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lady-of-rohan · 7 years

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My sincere and honest thoughts regarding The Evil Within 2:

So, I'm finally sitting down and writing out ALL my thoughts on TEW2... at first, I was kind of nervous. After all, I mean so many people are going to love it, right? Well, to put things into perspective, @detective-joseph-oda and I literally returned the game. I've never taken back a game in my life.

It's been a difficult rollercoaster for me. TEW fandom is my everything... so, it's not like I'm leaving, or going to stop being mama or shipping or cosplaying or anything like that. I love this community and I want to contribute and continue to support my kids. I also would never want people to not play a game, or not get enjoyment out of it by voicing my opinions. A lot of people have asked me what I thought ... so here's my honest write-up, as someone who picked up TEW1 on its release date back in 2014 and has been in the fandom ever since.

MAJOR SPOILERS naturally.

Let's start out positive with things we actually liked:

Stefano! He was a super cool character, a total flamboyant psycho, and I adored all of the artsy, musical-inclined deaths with the slow-mo blood. That was really aesthetic, and really gorgeously done. Like, I couldn’t get enough of it.

Obscura is also amazing, though her moaning noises were a bit odd.

Anima (the singing enemy) was nicely done.And probably the scariest thing in the game.

The graphics are beautiful.

Gameplay controls are good.

Music is also nice.

Save kitty and Tatiana are back, which was a brief treat, but awesome ones.

Green gel and syringes are back (eyyy~).

Getting to walk around KCPD in Seb's old office.

The beginning fire sequence with Seb entering the house. GORGEOUSLY and amazingly done... it really built it up and started out strong... but then... well...

General things I sincerely disliked:

Firstly, the OPEN WORLD SEGMENTS. Ugh... this was the worst part of the game. Hands down. It was unnecessary, and not remotely horror at all. It was easy to see where this game drew influence from other games recently, and quite honestly , it didn't work for me. It was wicked distracting and out of place. This does not belong in this genre, making the game feel like it was torn in several different gameplay directions. It couldn't decide whether it wanted to be linear or open world. The tracker was annoying, and straight out of Silent Hill Shattered Memories which is certainly nothing new.

The game also sometimes flipped from third to first person. Very distracting. To be fair, I think a lot of this game mechanic confusion happened due to the following reason:

It's American horror transformation from Japanese horror. I won't lie, I'm a Shinji Mikami fangirl. I find him to be brilliant. Always have... and I stopped liking Resident Evil as soon as 5 came out, and he left as director. TEW was supposed to be his love story to horror fans. Something he could leave us, as he described in one interview, that didn't suffer from "sequelitis." So you can imagine my true horror when I heard that Johanas was the new director.

The jump from American horror from Japanese is stark, and shattering if you're a big horror gamer like I am. Japanese horror isn't afraid to leave things up in the air or neatly explain everything. They often leave you confused, and often in high anxiety or suspense. They don't give straight answers. In TEW2, though, nothing is really scary any more. It also relies HEAVILY upon mechanics, plot devices, and gameplay from other games... most notably The Last of Us but also Uncharted, Resident Evil 7, The Division, Outlast, SIlent Hill and SH Shattered Memories, Layers of Fear. Of which TEW was nothing like ANY of these. And yes, I know the new director, Johanas, is the same as the DLCs... but at least the DLCs provided some sincerely terrifying moments.

(side note: I was the most peeved that the ending of both TLOU and TEW2 is literally carrying your daughter or daughter figure in your arms... and that the emotional moments between them take place in a vehicle as they gaze at one another. Influenced much?).

Which brings me to... the main thing a survival-horror game should have. Horror.

This game is not scary. Nor was it difficult in any sense of the word. Unless you count... actually getting through it, which was very painful at times.

We honestly didn't die once during our 12-hour stream. This was absolutely disappointing. And confusing. Why wasn't this game more difficult? Sometimes I still die in the beginning sequence of TEW1. It's still terrifying as the Sadist comes at Seb, he injures his leg, and Seb limps for his life.

Furthermore, the utter sense of isolation, confusion, and abandonment is gone. In TEW1, you literally have no idea what the hell is going on, left in the dark figuratively and at times, literally. That's what makes it scary, aside from the hideous creatures out for blood. With so many Mobius NPCs, you always know a safe house, or a safe room, is well within running distance. It's so easy to use avoidant tactics and not fight much, rather than fighting for your life every few minutes.

Which leads us into...

The NPCs. I'm sorry, everyone was so cardboard and generic. Also boring in my opinion. Their interactions with Seb felt awkward and forced. I didn't give a damn about any of them ( @detective-joseph-oda, liked Sykes, which is fair because he had the most personality out of all of them). Again, the isolation and terror is gone. You have friends... and not just Kidman in your ear telling you what to do. Unlike the first game, where you were absolutely alone 90% of the time, with increased anxiety every time Joseph left your side and you were left to your own devices again.

