Control: 5 Things That Stop It Being A Great Game
An easy Game of the Year candidate held back by frustrating elements.
After the forgettable cross-media experience that was Quantum Break, Remedy's Control feels like a real return to form for the Alan Wake developers, having so many good things going for it.
The world that Remedy have created is fascinating.
From the Federal Bureau of Control and the Oldest House, to the mysterious Hiss, every element is wonderfully fascinating and strange, and makes you push forward, always wanting to learn more. Even the collectibles here are so interesting you actually want to find them all, rather than just feeling like they were there for the sake of padding.
Meanwhile, protagonist Jesse Faden's fight against the Hiss provides a platform for some incredibly satisfying combat, with her Service Weapon and paranatural abilities being a real joy to use throughout.
Unfortunately though, while Control is close to being a true great, with many recommendable aspects across the story and gameplay, there are too many things holding it back.
Let us know what you think down in the comments below. Remedy have noted a couple of DLC packs are coming, and patches are on the way too.
Can Control get up there with Max Payne and Alan Wake as one of the studio's finest?
--
Note: This article contains spoilers.
5. Some Underwhelming Abilities
There are five 'paranatural' abilities that you can unlock in Control: Launch, Evade, Shield, Compel and Levitate.
Three of these abilities are excellent: Launch allows you the incredibly satisfying feeling of telekinetically lifting nearby objects and throwing them at enemies, Evade is a short range dash which is incredibly useful for dodging enemy attacks, and I don't think I need to explain what Levitate is or why it's entertaining and useful.
The issue lies with the remaining two abilities.
While Shield looks impressive (it involves ripping up the ground around you and using the debris as a forcefield) and Compel allows you to temporarily get enemies to fight for you, it quickly becomes clear that neither ability is as effective as the other three.
An upgraded Launch will deal with enemies far quicker than taking the time to get them to fight for you, and Levitate and Evade, combined with upgrading Jesse's health, leads to Shield feeling fairly unnecessary.
While it's great that all of the abilities in Control feel distinct from one another, it's a shame that not all of them feel like necessary tools needed to get through the game.