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LTTP: Eternal Darkness (OMG, whaaaaaat?)

VDenter

Banned
I was one of the few people who first played Eternal Darkness before playing any Resident Evil game. All i could remember when i finally got around to playing remake is of how much of a struggle it was after Eternal Darkness. The controls,camera,combat and story and voice acting sucked big time. Since then i have gained more appreciation for RE but back then going from Eternal Darkness into other horror games was rough. While Eternal Darkness has some shortcomings it was quite ambitious and was in some ways ahead of its time.
 

dlauv

Member
I'm not putting words in your mouth, I'm saying your grasp and knowledge of HPL appears be limited.

What are these dark, sophisticated stories that reach so far beyond ED that you reference?

The mythos of the old ones is far more expansive, for one, and there's a much more deathly gravitas than what's presented in the game. The descent into madness typically doesn't hit like a ton of bricks either, nor are people regularly swashbuckling waves of zombies. Or, are you limiting my answer to one story at a time to suit your argument?

I mean, I don't see why it's so hard to admit that concepts were abbreviated and made more lighthearted. "So far beyond," and "dark, sophisticated," is putting words in my mouth. Lovecraft is often very messy.

Edit: Polaris is a good starting point though. You're not sure if the guy's just crazy or if he's transporting or given glimpses of what's happening or happened. Maybe all three in some way. That's a more complex situation than anything that occurs in the game. I think the matter-of-factness about the game it is more suited towards children too.
 
I played it for the first time fairly recently (two or three years ago) and loved it. That second level of the Roivas mansion made me exceedingly uneasy before I quite realized why. That
hall with the creepy window at one end and the empty space where a door SHOULD be but isn't.

My only real complaint is that, other than the corpses, the enemies themselves aren't really frightening on their own.
 

hpkomic

Neo Member
One of my favorite videogame experiences ever, and one of the few things out there that has made me legit scared, as a horror fan. Loved it so much in inspired me to write a reader-driven horror comic project that I'm eager to get to the third chapter of.
 

Mr Git

Member
One of my favourite games. So good. Depending on your TV, some of the madness effects could be very convincing.
 

99Luffy

Banned
I think this is the first game that introduced me to the concept of downgrades. I remember the first footage having realtime shadows and crazy particle effects. IGN took down all their old videos though.
 
I can't wait to play more. Holy shit...and this game is made by Silicon Knights AND NINTENDO? Where is the successor? ...Nintendo, what are you doing?

Its secretly the best 3rd person horror game ever made. Nintendo could have had a epic horror franchise on their hands but they fucked it up because its Nintendo.

Silicon Knights went on to create a damn good version of Metal Gear Solid(The Twin Snakes, you should check out btw.) and Too Human after that, which was horrible and I think they are extinct now?

Yeah, it’s interesting to look back at this era: Nintendo was making an effort to appeal to the ‘hardcore’ and ‘mature’ demographics (one / two), and it's unfortunate that it did not quite work out for them, commercially:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gamecube-made-miyamoto-very-sad
Speaking to Japanese magazine Famitsu... Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed his sadness at the lack of popularity... Nintendo experienced during the GameCube era.

"This is a job where you have a plan and you polish it endlessly while getting help from others. If Nintendo's games fail to stand out, as games that aren't made that way proliferate, then it shows that the creation process is for nothing, which made me very sad… That was especially obvious during the GameCube era; Nintendo titles were hardly even discussed by the general public back then," he continued.

Miyamoto blames the lull in the company's fortunes on his "fascination" with creating technically demanding 3D worlds, and Nintendo's focus on direct competition with Sony and Microsoft during "the N64 and the era after it…" he said.

Nintendo's new approach to widening their playerbase and gaining the attention of the general public (with the Wii) was indeed commercially successful, but it not only alienated hardcore gamers, it also alienated also some key development partners (like Silicon Knights), whose ambitions were in some cases dependent upon “technically demanding 3D worlds.” Interesting in this context to contrast the Dyack/Silicon Knights/Microsoft situation with the Retro/Armature situation (these two cases being somewhat different from the Rare/Free Radical or Rare/Microsoft situations).
 
Still haven't beaten it, but I spent most of what I've played of the game so far with my health and sanity meters deliberately super low and very much enjoyed the Lovecraftian ride
 

Moff

Member
loved it and I finished it three times a row because I think there was a special cutscene of a few seconds if you did that

loved every minute

I think I'd buy a remake, or on virtual console
 

Boney

Banned
Gotta give a shout out to my main man Pious Augustus

The most frustrating level in the game is the insta death traps at the First visit to the Aztec temple. Probably had more to do with having a terrible tv at the time though

Having the journey through time plot allows for some efficient ways to reuse the levels without it being frustrating or boring. Big kudos to that as well. it really ramps up great in the last few levels because of it as well.
 
I'm really not a fan of the game. If you're into high class story telling and writing like Soul Reaver then that's cool but I've never been able to get into it like others have.

I think the combat is terrible.

Honestly, that sanity meter is a huge gimmick that I thought was more funny to talk about with friends when I was 12 than how I felt more absorbed into the game. Having your save delete or the game restart or your characters head fall off is just a gimmick. It doesn't add anything to the game.

loved it and I finished it three times a row because I think there was a special cutscene of a few seconds if you did that

loved every minute

I think I'd buy a remake, or on virtual console

I do think the fans deserve a remake or the next entry into the series. It's a fascinating game.
 

Garlador

Member
Eternal Darkness remains a game I played three times, traded in for some cash at Gamestop... then regretted it a few months later and bought it right back.

Love it. Never letting go of it again.
 

