VeteranGamer
Banned
nice. it had 3 dlc, right? were only the first 2 good?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Shinji Mikami's THE EVIL WITHIN |OT| Where's everyone going? Tango?
- Thread starter Nemesis_
- Start date
nice. it had 3 dlc, right? were only the first 2 good?
It is very good too.Terareflection
Member
The DLC will fill in the details. It's more plot driven.
dcx4610
Member
Just finished this after needing another horror fix after Resident Evil 7. I played it on PC and have to admit the graphics were a big turn off at first. The character models look like PS3 era graphics and the opening part of the game and it's cinema is pretty awful. Once you get past the opening though, the game gets pretty great.
It felt like an amalgamation of tons of different games. I felt Resident Evil, Last of Us, Assassin's Creed, Silent Hill, Metal Gear. Really interesting stuff. The graphics actually turned out incredibly impressive later on. The character models are bad but the stages are amazing. Really impressive use of lighting, darkness and atmosphere. The tension is something I haven't felt in years.
The story and acting is pretty bad I have to say but the gameplay and graphical design kept me engaged. The game just had so much variety to its scenery that it felt like it could have been several different games. The main con I had with the game besides the story is it did seem unfair at times and the amount of deaths I had was up there with games like Hotline Miami. There was a lot of trial and error and if you screw up slightly in an area, it felt best to die and re-do it. Some of the save points were bonkers. There were sections I would get through and say "please save" to myself and they never came.
Still, an excellent survival horror game if you can get past the story. Probably the best and most fun I've had with the genre since Resident Evil 4.
It felt like an amalgamation of tons of different games. I felt Resident Evil, Last of Us, Assassin's Creed, Silent Hill, Metal Gear. Really interesting stuff. The graphics actually turned out incredibly impressive later on. The character models are bad but the stages are amazing. Really impressive use of lighting, darkness and atmosphere. The tension is something I haven't felt in years.
The story and acting is pretty bad I have to say but the gameplay and graphical design kept me engaged. The game just had so much variety to its scenery that it felt like it could have been several different games. The main con I had with the game besides the story is it did seem unfair at times and the amount of deaths I had was up there with games like Hotline Miami. There was a lot of trial and error and if you screw up slightly in an area, it felt best to die and re-do it. Some of the save points were bonkers. There were sections I would get through and say "please save" to myself and they never came.
Still, an excellent survival horror game if you can get past the story. Probably the best and most fun I've had with the genre since Resident Evil 4.
Krauser Kat
Member
This quote makes me want to replay the game on crazy hard again but with upgrades. Since the no upgrade hard mode run is fucking dumb and took me way way way to long.
I'm curious about this as well. I thought the PC demo was interesting and would like to play more.
at that price and with the DLC included, it's a no-brainer, regardless of black bars and whatever technical issues it could have.
I played through it 3 years ago on PS4 and it was perfectly enjoyable
Fancy Clown
Member
After all the patches it runs a lot better. It's still not locked 30, and it's roughest in some of the earlier chapters, but it's not bad at all.
There is a full screen patch yeah. It makes the game not look as sharp though and I think the environments and everything were designed with letterboxing in mind so I prefer to play that way, but the option is there if it bothers you.
PetriP-TNT
Member
Not only that but the game was clearly designed with the black bars in mind. Removing them kills tons of brilliant parts in the game.
So i bought it yesterday and i am currently at chapter 3. The designs of the monsters and the surroundings are very good. I get a little Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3 Village vibe from it. currently i am playing without the letter boxes, but get the feeling that the game would be better with them. Cant decide for the time beeing. Hope the game keeps this level of quality to the end.
