The evil within 2 is still one of my favourite games to this day it really felt like they were so close to perfection from the mini open worlds, combat, music, graphics which is still stunning, a super interesting intriguing universe etc it really felt like it could've been the next big thing in horror
1. Lots of EW1 players hate it, which spread the "this game is just shit" mindset to other players 2. The market is just happened to die out thanks to countless similar genre 3. Lots of EW1 haters (including me) thought this game would just be EW1 but bigger, which mean that anyone who didn't enjoy 1 will not enjoy 2 Still, bought it and never regret it, one of the best game I played
I have to admit I'm a sucker for the "small open world" concept, especially when its interspersed with a few linear sequences, so its no surprise to me that I loved TEW2 way more than I did the original game. A smaller game that also did it surprisingly well was Terminator Resistance.
The small open world in 2 was the best horror I played last gen, it was the closet thing to Silent Hill at the time, entering the empty houses having no idea what could happen was so good.
Honestly it gave me the vibes of playing through ds1 the first time (while not exactly replicated) the doubt and calculations you had to go through the micro managing the curiosity to explore the cool moments when everything clicked and the way you can go exactly where you need to quickly and efficiently on second playthrough or slowly and more methodically on others
It almost feels like TEW2 went more in the direction of Silent Hill than RE, least in regards to moving around a sleepy little town. I always enjoyed the more exploratory side of survival horror as opposed to the linear levels - so maybe TEW2 would be more for me? I just like to explore one space and memorize it as I find new ways of expanding it. That is why RE1 will still be one of my all time faves in the genre! Another excellent and thoughtful video, Majuular!
Thanks Jeff! Great observation, there is a stronger resemblance to Silent Hill than RE in the 2nd game. This is one of the reasons I'm interested in seeing the Silent Hill 2 Remake, or a next-gen SH game in general, will they introduce exploration without cluttering Silent Hill's relatively straightforward gameplay with things like a crafting system? Always loved being able to walk into diners, houses & corner stores in the SH games.
@@Majuular One can only hope! I'll certainly be keeping my eyes on the SH2 remake and Silent Hill F going forward. I think that's the real charm of some of the earlier parts of Alan Wake as well, which is not too surprising when that game was supposed to be an open world once upon a time - maybe it's upcoming sequel will also lean that design. Keeping those fingers crossed!
One day I hope we get an Evil Within game that really takes advantage of the concept of being in a mindscape, I dont think theyve yet to truly mine the potential there
Oddly enough I started replying this game yesterday, it's one of my favourite survival horror games and I love it, thank you for giving it more attention, its like nothing else out there.
As much as I loved the first game, 2 is so much more special and interesting to me. I desperately wish to see a third game evolve the many interesting ideas in 2. With horror being as big as it is right now, who know? Maybe a third game could come out and actually be successful this time.
I just binged all of your videos yesterday after discovering you through the Xenogears one. I was pretty bummed out that I had nothing left to watch, and then you immediately drop this one! You're the best. B)
In regards to the flamethrower enemies, I seem to remember you can target their tanks at the back for an easier kill. And I found a tactic with large groups of enemies that almost trivializes those encounters. Fire a smoke bomb in the midst of them, rush in and go absolutely ham with the stealth kills. Works like a charm.
I feel like you're right about the tanks, but I tried it a couple times & couldn't seem to make anything happen. It's possible that it takes much more ammo on the harder difficulties. Or y'know, skill issue ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Can I just say your channel is just absolutely incredible with how you're able to churn out such long and high quality videos at such a pace. I just hope you're not burning yourself out, because I've seen other creators who make similar content over the years try to make videos like this half as fast drive themselves crazy. As an aside, I made a video about using the fighting game concept "footsies" in order to play survival horror games without getting scared, and in it, I used TEW2 as one of two prominent examples of games where you can do this, but I didn't really go into detail with how it works in that game because I was going for a more generalized approach to the topic. (Plus it was for a contest and it needed to be under 5 minutes) Suffice to say if you try to do a 'knife only' run in TEW2 it's surprisingly not completely impossible, it's just really hard. Enemies have a surprising amount of animations that have similar start-ups that they can switch between to literally mix up your reaction and surprise attack you. Zombies have a multi-swipe move that has the same start-up animation as their single swipe, so you could try to punish a single swipe only to get your attack punished by their triple swipe, and so forward. However, there is nothing they do that's inherently 'bullshit.' They don't read your inputs or rubber-band you, and each attack they do starts when they are in the exact amount of distance that lets you tap sprint and stumble out of the way. (since there is no dodge roll or anything with invul) If you have time, I recommend booting up TEW2 again and just try knife fighting a couple enemies. Its surprisingly pretty fun, if hard.
