The Evil Within Seems Like Mostly a Success

Most horror games are more successful than not simply because they involve the gamer in a chilly and suspenseful atmosphere and The Evil Within does this best. A few problems I encountered was the numerous replays I'd do during the game, the first and main mistake I made was playing it on Survival difficulty instead of Easy....most Normal level games are my style and not impossible to get through but this one has some tough parts and frustrating bosses so no matter how good you are at these types of games save yourself the frustration and play on easy. There were some boss fights I'd play literally 30-35 times before I could pass and other times I just had to learn as I went along about traps that kill you with ONE mistake and you start over....save points were at awkward places too so often I'd finally pass a hard section then it a hidden trap and have to do it ALL over. All said, this is a worthy 20 hour rental game that is intense and well done, 7 out of 10.

Co-op would've earned this game one extra point.

I do really love this game!

Yes I enjoyed the game myself, I also played on Survival and died a total of 208 times by end of it on a 20+ hour playthrough. When you finish the game it tells you how many times you died, what was yours?

Yeah. You do die a lot. I took 16 hours and died 150 times. I thought I was doing badly cos I normally suck at shooters but I guess I had some affinity for the technical action aspects (which are also a part of Resident Evil 4; a game I played a lot).

Having said that it rarely got scream-out-loud frustrating because I died a lot but it does dull your enjoyment and turn some sections into a chore. I'm going through on Nightmare now and THAT is scream-out-loud frustrating at times thanks to some really irritating AI quirks and randomness.

The borders are actually intended to do more than that. They cut off the view of your feet meaning you have to make an compromise between pitching the camera down to see them (limited view of what is ahead) or look ahead (but not able to see your feet). You're more likely to panic and walk into a trap as a result of shifting between the two viewpoints.

Also keep in mind that unlike other games with over the shoulder where you get one long view over one shoulder, in TEW your character is framed centrally framed giving you two very narrow views over either shoulder. If they removed the borders by zooming in/cropping your view would be even more limited than it already is, to the point of being unfair. And if they just removed the borders without zooming in the viewpoint compromise described above ceases to exist because you can see everything in a single frame without having to adjust the camera.

Notice also how the game has no Resident Evil style quick turn or option to aim where you are facing (aiming snaps to camera direction). Again, intentional to force you to rotate the slow moving camera. When fighting enemies you have a choice between framing them or your escape vector (the camera isn't fast enough to make frequent alternation an option) If you frame the enemies you might run into a dead end or obstruction obscured by the bottom border. Remove the border and the player has more time to react and fewer occasions to panic.

Put briefly: the borders are there to make your life more difficult by working together with limited mobility, horizontal FOV, slow camera and so on. The game certainly isn't more pleasant for having the borders, but then the sick mind that is creator Shinji Mikami isn't interested in making you happy :P

I actually like difficult games, it feels like I get my moneys worth.

Yeah don't worry about the borders either, at first they're quite annoying. But after a while you don't even notice them.

@BattleSpectre

Sounds like they break your will and make you get use to lower standards.

Nah haha, you don't even have time to notice the black bars after a while. There's so much going on and you'll die that many times if you let your guard down - you'll forget they're even there :P

But then again, I do play on a 60" TV, so not sure if that makes it more forgiving too.

@BattleSpectre

Sounds like they break your will and make you get use to lower standards.

@BattleSpectre

Sounds like they break your will and make you get use to lower standards.

I dunno... The only boss I really had a problem with was the Safe Head boss in the poison mist. I was struggling with him because I was panicking trying to find those valves. I struggled with him more than I did when I had to fight two at the same time.

@MDK12345

No you won't. :p

God, the safe head and traps and smoke was such a pain that I almost quit the game (and just about cracked my controller in frustration) and must have died 40 times redoing it again and again....

Why are you repeating yourself? To annoy me?

@BattleSpectre

No mate... Its a bug... My bad.

Haha all good bro :)

@BattleSpectre

Not quite.... Theres still the matter of Co-Op.... or lack there of.

don't say that dude I know you will buy the game.

I'd say rent this one but wouldn't recommend a buy

I played it first on Survival, took 24 hours, died 89 times... what's lame is that you unlock the same stuff as on easy mode, so it would be more fun to play on easy then just enjoy the game and level up. I haven't tried the harder modes yet because I don't need the stress. My only complaints are the wonky camera/movement and the horrible bullet hit detection at times, overall I'd give it 8/10 score. I enjoyed the BOSS fights... noting too over the top but satisfying. The game has potential as a concept since the sequels could be anything since it's all in his mind... the worlds could be endlessly imaginative.

@Lulu_Lulu: I disagree. It's a horror game. Isolation is part of the aesthetic.

I'm LOVING the game. I've nearly finished it in a matter of 3 days (14 hours in) and it's awesome. But some of the stuff in the game...the imagery, the themes, the oppressive atmosphere. Seriously, it's twisted as hell.

Oh, and it's ultra gorey. :P

@ShadowsDemon

You won't lose the Isolation in Co-Op. And I don't play games for aesthetics.

Yeh from what I played I think it's gotten some unfair criticism so you die alot big deal games are supposed to be challenging.

It isnt a 90 game where it would be a nominee for game of the year. It is 75 game and horror fans would like it more than the regular gamer. I consider it a success.

@chocolate1325

Some games are just Cheap or poorly designed.

This game is the most boring game I've played since the hugely other overrated Alan Wake. The producer clearly can't let go of his (well deserved) Resident Evil success but I suggest he quits making games. Where to start. If you intend to make a whole new game, you really should leave what you did before, I mean, the over-the-shoulder-looking zombie like enemy introduction was from Resident Evil, let it go! The design is awful, the ugliest game I've played since a long time. The enemies appear in the most annoying ways. The save system is dreadful. The interface for weapons, items and such is annnoying. To me this game was a true scam. I'm disgusted I was lured to this cr*p at a price the game isn't even worth half of it.

I will say its rough a 7.5 to an 8 nothing more than that.

I agree, a solid 7 would be my final verdict