• 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.

Shinji Mikami's THE EVIL WITHIN |OT| Where's everyone going? Tango?

A

antitrop

Member
z4XV5Vm.png


I provide you with this convenient, entirely unlabeled reference graph.
 
T

TheFLYINGManga_Ka

Member
This is my opinion but I think Evil Within is better than RE4. Not in influence or the impact it had it the industry, but as a game I think Mikami made a better survival/horror game.

Just my opinion.
 
DirtyLarry

DirtyLarry

Member
When I play the game my ultimate goal is survival, which the game does make challenging enough thanks to the limited ammo and supplies overall. All of the environments so far are pretty damn creepy to me (in a very good way) and definitely have a horror element to them.
So yeah, to me it is a survival horror game.

Perhaps it is not hardcore for enough people, but for myself, someone who averages 6 hours a week total a week for all gaming, it is plenty challenging.

Due to my limited time I am only on Chapter 4, so I have a long way to go. And this game is pretty much damn near perfect so far.
 
A

antitrop

Member
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
This is my opinion but I think Evil Within is better than RE4. Not in influence or the impact it had it the industry, but as a game I think Mikami made a better survival/horror game.

Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

Well, the gunplay is certainly vastly more complex and enjoyable. You have more creative options available to you, in general. More emphasis on using environmental traps and the like, I enjoy that greatly. You definitely have to think about what you're doing here a bit more than in RE4.

I also really like Evil Within's upgrade system, I find it more interesting than what the iconic Merchant had to offer.

RE4 is a 10 for me, and I'm seeing Evil Within coming in at a steady 9, right now. (I'm at the end of Chapter 10)
 
T

TheBlueBomber

Member
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
This is my opinion but I think Evil Within is better than RE4. Not in influence or the impact it had it the industry, but as a game I think Mikami made a better survival/horror game.

Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

I actually think they're equal to me, like i LOVE RE4 and this is worthy of putting it next to that in my opinion, i said it before in this thread, but i can see myself playing this game down the road from now and having fond memories like i do with RE4
 
H

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
Refreshment.01 said:
Head shots still the way to go for almost everything so far, even for the porcelain masked baddies. The "halt" so you can shoot me enemy behavior from RE 4 is somewhat still present. Which is kind of weird since we always asummed it was a compromise for that game because it had limited movility options while shooting. In this game since shooting while moving and independent aiming is possible it feels a bit tame to acomodate players.
Click to expand...

While TEW technically permits you to move and shoot, Sebastian can barely hit a target while standing still. At least compared to the precision of RE4/5.
 
S

Stone Ocean

Member
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
This is my opinion but I think Evil Within is better than RE4. Not in influence or the impact it had it the industry, but as a game I think Mikami made a better survival/horror game.

Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Personally I think the game would've been far superior to RE4 if it had a moderately bigger budget and a good engine.
 
S

Sayad

Member
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
This is my opinion but I think Evil Within is better than RE4. Not in influence or the impact it had it the industry, but as a game I think Mikami made a better survival/horror game.

Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Not a huge RE4 fan but I'd still take it over TEW mainly for polish and consistency(even though consistency was a problem in RE4 too).

TEW art direction is out of this world though. I want another game like this, current gen only and made with a competent engine. I hope this one is a success.
 
G

Glass Brain

Member
This game reminds me of Tower of Latria in Demon's Souls. I know a claim like that merits a more thorough explanation, but that's all I can say for now.
 
K

K' Dash

Member
jett said:
Okay, found a lever.

And hey, I just got one hit kill'd by this bitch thanks to blowback from a bomb, who by now is as scary as Mickey fucking Mouse to me due to the amount of times I've done this garbage level. Either this game wasn't properly tested or Mikami is surrounded by yes men cocksuckers. This is just fucking annoying and frustrating. Now to repeat this shit again for the millionth time.

oh and due to not finding any levers in that one room I accidentally spoiled myself the identity of this shit boss while trying to find a solution. yay.
Click to expand...

the fuck dude? that fight is easy as fuck, just relax and you will finish it on your first go the next play session.
 
