Tricky I Shadow
Banned
Apparently 8am PST.
-
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.
Until Dawn: New Trailer Lets You Take Control
- Thread starter Loudninja
- Start date
Apparently 8am PST.
I'm about 2/3rds through the game and it's really solid.
If you're a Life is Strange/Heavy Rain/Beyond/Telltale fan and want a version of one of those with high production values set in the horror genre, you won't be disappointed; Same if the idea of an interactive movie that actually works sounds cool to you. In both of those cases, Until Dawn's at least an 8/10.
Most of the time, the game is more atmospheric/tense than scary and I can see reviewers criticizing it for being a Walking Simulator+QTE-Fest ("Until Yawn" lol, 6/10), but I don't think that's fair. There are 8 characters and the game's around 7-10 hours long, of course the pacing/kill count will be different from a 2 hour movie.
imo, the game is a success. I want to replay episodes because choices actually do matter, the story is not as simplistic as I would have thought, the characters grow on you over time and the presentation is top notch.
And +1 for "OT: I know what you'll play this summer"
AmaterasuOni
Banned
Until Dawn is no way dumb. It's actually very clever in all its cliched stereotypes, but it goes way way deeper than that, really deep.
Sure, if you only play, let's say, the first 4-5 episodes, you'll get that all familiar slasher vibe. It's fun to read (the reviews) who has played it through and who has not. It will be really obvious who's cheating in their review.
TheDarkKnight774
Member
I will say I think they perfect time to release the game. They're in front of the onslaught kicking off on 9/1 but close enough to get the review blitz kicked off. It's getting more attention since summer vacations are over and game sites like GT are queuing up to have special play events and whatnot. The party/stream aspect I think will help this game a lot
Tricky I Shadow
Banned
I'm curious, what would you give Heavy Rain, Beyond and Until Dawn out of 10? (If you've even played them)
AmaterasuOni
Banned
I missed Heavy Rain because of WoW, waiting for the remake. Beyond was about 7 or 8/10, I wanted to like it more because of Ellen Page, but yeah... I can't give you a number for UD, but think something big and round and take a bit from it. A bit less than Life is Strange and LiS is my GOTY contender alongside with Bloodborne.
I'm a sucker for good stories and atmosphere.
Tricky I Shadow
Banned
Interesting. Personally I'd say Beyond is like a 4/10 in all honesty. I thought it was pretty much a complete failure since your choices meant practically nothing 90% of the time.
It's good to have some perspective with how much you've been praising Until Dawn. Thanks.
SlasherJPC
Banned
I'll say I enjoyed both those games a lot granted beyond I think felt disjointed due to the jumping around time. Also I really enjoy walking dead, wolf among us, etc.
All that said Until Dawn is def one of my favorites in the genre. So that being said, take it as you will. While being a huge horror fan sorta makes it seem as if that would overrule the rest of the games in the genre, that aspect alone isn't why it's one of my favorites.
AmaterasuOni
Banned
I didn't think that much into the actual mechanics, I just liked Beyond's story and actors. It was kind of a no-brainer "game". You just pressed buttons and watched what's happening. And it looked gorgeous. And you can't compare Beyond and UD that way. UD is a game while Beyond was an interactive experience. UD's choices really count towards the ending.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Yeah people enjoyment of the games really depend on what your looking for. Pacing, acting, scenrious, choices. It's actually a lot to think about and as people we all have different preferences. I felt Beyond was a very interesting game and tale, but the time jumping and pacing left some to be desired. I felt Heavy Rain was more successful in making me feel like decisions mattered.
Elitist1945
Member
Amazon still hasn't shipped it. Starting to get worried it won't get here Tuesday 
Hysterical
Member
Just got the shipping confirmation for my Best Buy order, along with the bonus chapter code. Very excited to play through this, as well as break up the wait for the next LiS episode. Super busy these next few weeks, but hopefully I can play a few chapters.
Interesting. I look forward to the mayhem.
Completely agree. From a narrative and pacing perspective, I also felt Beyond Two Souls sort of fell apart in the last third or so, where it just seemed rushed and unfocused. I had more fun with Heavy Rain, and felt it was overall the better game.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Elitist1945
Member
The input lag would matter, since QTEs are a huge part of the game.
That sounds great, though I wish they could at least put some puzzles in, that would be the perfect mix between the 2 genres.
Video of some guy giving his 1st impressions. 3 hours in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZaJ--LJul8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZaJ--LJul8
Negative 1st impressions
I am absolutely not a fan of those games, so me skipping this at least at full price seems to be a great idea. I am interested in the stupid horror parts though, so like I said in a sale it's probably going to be a maybe.
I just can't bring myself to buy video games at full price that are more story delivery devices than games. I'd rather read or watch something instead.
That would be my biggest knock against the game, no real puzzles and not a lot of freedom when you're exploring. The camera angles always let you know where the game wants you to go next and while you can wander off and explore (to a degree), there's often nothing to find and you have to almost fight the camera in some of those instances.
It might look like RE, but it really doesnt play like it. Until Dawns focus is on telling a story and letting you decide how it plays out. I would have liked a few puzzles and more freedom, but I'm fine with that.
How many QTEs really require split-second timing though? The lag would be less disruptive than any 3rd person action game, of which there are many on PSNow.
Not to mention that because the game is completely scripted they could probably flip a few switches to make QTE icons appear 1/4 of a second earlier to account for lag.
Well, that's negative for him but it's exactly what I expect from the game. But I think that's also why it'll get mostly 6-7 or even some 4-5s on metacritic. As I see it, UD is supposed to be just trashy 90s style and that isn't something what excites most people nowadays.
Who's going to tell him that all the gripes he has with UD are intentional? Just 2 minutes googling about the game could've told him that.
Elitist1945
Member
Ha, a minute in and he made me want it more. Ended up buying it off PSN US ready for Tuesday.
SlasherJPC
Banned
It's to be expected by folks not realizing what this game is before playing it. If the game had modern combat, inventory management, and puzzles,it would be as close to classic RE game that we have grown up playing and loving. If any devs are liatening, take this style, give it those thing, and we have a total survival horror game. That being said, Until Dawn isn't trying to be that and what it is trying to do, it does very, very well.
Also he claims the game is severely boring. Yeah its just not for him. I've been anything but bored.
Input lag in Heavy Rain would render certain parts unplayable,
never mind the decisions that will result in character death.
"It's bad because it is supposed to be bad" isn't immensely comforting to someone who coughed up $60 for a game they don't like. My main concern about this game was that I don't really want to spend an immense amount of time with stock characters from a slasher movie, and doubt I'll ever feel any kind of narrative connection with them. I am mostly curious to see how the Butterfly Effect stuff plays out and how far the narrative can branch.
SlasherJPC
Banned
You might be much more surprised then you expect. I was expecting horrible characters and I didn't really get that too at all.
I like how he says it doesn't matter if it picks up after 3-4 hours. Seriously? He must hate every RPG ever made.
The impressions from people who played more than 3 hours are exactly the opposite though.
Then this game is not for you, seriously its been this way since day one.
SlasherJPC
Banned
If he isn't enjoying it now, he won't latter. For horror to be effective and concern for characters, you must build them up, get to know them. Otherwise their is no weight to their deaths. This is pretty typical, especially in a game so heavily driven by story.
travisbickle
Member
I know people have different perspectives when they consider a game "takes itself too seriously" but a recent video of UD I saw had the player being forced towards a cliff edge by what looked like a gang of evil-possessed reindeer.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Seeing that scene out of context would appear that way, but it's not exactly so.
SlasherJPC
Banned
If this isn't a solid story in videogames, I don't know what is. You might not like what transpires but there is much more to this story then most games. Lots of things going on. I'll say no more.
quickwhips
Member
Dude sounds like he has bad taste. Then he says go buy gears mgs or mad max. Lol
thehillissilent
Member
I think that is what is going to surprise people about this game. There is more going on than a typical slasher movie.
Persona RS
Member
Because I don't want to spoil anything, I'll just say that I understood that reference.
Can you link the review you heard that from?
I already pre-ordered the game on PSN, so it wouldn't matter to me, I just wanna see what's so bad about the story considering almost everyone here loved the story.
Can you post the links to the impressions/reviews where you've read the story is bad?
In the earlier link you posted, the guy is only a few hours in.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Man some of these impressions are sending my hype through the roof. I'd typically be very wary of early buzz (GAF or otherwise, Order amirite lol?), but Oni's front runner for GOTY is Life is Strange so if Until Dawn knocked his socks off, that bodes very, very well indeed.
FaustsBoon
Member
Is it safe to say about the plot there there is a kind of
meta-narrative ala Cabin in the Woods
I haven't played the game yet, but reading between the lines of people's impressions it sounds like the game does something to
co-opt our expectations, since it seems to understand that on its surface it is a predictable slasher-flick
Sounds like this guy has only played the first 3 hours?
That means he's only seen the same amount of the game as all those previews back in July. Most of the previews said they played the first 2-3 hours of the game, and they were fairly positive.
I'm looking forward to cheesy, over the top, trope characters,
Chalupa Batman
Member
Just got the game! Can't wait to get started once I get home and go to the bathroom!
http://www.gamesradar.com/until-dawn-preview/
For me a good story is based on several things one of those things and probably the main thing is the characters. Several people in this thread, the link above and the guy in the video have said the dialogue is cliche(I know this is done on purpose, some people will like that), if a character is spouting nothing but cliches I will not care about the character, therefore I ain't as invested in the characters.
EDIT: I haven't played the game so I can't make a final judgement on the story or the game until I play it myself and I do hope I am wrong because I don't wish any game to get a negative reception or fail.