Our top pick of the week: Alan Wake 2

As if 2023 wasn't already one of the best years ever for new game releases, Alan Wake 2 came out today and reminded us all what risk can look like at AAA scale. Thanks to an intense story and varied gameplay, developer Remedy has made one of the best horror games to date.

As Toussaint Egan wrote in our review, "Alan Wake 2 is a monster of a game — the culmination of 28 years of experience, from a studio whose funding and scale finally seem to have caught up with its grandiose ideas and boundless ambition. It's at once a love letter to fans of Alan Wake and a daring reinvention for survival horror writ large. In a year that's seen remakes of such venerable horror titles as Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, Alan Wake 2 stands tall as one of the year's best in the genre."

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This week on TikTok | TwitchCon 2023 | Went to TwitchCon and saw these from @HappyTacoStudio 🥺. Did not buy any because I'm "budgeting" but omg.

9 stories to read

The best costumes for Halloween 2023 | We've rounded up some quick, clever disguises for the spooky season.

Trans representation in movies isn't great — but in 2023, I feel more seen than ever | A personal look at trans joy in mainstream movies, from Barbie to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Game developers keep (virtually) killing my favorite neighborhoods | Forget making video games 'fun' and show me some respect.

Kick was the ghost that haunted TwitchCon | The spotlight was on Twitch this weekend. Mostly.

Blink-182's Tom DeLonge is back with his first movie, a new album, and a Bigfoot theory you need to hear | Amid a pop-punk revival and an uptick in UFO news, the Monsters of California director is thriving.

Martin Scorsese's late-stage career has proved Quentin Tarantino wrong | Scorsese has never been more vital or relevant than he's been over his latest two decades of work.

TwitchCon 2023 coverage | All the latest from streamerland.

The woman who single-handedly turned Korea into a global film and TV powerhouse | Walt Hickey's book You Are What You Watch examines the vast impact of Miky Lee.

Junji Ito is still the only comics artist that scares me | My man why are you like this

5 things to watch

Ride On for rent on Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu | Of course Jackie Chan and a horse are a perfect comedic duo.

Killers of the Flower Moon in theaters | Taylor Swift was the soundtrack to my Killers of the Flower Moon screening.

Pain Hustlers on Netflix | The glitzy opioid-crisis drama featuring Emily Blunt is fun, but it has conflicting aims, and it's a little too keen to make the sale.

Five Nights at Freddy's in theaters | A dizzying mashup of decades of culture.

The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch | A full month of spooktacular recommendations to stream, from cult horror classics to Halloween specials and everything in between.

5 games to play

Alan Wake 2 | Remedy's action-horror franchise reemerges as a survival horror masterpiece. Available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 | An exhaustive bundle of stealth classics. Available on Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X.

Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express | A puzzle-filled Agatha Christie adaptation makes a few puzzling choices. Available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

Spider-Man 2 | Juggling two Spider-Mans requires a different sort of deftness. Available on PlayStation 5.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Wonder is stuffed with decades of ideas. Available on Nintendo Switch.

Free game of the week

Choo Choo Crossing | Help passengers reach their train on time. Available on itch.io.

The best of the rest

APPROVED: Making Rayman a coke-snorting fascist mouthpiece in Captain Laserhawk was totally cool with Ubisoft.
CONFUSED: What the hell is happening with this Blu-ray cover?
TESTED: The sequel to a bestselling Dungeons & Dragons cookbook contains a secret weapon.
REVEALED: First footage of the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake looks amazing.
UTILIZED: I don't want Batman's utility belt when I'm Spider-Man.
INVERTED: Super Mario Bros. Wonder's credits do everything all at once.