Alan Wake Critique - Beyond Inspiration
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- Alan Wake is a game that pulls heavily from numerous vibes. Stephen King, In The Mouth of Madness, the Twilight Zone, and Twin Peaks, all chiming out a tune that’s both colourful and monochrome. I loved it back when I played it at launch, I loved it when I bought the remastered edition, and I love it still after wading around in its fiction.
So let's talk about it and its greatest inspirations.
This is a remaster of an old critique with new footage, audio, editing, and a reworked script. The old video is linked here for posterity's sake: • Alan Wake Critique | B...
LORE DUMP
• What the hell happened...
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 - An Old Story
00:02:45 - Introduction
00:05:05 - Alan's Inspiration
00:29:36 - Alan Can't Run
00:47:51 - Alan, I'm Scared
01:06:20 - Alan, Are You Okay?
01:22:39 - Alan's World
01:38:44 - Alan, Awake
01:49:15 - Alan, Again
01:59:45 - Alan Wake's American Nightmare
BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT CRITIQUE - LEGACY OF THE BAT
• Arkham Knight Critique...
GOTHAM KNIGHTS CRITIQUE - SHADOW OF THE BAT
• Gotham Knights Critiqu...
BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS CRITIQUE - VENGEANCE OF THE BAT
• Batman: Arkham Origins...
BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY CRITIQUE - BREAKING THE BAT
• Batman: Arkham City Cr...
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM CRITIQUE - FINDING THE BAT
• Batman: Arkham Asylum ...
FOOTAGE/REFERENCES
1) Screen_Craft - David Lynch on Writer's Block: www.tiktok.com/@screen_craft/...
2) Stephen King - Why Hollywood Can't Do Horror: www.pcgamer.com/stephen-king-...
3) Ars Technica - How Alan Wake was built 3 years into development: • How Alan Wake Was Rebu...
4) Remedy Entertainment - The Making of Alan Wake: • The Making of Alan Wake
5) Venture Beat - Alan Wake's master storyteller explains why video game took so long to make
6) Game Informer - We talk with Remedy about Alan Wake: www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...
7) Esquire - The Twin Peaks Sound has influenced everyone from Kanye West to Beach House: www.esquire.com/entertainment...
8) Writing on Games - Alan Wake: Finding the Good Within the Bad: • Alan Wake: Finding the...
9) WorthPlayingVideos
10) 4KWDW - A look around Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom in 4K: • A Look Around Cinderel...
11) G Cast
12) MinnMax - The Deepest Dive - Alan Wake 2: The Middle: • The Deepest Dive - Ala...
13) Eurogamer - Alan Wake: Remedy Looks Back: www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-r...
14) Alan Wake Remastered - Commentary Tracks
15 - Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Super Effective Sales Trailer: • Alan Wake's American N...
16 - Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Dev Diaries: • Alan Wake's American N...
17 - Alan Wake Novel - Rick Burroughs
MUSIC (in order of use)
All Music is licenced by Artlist
INTRODUCTION
- WEARETHEGOOD: Outlawz - Instrumental Version
- Linus Johnsson: Seeing Through Your Eyes
- Alon Peretz: Turning Point
PART 1
-Petri Alanko: A Writer's Dream
-Ben Winwood: Salvatore
PART 2
-Roniit: Let Go
-Ziv Moran: Together Again
PART 3
-Angel Salazar: Clock
-Marek Jakubowicz: Dark Rose
PART 4
-Aleksey Chistilin: Lighthouse on a Cliff
-David James Terry: Cherished Memories
-Petri Alanko: The Clicker
PART 5
-Ardie Son: Come Back Home
PART 6
-Alon Peretz: Tired Eyes
PART 7
-Ziggy: Autumn Embrace
-Tiko Tiko: Gliding into the Unknown - Instrumental Version
PART 8
-Ben Winwood: Advent
-Mika Sade: Between Us (Outro Song)
#alanwake #alanwake2 - เกม
Excited for your inevitable video on alan wake 2. The game was amazing.
I'm personally waiting for the lore dump episode on that one!
@casual1118 💯 Haven't been able to play Alan Wake 2 and I've avoided all spoilers and Let’s Play video so I can fully enjoy the Lore Dump on it. The Remedy-verse Dumps are my favorite ☺️
@@casual1118 I don't like the format they follow there at all, I think the best videos come out of a structured script, in a podcast you say a lot of things, but rarely get anywhere. Just my humble opinion, I don't want to offend anyone 🙂
@@casual1118 If their comment during the Arkham Knight video is accurate, we should be getting the AW2 Lore Dump in October
I have no idea how they plan to do that lol, I think there’s still massive pieces of that narrative that we don’t understand.