Psychoward
Banned
i'm near chapter 3 i think and so far I'm not sure what to think of it
the fact that the basic enemies can take multiple headshots and still walk is cool and all because of the body deformation visuals but in gameplay terms that means i'm just crouch walking through the level, picking up any loot i can find and then sprinting when I trigger aggro
the sound design is fantastic
the story is bonkers and I think even I didn't know the twist I'd be able to guess it anyway
I did sneak past a whole area effectively and then got to a gate which required a key which was kinda annoying
the level is sorta big and there aren't any objective markers yet the layout is still easy to see where you need to go next similar to soulsborne which I like
the technical stuff.... the game isn't much of a looker with a poor resolution, lots of jaggies and letterboxing in cutscenes and yet it still struggles to maintain 30fps even in dull moments
I'm glad they gave an option to disable film grain entirely
I'm also glad they gave an option to disable letterboxing but it's jarring when it switches aspect ratios for cutscenes
having to mash the analog stick back and forth to break grabs is annoying as it has been in every action game ever
the fact that the basic enemies can take multiple headshots and still walk is cool and all because of the body deformation visuals but in gameplay terms that means i'm just crouch walking through the level, picking up any loot i can find and then sprinting when I trigger aggro
the sound design is fantastic
the story is bonkers and I think even I didn't know the twist I'd be able to guess it anyway
I did sneak past a whole area effectively and then got to a gate which required a key which was kinda annoying
the level is sorta big and there aren't any objective markers yet the layout is still easy to see where you need to go next similar to soulsborne which I like
the technical stuff.... the game isn't much of a looker with a poor resolution, lots of jaggies and letterboxing in cutscenes and yet it still struggles to maintain 30fps even in dull moments
I'm glad they gave an option to disable film grain entirely
I'm also glad they gave an option to disable letterboxing but it's jarring when it switches aspect ratios for cutscenes
having to mash the analog stick back and forth to break grabs is annoying as it has been in every action game ever
Without going in to specifics, how so?
Fancy Clown
Member
I think a lot of the traps and certain things you have to interact with in the environment are definitely designed around the letterboxing. The environments also look like they are designed to be framed in that ratio too, but that might be bs. Either way I'm with myco and TNT and prefer keeping it letterboxed.
I also keep the film grain cranked to the default because it helps with the trippy 70's horror movie atmosphere that much of the game has. Graphically a lot of it might not be super technically impressive (mostly environment textures), but I think the art direction and lighting make it look stunning. With the grain on it gives it this lovely textured, soft look that makes it seem like concept paintings come to life.
I also keep the film grain cranked to the default because it helps with the trippy 70's horror movie atmosphere that much of the game has. Graphically a lot of it might not be super technically impressive (mostly environment textures), but I think the art direction and lighting make it look stunning. With the grain on it gives it this lovely textured, soft look that makes it seem like concept paintings come to life.
Psychoward
Banned
How are the traps designed around letterboxing, just basically the same reason why you don't want a super high FOV for horror games or why people prefer the tank controls for the older Resident Evils?
i.e. by giving you more info or easier mechanics it makes the game less tense
i.e. by giving you more info or easier mechanics it makes the game less tense
PetriP-TNT
Member
The game throws tons of smart trickery bomb / enemy / item placements with the limited vertical field of view, which forces you to actually look around your surroundings. Some of the best scares in the game I got from running into traps I didn't pay attention to, which made the game more tense.
I wrote a long post about it somewhere in this topic but can't find it right now (wow, 156 pages!)
Fancy Clown
Member
Without the letterboxing the traps are super easy to spot and don't present a threat. If they had designed the game without letterboxing in the game they would have made the traps more difficult to spot in order to compensate. It's a difficulty balancing act, and yeah higher difficulty usually makes things more tense.
The tank controls in RE weren't done to make it more difficult, but actually the opposite. It's to make things easy to control due to the camera angle changing during gameplay so that you don't have to reorient the controls every couple of seconds.
Psychoward
Banned
Yeah thanks, I reverted to the black bars for 3 reasons.
1) the constant changing in aspect ratio for cutscenes is jarring, especially since the transition from cutscene to gameplay and vice versa is usually incredibly smooth
2) it does make the game feel cheap/easy in terms of traps and vertical field of vision and stuff with them off
3) the game isn't a technical marvel anyway and the black bars kinda give it a unique movie-ish look and I usually hate effects like that and film grain, motion blur etc.
jury is still out on film grain though, I loved it in the opening credits when it was forced on but will have to compare some gameplay
Edit: also yeah, the sound design is godlike
I don't know if I've ever played a game with more accurate directional audio, let alone the actual gruesome sound effects of the game
I'm also curious as to what I would think of the plot if I didn't know the vague overview of the end. Kinda mad I know about it now, I think it also decreases some of the scariness but that could just be a placebo.
