Control (Remedy Games) PC, PS4, XB1

So this is... really good? Gotta be honest - never been a big fan of Remedy. Thought they never quite landed what they were aiming for. I was hearing the right sort of buzz about this, though, beyond the mere review scores. So decided to pick it up.

It's a small thing, but it's the in-game font that convinced me they'd made the landing this time :pac: The in-game titles crash in, ala Mindhunter, in big, bold, dramatic lettering. It's a familiar touch, but something that gives this an instant sense of swagger. And then you start digging in even more and you realise the aesthetics and atmosphere here are top-notch. The smash cuts; the super cool projections that intrude in on the game world; the mood lighting; the shifting, dynamic environment; the stellar integration of real-world video footage; collectibles that are - gasp! - worth reading; the overall feeling that everything about this world and your character is a bit off. Lots of games try this sort of thing, but this one - at least in its first few hours - is the rare one with the style and confidence to deliver on its promises.

There is a neat, fun third-person shooter powering it all - one with pleasingly destructible environments, superb physics and just a nice oomph to proceedings, although a bit loose in other respects (finding it more satisfying with a controller than M&K, oddly). For all the stellar audio-visual storytelling, the game does feel weirdly flat during some of the more grounded, straightforward conversations. Most important though, rough edges aside: this is a game that sees a studio step up their game - to finally find that sweet spot they've spent years working towards. It's weird, quirky and messy - but it's trying to be all those things, so success! Don't skip this one if it's caught your attention - it's a good 'un

A good chunk of the way through this now.

The first few hours are extraordinary, and it settles into a more predictable, comfortable groove after that. Thankfully it's a good groove. It's definitely one of my favourite AAA (AA?) third-person shooters in a long time, because the physics are such a joy. A rare use of technology used for core gameplay purposes, not just a little bit of sparkle. The powers are very fun, especially one of gaming's very best double jumps (even if it's a bit more complex than just a double jump).

Aesthetically it's still a joy. One of the most impressive games ever made in terms of technology and art design working together so effectively.

What's interesting about the setting of The Old House is that it's on the surface a very generic office / industrial complex setting, which surely suited the smaller budget Remedy had here. But the fact that it's so dynamic, full of Escher-style oddities and captivating distortions makes it feel properly special. Some great environmental storytelling - stumbled into a bizarre post-it filled office earlier and chuckled when a collectible log (which are all very well written) explained what had happened.

It's definitely an imperfect experience though. There's a while when the game's extended opening is over and you're getting stuck into the gameplay proper where you only have basic abilities - you definitely don't have the crazy arsenal and superpowers you eventually unlock. The difficulty curve can be a bit wonky - a few side bosses would be far more enjoyable if they didn't awkwardly spawn minions to distract you. The subquests are a mixed bag (some really fun ones though involving haunted objects) and there's one or two too many upgrade systems piled on. The extra challenges don't add much. As I mentioned before the exposition conversations feel really flat for the most part, which is supremely odd given how visually arresting the whole experience is otherwise.

Generally though I'd still happily recommend it. There's a solid, engaging third person action game at the core, but it's been so well polished with technical extravagance, go-for-broke art and a superb setting that it merrily levitates above the usual efforts.

Been a long time since I've played Second Sight but in some ways yes it does carry on that an idea of a psychic-powered shooter and bring it up to the current generation*. The whole thing is a pretty great, highly destructible physics playground where you can pick up most things and hurl them at your pleasure. There's also lovely touches where you just tear chunks out of the floor or wall if you have nothing else to throw :P

Goes without saying that it's far ahead of Second Sight in terms of art and tone, but a lot of time has passed so comparisons are fairly futile in that respect!

*given some of the performance issues on consoles and the ray-tracing making the PC version cutting edge it might be more accurate to say it brings it up to the next generation!