On that note, this game provides way too much information as you work with Mobius. TEW1 left theories in the online community for months. No one knew what truly went on behind Beacon. It was fascinating to theorize about the character's fates. Mobius was just a terror in the distance, vaguely mentioned and yet their symbols were emblazoned on doors every so often leaving a sense of intrigue and mystery. What was real and what wasn’t? Not something to worry about any more, as everyone directly explains everything to you, every step of the way. Even the DLCs added more information than answered questions, and the fandom was, well, for lack of a better word, shook.

The DLCs suddenly made Mobius, and Kidman, Administrator, etc... the main focus. Suddenly, Beacon wasn't so spooky any more because they were tugging the strings. Which brings us to our next point...

The importance is suddenly almost entirely placed upon Kidman as a side character (she's the only other one you play as, after all). I get it. People love Kidman. She’s a familiar face. This was obviously shifting this way in the DLCs. Not only was this Seb's story arc (unless you count the DLCs) but it felt out of place seeing as you only get to be her a few brief segments. It seemed to me like the game wanted to neatly tie up BOTH of their character arcs in one game, rather than provide another Kidman DLC to see how things went down on her end again. It felt like a bit much going on.. not to mention Joseph was Seb’s actual partner and his focus in TEW1. More on that later. On that note, The Administrator was such a wasted opportunity. Instead of being a creepy monster influence like he once was inside of STEM, he just sits in his chair like a typical Bond Villain and has agents do his evil bidding. He sits back and "MWAHAHAS" rather than actively playing a part in the events around him.

And now we get into the nitty gritty, and the things I am most passionately outspoken about with this game.

Stefano is HARDLY in it, and the game has far too many antagonists. I was so disappointed to see Stefano ended by chapter 9 because he was the best part of the game. That's only halfway through that he makes it, and he is the character they used on all of their promotional material, and even their art contest. Super disappointing.

New Seb... isn't our Seb. He's down on his luck, sure, but he's almost at peace with it given his other behavior. We only really see that Seb is downtrodden because he's written in a bar at the beginning of the game and he has a beard of sorrow. Everything else leads to Seb seeming pretty high functioning and generally in better spirits. It almost feels like invasion of the body snatchers. His facial features are different (rendered to be more classically handsome, perhaps). He's suddenly more sassy, and infinitely more talkative, making him far from the near-silent protagonist he once was. Instead of playing his cards close to the vest, he wears his heart on the sleeve, often openly emotional. Which, given the contrast between he and Joseph in the first game, is not his usual style. Joseph was the "emotional" of the two. He also hardly swears or even says his token trade-marked 'FUCK.' You can't get through five minutes of the game without him making some kind of snappy, cheesy one-liner or talking to himself. It’s hard to take the game seriously as horror this time around.The obviously new voice actor for him, compared to Anson's experience, is also a rough transition.

Is it because he's after his child, who he thought was dead that he's so different? I dunno... I don't buy it. And speaking of, Lily's crying was some of the worst voice acting I've heard in a game in a very long time. I won't say much on her, other than I was severely disappointed by the overly-happy ending, neatly tied up in a package with a bow. TEW isn't The Last of Us. It was never a "father saves his daughter" game. It was horror. Lily and Myra were there for backstory only.This seemed like a money-making gimmick to me, given the popularity of such series that have gone the familial route, rather than sticking to their original genres (Uncharted for example). Family sells. Saving your family sells. Although I'm happy for Seb, I truly am... it's absolutely jarring to see the end of this game compared to the first.It’s almost alien.

The characterization, and dialogue writing... overall was bad. Especially between Seb and Myra (O'Neal, too).

Myra... well, again, I won't say much. I was very disappointed that she had a redemption arc, and that she wasn't out against Sebastian from the start as the DLCs perhaps hinted at. She was a good wife. A good person. Very clean for a horror game. It was an easy out. And her design was a direct rip off Ruvik and honestly really reaching. Shoutout to the fact that she looks like literal cum.

Finally, and here we go... the original story arc was about Ruvik. His pain, his motivations, his invention of STEM to bring Laura back. As far as we know, he's still out there inhabiting Leslie as a vessel. This... was just dropped in favor of a retconned Seb saves Lily story. Ruvik was so much more interesting. They could have at least given him a little bit of screen time. I really feel like they dropped the actual horror ball, shifting the focus from the mind of a madman, as the original game called it.. to a very Umbrella-esque organization. Seeing Seb face Leslie/Ruvik in the real world was a HUGE missed opportunity.