Thanks for your concern fren, I've got my finger on the pulse of my mental health & if I ever felt like I was on a downward spiral, I'd definitely take a step back. Working hard & self destruction are two sides of the same coin, gotta keep on that. I have to say, that's hilarious but also really impressive. I'm SURE the developers never intended for the whole game to be played this way, but the fact that you can actually worm your way out of a bad situation without ammo OR relying on stealth actually works in the games favor. TEW2 might just have better melee combat than most of the Elder Scroll series lol.
Both TEW 1 & 2 are some of my favorite games ever and both games do some things better than the other, but i do agree there's definitely potential for more small open-world survival horror. If they ever make a 3rd game? maybe..... Great video man its nice to see people still discussing these gems to this day 👍
Sort of a shame that there was such a gameplay shift between the first and second game, I feel like if TEW players didn't go into 2 with the expectations of more of the same (like if it were a new franchise or something) that it would have performed much better, because this small open world hub system for horror is really intriguing as a concept. As usual, awesome video! Edit: I realized that once again I can tie this into Chrono Cross by saying it suffered from the same problem, CT fans going into CC expecting more of the same 😂
So true, there are legitimate gripes to be had with TEW2 but there's no doubt in my mind that it was at least partially a victim of expectations. Appreciate the comment mate!
@@bsaarob7950 I think that's more based on TLoU P2 being a generally bad story meant to subvert expectations and insert a certain character rather than to follow up a very emotionally impactful first game, and also being basically the textbook example of ludonarrative dissonance lol
Tango's next game, Ghostwire Tokyo, leaned harder on the open world and action elements, much to a lot of people's chagrin. I, for one, love that game. While clearly having a checklist to go through in a way bigger open world, the merger between traditional japanese folklore and urban legends with modern Shibuya makes for a very striking world to play in. There are side quests that involve more linear quests solving hauntings and the like, which are nice, but not terrifying. Until you get to the Fear For The Children quest. Not gonna spoil much, but that quest has the horror of the entire game concentrated in a single mission. It came on the Spider's Thread DLC, released almost a month ago, and it feels like the developers telling those who were disappointed the game wasn't a horror experience through and through "you wanted horror? Here, have some horror." It's a great sidequest, perfectly meshed with the open world. Still, I've found Tango's formula for open world games, while drinking deep from the western scavenger hunt well, to be sufficiently interesting and nuanced to be a gripping experience.
After Elden Ring re-spark my love for open world, I finally realize that it isn't me who grew older and "too old to play open world", it is just that most modern open world design stop emphasize exploration and risk and reward, it is either anywhere is easy and explorable, or the exploration is fake as enemy has certain level tied to it. Evil Within 2 and Elden Ring does these too but it gave players choices, there are always multiple choices regardless players level, and if we want to push our luck, there will be more choices out there that has harder enemies but also better rewards at the same time, that's why I love open world but sadly, it is hard to design game like this
People don't realize how good of a year 2017 was. Not only we got bangers, we got underrated gems like TEW2. This video is 5 years late, but encapsulates its appeal so well. Small open ended map filled with dense encounters and meaningful stuff.
2017 was the best year for both quality & quantity of great games since 2007, that's what I think. I remember being physically unable to keep up with how many great releases there were.
Ahh I love the evil within 2, in my opinion both are unique in their own way. Yeah both have flaws but regardless they are some of my favorites that made it on my horror game shelf. I will say, I’ve beat both 1&2 on nightmare and it is a must to give it a go!
I love the longer videos and those are what drew me to the channel but this shorter more focused format is awesome too. Gives a nice variety to the content on display.
Found the channel yesterday and started with Legend of Dragoon and now this. Really enjoying the content - really well narrated and edited, and overall highly engaging. Would love to see some PS1 era Final Fantasy game deep dives. Keep up the amazing work.
