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The Evil Within 2 |OT| "Something not quite right"
- Thread starter SlasherJPC
- Start date
The invisible walls got to me too, there were a surprising number of them. They always break immersion, which is particularly problematic in a game that relies heavily on tense atmosphere.
You can tell this is a true sequel to The Evil Within with how polarizing the impressions and reviews are in hereWouldn't have it any other way.
This is true, but at the same time I think a lot of people, including me, were hoping that a sequel would be "The Evil Within except more polished and less-polarizing." Instead we got a very different game that is very polarizing in very different ways.
A bit disappointing in that respect, but overall I'm fine with it because many of the new things EW2 attempts are great.
This game isn't Shakespearean by any means but the writing is leaps and bounds better than RE6.
If for no other reason than EW2 has a great, memorable ending, and RE6 writing gets worse the further you get into the campaign(s).
Overall, now that it's had some time to simmer, I think I did like the story in this one. It had its issues, but there were certain moments where it tried for an emotional payoff and actually succeeded.
Everything I've seen so far about TEW2's story is at best generic, late night sci-fi B-movie, which I guess would make it better than RE6 which goes into "takes itself more than a bit too seriously" territory. Although the opening cutscene with Seb and Kidman in the bar is... it's trying.
Maybe I just prefer Dark Souls-style storytelling, which the original TEW1 did well. The narrative was there if you were looking for it, but it didn't really get in the way of the game and how its set pieces and pacing were designed. Even the Kidman DLC didn't stray too much from the formula.
grandwizard
Member
While I appreciated it the storytelling for the first one it had most people thinking it was just completely incoherent and made no sense. I also thought of it like Dark Souls thing where there is a much grander story going on and Seb is just one part of the whole thing, and it made cool reveals once you really figure out what is going on and the changes that happen in the game and why. On the other hand I can see why they made it much more followable in the sequel with a simple setup (go in here to save daughter) and lots of radio chatter to remind people of whats going on.
CrichtonKicks
Member
Yeah but levels like the aforementioned Claws of the Horde were already almost perfectly polished and didn't suffer from the same jank and frustrations that plagued some other aspects of the game. Yet people complained about that level.
The reaction to TEW 1 was incredibly schizophrenic- Other than *maybe* Chapters 5 and 10 its hard to find a chapter that everyone near universally praises as great or poor (Chapter 12). The rest of the chapters span the same spectrum Every chapter that ends up on someone's best list. is going to end up on another person's worst.
By its very nature it will be polarizing- every time a level focuses more on horror, or more on stealth, or action, etc its always going to make somebody frustrated while making another happy. Even Resident Evil has almost never tried to do that- that switch happens more game-by-game there instead of level-by-level like it did with TEW.
papercan55
Member
All i wanted was decent aiming of weapons, a better camera plus improved animations.
I kind of feel like i got none of these and instead all the effort was spent on changing other aspects of the first game, that were not broken, rather than fix the few things that were not working.
We now have a gun with the same broken aiming as uncharted 3 before they quickly fixed it but sadly, unlike naughty dog, i doubt they will even bother to fix it.
It's a good game so far for me but my mind is dumbfounded that they haven't yet come up with a decent camera/fov and even got the basic aiming of weapons sorted.
I'd rather have a game with 7 chapters and decent aiming/camera/fov, why they can't even seem to sort out the very basics is strange, i'm hoping they patch in a fix for the aiming at least.
And simple isn't necessary bad. RE7 is particularly trope-y, with multiple obvious homages and fairly straight forward storytelling. It actually feels more like a sequel, at least atmosphere and writing-wise, to TEW than TEW2 does. And much of that is from RE7 being a direct response to RE6, a game which sold well but was critically panned in almost every aspect.
The original TEW1 itself felt like a response to a market that was focused more on bland narratives and barren open environments than moment-to-moment gameplay, tight set pieces, and memorable atmosphere. It was basically a rough mixture of RE4 and REmake, with a small smattering of Silent Hill. A love letter to people who just wanted something (mostly) fun to play.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
I truly believe they made the aiming in the game less reliable to discourage combat, or at make it more dangerous.
Duxxy3
Member
Not sure how it is on a controller, but with a keyboard and mouse aiming didn't seem to be an issue.
edit: Headshots on a controller could definitely be a problem. They seem to have erratic head movements.
grandwizard
Member
Aiming has been fine for me but using a mouse. I think the way the enemies dart around and the head movements might be a little too much for analog sticks especially if the zones aren't tuned right. I'm loving the combat so I'm bummed we're heading for another situation where it gets a bad rep on combat because of these issues.
papercan55
Member
you might be right, especially as the gun with broken aiming is the first weapon they give the player but it's insane.