We sort of understand the journey Alan goes on but everything else there seems to be room for interpretation/speculation as to what’s happening.
"The lake noms Alice."
Brilliant.
Happy to see that reference to Lore Dump
"Barry, my beloved" - Bricky, 2024
That opening story... Your dad is hardcore lmao. Such a cool thing for him to do
Now that I've seen ALL of Twin Peaks... I can finally watch this whole video. This remaster came out just in time!! Looking forward to that Alan Wake II video!
Man gave me a heart attack. Though we got Alan Wake 2. I am desperately waiting for it's Lore Dump and analysis
Something that I found interesting is that if the first game was about writer's block, the second game seems to be about depression, trust and impostor syndrome. And both are about Alan not being able to run.
I'm not even halfway through the video, but I'm loving the aditions. Great work, as always.
I know it’s a redo, but it’s still a phenomenal video.
I work in Digital Marketing, and I’m a bit of a cynic when it comes to advertising, but Alan Wake was one of the rare few gems I purchased outright back in the day by looking at the cover art alone. Didn’t even look at the description on the back.
And I was so taken back by the beauty of the game, I hunted down Twin Peaks and had my mind blown.
And I was so taken aback by the beauty of the show, I hunted down episodes of The Twilight Zone.
It’s just all so good.
There’s something to be said about this game though all by itself… without the wider extended universe. This in all its simplicity is a beautiful story and a phenomenal piece of art.
Oh yeah it’s always a great day when Monty uploads a 2 hour critique I love watching these while playing long jrpgs
I'm watching it while grinding invasion on MK1
Damn, I made a deliberate effort not to watch too many other Alan Wake videos while working on my own, and I just now realized that you also had the idea of actually looking up where that King quote came from, three years before I did. I thought I was so clever haha!
Anyway, I'm 18 minutes in and I'm really liking the video! I'm glad you shared that anecdote about that time you spent Halloween with your dad, it was very sweet. Also glad to see that I agree with a lot of your opinions on the game so far!
Fantastic watch! Was surprised when I saw the title initially coz I was like wait "did he mean to say Alan Wake 2?" coz I remembered catching up to the original Alan Wake video recently after watching your video on Control.
Lost my mind and was half convinced I went back in time until I saw the description and read that this was a remastered video. I'm still gonna watch this because these are the best but like. Still gave me a heart attack
Your dad taking you to hint werewolves is amazing
This was well-timed. I recently finished Alan Wake II, and your Remedy content was what revived my love for their games.
I’ve been looking forward to this rerelease since it was announced, and now I have the updated thoughts to mull over while I look forward to the Alan Wake II Critique
the og vid was good enough, one of my favorite vids on you tube... so getting this... a welcome surprise.
its just such a great video, and your father knocked that spoook out of the park!
These videos are amazing for watching while working. Thank you for your hard work, as always!
Loved the new video! You’ve been improving so much, keep up the great work. Can’t wait for the greatness of the Alan Wake 2 critique!
The single scariest moment for me in Alan Wake is during a pretty calm exploration section. Its been a while, but if i recall right after you leave barry in the cabin on the Elderwood trail, theres these cabins you can explore in or around. And while youre inside one of the cabins, a Taken walks by one of the windows outside. There no big noise or fight, and absolutely no follow up to it, but that single interaction set me up for fearing the setting for the rest of the game.
Your amazing Monty. Can't wait to watch this when I get off work today
beautiful video, I love and appreciate the respect and care you have for the game and how much depth goes into your videos
I was about to freak out and loose my shit then I saw the intro. Still, new Monty video, so I'm going to watch REGARDLESS. I can't wait for your Alan Wake 2 Critique. I've honestly never loved a game as much as I do that, not since Mass Effect 2.
Love your Alan Wake critique. The new as well as the old. I always feel inspired by it, so I always come back when I feel the need to get my creativity back. I don't know how often I watched this or fell asleep to your voice.
So this critique inspired by this game, inspired by this TV show, now inspires my... What a strange world.
You clearly have been working on this for a while, but im still choosing to believe that my alan wake 2 comment on the suicide squad video is why you're doing this
Your original video is what got me to play the Alan Wake series. The butterfly effect to find your channel is crazy too but I’m so glad I saw the original and got to play such beautiful games
Amazing video❤ Your first Alan Wake video got me started watching twin peaks and playing a lot of Remedy games. Can't wait for the AW2 video🎉
Love this. Your original video introduced me to Alan Wake. I look forward to the Alan Wake II critique and the LoreDump episode!