And last but certainly not least.. the fandom's beloved Joseph Oda. Going back to Kidman who was the Junior Detective, and not Sebastian's actual partner of 9 years like Joseph was, it just hurts to see him discarded. Yes, we got our confirmation that he's alive which is something the fandom has theorized for years. Johanas himself had left Joseph with a heartbeat in the DLCs, hinting at his state of life. But you also have to work for it. HARD. To even see this happy information flashed on your projection screen, you need every single photo slide and side quest finished. It isn't even remotely satisfying, and again, it's another tease. Kidman gives you an excuse and dodges questions about his whereabouts, or how he is, or if he's just a brain in a jar...

The ending hints that someone is now running STEM again as the Core. Is it Joseph? Who knows... DLC perhaps? If so I'm not sure I'm interested. Joseph may not be who he once was if he gets the same treatment of the other characters.

Going back to Seb's characterization, (I think @debussyj will agree with me on this) his partner for most of his detective career has been supposedly "dead" in his eyes for three years. He was willing to believe Lily was alive again, but why not Joseph? The care that they showed for each other in the first game was so apparent. All shipping aside. They cared for each other so much and yes, Lily is his blood, but Joseph was part of his life far longer. And now Joseph is just a footnote in Seb's life, because he got his daughter back. Blood is thicker than water I guess, but boy Seb, that's no way to treat the man who helped you through your personal tragedy, as the DLCs went out of their way to mention, and the partner you came to work beside, admire and respect. This more than anything felt the most disappointing and OOC for me. It felt downright disrespectful, especially since Ruvik pointedly mocks Sebastian by using Joseph in the first game ("poor little Joseph") and Seb's motivations throughout the first game are first and foremost, helping his partner get through it, too. It's like the two almost never existed as partners.

The TLDR version; this game is not an actual horror game, is a far cry from its original genre, theme, and atmosphere... it uses a heavy reliance upon other popular games, the writing isn't good or consistent, the characters feel entirely different, and no, Joseph is not in it.

#tew2 #the evil within 2 #lady reviews #sebastian castellanos #psychobreak 2 #my tew posts

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mobius-prime · 4 years

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158. Sonic the Hedgehog #91

Crash!

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Ron Lim Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Rotor is finally making his way back from the North Tundra to rejoin the rest of his friends at Knothole, on foot since apparently a genius like him somehow has no vehicle to carry him. He actually crosses through the Forbidden Zone on his way there, which if you'll remember is the place that Sally and her friends went all the way back in the Sonic In Your Face special, where she found the note from Julayla. Rotor climbs up a cliff next to Robotropolis just in time to see the two meteors crash down next to the city, much to his shock. In the dust from the impact, he sees a figure approach him, which turns out to be Mina, worried for Sonic's wellbeing after such an event. However, the ground between them suddenly shakes and collapses into a small hole, out of which Sonic jumps out like nothing is wrong.

Man, it's a good thing Archie Sonic is just able to burrow into the ground whenever he wants to - games Sonic needs a Drill Wisp to pull that off. Meanwhile, within Eggman's base, Eggman has retrieved the Sword of Acorns and taken it back inside, where he's ready to test its free-will-restoring abilities.

Welp, great use of time and resources there, Eggman! I mean, what was he planning to do if Chuck and Muttski did suddenly regain their free will again in front of him? Scold them strongly? Fight them with the sword? I think maybe he didn't think this one totally through. While Geoffrey talks with Elias about the current missing sword situation, stating he doubts this to be the work of common thieves, Sally and Nate check on the king and queen in the med-lab. Nate is saddened at hearing of the king's injuries, but Dr. Quack suggests that for now they let the king sleep and instead both of them should take the queen out for a walk to get her out of the hospital setting for now. Meanwhile, Sonic now has to decide how he's going to handle the sword's theft (you know, after Eggman stole it from him after he stole it from the reliquary).

Hmm… those meteors embedded in the dirt outside the city sure aren't looking very meteor-like…

But what of the sword, anyway? It's just lying on the floor in front of Chuck and Muttski, where they still stand motionless. Well, just in case you forgot about ol' Uma Arachnis, she's finally back with a mission of her own - namely, to steal the sword from the guy who stole the sword from the other guy who stole the sword! Man, can everyone just stop stealing swords for like five minutes? She scuttles off with her prize, right in front of Chuck, who perhaps is not as hypnotized as we thought…

