Info about Control Ultimate Edition:

Official game description:
  
**Control Ultimate Edition**  
Control Ultimate Edition contains the main game and all previously released Expansions ("The Foundation" and "AWE") in one great value package.  
A corruptive presence has invaded the Federal Bureau of Control…Only you have the power to stop it. The world is now your weapon in an epic fight to annihilate an ominous enemy through deep and unpredictable environments. Containment has failed, humanity is at stake. Will you regain control?  
Winner of over 80 awards, Control is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Blending open-ended environments with the signature world-building and storytelling of renowned developer, Remedy Entertainment, Control presents an expansive and intensely gratifying gameplay experience.  
**Key features**  
**Uncover the mysteries**  
Can you handle the bureau’s dark secrets? Unfold an epic supernatural  
struggle, filled with unexpected characters and bizarre events, as you  
search for your missing brother, and discover the truth that has brought  
you here.  
**Everything is your weapon**  
Unleash destruction through transforming weaponry and telekinetic  
powers. Discover new ways to annihilate your enemies as you harness  
powerful abilities to turn everything around you into a lethal weapon.  
**Explore a hidden world**  
Delve deep into the ominous expanses of a secretive government  
agency. Explore the Bureau’s shifting environments only to discover  
that there is always more than meets the eye…  
**Fight for control**  
Battle a relentless enemy through exciting missions and challenging  
boss fights to earn powerful upgrades that maximize abilities and  
customize your weaponry.

Release date: Aug 27, 2020

Categories: Third-Person Shooter, Supernatural Powers, Action-Adventure, Environmental Combat, Exploration, Narrative Adventure, Metroidvania, Loot-Driven Combat System


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Dynamic telekinetic combat system (weight 0.97): Combat is a major highlight, combining third-person shooting with telekinetic abilities like levitation, object manipulation, and environmental destruction. Players enjoy the fluidity, creativity, and satisfying physics interactions during battles.
- Unique and immersive atmosphere (weight 0.9): The game’s setting is praised for its surreal, David Lynch-inspired atmosphere, blending brutalist architecture, eerie sound design, and immersive world-building. Players highlight the tension, mystery, and cinematic presentation as standout features.
- Engaging narrative and deep lore (weight 0.78): The game features a compelling storyline with intricate lore, often compared to SCP and delivered through collectibles, documents, and environmental storytelling. Players appreciate the depth, mystery, and gradual reveals that keep them engaged.
- Engaging side quests and collectibles (weight 0.7): Side quests and collectibles add significant replay value, offering meaningful exploration, lore expansion, and unique challenges. Players enjoy the variety and depth they bring to the overall experience.
- Destructible environments enhance gameplay (weight 0.2): The game’s physics system allows for highly interactive and destructible environments, adding depth to combat and exploration. Players appreciate the realism and creativity enabled by throwing objects, breaking structures, and leveraging terrain.
- High-quality visuals and RTX effects (weight 0.17): The game’s graphics are frequently praised for their realism, lighting, and ray-tracing effects. Players note the stunning visuals, detailed environments, and cinematic presentation, especially with RTX-enabled enhancements.
- Strong connection to Alan Wake universe (weight 0.17): The game’s lore and DLCs (e.g., AWE, The Foundation) expand on the Alan Wake universe, creating a cohesive and enriched narrative. Fans of Remedy’s other titles appreciate the crossover elements and deeper world-building.
- Well-designed protagonist and voice acting (weight 0.09): Jesse Faden is praised as a relatable and well-developed protagonist, with strong voice acting (especially in localized versions like Russian) enhancing immersion. Players appreciate her character arc and emotional depth.
- Challenging but rewarding puzzles (weight 0.06): Puzzles are well-designed, offering a mix of complexity and accessibility. They provide a satisfying break from combat and exploration, with players appreciating their integration into the game’s narrative and world.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and Uninspired Gameplay (weight 0.54): Gameplay loops are criticized for being monotonous, with repetitive side quests, enemy respawns, and combat encounters. Players highlight a lack of variety in missions, puzzles, and enemy types, making the experience feel tedious over time.
- Poor Combat Design & Balance (weight 0.46): Players frequently report that combat is repetitive, frustrating, and poorly balanced. Issues include excessive difficulty spikes, unfair boss mechanics, and repetitive enemy encounters that disrupt exploration. The scaling system and lack of meaningful progression exacerbate frustration.
- Frustrating Navigation & Map Design (weight 0.42): Navigation is a major pain point due to confusing, multi-layered maps, poor objective tracking, and unclear indicators. Players frequently get lost, leading to unnecessary backtracking and frustration, especially in dark or complex areas.
- Blurry Textures & Visual Glitches (weight 0.29): Frequent visual issues, such as blurry textures, missing assets, and graphical artifacts, detract from immersion. These problems persist even on high settings and are exacerbated by poor optimization and VRAM usage.
- Unsatisfying Ending (weight 0.29): The game’s conclusion is widely criticized as anticlimactic, abrupt, or unresolved. Players express disappointment with the lack of a grand finale, unclear plot resolutions, and an underwhelming final boss fight.
- Poor Voice Acting & Localization (weight 0.12): Voice acting is criticized for being stiff, poorly synced, or cringe-inducing, with notable issues in non-English dubs (e.g., German, French, Spanish). Lip-sync problems and awkward delivery further break immersion.
- Overwhelming Lore Presentation (weight 0.07): Lore is buried in collectible documents, videos, and notes, making it tedious to engage with. Players find the presentation confusing and poorly integrated, detracting from the narrative rather than enhancing it.
- Timed Missions Are Poorly Implemented (weight 0.06): Timed missions are criticized for unclear objectives, hidden mechanics, and lack of respawn timers. Players report losing progress and mods due to these poorly designed systems, adding unnecessary frustration.
- Cumbersome Mod & Inventory System (weight 0.06): The mod and inventory systems are poorly designed, with excessive, randomized mods that clutter the interface. Players find management tedious, and the lack of meaningful upgrades or auto-stacking features adds unnecessary frustration.
- Lack of Difficulty Options (weight 0.05): The absence of adjustable difficulty settings frustrates players, as the game’s difficulty fluctuates unpredictably. This leads to unfair challenges, especially in boss fights, without options to tailor the experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Narrative-Driven Exploration (weight 0.27): Lore and storytelling are delivered through collectibles (documents, audio logs, videos) and environmental clues, encouraging non-linear exploration and puzzle-solving to uncover the narrative.
- Metroidvania-Style Progression (weight 0.24): Gameplay includes ability-gated areas, backtracking, and unlockable upgrades (e.g., weapons, powers), with enemies scaling to player progression to maintain challenge.
- Supernatural Gunplay Fusion (weight 0.15): The game blends third-person shooter mechanics with supernatural abilities, creating a fast-paced, skill-based combat system that rewards alternating between guns and powers.
- Loot and Upgrade Mechanics (weight 0.13): Players farm resources to upgrade weapons/abilities via randomized loot or crafting systems, though some criticize the system for lacking depth or being overly numerical.
- Confusing Level Design (weight 0.1): While levels feature unique designs (e.g., brutalist architecture), some players criticize them as linear, corridor-heavy, or confusing, impacting exploration and backtracking.
- Shape-Shifting Weapon System (weight 0.08): The Service Weapon dynamically transforms into multiple forms (e.g., pistol, shotgun, rocket launcher), adding variety to combat and requiring strategic adaptation.
- Customizable Difficulty (weight 0.05): The game offers cheat-like difficulty options (e.g., one-hit kills, invincibility) to tailor the experience, though some note the lack of traditional difficulty settings.

Performance notes:
- Inconsistent FPS performance (weight 0.34): FPS stability varies drastically, with drops to 5–30 FPS even on high-end hardware (e.g., RTX 2060, 4070 Ti). Stuttering and freezing occur in demanding areas, though some players achieve stable performance with tweaks.
- Poor optimization across hardware (weight 0.22): The game is poorly optimized for both high-end and lower-end systems, with VRAM-heavy effects (e.g., destruction physics) causing blurry textures and performance drops. Ultrawide monitors and mid-range GPUs also suffer.
- DX12/DX11 graphical issues (weight 0.21): Players report widespread graphical problems in both DirectX 11 and 12 modes, including texture blurring, black squares, micro-stuttering, and resolution drops. These issues persist regardless of settings or hardware, suggesting fundamental optimization flaws.
- DLSS and MSAA compatibility flaws (weight 0.2): DLSS and MSAA implementations introduce flickering, visual artifacts, and performance inconsistencies. While DLAA (DLSS at native resolution) helps, some players report reduced visual quality without FPS gains.
- Texture loading failures (weight 0.18): Textures frequently fail to load or degrade to low resolution, requiring game resets. Slow texture streaming exacerbates the issue, particularly in DX12 mode.
- Ray tracing performance impact (weight 0.15): Ray tracing significantly degrades performance, even on high-end hardware like RTX 4090s and RX 6800s. While it enhances visuals, its implementation is taxing, causing FPS drops and requiring DLSS to mitigate.
- Frequent crashes and freezes (weight 0.14): Players experience frequent crashes, freezes, and pixel corruption across hardware configurations, often requiring hard resets. These issues disrupt gameplay and persist post-update, affecting both high-end and mid-range systems.
- Stable performance on mid-range systems (weight 0.13): Some players report smooth performance on mid-range hardware (e.g., GTX 1070, RTX 3050) with stable FPS at high settings, though this is inconsistent across configurations.
- RTX 50-series compatibility issues (weight 0.13): RTX 50-series GPUs experience crashes, freezes, and driver conflicts, likely due to engine incompatibility with newer hardware. These issues persist even with updated drivers.
- High hardware requirements (weight 0.09): The game demands high-end hardware (e.g., RTX 4080, 7800XT) for smooth performance, even at 1080p. Mid-range systems struggle with stability, and settings often need manual adjustment to avoid crashes.

