Support NeoGAF

[Dusk Golem]

Also want to comment while some have been negative on the art direction, there are many points in my opinion that the game has gorgeous art direction. I was playing on Medium Settings (my PC is getting older now, need to replace soon), but was still wowed multiple times. Here's a few screens I took, and avoiding anything more spoilery (though there are various locations through the game shown here):

 

[Imp the Dimp]

I'm playing the first game in anticipation of TEW1 and should be done soon-ish. Are the 3 DLCs a) good and b) necessary for the comprehension of the TEW2's story?

 

[Erevador]

I'm playing the first game in anticipation of TEW1 and should be done soon-ish. Are the 3 DLCs a) good and b) necessary for the comprehension of the TEW2's story?

Assignment and Consequence deepen the story and help clarify a lot of things. They tell Kidman's side of the story and are well done. There's a FANTASTIC boss design in the DLC, and some very moody aesthetics.

You can skip the Executioner. Really just a smash-em-up with little consequence to the rest of the game.

 

[Foxxsoxx]

Yeah the outside areas can look pretty jank at parts, especially the rocks, but damn they nailed the hallways and indoor areas. Especially the hallways. Game has some GOAT hallways... Wish more fights happened there.

 

[PensivePen]

Finished the game on Nightmare, 15 hours of play time. Honestly quite disappointing overall, I had wanted an iterative sequel and instead what this feels like is a different kind of game entirely, and not a better one. I'm going to discuss my thoughts, so there'll be some light gameplay spoilers ahead, though I'll try and keep things vague.

The increased emphasis on stealth feels to the game's detriment, as Evil Within's stealth mechanics are not nearly as deep as its combat and doesn't allow for the same diversity of gameplay. And on Nightmare at least using stealth most of the time is basically mandatory. All the way up until the final chapter most combat scenarios could be boiled down to a group of standard enemies walking in patterns around cover points. It lacks variety in its combat scenarios and different enemy types are not used very effectively. You hardly ever get any kind of density to the content here either until you're deep in the game, as linear chapters for the first half are basically dominated by scripted sequences.

Crafting does not feel like it adds anything meaningful to the experience except busywork to me. I am not someone who generally likes crafting in games, I always prefer finding things I can use immediately to junk that I can use to make useful items. I didn't mind it much in the first game since you just had one resource and you could make any bolt type on the fly regardless of where you were, and there was always plenty of ammo strewn about regardless. Here you're severely penalized for making ammo outside of your safe house. And the crafting system feels especially superfluous when it comes to your crossbow bolts, all of which require one item which is used to craft them and nothing else plus a paltry amount of gunpowder (sans harpoon bolt). What would be the harm in just letting me find them in the environment instead of doing it in this roundabout way.

Overall art direction is weaker, losing out on the grotesqueness of the first game to more mundane looking environments overall, with only a few that come close to the surreal nature of the original. Lighting also seems to be weaker overall, losing the stylized look of the first game for a more neutral, flat tone. I never noticed music during the game, but the sounds of monsters while I was sneaking could often be terrifying, a definite highlight.

Basically a weak sequel to me that wasn't what I was hoping for, I have a feeling its going to be very divisive and some will love it and hate it just like the original. It'll probably have a more positive reception overall since it's more technically sound than the first one, at least from my experience.

 

[Nemesis_]

Can anyone confirm if you pick up MORE weapon parts if you play on a lower difficulty? I have only known Nightmare.....

 

[rtcn63]

Does increasing critical damage in the skill tree just increase the chance of headshots or more damage on bosses etc.? In the first game it only affected the former. And how does stuff like bullet cascade work? Do you activate it or is it random?

Also it sucks to hear that so many of the final abilities don't work right/are kinda useless. I guess they wanted to keep you from becoming too OP. From what I've read and seen, Survival is too easy and Nightmare is brutal (maybe too). Definitely going for a Nightmare run when I grab this.

 

[rockman zx]

Beat the game, where is.... just in case don't read if you haven't beat the game SPOILERS

Spoiler

Ruvik, I don't think any file mention him and I don't think he is in the game unless I missed something.

Great game, but the "open world" areas are so good that when they put you in more linear scenarios the game suffers a little, in my opinion of course.

 

[Dusk Golem]

Beat the game, where is.... just in case don't read if you haven't beat the game SPOILERS

Spoiler

Ruvik, I don't think any file mention him and I don't think he is in the game unless I missed something.

