@@titlasagna2172 F.E.A.R 3 storyline was written by John Carpenter, think he also provided the music for the game too. Although the game kinda flopped but it a hidden gem and conclusion of the FEAR series.
This might just be my perspective, but I think the reason Laura doesn't talk in the game could be seen as her having trouble communicating. How at the beginning of the game you see her get anxious over spilling her drink, normally someone would just get a little annoyed or shocked by it, but the way she folds up her hands and quickly tries to clean it up before anyone can see shows her as a bit more nervous and embarrassed by it, and despite most of the game has simply or groan when talking, the moment where she finally speaks up has more impact because in one case she has to say her name to get into the room and at the end she shows emotional over seeing David alive, she felt the need to say it out loud. I'll admit I'm likely reading more into it than what's there, but It's a unique take on a silent protagonist in a game I've never really seen done before and I like it.
Yes, that’s a really interesting way of looking at it. I wish they would have tried to do a bit more to show her in that way throughout the story. I mean, I guess you could interpret her staying rooted to the ground during combat as being frightened. That might be way too meta though, but maybe not considering it’s Kenji Eno. Either way, I agree it’s a unique take on a silent protagonist, and I really like this game a lot.
@@dungeonchill i'm mute and totally agree with the interpretation that laura is on the nonverbal spectrum. i hate the term 'selectively mute' because i don't have native access to language either way even if i can somewhat fluidly communicate in certain contexts [with great effort & often a lot unsaid, lol], but outside of business meetings & medical appointments i could go days/weeks without speaking. lauras mannerisms to me are super relatable in that sense---the emphasis on gestural communication, her visible 'xp startup sound' before she speaks in both clips. i really wish this was explored more in the game; 'silent protagonist' is such a male coded/heavily masculinised trope & it was nice to see a female character riff on it
This is such a weird core game for me, as my mom played this back when I was in grade school (I think it was 2001 but I don't remember). She had borrowed a friend's dreamcast to play the game, and I would watch her during the summer it took her to beat it. I still distinctly remember how she screamed, scaring me shitless, cause she had scoped in and thought a tree was a monster. It's a funny core memory I have.
You saying that she's was actually a silent protagonist this whole time actually left me speechless lol I never imagined she was actually silent watching the video but in hindsight as much as you've shown her she never seems to attempt to mouth words lmao. *Edit* Great video btw, you have a very relaxing and smooth way of speaking and the way you transition from point to point makes it easy to follow along.
Thank you for bringing more attention to this game. Kenji Eno was an Auteur before those were widely acknowledged in gaming. He deserves to be remembered.
Oh geez I looked him up bc this was so cool, & was so sad to find out he passed away so young. Thanks for being the catalyst for me discovering his music + other art too.
Gotta play more of this game. Me and my gf were really digging the vibes but then I went outside the cabin, got completely lost for 45 minutes and then gave up.
Some games just aren't that good without a walkthrough, tbh. Some games aren't good without cheats. It's unfortunate. One one hand I almost want to say they're not bad games despite this, but I feel like that'd be disingenuous. They're interesting in spite of their flaws, I think would be the best way of putting it. Like you want to find a way to make it work even if it's not quite right because they've got you invested.
The "digital actress" thing reminds me of Toriyama, the artist of the Dragon Ball franchise. He refers to his "actors" too as an excuse to draw the same faces all the time.
I have distinct memories, some of my first memories, of my mom playing D2 on the Dreamcast and myself sneaking out to watch her play it. I'm glad to see that I was not, in fact, embellishing my own memories of how utterly strange and ethereal this game was. It's like being in an episode of Twin Peaks with sporadic, horrifying (at the time, I was a wee lil tot lol) departures into vegan, stretched polygon, rail shooter The Thing. 😅😂
I was impressed when you said this was a dreamcast game. I thought it was ps2. Definitely the most visually impressive dreamcast games I've seen so far.
I kinda just assumed Laura was selectively mute in this game. She shows a bit of hesitancy before speaking rather than speaking outright. But because most things in the story are made unclear, it's more of an assumption and makes it confusing as to why she doesn't speak throughout the game. Even if the devs didn't want her speaking during gameplay, she hardly talks during cutscenes. So who knows
The uneasiness that you feel when you first play D2 is fascinating because the atmosphere is compelling, heavy, but kinda "familiar" once you get used to it. I love it and hate it at the same time because of lack of story background on the characters in general, but the cherry on top for me is that a simple disease-like scenario turns out to be more and more mythological and supernatural in nature the more you explore. This is the type of game that the more you explore the less you understand, but the plot always thickens and makes you glued to it for some reason. Its hard to explain in just a few words, but to me its a underrated masterpiece
I think what really holds this game together is the character interactions, at least for me. For some reason this game is really special to me, it sort of makes me feel bad for latching onto something that is so extremely flawed so hard.
So eh, just had this video recommended to me after watching some other dreamcast game reviews. Wasn't till the end of the video that I noticed that this is one of those smaller channels youtube keeps recommending to me inbetween the larger 10k+ subs ones. Your narration is spot-on, good mixture of casual yet structured. I loved it. Gonna be checking out the rest of the content. Keep doing what you're doing, it's great! Up there in quality with the bigger names among game reviewers.
The idea of a creator having 'actors' play different roles in narratively distinct pieces of art goes back to Osamu Tezuka, of Astroboy fame, who had a roster of character designs that he would re-use, usually with the same name, in all his comics.
Isn't it somewhat implied that Laura actually eats David's body after he dies during those eight days, and that might be why she doesn't speak, being traumatised by having to resort to cannibalize to stay alive? Been years since I watched a playthrough, or a review of this. But I seem to recall that's something people theorized. It's why she finally speaks at the end of the game, having been sent back in time, and see's David is alive again, which resolves her guilt so she can speak again. Her not talking at the start of then game before she might have had to resort to cannibalism definitely puts a knot in that theory though. I don't know, those are just the vague memories I have of my experience watching someone else play the game.