Recommendations:
- Ideal for lore-rich supernatural fans (weight 0.29): The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy deep narratives, supernatural themes, and lore-heavy experiences like SCP, Lovecraftian horror, or Alan Wake. Its atmospheric and immersive storytelling is a recurring highlight.
- Atmosphere may polarize players (weight 0.21): The game’s surreal, uncanny atmosphere and mysticism are divisive. While some praise its uniqueness, others find it off-putting or overly niche.
- Avoid if tech issues persist (weight 0.11): Players experiencing performance issues or bugs are advised to avoid the game until patches are released or request refunds if problems remain unresolved.
- Not for fast-paced action seekers (weight 0.11): Players looking for pure, linear, or fast-paced action may find the game unsuitable. It prioritizes narrative and atmosphere over relentless combat, which can feel slow or repetitive to some.
- Best purchased on sale (weight 0.11): While the game is highly recommended, many reviews suggest waiting for a discount (e.g., $25 or ~200 rubles) due to its flaws or performance issues. Full-price purchases are often debated.
- DLCs enhance the experience (weight 0.02): The Ultimate Edition (including DLCs) is advised for additional story context and content. The DLCs are praised for expanding the game’s narrative and world-building.
- Performance tweaks required on PC (weight 0.02): PC players should disable Ray Tracing, enable V-Sync, and use DirectX 11 for better stability, especially with limited VRAM.
- Console versions perform better (weight 0.02): Due to PC optimization issues, console versions (PS4/PS5) are recommended for smoother performance and fewer technical problems.
- Russian voice acting boosts immersion (weight 0.02): Non-English speakers are advised to use Russian voice acting for full immersion, though original song covers should be retained for authenticity.
- Guides help with unclear missions (weight 0.01): Some missions are confusing, and players recommend using guides to navigate unclear objectives or puzzles.
- Gamepad recommended for ease (weight 0.01): Using a gamepad is suggested for smoother gameplay, particularly during combat or exploration.

