The Evil Within - Review

I have never been huge into the horror genre, well at least with movies but with games, it's slightly different for me.  Perhaps it's the deeper level of engagement and control?  There are a number of standout horror titles for me; F.E.A.R. series, Until Dawn, Alan Wake, Condemned, and Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 4.  Recently, my work brah Ivan offered to loan me The Evil Within developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda, I was intrigued so I said why not.


I love steak (yes I have used it before as an analogy but it's different this time).  There is never a bad time to eat steak unless you have just eaten steak and even then I can usually chow down another.  There is something challenging about a steak, especially a large one.  Imagine the slab of meat below all cooked up and you have to eat it all.  I mean if it is was there I would challenge myself to eat it, doesn't mean it wouldn't be a struggle or sweat a bunch, but could  I finish it all?  Playing The Evil Within I found myself asking could I devour this steak or was it more likely I would pass out?

Story


The story is starts out in an old mental asylum, a classic horror staple and immediately put me on edge.  The protagonist is Detective Sebastion Castellanos, who has had lost his wife and daughter, along for the ride is Detective Joseph Oda mild-mannered and the brains, then there is Detective Juli Kidman cold, distant and doesn't feel like part of the team.


I was stabbed, chainsawed, driven off a hillside, strapped to a bed, and molested by something that didn't look human, that was the first twenty-eight minutes of the game. The story is unrelenting and certainly does not want you to feel at ease.  The director of the game is Shinji Mikami who was the force behind Resident Evil 4.


The story is fantastic and constantly had me questioning the world I was in and what was real. Even after finishing the game I was still left curious, luckily there are three DLC which expands on the story...well two really.  'The Assignment' and 'The Consequence' focus on Detective Juli Kidman and what her role was in the story and what she was doing with everyone else was doing their thing.  It definitely adds more depth to The Evil Within world, and there are some shocking revelations in it. 'The Executioner' focuses on a dad trying to find his daughter but in honesty, it doesn't really add a lot to the overall story.

Visuals


Playing The Evil Within it reminded me of Resident Evil 4, not that they look the same but that feeling of constantly feeling encased by the darkness that could swallow you at any moment.  The enemies look human but are either a little twisted or completely deformed into something that left me genuinely creeped out.  One of the most interesting character designs was the Safe Head, which is exactly what it sounds like and also where a butcher's apron covered in blood - lovely.  There are a couple of areas where the sky is dark and the rain is heavily pouring down that felt so real it was almost like being in Sebastion's shoes.


Overall the visuals are eerie and quite unnerving, which is really what you want from a horror game.  However, The Evil Within manages to do it better than most which really is saying something considering the number of good horror games available.



Music


With a horror game having the perfect soundtrack is key and the soundtrack is certainly perfection. There is something about it that made my heart pound and that was without the visuals or gameplay.
The soundtrack is composed by Masafumi Takada, who created the sound for Shining Soul 2, God Hand, No More Heros and Vanquish to name but a few.

The soundtrack is short and sweet or terrifying depending on which way you look at it and runs at just shy of an hour.  My favorite tracks include; 'Clair De Lune (by Claude Debussy), 'Them', and 'Lurking In The Dark'.


Overall the soundtrack is great and certainly made my experience playing all that more terrifying.

Gameplay


Where to even begin?  Firstly, the game is a third-person horror, initially, you start with nothing but a knife, kind of like the first Assassins Creed. This makes things extremely challenging and I ended up dying more than a few times, normally this would be annoying but I liked the challenge.  Then you finally get some weapons which made me feel unstoppable, for all of five seconds.  The enemies get much faster, smarter and tougher and ammunition is in short supply so if you are going to pull the trigger you better hit something.  Most things can be upgraded by using brain goo? You sit in what can only be described as a torture chair, shocked and then you're upgraded.


The controls at times did feel a little awkward, for example when you are disarming a trap it takes ages to disarm it and it takes a second to stop and often run to avoid getting bludgeoned.  I didn't think too much about it until Ivan informed this was not done by accident and in an interview with Shinji Mikami, he confirmed it was intentional.  Detective Castellanos is far from the top his game and he has hit the bottle hard meaning sometimes even basic things can be tough, this is personified in the controls which I love.  It isn't broken controls due to oversight or poor planning but a very intentional effort to put you in the shoes of Detective Castellanos.


While the entire game is challenging (not in a Bloodborne or Dark Souls way) I was able to overcome everything with a little perseverance.  The only section that got a little frustrating was during the final chapter where there is an onslaught and with so little ammo it took me more than a few tries to get past it.


The DLC is a mixed bag.  'The Assignment' and 'The Consequence' focus on stealth more than anything else as you have no weapons for the most part.  It did feel frustrating at times especially after playing as Sebestation who has a small arsenal. 'The Executioner' on the other hand was a lot of fun, you play as a Dark Keeper (the guys with a safe for heads) in first-person.  All missions involve you beating the hell out of enemies, and you can upgrade yourself which was a lot of fun.


Overall the gameplay is amazing and manages to splice old school gaming with more modern games.  If you are up for a challenge this game is for you.




Final Thoughts

So, after nearly thirty hours did I manage to devour the oversized steak?  Yes, yes I did, even if I did gain a few pounds and sweat the same amount out of myself.  The story is intriguing and kept me hooked throughout, the visuals are creepy and cool, and the music is on another level.  The gameplay is frustrating good and certainly curious to see what has been done in the second installment.  This one gets a very solid 4 out of 5

Control - Review

Remedy Entertainment has been making great games for years, classics like the Max Payne series, Alan Wake and Quantum Break.  When Control was released I knew I had to play it, even before I knew much about it.  I recently picked it up and could not wait to try it!


Something I tried in the last couple of years is Portuguese Custard Tarts.   They are exactly what they sound like, sweet and tasty (unless you don't like custard). They are small yet so satisfying and filling.  Playing Control I found myself was this the small perfect sized treat I needed?

Story

The game has you take control (no pun intended) of  Jesse, a woman who has walked into the Federal Bureau of Control to find her brother Dylan.  Strangely the building is oddly quiet and very quickly she goes from trespasser to Director of the Bureau!  This happens all in the first fifteen minutes and it gets a lot crazier from there.  The duty of the Bureau is making sure that certain powerful artifacts are kept under lock and key, sort of like the TV series Warehouse 13 but way more intense.  That's all you are getting.


Overall the story is fantastic, with many twists and turns and would be very curious to see if Remedy will do a sequel or not.

Visuals


The visuals in Control are great...kind of.  The world feels cold and dark and this is amplified being sent in an old building with old technology.  The building is not always as seems and can shift, sometimes without warning.  There is a sprinkling of art deco style visuals with some really cool supernatural backdrops.  It is worth noting that I played this on the XBOX One, I found the frame rate and general refresh rate could be quite poor at times which was very jarring and pulled me out of what is generally quite an immersive world.


Overall the visuals were great but could have vastly been improved by increasing the frame and refresh rate.  I am generally not overly picky about things like this but was bad enough that I had to mention it.



Music


There was no doubt at any point that I was playing a supernatural style game, especially when it came to the music.  There are eerie and often unnerving tracks that helped put me on the edge of my seat. The soundtrack was composed by Finnish composer Petri Alanko (Alan Wake, Quantum Break) and Danish composer Martin Stig Anderson (Young Blood, Tomb Raider, Wolfenstein, Limbo).


There is over an hour of music, my favourite tracks included; 'counterfeit', 'portam ad inferno', 'voces ignotas', 'and soror et frater'.  Overall it was a good soundtrack that helped create a creepy supernatural feel.

Gameplay

I have always enjoyed the gameplay in Remedy games but it feels like this time they really pulled out all the stops.  Jesse uses a special gun that, through upgrading, can morph back and forth and you never need to collect ammunition, which is pretty handy.  Each of them feels distinctly different and can be more or less effective against certain enemies.  Each of them can be modded and upgraded quite easily using items you collect naturally through playing.


The weapons are good but the abilities are even better.  My two favorites without a doubt were launch and levitate, they do exactly what they say on the tin.  Combining these two abilities along gun variants is so much fun, there are also skill trees to help improve them further.


The enemies are varied which helps stop the game from feeling repetitive, some are a lot easier to kill than others.  The difficulty never seemed unbalanced or unfair no matter what was being thrown at me.


The game map is quite large so making use of control points is key otherwise you will spend a lot of time running.  The map can be a little awkward to work out at times but as a whole, it works.


There is not only the main story to focus on but a slew of side missions wish to offer a little break from the main dialogue with some great rewards.


Overall there is little to nothing to complain about in relation to the gameplay, I enjoyed myself and can see myself replaying Control in the future.





Final Thoughts

Well, after fifteen hours of playing how did I feel?  Pretty damn good.  The story was strong and interesting, the visuals were good but a little more of investment could have made them great. The music was exactly what it needed and the gameplay was fantastic.  Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Until Dawn - Review

There are numbers of games I wanted to play this year & Until Dawn was one of them.  I am normally not huge into horror-esque games but this one caught my eye.  I think it was not only the visual aspect that intrigued me but also the setting that was chosen; a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, with no escape.  I saw it for under €20 the other day in CEX & thought now was the time to give it a go.


Curries are awesome, correction they can be.  If a curry is done right it can be the perfect blend of spices, vegetables & meat.  It is great for opening up your airways, especially if you have a cold or just need something nice & warm.  Throw in some rice, naan bread, maybe a cheeky bhaji & you have the perfect meal.  However, some curries are, well, just outright bad.  Some curries use cheap ingredients, the meat & vegetables are about to go off & then to make up for the poor quality & taste tons of spices are added to it.  The result is a powdery tasting mess.  Playing Until Dawn I found myself asking was this the perfect meal & cleanser that I needed or was I going to be left with a bad taste in my mouth, pain in my stomach & a tender behind?