That is an interesting theory, and there is a mention of cannibalism at one point. I can’t remember exactly what was said. It wasn’t directly related to her chowing down on David, but it could have been implying that and I just didn’t catch it. But then yeah, it doesn’t really explain why she doesn’t talk in the opening. There are so many moments in the story where some connections almost make sense, but then you remember something else that makes it fall apart. It’s fun to think about though.
@@dungeonchill Isn't there a line from Kimberly to some effect of how it's strange she seems to be fine without having eaten for over a week or something? I think that's a line that heavily implies she ate David's body.
Yeah, Kim does say that at one point. Wild theory here, but could it be that David’s wounds are related to him feeding parts of himself to her? He seems to be fine in the first flashback, and then starts talking about his wounds after that. He also mentions the color coming back to her face, and what else would they have been eating the whole time? That’s really sick and crazy and probably not it at all. He had a gun so he was probably hunting, but the idea popped into my head.
Oh wow you just solved a 20 year mystery for me. I remember watching someone play this game when I was a kid but all I could remember was the mother boss and the very end. I have searched for years for 'chicken woman with fiddle game' to no avail and then there she was in your video! Thank you!
It does appear quite interesting despite being at odds with itself, gameplay and story wise. Still, it's one of those games that I'd like to play someday. The Dreamcast is full of hidden gems. I was one of those early adopters of the Dreamcast, believing it was the next great console after loving the Saturn. Alas, what will never be. I look forward to seeing your review of Enemy Zero as well. Another one I wanted to get but never did.
A friend of mine got a Dreamcast right after it came out, and I have a lot of great memories playing stuff like PSO and Cannon Spike. I picked one up a few years later after it was discontinued and got a bunch of games for dirt cheap. Can hardly afford anything nowadays, unfortunately. I'm finishing up my Enemy Zero playthrough now, so the video should be out in a few days!
@@dungeonchill You can emulate many of these old games. I had fond memories of my DC but, I have no real desire to play on one again. I'd rather emulate.
Oh man. I remember when Square Enix wanted to do the whole digital actor thing and we got The Spirits Within. Well, we do have digital actors now, but they are called vtubers.
@@dungeonchill Doesn't Supermassive Games do the whole "Digital Actor" thing in all of their games? Although it very well just might be because they model their characters after the voice/mocap actors.
@@Esoliken were they? from what I remember about FF Spirits Within actress and the like, the fact of an actual person "putting soul into the digital model" wasn't capitalized on by the marketing people, so I remember this more like virtual influencers of today
i love this game, its the first game I EVER beat on my dreamcast, and I have spent over 20 years trying to tell people about it and people think I had a fever dream
I swear D2’s front cover art was always one of “those” DC games that stood out to me as a kid growing up. Never had the chance to play it but it always peaked my curiosity from what I was able to make of it from looking at it’s jewel case. All these years later, I can see what this game was all about and what I missed out on. Gotta say too that something about how game devs designed these gory, grotesque, body horror like creatures back in the day during the early Y2K era is something that I don’t think could ever be replicated in today’s gaming. It just screams “Yup, these were the Dreamcast/PS2 graphic days.”
Laura's reappearance in different games with slightly different names is clearly inspired by Osamu Tezuka's "Star System". Put simply, Tezuka would hold lnto some of his favorite design, and would reuse them for different works with the implication that they were actors being cast for different roles. He would go so far as to play out the ups and downs in their career. A good example would be the character "Rock Holmes"; originally a Sherlock Holmes inspired child-detective, he'd appear in over 50 titles as different characters. It goes so far that you can even look at his appearances over the years and see him age, and see when the meta-character takes a turn for more serious roles in his career. A LOT of Japanese creators try to recreate this element, but very few are successful.
What an interesting bit of art history 😙 ! I knew that Go Nagai did that quite often with his favorite character designs and its totally possible that Tezuka inspired his style. Oh that reminded me, somebody should review DevilMan for the Playstation 😗!
great content! this is/was my favorite DC game, because it caught me at the right time & I really *really* enjoyed it's haunting, quiet vibe (Dream remake: this game rebuilt w/the Long Dark's engine). re: it's lopsided narrative, I think you're close in the title suggesting 'soap opera', closer I think would be *Giallo* ... where mood & subtext is more important than a linear narrative & supernatural elements mix w/reality in random and often unexplained ways (like Jennifer Connely's character in Phenomena, w/her unexplained psychic control of insects). That's my theory; Eno was emulating Argento's style and wasn't worrying about a logical story.. or things were cut for brevity, tho that wouldnt' explain the inclusion of lengthy character moments, so maybe not. btw, I don't know if you knew this but didn't mention it but **spoiler** in most of the boss fights there's a moth (or butterfly) that appears onscreen that you can shoot for massive damage ->>>>this is what the pistol w/the laser sight is good for. peace! RW
Long before I ever got a Dreamcast (my parents would get it for me in Christmas '99), I remember this game being heavily linked to the previews of the machine. I kinda became obsessed over it, even tho it was just random clips, plot points and photos. Funny enough, though, despite how obsessed I was over it in the lead up to the release of the Dreamcast, I never actually owned or played the game.
The game developers warp are one of my favorites of all time! I was finally able to track down an English version of D2 for the Dreamcast. plus, I was able to get a Japanese version for cheap to. I'm so glad to finally have it in my collection it's a game I wanted for so long!.. warp 4 Life!!!✋✌️
I just think Laura being mute in this game is just her having some kind of social anxiety or something. The first time she talks, she's literally forced to in order to enter the lab (it takes her a few seconds to actually speak). The second time she talks, it's in a moment of joy when sees David alive again in the ending (maybe showing that she will start talking more often in the future). In every moment in between, she takes on more of an observational role (kinda like the player, I guess??). I personally find it quite relatable how she's mute except when it's crucial or when she's emotional and is otherwise just observing the situation so she can figure out how to help the characters. I also personally just like when a silent protagonist suddenly talks once or only a handful of times, as that makes what they say a lot more impactful. Also, I don't understand the whole "being quiet = creepy/weird" thing. Like I literally do not see the correlation between the two.