1) the constant changing in aspect ratio for cutscenes is jarring, especially since the transition from cutscene to gameplay and vice versa is usually incredibly smooth
2) it does make the game feel cheap/easy in terms of traps and vertical field of vision and stuff with them off
3) the game isn't a technical marvel anyway and the black bars kinda give it a unique movie-ish look and I usually hate effects like that and film grain, motion blur etc.
jury is still out on film grain though, I loved it in the opening credits when it was forced on but will have to compare some gameplay
Edit: also yeah, the sound design is godlike
I don't know if I've ever played a game with more accurate directional audio, let alone the actual gruesome sound effects of the game
I'm also curious as to what I would think of the plot if I didn't know the vague overview of the end. Kinda mad I know about it now, I think it also decreases some of the scariness but that could just be a placebo.
Psychoward
Banned
This checkpoint system is weird as hell, it reset me back to a previous location but I followed my way back and some of the things I looted and killed were already gone?
Nemesis_
Member
So I am returning to this because of the sequel, and trying to mop up achievements.
But I remember spending hours reloading my save trying to get all the lockers open as I only had one key but two lockers remaining.
is it true that one of the keys is inside one of the lockers? Because I've been trying for so long and nothing is coming up. I understand New Game Plus doesn't reset the keys either?
But I remember spending hours reloading my save trying to get all the lockers open as I only had one key but two lockers remaining.
is it true that one of the keys is inside one of the lockers? Because I've been trying for so long and nothing is coming up. I understand New Game Plus doesn't reset the keys either?
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but I think it was possible to lock yourself out of that trophy by doing exactly that. I remember reading in a guide that I had to reset if I didn't get keys in the lockers early on. don't quote me on that though.
That being said, if that were the case, getting a platinum requires several playthroughs so why not go for it in the "no green gel" one? or maybe the Akumu one?
Psychoward
Banned
Looked up what Akumu entails and it sounds absolutely dumb. I'm all for hard modes and whatnot especially with survival horror, I'm playing this on survival even but dying in one hit to any enemy doesn't just sound cheap, it sounds like it completely messes up the game balance and doesn't even seem fun. It's not even realistic that you'd die in one hit from a single strike either :/ I never planned on getting the plat or anything but still it sounds absolutely awful and not in a "prepare to die" sort of way, just sounds poorly thought out.
Anyway can you go in to nightmare for ng+ from survival or do you have to start a new save?
also recorded this neat bit of skill ( or luck lol) from chapter 5, no spoilers
Anyway can you go in to nightmare for ng+ from survival or do you have to start a new save?
also recorded this neat bit of skill ( or luck lol) from chapter 5, no spoilers
Marty-esque
Member
Akumu is not too bad if you're motivated to do it. I would suggest you know the game fairly well before you start though. And there are certain upgrades you'll want to focus on.
You'll have to start a new save for nightmare difficulty.
Psychoward
Banned
Yeah I mean im sure with enough prep you can get through it, my point is though giving every single enemy a one shot messes up the balance/game design I feel like since the uniqueness of each enemy is lessened.
Fancy Clown
Member
Evilness Within is one of my favorite games (if not my number 1, even) and I have very little desire to do Akumu mode.
Nightmare is pretty pretty great though. You get the remixed encounters and it's difficulty curve is a smooth increase from survival so you don't get comfortable until pretty late in the game when you have enough upgrades and bolts to trivialize the last few encounters/bosses. It makes some of the easier chapters like 2 turn from kinda eh into something a lot more intense and strategic.
On the flip-side it exposed more of the jank and frustration in the more action packed levels like 6,11, and 12 where the faster enemies and lower ammo counts led to some really, really aggravating encounters. 6 was one of my favorite levels on survival but on nightmare it was one of my least favorite lol.
Nightmare is pretty pretty great though. You get the remixed encounters and it's difficulty curve is a smooth increase from survival so you don't get comfortable until pretty late in the game when you have enough upgrades and bolts to trivialize the last few encounters/bosses. It makes some of the easier chapters like 2 turn from kinda eh into something a lot more intense and strategic.
On the flip-side it exposed more of the jank and frustration in the more action packed levels like 6,11, and 12 where the faster enemies and lower ammo counts led to some really, really aggravating encounters. 6 was one of my favorite levels on survival but on nightmare it was one of my least favorite lol.
