A long time ago in an insane asylum far, far away, there existed a video game genre called "Survival Horror." This genre much paralleled the American Horror film genre in that it started with a bunch of gore, some jumpy moments, and a passable storyline with which to deliver said gorybits and heart-skippy, dogs crashing through window-based memories. Then, as time went on and maturity set in, right around the dying days of the Sony Playstation, (that's right, the Playstation, not the Pee-Ess-Won, it was the f'ing Playstation... go retcon yourself), something amazing happened to the Survival Horror genre... "Silent Hill;" or as I like to call it, "When Survival Horror Got Smart."
But alas, this isn't about the Princess that was "Silent Hill," nor is this about the beginning of said g(l)ory days; this PWS, she comes in at the end of the dance, right as the DJ's packing up his gear and the clean-up crew are rolling around their big trashcans picking up errant, quarter-filled plastic cups. The ever ill-fated Greek tragedy of a developer that was (is?) Silicon Knights, ever-blessed with great stories to tell and less game-developing talent to tell them with, threw their hat into the exceedingly Adult-Oriented (as in deep narrative, not the Team Ninja type of "Adult" you perverts) Survival Horror genre on the questionably-chosen purple lunchbox of a platform that was the Gamecube (... come on, it had an eff'ing handle for x's sake).
That game was "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem." While Silicon Knights will always hold a sad, special little seat on the short-bus section of my heart for all its attempted endeavors with consistent, "fall flat on your face" gameplay mechanics; this title actually managed to feel like a game with some mechanical muscle underneath it (I guess it helps to have Miyamoto down the hall in the corner office). While it still put narrative over gameplay in priority (as I wish more titles would), it felt much more polished than S-K's former titles. What really set it apart though was the exceedingly deep yet digestible plot, exceptional voice acting (save a few over-the-top moments here and there), and its innovative "sanity" gameplay mechanic. While you could argue that the dev-team at S-K played through the Psycho Mantis battle in Metal Gear Solid one too many times, I applaud any game that attempts to play with the person holding the controller; and does it through fun rather than frustration.
As wonderful as "Eternal Darkness" was in all its Lovecraft-ian splendor, it, like many other titles that achieved nearly universal critical acclaim, sold about as well as a Quarter-Pounder with cheese in Mumbai. It seems that creating a unique, intelligent world, with rich characters, deep narrative and intellectually stimulating dialogue is a rock-solid way to get your game tanked in NPD sales figures. Consequently, the survival horror genre has gone downhill in terms of intelligence and risk-taking since then. As great as Resident Evil 4 was, it turned the genre on its ear and since then, games of the ilk have favored gameplay over narrative and richness of plot.
This PWS is the demure, sophisticated, out-of-your-league-hot bookworm sitting in the horror section of a library, nose-deep in the seventh book of a series you've never heard of, brushing aside her ponytail and adjusting her glasses with every page turn; the kind that you simply can't hold conversation interesting enough to keep her attention as she fidgets with her cute little tentacle monster keychain. The smartest of the smart agree that she's awesome, and she knows it; that's unfortunately why not many people approach her... she's too intimidating. For the love(craft) of god, do it anyway, otherwise you're going to miss out on one of the most memorable experiences of your life. In other words, if you still have a Gamecube sitting around collecting dust on its indigo-colored little boxy hide, please go find this game... buy it, play it, and thank me later.
-SP
But alas, this isn't about the Princess that was "Silent Hill," nor is this about the beginning of said g(l)ory days; this PWS, she comes in at the end of the dance, right as the DJ's packing up his gear and the clean-up crew are rolling around their big trashcans picking up errant, quarter-filled plastic cups. The ever ill-fated Greek tragedy of a developer that was (is?) Silicon Knights, ever-blessed with great stories to tell and less game-developing talent to tell them with, threw their hat into the exceedingly Adult-Oriented (as in deep narrative, not the Team Ninja type of "Adult" you perverts) Survival Horror genre on the questionably-chosen purple lunchbox of a platform that was the Gamecube (... come on, it had an eff'ing handle for x's sake).
That game was "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem." While Silicon Knights will always hold a sad, special little seat on the short-bus section of my heart for all its attempted endeavors with consistent, "fall flat on your face" gameplay mechanics; this title actually managed to feel like a game with some mechanical muscle underneath it (I guess it helps to have Miyamoto down the hall in the corner office). While it still put narrative over gameplay in priority (as I wish more titles would), it felt much more polished than S-K's former titles. What really set it apart though was the exceedingly deep yet digestible plot, exceptional voice acting (save a few over-the-top moments here and there), and its innovative "sanity" gameplay mechanic. While you could argue that the dev-team at S-K played through the Psycho Mantis battle in Metal Gear Solid one too many times, I applaud any game that attempts to play with the person holding the controller; and does it through fun rather than frustration.
As wonderful as "Eternal Darkness" was in all its Lovecraft-ian splendor, it, like many other titles that achieved nearly universal critical acclaim, sold about as well as a Quarter-Pounder with cheese in Mumbai. It seems that creating a unique, intelligent world, with rich characters, deep narrative and intellectually stimulating dialogue is a rock-solid way to get your game tanked in NPD sales figures. Consequently, the survival horror genre has gone downhill in terms of intelligence and risk-taking since then. As great as Resident Evil 4 was, it turned the genre on its ear and since then, games of the ilk have favored gameplay over narrative and richness of plot.
This PWS is the demure, sophisticated, out-of-your-league-hot bookworm sitting in the horror section of a library, nose-deep in the seventh book of a series you've never heard of, brushing aside her ponytail and adjusting her glasses with every page turn; the kind that you simply can't hold conversation interesting enough to keep her attention as she fidgets with her cute little tentacle monster keychain. The smartest of the smart agree that she's awesome, and she knows it; that's unfortunately why not many people approach her... she's too intimidating. For the love(craft) of god, do it anyway, otherwise you're going to miss out on one of the most memorable experiences of your life. In other words, if you still have a Gamecube sitting around collecting dust on its indigo-colored little boxy hide, please go find this game... buy it, play it, and thank me later.
-SP