Another great review. I enjoyed playing this game as well. I did think it was strange the main character Laura did not talk in the game, but, after your playing the game, I looked at Laura as almost a person playing the video game. Listening to everyone, and not speaking.
I played this game when it originally came out, it was pretty crazy especially the ending. The enemies w the human faces was pretty disturbing tho and you could sometimes hear the human faces making their own sad or pain noises separate from the monsters, crazy stuff
I think Laura's "mostly silent" in the beginning, and then talking more toward the end is supposed to be like a growth or development of the character. I didn't play the game myself but it seems to me it's supposed to be like a "She went through so much and it helped her come out of her shell and start talking to people because she had to in order to survive." kind of thing. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit but when it asks her to state her name, the scene's timing and setup just feels like a "Look at this, this is a big moment. She's going to speak." Also, when she does speak you can tell it's kind of strained, she's clearly not super comfortable with it and there's some pain in her voice like it's not easy for her to do. That's my interpretation. It looks like it kind of wanted to be MGS1 which was released a year earlier. Don't quote me on that, but what with the real life footage of events and trying to make it feel relevant to the real world really reminds me of MGS1.
It was either that or she was unable to speak due to the whole memory thing or the loss of David. With this plot, you can only guess. The MGS1 comparison isn't too far off, some people thought the ending that lists all human atrocities at the end is a parody of MGS1's nuke listing. If it was a parody, then frankly if the ending wasn't so obnoxious, the joke would've hit better.
For graphics and presentation, putting a kaico adapter and an Mclassic hook up for the dreamcast makes you realize the effort and detail in the game. The trees moving, brightness of snow, and the eerie metal in the facilties
D2, that one stuck with me. A game I picked up along with the Dreamcast (that and Project Justice) and damn, i STILL remember that scene near the the end that hurt...
Great video! D2 was a cool game that I remember finishing in 2 or 3 sittings. It was winter at the time & the Dreamcast was dead. I picked up it, and probably 10-12 other dreamcast games, for $9.99 each at a now defunct store called Comp USA. I later picked up D on my Saturn and enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as D2. I havent played Enemy Zero, but it is on my bucket list. - While extremely unlikely, it would be cool if someone rereleased the three games to be more easily accessible. I am not suggesting thay they are incredible games, but they are worth the time & experience. Kenji Eno had a fascinating creative mind. I do think the games would be appreciated if more people could easily access them.
Wow, what an intense, messy, experimental game. Its flaws stick out pretty badly, but for some strange reason, they make the game more iconic...? I could definitely see myself playing through/watching Eno's games soon enough. I am fascinated by these incoherent, yet engaging plots. Oh and the fact they mixed so many styles of gameplay into one game.... It's a decision all right, but damn if it isn't entertaining to see and experience for yourself.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Kimberly, Parker and David also appear in Enemy Zero, so they're digital actors as well, tho I think David got recasted for D2 'cause he looked different in E0 if I remember correctly.
dang I've played so many videogames just to be able to say that I played them and this is the third time I found out about a game I've never heard of at all from you. well done. you make some of my favorite videos on the entire internet 🏆
Experimenting with an idea in a game and then leaving it in even if it didn't work is pretty typical of developers, tbh. After all, they put in a lot of effort to make that section, so scrapping it altogether would be costly. I personally don't mind when scrapped ideas are left in unless it absolutely *sucks.* When you recognize a flaw in your game and leave it in to make the game worse, that's pretty unforgiveable. Maybe they knew the section was fun, but was the wrong direction for the game and decided it would just be an interesting break from the standard gameplay.
I didn't own a Dreamcast, and by the time this game came out I couldn't rent one. This is the ONLY game on the system I wish I could have played. It always held a special draw for me. I finally broke down and read the Game Script on Gamefaqs, and then watched a lets play back about 8 yearsgo. Tried to emulate it myself, and it worked, but I couldn't swap discs. All this to say I always wish I could have played this, and I'm glad I finally found someone doing so. I agree with nearly everything you said about the story. I still really liked it however, despite its many issues. It was something special, and I wish more could have come from it. It's forever doomed to obscurity on a console just as ill-fated.
from what i played of this i did kinda like it but it felt really slow to get around the map but i hope i can play through it one day. i do like the whole RPG aspect to the combat, i found it to be a very interesting idea similair to parasite eve wish is a cool thing to compare to
It’s a slow burn of a game, both in gameplay and story. It’s worth playing through if you can get into the groove of it. Parasite Eve has a more fun and engaging combat system. Especially with the weapon and armor upgrades, but yeah, I can see that comparison.
I remember fishing a copy of this game out of the bargain bin of a gamestop when the Dreamcast was still gripping onto life. Game was certainly not what i was expecting, (though Im not sure what i was expecting, res evil i think?) but with Dreamcast games that ended up being the norm, each game was its own trip.
oh my god, it's so clear to me suddenly lol...all these games are based on movies because she is an actress. and the director is probably both a fan of these movies and this type of girl (or actually, there are a lot of pretty ladies who reappear, and some others, so maybe it's not so specific?). so strange but they all seem pretty good!
The original version of D2 which WAS a sequel unfortunately never came to be, as said in this video. Wonder how that would've gone, some of the imagery I've seen from it looked interesting, and I wonder if its story would've been just okay or nonsensical schlock like this game.
