Obscure
Feb 6, 2012 15:09:08 GMT -5
Post by KeeperBvK on Feb 6, 2012 15:09:08 GMT -5
hardcoregaming101.net/obscure/obscure.htm
Sorry for putting it this bluntly, but I found this article to be rather ridiculous.
I found the part about the first Obscure to be pretty ok-ish, I suppose, except for two gripes:
Why should this be meant to make fun of Doom 3? It's just a pretty standard gameplay element to have both a light and a weapon activated at a time. An element Doom 3 happened to not feature. So? Is every game that allows the combination of the two to be used "making fun" of Doom 3?
"Deadly combat system"? What is that even supposed to mean? Is the system itself supposed to be deadly? If so, then why? Because it's so crappy, it's gonna get you killed? Or is the combat deadly? And how about elaborating the puzzle part? The only mention of the puzzles apart from those two words is a single sentence reading "From time to time, you're presented with puzzles that involve coordination and teamwork, like climbing into a vent or activating a lift."
But then Obscure II...
First (minor) gripe: The article mentions an XBOX version, although there is none.
And also, I thought HG101's focus on covering different versions of games would only have grown over the last few years, but then this article tries to squeeze four versions of Obscure II into these three sentences:
And then the whole "trainwreck" thing. The author appears to be content with repeating over and over again how terrible he thinks(!) the game to be, without really backing it up. The last paragraph especially does little besides bashing the game repeatedly. And why? Because the plot is awful? Because it "involves rape" as the author puts it? He makes it seem as if raping was any kind of a major plot point or if you would actually get to witness anything of any act of raping, which isn't the case. It's just an explanation for why one of the girls carries the seed of evil in her womb, which has been done in movies numerous times. Reducing the story this drastically by stating "it involves rape" is like saying a Christmas Eve service is about "God doing a girl" (no offence meant). And the plot is extremely cheesy, but this only goes to fit the whole idea of a "teenie slasher movie parody". And the article could also mention the abundance of small atmospheric touches found within the campus in all the notes and such left behind or attached to the walls and such. Or the enemies turning out to be covered in mutated vaginas and such, which isn't grossly obvious, but rather has to be discovered. It's all highly tongue-in-cheek, but neatly executed and it all comes together nicely. Now, the dialogue tends to be horrible as is the quality of the FMVs, I'll give you that. ^^
And the other points of criticism?
Being able to die in the first Obscure doesn't seem to have any real sort of impact, serving as little more than granting you a couple of extralives, so what's so bad about the change?
Again, highly subjective. Some would prefer it one way and otehrs the other way around.
The article had already mentioned the first Obscure to be extremely difficult at times, and Obscure II is even harder? I've beaten it on hard without much of a problem apart from some boss fights, and I haven't played any survival horror games aside from RE 1 and Eternal Darkness. I've even done it on the Wii, which has pretty awkward controls (again something the article doesn't mention).
Obscure II has has some neat, environmental puzzles, and unlike the author, I've rarely felt overwhelmed by endless enemy hordes while dealing with them. Plus, you're supposed to let one of the two solve the puzzle, while the other fights back the enemies, which is a rather nice change of pace from clearly separating puzzle sections from action sections.
All in all, the article is not only extremely short, going over most aspects within only one or two sentences or entirely skipping them, but it's also way too busy telling how terrible the second game supposedly is (which it isn't), instead of WHY it is so bad. Obscure II is by no means a great game, but it's good or at least decent, and most definitely far from "a trainwreck".
Now I know that articles here are rarely (if ever) changed when somebody raises his voice in a case like this, but I felt like I needed to at least try. While there is some nice info in there (the soundtrack sure is great, and getting to know the company's background was also nice), I'd go as far as calling this one of the worst articles I've ever read on this site. By far. Hell, apart from the Time Killers one that was never officially posted, this IS the worst I've read.
Sorry if I'm sounding too harsh, by the way.
Edit: And for some trivia, the article could mention the Xbox version of Obscure missing the print on its spine (at least in Germany), which is rather ridiculous in an entertaining way: imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/obscuregermandvdpalcdco.jpg/
Sorry for putting it this bluntly, but I found this article to be rather ridiculous.
I found the part about the first Obscure to be pretty ok-ish, I suppose, except for two gripes:
Making fun of Doom 3, Obscure allows you to combine flashlight with your various range weapons to use both at the same time.