Great game, but the "open world" areas are so good that when they put you in more linear scenarios the game suffers a little, in my opinion of course.

For the spoiler question:

Spoiler

He has a few loose appearances but nothing in-depth. If you collect all the slides, he is mentioned some by Sebastian and Kidman over the Communicator, his name is brought up in at least one of the files I know, and he appears directly (in clips from The Evil Within 1, but featured prominently) if you did all thee ghost side-quests at the end of the Ghost Side-quest.

However, I'm sure he's saved for a future game, probably TEW3 (as horror game sequels usually have the second game depart some and the third game be a direct sequel in some ways to the first). Joseph was barely in TEW2, but if you collect all 10 slides you get a little additional scene and a final slide which also heavily points to the future Joseph, even though the scene itself is a small thing. I think Ruvik, Leslie, and Joseph are mostly reserved for next time.

 

[Reedirect]

So if you try to open the lockers while having zero keys on you... the game freezes you in the locker selection screen and you can't back out? Or am I missing something?

EDIT: Yep. That has to be the dumbest bug I've seen in quite some time.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

Also want to comment while some have been negative on the art direction, there are many points in my opinion that the game has gorgeous art direction. I was playing on Medium Settings (my PC is getting older now, need to replace soon), but was still wowed multiple times. Here's a few screens I took, and avoiding anything more spoilery (though there are various locations through the game shown here):

The art direction was good but not great imo, sometimes it just looked too clean, sometimes it looked alright. Not saying it's bad, but TEW1's art direction is on a whole different level, despite the ''bad'' dated graphics.

I mean come on, who seriously think TEW2 had art direction and atmosphere THIS good?

these are all just PS4 footage by the way, you don't really need high end PC graphics when the art is this good. Bloodborne is the perfect example.

but still, TEW2 art direction is definitely not bad at all. I agree with you.

 

[rockman zx]

For the spoiler question:

Spoiler

He has a few loose appearances but nothing in-depth. If you collect all the slides, he is mentioned some by Sebastian and Kidman over the Communicator, his name is brought up in at least one of the files I know, and he appears directly (in clips from The Evil Within 1, but featured prominently) if you did all thee ghost side-quests at the end of the Ghost Side-quest.

However, I'm sure he's saved for a future game, probably TEW3 (as horror game sequels usually have the second game depart some and the third game be a direct sequel in some ways to the first). Joseph was barely in TEW2, but if you collect all 10 slides you get a little additional scene and a final slide which also heavily points to the future Joseph, even though the scene itself is a small thing. I think Ruvik, Leslie, and Joseph are mostly reserved for next time.

Spoiler

Yeah I have seen him in some of the clips from the first game, I meant to say if he was in the game in a significant manner. I will have to get that file, probably I missed it or didn't pay attention if I have it.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[dlauv]

So, I finished it because I couldn't stop thinking about it and it was getting in the way of my homework.

Some really tense encounters towards the end. The latter third of TEW2 blows the latter third of RE7 out of the water, that's for sure. I don't know why the middle was so ho-hum, but I think it's because they made a Chapter 3-like chapter without Chapter 3's strengths.

Some of the visuals were astounding and really just ooze high concept. It shoots for the stars, and it's really admirable. The confidence is astounding. Unfortunately, it's held back by budget and some amateur decisions, whether they be mechanically, or in terms of writing, mocap, or cutscene direction. Some of it is just awkward Japanese-to-English stuff. I feel like if this were an '80s B-horror movie, it would be pretty legendary.

The hand motions of

Spoiler

Papa Mobius

were laughably low-effort and annoyingly repetitive.

I'd probably give it a strong 7.5/10, in that it has issues, but there's a lot to like. And what there is to like won't be for everybody. For comparison, I'd give TEW1 a 6/10, in that it had some fine qualities to it, but it's just too much of a rough ride overall.

I wonder how they'll handle this franchise going forward, or just ditch it. If they make some tweaks to structure, writing, and gunplay, I think they'll have a real winner. But it just seems like a lot of effort went into this for an 80 on metacritic. Kind of like Prey in that way, I guess.

Edit: Yeah, TEW2 has some beautiful and even visionary set design that crops up midway through that sometimes makes the original seem mundane or cliche, but the texturework in TEW1 is really in a league of its own. For a little hyperbole, it's like comparing a 4K desktop wallpaper of some photoshop Mars-scape, or a screenshot of Myst, to Van Gough's painting of his own bedroom. You just can't deny the technique.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Sebastian's endless goddamn reactions...

