Zero Punctuation: The Evil Within - As Bad as Bad Horror Games Can Get
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Agreed.vonSanneck said:
The game is horrible with mouse and keyboard on PC but with a gamepad it feels just as good as the gamecube version. I've never played it on the Wii so I don't know if that would still be considered the definitive version of RE4.
Highly recommend it on PC with a 360 controller though.
So for example the first Silent Hill games aren't horror?insaninater said:
And also run'n'hide games like Amnesia and Outlast can be scary, but you know you can beat every situation given enough tries. With games like Resident Evils (well, older ones where melee was suicide...), Silent Hills and now The Evil Within, you can end up in a fight you have next to no chance of winning if earlier parts of the game were played carelessly or wasting too much resources. If done right, that can give you a pause and makes you hesitate to pull the trigger, and for me that's a good sign.
Edit: I'm actually enjoying The Evil Within (right now I'm hunting the speedrun trophy [complete under 5 hours] on New Game+), and I recommend not blindly follow Yahtzee's opinions. Yes, he's usually right and "on the same wave-length", but I wouldn't make decisions only because of what he says.
I fully agree, and also by that logic the main eight Silent Hill games aren't Horror, with the exception of Shattered Memories, and let's not even pretend that Shattered Memories puts more effort into the scare department than the first Silent Hill did (not that it's bad, it's good).Wilco86 said:
I think that's more a positive surprise. Starts with terror them horror happens. The chapters are varied, the pace is schizophrenic but I never felt bored. Since video game became "the biggest thing in the world" It's boring game after boring game. It's a good break from the matchbox mentality.Xenominim said:
But sure, you're right. Promo never should this misleading.
I've just been killing a bit of lunch time watching Angry Joe play the game on stream, and what Yahtzee says seems almost kinder than my impressions of the game (up until the end of chapter 5 or 6, not sure).
It's clunky for the sake of being clunky, targeting is off (making you shoot through enemies without hurting them at times, especially if they are close), it looks good but a pair of dirty socks are 10x more horrifying and about as disgusting, it's got great looking blood effects on the environments, the plot makes no sense, the game expects you to shoot through hordes of zombies with minimal amounts of ammunition and the upgrade system (aside from making no sense) adds nothing but a chore to the game.
The upgrades are not fun, or interesting, they're just in the way and there to make your shitty guns, low health, and pathetic sprinting capacity marginally less shit by the end of the game - oh, and make the hero realize he should fully load his guns after 5 upgrades in each weapon (he still seems to store spare ammunition in his mouth though, given the limited storage capacity). And I assume he keeps matches in one of his ears.
And the interface seems to have some issues too, given the need to constantly rebind items for quick selection (if it runs out the key is cleared).
Overall, it just doesn't seem like a good game at all. It seems more like a frustrating chore of parts taken from other games.
It's clunky for the sake of being clunky, targeting is off (making you shoot through enemies without hurting them at times, especially if they are close), it looks good but a pair of dirty socks are 10x more horrifying and about as disgusting, it's got great looking blood effects on the environments, the plot makes no sense, the game expects you to shoot through hordes of zombies with minimal amounts of ammunition and the upgrade system (aside from making no sense) adds nothing but a chore to the game.
The upgrades are not fun, or interesting, they're just in the way and there to make your shitty guns, low health, and pathetic sprinting capacity marginally less shit by the end of the game - oh, and make the hero realize he should fully load his guns after 5 upgrades in each weapon (he still seems to store spare ammunition in his mouth though, given the limited storage capacity). And I assume he keeps matches in one of his ears.
And the interface seems to have some issues too, given the need to constantly rebind items for quick selection (if it runs out the key is cleared).
Overall, it just doesn't seem like a good game at all. It seems more like a frustrating chore of parts taken from other games.
