124 - Alan Wake II
My name is Alan Wake. I’m a writer. Two years ago, three “critics” from The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast decided to slander my good name and drag my first game through the mud. Now, they’ve Returned from their previous Departure and have fully Initiated themselves into my torment anew. Will they dub me the Champion of Light? Or cast me off as the Herald of Darkness? Only one thing’s for sure: Stephen King once wrote “Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger.” He said this before snorting three lines of cocaine and trying to fight a bus. He would later go on to marry that bus in a private ceremony in Maine. This marriage was quickly annulled when everyone involved realized you cannot marry a bus. I married Alice, a human woman. I know this because I know the difference between a woman and a bus. That’s why I famously wrote the line: “It’s not a woman, it’s a bus.”
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Alan Wake II. Remedy Entertainment. 2023.
13 Minutes of Alan Wake 2 GAMEPLAY (Unreleased). Polygon. 2016.
Alan Wake 2 Announcement: World Premiere Trailer and Interview. The Game Awards, 2021.
“Sam Lake and the Remedy Team shine a light on what it takes to make games like Alan Wake 2”. BAFTA, 2024.
“Sisu: A Word that Explains Finland” by Hudson Strode Professor of English, University of Alabamapenguin (sic), Bonney-Elisofon, Solbelman and Black Star. NYTimes. Jan. 14th, 1940.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “The Hydraulic Press Channel”
Comments (28)
I re-subscribed to the show for this episode
Not only overtly poliurgic works like cinema or Aaaaaaaargh Games are collaborative. Art by necessity is collaborative; what is song without an audience, sculpture without an observer Interpretation is recreation
Lads, if you want to say anything to Sam Lake, he’s right behind me queueing to see The Substance. You have 25 minutes
man shout out to oregon
Horse analysis is great and insightful. It belongs at the centaur of any discussion.
Remedy's arc as a game developer is like "what if David Cage was capable of learning and doing better?"
As someone with a Great Uncle Pud, I dearly cherished the Weird Southern Relatives Corner
RE: the detective evidence board thing - it sounds a bit similar to what Outer Wilds does! In that game, you have a computer on your ship that keeps track of all the locations/concepts you've discovered up to that point, summarizes any information you've found there, and draws connections to other spots in the solar system based on that. On top of just being a nice refresher when you come back to the game, it's great for keeping the stuff you learn from being overwhelming and always giving players a "next step" in a game without quests or waypoints.
I also just want to recommend Outer Wilds as much as possible, lol. An incredibly fun game and super interesting in how it conveys a story in an open world without quests/rewards, just relying on intrinsic motivation.
Well, this was a fun surprise, I say having very little experience of Remedy games myself but living with a Sam Lake superfan whom I messaged ten minutes in to the effect of "holy shit darling they loved this one". I guess I should give this game a shot. Also, small point but since it didn't come up and seemed like it had to be an intentional choice for that character: I know "saga" as an English word has some connection to stories and myths, but in Swedish it's like the most common term for "a fairy tale". And also a fairly common name, but yeah that stuck out like a sore thumb.
It also plays into the convention of andersons having names that relate to norse gods , saga being a minor god, of the sunken bank/ beach.
OMG I’m so happy you guys loved the game. It really feels like Remedy is really coming into their own and I really really hope their next games are excellent too.
This episode is what finally convinced me to become a patron, just an insanely good game i just want to hear everyone talk about
Just noticed the patron count. You all still planning to go to focus on the family?
CONTROL is in many ways is a love letter to Americana and an absolute victory of vibe and design and mood over gameplay (which is ..fine but as mentioned very repetitive) but oh god, the carpet in the cube farms! The repeating motif of waves or sound in the art direction! The research department that looks like being able to fly around the Montreal metro! I just want to wander around this sinister modernist art book.
Looking forward to another great episode with my favourite Finnish podcaster, Antero Juhana Dittinen
Not sure if you saw it, but if you enter the diner during deerfest, the final commercial is so good, a review of the book on its construction and outside, and the ghost are great. Also Setter is the Only Good Mayor Ever
This is the start of the looping season not the arguing season
To be fair a long psychiatrist IS scary!
With that opening I was confused, scared, and wondering if I was going insane... then Josh said "I'm Mickey Mouse" and all was right with the world again.
About to scare everyone here: Dooooocccccttttoooorrrrrrr Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeesssss Doooooooooooobbbbbbbbbbssssssssooooooooonnnnn
Still listening though but to your point about spiderman musical content in spiderverse, I think in the 2nd one in that scene with Donald glover where there's a bunch of villans in cages, I think one of the many ones there is the weird original metal one from the musical
Steven King once said: "If you are making the third thing in a series it should have a 2 in the title."
If you haven't seen it already they did the Herald of Darkness song live at the game awards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMmU3mZ5gBc
The Finnish accents on this one are borderline offensive as they swerve quite hard towards Swedish. But you are still welcome to get drunk on a boat - I have one an hour west of Helsinki. Oh, also to be a total stereotype I am writing this while taking a brake from ice skating around a decommisioned airport in Helsinki.
I too had a lamp with that switch… my second last name is Taipale… so accusing me of also being Finnish has some evidence to it.
I hope you guys give this game the thrashing it deserves. The scores it's getting are baffling
😞the perils of posting before listening to more than the opening