Majuular! Imagine a game where you play as a giant Godzilla monster rampaging through a city that exists within the mind of a fish! Imagine participating in a grand strategy game against Napoleon Bonaparte where you become a playing piece who must endeavor to satisfy the hungriest playing piece's appetite for snails who willingly give their lives in support of the cause! Imagine finding the answer to one of the most important questions in gaming! Who is the Milk Man? Are you the Milk Man? Am I the Milk Man? His milk is delicious! Can you imagine all this within one slightly flawed but special game that tackles deep issues while giving you a good laugh? This is day fifteen of my outstanding request that you review the hidden gem, cult classic Psychonauts!
You are, if nothing else, an excellent salesperson. Out of curiosity towards the game & respect towards your tenacity, I will add Psychonauts to my mental rolodex of potential video ideas.
@@Majuular Hey consideration is all I could hope for! I do seriously recommend a playthrough even if not for a video. Us fans had to wait many, many years for the sequel Psychonauts 2 which came our last year. It was crowd funded and it really delivered! By the way... not gonna do the whole bugging game recommend again. This Evil Within review was great as expected. Take care.
Well, it's not a 12 hour video haha, but I can definitely tell it's the video you want to make, regardless of what others might tell you to make which I am fully on board for. I am enjoying your critical and comedic tone on stuff you wanna talk about so keep doing that!
I remember talking to a friend about how I love the structure of this game: open section, linear area, small branching area, open area ect. I was lamenting it wasn't a normal approach to survival horror, then I remembered that its pretty much the exact method used by most silent hill games!
I loved EW1, so i was very excited for EW2, but when it came out it was really dissapointing to me, partly because of the use of open world. I haven't played it since then, but i did watch a few video here and there, maybe looking for a reason to try it again. Other people usually talk about how story is better told, how upgrades are streamlined or how stealth is improved. And i tend to disagree with those statements. But what you talk about in this video actually made me want to give it another fair try, and see if maybe with this new found knowledge i might enjoy it more. Great stuff.
As a fan of both Evil Within 1 & 2 for different reasons I just hope they return with a third game sooner than later. I have a soft spot for its inception meets horror type universe. Going into evil within 2 blind on launch and experiencing the small open world in contrast to the first game blew me away at that time
The game is amazing and hugely underrated. On the other hand, I'm glad to like something that isn't talked to death. I even dared to put it on the same level as RE4.
I enjoyed The Evil Within 1 and was super excited about the second one. I was shocked to find out all the new mechanics and I loved it way more. The Evil Within 2 quickly became one of my top Horror games but it is hard to place it. I loved the Resident Evil games, Silent Hill, Haunting Grounds, The Clock Tower games. I've been wanting to try some others that didn't do so well either like Rule of Rose.
I loved this game and this video highlighted some of the reasons why. I found the ending great especially compared to the crappy closing moments of the first game and this towers over the first game in general in every way. The word underrated gets used a lot but here it fits. Really does suck that there won't be a third one coming anymore.
I loved this game. I think the open world horror genre is how it should be. I feel like they dabbled with the idea here and with a sequel they could really flesh out this concept. I think we’ll get one in the future too but it may be awhile
The open world does sadly eliminate all sense of dread when you can abuse the overpowered stealth system (untill later parts where you are forced in more chamber combats, god forbid you screw up near the end, where those Marble Lost will rush and gank you if spotted), but it was fun to gather a ton of supplies before proceeding to further into the (sugarcoated sappy and hammy) story. Its a pity tho that the only parts i like wasnt explored or redesigned better, but when you unlocked the Anima side quest she only appears in the first map at random (Not counting the scripted moments in later parts ). Afterwards, she doesnt reappear in the second or third map, which kinda kills the tension you had when you saw her in the first, which is a pity
I bought both games on a Steam sale a while ago, played the first one and hated the beginning and never went back. The second one seems a bit better, gonna try it soon.
I love Evil Within as a guy who grew up playing resi 4 on the GameCube. However, I don’t like how Evil Within put horror before gameplay with its clunky controls and rng enemy reactions. However, the story of Evil Within is fantastic. Also, I do prefer the tight linear structure for survival horror but the second game did wide linear surprisingly well
Evil within 2 is one of my favorite survival horror games and i would be extremely happy to see a third. Its got a great length unitl the final act honestly everything is brilliant until those flame throwing fuckers. Ok not the final act because the last level is actually really good I'm mostly talking about back tracking through the movie theatre district while it is a cool gauntlet ill be honest i was disappointed when i had to go back through here rather than a final third open zone but i agree a man can dream and it doesnt get more lofty then a well funded third evil within with 3rd and first person mode lol
When this game was first released I beat it in a few sittings and somehow didn't realise how divisive it was amongst fans until later on. I enjoyed EW1 and 2 quite a bit just for different reasons.