23:35 omg haha THANK YOU. This is why I have a really, _really_ hard time feeling satisfied with the ending of Petscop. I totally get that the entire story was left ambiguous intentionally so that interpretation can be more subjective, but *my gosh* is it impossible for me to derive _any_ meaning from the story like at all because of the lack of strings tying things together makes it so that I can’t even begin to _subjectively_ interpret the story, because _objectively_ I have NO IDEA what is going on in that story 😂 obv I kind of get it, but tbh I feel like at this point I have more of a grasp of the plot of Kingdom Hearts than I do Petscop, and let me tell you, considering how many explanation videos I have watched comparatively between the two games, Petscop should 100% be my most understood piece of fiction ever, but somehow I am still left entirely confused, because _no one_ seems to be capable to gleaning any kind of solid plot from the dang thing 😭
Honestly, it sounds like the two paralleled sides of the story were initially meant to be one larger narrative. Like, David’s dad was supposed to be Laura’s mom’s husband. The monsters were supposed to be created by the energy of the Shadow seeping out and corrupting things. Kim was possibly initially taken by a monster and cloned in the lab before being found later, implying that someone’s controlling the monsters (either the warlocks or David’s dad). If they weren’t going to tie the two halves of the story together, they could’ve heavily benefited from two protagonists - Laura who deals with the warlocks and Shadow, and someone else, who deal with all the monsters and lichen drugs. But maybe there just wasn’t enough space for something like that
I think there was a part in that game where you got a flame thrower and that's about as far as I got. Dreamcast was an interesting system to own for sure.
here about Lara being a virtual actor just makes me think of Final Fantasy The Spirits Within, they wanted to do the same thing with the lead from that.
Your nonchalance about warlocks & wizards wrecking mankind or the entire universe (Lovecraftian) really impressed me. I even apologies for having forgotten the `please´ in my Enemy Zero Hot Blonde comment. 🤗 `Ban alien-cockblock!´
This type of humor is making a comeback. You're set to reap great benefit. Keep your nose to the grindstone. Also, stay IN school and OFF drugs. This has been a PSA. Seriously though, finding this channel has been fun.
I had the Japanese import of this in the day & it was so gory & sexually suggestive with nudity & all. I had a hell of a time playing thru it wo a guide or translation but it remains one of my favorite dream cast titles.
Maybe I'm wrong but I'd swear that it's "Regret of the Wind" and not the other way around. Anyway. Just discovered your channel, watched some videos and subscribed : )
Yeah, i remembered the game being out there. Some parts was never cleared up. And getting lost in the snow areas. Going to the same spots over & over just to activate a trigger for a event. After a long time...i said heck with it. I looked up a guide if i got stuck for over 15 mins 😂 the snow area was fun. But holy sh*t i hated trying to trigger events in thst part. It's been like 15 or 17 years since i played this game. I remembered plant monsters & endless snow. Endless because i didn't know what too do. I didn't remember the (spoiler ⬇️)..... Clones at all
john carpenter is a huge gamer nowadays so he'd probably like this game, actually
Really!!? Wow
@@titlasagna2172 F.E.A.R 3 storyline was written by John Carpenter, think he also provided the music for the game too. Although the game kinda flopped but it a hidden gem and conclusion of the FEAR series.
Does he play Among Us, then? It's heavily inspired by his movie so I'm sure it's right up his alley.
Nah, I don’t think he ever expressed playing Among Us. But he did say that he admired the game due to its similarities to his movie “The Thing.”
@@ShyKubo Nice to know he appreciates it at least. I'm glad that's the case.
This might just be my perspective, but I think the reason Laura doesn't talk in the game could be seen as her having trouble communicating. How at the beginning of the game you see her get anxious over spilling her drink, normally someone would just get a little annoyed or shocked by it, but the way she folds up her hands and quickly tries to clean it up before anyone can see shows her as a bit more nervous and embarrassed by it, and despite most of the game has simply or groan when talking, the moment where she finally speaks up has more impact because in one case she has to say her name to get into the room and at the end she shows emotional over seeing David alive, she felt the need to say it out loud.
I'll admit I'm likely reading more into it than what's there, but It's a unique take on a silent protagonist in a game I've never really seen done before and I like it.
Yes, that’s a really interesting way of looking at it. I wish they would have tried to do a bit more to show her in that way throughout the story. I mean, I guess you could interpret her staying rooted to the ground during combat as being frightened. That might be way too meta though, but maybe not considering it’s Kenji Eno.
Either way, I agree it’s a unique take on a silent protagonist, and I really like this game a lot.
@@dungeonchill i'm mute and totally agree with the interpretation that laura is on the nonverbal spectrum. i hate the term 'selectively mute' because i don't have native access to language either way even if i can somewhat fluidly communicate in certain contexts [with great effort & often a lot unsaid, lol], but outside of business meetings & medical appointments i could go days/weeks without speaking. lauras mannerisms to me are super relatable in that sense---the emphasis on gestural communication, her visible 'xp startup sound' before she speaks in both clips. i really wish this was explored more in the game; 'silent protagonist' is such a male coded/heavily masculinised trope & it was nice to see a female character riff on it
You like your own theory... What a shock
@@eCodexyou're not mute. Stop taking disabilities that don't belong to you. That's disrespectful
@@A_Stereotypical_HereticTake a nap buddy
This is such a weird core game for me, as my mom played this back when I was in grade school (I think it was 2001 but I don't remember). She had borrowed a friend's dreamcast to play the game, and I would watch her during the summer it took her to beat it. I still distinctly remember how she screamed, scaring me shitless, cause she had scoped in and thought a tree was a monster. It's a funny core memory I have.
ur mom fuckin rules
what game??
@@olivercharles2930 The game from the video. D2.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has core childhood memories of their mother playing video games.
@@olivercharles2930what a dumb question.
You saying that she's was actually a silent protagonist this whole time actually left me speechless lol I never imagined she was actually silent watching the video but in hindsight as much as you've shown her she never seems to attempt to mouth words lmao. *Edit* Great video btw, you have a very relaxing and smooth way of speaking and the way you transition from point to point makes it easy to follow along.
Thank you for bringing more attention to this game. Kenji Eno was an Auteur before those were widely acknowledged in gaming. He deserves to be remembered.
Oh geez I looked him up bc this was so cool, & was so sad to find out he passed away so young. Thanks for being the catalyst for me discovering his music + other art too.
Gotta play more of this game. Me and my gf were really digging the vibes but then I went outside the cabin, got completely lost for 45 minutes and then gave up.
Yeah, it gets confusing with its story triggers. Definitely worth giving it another shot though!
