11th September 2026 Poets of the Fall Shares Full Early Carnival of Rust Demo, Celebrating 20 Years

Back in February, Poet of the Fall fans were treated to a minute-long snippet of an early demo of Carnival of Rust, posted in celebration of twenty years. For those who were hoping for the demo song, you're in luck! A few hours ago, the band uploaded the track in full to their YouTube channel, complete with visual commentary. 

2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Carnival of Rust and the incredible song that gave the album its title. Perhaps their best-known collection, the piece remains a particular standout in the Finnish music industry two decades later.

Their songs usually go through two to thirty iterations before they're fully completed, and with Carnival of Rust, they hit gold on the fourteenth version. 

If you're wondering why we're talking a lot about Poets of the Fall this year, you may know them by their alter ego, Old Gods of Asgard. Their collaboration with Remedy began in 2003, when their debut song, "Late Goodbye," was featured in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. Later, they took on a different form, adopting the in-game name of Old Gods of Asgard for Alan Wake, Control, and Alan Wake 2. 

Check out the full video from Poets of the Fall, HERE! 

Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust (Early Demo Version) Visual Text

00:00 - Does this sound familiar?

00:10 - This is an early demo of Carnival of Rust from around 2005. 

00:21 - The main riff is played with an electric guitar.

00:31 - The tempo is also slightly faster, and the key is E.  It's a semitone higher in the final.

00:40 - The lyrics already contain many familiar phrases 

00:45 - But we bet you can spot a few differences too.

00:55 - This kind of sounds like the chorus we know, but not quite?

01:15 - This part would eventually become the 3rd chorus in the final version with some lyric changes

01:34 - But overall, the song structure is already getting there. With some parts moved around or combined in the final.

01:53 - The 2nd verse lyrics changed quite a bit. 

02:11 - …but this sounds again more familiar. 

02:33 - Typically, each song goes through about 10 to 30 iterations until it's done. 

02:53 - This demo is version 1. Being the first "proper" studio recording. The released track is version 14. 

03:12 - The differences between versions can be subtle, like re-recording a single vocal phrase.

03:25 - …or the song might get a complete makeover between versions 8 and 9. You never know.

03:43 - This guitar riff is very much like the final one. Just in a different tempo & key.

04:05 - …but this vocal part didn't make it. 

04:26 - We do get the acoustic guitar riff in the very end! 

(We added additional punctuation for the transcript that wasn't included in the stylised visual text. This was done to ensure fellow fans using text-to-speech software could follow.)

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10th September 2026 PlayStation Blog Reveal Details of CONTROL Resonant's Assist Mode

In a new article for the PlayStation Blog, Sergey Mohov (Lead Gameplay Designer, Remedy Entertainment) talks readers through the Assist Mode options for CONTROL Resonant, revealing that there's more than it might initially seem. 

As well as making the combat easier, players will be able to tailor their experience to be a little trickier. It's all about finding the perfect challenge for you! 

While the best way to explore the options will be in-game, Sergey provides a snapshot into the team's mindset when the feature was discussed: "With Control Resonant, we’re introducing a new combat system built around Dylan’s shapeshifting melee weapon, the Aberrant. Combat is close-range and demanding, with enemies that require you to read their attacks, manage staggers and status effects, and time your dodges. We knew that this new system would come with a new learning curve. So rather than relying on a handful of traditional difficulty levels, we wanted to give players much more control over individual parts of the experience."

Screenshot from the PlayStation Blog article, featuring the Assist Mode menu.

If you've been visiting The Sudden Stop for a while, you'll know how much we adore the Assist Mode in Control and Alan Wake 2. Being able to tailor the experience so that the adventure stays fun and approachable was such a game-changer when it was added to Control. As someone with chronic migraines, being able to be on top of situations or visuals that could be a trigger point is such a relief. That said, the most important thing to remember is that the feature is available to everyone whenever they need it. Games are meant to be fun!

Read Sergey's article on the PlayStation Blog, HERE! (Archive)

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9th September 2026 Remedy Publishes CONTROL Resonant PC Requirement Guide

With two weeks remaining until the release of CONTROL Resonant, Remedy has confirmed the PC requirements needed to support the game.

The guide is split into three sections: minimum requirements, recommended, and enthusiast, with another part dedicated to the game's ray tracing capabilities. 

If you're looking to purchase the game on Steam, double-check your system using the guide below to ensure that you have everything to run it...

For those planning to play on PC but discover their machine may not be able to run it, the adventure will also be available on GeForce Now. 

The GeForce Now is a cloud gaming system and an alternative to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Amazon Luna. With a subscription, players can stream over 4,000 games to their TV, Steam Deck, laptop, or mobile device, turning everyday devices into powerful PC gaming rigs. Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell RTX servers, it helps players jump into the latest adventures without the need of expensive or specific hardware.

The basic GeForce NOW subscription is free, but it offers limited gaming time, just one hour. More hours and features are available in paid subscription tiers. For more information, we recommend checking out the page directly, HERE. The catalogue features a long list of Remedy adventures, including Alan Wake, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Alan Wake Remastered, Alan Wake 2 (Premium), Control, Control Ultimate Edition, and FBC: Firebreak (Premium).

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8th September 2026 Community Shoutout: Andrea's Max Payne-Inspired Art Book Giveaway Ends Tomorrow

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Max Payne, and with the remake just around the corner, there's a lot to be excited for. To mark the occasion, the incredibly prolific and talented artist, Andrea C. White, is giving away a hardback art book filled with sixty pages of Max Payne pieces. The deadline to enter is tomorrow, so make sure to enter it as soon as possible.

Talking about the giveaway on Twitter, Andrea writes, "I've put together this little collection of my Max Payne-inspired illustrations into an art book specifically for this giveaway :') Anyone can enter by leaving a comment and the winner will be chosen at random and announced on September 9th. This is an A4 hardback book, 60 pages, containing all of my Max pieces I've made over the past 10 months or so. This project is very dear to me, so I'm happy to be able to share it with you guys 🖤 [this is a fanart project and is in no way affiliated with Remedy or Rockstar]"

Her work is absolutely amazing. I have the Paint to Escape book, which she has been selling to raise money for Sasha's Cancer treatment. (You can read more about the fundraiser, HERE.) The book is such a wonderful treat and is filled with so much passion and love for the series. 

As with the Paint to Escape book, Andrea is also offering a digital copy of the book for free via Google Drive, so if you don't win, you're still able to check out her work. 

Plus, make sure to follow her adventures on Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter!

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