I would love to see you do more long form in depth analysis videos on the tales of games (particularly Xillia, cuz no one talks about it) because no one talks about them really, and it's disappointing. I do like your other videos too though
I mean, part of what's great about the open-world experience, if done well, is that you can sort of dynamically set your own difficulty. If you're struggling too much, go explore a bit and mess around, and you'll be better equipped, leveled up, and have more experience as a player, to tackle continuing the story. As long as this isn't necessary and excessive, it provides the ability for players to adjust difficulty without breaking immersion. Of course, this allows the player to screw themselves by making the game too easy, but, yeah, that's the nature of having control, and being able to have control within the gameplay instead of via a menu is, imo, hands down better.
TEW-2 "scared" the s.. out of me when I first played it many years ago, specially the enemies, the music, the visuals...it was like nothing I ever experienced before in a game. Having played Alien Isolation, Outlast or RE7:Biohazard, this game is one of the best horror games ever made.
I'd love to hear your thoughts of Project Zomboid one of these days. You seem to like Survival Games and where it might not be the most story driven (hell Zomboid has no story) its gameplay always pulls me back in.
i always tell ppl how underrated and sick this game is but no one listens to me!!! frustratingly seems like not enough ppl are listening to you either cause this vid deserves more views!!!
Evil Within 2 is so underrated, Amazing story, Amazing music, Amazing game. I wish it got more attention, an evil within 3 would be incredible and after the way the 2nd game ended it's very possible to continue the story
And idk The Evil Within 2 scared the absolute shit out of me. The first one wasn’t scary at all. I think it’s the slower, relaxing setting is what adds to the overall tension
I wish I liked the two games in the series since I love RE4. TEW1 drives me nuts with all the insta kills. The boss in the parking garage has lived rent free in my head since I played it when it came out. TEW2 does have a great idea with an "open world" horror game, but it just feels too milquetoast for me to really sink my teeth into it. I can only hope they take a third shot at the series and maybe nail the formula perfectly. We really need another RE4.
I hear what you're saying there. TEW2's narrative is a lot more traditional & less cuh-rayzee than the first game, and I think you could chalk that up to the Western influence. The same goes for Resident Evil 7. both game's stories were penned by both Western & Japanese writers, both are often seen as more generic entries in their respective series, story-wise. The difference is that one of those games saved it's franchise, while the other killed it. I think it's because Resident Evil had totally jumped the shark by #6, while TEW was just weird enough for fans to enjoy it. Bringing the stories back down to Earth affected each series in a different way.
For it's part, I'm in the EW2 crowd so I'll argue the merits of it more; the first one feels like retread of Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space (I'd daresay it's a downgrade of DS, and absolutely DS2, mechanically) while relying a little too much on that particular..., thing? That je ne sais quoi, the "distinct lack of subtlety Japan apparently thinks is scary?" To summarize my feelings, I describe it with the nippy advertising catchphrase of saying Evil Within 1 feels like quick kills/cheap thrills, and EW2 leans more to a slow blade penetrating the shield - all that joy of the Sword of Damocles over your head, at least until you get stealth killin'.
Isn't survival horror rooted in open world gameplay?.. Exploring the mansion in RE, exploring the town in SH. Both games required player exploration to progress. TEW2's open world areas are more linear than traditional survival horror games as you always have a navpoint showing where to go to progress the main story and there's nothing stopping you from going directly to that navpoint. Exploration, while certainly incentivised, is optional. I absolutely loved that they had all these optional areas that contained callbacks to the original game. They were really well done and it was really gratifying to have your choice to explore every building rewarded like that.
I'm overcoming my fear of spiders by picturing them wearing 4 pairs of rubber boots & a top hat every time I see them... so, I dunno, maybe you could use that technique.
