I really enjoyed Dead Space, only because I felt they actually refrained from pop-up scares.
Did... did you and I play the same game?
I mean seriously
+1
MaddocI'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother?Registered Userregular
Wasn't this basically the gimmick they touted for Silent Hill Shattered Memories?
That the game psychologically profiles you (though at parts in SM, they do that very literally) and alters itself to you.
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Dusdais ashamed of this postSLC, UTRegistered Userregular
edited September 2012
The reactions on Steam and Metacritic are pretty damning. Short, lots of technical issues, nonsensical puzzles, some DRM complaints. The music is quite good, though. Has a vaguely Lacuna Coil feel to it.
I played the very first puzzle before I had to put it down to go to work, and then got distracted by other games. If the first puzzle is any kind of indication, then the mechanic that Anna notices what you pay attention to is dumb, because you're going to be spending a lot of time staring at everything trying to figure out what you are supposed to do. I got through most of the first bit of it, and then the end of the puzzle is just... what.
You put mirror shards into an indentation to make it look like an eye. Except your character comments that it looks like it is missing a pupil. The in-game hint system suggests that the eye is not complete. The answer? Place a pine-cone above the eye (not in the middle like a pupil, but above) light it on fire, which also for some reason makes the key-hole to the door start on fire, then fill your canteen with water and put the pine-cone fire back out. (If you try to pour water on the key-hole, it just says "The fire won't go out!" and you have to go get more water)
Then the door is somehow unlocked.
Edit:
Just played a little further. Got completely stuck after trying every item in my inventory with each other and with the environment. Turns out the game wanted me to use a specific one of a few things in the environment of which I tried using some of the others and got the generic "I don't know what you're trying to do" message. There is nothing that sets this one apart that says "Use me!" and nothing in the others that says "I wasn't it, but maybe you should keep trying!"
Also the scares..
It tried to make a ghostly black persony thing show up, and it said "OH NO I CAN'T MOVE!" which, whatever, it wasn't moving either and I was curious so I was just trying to see what it was.. Then later it turned off the lights for a minute and had another black ghost thing fly at me. Okay. Then it seemed to give up on that, and threw empty cans that were lying on the floor at me a couple times, and took over the controls for a minute and ran me into a wall. And played some "Is someone in here behind you" noises.
Which, thinking on it, actually could have been scary, and atmosphere building, if I hadn't been so busy trying to figure out what the hell the game wanted me to do, so instead it was more of a "Oh is this what I need to advance? No? Oh, okay."
Sounds like the developers long for the adventure games of yore where you found the solution to every puzzle by picking everything up and rubbing everything on everything until you are allowed to keep going so you can rub more things on other things.
That's the vibe I kind of got, except a) the interface is a pain, and b) even in the shitty adventure games there was usually a kind of logic behind the solutions like "Yeah, I never would've thought of that, but I can see how that works now"
But the solution in that first spoiler man.. I did it, and it still doesn't make any sense to me.
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
Xavier, I thank you for your service/sacrafice of buying/playing this. Cause it looked and sounded interesting.
Maybe I can find something else for an October scare.
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
Paranormal over at Desura looks pretty cool. Still in an incomplete alphaboosted state though. Not sure just how much goodness it there yet.
I really enjoyed Dead Space, only because I felt they actually refrained from pop-up scares.
Did... did you and I play the same game?
I mean seriously
Did you play it without music?
It's not a "popup" if a loud and noticeable piece of music blares "SOMETHING SCARY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW HERE IT COMES ARE YOU READY HERE WE GOOOOO" *monster jumps out of vent*
Popup is like he said in his analogy about .gifs. A non moving thing and suddenly without warning a new thing appears within a frame or two. Out of nowhere. Sans the fanfare.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Okay yeah that happened too but there were plenty of times you'd just be walking along and a tentacle would grab you. Or you'd use a bench and finish and find a necro behind you when you turned around.
Jump scares were pretty damn plentiful. This isn't a thing I thought I'd have to have an Internet Argument about.
+1
MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited September 2012
It wasn't all that common in the game though. It was quite well paced in that aspect.
You say plenty but I'm thinking of...5? That would qualify.
Versus ten million billion theme tuned fanfare attacks.
Also I'd be having the same "argument" face to face josh the only difference is you can't see my grin when I crack a joke.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
It wasn't all that common in the game though. It was quite well paced in that aspect.
You say plenty but I'm thinking of...5? That would qualify.
Versus ten million billion theme tuned fanfare attacks.
Also I'd be having the same "argument" face to face josh the only difference is you can't see my grin when I crack a joke.
It's certainly no Doom 3.
Particularly the early levels where they would spawn something behind you or throw things at you around blind corners as often as possible.
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Johnny ChopsockyScootaloo! We have to cook!Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered Userregular
Dead Space and the sequel were big fans of the jump scare, but it did do something completely right in the realm of horror gaming: sound. For all the cheap scares that it does throw at you, it was masterful at filling you with a sense of dread and unease using only ambient audio.
90% of Dead Space's environments let you know that you really don't want to be there within the first 10 seconds that you encountered them.
Posts
Did... did you and I play the same game?
I mean seriously
That the game psychologically profiles you (though at parts in SM, they do that very literally) and alters itself to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfE-anXKQ-c
Then the door is somehow unlocked.
Edit:
Just played a little further. Got completely stuck after trying every item in my inventory with each other and with the environment. Turns out the game wanted me to use a specific one of a few things in the environment of which I tried using some of the others and got the generic "I don't know what you're trying to do" message. There is nothing that sets this one apart that says "Use me!" and nothing in the others that says "I wasn't it, but maybe you should keep trying!"
Also the scares..
Kind of sad I spent money on this.
But the solution in that first spoiler man.. I did it, and it still doesn't make any sense to me.
Maybe I can find something else for an October scare.
Did you play it without music?
It's not a "popup" if a loud and noticeable piece of music blares "SOMETHING SCARY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW HERE IT COMES ARE YOU READY HERE WE GOOOOO" *monster jumps out of vent*
Popup is like he said in his analogy about .gifs. A non moving thing and suddenly without warning a new thing appears within a frame or two. Out of nowhere. Sans the fanfare.
Jump scares were pretty damn plentiful. This isn't a thing I thought I'd have to have an Internet Argument about.
You say plenty but I'm thinking of...5? That would qualify.
Versus ten million billion theme tuned fanfare attacks.
Also I'd be having the same "argument" face to face josh the only difference is you can't see my grin when I crack a joke.
It's certainly no Doom 3.
Particularly the early levels where they would spawn something behind you or throw things at you around blind corners as often as possible.
90% of Dead Space's environments let you know that you really don't want to be there within the first 10 seconds that you encountered them.
Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky