I finished this game couple weeks ago but with the release of Cyberpunk and all the related news and discussion I never got around to coming back here and giving my thoughts. My feelings of the game aren't fully fresh in my mind anymore but I want to try to do it now before my old brain starts to forget everything.
For me Control is a rare game that I had high expectations for going in and it actually still surpassed them. It is a full on masterpiece of a game in my opinion in almost all respects, with very few or no problems. I loved every minute of it and will absolutely play the DLC to get more of the lore and great action, and hope for a sequel someday.
While the gameplay was super fun and addicting, I think its the story and setting that hooked me the most. The very Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, X-Files type vibe it has is my favorite style of sci-fi and they nailed it so well. I read every single piece of collectible lore I could find, and all were interesting and great for world building. The Old House as the setting gave a feeling of wonder and curiosity I haven't seen in a game since Portal 2. We really need more of this seriously well crafted world building in games. I am really thinking about seeking out Quantum Break now in hopes to get more of that quality as its a recent Remedy game I skipped.
As for the gameplay, just great tight easy to learn controls that are fun and addicting and the game's particle physics and destructible environments give a great feeling of impact and power. What's not to like. The weapon upgrades I know are the point of contention for some in this game, but I thought they were fine here. They could have made it more fleshed out but I think its all you need and served its purpose just fine. You had the basic tried and true video game weapon types, with the ability to grind for upgrades, and lots of different personal and weapon buffs to choose from depending on playstyle. It was sufficient for an action game of this kind. If anything maybe the menu could have been cleaned up a bit and/or made more easily understandable from the start. It was at times somewhat cumbersome to break the action to manage the inventory when it got full.
Overall great, highly recommended. My only concern would be you'd probably need to be fully interested in the story to keep your attention. I can see how for some the combat while fun, can get repetitive after a while. But if the story is engaging for you and you just keep following it as the main focus it will be fun from start to finish.
[EDIT] I also plan to keep the game installed for the time being so I can jump in every so often and do the post endgame side content. There's apparently still more objectives to complete and I know there are more boss fights to find. Actually really enjoyed the boss fights in this game, so will absolutely try to 100% this game.