LoreDump for AW2 is gonna be such a mess, I can't wait 😂
10:10 Having played Max Payne 1 not too long ago... Alan Wake's dream tutorial is kinda reminiscent of that game's tutorial level with its intense hand holding and old-timey feel
Im exited for this remastering, can’t wait for the next video!😊
Ahh I just watched your original one a short while ago, really enjoyed it and will surely enjoy this one. Can’t wait for the video for Alan Wake 2
this was a great video, worth the rewatch. I love the story of your father in the beginning.
Now this is a welcome surprise, even if it may be a remaster. Love your stuff!
Amazing video, I love it.
So excited for Alan Wake 2 video.
Great video. I'm really thrilled for your Alan Wake 2 video.
I just watched the original video and I clicked on this the second I saw it! Love these videos so much 🙌🏻
U been around a couple years Monty, so im sure people have said it before. But I absolutely love the costumed controller changing with the game being covered. SNES Wake and the ones for the BG3 video were peak
Monty I told you when the original came out that I truly thought that was the most incredible writing of any essay video I’ve ever watched. Can’t wait to settle down to this one tonight
I can’t wait for your video on Alan wake 2. That was a fun game!
Looking forward to the Alan Wake 2 video; take your time. Thanks for what you do! ❤
A damn fine video as always, I really hope to hear you talking about Silent Hill 2 someday.
Best Monday morning surprise! Thanks 😊
Alan Wake: American Nightmare was one of the first games I played. The franchise, as a whole, has a special place in my heart. I was so stoked for the release of part 2, even though my pc has trouble running games that are a decade old.
One day, when I complete my schooling and make my own money, I hope to get a decent pc and play it to my hearts content!
I'm loving the rework of your original video. (R.I.P. Sam Lake. LOL) Seems like a great way to fill the time between your full critiques.
I would love to see/hear your take on Arkane's 'Prey'. If you already have that video, I'm unable to find it.
Be well, congrats on the marriage, and good luck going to Neal's wedding. 😂
I remember the opening anecdote & I still love it. You should consider releasing it as a Short for Halloween.
So THAT'S what all the dancing was about. Thanks for analysing Twin Peaks in accompaniment
this remaster was so fun! i loved the original so i had to watch this whole thing too
Thank you for the video!
I loved this video the first time, can't wait to love this one too!
So, people in Scotland just _Carry_ torches around like it's no big deal?
I mean, I was born in the equivalent of bumf*ck nowhere in Latin America in the early 90s but even in my village we had flashlights 😅
Edit: While we are at it, [to my shame] Alan Wake was the sole reason why I bought an Xbox 360 back in the day..
I... _obtained_ the game after Jailbreaking my console. (Legally, most videogames were banned in my country, so we either had to resort to pirated games, or buying the oficial titles at an incredibly high rate).
It became one of my favorite games ever.
I was super happy to be able to play Alan Wake 2 on my PS5 last month.
Loved it even more so.
The long waiting was worth it
Edit2: 19:47 I remember that small revelation stuck with me.
"He still wore the ring. He'd been waiting for her to tell him to take it off..." 💔
On the matter of Remedy scouting locations for their games, I am convinced of an idea that as Finnish devs, they visited my town of Houghton (no, not houghton lake) Michigan which has one of the highest Finnish heritage populations in the US to either visit relatives or something and saw the lift bridge and that's why the bridge in quantum break is a perfect replica of it. Surreal to see it get destroyed like that.
I can't wait for alan wake 2 dlcs to be released so we can have Monty's video on it
Third baby! I'll always watch an Alan Wake video! Does this mean you are prepping for an Alan Wake 2 critique?
Aw thought this was Alan Wake 2 for a second :(
Zane: Mr. Scratch does not matter...
*Scratch does not matter in the great scheme of things*
Monty: Why does Scratch dooes nothing in the cannon?
Loved the video!
What’s funny is I listened to the original last week. Welp here we go again. 🤙🎉
Goddamn, for a second there I thought this was for the second one. Keep waiting I guess
This is well made my friend.
