Alan Wake 1 has some cool ideas and an interesting story, but is overall pretty janky and the combat and endless forest levels get repetitive.

Alan Wake 2 a true modern masterpiece, and the culmination of everything Remedy has learned over their 30 year career. The difference between the two is astronomical in my opinion, and it feels like AW2 is the game they wanted to make in the first place but only now they have the competence, budget and technology to do so.

It does all the things you love Remedy for - amazing story, weird wackiness and mixed media storytelling while simultaneously being a genuinely compelling survival horror game in its own right that could stand on its own mechanically. AW2 and the Final Draft is one of the best gaming experiences I've had, I cannot recommend it enough.