Today, the Alan Wake 2 press embargo was lifted!
If you missed it on our Twitter page, yesterday we delved into what we would cover on The Sudden Stop in future weeks. In the post, we said, "with Alan Wake 2 drawing closer, we want to talk about the topic of spoilers. It’s been thirteen years since the original, and there’s so much anticipation, particularly from fans who have been there from the start. So far, we’ve been covering Remedy’s news and marketing; they know the game, and I trust them to know the boundaries. But from Friday (or Thursday in regards to the review), it’s going to change things up. We won’t be releasing a review for the game, but once the game is out, we’re going to be adding to the Alan Wake 2 section. We’re going to be wary about spoilers; we hate them as much as you do, so if a page absolutely needs to touch on something that you would probably want to explore in your own experience, we’re going to warn you and spoiler tag."
This post marks our first one with a full game spoiler warning. We haven't played the game as we were initially rejected for a review code, so I can't promise that the reviews below don't contain spoilers. We have a couple of familiar community names that got early access, including Hidden Machine and Kranitoko. Both of those say that their reviews are without big reveals.
Below is a growing list; the codes were sent out to the press on Monday, so it was a tough turnaround for reviewers to get done in time, particularly if they're also getting through Cities: Skylines II or Spider-Man 2. We know that Patrick at PayneReactor will be following up later with a very nerdy review, as they received their code yesterday, and we expect many more websites to join them. Those with the asterisk next to them are video reviews.
- ACG: Alan Wake 2 Review *
- CaroleQuintaine: Alan Wake 2: Fantastique!!! Test PS5
- CGMagazine: Alan Wake 2 (PS5) Review (9.5/10)
- COG Connected: Alan Wake 2 Review, Scary Smart, and Satisfying Sequel (90/100)
- Deep Dive: Deep Dives Reviews - Alan Wake 2 Review New!
- Destructoid: Review in Progress, Alan Wake 2
- Dexerto: Alan Wake 2 Test (PC): The most beautiful nightmare of the year (92/100)
- Empire: Alan Wake II Review (5/5) New!
- Gaming Bolt: Alan Wake 2 Review – Can You Survive This Nightmare? (9/10)
- Game Pressure: Alan Wake 2 Review: The Sheer Power of Storytelling (9/10)
- Games.CH: Alan Wake 2 - Test / Review
- GamingTrend: Alan Wake 2 review — A page worth turning (90/100)
- GameReactor EU: Alan Wake 2 (100/100)
- GamesHub: Alan Wake 2 Review – Save The Writer, Save The World (5/5)
- Gamespot: Alan Wake 2 Review *
- God is a Geek: Alan Wake 2 Review (9.5/10)
- GRYOnline: Recenzja gry Alan Wake 2 - wszystko wszędzie naraz (8.5/10)
- Helsingin Sanomat: Suomalainen Alan Wake 2 on videopelien mestariteos, joka saa kriitikolta täydet viisi tähteä (5/5)
- Hidden Machine: Alan Wake 2: The Spoiler Free Review *
- HobbyConsolas: Es un survival horror brillante, pero también el nuevo techo gráfico de la generación: análisis de Alan Wake 2 (95/100)
- IGN: Alan Wake 2 Review *
- Inven: 앨런 웨이크2 리뷰 (8.8/10)
- JackFrags: Alan Wake 2 Gameplay and Impressions *
- Jeux Actu: Test Alan wake 2 : Plus fort que resident evil, une suite qui a SU SE réinventer
- Kotaku: Alan Wake 2 Review New!
- Kranitoko: Alan Wake 2 Review in Progress (SPOILER FREE) *
- MeriStation: Análisis de Alan Wake 2, la mezcla perfecta de Resident Evil y Silent Hill (9/10)
- meups: Alan Wake 2: vale a pena? (83/100)
- PayneReactor: Alan Wake 2: The Game of the Decade. New!
- PlaySense: Alan Wake 2 Review (9.1/10)
- Polygon: Alan Wake 2 is worth every minute of the 13-year wait
- Power Unlimited: Alan Wake 2 (PS5) review – Remedy gaat vol meta (88/100)
- PSU: Alan Wake 2 Review (PS5) – A Surrealist Survival Horror Masterpiece
- Screen Rant: "Remedy's Magnum Opus": Alan Wake 2 Review (5/5)
- Sector: Alan Wake 2 Review (9.5/10)
- TechRadar: Alan Wake 2 review - a once-in-a-generation scarefest (4.5/5)
- Tierra Gamer: Reseña: Alan Wake II – El survival horror tiene un nuevo campeón (9.5/10)
- The Gamer: Alan Wake 2 Review (5/5)
- The Guardian: Alan Wake 2 review – a confidently strange horror thriller (4.5)
- The Loadout: Alan Wake 2 review – a spine-tingling horror masterclass (10/10)
- The Verge: In Alan Wake 2, you will never feel safe New!
- VideoGames.si: Review: Alan Wake 2 brings my childhood fears to life (9/10)