Ghostwire: Tokyo was originally being developed as The Evil Within 3, though that concept was quickly dropped in favour of the greater focus on yokai. Still, it's got a lot of TEW's DNA in it, with the shifting horror spaces and open world nightmares, and like TEW2 got way worse reviews than it deserved.
I love each and every Majuular video. But I never managed to get through this one - I now realized why. The background tracks are too loud and the narration is super fast. I can't focus on anything. Both are not the case in any other of his videos...am I imagining things?
I still prefer these two games over the modern RE titles. They have a supreme sense of style and both have addictive gameplay you can't find in any other horror games. I love TEW1's industrial music, I love TEW2's melodic music. RE feels pretty sterile to me by comparison. I love the production quality but they're too safe.
The first game have the atmosphere & idea albeit janky, yet still enjoyable & scary in parts. The second game more action, better visual & art, not that scary compared to first, but highly enjoyable too. Both games have their own pros & cons, wish we got the 3rd game.
I genuinely think E1 is a failure. It has some interesting ideas but ultimately it falls short. E2 has problems but it just feels well thought out in comparison. I think as you said. The best game would have been a combination of both.
I think it's odd this gets labeled open world. I felt that the scale of Evil Within 2 was more like classic survival horror. Semi open. 2 was so much better than 1, and it felt more like classic survival horror than the 1st, which is so odd and sad considering Shinji Makami being the director of the first.
I thought this one was too lacking in character development or any shred of feeling lived-in. For some reason, I associate this game with a much better one from the same era (but different genre) called "Murdered: Soul Suspect".
The Evil Within 1 is one of my favorite horror games of all time, TEW 2 in the other hand, I never finished it, I just hate the open world, and "questing"
You came out of no where but you’ve quickly become one of my favorite gaming channels.
I concur!
Thank you frens, glad that you're enjoying the content :)
indeed. good insight, unique games he is going over, and pretty hilarious editing and humor haha
Count me in as an 4th
@@thestrunzy5585sorry, I already stopped counting.
Come back early tomorrow and you may be able to be counted.
The evil within 2 is still one of my favourite games to this day it really felt like they were so close to perfection from the mini open worlds, combat, music, graphics which is still stunning, a super interesting intriguing universe etc it really felt like it could've been the next big thing in horror
1. Lots of EW1 players hate it, which spread the "this game is just shit" mindset to other players
2. The market is just happened to die out thanks to countless similar genre
3. Lots of EW1 haters (including me) thought this game would just be EW1 but bigger, which mean that anyone who didn't enjoy 1 will not enjoy 2
Still, bought it and never regret it, one of the best game I played
I have to admit I'm a sucker for the "small open world" concept, especially when its interspersed with a few linear sequences, so its no surprise to me that I loved TEW2 way more than I did the original game.
A smaller game that also did it surprisingly well was Terminator Resistance.
You know that old cliche.
"Quality over quantity."
And it works.
The small open world in 2 was the best horror I played last gen, it was the closet thing to Silent Hill at the time, entering the empty houses having no idea what could happen was so good.
The same thing happened to me, it clicked. It has a SH vibe to it, it's so unique and I replay it every Halloween.
Totally agree I love this game so much for its open world sections - I need to replay them!
Honestly it gave me the vibes of playing through ds1 the first time (while not exactly replicated) the doubt and calculations you had to go through the micro managing the curiosity to explore the cool moments when everything clicked and the way you can go exactly where you need to quickly and efficiently on second playthrough or slowly and more methodically on others
It almost feels like TEW2 went more in the direction of Silent Hill than RE, least in regards to moving around a sleepy little town. I always enjoyed the more exploratory side of survival horror as opposed to the linear levels - so maybe TEW2 would be more for me? I just like to explore one space and memorize it as I find new ways of expanding it. That is why RE1 will still be one of my all time faves in the genre! Another excellent and thoughtful video, Majuular!
Thanks Jeff! Great observation, there is a stronger resemblance to Silent Hill than RE in the 2nd game. This is one of the reasons I'm interested in seeing the Silent Hill 2 Remake, or a next-gen SH game in general, will they introduce exploration without cluttering Silent Hill's relatively straightforward gameplay with things like a crafting system? Always loved being able to walk into diners, houses & corner stores in the SH games.
@@Majuular One can only hope! I'll certainly be keeping my eyes on the SH2 remake and Silent Hill F going forward. I think that's the real charm of some of the earlier parts of Alan Wake as well, which is not too surprising when that game was supposed to be an open world once upon a time - maybe it's upcoming sequel will also lean that design. Keeping those fingers crossed!