R

robotzombie

Member
robotzombie said:
okay so a few questions:

1. What are the best things to upgrade first? Which weapons should be focused on. I already know stamina is a must, so that's already at level 3 or 4

2. Can/should you kill the
hair lady
in chapter 4?

3. Are the items behind the lock boxes random? If not, is there anything unique and/or important to go for?
Click to expand...

anyone?
 
G

Gluka

Member
The jank and framerate sort of make this game flounder as a TPS. Also can't say that I have found anything particularly scary. I guess I was just sort of expecting something closer to REmake.

That said, I'm still enjoying it a lot. The atmosphere is great and dealing with ammo scarcity in my no-upgrade run has been very rewarding. Probably gonna wait for a few patches before trying out NG+ though.
 
A

antitrop

Member
robotzombie said:
okay so a few questions:

1. What are the best things to upgrade first? Which weapons should be focused on. I already know stamina is a must, so that's already at level 3 or 4

2. Can/should you kill the
hair lady
in chapter 4?

3. Are the items behind the lock boxes random? If not, is there anything unique and/or important to go for?
Click to expand...

1.
Pistol Crits, Stamina, Damage, Stock for matches/pistol, Harpoons for crossbow (level 4 is insane), Life when you're low on health, because it refills 100%

2.
Yes, but no, don't.

3.
You can abuse the save point to get whatever you're looking for out of a locker, if you can stand the load times. You can get like 5-7k green gel, or 2 keys for 1.
 
S

Sayad

Member
robotzombie said:
okay so a few questions:

1. What are the best things to upgrade first? Which weapons should be focused on. I already know stamina is a must, so that's already at level 3 or 4

2. Can/should you kill the
hair lady
in chapter 4?

3. Are the items behind the lock boxes random? If not, is there anything unique and/or important to go for?
Click to expand...
1- Amount of ammo and matches you can carry is important, don't max them early just get them high enough. Critical hits on the handgun is very useful and save you a lot of ammo if you're good with head shots. Maxed Harpoon is super useful near the end but it's a huge investment(last upgrade is 50000) it's still really good without the last upgrade though.

2- Only if you want the gel.

3- Yep, random.
 
kunonabi

kunonabi

Member
The Xtortionist said:
I mean, what is survival horror really.

TEW definitely emphasizes survival with limited supplies, and most of the enemies and locals in the game are what I would consider to generally be "scary". What more does the game need to do?
Click to expand...

The problem is the supplies aren't that limited. The game has too many forced combat scenarios which means they always provide you enough resources to make it through each encounter. Survival horror games aren't about combat but TEW totally is at least through chapter 7. Despite all the horror trappings I always felt like I was playing just another TPS/stealth title. I'm not saying it isn't one but it doesn't really scratch the same kind of itch that the genre usually hits at least for me.
 
S

Squishy3

Member
kunonabi said:
The problem is the supplies aren't that limited. The game has too many forced combat scenarios which means they always provide you enough resources to make it through each encounter. Survival horror games aren't about combat but TEW totally is at least through chapter 7. Despite all the horror trappings I always felt like I was playing just another TPS/stealth title. I'm not saying it isn't one but it doesn't really scratch the same kind of itch that the genre usually hits at least for me.
Click to expand...
I definitely had a supply problem in chapters 14 (14 was more of an issue of not having enough supplies for the really powerful weapons, you get unlimited pistol/shotgun ammo in the boss fight but it just takes forever) and 15 I was at the mercy of whether or not enemies decided to drop enough ammo to defeat the final enemy in the arena encounter and I did scour every single area thoroughly.
 