 

[Jawmuncher]

I think the main issue with TEW art direction wise is that it’s too clean as said above. During the open world sections it stands out. While playing even I was like “this game needs a filter or something”. It gets better when the linear parts happen. But the first game definitely has that aspect as a win.

I think a big issue is despite the jankiness of the first game. I think it had a much larger budget than this sequel has.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

I think the main issue with TEW art direction wise is that it's too clean as said above. During the open world sections it stands out. While playing even I was like "this game needs a filter or something". It gets better when the linear parts happen. But the first game definitely has that aspect as a win.

I think a big issue is despite the jankiness of the first game. I think it had a much larger budget than this sequel has.

Agreed, it does need a filter.

Whenever the ghost lady shows up and the whole screen gets cold I always thought ''Man I wish the town always looks like this.''

Sebastian's endless goddamn reactions...

What the....

(I still can't forget the first time Sebastian find Leslie in TEW1, that ''what the fuck'' was 10/10.)

 

[rtcn63]

They should've just gone full Silent Hill 2 aesthetic. Even SH: Homecoming wouldn't be too off the mark.

 

[Dusk Golem]

I think the main issue with TEW art direction wise is that it's too clean as said above. During the open world sections it stands out. While playing even I was like "this game needs a filter or something". It gets better when the linear parts happen. But the first game definitely has that aspect as a win.

I think a big issue is despite the jankiness of the first game. I think it had a much larger budget than this sequel has.

I don't think it's budget, I think it's time. The Evil Within 1 was in development for over three years (nearly four), meanwhile the Evil Within 2 is a bigger game in many ways than The Evil Within 1 and was developed in a little over two years. I also think Tango wasn't just working on TEW2, there's some key people who worked on TEW1 who don't seem to be featured in the sequel at least yet they still work at Tango Gameworks currently. On-top of this, Mikami in a recent interview was asked if he'd like to make a smaller more focused game (both in scale and budget, this question was arose in an interview where he talked about inflating game budgets during the years he's been in the industry), to which he said, "Yes, definitely." But then thought on it and said he wasn't sure if he was allowed to say that. I thought that was an odd answer at the time, but with some key members of Tango not super attached to the sequel and some other things, I'm a bit convinced Tango was working on another project alongside TEW2 that some of the team are more involved in.

I do love TEW1's art direction, whole-stop, I like the grimey grindhouse gothic (GGG as I call it. XD; ) look and feel it has. But I also kind of love the more 'sterile' yet mishapen collapsed look TEW2 has, a place that was nice that's falling apart.

 

[PensivePen]

Sebastian's endless goddamn reactions...

I remember some complaints about the first game prior to release saying that Sebastian seemed too stationary and didn't react to things, guess his chatty nature in this game is their reaction to that. Personally I prefer a protagonist to be quiet and just let me absorb things on my own.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

Where can I find the

Spoiler

laser pistol

in Chapter 3?

 

[Astral]

I also prefer the dirtier look of the first game. Union really is too clean. It needs a fog or something at least. Can a filter be added with a patch?

 

[Dusk Golem]

I remember some complaints about the first game prior to release saying that Sebastian seemed too stationary and didn't react to things, guess his chatty nature in this game is their reaction to that. Personally I prefer a protagonist to be quiet and just let me absorb things on my own.

While I don't actually mind Sebastian's quips in TEW2, that case for the original game is a solid showing that many gamers don't actually know what they want. There was weird controversy about Sebastian in the original game not responding to the horrors around him, which obviously the reason why is because it's a video game, and the character responding can take the player out of the moment as it should be the player responding in gameplay, not the character. But this for some reason got a lot of traction, which is probably why TEW2 has a bit more of a talkative Sebastian.

To some extent I understand where the complainers for the original were coming from, but it was a case where people were making a fuss over nothing, and the issue wasn't ever really an issue to begin with, and the alternative people thought they wanted wasn't maybe what they actually wanted. GIVEN, I'm saying this but honestly I was never bothered by Sebastian comments every once in a while in TEW2, they were infrequent enough and sometimes amusing.

I also prefer the dirtier look of the first game. Union really is too clean. It needs a fog or something at least. Can a filter be added with a patch?

There's a foggy area later into the game. They probably didn't add fog to Union as if they did it'd probably look a lot more like Silent Hill. XD;

 

[Fancy Clown]

We’re the art leads for this game different from the first? I still think this game has quite good art even though I definitely prefer the first thus far, but it feels like the designs came from different people.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

I'm playing the first game in anticipation of TEW1 and should be done soon-ish. Are the 3 DLCs a) good and b) necessary for the comprehension of the TEW2's story?

The Kidman ones make the story of TEW make a lot more sense and are kind of important to the set up to TEW2. However, I didn't really enjoy actually playing through them as they are almost entirely focused on stealth and atmospheric moments rather than the combat and survival scenarios of the original game. If you enjoyed those parts then maybe you'll like them more.

The Keeper DLC sucks, it's really not worth the money unless you are just loving the game and can't get enough of it. It's basically a horde mode/arcade-style gauntlet mode where you kill a lot of enemies for points. Which might have been fun, like a The Mercenaries sort of thing, but you are stuck ONLY playing as the Keeper whose got a kind of limited arsenal and moveset making it overall pretty dull.

 

[Dusk Golem]

We’re the art leads for this game different from the first? I still think this game has quite good art even though I definitely prefer the first thus far, but it feels like the designs came from different people.

So there's this woman named ‎Ikumi Nakamura, she was a lead artist on the original Evil Within (and before Evil Within, she was a lead artist on Bayonetta 1 and Okami). ‎Ikumi Nakamura was also one of the people heading up being a director Mikami was heavily considering from the original, can find an interview with her and Mikami here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQYS-gC33ms

(in the original game, she did for example the creature designs for The Keeper, Laura, The Sadist, etc).

‎Ikumi Nakamura still works at Tango but was apparently not very involved with the sequel. With her barely being involved with the sequel and the fact Mikami had her pretty high to be a director at Tango, I am pretty sure she's working on another currently unannounced project by the studio, as again some key people from TEW1 don't seem to have been that involved with TEW2 but still work at Tango Gameworks.

 

[Astral]

While I don't actually mind Sebastian's quips in TEW2, that case for the original game is a solid showing that many gamers don't actually know what they want. There was weird controversy about Sebastian in the original game not responding to the horrors around him, which obviously the reason why is because it's a video game, and the character responding can take the player out of the moment as it should be the player responding in gameplay, not the character. But this for some reason got a lot of traction, which is probably why TEW2 has a bit more of a talkative Sebastian.

To some extent I understand where the complainers for the original were coming from, but it was a case where people were making a fuss over nothing, and the issue wasn't ever really an issue to begin with, and the alternative people thought they wanted wasn't maybe what they actually wanted. GIVEN, I'm saying this but honestly I was never bothered by Sebastian comments every once in a while in TEW2, they were infrequent enough and sometimes amusing.



There's a foggy area later into the game. They probably didn't add fog to Union as if they did it'd probably look a lot more like Silent Hill. XD;

The only thing that has bothered me about Sebastian here is that he says “what the hell” too much. I feel like nothing will top that one “what the fuck” he had in the first game.

Also, a more Silent Hill look would’ve been amazing. I don’t care how blatant it would’ve been lol.

 

[Dusk Golem]

The only thing that has bothered me about Sebastian here is that he says "what the hell" too much. I feel like nothing will top that one "what the fuck" he had in the first game.

Also, a more Silent Hill look would've been amazing. I don't care how blatant it would've been lol.

Here's a misc screenshot from somewhere a bit later into the game fyi:

So there is a foggy segment, though I do love the fog aesthetic so I know what you mean by wanting more of it.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

We're the art leads for this game different from the first? I still think this game has quite good art even though I definitely prefer the first thus far, but it feels like the designs came from different people.

Art direction has more to do than just art lead, artists don't get paid more for doing a better job, so good directors usually have to be extra strict and picky to get the best result.

This also apply to music composers, the composer of Dark Souls 2 base game is actually the same as Dark Souls 1, and yet the quality of music in general is a huge stepback, different directors have different impact on artist's result.

Many famous game directors are known to be very strict and picky with the result they want, Ueda, Kojima, Miyazaki are all good examples.

The reason why ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, TLG all have that similar style and atmosphere is because that's what Fumito Ueda wanted. Even with a different art team, Ueda's game would still look and feel like a Ueda game.

Director matters just as much as the art lead, especially in Japanese games.

TEW2 had different director AND differect art lead, of course it's gonna look different. I think John did a good job, it could have looked worse, way worse.

 

[Jawmuncher]

I don't think it's budget, I think it's time. The Evil Within 1 was in development for over three years (nearly four), meanwhile the Evil Within 2 is a bigger game in many ways than The Evil Within 1 and was developed in a little over two years. I also think Tango wasn't just working on TEW2, there's some key people who worked on TEW1 who don't seem to be featured in the sequel at least yet they still work at Tango Gameworks currently. On-top of this, Mikami in a recent interview was asked if he'd like to make a smaller more focused game (both in scale and budget, this question was arose in an interview where he talked about inflating game budgets during the years he's been in the industry), to which he said, "Yes, definitely." But then thought on it and said he wasn't sure if he was allowed to say that. I thought that was an odd answer at the time, but with some key members of Tango not super attached to the sequel and some other things, I'm a bit convinced Tango was working on another project alongside TEW2 that some of the team are more involved in.

I do love TEW1's art direction, whole-stop, I like the grimey grindhouse gothic (GGG as I call it. XD; ) look and feel it has. But I also kind of love the more 'sterile' yet mishapen collapsed look TEW2 has, a place that was nice that's falling apart.

Considering we know that tango hired MP designers and nothing has shown of that from TEW2. Definitely seems like Mikami and some of the other bigger names are definitely working on something else.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

Considering we know that tango hired MP designers and nothing has shown of that from TEW2. Definitely seems like Mikami and some of the other bigger names are definitely working on something else.

I am not hyped, not even a little bit...(explodes internally)

The first game had far too many complaints against it that were in my opinion unjust.
I can fully understand people upset with the performance,camera,fov, and janky animations but the audio/visuals were perfect.
I sadly think something might have got lost in translation when looking at feedback and they made the sequel far too clean looking, even the noise filter in the sequel seems broken.
I wish they hadn't taken so many of criticisms to heart, all they needed to do was fix the performance and sort out a better camera/fov and the sequel would have been perfect.
The complaints regarding sebastians reactions in the first game were also crazy, and now people are backtracking asking why he keeps reacting.

I feel like TEW2 is made specifically for people who hated TEW1, just look at how many people who hated the first one are now enjoying it.

Will hardcore TEW1 fans love this game? It really depends, there are a lot of TEW1 fans in this thread, and they all have very different feelings for this game.

Personally I think it's a lot of fun, but doesn't really ''feel'' like a sequel to TEW1, to be honest that's not really a bad thing, the first game was truly something unique and now this game makes it even more special.

 

[papercan55]

The first game had far too many complaints against it that were in my opinion unjust.
I can fully understand people upset with the performance,camera,fov, and janky animations but the audio/visuals were perfect.
I sadly think something might have got lost in translation when looking at feedback and they made the sequel far too clean looking, even the noise filter in the sequel seems broken.
I wish they hadn't taken so many of criticisms to heart, all they needed to do was fix the performance and sort out a better camera/fov and the sequel would have been perfect.
The complaints regarding sebastians reactions in the first game were also crazy, and now people are backtracking asking why he keeps reacting.

 

[dlauv]

It's a fine directorial outing even if it doesn't set the world on fire. I think they should have given him a smaller project proper (not just DLC) before making something this high concept. It's like they stretched the milk to make a AAA game, and that would be challenging for anyone. But I'm sure the situation we have had good reasons behind it.

Also, the laser pistol is

Spoiler

in the gated area on the upper left side of the neighborhood

.

 

[JJShadow]

I loved TEW 1 and even though TEW 2 feels like a diffetent experience, I'm loving it as well, having lots of fun finding the sub-quests and sub-stories in the open-world chapters.

I'm seeing that most of people are finishing the game in 15 hours or so. I already hit 10 and I'm still halfway through chapter 6. Am I being too slow or are those last chapters extremely short?

 

[Brerlappin]

So even with a lot of upgrades, I'm still finding combat tricky as hell. The speed of the enemies really makes it harder to get any kind of headshots too. One thing I dislike is how janky the combat feels by comparison to TEW1 which was for all its flaws absolutely rock solid when it came to combat. Like a lot of the systems just don't seem to work well, or work randomly. The sneak kill from cover seems to only happen if youre incredibly lucky, and if you stun an enemy its next to impossible to tell if they're in a kill state, like you can shoot an enemy in the knee, they'll stop moving and grab their leg which in TEW1 meant you could one hit kill knife them, but in this is just seems to mean "his leg is a wee bit sore but otherwise hes grand". Even stuff like the smoke arrows, I smoked a whole crowd of enemies, then ran in to knife them and whether I was crouching behind them or standing in front of them, I still got no melee prompt, the smoke cleared, and I got fucking ganked.