(Spoilers for Alan Wake 2) I think that theory you had about tom zane being mr scratch is actually the other way around. Mr Scratch was temporarily defeated in American Nightmare but not destroyed, and he then took on the role of Tom Zane and tried to create art to escape. I think it's notable that A: Tom's voice actor changed, B: Tom changed from a poet to a filmmaker who made a movie about a poet, C: Alan, the Andersons, Jesse, and Cynthia all still remember him as a poet, and D: Tom looks exactly like Alan, much like Mr Scratch does. What I think happened is that Thomas Seine the filmmaker is Mr Scratch, and either he made art or influenced Alan to make art during their bender that erased Tom the Poet and left Tom the filmmaker in his place. I feel like we'll learn more about this in Control 2 since "Tom" and Darling are together now.
Personally, i think thom seine is an alternate version of alab stuck in the dark place.
Thank you my champion of light, this shall help me face the herald of darkness ( my sleep )
Seriously whenever I hear the 1... 2... 3... I just crave to re-watch all your critiques again again
Correcting Walter from 'drunk' to 'slightly inebriated' is the Scottish peak of this video.
1:27:16 ironic that the location is so grounded in realism when DISconnecting the location from reality is such a staple of Control and (to a certain extent) Alan Wake 2
The whole Allen wake/Mr. Scratch stotyline was lifted straight out of Stephen King's excellent "The Dark Half"
Love to see it
I really loved the first version of this critique and happy to watch this rework of your critique.
I can’t believe we have to wait till October for the Lore Dump ep for Alan Wake 2 🥲
Yes, please, please do Silent Hill one day. I'd love that. :D
You guys should definitely do silent hill one day…Chase’s reaction to that lore dump is officially on my bucket list
Every year without Barry is another year of bitter coffee without a donut.
Love your video breakdown, your suicide squad video strangely made me want to play it, lol.
But my other grind fest just dropped its new game mode, so I’m back on Destiny 2.
47:00 the actual in-game explanation given for why the birds are specifically ravens is because the Dark Presence stole Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn. Sam Lake didn't really start drawing on Finnish mythology for inspiration until Control, unless you count lil Easter eggs like Nik'sih-Pir'kah, the Dweller in Flesh :)
Watching this video back to back with the original analysis is great, in a trippy way. Certain lines, like "If a genie offered me 3 gaming wishes" are subtly different compared to the original. Almost like a Mandela Effect, which is fitting. :O
Old Gods of Asgard is in regular rotation on my metal playlist
🤘
Well Monty there's also another story of Alan which happens in the game Dead by daylight which Remedy confirmed that the crossover of Alan wake and DBD is canon and it was one of Alan's escape attempts to write himself a way out of the darkness but instead he ended up writing himself into the Entities realm instead and into another nightmare
Excellent vid as always. You know what I really liked to hear? The devs wanted to make an open world game but realised that the nature of the story didn't align with that kind of experience.
That sort of understanding and willingness to change something in favour of its original vision and core strengths, to *trim* and neaten something, seems almost unheard of nowadays.
It is almost always the other way round. Did Halo Infinite really benefit from its open world elements? What about Gears 5?
Nope, today it is usually 'open world games can be made really long with lots of content! People are so dumb they just think "open world=unheard-of player freedom!"' etc, despite the fact that open worlds more often than not equal unheard-of player boredom. (I joke, of course. The boredom is very much heard-of.)
There are exceptions of course- I don't think Elden Ring is flawless (it is riddled with issues, some of them caused by the decision to go open world) but provided Fromsoft now move away from that particular formula after the DLC, it does serve as a massive, majestic swansong for the Souls formula.
Sadly, it is the exception that proves the rule, and it was really nice to hear about the early stages of Alan Wake's development and think about a time when creating strong, single-player games was an admirable goal, with campaigns you played through once or twice and didn't feel as bloated as the Gluttony victim from Seven.
Lets gooooo!!
Great video, are u gonna cover aw2 on loredump?
I am! Working on the AW2 critique first but will definitely do AW2 and the expansions on Lore Dump. Timeline was originally October and might still be but things are in flux so TBC
@@MontyZander The Remedy-verse Lore Dumps have been my favorites. Excited for more! 🎉
Goddamnit I SWEAR I wrote my chapter on American Nightmare before this came out!!!
Hellllloooo baby. Finally Monday is looking a lot less twattish.
Today I have added "chaos goblin" and "thunder fuck", to my vocabulary.
Alternate epigram for opening Alan Wake:
"Believe it or not, Eraserhead is my most spiritual film."
"W... Wha-- Elaborate on that."
"No."
>this is a reupload with the editing, script and audio reworked
so it's a completely new video, a remaster in the same way that final fantasy 7 intergrade is a remaster
Can wait for 2
I hope we get an alan wake 2 lore dump sooner rather than later ive gotten up to the herald of darkness part and idk wtf is going on 😅
Damn Good Video.
Cant wait for AW2 video!
Hey Monty, hope you’re doing well because of the Lore Dump tweet. While we all wait for you to rest up and return to making new content, this and all your other critiques and lore dumps are sure to keep us company!
I just watched you original video a day and a half ago! Then someone else's video on Alan Wake 2! XD
Is this fate? Has it been written on a manuscript? XD
If I were to identify a muse it would be my Trauma and Emotions as it's the heart and soul of my writing.
My main problem (outside of struggling with punctuation) isnt Writers block it's that I struggle to believe in my own Ability especially since my story concepts are regularly grand in scale and I don't feel confident enough to be Happy with any Description I could write of a scene, Weather effects, or Characters appearance.
Combined with the scopes of my stories the one Im currently focusing on I feel would be best as a game/multiple games.
Project Blackrose is the working codename and their are 4 protagonists whom all have their own moralities, Motives and Actions that all Domino effect each other like akane attacking a bank(to break through its foundations into a Sealed Chest containing information she's After) Early on causes An Entire District of the City to Be Sealed off By Police limiting movement and/or Providing a difficult challenge for Iris(Vigilante and PI (their double life is literally either being a private investigator doing cases they're hired for or a Vigilante who's Target isn't Crime Like a Batman Type But Instead Abusers (her personal history has a lot of abuse causing her to have a Saviour Complex that she Must Sacrifice her self to safe as many People as Possible from Having to go through what she went through) and Lucius (full Time Private Investigator/Spy For Hire who's Opening scene has him Finishing the uploading of data from a police database that is normally an Air Gap system so he had to manually break in order to get the data he was Hired to Obtain Relating to a ten year long Cold Case and Information not revealed to the public), whilst crimson a Special investigator for the Police Is called out of Classes (he solved Multiple cold Cases And Even an Unsolved Case from over a hundred years ago without access to crime scenes or Police Records whilst studying criminology and as such has been Given Special permission to act as a police detective including basic firearm and Standard Combat Training along with permission to be an active detective whilst still studying as an On Call only Detective (since begining this agreement every case he's touched has been solved within a few hours to a Month at the Longest) with an exception organised for this with the school to be considered as off Campus study, Specifically he's called in to try and Help As Another person to the and Apprehend and if needed shoot to kill the Masked person who's used unknown Incindiary weapons to enter and if Neither Try to Use his Intelligence To Develop a Psychological profile on the suspect and their methods.) and that dynamic demonstration is just one chapter from the first Major Arc(games/Books per perspective character) of 3 Planned
I'm watching this even though I JUST rewatched all of the Remedy videos last week and the Lore Dumps the week before that (As well as blitzing through all of Control + DLCs the morning of the eclipse)
Interesting thought - how much of the Alan Wake 2 script do you have? Is a lot of the skeleton there, just waiting for the DLC and any further impressions or details that emerge?
Edit: The Lore Dump clip of "The Lake has eaten Alice" was a perfect inclusion
Bones are outlined - I’ve been working on it in the background for a few months, got a couple of cool things I’m doing in it so needed to reach out people about collaborations early doors! It’s a while away but it’s taking up my main focus starting May
"Remedy is so good when it leans into the cheese" Honestly couldn't agree more. Watching writers have fun is the best.
In the American nightmare section, is the song “god rest ye merry gentleman” playing in the background?
I never liked the gameplay or level design but the vibes were on point. The lady of the light scene is still so awesome.
I don't know if I missed you saying it, but the Anderson brothers have parallels to odin and thor. The eye patch and the hammer, the ravens and the storms.
So scatch alan and Zane are all different parts of his personality that's what I took from it
Would be cool to include Alan Wake 2
They also said American Nightmare was canon years ago, again, in Twitter. It's canon, no doubt about it.
"SAM LAKE YOU HACK!"
Bricky, somewhere in the internet
Love your works~
judging from your style i think analyzing nier automata will be a fun project for you. Maybe you can put it on the backlog~
*I'll always be a fan of how Control inadvertently revived the AW franchise. that's what happens when you fuk around and make a Great Game* 👍
35:33
I hurt myself laughing so hard at this, thank you.
"Don't mind him.." Oh Bright Prescence Zane. Alan is going to ignore this advice in the future repeatedly.
Edit:Uh wait what if defeating Scratch with a projector in AN turned him into Thomas Zane the filmmaker...