I liked the last of us as much as most people but to purposefully break a weapons aiming to force players to stealth or panic is madness, it needs fixing in a patch a.s.a.p.
They made the enemies much faster but made the aiming worse, i appreciate that they pulled the camera back so we can now at least see 5% of sebastian when aiming but they hand the player a first gun with dead spot aiming which is useless until they find other weapons.
The dead zone is completely broken on the first handgun they give the player, even slightly worse than uncharted 3 was before they quickly fixed it.
I'm more than bummed, i'm heartbroken...they only had to fix a few small issues from the first game and other than the engine performance they seem to have completely ignored them.
I agree with all of this, but I think that in the context of a game in this genre, having a merely serviceable story that actually pulls off some great moments at the end is much better than average.
This isn't "the Citizen Kane of gaming" but it's a narrative where there are clear objectives, clear character motivations, and a distinct central theme that is conveyed clearly.
There's a gulf of quality between bare competence with some highlights, like we have here, and the Chernobyl-tier disaster that was RE6's plot (though I'll admit I do enjoy how absurd RE6's plot is).
Somewhat unrelated, but the cutscenes in this game are also pretty good. I really was not expecting that at all, and it was a pleasant surprise.
I 100% agree with this because (spoilers for a weapon you get later in the game)
when Sebastian defeats his sense of guilt and gets the revolver back from the first game, for some reason it seems substantially easier to aim (on PS4 anyway). I'm wondering if this is their way of saying "he's conquered his guilt and is empowered now," so the aiming becomes easier.
All of that is speculative fluff, but I do think that aiming this terrible is a deliberate design choice rather than jank, and it did seem like the revolver aimed a lot smoother.
All of that is speculative fluff, but I do think that aiming this terrible is a deliberate design choice rather than jank, and it did seem like the revolver aimed a lot smoother.
Bl@de
Member
Yep. You really have to hit your headshots in this game. Especially with limited ressources and the enemy damage on Nightmare. Playing it with a controller and a FOV of 65 would be a serious disadvantage in this game, A high framerate also helps...
I actually think I'd be more okay if it wasn't a direct sequel to TEW. The characters are so different in their portrayals that it makes me care about them even less than if they were new, generic protagonists. Why? Because it means we're never getting a sequel that stars Seb, Kidman, their world, etc. as they were. That book is essentially closed.
As for the emphasis on sneaking in TEW2,
the crowd-control bolts seem even more powerful than in the original, and especially compared to the standard bolt and weapons.
That weapon aims just as well/crappy as the other guns and is solely based on what skills you've invested in. Might be the different crosshair that provides the placebo.
shpankey
not an idiot
I can answer that question, and funnily enough, TEW2 got REALLY close to figuring it out.
Take this open world, where you have houses, buildings and landmarks that are destinations with goals that are required to move forward... once a player enters the house/bldg, lock the doors behind them and in essence, turn yourself back into a linear game, forcing the players through the buildings in a linear fashion and unveil your well scripted encounter as you see fit.
Best of both worlds. Both open world, with well scripted linear encounters.
In addition to small narrative set pieces, they could've made meaty, multi-doored and many floored residences to explore. I watched the first six chapters or so and didn't really see any of that. Also
the marrow looks boring as all shit, and I hear you revisit it often with slight changes.
CrichtonKicks
Member
Kidman seems to have the same characterization that she had before, just with a new voice actor.
Seb is a bit different but that's only because he has an actual personality now. He was way too banal in TEW1 for a guy who was supposedly a depressed, ragged alcoholic detective. If you didn't read the background material for the character in that game you would never have been able to tell that he had that in his past.
The Seb in the opening cutscene of TEW2 is much closer to that written background.
He's closed off and unemotional. Not everyone who suffers from trauma turns into RE6 Chris. The guy's had so many knocks over the years that he just does not give a fuck anymore.
All the characters in the game (maybe not Joseph, I can't recall) came from a messed up background, and react to it in both different and mostly realistic ways.
At first I thought it was definitely a placebo, but now I've done a decent amount of testing and there is unquestionably some kind of difference in the way it aims.
If it does end up being a placebo then it's one of the most elaborate ones I've experienced, because at this point I keep thinking "this must be a placebo effect" and yet every time I cycle through handguns, there is a noticeable functional difference in how it controls compared to the others.