Having said that ive still really enjoyed what ive played. The atmosphere is great, the setting is great, and the art and monster design is amazing. A great game but so far, id say id still put TEW1 as the better overall.

 

[Dusk Golem]

I should clarify I'm also a person who loved both The Evil Within 1 and The Evil Within 2. I'm letting The Evil Within 2 sink in a bit more before I lay out my full thoughts on it, but I find it fascinating how both games are similar yet different, and both are games I think will end up being love it/hate it games, but with different audiences. I think this is already showing and telling there's plenty of people in this topic who are at once saying it might be one of their favorite horror games of all time or think it improves on the original in every way, and some who seem to legitimately hate this game or are disappointed by it or elements of it. The Evil Within 1 had about the same response, but with a different set of people for a different set of reasons.

I have a very broad interest in different types of horror games, and I think both The Evil Within 1 and The Evil Within 2 are incredibly fascinating entries into the genre which both will go on to be at least cult hits in the future (though I do hope they blow up). There's some moderately successful horror games that have some interesting legacies forged given a few years by the horror gaming audience. The Evil Within 1 & 2 both will stand out somewhat simply because despite obvious inspirations they're both surprisingly unique. I've played a lot of horror games, and I can't quite say there's any game that's got a similar feel to the first TEW or TEW2. There's unique things and design structures both games have (not shared, but individually) which I've never quite seen before.

I hope the series doesn't die with this entry, I think TEW spawns some incredibly interesting titles that are unlike anything else coming out.

 

[rtcn63]

Even stuff like the smoke arrows, I smoked a whole crowd of enemies, then ran in to knife them and whether I was crouching behind them or standing in front of them, I still got no melee prompt, the smoke cleared, and I got fucking ganked.

Looking at the weapon tree, you need to upgrade the smoke bolt to a certain point before it lets you do sneak kills. It's fairly explicit in its wording.

Unless you did this already and the game just fucked up.

 

[Dusk Golem]

I've also been meaning to say this, but the Stefano stuff was so inspired by Layers of Fear.

I almost would think the team at Tango would have never played Layers of Fear before (it was an indie horror game from 2015 originally in Early Access that finally released fully in early 2016), but of all fucking people Mikami mentioned it in a French interview that the team had thrown around making an 'atmospheric horror experience' like 'Layers of Fear but better' before they decided on The Evil Within 2.

(the interview is here: http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/69574...l-within-2-plus-proche-de-resident-evil-1.htm )

Layers of Fear had some major pacing and a few design flaws, so I unfortunately didn't love it, but that game no doubt had a pretty unique atmosphere to it and some stand-out moments. Stefano's stuff did seriously remind of Layers of Fear in some ways, and I'm a bit surprised they played the game and were inspired by it to be honest. Chapters 2 and the middle section of Chapter 5 are the parts that tap strongest into it.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

It's a fine directorial outing even if it doesn't set the world on fire. I think they should have given him a smaller project proper (not just DLC) before making something this high concept. It's like they stretched the milk to make a AAA game, and that would be challenging for anyone. But I'm sure the situation we have had good reasons behind it.

Also, the laser pistol is

Spoiler

in the gated area on the upper left side of the neighborhood

.

I think John is fine director, but he should have direct a new IP instead of someone else's work.

Almost all of my complaints are about how the first game was better at blah blah blah, If TEW2 was a new IP I seriously would have enjoyed it a lot more. Well I guess I would still hate the fucking ugly cartoon style UI, and maybe the game could have tone it down a bit with all the TLoU influences, but still I think Evil Within 2 isn't a bad game at all, it's just...really different.

Also, thanks.

I should clarify I'm also a person who loved both The Evil Within 1 and The Evil Within 2. I'm letting The Evil Within 2 sink in a bit more before I lay out my full thoughts on it, but I find it fascinating how both games are similar yet different, and both are games I think will end up being love it/hate it games, but with different audiences. I think this is already showing and telling there's plenty of people in this topic who are at once saying it might be one of their favorite horror games of all time or think it improves on the original in every way, and some who seem to legitimately hate this game or are disappointed by it or elements of it. The Evil Within 1 had about the same response, but with a different set of people for a different set of reasons.

