Thewonandonly
Junior Member
Holy fuck!!! 15 chapters :O
Damn I'm never going to play south park haha. I'm 11 hours in and on chapter 5
-
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.
The Evil Within 2 |OT| "Something not quite right"
- Thread starter SlasherJPC
- Start date
Damn I'm never going to play south park haha. I'm 11 hours in and on chapter 5
CrichtonKicks
Member
I think it depends on enemy strength. Some times I get the stomp prompt for a followup and sometimes I don't.
Even without its still useful because prone makes them reasonably still so it makes headshots easier (or just pumping them full of body shots while you aren't at risk).
The open world sections are packed full of well-designed small-scale encounters outside and clever set-pieces inside. The chapters in-between are more story-driven, i.e. the puzzle-solving between the two major encounters in Ch. 5, and serve as connective tissue between those more exploratory survival sandboxes. It's a nice back and forth that keeps either side from becoming stale, imo. I think the game is remarkably well-paced, too, especially for a title that trades in both extremes (linear and nonlinear).
Maybe buy it for a second playthrough and increase our odds of getting a TEW3, eh? :-3
JumpJeff84
Member
Still in chapter 3. Love it so far. Switched all the hud elements off and it's instantly the best open world zombie simulator ever. Really doesn t feel like the first game but It's great. Not sure how different It's gonna get
Sanctuary
Member
Say what you want about the pacing, but saying that it has so many cutscenes that it's now a walking simulator? Come on man. Is every game that has any cutscenes or extremely short and intermittent radio chatter now considered a walking simulator? I guess that means every Metal Gear game since Solid is a walking simulator then. Also, I'm not sure Survivor/Action actually makes any sense. RE4 was an Action/Horror game.
I feel bad paying $60 for this actually. Didn't believe the previous game was super amazing or anything, but it felt worth the price of admission at least. If I could have rented this on PC I would have.
Dying Light. The first-person combat in that is almost as unsatisfactory as what's in this game, but it did almost everything else better.
Host Samurai
Member
Almost 6 hours in and still on Ch3 on Nightmare. I was skeptical of the open world but I quite enjoy it. Its very Silent Hilly and the game rewards you for exploration. So far it seems just as intense and creepy as its prequel. Looking forward to some ridiculous bosses the game will throw at me.
My only nitpicking issue so far is that the zombies look kinda bland compare the TEW1. TEW1s zombies were pretty damn nuts with barbwire all tangled in their faces and shit.
My only nitpicking issue so far is that the zombies look kinda bland compare the TEW1. TEW1s zombies were pretty damn nuts with barbwire all tangled in their faces and shit.
17.5 hours now, chapter 13. Having an absolute blast still, one of the best games of the year for sure. A lot of people are giving the story shit for being too serious but I think the bit in Chapter 12 of
was really well done.
Sebastian coming to terms with himself and his grief
Sanctuary
Member
Are you talking about the ridiculous character "growth" where:
He blamed himself, then decided he shouldn't blame himself, realizing that maybe it's not his fault, but then later on blamed himself again?
the way I saw it
he's spent every waking moment of his life blaming himself after Lily's 'death,' and the STEM has exacerbated his guilt by having his own mind torture him with that guilt made manifest. Finally the part of him that understands he wasn't to blame breaks through, and Sebastian essentially has a moment of therapy with himself as he talks out what happens and comes to a fuller understanding of what he's done and what he can do. These sorts of self realizations don't exactly take the place of the old thoughts, they just rest comfortably alongside them. The guilt Sebastian has felt for years will never fully go away, but the part of him that understands that he isn't to blame is a bigger part of him, and that will eventually become a bigger part of him than his guilt.
then again I haven't finished the game and I could be completely off-base.
Lol Seb in this game low key has some of the best shade in the game. Paraphasing:
Tatiana: You are human, you need connections like a plant needs light.
Seb: Thats funny, I have no idea who to trust in here. Oh, present company included.
Or earlier.
Seb: So Kidman, I'm going to the city hall to find my daughter using the marrow, which you neglected to tell me about of course,
Its been really fun. Reminds me of MGS1 Snake and how pissed he was to be there. Please tell me it gets better. Punished Sebastian is best Sebastian.
Tatiana: You are human, you need connections like a plant needs light.
Seb: Thats funny, I have no idea who to trust in here. Oh, present company included.
Or earlier.
Seb: So Kidman, I'm going to the city hall to find my daughter using the marrow, which you neglected to tell me about of course,
Its been really fun. Reminds me of MGS1 Snake and how pissed he was to be there. Please tell me it gets better. Punished Sebastian is best Sebastian.
I think the "melting wax" look some of the zombies have is pretty cool, like their flesh is bubbling up. And the strong zombies all look awesome (i.e. the white ladies with the knives, the many-armed ladies that spit acid, etc).