The title sequence was something special, one of my favorites from the current gen.
It's the worst part of the game in my eyes.
CrichtonKicks
Member
I disagree entirely- he doesn't seem closed off at all. If you want to call unemotional, bland then sure.
He doesn't need to act like RE6 Chris (I wouldn't wish that on anyone) but the problem is that is how the background material in TEW 1 portrays him. Don't present him as a depressed alcoholic cop if you aren't going to write him that way in the actual game. The closest that Seb gets to characterization in the first game is the moment he reaches for a cigarette in the elevator ride at the end of Chapter 1.
Where do you get that he doesn't give a fuck anymore? He's engaged in the case the moment that Joseph mentions a possible connection to the missing hospital patients in the cop car. He comes off as every bit as engaged as Joseph. Kidman is the one who doesn't seem engaged.
When I say closed off, it's like- what's directly in front of him matters, in this case his work and his partners. Everything else... it's not enough to elicit much of a response, not from someone who's been through what he's been through. He's emotionally selective, and even then, he doesn't turn into TEW2 Seb.
Sanctuary
Member
Except when you throw a huge wrench into the gameplay (aiming and super speed zombies), it's not literally the same. They aren't "little tweaks", it's fucking huge. It's like comparing Super Meat Boy to Super Mario Brothers and claiming they are "literally the same".
First-Person Shooter fatigue long before that game arrived, and it also heavily borrowed from The Ring, which is also what everyone else was doing. It was basically a bullet time shooter with some horror elements. Other than a handful of jump scares, I never actually thought of it being a horror game at all. Even Doom 3 had a lot better atmosphere in that regard, and Doom 3 was boring as hell. Alan Wake was simply a better experience to me.
I'm so fucking angry I don't know what I was thinking either but I thought I could do it.
I basically tried to do Classic Mode and got to the point in Chapter 3/4 whereand I totally fucked it up and lost all progress.Stefano summons the three Spawns
I was aiming to have my first out of the seven saves be just before I did the security release in the Marrow. Guess I"ll have to come back to it later, too frustrated right now.
Anyone attempting Classic or got any tips?
Not exclusive to Classic (I'm replaying it on Nightmare and enemies seem to have exactly the same health as on Survivor, they just deal more damage), but to "game" the game, save a few axes and remember where they dropped. A decent place to stockpile 2-3 is pretty much right outside that area
the yard with a bunch of roamers, the outhouses and the switch you had to use to open the gate in the first place.
one inside of the building by luring it to the oil drum that I kicked over, lit it as it was coming towards me from one side and ran away on the other and all I heard was shrieking. Returned and it was dead. I didn't hear an explosion either, so I'm not sure if the drum even has to explode for the fire to kill them. Anyway, shock bolt + axe = 1, fire = 2, for the third I just ended up shooting it with three unupgraded shotgun blasts,
People were shitting on that level? That was easily the stand out for me. Almost everything after was a drop in quality as far as I was concerned in terms of atmosphere. There were still memorable areas, but it was mostly the incessant spikes, blades and over the top gore that made them so.
Some people swear by it, but the only time it would actually work for me is when I would be around ten feet away. It was an extremely expensive purchase for a skill that would basically shave off around two seconds of crouch walking (which I never needed). I think Ambush on the other hand is pretty good. At least when it doesn't bug the fuck out. Sometimes you'll get a corner kill prompt, other times you won't and there doesn't seem to be any specific way to get it to reliably trigger. Other times, Sebastian will just randomly crouch rush past the enemy for no apparent reason. He shouldn't be moving like that at all, since it's not even part of the skill's moveset. It's like he's going for an ambush kill and then just grossly overextends and just keeps going.
CrichtonKicks
Member
That's fine but he really doesn't have any characterization or personality displayed in the first game. And what's there seems counter to the background material they wrote for his character.
Without calling up stuff written in the notes I don't think you could actually make any type of determination of Seb's personality or motivation just based off of what he says and does in-game.
Riposte
Member
Mouse sounds like easy mode, a la RE4, especially on a difficult with aim assist off.
Which "bosses" can't be killed in this game (i.e., you have to run)? In TEW1 almost every boss you run into can be killed as an extra challenge. It's kind of frustrating this isn't communicated well in the game.
EDIT: So you can kill the
you encounter in Chapter 6, but you don't seem to get anything out of it?