Everdred

Member
My original experience with the game was amazing. The TV sanity effects were modeled after Sony TVs of that time so they were actually very convincing. They used the exact same on screen graphics and interfaces.
 
V

Vilix

Unconfirmed Member
The best voice acting for its time. One hell of a game.
 
I really love that you can take control of so much different characters. Every chapter is unique. And between these chapters...it's pretty much Resident Evil. What an amzing experience this game is....WOOOW.
 

VDenter

Banned
Gotta give a shout out to my main man Pious Augustus

The most frustrating level in the game is the insta death traps at the First visit to the Aztec temple. Probably had more to do with having a terrible tv at the time though

Having the journey through time plot allows for some efficient ways to reuse the levels without it being frustrating or boring. Big kudos to that as well. it really ramps up great in the last few levels because of it as well.

Yeah Pious was great. I loved that the game is set up so you play as just some random dude who turns out to be the main villain and is responsible for the major events that happen through history. I cant think of a single game that has this kind of setup even to this day. Also you are completely right in how this game handles level reuse. It never feels repetitive since the areas change significantly each time giving them that nice fresh feel while also being familiar.
 
I really enjoyed this game, and both my siblings and later on my wife enjoyed watching the story unfold. It has an interesting set up that is fun to unravel as the story progresses. It also made playing through the game multiple times at least somewhat interesting when you do it from the different perspectives. The voice acting was excellent overall, and the magic system was interesting in that you could create spells without having learned them once you understand the language.

One thing I would have changed is to remove the visible sanity meter. You should not be able to tell how sane or insane you are at a given moment.
 

Z..

Member
Recently RTTP for the true ending and was severely underwhelmed. Was one of my all time favs until I replayed it. Shallow gameplay and hollow writing. Sanity effects are a nice gimmick but their implementation is less than stellar.
Soundtrack still great.
 
Recently RTTP for the true ending and was severely underwhelmed. Was one of my all time favs until I replayed it. Shallow gameplay and hollow writing. Sanity effects are a nice gimmick but their implementation is less than stellar.
Soundtrack still great.

I haven't finished the game yet but gameplay and writing is amazing so far. This game kicks Resident Evil's ass imo, lol (I can't believe I'm saying this but that's what I thinkl at the moment.).
 

brau

Member
Amazing game. An absolute mind craze as well as an interesting premise and gameplay. Glad more people are enjoying it. Nothing like it at the time.
 
Yeah.
F*** that.



If I'd known that, I actually could have finished the game.

There's a chapter where you return
to the mansion
in the past. It's my favorite chapter so far. I love that stuff. So there are still some creepy scenes.

Well. you have games like Amnesia following some of its footsteps. But you might be right. The sanity meter in the game was amazing.

Amnesia is a good game but the puzzles were easy and there's no combat. The storytelling is very simple, too. Compared to Eternal Darkness at least.
 

brau

Member
There's a chapter where you return
to the mansion
in the past. It's my favorite chapter so far. I love that stuff. So there's still some creepy stuff.



Amnesia is a good game but the puzzles were easy and there's no combat. The storytelling is very simple, too. Compared to Eternal Darkness at least.

i completely agree. Some of the principles are there. Just not turned to 11 like in Eternal Darkness. So much stuff happening at all times. Got excited for the sequel but i think that project ended up getting canned? I think it even tried to get kickstarted? I forget, but i do remember the tech demo they were showing.
 
i completely agree. Some of the principles are there. Just not turned to 11 like in Eternal Darkness. So much stuff happening at all times. Got excited for the sequel but i think that project ended up getting canned? I think it even tried to get kickstarted? I forget, but i do remember the tech demo they were showing.

They tried to make a sequel? Wow, I didn't know that. Nintendo wasn't involved, right? Because they should. I have no idea how much Nintendo was involved in the development of Eternal Darkness but I'm pretty sure they did more than just producing. It feels like a Nintendo product.
 

Madao

Member
Its secretly the best 3rd person horror game ever made. Nintendo could have had a epic horror franchise on their hands but they fucked it up because its Nintendo.

Silicon Knights fucked up even harder since Too Human happened right after this.

Nintendo's biggest mistake was not making a new studio to keep the series alive but that could apply to every franchise they own that doesn't get sequels nowadays.
 

brau

Member
They tried to make a sequel? Wow, I didn't know that. Nintendo wasn't involved, right? Because they should. I have no idea how much Nintendo was involved in the development of Eternal Darkness but I'm pretty sure they did more than just producing. It feels like a Nintendo product.

Yea!

Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7Zhwpzvtg

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...f-the-eternals-still-alive-denis-dyack-claims

I guess maybe more of a spiritual successor in its name?
 

brau

Member
Oh my god, what the hell. I want this game!!!! It's a little too colorful though, imo.

haha. kickstarter failed twice. I guess now its developed under something else? who knows at this point tho. But at the time i was excited just to hear anything related to Eternal Darkness.
 

RagnarokX

Member
Correct. I question how much of Lovecraft's work someone has read if they think ED is a "kids cartoon" version of it.

And Lovecraft's characters are much thinner than anything you see in this game.

Code Name Steam is a kids cartoon version of Lovecraft (It actually directly uses Cthulhu and friends rather than facsimiles). Good stuff. Recommend it!
 

VDenter

Banned
Silicon Knights fucked up even harder since Too Human happened right after this.

Nintendo's biggest mistake was not making a new studio to keep the series alive but that could apply to every franchise they own that doesn't get sequels nowadays.

Yeah your right but at the same time Nintendo completely failed to market this game in fact it barely had any pre release marketing at all. Most people just shrugged it off as a cheap RE clone.Which it was not at all. Some even thought it was completely cancelled after it shifted development to the Gamecube.
 
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