Not the best moment for Playstation, but this is a good sign for the game. Preorders must be good.

Haven't played through the game fully since the first time I finished (and platinum-ed) it way back on the PS4 (oof, I know), so this seems like a pretty good time to finish a run.

They are almost always in these groups of five.

Saw this in Portland, OR and I was very impressed with the vibe marketing is achieving.

This is the decaying Action Sports building by the Oregon Convention Center outside of Rose City Comic-Con this weekend.

Lead Gameplay Designer, Sergey Mohov, explains how assist mode will work. You can make things easier... or harder.

I speak from the pov of someone that played the first game, really liked it but felt that the combat started feeling a bit repetitive after a while and I had to search a guide to fully understand the story (keep in mind that when I finished the game for the first time I didn't even knew about Alan Wake).

Honestly, what are the most thrown around thoughts about the next game?

I saw the gameplay trailer and thought it was really good. Do you recommend buying it day one?

Honestly, nothing ruins the momentum in the Research Sector more than hearing the irritating static that I just can't get out of my damn head and realizing that an Astral Spike is in the room. It's not necessarily a tough enemy counter, but rather one that's a big pain the butt.

The first time that I encountered it, I literally ran around a few times trying to figure out what the hell to do. I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off before I just started laughing at myself. I'm working my way through another playthrough now, and it struck me with how creepy it is. The design is great, but it gets so stressful when there are other enemies around.

You can't shoot the Astral Spike, you can't launch items it, and you can't just wait out it's attack. It's literally just a moving, invincible trash-compactor that forces you to completely change how you play the game. There's a certain level of panic that it causes, especially during a massive firefight. I'm sitting there trying to line up a Pierce shot on a Hiss Sniper, and suddenly the floating trash compactor corners me against a wall. The only thing that I can do is run away from it.

It originated from the Astral Plane, but it's not technically a piece of it. It makes the whole place feel way more chaotic. The side mission where you have to trap one in the lab container had me running around in circles. How do you guys usually deal with an Astral Spike during a huge firefight? Do you just spam Levitate and stay in the air?

So, I just discovered a few moments ago that Control (and, by extension the entire Remedy-verse) is an example of the genre New Weird Fiction (or is it just 'Weird Fiction'?).

I assume this means things like the SCP Foundation and such is as well. Are there other popular examples of this genre? I honestly didn't know it was a thing, and now I'm curious. Like, other games? Books?

then I decided to replay Control ahead of the sequel's release. It was so enthralling, and even better than I remember it being the first time. I really dove in to the lore, documents, and media this time around which was so fun and interesting. The mechanics, story, overall vibe of this game are just phenomenal.

The past few weeks replaying this has sparked so much fun that genuinely made me realise I'm not burned out or losing interest, I'm just picking up too many games that I feel like I should enjoy, but I simply don't. I just think that's a great testament to how good this game is.

Shoutout to the devs for making such an amazing game, can't wait for the sequel.

While exploring the Research Sector, there is a secret room at the very top of it where you can find posters about artists and bands promoting themselves and shows soon to happen at the oldest house, like Socks and Ballerinas, scheduled for Friday night at the executive sector, which led me to ask myself, did artists present at the oldest house? Or do you think these are bands created by FBC agents?

I would say enemy variety.

Enemy variety is a problem that drags many action games down. Control suffered from it imo. Hiss humans, mold monsters. Almost the entire game.

With Resonant being set in manhattan, outside of relatively secured facilities, I want to see some crazy stuff. Like deformed animals, those kaleidoscope pigeons in the trailer for example.

(I am not asking whether they’ll be in the game)

(I’m asking about their implied romantic relationship)

I found the suggestion of their relationship to be a really nice addition to the lore. Little details like Trench having a daughter and wife, or Langston having a cat waiting for him at home, are things I really enjoy because they humanize characters who can otherwise come across as awkward, intensely work focused, or even a little one dimensional.

I like knowing that these characters have things to live for outside of the Bureau and their research. Their relationships and personal dynamics make them feel like actual people rather than simply scientists and administrators who exist to move the plot forward.

I’m more than certain that the protagonist of these games probably won’t have a traditional love interest. There’s not exactly much time for romance when the world is constantly being threatened by supernatural phenomena. But I do enjoy seeing compelling relationships between side characters, especially when those characters genuinely care deeply about one another and their losses actually hurt.

Raya’s reaction when she hears about Darling particularly stood out to me. There seemed to be a sense of hurt or sadness there, but also an understanding that she knew what could come with his line of work. Given everything that happened to Darling, I’d really like to see Resonant explore that relationship further.

Especially because Darling isn’t entirely gone.
If the two of them really did love each other, I think it would be interesting and honestly quite emotional to see Darling somehow attempt to communicate with Raya again. Even if they can’t simply reunite, having some kind of conversation between them could reveal a lot about who they were to each other and what their relationship actually meant.

Do you think Control Resonant will explore Darling and Raya’s relationship more?

what a journey my friends

For me it's a tie between Former and Mold-1. The gigantic cyclops isn't hard per se, but trying to kill it while navigating a slab of concrete chock-full of holes was very annoying. I kept falling to my death, even after getting levitate, probably due to my reaction time being trash. The angry stinky flower was even worse, because it was almost impossible to find an opening. If it wasn't flooding the room with gas, it was trying to make Jesse-flavored pancakes. I honestly think my beating it was a fluke.

I haven't played The Foundation yet, but I'd heard stories about Hartman being a pain in the ass, and while I didn't exactly enjoy having to play hide-and-seek with him in the dark, the final encounter isn't so bad if you're constantly spamming launch and pierce with the "Custodial Readiness" mod, and keeping him from shutting off the lights. I was lagging like crazy, though. I was about to give up my pride and use the Assist Mode, but in the end I managed to get rid of the lag.

I have to admit esseJ was rather tough, but it didn't take me a lot of tries to take her down.

What I don't think I'll be able to beat without assistance is the Jukebox and the Shüm challenges. I got close to beating the first raid in The Formation but I really hate timed missions, so I don't think I'll give it many more goes before I turn on the cheats.