If you're using a VMU, it helps to use it as a compass. Also, there are now walkthroughs online in case you end up lost.
Some games just aren't that good without a walkthrough, tbh. Some games aren't good without cheats.
It's unfortunate. One one hand I almost want to say they're not bad games despite this, but I feel like that'd be disingenuous. They're interesting in spite of their flaws, I think would be the best way of putting it. Like you want to find a way to make it work even if it's not quite right because they've got you invested.
There's only ever two paths at a given time. Though if you go the wrong way you'll eat a lot of time.
The "digital actress" thing reminds me of Toriyama, the artist of the Dragon Ball franchise. He refers to his "actors" too as an excuse to draw the same faces all the time.
The same applies to Osamu Tezuka with his star system - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osamu_Tezuka%27s_Star_System
I have distinct memories, some of my first memories, of my mom playing D2 on the Dreamcast and myself sneaking out to watch her play it. I'm glad to see that I was not, in fact, embellishing my own memories of how utterly strange and ethereal this game was.
It's like being in an episode of Twin Peaks with sporadic, horrifying (at the time, I was a wee lil tot lol) departures into vegan, stretched polygon, rail shooter The Thing. 😅😂
I was impressed when you said this was a dreamcast game. I thought it was ps2.
Definitely the most visually impressive dreamcast games I've seen so far.
It's pretty uneven at times, from a technical standpoint.
It looks great, but I can name a hundred dreamcast games that look a lot better. Dreamcast looks better than ps2 anyway
As if that's gonna change my mind about ps2. I still love the ps2, best system I got
@drunkensailor112 ehhh, depends on the game. I would say it's on par with some of the best the PS2 had to offer.
You think D2 on dreamcast looks as good technically as god of war,final fantasy XII and re4?
I kinda just assumed Laura was selectively mute in this game. She shows a bit of hesitancy before speaking rather than speaking outright. But because most things in the story are made unclear, it's more of an assumption and makes it confusing as to why she doesn't speak throughout the game. Even if the devs didn't want her speaking during gameplay, she hardly talks during cutscenes. So who knows
No, she's just a weirdo.
The uneasiness that you feel when you first play D2 is fascinating because the atmosphere is compelling, heavy, but kinda "familiar" once you get used to it. I love it and hate it at the same time because of lack of story background on the characters in general, but the cherry on top for me is that a simple disease-like scenario turns out to be more and more mythological and supernatural in nature the more you explore. This is the type of game that the more you explore the less you understand, but the plot always thickens and makes you glued to it for some reason. Its hard to explain in just a few words, but to me its a underrated masterpiece
Really, they should just have worked Dracula into all of this somehow while they were at it.
Wow. "The Thing" is a real life party game and now it's a Soap Opera. What can't John Carpender do?
Make a good ghost story on Mars.
Or a good vampire movie.
@@creativerealms Could be.
I think what really holds this game together is the character interactions, at least for me. For some reason this game is really special to me, it sort of makes me feel bad for latching onto something that is so extremely flawed so hard.
Parasite Eve's even weirder cousin
So eh, just had this video recommended to me after watching some other dreamcast game reviews. Wasn't till the end of the video that I noticed that this is one of those smaller channels youtube keeps recommending to me inbetween the larger 10k+ subs ones. Your narration is spot-on, good mixture of casual yet structured. I loved it. Gonna be checking out the rest of the content. Keep doing what you're doing, it's great! Up there in quality with the bigger names among game reviewers.
Thanks so much. I appreciate that. Hope you like the other videos!
The idea of a creator having 'actors' play different roles in narratively distinct pieces of art goes back to Osamu Tezuka, of Astroboy fame, who had a roster of character designs that he would re-use, usually with the same name, in all his comics.
Isn't it somewhat implied that Laura actually eats David's body after he dies during those eight days, and that might be why she doesn't speak, being traumatised by having to resort to cannibalize to stay alive? Been years since I watched a playthrough, or a review of this. But I seem to recall that's something people theorized. It's why she finally speaks at the end of the game, having been sent back in time, and see's David is alive again, which resolves her guilt so she can speak again. Her not talking at the start of then game before she might have had to resort to cannibalism definitely puts a knot in that theory though.
I don't know, those are just the vague memories I have of my experience watching someone else play the game.
That is an interesting theory, and there is a mention of cannibalism at one point. I can’t remember exactly what was said. It wasn’t directly related to her chowing down on David, but it could have been implying that and I just didn’t catch it. But then yeah, it doesn’t really explain why she doesn’t talk in the opening.
There are so many moments in the story where some connections almost make sense, but then you remember something else that makes it fall apart. It’s fun to think about though.
@@dungeonchill Isn't there a line from Kimberly to some effect of how it's strange she seems to be fine without having eaten for over a week or something? I think that's a line that heavily implies she ate David's body.
Yeah, Kim does say that at one point.
Wild theory here, but could it be that David’s wounds are related to him feeding parts of himself to her? He seems to be fine in the first flashback, and then starts talking about his wounds after that. He also mentions the color coming back to her face, and what else would they have been eating the whole time? That’s really sick and crazy and probably not it at all. He had a gun so he was probably hunting, but the idea popped into my head.
Tbf, cannibalism was a huge deal in the first D, so that theory sounds rather plausible.
@@EarthboundXit implies that she is meant for something greater, kept alive and healthy by metaphysical forces. She is the flower child afterall 🤷
Oh wow you just solved a 20 year mystery for me. I remember watching someone play this game when I was a kid but all I could remember was the mother boss and the very end. I have searched for years for 'chicken woman with fiddle game' to no avail and then there she was in your video! Thank you!
It was probably SuperGreatFriend. His LP of D1+D2 is one of his earliest videos, and one of his all greats.
It does appear quite interesting despite being at odds with itself, gameplay and story wise. Still, it's one of those games that I'd like to play someday. The Dreamcast is full of hidden gems.
I was one of those early adopters of the Dreamcast, believing it was the next great console after loving the Saturn. Alas, what will never be.
I look forward to seeing your review of Enemy Zero as well. Another one I wanted to get but never did.
A friend of mine got a Dreamcast right after it came out, and I have a lot of great memories playing stuff like PSO and Cannon Spike. I picked one up a few years later after it was discontinued and got a bunch of games for dirt cheap. Can hardly afford anything nowadays, unfortunately.
I'm finishing up my Enemy Zero playthrough now, so the video should be out in a few days!
@@dungeonchill You can emulate many of these old games. I had fond memories of my DC but, I have no real desire to play on one again. I'd rather emulate.
Oh man. I remember when Square Enix wanted to do the whole digital actor thing and we got The Spirits Within. Well, we do have digital actors now, but they are called vtubers.
Digital actors are alive and well.
Also,The Spirits Within… Wow, I think I completely blocked that movie from my memory, haha.
@@dungeonchill Doesn't Supermassive Games do the whole "Digital Actor" thing in all of their games? Although it very well just might be because they model their characters after the voice/mocap actors.
vtubers are supposed to be inhabited by some meatsack though, making them more relatable with the herd
@@Dizerfullpower that's essentially how these digital actors were suppose to work.
@@Esoliken were they? from what I remember about FF Spirits Within actress and the like, the fact of an actual person "putting soul into the digital model" wasn't capitalized on by the marketing people, so I remember this more like virtual influencers of today
i love this game, its the first game I EVER beat on my dreamcast, and I have spent over 20 years trying to tell people about it and people think I had a fever dream
We believe you
I've seen D2 mentioned in several channels that I like, but none of them actually showed it.
Good video as always.
Thanks, Pulse. Glad you could finally see some gameplay.
Gosh I remember my Dad getting D for the playstation it was truly the last game system we played together so many memories with these games😊
I think that most of your questions about the narrative are due to Kenji Eno being a total freak. RIP Kenji: you brilliant madman.
I love your scripts!! Thanks for putting so much effort into this review, it really shows.
"Assuming you dont suck" is a very funny prerequisite to seeing the end of a game
00:21:34 - There's an audio error not sure if it can be fixed. Just thought I'd try to help.
Nice. I skipped the spoiler section because I do want to play it for myself some time. Looking forward to Enemy Zero!
Yeah, give it a go! I really enjoyed it.
I’m playing Enemy Zero right now, so next video will be out soon!
I swear D2’s front cover art was always one of “those” DC games that stood out to me as a kid growing up. Never had the chance to play it but it always peaked my curiosity from what I was able to make of it from looking at it’s jewel case.
All these years later, I can see what this game was all about and what I missed out on.
Gotta say too that something about how game devs designed these gory, grotesque, body horror like creatures back in the day during the early Y2K era is something that I don’t think could ever be replicated in today’s gaming. It just screams “Yup, these were the Dreamcast/PS2 graphic days.”
Laura's reappearance in different games with slightly different names is clearly inspired by Osamu Tezuka's "Star System".
Put simply, Tezuka would hold lnto some of his favorite design, and would reuse them for different works with the implication that they were actors being cast for different roles. He would go so far as to play out the ups and downs in their career.
A good example would be the character "Rock Holmes"; originally a Sherlock Holmes inspired child-detective, he'd appear in over 50 titles as different characters. It goes so far that you can even look at his appearances over the years and see him age, and see when the meta-character takes a turn for more serious roles in his career.
A LOT of Japanese creators try to recreate this element, but very few are successful.
What an interesting bit of art history 😙 !
I knew that Go Nagai did that quite often with his favorite character designs and its totally possible that Tezuka inspired his style.
Oh that reminded me, somebody should review DevilMan for the Playstation 😗!
it's been only 2 videos i've seen referencing it but i'm convinced that la blue girl is a staple running joke for this channel
the weapon reloads look pretty decent for it's time
great content! this is/was my favorite DC game, because it caught me at the right time & I really *really* enjoyed it's haunting, quiet vibe (Dream remake: this game rebuilt w/the Long Dark's engine). re: it's lopsided narrative, I think you're close in the title suggesting 'soap opera', closer I think would be *Giallo* ... where mood & subtext is more important than a linear narrative & supernatural elements mix w/reality in random and often unexplained ways (like Jennifer Connely's character in Phenomena, w/her unexplained psychic control of insects). That's my theory; Eno was emulating Argento's style and wasn't worrying about a logical story.. or things were cut for brevity, tho that wouldnt' explain the inclusion of lengthy character moments, so maybe not. btw, I don't know if you knew this but didn't mention it but **spoiler** in most of the boss fights there's a moth (or butterfly) that appears onscreen that you can shoot for massive damage ->>>>this is what the pistol w/the laser sight is good for. peace! RW
Long before I ever got a Dreamcast (my parents would get it for me in Christmas '99), I remember this game being heavily linked to the previews of the machine. I kinda became obsessed over it, even tho it was just random clips, plot points and photos. Funny enough, though, despite how obsessed I was over it in the lead up to the release of the Dreamcast, I never actually owned or played the game.
whats the music you use for transitions sick stuff
The game developers warp are one of my favorites of all time! I was finally able to track down an English version of D2 for the Dreamcast. plus, I was able to get a Japanese version for cheap to. I'm so glad to finally have it in my collection it's a game I wanted for so long!.. warp 4 Life!!!✋✌️
I just think Laura being mute in this game is just her having some kind of social anxiety or something. The first time she talks, she's literally forced to in order to enter the lab (it takes her a few seconds to actually speak). The second time she talks, it's in a moment of joy when sees David alive again in the ending (maybe showing that she will start talking more often in the future). In every moment in between, she takes on more of an observational role (kinda like the player, I guess??). I personally find it quite relatable how she's mute except when it's crucial or when she's emotional and is otherwise just observing the situation so she can figure out how to help the characters. I also personally just like when a silent protagonist suddenly talks once or only a handful of times, as that makes what they say a lot more impactful.
Also, I don't understand the whole "being quiet = creepy/weird" thing. Like I literally do not see the correlation between the two.
this game certainly goes places. good stuff, dc!