I have a very broad interest in different types of horror games, and I think both The Evil Within 1 and The Evil Within 2 are incredibly fascinating entries into the genre which both will go on to be at least cult hits in the future (though I do hope they blow up). There's some moderately successful horror games that have some interesting legacies forged given a few years by the horror gaming audience. The Evil Within 1 & 2 both will stand out somewhat simply because despite obvious inspirations they're both surprisingly unique. I've played a lot of horror games, and I can't quite say there's any game that's got a similar feel to the first TEW or TEW2. There's unique things and design structures both games have (not shared, but individually) which I've never quite seen before.

I hope the series doesn't die with this entry, I think TEW spawns some incredibly interesting titles that are unlike anything else coming out.

I also played a lot of horror games, in fact my entire childhood is all about horror games, and I agree, there's really nothing like The Evil Within. (haven't finished 2 so can't speak about it)

I hope Mikami's next project is a new horror IP, and I kinda hope they work with a different publisher in the future, Bethesda really isn't very rich.

 

[rtcn63]

Whenever I see Stefano I see Little Nicky

 

[GravyButt]

My copy from newegg just shipped last night. Hopefully here by Tuesday. Honestly cant wait. I absolutely loved the first one and stayed blind to this one due to self hype.

How is it compared to the first?!

 

[Fancy Clown]

My copy from newegg just shipped last night. Hopefully here by Tuesday. Honestly cant wait. I absolutely loved the first one and stayed blind to this one due to self hype.

How is it compared to the first?!

It’s quite different honestly. I loved the first one, and I’m enjoying this one a lot too but for different reasons.

 

[Dusk Golem]

Whenever I see Stefano I see Little Nicky

Movie would've been a bit better if it had Stefano's Boss Theme in it.

 

[T.O.P]

I'm at chapter 13 but i feel like dropping out

I'm bored out of my mind...how much is left?

This is almost as disappointing as A Machine for Pigs...fuckin hell

This is better than Resident Evil 4.

oh god

 

[comshoplesce]

game needs chapter select now.

 

[eternalcircle]

This game keeps crashing for me on PS4 pro. Especially by the shooting range.

 

[Alfredo_V]

How's the horror level in this game? Is it toned down or on first game level? Will buy later this year just curios what you guys think thus far.

 

[Dusk Golem]

How's the horror level in this game? Is it toned down or on first game level? Will buy later this year just curios what you guys think thus far.

Horror is subjective, overall I'd place it on the same level as the original game, but in a very different way. One thing about the original Evil Within I definitely remember well is this sort of 'concentrated stressful nightmare', but in a good way. There were some parts of The Evil Within 1 where you don't exactly feel powerless, but dealing with things concentrating on trying to bash or, smash you, and tear you apart all in some grindhouse nightmare (which I think the moment in the game that highlights this best was Chapter 10 in the original). The Evil Within 2 I don't think ever quite strikes that same sort of tone, but it does strike a very different sort of atmosphere and with its own highs. One thing is with the more pen design of some areas I think there is some feeling to be on your toes as you never know quite what to expect, and the game has some serious curveballs as you explore. The game also dips its toes more into some more psychological horror in certain moments, and I personally felt has some individual moments here and there that were scarier than the original game, but in a way that was completely different than the original.

This said, I wouldn't really say The Evil Within 1 or 2 are like, massively scary, but have their moments here and there.

 

[PensivePen]

I'm at chapter 13 but i feel like dropping out

I'm bored out of my mind...how much is left?

This is almost as disappointing as A Machine for Pigs...fuckin hell

You're pretty close to the end, though I doubt anything is gonna change your mind at that point. There are some cool visuals in the last few chapters, but if you're not having fun I wouldn't force yourself through it, the gameplay doesn't get any better.

 

[Starbuck2907]

Any word on sales so far? I want this to do well.

 

[myco666]

Up to chapter 10 now. Game is not that great with pacing encounters and giving you resources at times. You might have to do few sections back-to-back that more or less ask you to dump all your ammo without being able to go craft more in between. Sure you can craft on the go but I don't like it due to higher cost.

Also what is up with bosses not giving you any rewards? You have to use ton of resources to beat them but get nothing in return. Bit of a bummer.