Finally finished it
As a huge AW fan, I loved it, but its a very, very flawed experience. To me the first one is the better game: better gameplay (imo), more focused story, better pacing, better world building, better characters ...
As an experience, AW 2 was awesome. As a game, tho? I cant imagine myself replaying this game anytime soon. I didnt have much fun with the combat or the Mind Place, so the appeal of replaying it would be to experience the story unfolding yet again.
+ Pros:
* Looks amazing. Framerate suffers tho, and at Quality mode it was at times the worst performing game that I've played yet on my PS5.
* The lamp mechanic is just insane. Its more impressive then Rift Apart on the PS5. Shifting realities instantaneously was always impressive.
* Some scenarios were really cool (and scary). Saga's chapter 5 was the most scary thing that I've played since Outlast II.
* Loved the idea of 2 campaigns that you could choose at anytime.
- Cons
* Combat sucks. They made the flashlight mechanic worse than the first game, and its now just a minor nuisance before shooting baddies. You also cant stagger enemies during their attacks like you used to in the first game. Wolves are a pain in the ass for all the wrong reasons.
* The story is too convoluted now. Lots of redundant dialogue and monologues. Trying to make sense of all of this is impossible. Remedy was more interested in style over substance, and that's disappointing.
* Alan had the shortest campaign, despite having his name on the cover. Saga's was longer and had the best levels, imo. Made Alan's campaign feel like DLC.
* Bright Falls felt very small compared to the first game. The narrow FOV also gives the impression of everything being more cramped. Levels were much bigger in the first game.
* Many game breaking bugs. I had to wait days so Remedy could patch the game so I could continue my playthrough. I've never experienced shit like this before in a game, and I've played Bethesda games on the PS3 and Cyberpunk on launch day. I've counted at least 4 different game breaking bugs that I've found online.
Overall: 8.5/10
Still enjoyed the first game more