Psychoward
Banned
That's funny cause I'm up to chapter 7 now and 6 was my least favorite so far. Some of the combat encounters were neat but overall the tense atmosphere was pretty much completely gone and it was basically just a straight up action game. Glad to see 7 is turning it down again.
Also I really, really regret watching the E3 trailer for the 2nd now. I already knew one of the twisteroos for this game but now I guess I know the second even though the setup for that twist hasn't even been revealed yet lol.
Fancy Clown
Member
I liked chapter 6 because it was such a stark pacing and environmental shift for the game. Up to that point it had been slowly ramping up, but then Chapter 6 is one of the longest in the game and it's just one insane set-piece after another. It's certainly not as "creepy" as many of the other chapters (though I like the cult enemies), but it wasn't lacking in tension for me with stuff like being swarmed in the beginning and the crazy boss fight against the two giants. The whole chapter felt like it was ripped from a particularly intense stretch of Resident Evil 4. And of course the game goes back to being simmeringly spooky the very next chapter, so 6 slots in nicely in Mikami's brand of peaks and valleys.
Psychoward
Banned
Yeah I liked the start I just found triggering the enemies in the elevator type things was kinds frustrating.
Also I thought I was supposed to run away from the giants for a while lol, they were easy to dodge though so I managed to get them in my first try.
The dog made me use almost all of my ammo/grenades but I beat it on my 2nd try.
I'm just paranoid that the enemies I run in to from now on are gonna be unwinnable Ala chapter 4's ending. Which was annoying because I tried to fight that thing like 5 tines before googling to see if it was unwinnable.
Fancy Clown
Member
I don't think you have to worry about anything else being unwinnable. Any boss fight can be beaten, although one of them it's a lot easier to try to escape instead.
Terareflection
Member
I think Ch4 is okay if you have enough matches and are good with fire traps. I think that's first Laura fight right?
Psychoward
Banned
If Laura is the spider woman then yeah, but from what I read it on multiple walkthroughs it was unwinnable to actually beat her there and you had to beat her in a later chapter which I had no trouble with.
I could be wrong but I pumped that son of a bitch full of everything I had and she didn't even flinch, I used shock traps to slow her down as well.
Psychoward
Banned
Ah I'll look it up then.
Also just got to chapter 9, I want to upgrade my harpoon bolt to the last level but that's 50k gel and I only have like 7.3k... will I even get 50k before the end of the game? Should I just focus on other things?
Also just got to chapter 9, I want to upgrade my harpoon bolt to the last level but that's 50k gel and I only have like 7.3k... will I even get 50k before the end of the game? Should I just focus on other things?
Terareflection
Member
Now I remember, the very first Laura encounter you just run from her, it's all scripted. The second fight is the next ch. You have to kill her there.
Marty-esque
Member
Yeah you will. You will get 50k quicker if you're finding a good amount of statues with the locker keys in them since there will always be a locker with green gel every few you open.
It will definitely be worth it. It will make things much easier for you late in the game .
Psychoward
Banned
It doesn't make it completely trivial though right? I still want a decent challenge/tension.
Kills any regular haunted in one hit and one that is bit special/tougher but not really a boss or sub boss enemy. So it makes couple of encounters bit trivial compared to what 'they should be'.
Psychoward
Banned
That's fine, I already have max accuracy and crit on the pistol so if I'm lucky I'm killing them in one hit anyway, I don't wanna be wasting 2 trap parts per regular enemy.
Fancy Clown
Member
The "secret" best bolt type is flash. You can stealth kill like 3-4 haunted with one bolt if you upgrade the stun time.
Freeze bolts are probably best for most bosses.
Freeze bolts are probably best for most bosses.
Psychoward
Banned
Yeah I've got flash to level 3, it's really good. I tried using it on the safe dude though and then I was like "oh yeah, he doesn't have eyes". I like using the shock bolt too.
The Freeze bolt is alright but I haven't used it much, and the explosive bolt is good but it can also be a hindrance if you use it on a fast moving enemy or a cramped situation since it can blow you up too.
Fancy Clown
Member
Okay, this is all I have left
Any suggestions or ideas? Should I do them in completely separate play throughs?
No upgrade, speedrun, Akumu. Doit.gif.
-MD-
Member
That's the toughest section for sure.
Marty-esque
Member
Have you upgraded the flash bolts at all?