Outlast

[TheWalshinator]

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed with how it turned out. It is a bit of a cheapscare-fest.

[Damascus Rose]

Have you given up? Because you're approaching one of the best parts in the game. It's really not that long anyway, I strongly recommend you just finish it, your opinion of it might change.

No I'm still playing through. I will finish the game. I think I got to the part you talked about though

Spoiler below!

After running away from the guys screaming Walrider and the doctor saves you. I think this part is actually really awesome. The cinematic was cool and that guy has such a unique personality, I really enjoyed it. It was a little bit creepy but not so much since I was just watching it. This was definitely one of those strokes of brilliance in the game.

The part before it, the chase sequence, I didn't find that very scary but it was thrilling. It's really annoying when you die and have to play the same shit over again though, even the scripted events.

And the part after, where you are going through the doctor's area trying to find the key to the elevator out was not so great. I found myself running around the same area in circles trying to get that guy to stop chasing me and it was really frustrating because I didn't see where to go. This kinda ruined it for me since I was expecting it to be more scary less frustrating, and running away from these dudes isn't scary it's annoying. I'm actually surprised at this game's inability to scare me since I get scared so easily. I find it scarier when there are no enemies and you are walking in the darkness.

[Damascus Rose]

I finished the game, here's my thoughts:

Spoiler below!

Damn it sucks. There was one part I liked (with Tragger), then it just went back to being garbage. The only redeeming quality is the graphics, which they also decided to screw up because most of the game was held in the same kind of setting. The monsters weren't scary, they were annoying. I constantly found myself running through levels with the chase music blaring not having any idea where the fk to go because I was just trying to get away from this annoying dude following me. Also it was riddled with painful jumpscares, they aren't scary, they're just annoying. The game was frightening because of the atmosphere in some places and the chases, but any good fright was ruined by how much i was frustrated. The puzzles were worse than Amfp. And nowhere in the game did I experience anything close to a good narrative or coherent story, I am very confused as to what happened at the end other than this reporter is stupid for going to this asylum with only the letter of someone who he doesn't know. The gameplay felt extremely clunky to me, although the parkour elements are cool. The batteries system wasn't very good because I never found myself running out or having to save my battery. You can't even save your battery because you can't see shit without the light on. The ending was bad, nothing was explained except for what a walrider is and then they introduce this weird Dr. Evil-like guy and I don't know where he even came from. Maybe I'm just too stupid to understand this story but I feel that it is very badly told. Nothing makes sense! Why were the two naked dudes there? Who the fuck is Father Martin? Why are they making a Walrider?? WHERE WERE THE MILITARY THIS WHOLE TIME I'M PLAYING THE GAME??? Overall, this is like 3 or 4 out of 10 for me. I tried to give this game a chance many times, but it never delivered. Very disappointing. At least I developed more respect for frictional for making horror games that are very good, because apparently it's difficult.

[Bridge]

I finished the game, here's my thoughts:

Spoiler below!

Damn it sucks. There was one part I liked (with Tragger), then it just went back to being garbage. The only redeeming quality is the graphics, which they also decided to screw up because most of the game was held in the same kind of setting. The monsters weren't scary, they were annoying. I constantly found myself running through levels with the chase music blaring not having any idea where the fk to go because I was just trying to get away from this annoying dude following me. Also it was riddled with painful jumpscares, they aren't scary, they're just annoying. The game was frightening because of the atmosphere in some places and the chases, but any good fright was ruined by how much i was frustrated. The puzzles were worse than Amfp. And nowhere in the game did I experience anything close to a good narrative or coherent story, I am very confused as to what happened at the end other than this reporter is stupid for going to this asylum with only the letter of someone who he doesn't know. The gameplay felt extremely clunky to me, although the parkour elements are cool. The batteries system wasn't very good because I never found myself running out or having to save my battery. You can't even save your battery because you can't see shit without the light on. The ending was bad, nothing was explained except for what a walrider is and then they introduce this weird Dr. Evil-like guy and I don't know where he even came from. Maybe I'm just too stupid to understand this story but I feel that it is very badly told. Nothing makes sense! Why were the two naked dudes there? Who the fuck is Father Martin? Why are they making a Walrider?? WHERE WERE THE MILITARY THIS WHOLE TIME I'M PLAYING THE GAME??? Overall, this is like 3 or 4 out of 10 for me. I tried to give this game a chance many times, but it never delivered. Very disappointing. At least I developed more respect for frictional for making horror games that are very good, because apparently it's very difficult.