T

TheBlueBomber

Member
kunonabi said:
The problem is the supplies aren't that limited. The game has too many forced combat scenarios which means they always provide you enough resources to make it through each encounter.
Survival horror games aren't about combat
but TEW totally is at least through chapter 7. Despite all the horror trappings I always felt like I was playing just another TPS/stealth title. I'm not saying it isn't one but it doesn't really scratch the same kind of itch that the genre usually hits at least for me.
Click to expand...

The flaw in that, is why do people consider the old RE games to be survival horror then? they all have combat. just curious as to what you think haha
 
J

JoeFenix

Member
TZjYBzj.png


Overall jank and lack of polish aside this was a pretty entertaining video game!

Easily the winner of the Best Headshots of All Time Award.

Really wish Akumu didn't let you use checkpoints though, the most fun moments in the game happened when the tension got really high, usually 15+ minutes without a checkpoint.

Save room only Akumu playthrough here I come!
 
Neff

Neff

Member
The Xtortionist said:
I mean, what is survival horror really.
Click to expand...

RE1-6, literally.
And I'm going to throw in TEW as well, which is to RE what Bayonetta is to DMC, even down to the in-jokes.

Shinji Mikami devised the term himself to describe RE's -at the time- unique appeal. It also sounded cool. So cool in fact, that a generation of gamers has claimed the term for themselves and applied it to a variety of horror titles as a means of defining their own ideals and expectations of the horror genre, often incorrectly.

In the man's own words:

In games in Japan, a typical horror game is something like Clock Tower or Silent Hill but survival horror, the kind of game I like to create, is also entertainment. It’s a close genre but the difference between pure horror and survival horror is that in the latter you can defeat the monsters and feel good about it. You have to have that sense of being able to defeat a monster, even if it’s tough.
Click to expand...

Survival horror is a genre where a high stakes tightrope balancing act of empowerment vs threat can end a game very quickly if you're careless, or reward you if you're competent. You survive by pushing back. A horror game is a horror game. But like I said, the term is cool and buzzword-y, so it lives on as an indistinct one-size-fits-all brand for any game attempting to scare.
 
V

Varna

Member
Brandon F said:
Guess I'll take the plunge on TEW. Really adore and miss the classic RE games, and GT just posted a nice roundtable discussion on TEW where LOTS of comparisons are made to those games.

Would anyone agree that it shares a lot of those qualities? More focus on scavenging and constant dread of being low on ammo? Same was said of Last of Us, but I always felt armed to the teeth even on hard.
Click to expand...

It's not even close.

I'm coming around to this as a pure action game but the technical aspects of it are pissing me off.
 
kunonabi

kunonabi

Member
TheBlueBomber said:
The flaw in that, is why do people consider the old RE games to be survival horror then? they all have combat. just curious as to what you think haha
Click to expand...

They did but the combat wasn't the focus. It was more about learning enemy patterns, placement, and the best ways to avoid them. Interacting with them was more like a puzzle than anything else. high level RE is about minimizing combat as possible and figuring out the best routes through the game and managing your inventory. Sure the series made it easier and easier to blow your way through the games as it went on but the combat was always more to spice things up and add a needed element of danger. The combat didn't really drive the entire product. I'm not saying you can't have a survival horror game that is driven by combat but TEW's approach just didn't work for me.
 
D

Daigoro

Member
Varna said:
It's not even close.

I'm coming around to this as a pure action game but the technical aspects of it are pissing me off.
Click to expand...

that sucks to hear. i just beat Alien and had the same complaints. loved the game, felt frustrated by the technical issues.

im only 3 chapters in on TEW, hopefully its not as bad as Alien got in some spots.

edit: actually, is that what you meant by technical issues? im not sure now lol
 
T

TheBlueBomber

Member
kunonabi said:
They did but the combat wasn't the focus. It was more about learning enemy patterns, placement, and the best ways to avoid them. Interacting with them was more like a puzzle than anything else. high level RE is about minimizing combat as possible and figuring out the best routes through the game and managing your inventory. Sure the series made it easier and easier to blow your way through the games as it went on but the combat was always more to spice things up and add a needed element of danger. The combat didn't really drive the entire product. I'm not saying you can't have a survival horror game that is driven by combat but TEW's approach just didn't work for me.
Click to expand...

The first one, sure, but 2 and on have lots of combat
 
T

Toa TAK

Banned
antitrop said:
Grueling is apt. I would expect it to be miserable if
you don't have at least stamina level 4, I had 5 and it wasn't so bad
.
Click to expand...

I have 4 on my stamina, but damn. Once I thought it was over, something else happened. Another boss, another escape.
Not that I'm complaining, it was a hell of a ride but it was enough for me to call it a night.
 
Riposte

Riposte

Member
Just stopped at reaching chapter 6. I'm having a hard time telling apart the chapters, but I think it was chapter 5 that contained my favorite moments with some most intense combat (it was a really long one too). Combat is definitely, and unsurprisingly, the centerpiece of the game, but it's been fairly lax, so I hope it keeps building up. Thanks to the lockers, I think I now have all the bolt types (including DLC, making for a lot of selection), seems pretty early for that. I also just maxed out my crit on the handgun. I'm dying to try that out, but it would be a really bad idea for me to be distracted over the next week or two. At least when everything blows over, I'll have both this and Bayonetta 2 to play (I just finished Tropical Freeze, but I might want to go back and do some secret levels in that too). Or I'll just be completely irresponsible like usual, we'll see.

Btw, I think it was chapter 4, but I somehow made a giant pig spawn by a bonfire (after clearing out the area). I killed it and got like 1000 brain-boogers. Probably an easter egg, took me by surprise. Has anyone else done that?

EDIT: Also scavenging doesn't feel like a chore here, unlike, say, The Last of Us. Maybe because there are fewer things to pick up?
 
kunonabi

kunonabi

Member
TheBlueBomber said:
The first one, sure, but 2 and on have lots of combat
Click to expand...

Aside from the bosses most of it is completely optional and even some of the bosses allow for ways to minimize or avoid it. Was there enough ammo to kill everything in your path? Absolutely, but the idea was to train you so that you wouldn't have to or even want to. Playing RE to kill stuff is frightfully dull as there isn't much to the combat which was never that deep. Silent Hill actually had far more complex combat than RE did up until RE4.
 
A

antitrop

Member
Riposte said:
Btw, I think it was chapter 4, but I somehow made a giant pig spawn by a bonfire (after clearing out the area). I killed it and got like 1000 brain-buggers. Probably an easter egg, took me by surprise. Has anyone else done that?
Click to expand...

I will on New Game+. :p Saw the pig, ugly as fuck, but didn't do anything to it.
 
T

TheBlueBomber

Member
kunonabi said:
Aside from the bosses most of it is completely optional and even some of the bosses allow for ways to minimize or avoid it. Was there enough ammo to kill everything in your path? Absolutely, but the idea was to train you so that you wouldn't have to or even want to. Playing RE to kill stuff is frightfully dull as there isn't much to the combat which was never that deep. Silent Hill actually had far more complex combat than RE did up until RE4.
Click to expand...

Agree to disagree then i guess, because i've always found the combat fun in the RE games from 2 on, (2 and 4 being my favorites)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami explains why he left Tango Gameworks and founded Kamuy
Game Dev
39
5K
MrRenegade replied
GmanLives: The Most Bizarre "Survival Horror" Game on Steam - Ruined Nurse
Analysis Trailer Indie
0
179
IbizaPocholo replied
[VGC] Shinji Mikami teases return to work after non-compete clause seemingly ends
Game Dev 2
54
5K
Dick Jones replied
GmanLives: The Killing Antidote Is The Resident Evil Clone We Deserve
Analysis Trailer
29
2K
Rickyiez replied
Shinji Mikami slams video game censorship by the Japanese CERO rating board: “The rules are made by people who don’t play games”
Game Dev
15
2K
Moriarty1889 replied
Top Bottom