How much criticism do you need!? It just sounds like you want to buy it and nothing will deter you. So buy it, but I think he pretty much made it clear that The Evil Within is a lackluster piece of shit.. Maybe you are just too hard to please haha. My friend got this game and I was so excited to watch him play it. He popped the disc in and 30 minutes later I was ready to be anywhere else but there watching him play it.Osaka117 said:
I think its a fantastic game personally. Though, even before the game was released I predicted on this forum the game would get torn a new one by the interwebs. It's a horror game in the way it delivers tension rather than full-on scares like Alien Isolation or Outlast. You are constantly outnumbered and low on ammo so having an extra bullet can mean the difference between life or death. The game plays like a slower-paced Resident Evil 4 and goes through all of that game's motions: creepy village, haunted mansion, collapsed urban terrain, all the way dowh to..you guessed it. Even the enemies behave similarly as Ganados with the same types like the axe wielding one, the chainsaw wielding one, the armed one etc. And remember the ride in the pick-up truck in RE4? Well this game has you similarly covered. 
There is even an Umbrella-like conspiracy.
To be honest this is the game I wanted RE5 to be, and I can't really think of a higher praise I can give Evil Within. I enjoyed this game way, way more than every other game released this year. It's atmospheric and tense yet it still has fun and satisfying gameplay(something nearly every horror game lacks). Those who say Mikami doesn't understand horror, I disagree. But his style of horror has always been about racketing up the tension, yet still having the means to fight back. This concept is what makes a fun game and is something more 'pure' horror games like Alien and Outlast misses the mark on. Mikami has this technique down as I just find his (survival horror) games satisfying in ways other games don't. Throw in a few kick-ass classic horror movie references and you have vintage Mikami stuff.
I even liked the story and the protagonist, Sebastian. The story is like what you get if you mix The Cell with Inception. I agree with Yahtzee that the levels don't make sense, but that is the point as you're literally in the mind of a psychopath(that's also why Psychobreak is a more appropriate title for the game). Sebastian had to endure something similair as Ruvik's childhood trauma(which explains the village/mansion levels and enemy types) but he carries it with a typical stoic demeanor(though when you leave the controller idle you'll notice he's in a bad place mentally). Without venturing into spoiler territory when Sebastian's partner wants to attempt suicide more light is shed on the matter.
Horrible things happened to characters in this game but it's often told so matter-of-factly and without any 'woe is me' garbage that it lacks any emotional punch. Which is another thing I really like about the game. I always find overly emotional displays of sappy drama really irritating so there being a mere whisper of suffering(which is a distinctly Japanese thing I guess as I only know Japanese games that do this) much more interesting and intriguing.
So yeah, if you're only slightly interested in the game just check it out for yourself to see if you like it or not. Yahtzee's taste in games might not be your own.
There is even an Umbrella-like conspiracy.To be honest this is the game I wanted RE5 to be, and I can't really think of a higher praise I can give Evil Within. I enjoyed this game way, way more than every other game released this year. It's atmospheric and tense yet it still has fun and satisfying gameplay(something nearly every horror game lacks). Those who say Mikami doesn't understand horror, I disagree. But his style of horror has always been about racketing up the tension, yet still having the means to fight back. This concept is what makes a fun game and is something more 'pure' horror games like Alien and Outlast misses the mark on. Mikami has this technique down as I just find his (survival horror) games satisfying in ways other games don't. Throw in a few kick-ass classic horror movie references and you have vintage Mikami stuff.
I even liked the story and the protagonist, Sebastian. The story is like what you get if you mix The Cell with Inception. I agree with Yahtzee that the levels don't make sense, but that is the point as you're literally in the mind of a psychopath(that's also why Psychobreak is a more appropriate title for the game). Sebastian had to endure something similair as Ruvik's childhood trauma(which explains the village/mansion levels and enemy types) but he carries it with a typical stoic demeanor(though when you leave the controller idle you'll notice he's in a bad place mentally). Without venturing into spoiler territory when Sebastian's partner wants to attempt suicide more light is shed on the matter.
Horrible things happened to characters in this game but it's often told so matter-of-factly and without any 'woe is me' garbage that it lacks any emotional punch. Which is another thing I really like about the game. I always find overly emotional displays of sappy drama really irritating so there being a mere whisper of suffering(which is a distinctly Japanese thing I guess as I only know Japanese games that do this) much more interesting and intriguing.