Well hello there, Uncle Chuck! It's so good to see you finally back! Yeah, it turns out that they've retained their free will from the moment the sword first touched them while still in the hands of King Max, but wisely, Chuck has decided for now to maintain a ruse of having lost it again as soon as the sword was taken away from him, in order to spy on the returned Robotnik. Of course, neither Sonic nor Eggman know this, and so the latter doesn't bother suspecting the two robots as culprits when he returns to find the sword missing from the floor. He decides not to get upset over it, thinking that the sword has no value anyway, but happy to continue to let Sonic throw himself against his forces regardless. He recalls his shadow-bots for the moment, and while Sonic scratches his head in confusion over such a move, Sally and Nate accompany the queen outside in Knothole, where Nate leaves the two others to catch up - after all, remember, the last time the queen even saw Sally was when Sally was still a baby, even younger than Elias. The queen reassures Sally that Elias can handle the sword situation while they chat, saying he was born to his role, but Sally thinks doubtfully to herself that he wasn't bred to it - again, I have to stress just how much better Sally would be as the acting ruler. Elias was never groomed into princehood the way Sally was to princesshood, and Sally has years of experience actively leading a major organized rebellion against the old Robotnik, so there's absolutely no reason other than pettiness for the king to replace her as heir to the throne. But I digress! As Rotor returns to Knothole at last, finding himself warmly greeted by old friends, we finally find out where Uma has taken the Sword of Acorns - into an underground passage beneath the city streets, where a figure that we definitely didn't expect to show up given his very prominent appearance on the cover page happily accepts the sword.

I'm sure he has totally innocent plans in mind for that sword, right? Sonic actually appears to be standing just above Kodos and Uma's hiding place, as he becomes confused for a second upon hearing the laughter, but he then finds himself confronted by a small army made up not of shadow-bots, but of Robians. And of course, this wouldn't be an Eggman plot without a little psychological warfare, so who should be leading the charge but Uncle Chuck and Muttski! Sonic regretfully acknowledges that Eggman wins this round, as he's obviously unwilling to fight the Robians, and so he turns and races away for now, with Uncle Chuck sad that he couldn't break his cover to let Sonic know he's all right.

Huh, what might be in those…?

Hired Guns

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Frank Gagliardo

So, you might be wondering, if you didn’t pay attention to the little teaser blurb at the end of the last issue, how exactly Gala-Na intends to track down Knuckles. Well, she's decided, of course, to contact the two most scummy and untrustworthy bounty hunters on Mobius! Nack is hanging out in some sleazy dive bar trying to get in the pants of some chipmunk lady in fishnets when Nic shows up to find him, earning Nack a slap in the face from his date as she assumes Nic is his wife. Nack is quite irritated that his sister has ruined his chance at furry poontang, even literally stating he "ought to take a paddle" to the slap-happy girl (seriously, Ken, you're walking a fine line here of what kind of dialogue is appropriate for a comic of this demographic), but sobers up a bit when she offers for him to get in on her latest bounty.

Okay, first of all, this isn't the first time Nack has dealt with Knuckles - doesn't he remember the type of person he's going up against? Granted, Knuckles wasn't as powerful back then, but still. Second of all, Nic literally just has the goddamn Millennium Falcon all lined up and ready to fly, huh? As they fly off to rendezvous with their echidna employers at a set of secretive coordinates, Knuckles, still bathed in a green glow, meditates on the shore of an unidentified beach, realizing that with the growth of his powers, he's gone from a mere Guardian to a literal living Chaos Emerald. His ultimate goal is to get back to the Floating Island for answers, but as he still has no idea where it might be or if it's okay, he's stuck for now. Nack and Nic are guided into Albion's hidden airspace, where they land and are ushered into a meeting room with Gala-Na and the other councilmembers. Gala-Na explains to them the extent of Knuckles' powers, impressing upon them just how dangerous he could be right now, and insists that if possible he is to be brought back alive.

And thus, the extent of Gala-Na's shadiness is brought to light. It would have been far better and easier if she had just decided to trust Knuckles enough to have a discussion about all of this. Hell, Knuckles is concerned about his own powers as well - offering to help him and figure out a way to control them would have gone a long way toward both earning his trust and getting said powers safely under control. Yet instead, because Knuckles refused her authoritarian orders to let her disassemble the High Sheriff right in front of his son, she acted like a petulant child when she didn't get her way, and now intends to take Knuckles prisoner and do… something as-yet-unspecified to him, all because of powers that he never asked to be born with in the first place. Again, none of the business with Dimitri or the Brotherhood involve her in any way. For the hundreds of years that that power struggle has been going on, she and the rest of the citizens of Albion have been holed up over here in an even more secretive and isolationist location than the Floating Island, to the point that the rest of the world doesn’t even know they exist. Seriously, Gala-Na, you're just a giant raging bitch concealed under a façade of poise. And as we'll see, this crappy attitude of hers hasn't even gotten to its worst point yet…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 91 #writer: karl bollers #writer: ken penders #pencils: ron lim #pencils: steven butler #colors: frank gagliardo

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