I'm sorry you didn't like it. The story is indeed utter garbage, the jumpscares are confusing and the puzzles suck. But you can't honestly say the game is "held in the same kind of setting" the entire time. The level design deserves quite a lot of applause in my opinion. The levels were very varied and all had their own aesthetic feel and overall I think they were amazingly well done. As always, I just do not understand how you could possibly be so frustrated by the enemies in this game. It really seems like you have zero patience for encounters in general by being so resentful towards them. What exactly isn't scary about the enemies? By the way, you are fooling yourself if you think Frictional's stories are any better. They are better games in almost every other respect for sure, but the writing in FG's games is nothing to write home about. Am I seriously the only one who found this game scary as hell? I just don't get it. Look anywhere else but these forums and you will find nothing but praise for its atmosphere and scariness.

[Mechavomit]

I just don't get it. Look anywhere else but these forums and you will find nothing but praise for its atmosphere and scariness.

I can agree with him. To me the game wasn't as much scary as it was thrilling. I was constantly rushed, constantly running for my life. This game didn't give me a single moment to relax. I don't think it's bad, but I do think it's not scary. I would compare it to a roller-coaster ride in a broken cart.

[Damascus Rose]

I'm sorry you didn't like it. The story is indeed utter garbage, the jumpscares are confusing and the puzzles suck. But you can't honestly say the game is "held in the same kind of setting" the entire time. The level design deserves quite a lot of applause in my opinion. The levels were very varied and all had their own aesthetic feel and overall I think they were amazingly well done. As always, I just do not understand how you could possibly be so frustrated by the enemies in this game. It really seems like you have zero patience for encounters in general by being so resentful towards them. What exactly isn't scary about the enemies? By the way, you are fooling yourself if you think Frictional's stories are any better. They are better games in almost every other respect for sure, but the writing in FG's games is nothing to write home about. Am I seriously the only one who found this game scary as hell? I just don't get it. Look anywhere else but these forums and you will find nothing but praise for its atmosphere and scariness.

To me it felt like it was held in a similar setting, probably because everything looked the exact same green colour when the light is on so I thought it was all the same. I don't know, it just felt like I was always in the same environment, asylum halls with the same locked doors everywhere. There were some environments that are good I agree with you, but I feel like it was too much of the same. I don't feel they differed enough. They were also painfully linear, making even Amnesia look like it wasn't that linear.

About the enemies, I will try to explain this as best I can. I just don't think they are very scary and there were way too many encounters, so they lost effect. The "Chris Walker" guy (what is up with that name? how do we even learn his name?) I feel was more comical than scary. His voice seems ridiculously fake to me and his heavy breathing is not threatening, just funny. And the other enemies with assorted weapons weren't scary either, they are just the patients you see everywhere turned hostile. These guys were always there when you're trying to complete a puzzle, and chase you until you hide away from them or get far enough away. Then they don't disappear. You go out from hiding and there they are, ready to chase you again. This just annoyed me greatly, having to go through these godawful 'puzzles' while getting chased around. And if you die, you get to go through it all again, whoopee. I guess a large factor is that they're very easy to run from, it's easy to dodge their attacks and get away, so they just end up being hindrances to your completion of the small sections. I always ran past them when I could so that I could get through it faster, and because hiding is boring and didn't seem to accomplish anything for me. There were moments when they surprised me, like when I run into an unexpected enemy in a hall and have to run away. But these moments are more intense than scary.

I will say though that the music did good things for atmosphere, it made moments pretty tense and unsettled me, even though it seemed to be used in inopportune times where nothing really happened.

About frictional stories, they are definitely better than Outlast. I felt that they were told well and the stories were pretty interesting.

Perhaps the reason people on this forum aren't scared by it is because they have their standards raised by Amnesia? I'm not sure though, because I think most Outlast players have also played amnesia. Also this game failed hard if it didn't manage to scare me very much. Not to say I didn't feel fear for most of it, I did, it was just at a very low level. I remember more fear in the beginning of bioshock than this, and also more fear in AMFP and I know that's a very unpopular opinion. Perhaps all the fear was covered up by the frustration.