So yeah, if you're only slightly interested in the game just check it out for yourself to see if you like it or not. Yahtzee's taste in games might not be your own.
I don't fault Yahtzee for being angry at this game. It's one thing to make a bad game; it's another to misrepresent it as something entirely different.
Honestly, isn't that the moral to every story?Adam Jensen said:
Sounded like construction equipment outside Yahtzee's place. They were probably digging him a new rage vat to spew bile into whenever someone asks him to review an MMORPG or military-themed shooter.Master Kramer said:
I finished The Evil Within last night and it was an absolute gem. Not without its faults, of course, but a triumphant return to form from a man who really knows the genre. Levels, lighting, sound design: all perfect, or as damn close to it as we've come in a long time.
For anyone on the fence, I'd definitely recommend checking it out. Think of it as Resident Evil 4 tipped massively away from "action" and into the "survival horror" end of the spectrum. And to that end, there's a lot of fun little nods to the RE games that I won't spoil here.
One thing to note is that this game is tough. Never too overwhelmingly so, but expect to be surviving by the skin of your teeth. This game does not chuck ammo at you liberally like so many action horror games this past gen have done. On top of that, it's a slow burn: I highly encourage taking your time and absorbing the environments fully (because the lighting, as mentioned earlier, is perfect.)
Who knows, maybe I'm just a black sheep, but I feel like journalists have given this game an awfully unfair shake. I blame the babying.
For anyone on the fence, I'd definitely recommend checking it out. Think of it as Resident Evil 4 tipped massively away from "action" and into the "survival horror" end of the spectrum. And to that end, there's a lot of fun little nods to the RE games that I won't spoil here.
One thing to note is that this game is tough. Never too overwhelmingly so, but expect to be surviving by the skin of your teeth. This game does not chuck ammo at you liberally like so many action horror games this past gen have done. On top of that, it's a slow burn: I highly encourage taking your time and absorbing the environments fully (because the lighting, as mentioned earlier, is perfect.)
Who knows, maybe I'm just a black sheep, but I feel like journalists have given this game an awfully unfair shake. I blame the babying.
Man Alice Springs SUCKS! Yahtzee should do a review of it. Ive been there about 5 times and two of those times I saw a person taking a dump in the middle of the mall in the middle of the day. Ok every other time its just public urination which is pretty typical for the Northern Territory but Alice Springs always goes one better.... or is it worse... Why anyone lives there is beyond me.
And don't get me started on Uluru (Ayers Rock). The most flies I have ever seen anywhere EVER! and I have been pretty much all over Australia. Uluru is the first place I have ever had to wear a fly net head thing. At the end of the day.... its a rock, The Olgas were much better imho.
Oh and the game... pfft never interested me anyway.
And don't get me started on Uluru (Ayers Rock). The most flies I have ever seen anywhere EVER! and I have been pretty much all over Australia. Uluru is the first place I have ever had to wear a fly net head thing. At the end of the day.... its a rock, The Olgas were much better imho.
Oh and the game... pfft never interested me anyway.
I remember seeing the first video, which I guess ended up being the opening segment and being rather excited. Then as it got closer to release I just had a feeling it was going to end up not being the game I wanted it to be. So I waited, and seeing reviews from friends I am glad I did due to it not being survival horror. Sticking with Alien: Isolation for now.
Oh boy, another game that went belly-up after a promising premise. I can't wait for my friend Jacob to tell me about this in almost exactly the same wording that Yahtzee used here.
Yeah... at times this game feels like TangoGameworks were up to something, then it decides that NOPE, now you're on a cemetery being chased by two giants because of REASONS!. Also I've never slapped my head so fucking hard when the game decided it's no longer a "horror" game anymore and it gives you a fucking machine gun mounted on a military truck. Also that blood *****, GOD, why the fuck does she have to appear so many times!??, ARGGHHHH!, Yahtzee is absolutely right, this game can make anyone angry!
Ta-dah! [http://store.steampowered.com/app/254700/]Silentpony said: