specifically trying to get Alan to be committed and writing for him because he wants to be the one to direct Alan's writings to make them come true for his benefit. It's also why he has backup power and generators everywhere - to prevent the darkness from getting in while he does that.
Sounds like the "Children of the Elder God" section is something Remedy likes, considering there's a similar situation in Control with the Ash Maze. That one section of the game made me so fucking hyped up I've replayed the game a few times now just to experience it again.
who would have thought that they would top it once again