I picked up "Mafia: Definitive Edition" cheap the other day (I've linked it on Steam as it's still on sale for the next few days).
I was a fan of Mafia (the original from 2002) and felt it was cheap enough to give it a shot and I'm glad I did: besides the infamous/arduous racing level I found it to be very enjoyable overall.
I was sad to see that there wasn't any "Freeride Extreme" in the latest version (this was bonus, fun, ludicrous content, available after completing the game) as it would have been a nice addition, the "Freeride" mode is likewise a little lackluster but the actual campaign is great.
What was the last game you finished? Was it any good?
Alan Wake 2. What a masterpiece, especially THAT sequence. I absolutely loved this game.
The older I get, the more I start to appreciate studios that take risks and believe in their creative identity. Games like Death Stranding and Alan Wake 2 are perfect examples. They're not everyone's cup of tea, but that's what art is. Someone might hate something that you personally find breathtaking. And vice versa.
I'm also playing Spiderman 2 at the moment, and while it's good and it's very fun, I will not remember this game 1 day after I finish it. Death stranding I finished 3 months ago and I still think about it. I'm extremely excited for DS2 and hopefully Alan Wake 3.
I also just finished Alan Wake 2. The first game is in my top 3 favorite games of all time, so I was super excited for the sequel. The overall presentation is definitely A++ and so are the graphics. However, there were a couple of really obvious and annoying bugs that should never have made it past QA.
While I really liked the new characters, the overall storyline has become (even by Remedy standards) extremely convoluted and the ending wasn't very satisfying. I also found the constant references to Finland a bit too much on the nose and they kinda took me out of the game a couple of times.
Of course the game makes it up in other aspects, such as the new gameplay that was clearly inspired by Resident Evil, which I also really like. Alan's mind place was also fun and I found the ability change the scenes by rewriting them very creative. Saga's mind place started out great as well, but it started to feel like a chore as the game went on.
Despite the nit-picking, it is pretty good game overall and I'm excited for their future projects in this universe.
I understand where you're coming from 100%, and I agree with you somewhat. While I personally enjoyed the gameplay in Alan Wake (nothing like landing a perfect headshot for a 1 hit kill with the rifle), I understand why some will be turned off by it.
On the other hand, I think of Control. Very solid gameplay and mechanics, but the story in my opinion was lackluster, and I think it might be because they were scared to go all out on a mind bending storyline. They wanted to sell games, and you sell them with good shooter mechanics to cast a wide net over the audience, at the expense of creative identity.
I feel like for Alan Wake 2 they went all out to make sure they follow Sam Lakes and the team's creative direction. And that's why I love it. You can feel the work that went into this to make sure it's exactly what they wanted to create, instead of what they needed to.
Show me the champion of LIGHT!