[Alardem]

Again, Outlast fails to do anything scary with its audio. I think sound is really underrated when it comes to horror - that's what distinguishes Silent Hill and the older Resident Evils from the overly-orchestrated, raucous swells and booms of modern "scary" music. (See: Dead Space series, Resident Evil 5-6, FEAR 3.)

A Machine For Pigs does have its share of bombastic moments, but that's balanced out by plenty of unnerving and memorable sounds.

[Bridge]

Again, Outlast fails to do anything scary with its audio. I think sound is really underrated when it comes to horror - that's what distinguishes Silent Hill and the older Resident Evils from the overly-orchestrated, raucous swells and booms of modern "scary" music. (See: Dead Space series, Resident Evil 5-6, FEAR 3.)

A Machine For Pigs does have its share of bombastic moments, but that's balanced out by plenty of unnerving and memorable sounds.

Highly debatable. First of all, you assume that modern scary music is only "overly-orchestrated, raucous swells and booms". Dead Space has a fantastic score and while Outlast's is not amazing I think it is pretty decent and I strongly disagree that the game doesn't do anything scary with its audio. I think it is quite well designed. You can have the voice acting, even the chase music if you wish, but you can't be serious in saying there is nothing scary at all audio-wise in Outlast.

It's your opinion of course, but I really get the impression that you guys simply hate the game and use that as an excuse to turn it into a punching bag. Disregarding what I thought about the game itself, I think the lighting is amazingly designed (yes, even the green light you seem to despise), I think the audio is mostly good and I think the visual design is great. Honestly the best way I can describe Outlast is that it's pure aesthetics. There really is almost no substance regarding the story and gameplay for the most part but for some reason it just makes everything work. It's kind of like a template that was only partially filled out. It just paces everything so well and does amazing things with the visuals and audio and manages to create a gameplay scheme that - in my opinion, obviously you disagree - while scarce is surprisingly not boring.

Then they don't disappear.

Do enemies in real life disappear?

I always ran past them when I could so that I could get through it faster, and because hiding is boring and didn't seem to accomplish anything for me.

Which tells me you weren't even close to being immersed in the game. Your fault or the game's? Who knows, but I was. Thoughts like this didn't even cross my mind.

I could address a few of your other points but there is just too much. Basically you disagree with almost everything I say and it's exhausting to try to formulate such a huge argument in a coherent way. Not that it would really accomplish anything. It doesn't seem like you guys understand me and it doesn't seem like I understand you at all.

[Alardem]

Highly debatable. First of all, you assume that modern scary music is only "overly-orchestrated, raucous swells and booms". Dead Space has a fantastic score and while Outlast's is not amazing I think it is pretty decent and I strongly disagree that the game doesn't do anything scary with its audio. I think it is quite well designed. You can have the voice acting, even the chase music if you wish, but you can't be serious in saying there is nothing scary at all audio-wise in Outlast.

Yeah, it's a matter of opinion. I think we disagreed about this before. :p But I honestly hate the music of Dead Space as it doesn't evoke a sense of vulnerability, and Outlast's is too reminiscent of that to work.

I don't actually hate the game itself, as I don't have any stake in doing so. I just don't feel like it was worth purchasing that along with AMFP, based off the videos released of it.

[Bridge]

Yeah, it's a matter of opinion. I think we disagreed about this before. :p But I honestly hate the music of Dead Space as it doesn't evoke a sense of vulnerability, and Outlast's is too reminiscent of that to work.

I don't actually hate the game itself, as I don't have any stake in doing so. I just don't feel like it was worth purchasing that along with AMFP, based off the videos released of it.

Okay.

I am however interested in discussing the music a bit more if you are up for it. Depending on what you feel evokes vulnerability, I'm pretty sure I agree Dead Space's score does not evoke it to a great extent - which is not actually its goal as far as I can tell. It's an action game first and horror game second. Truth be told I didn't think the game was that good but I quite enjoyed the music. It's impressively detailed for an AAA game and it's performed by real musicians (I don't remember it having any post-FX either, apart from the necessary stuff). Even if you think it is wildly inappropriate, and I tend to think it is quite appropriate, the music itself is surely not bad.

Concerning Outlast, I found the music that plays when the

Spoiler below!

naked brothers

are near to be quite unsettling and evoking a sense of vulnerability, and the normal sneaking music I found to be quite tense as well. To be honest I just don't fully understand what you mean. At worst it's forgettable, but I really don't see how you find it ineffective. As I said I don't find it amazing, it has many problems, but most horror games have worse scores.