Let me set the scene, eight friends (sort of) decide to go up to a mountain lodge for a weekend to get away from it all.  As you can imagine a bunch of teenagers out in the middle of nowhere, with no adult supervision is only going to go one way really.  Naturally, everyone loves everyone & there are no feelings of ill will towards anyone, okay maybe some ill will.   Eight high school teenagers + log cabin + badly thought out prank = grim beginnings.


Fast forward one year later, everyone one is trying to deal with the tragedy from the previous year.  Of course, the best way to deal with it is to go back to the cabin where it all happened?  This time around there is lots of melodrama & everyone has been playing relationship musical chairs.


So who are our eight characters? Ashley, Chris, Jess, Josh, Matt, Mike, Sam & Emily.  Each has a certain quality about them & until about 60%-70% of the way through the game I found it hard to find any of them that likable.  The two characters I liked the least were Emily, AKA Bitchy McBitch Face & Matt AKA Mr. Meathead which in fairness I thought was inaccurate - Mr. Fade into the Background was more accurate.


The story is pretty solid & is only spoiled by a couple of so-so characters & the games slight indecisiveness to decide what kind of story it wants to tell.

This game is visually impressive in so many ways,  the snow effects look great & it really feels like you are on a winter getaway in the mountains.  Normally I would reserve this next statement when discussing the story but I feel the two are intertwined in this case, I won't discuss the look of the different parts of the game as I feel it would spoil the experience of it.


The character looks amazing if not slightly generic, let me clarify.  The facial expressions of the characters look very realistic even down to their eye movements. The outfits worn by the characters look real & actually look like they are being worn rather than simply imposed onto a model.  While they are visually impressive the characters themselves are not.  Supermassive Games decided to go with an atypical Hollywood view of teenagers; pretty, similar weight, height & it is not believable that any of them are under the age of twenty.


While I may have ripped on the studio's lack of character diversity I cannot flaw the overall visual impressiveness of the game.


The music used in the game is eerie & very atmospheric, bone-chilling use of strings & startling use of brass create a very claustrophobic feel.  While listening to the score it made me reminisce about the work performed by James Horner & Jerry Goldsmith on the movies Alien & Aliens.


The composer for this score of darkness is Jason Graves, some of his works include; Far Cry Primal, Order 1886, Dead Space & Fear 3.  Listening to the score you can certainly hear influences from Dead Space & Fear 3, sounds designed to make you feel a sense of dread which was perfect for this game.  Outside of this a rendition of the traditional American folk song 'O' Death' is covered by Amy Van Roekel which is used in the opening & ending credits of the game.  She has mostly worked in Operas & Concerts including ; Lost Childhood, The Marriage of Figaro, The Telephone, Midsummer Night's Dream & The Machine to name just a few.


The score comes in at just over an hour which I found to be the perfect considering the length of the game itself, my favorites pieces include; 'Final Confrontation', 'Shadow of the Mountain', 'Run or Hide' & 'Chris & Ashley'.  Overall a great score which really helped create a chilling atmosphere.

It's that time, onto the meat!  The first thing you need to know is you will have to make lots & lots of decisions, due the butterfly effect being a big part of the game even small decisions can have major ramifications later on.  There are useful collectibles that are actually relevant to the gameplay rather than just being there for the sake of it.  Something I really liked were the totems which help give you a glimpse into possible things that could happen depending on decisions you make, you never know how these actions can be triggered so stay vigilant.


The games constantly has you playing as each of the eight characters which makes it feel like you are part of a movie rather than a game.  While for the most past I liked this I did feel it stopped me a little from fully engaging with some of the characters & feeling perhaps more attached to them.  Decisions, decisions & more decisions, your actions don't only effect the story but how you are seen by the other characters.  Some actions will see you becoming closer with them while others will push you further apart.  There are multitude of character traits including; bravery, romance & honesty, each can be of major benefit in the short & long term.


'Don't Move', was one of my favorite actions in the game, at certain points your character will need to remain perfectly still.  The only way to do this was to not move the controller even a little, if you do then someone may just lose their life.  It added a great amount of suspense & even had me holding my breath at certain points.


The gameplay was really good & the only minor thing that bugged me was the constant story recaps which made little sense as the game was not being told in an episodic way unlike Alan Wake or Tell Tales The Walking Dead for example.




So after little over 8 hours how did I find my experience?  Very good, surprisingly so.   The game started with me feeling really annoyed by each of the characters but as time went on I slowly started to like some of them.  Sure the game has it's flaws but the good things in the game far out weight this.  I was tussling with what I would score this game but when it comes down to it the decision is not that hard to make, I give this one 4 out of 5