That’s an understatement! Thanks for the support!
The D in the first game stood for Dracula, so what does the D in D2 stand for?
...dracula
@@henotic.essence but Dracula isn't in D2
Drugs i assume
idk Desolation or smth?
Kind of wild how quickly you put videos out.
Another great review. I enjoyed playing this game as well. I did think it was strange the main character Laura did not talk in the game, but, after your playing the game, I looked at Laura as almost a person playing the video game. Listening to everyone, and not speaking.
I played this game when it originally came out, it was pretty crazy especially the ending.
The enemies w the human faces was pretty disturbing tho and you could sometimes hear the human faces making their own sad or pain noises separate from the monsters, crazy stuff
If I were David, that shout & cling from a stranger would be so weird.. Like wtf? 😂
He said that he felt a sense of deja vu around her, so it probably felt "right" to him in that moment, even if he was mega confused.
10:51 Sorry, but it has mags, not clips. Clips haven't been used since WWI.
I think Laura's "mostly silent" in the beginning, and then talking more toward the end is supposed to be like a growth or development of the character. I didn't play the game myself but it seems to me it's supposed to be like a "She went through so much and it helped her come out of her shell and start talking to people because she had to in order to survive." kind of thing. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit but when it asks her to state her name, the scene's timing and setup just feels like a "Look at this, this is a big moment. She's going to speak." Also, when she does speak you can tell it's kind of strained, she's clearly not super comfortable with it and there's some pain in her voice like it's not easy for her to do.
That's my interpretation. It looks like it kind of wanted to be MGS1 which was released a year earlier. Don't quote me on that, but what with the real life footage of events and trying to make it feel relevant to the real world really reminds me of MGS1.
It was either that or she was unable to speak due to the whole memory thing or the loss of David. With this plot, you can only guess.
The MGS1 comparison isn't too far off, some people thought the ending that lists all human atrocities at the end is a parody of MGS1's nuke listing. If it was a parody, then frankly if the ending wasn't so obnoxious, the joke would've hit better.
For graphics and presentation, putting a kaico adapter and an Mclassic hook up for the dreamcast makes you realize the effort and detail in the game. The trees moving, brightness of snow, and the eerie metal in the facilties
D2, that one stuck with me. A game I picked up along with the Dreamcast (that and Project Justice) and damn, i STILL remember that scene near the the end that hurt...
Love this series of videos. Hope you do more deep dives on obscure and unusual games
Kind of interesting how the main character walks in the snow....IN HEELS
I played this game in December of 2000 during a snow storm and it was excellent. I love the theme (menu) song.
Oh boy, I remember those title cards at the end. I was like wtf does this have anything to do with this story..
This is my new favorite youtube channel that isn't Ross's Game Dungeon. nice moves bro
Great video! D2 was a cool game that I remember finishing in 2 or 3 sittings. It was winter at the time & the Dreamcast was dead. I picked up it, and probably 10-12 other dreamcast games, for $9.99 each at a now defunct store called Comp USA. I later picked up D on my Saturn and enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as D2. I havent played Enemy Zero, but it is on my bucket list. - While extremely unlikely, it would be cool if someone rereleased the three games to be more easily accessible. I am not suggesting thay they are incredible games, but they are worth the time & experience. Kenji Eno had a fascinating creative mind. I do think the games would be appreciated if more people could easily access them.
You ride around picking up D alot?
Wow, what an intense, messy, experimental game. Its flaws stick out pretty badly, but for some strange reason, they make the game more iconic...?
I could definitely see myself playing through/watching Eno's games soon enough. I am fascinated by these incoherent, yet engaging plots. Oh and the fact they mixed so many styles of gameplay into one game.... It's a decision all right, but damn if it isn't entertaining to see and experience for yourself.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Kimberly, Parker and David also appear in Enemy Zero, so they're digital actors as well, tho I think David got recasted for D2 'cause he looked different in E0 if I remember correctly.
dang I've played so many videogames just to be able to say that I played them and this is the third time I found out about a game I've never heard of at all from you. well done. you make some of my favorite videos on the entire internet 🏆
Quite the unexpected visit from your grandmother. I'll button up, grandma, chill!
Absolutely love your channel. You’ve really come into your own style.
Whats the story behind the violin playing, showercap wearing, winged character/enemy?
Experimenting with an idea in a game and then leaving it in even if it didn't work is pretty typical of developers, tbh. After all, they put in a lot of effort to make that section, so scrapping it altogether would be costly.
I personally don't mind when scrapped ideas are left in unless it absolutely *sucks.* When you recognize a flaw in your game and leave it in to make the game worse, that's pretty unforgiveable. Maybe they knew the section was fun, but was the wrong direction for the game and decided it would just be an interesting break from the standard gameplay.
I love when Laura learns the knucklepuck.
all i got from this game was "damn, the shadow is one fucked up evil the way he just inverted that little girl into a puddle"
He has a deep evil voice, dude's 100% evil.
I didn't own a Dreamcast, and by the time this game came out I couldn't rent one. This is the ONLY game on the system I wish I could have played. It always held a special draw for me. I finally broke down and read the Game Script on Gamefaqs, and then watched a lets play back about 8 yearsgo. Tried to emulate it myself, and it worked, but I couldn't swap discs. All this to say I always wish I could have played this, and I'm glad I finally found someone doing so. I agree with nearly everything you said about the story. I still really liked it however, despite its many issues. It was something special, and I wish more could have come from it. It's forever doomed to obscurity on a console just as ill-fated.
Some things about this game make me think of Deadly Premonition....
from what i played of this i did kinda like it but it felt really slow to get around the map but i hope i can play through it one day. i do like the whole RPG aspect to the combat, i found it to be a very interesting idea similair to parasite eve wish is a cool thing to compare to
It’s a slow burn of a game, both in gameplay and story. It’s worth playing through if you can get into the groove of it.
Parasite Eve has a more fun and engaging combat system. Especially with the weapon and armor upgrades, but yeah, I can see that comparison.
@@dungeonchill i definitely want to beat it for sure. and yes Parasite Eve is a classic for a reason
A warlock and space magic AND Dracula??? Hot dog someone is hijacking my fever dreams with a time machine and I think it's my cellphone's fault...
Really enjoying your videos. Stay chill.
Always! Glad you like the videos!
I remember fishing a copy of this game out of the bargain bin of a gamestop when the Dreamcast was still gripping onto life. Game was certainly not what i was expecting, (though Im not sure what i was expecting, res evil i think?) but with Dreamcast games that ended up being the norm, each game was its own trip.
oh my god, it's so clear to me suddenly lol...all these games are based on movies because she is an actress. and the director is probably both a fan of these movies and this type of girl (or actually, there are a lot of pretty ladies who reappear, and some others, so maybe it's not so specific?). so strange but they all seem pretty good!
you started talking about aliens, and i'm like, "wait, shes not like a vampire??"
The original version of D2 which WAS a sequel unfortunately never came to be, as said in this video. Wonder how that would've gone, some of the imagery I've seen from it looked interesting, and I wonder if its story would've been just okay or nonsensical schlock like this game.
23:35 omg haha THANK YOU. This is why I have a really, _really_ hard time feeling satisfied with the ending of Petscop. I totally get that the entire story was left ambiguous intentionally so that interpretation can be more subjective, but *my gosh* is it impossible for me to derive _any_ meaning from the story like at all because of the lack of strings tying things together makes it so that I can’t even begin to _subjectively_ interpret the story, because _objectively_ I have NO IDEA what is going on in that story 😂 obv I kind of get it, but tbh I feel like at this point I have more of a grasp of the plot of Kingdom Hearts than I do Petscop, and let me tell you, considering how many explanation videos I have watched comparatively between the two games, Petscop should 100% be my most understood piece of fiction ever, but somehow I am still left entirely confused, because _no one_ seems to be capable to gleaning any kind of solid plot from the dang thing 😭
Between this game, Maken X, Shemue, & Code Veronica, the Dreamcast was awesome! Still my favorite console!
This feels like such a weird direction to take the Mighty Ducks franchise, but I'm here for it.
My disc was scratched so I had to skip one of the cut scenes and use a cheat for more health by the end. lol. Cool game though!
Honestly, it sounds like the two paralleled sides of the story were initially meant to be one larger narrative. Like, David’s dad was supposed to be Laura’s mom’s husband. The monsters were supposed to be created by the energy of the Shadow seeping out and corrupting things. Kim was possibly initially taken by a monster and cloned in the lab before being found later, implying that someone’s controlling the monsters (either the warlocks or David’s dad). If they weren’t going to tie the two halves of the story together, they could’ve heavily benefited from two protagonists - Laura who deals with the warlocks and Shadow, and someone else, who deal with all the monsters and lichen drugs. But maybe there just wasn’t enough space for something like that
I think there was a part in that game where you got a flame thrower and that's about as far as I got. Dreamcast was an interesting system to own for sure.
here about Lara being a virtual actor just makes me think of Final Fantasy The Spirits Within, they wanted to do the same thing with the lead from that.
Your nonchalance about warlocks & wizards wrecking mankind or the entire universe (Lovecraftian) really impressed me. I even apologies for having forgotten the `please´ in my Enemy Zero Hot Blonde comment. 🤗 `Ban alien-cockblock!´
Love this! It was one of my favorite games growing up. Would you ever review parasite Eve?
Is this in anyway related to D4: Dark Dream Don't Die?
Absolutely not, that's SWERY. D4, Deadly Premonition, and Spy Fiction have better writing than Kenji Eno's Laura trilogy.
Digital actors was an idea floating around in the late 90s and early 00s. Mostly a thing for brand recognition. Never became a thing.
it kind of did become a thing though, just look at the Dark Pictures Anthology of games
It's a thing in some circles. Tezuka did it, SWERY does it too. Those are the ones that come to mind so far.
R.I.P. Kenji Eno
This is a pretty chill dungeon, bro 😀
I remember reading about this in Dreamcast magazine in my social studies class in 2000 and thinking “how is this connected to D?”
I highly recommend the Movie "Blood Glacier" if People want more "The Thing" - Themed Movies.
This type of humor is making a comeback. You're set to reap great benefit. Keep your nose to the grindstone.
Also, stay IN school and OFF drugs.
This has been a PSA.
Seriously though, finding this channel has been fun.
Terry's on a plane? Draxx. Them. Sklounst.
The subtitles using three different spellings for the little kid's name, excellence~
10:51 - Magazine.
11:11 - Correct.
I loved this game. I hope they make another one.
I never knew about freelook, and seeing those items without seemingly being able to pick them up frustrated me to no end.
I have a strong feeling the boss fight @ 19:20 has left some _significant_ impressions on more than a few developing minds lol goddamn
I saw that bit and immediately thought of the “that’s a p**is” meme just switched around
@@Rebrn-bk5em haha right! I was like "why are we shooting this chick in the chooch?!"
I just have to say that you are my best discovery for 2023 😍
I remember renting this from blockbuster for my dreamcast
Looking forward to trying this one.
Great videos! New sub 👍
I had the Japanese import of this in the day & it was so gory & sexually suggestive with nudity & all. I had a hell of a time playing thru it wo a guide or translation but it remains one of my favorite dream cast titles.
Maybe I'm wrong but I'd swear that it's "Regret of the Wind" and not the other way around. Anyway. Just discovered your channel, watched some videos and subscribed : )
The boss fight with the hoo haah 😂
Yeah, i remembered the game being out there. Some parts was never cleared up. And getting lost in the snow areas. Going to the same spots over & over just to activate a trigger for a event. After a long time...i said heck with it. I looked up a guide if i got stuck for over 15 mins 😂 the snow area was fun. But holy sh*t i hated trying to trigger events in thst part. It's been like 15 or 17 years since i played this game. I remembered plant monsters & endless snow. Endless because i didn't know what too do. I didn't remember the (spoiler ⬇️).....
Clones at all