Why should this be meant to make fun of Doom 3? It's just a pretty standard gameplay element to have both a light and a weapon activated at a time. An element Doom 3 happened to not feature. So? Is every game that allows the combination of the two to be used "making fun" of Doom 3?
deadly combat system, stupid puzzles & very short length.
"Deadly combat system"? What is that even supposed to mean? Is the system itself supposed to be deadly? If so, then why? Because it's so crappy, it's gonna get you killed? Or is the combat deadly? And how about elaborating the puzzle part? The only mention of the puzzles apart from those two words is a single sentence reading "From time to time, you're presented with puzzles that involve coordination and teamwork, like climbing into a vent or activating a lift."
But then Obscure II...
First (minor) gripe: The article mentions an XBOX version, although there is none.
And also, I thought HG101's focus on covering different versions of games would only have grown over the last few years, but then this article tries to squeeze four versions of Obscure II into these three sentences:
It was published on the PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Wii and PSP. The PC port is probably the best version, as the higher resolution is far less fuzzy. It is also worth underlining that the PSP port is excellent and allows you to play two players mode with the ad-hoc system.
And then the whole "trainwreck" thing. The author appears to be content with repeating over and over again how terrible he thinks(!) the game to be, without really backing it up. The last paragraph especially does little besides bashing the game repeatedly. And why? Because the plot is awful? Because it "involves rape" as the author puts it? He makes it seem as if raping was any kind of a major plot point or if you would actually get to witness anything of any act of raping, which isn't the case. It's just an explanation for why one of the girls carries the seed of evil in her womb, which has been done in movies numerous times. Reducing the story this drastically by stating "it involves rape" is like saying a Christmas Eve service is about "God doing a girl" (no offence meant). And the plot is extremely cheesy, but this only goes to fit the whole idea of a "teenie slasher movie parody". And the article could also mention the abundance of small atmospheric touches found within the campus in all the notes and such left behind or attached to the walls and such. Or the enemies turning out to be covered in mutated vaginas and such, which isn't grossly obvious, but rather has to be discovered. It's all highly tongue-in-cheek, but neatly executed and it all comes together nicely. Now, the dialogue tends to be horrible as is the quality of the FMVs, I'll give you that. ^^
And the other points of criticism?
It also implies that no one can die
Being able to die in the first Obscure doesn't seem to have any real sort of impact, serving as little more than granting you a couple of extralives, so what's so bad about the change?
Furthermore, the whole light gimmick has been stripped out, turning the game in a classic survival-horror.
Again, highly subjective. Some would prefer it one way and otehrs the other way around.
Strangely enough, it's much more difficult than the first one and requires even more item management, and of course, a lot of running away.
The article had already mentioned the first Obscure to be extremely difficult at times, and Obscure II is even harder? I've beaten it on hard without much of a problem apart from some boss fights, and I haven't played any survival horror games aside from RE 1 and Eternal Darkness. I've even done it on the Wii, which has pretty awkward controls (again something the article doesn't mention).
Obscure II has has some neat, environmental puzzles, and unlike the author, I've rarely felt overwhelmed by endless enemy hordes while dealing with them. Plus, you're supposed to let one of the two solve the puzzle, while the other fights back the enemies, which is a rather nice change of pace from clearly separating puzzle sections from action sections.
All in all, the article is not only extremely short, going over most aspects within only one or two sentences or entirely skipping them, but it's also way too busy telling how terrible the second game supposedly is (which it isn't), instead of WHY it is so bad. Obscure II is by no means a great game, but it's good or at least decent, and most definitely far from "a trainwreck".
Now I know that articles here are rarely (if ever) changed when somebody raises his voice in a case like this, but I felt like I needed to at least try. While there is some nice info in there (the soundtrack sure is great, and getting to know the company's background was also nice), I'd go as far as calling this one of the worst articles I've ever read on this site. By far. Hell, apart from the Time Killers one that was never officially posted, this IS the worst I've read.
Sorry if I'm sounding too harsh, by the way.
Edit: And for some trivia, the article could mention the Xbox version of Obscure missing the print on its spine (at least in Germany), which is rather ridiculous in an entertaining way: imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/obscuregermandvdpalcdco.jpg/