Other player notes:
- Varied playtime expectations (weight 0.03): Players report differing completion times, ranging from 12 hours for the main story to 40+ hours for 100% completion. The difficulty is rated as moderate (3/5).
- Alan Wake universe connections unclear (weight 0.02): Reviewers note hints at ties to the *Alan Wake* universe but criticize the lack of clear establishment or payoff. Comparisons to Remedy’s other titles are frequent.
- Polarizing engagement despite strengths (weight 0.02): Some players describe the game as 'boring' despite acknowledging redeeming qualities, while others are inspired to speedrun or praise sections like the *Ashtray Maze*.
- DLC plans impact purchase decisions (weight 0.02): Mentions of upcoming DLCs create hesitation among players, with some delaying purchases until post-launch content is evaluated. *Foundation DLC* is specifically praised for its story and exploration.
- Visual and tonal comparisons to other games (weight 0.02): Players draw parallels to *Hitman* (UI/text), *Prototype* (gameplay), and *SCP* (setting/tone), suggesting the game borrows familiar elements from multiple genres.
- High attention to environmental detail (weight 0.02): Reviewers commend the physics and interactive elements, noting a level of immersion that enhances gameplay. Character designs (e.g., Dr. Casper Darling) also foster attachment.
- Mixed reactions to collectibles (weight 0.02): While some praise the craftsmanship of documents and collectibles, others criticize notes for lacking meaningful lore, calling them filler content.
- Value perception tied to price (weight 0.02): Players highlight the game’s affordability, with one noting a strong price-to-content ratio (e.g., 28 rubles/hour). Discount purchases (e.g., 90% off) are frequently mentioned.
- Multilingual localization praised (weight 0.02): Chinese localization is noted as a positive, while a community-driven Ukrainian localization is highlighted as a unique addition, expanding accessibility.
- Minor character design critiques (weight 0.01): A niche critique focuses on Jessie’s outfit as a minor nitpick, suggesting some players scrutinize aesthetic choices despite overall satisfaction.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Players frequently cite confusing or poorly designed navigation, including unintuitive maps, excessive backtracking, and unclear objectives, as major sources of frustration. Additionally, repetitive gameplay loops, unbalanced difficulty (especially in boss fights), and persistent technical issues like bugs, crashes, and performance problems exacerbate the frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): The game often fails to meet high expectations due to underdeveloped storytelling, shallow characters, and repetitive or uninspired gameplay mechanics. Technical issues, such as unresolved bugs and performance problems, alongside unfulfilled potential in world-building and combat depth, contribute significantly to player disappointment.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Players are excited by the game's dynamic combat mechanics, particularly the telekinetic abilities and environmental destruction, which create a unique and engaging power fantasy. The surreal atmosphere, immersive world design, and connections to Remedy's broader universe (e.g., Alan Wake) also generate significant excitement and anticipation for sequels.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Satisfaction stems from the game's polished and responsive gameplay, particularly the creative use of telekinetic powers and physics-based combat. Players also appreciate the detailed world-building, engaging story, and overall value for money, especially when technical performance is smooth and stable.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment is driven by the game's fluid and dynamic combat, engaging exploration, and the satisfaction of mastering unique abilities like levitation and telekinesis. The rich lore, immersive atmosphere, and replayability further enhance the overall positive experience.
- Awe (weight 0.04): The game's surreal and visually stunning world design, including non-Euclidean architecture and breathtaking visuals, evokes a sense of awe. The atmospheric tension, immersive storytelling, and creative level design (e.g., the Ashtray Maze) leave a lasting impression on players.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Players admire the game's innovative storytelling, unique atmosphere, and high-quality visuals, which set it apart from other titles. The attention to detail in world-building, voice acting, and environmental design, along with Remedy's creative approach to game development, earns widespread praise.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation is directed toward the cohesive art direction, strong world-building, and immersive environmental storytelling. Players also value the game's unique setting, high-quality voice acting, and the way music and sound design enhance the overall experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): The game's complex and cryptic narrative, steep learning curve, and unclear objectives often leave players confused. Poor map design, disjointed storytelling, and overwhelming details in side quests or lore further contribute to this emotion.
- Immersion (weight 0.02): The game's surreal atmosphere, deep lore, and highly detailed world design create a strong sense of immersion. Players are drawn into the Federal Bureau of Control's unique setting, engaging narrative, and atmospheric tension, which make the experience feel like a cinematic or TV series.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom arises from repetitive gameplay loops, slow pacing, and unengaging side quests. Players also express boredom with bland visuals, monotonous combat encounters, and a lack of meaningful progression or direction in the story.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): The game's dark humor, creative physics interactions (e.g., throwing objects at enemies), and unexpected moments (e.g., unique enemy encounters) provide amusement. Players also enjoy the protagonist's inner monologues and the game's self-aware or referential jokes.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): The game's enigmatic storytelling, deep lore, and mysterious supernatural elements spark curiosity. Players are driven to explore the world, uncover hidden collectibles, and piece together the narrative, particularly regarding the protagonist's identity and the game's broader universe.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Relief is felt when players find workarounds for technical issues (e.g., switching to DX11) or when the game's difficulty becomes manageable through customizable settings. Completing tedious or frustrating sections also provides a sense of relief.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): The game evokes nostalgia through its unique atmosphere, reminiscent of older titles like *Beyond Two Souls* and *Alan Wake*. Players also appreciate familiar voice actors, music, and the game's ability to fill a niche for SCP or Backrooms-like experiences.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is directed toward unresolved technical issues, perceived developer neglect (e.g., lack of bug fixes), and design choices like online requirements for a single-player game. Poor weapon mod systems, excessive cut-scenes, and feeling misled by reviews also provoke frustration.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game's depth, quality, and connections to other Remedy titles (e.g., Alan Wake). Unexpectedly positive experiences, particularly when the story improves toward the end, also contribute to this emotion.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from persistent technical issues (e.g., graphical bugs, unsolvable puzzles), repetitive gameplay elements (e.g., long walks after death), and poorly placed checkpoints. The game's gloomy atmosphere and irrelevant protagonist dialogue also irritate players.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation is driven by excitement for *Control 2*, with players eagerly awaiting the sequel to explore new storylines, characters, and gameplay mechanics. The game's unique universe and unresolved mysteries fuel this emotion.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): The game's addictive gameplay loop, immersive storytelling, and gradual introduction of mechanics keep players engaged. The atmospheric world-building and lore also contribute to a compelling and long-lasting experience.}