First, I've been an on-and-off fan of the series dating back to the original on PlayStation, so I'm not really new to Resident Evil. This entry is pretty different from the others, but the series has undergone multiple transformations over the years.
Second, my enthusiasm for the Resident Evil franchise has been flagging for a long time, and more or less bottomed out after RE5.
I'm also a big fan of horror, and I see video games as the last bastion of what can really scare me. I think maybe video games have ruined horror for me in all other mediums, because it's so much more raw in games, and I just can't find a good scare in film, TV, or books anymore. Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and the first Resident Evil really freaked me out (that fucking dog coming through the window). Oh, and Alien: Isolation.
I wasn't all that hyped for RE7 initially. People don't scare me. They just don't. Any time the baddie in a horror flick is just some dude with a knife or a chainsaw or an axe or whatever stupid shit, it does nothing for me. Make it an alien, monster, undead thing, or something else to which I can't relate or know how to kill, and yeah, I'm freaked. I was very concerned that the game, based on early demos and video, was merely a 'southern Illinois simulator.'
That is not the case, though! It has non-real world elements, and I've seen pictures of monsters in reviews! Once I saw that, plus some very positive reviews, I gladly threw down for the digital deluxe edition on Steam.
So, it's pretty solid. The first 30min were excellent. The default controls with mouse and keyboard actually work pretty well, which is a nice change from most Japanese PC games. The game does a great job setting the mood right away, even with a plot cribbed straight from Silent Hill 2, by providing some not-bad voice-over narration, great use of sound, solid visuals, and well-timed scripted sequences. Usage of light (and deprivation thereof) is a little over-the-top, but maybe that's intentional.
Basically, you start out outside a house, then work your way inside. That sequence is very well done and provides a non-intrusive and mercifully quick tutorial.
Once inside the house, the flow of events is pretty cool. They do a great job with 'theme park haunted house.' There's a lot of great player-driven inspection to be done, some really shocking visuals, some great usages of sound, and in all, it's cool as hell. There's a bit with a VHS tape that is an absolutely brilliant sequence. For me, though, it starts to fall apart a little once you start to encounter enemies.
I'm torn here. Gore doesn't bother me, but I don't like tropes that are used just for shock value. If something shocking serves the story, then I think it's great. There are some gore sequences in this game that serve the story in an obvious way. There's also a fair amount that's just there to be like 'wow, look at us, we're shocking, like Eli Roth's tired shit, wow, look, it's blood and severed limbs, and oh shit, let's keep doing it over and over so that you're now rolling your eyes.' Yawn.
After about an hour, I was tired of the game, and was glad to quit. I almost wish there was no combat and no actual interaction between the player and the ... others. It actually could've been a really cool investigation game, but it slipped into tired tropes too easily and quickly. I'll keep playing, though. There's a lot of good still going for this game, even if some elements of it really rub me the wrong way.
If you wanna check out my hour with the game, here it is.
Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv
Anyway, I'm playing that, I'm also trying to finally push through Setsuna, and I've got my Mass Effect trilogy playthrough that I've had going for a few months, that's leading up to the Andromeda release in March. You can check out the full trilogy playthrough here and below:
I usually have one or two solid pushes (shut up) every weekend, in regards to Mass Effect. We're currently in the very early part of ME3. I stream the game on Twitch, and then upload it to YouTube later.
Also, PAX South is coming up this weekend, for which I'm hyped. Watch it all here, starting Friday at lunch.
Tomorrow (2017/1/26), though, Obsidian is finally announcing Pillars of Eternity 2 at noon (central). I am mega-hyped for that. Pillars is one of my all-time favorites, and I may do another Let's Play series for that this year.
Anyway, I'll try to be on here more. I just need to find a way to introduce myself to the concept of brevity.
I also need to figure out how to be a regular streamer/bloggiest and a busy dude.
Word.
-Blaine
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