Which "bosses" can't be killed in this game (i.e., you have to run)? In TEW1 almost every boss you run into can be killed as an extra challenge. It's kind of frustrating this isn't communicated well in the game.
EDIT: So you can kill the
white goo monster
TEW1 Seb being mostly a stock crime detective novel protagonist aside (complete with depressed, self-deprecating alcoholism)- I have known people who were like him. People who may've been completely normal at one point, but because of trauma, kinda aren't anymore. (I also don't have enough in front of me to recall how he was pre-death of Lily and Myra, so I may be completely off base here)
And I can't lie and say that that doesn't likely color my perception of how I view Seb, so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
CrichtonKicks
Member
But he is pretty much completely normal in TEW1. He doesn't act depressed, self-depreciating, or alcoholic. That's all stuff he does in the opening of TEW 2.
But, yeah, we are just going in circles.
(boss spoilers)
Yeah, you don't get anything from killing the goo monster.
Might be chapter 8, so spoilers:
I'm thinking of the second time you meet the Obscura 'camera' monster while slashing the paintings.
Oh, right. I didn't even register that as a boss, my bad.
Can't help either unfortunately. Ran past it, the entire sequence literally took me about 5 seconds.
I could test it later and see what happens, but I'm sure someone who's already tried can chime in.
Waddle Dee
Member
I don't know if you get a reward for killing him again but if you do I'm positive it'd just be a decent amount of green gel.
Also, the
Obscura 'camera' monster
He's high-functioning? Alcoholics, psychopaths, etc. Or at least he is when the events of the game take place. You can be without showing, and often without even realizing it yourself.
Or are you arguing the opposite? Uh... I may be lost in a tunnel somewhere.
CrichtonKicks
Member
LOL- no I'm definitely saying that it doesn't show. So yeah it would be high-functioning. Which could be interesting if addressed but they don't. And judging by the files in the game everyone knows he is an alcoholic so I don't know if would actually be well hidden.
The musical sting that plays when the title of the game pops up gave me chills. Love it.
My guess is that if everyone knows, then everyone is also likely aware of the shit that's happened to him. He's quiet and doesn't bother his co-workers, let's just let him be. He probably doesn't care either way.
I'm playing the first game right now and I'm liking it so far.
I like the level design and the traps are a nice touch. The way you lure enemies into traps is a nice mixup for the combat.
The shooting itself feels off tho. Sometimes it seems like I'm shooting an enemy in the head and the bullet goes right through. Not sure what to make of the bow yet, I found not long ago but I hope the different bolt types come into play.
The game didn't manage to scare me yet tho. I did see and remember some of these levels from a GB Quicklook but even the butcher or the crazy spider lady didn't manage to scare me and I hate things chasing me in games.
I don't play a lot of horror games in general but I find Amnesia and SOMA terrifying in comparison.
I like the level design and the traps are a nice touch. The way you lure enemies into traps is a nice mixup for the combat.
The shooting itself feels off tho. Sometimes it seems like I'm shooting an enemy in the head and the bullet goes right through. Not sure what to make of the bow yet, I found not long ago but I hope the different bolt types come into play.
The game didn't manage to scare me yet tho. I did see and remember some of these levels from a GB Quicklook but even the butcher or the crazy spider lady didn't manage to scare me and I hate things chasing me in games.
I don't play a lot of horror games in general but I find Amnesia and SOMA terrifying in comparison.
Waddle Dee
Member
Those knife-wielding white women are a pain. Half the time I shoot them with my shotgun or explosive darts they don't even flinch.
I think most are in agreement that The Evil Within, as a series, isn't particularly scary. The first game does have a much more oppressive atmosphere than the sequel though, at least from where I'm at in the sequel (Chapter 9).
I think most are in agreement that The Evil Within, as a series, isn't particularly scary. The first game does have a much more oppressive atmosphere than the sequel though, at least from where I'm at in the sequel (Chapter 9).
grandwizard
Member
Does anyone else sometimes get a weird spaz out animation when bringing the shotgun up to ADS? I'm starting to wonder if there are some animation bugs because of higher framerates on the PC like happens sometimes with japanese games.
In the Easy Allies review at this moment this body moves way more than it did in my game. Here it really flies around but in my game it kinda just was propped up a little then fell down.
In the Easy Allies review at this moment this body moves way more than it did in my game. Here it really flies around but in my game it kinda just was propped up a little then fell down.
shpankey
not an idiot
Yeah, that would be a very nice addition indeed.
The Marrow reminds me of the tunnels and back areas of the Dead Rising games.