But yeah, the rank-and-file zombies aren't as scary-looking as the baddies with the clown masks from the first game. Then again, there are story reasons for the difference there.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Just reached chapter 8 at 12 hours in. I'm not sure I understand the complaints about pacing. I love the combination of open areas and more linear environments. The game definitely feels different than the first, but at the same time it still feels like The Evil Within. In my opinion that's what a sequel should strive to be. Can't wait to see what's next as I near the half way point!
this is a legendary moment tbh
SolarPowered
Member
I can't unsee this now. She's definitely got some Jill in her. I was wondering why I caught myself gazing at images of her in this sequel. I can't say I'm displeased upon realization.
*thumbs up*
Mikami has a type. *nods*
I'm talking about stuff like ch.2 & 5.
Like outside the two boss fights in ch.5, the entire rest of the chapter is a walking sim. There's no gameplay, just walk through city hall silent hill version and story plays out.
The ironic thing is that since I'm not big on the hub areas for lack of tight design focus and I'm not big on those areas for lack of gameplay, the...Marrow ends up being the best part for me despite how visually boring it is since it's tighter designed enemy encounters mixed with story.
decisions
Member
Would like some updated opinions on what difficulty the game should he played on. Loved the first teo chapters on Nightmare, but in the open world I just died way more than I would've liked due to only having a few pistol bullets, the fast moving enemies, and the lack of aim assist. I'm a big survival horror fan but I can't say I feel like the difficulty was making me have more fun like it has in other games of the genre. Will I get used to this difficulty or should I switch? About 2 and a half hours in only so...
stick with Nightmare. I was debating switching during Chapter 3 too but once you adjust and get some more skills it becomes absolutely perfect. Survival will be far too easy.
-MD-
Member
As soon as you get a few upgrades, especially sneak speed, everything gets much easier.
If you don't want to have to stealth kill most enemies then you can go ahead and lower it since that seems to be a requirement on nightmare.
There are some puzzles sprinkled in there, but yeah, there are certain stretches that are light on gameplay and serve more to tell a story and build atmosphere while letting you figure out how to navigate the ever-changing environments. I think that's fine given how tough some of the encounters can be (including the beginning and end of the chapter you mentioned), it serves as some much-needed "breathing space." And the first time through, at least, your guard is always up because you don't know what might happen.
Yeah, I think if someone played on Survival the first time through, they didn't really experience the tension this game can provide when you're going through blind on Nightmare with its more limited resources. It's definitely more tense than, say, RE4, but it's still perfectly doable (at least so far — I'm not done yet).
Restraint in its sandbox design was the smart choice here. I'm on chapter 14 and I still tackle off the beaten path upgrades and side missions. They never overstay their welcome and always pay up in resources or story bits. The side effect the sandbox has on the UI is another matter. Garish environment prompts and a horrid waypoint (that I never ever use) mar what should be a clean aesthetic.
That's a minor complaint compared to a big win; that the sandbox still manages to throw out tense encounters throughout. TEW1 had curated battles and thoughtful levels, but TEW2 brings greater spontaneity in tension filled streets. Same for difficulty, where I felt positive the game would suffer a dulled edge, but Nightmare is where its at, offering quick death to careless play. My fears of it being a rather numb romp through a mundane small town environment like Alan Wake is gone. Chapter 14 has been a slog though, and I was hoping the cult theme would've been over with after the first game. Stafano wasn't very original but I liked themes and motif around his character a lot more than Theodore's dreary bullshit. Few more chapters to go.
That's a minor complaint compared to a big win; that the sandbox still manages to throw out tense encounters throughout. TEW1 had curated battles and thoughtful levels, but TEW2 brings greater spontaneity in tension filled streets. Same for difficulty, where I felt positive the game would suffer a dulled edge, but Nightmare is where its at, offering quick death to careless play. My fears of it being a rather numb romp through a mundane small town environment like Alan Wake is gone. Chapter 14 has been a slog though, and I was hoping the cult theme would've been over with after the first game. Stafano wasn't very original but I liked themes and motif around his character a lot more than Theodore's dreary bullshit. Few more chapters to go.
LOL I'm STILL on chapter 3 and I've already played 5 hours. I have been taking my time roaming around checking the area...I'm just a big chicken and always go save, sometimes when I just find powder...These games give me too much stress! But i love them lol.
Turn off the wayfinding stuff in the HUD menu. I couldn't stand that monitor in the corner that looks like a heartrate, so I just disabled it.
Starbuck2907
Member
Game is great. I hope people buy it so we can get a third one.
TranceKuja
Member
I'm in chapter 5 now. Will there be more chapters like chapter 3, or is the rest of the game just linear? I actually like this linear approach more.
Soul of the Beast
Member
I don't think horror games needs to be emotional, I never really understand why westerns directors love emotional story telling so much....do they need a hug or something?
Just make a proper fucking survival horror game, stop making those ''daddy I love you'' shit, no one fucking cares, no one is touched by your cheesy emotional attempts, and you are certainly not winning any story awards in the end of the day.
God, why are western AAA story telling so....mawkish.
You can tell a great story without being all cheesy and cliche, a lot of western devs think their story telling is brilliant but compare to games like Silent Hill 2 their story literally looks like children's work. It's just too basic and one dimensional.
Silent Hill 2 tells its story in a very subtle and abstruse way, the story was never clear from the get go, there's no in-your-face emotional acting either, and yet in the end the story hits like a fucking train and you are left speechless in front of your TV.
Now THAT is storytelling, try copying that instead of those ''Daddy where are youuuu!'' crap.
-MD-
Member
No.
plasmawave
Banned
Finished the game. It's a solid 8/10 from me.
It's a good sequel but not a great one imo.
The game play is better and it runs better. I like the big map where it emphasize exploration.
But I think the level design is a step down from the first one. The lack of traps also disappointed me. Also I prefer the atmosphere of TEW1 more. The first game had much more personality with its enemy designs too.
Also
And
It's a good sequel but not a great one imo.
The game play is better and it runs better. I like the big map where it emphasize exploration.
But I think the level design is a step down from the first one. The lack of traps also disappointed me. Also I prefer the atmosphere of TEW1 more. The first game had much more personality with its enemy designs too.
Also
Did the end credit scene tease TEW3? Cuz if so I'm in!
And
Yay for black bar option after beating the game!
Just beat it and it was alright. Comparing it to the first one, TEW1 had better overall gameplay until the end where it became almost entirely action, atmosphere in some places, and actual level design. While TEW2's hub worlds was more about what I want in a horror game which is exploration and resource gathering, and that one bit at the end where
was amazing.
But overall, if I wasn't a huge horror fan I wouldn't spend more than $20 for this.
Sebastian was made to relive the events of the first game but he turns it around on the priest and makes every boss his bitch
But overall, if I wasn't a huge horror fan I wouldn't spend more than $20 for this.
-MD-
Member
Reinstalled the first game and immediately felt the difference in controls between the first and this one, you control so much better in the original game, sprinting is tighter, the camera is silky smooth & aiming feels perfect. Don't even wanna get started on the art direction, I spawned into chapter 3 and the atmosphere is insane.
This game really makes me appreciate the original even more, I might just put this on hold at chapter 5 and go replay TEW1 again.
This game really makes me appreciate the original even more, I might just put this on hold at chapter 5 and go replay TEW1 again.
I like the abandoned training facility vibe it's got going on, the fight in chapter 4 when you get swarmed after unlocking the door has been the worst part of the game so far though
I don't like it either,it's not even a shortcut that interconnects areas..why does this area even exists then?
I beat TEW2, then started replaying TEW1 so I could compare both and now I restarted again TEW2 (NG+)
TEW2 is decent, but for me TEW1 is way better
Soul of the Beast
Member
TEW1 is a state of art in many ways, even the backstory of Sebastian feels very subtle and well written, the fact that he had a daughter that also died in a tragic house fire just like the villain's sister was a great touch to me.
Everytime I find a new mirror and hear that music (Claude Debussy's Clair De Lune) I feel a sadness emitting from the game, everything in that game is just sad, even the villain had a painfully tragic back story, there's something beautiful about that sadness, and even without fancy story writing or any major plot the game still captures that beauty very well.
Seriously, it was a beautiful piece of work by Mikami, welldone.
SolarPowered
Member
I'm popping in here regularly and seeing all these impressions makes me wish Black Friday were here already. Can't play TEW2 until I get a new GPU and possibly PSU.
Those personal touches of Mikami's are those undetermined values you just can't quite quantify or score with a simple number, but some people can't help being drawn to them all the same. It was disturbing how Ruvik and Sebastian seemed to just be opposite on the sides of a mirror in respects like the one you mentioned. That is the stuff of a cult classic even if some people will swear up and down that the first Evil Within was garbage.
Soul of the Beast
Member
Yeah, sometimes I feel like people put too much emphasis on reputation and score, a game is more than just good or bad, loved or hated, groundbreaking or disappointment.
The Evil Within is honestly a masterpiece in my opinion, but it's a masterpiece that I won't recommend to someone else. It's a masterpiece that I will never give it a score, you really can't score a game like this.
The first time I finished the game I really don't know what to think of it, it was fun and I loved the atmosphere, but at the same time It was also quite disappointing as I expected something big, complex and long like RE4.
It's only after I stopping thinking about what it could've been and actually start looking at it as something new and different that I realize just how incredible the game actually is. It definitely has flaws, but at the same time it was also very special.
Got to chapter 4 last night, I'm about to go in the Marrow I believe. I thought the open world wouldn't work but it's actually really engaging due to how relentless the enemies are even on Survival difficulty. The voice acting is probably the weakest thing in the game so far.
psychotron
Member
This game is amazing. Opinions and all, but Im 8 hours in and still loving chapter 3, lol. This sandbox has been a joy to explore, with great stories and encounters. Im going to be sad to see this franchise go away if sales are poor.