As someone who found TEW1 very underwhelming and too linear, I can't recommend giving 2 a shot enough.
One day I hope we get an Evil Within game that really takes advantage of the concept of being in a mindscape, I dont think theyve yet to truly mine the potential there
Oddly enough I started replying this game yesterday, it's one of my favourite survival horror games and I love it, thank you for giving it more attention, its like nothing else out there.
Seeing where you started compared to where you are now is amazing.
Keep going man. Awesome content.
Thanks for the kind word Mr. Drank :)
As much as I loved the first game, 2 is so much more special and interesting to me. I desperately wish to see a third game evolve the many interesting ideas in 2. With horror being as big as it is right now, who know? Maybe a third game could come out and actually be successful this time.
I just binged all of your videos yesterday after discovering you through the Xenogears one. I was pretty bummed out that I had nothing left to watch, and then you immediately drop this one! You're the best. B)
In regards to the flamethrower enemies, I seem to remember you can target their tanks at the back for an easier kill.
And I found a tactic with large groups of enemies that almost trivializes those encounters. Fire a smoke bomb in the midst of them, rush in and go absolutely ham with the stealth kills. Works like a charm.
I feel like you're right about the tanks, but I tried it a couple times & couldn't seem to make anything happen. It's possible that it takes much more ammo on the harder difficulties. Or y'know, skill issue ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
That intro… sweet bliss
everytime i see your vids in my subscription box, i stop everything and watch it. keep up the amazing work!
as usual, Majuular comes in clutch with the cool video. not that there could ever be a not cool Majuular video. LOL.
Challenge accepted!
Can I just say your channel is just absolutely incredible with how you're able to churn out such long and high quality videos at such a pace. I just hope you're not burning yourself out, because I've seen other creators who make similar content over the years try to make videos like this half as fast drive themselves crazy.
As an aside, I made a video about using the fighting game concept "footsies" in order to play survival horror games without getting scared, and in it, I used TEW2 as one of two prominent examples of games where you can do this, but I didn't really go into detail with how it works in that game because I was going for a more generalized approach to the topic. (Plus it was for a contest and it needed to be under 5 minutes)
Suffice to say if you try to do a 'knife only' run in TEW2 it's surprisingly not completely impossible, it's just really hard. Enemies have a surprising amount of animations that have similar start-ups that they can switch between to literally mix up your reaction and surprise attack you. Zombies have a multi-swipe move that has the same start-up animation as their single swipe, so you could try to punish a single swipe only to get your attack punished by their triple swipe, and so forward. However, there is nothing they do that's inherently 'bullshit.' They don't read your inputs or rubber-band you, and each attack they do starts when they are in the exact amount of distance that lets you tap sprint and stumble out of the way. (since there is no dodge roll or anything with invul)
If you have time, I recommend booting up TEW2 again and just try knife fighting a couple enemies. Its surprisingly pretty fun, if hard.
Thanks for your concern fren, I've got my finger on the pulse of my mental health & if I ever felt like I was on a downward spiral, I'd definitely take a step back. Working hard & self destruction are two sides of the same coin, gotta keep on that.
I have to say, that's hilarious but also really impressive. I'm SURE the developers never intended for the whole game to be played this way, but the fact that you can actually worm your way out of a bad situation without ammo OR relying on stealth actually works in the games favor. TEW2 might just have better melee combat than most of the Elder Scroll series lol.
You’ve become one of my favorite channels, can’t wait for thief 2
Both TEW 1 & 2 are some of my favorite games ever and both games do some things better than the other, but i do agree there's definitely potential for more small open-world survival horror. If they ever make a 3rd game? maybe.....
Great video man its nice to see people still discussing these gems to this day 👍
Sort of a shame that there was such a gameplay shift between the first and second game, I feel like if TEW players didn't go into 2 with the expectations of more of the same (like if it were a new franchise or something) that it would have performed much better, because this small open world hub system for horror is really intriguing as a concept.
As usual, awesome video!
Edit: I realized that once again I can tie this into Chrono Cross by saying it suffered from the same problem, CT fans going into CC expecting more of the same 😂
So true, there are legitimate gripes to be had with TEW2 but there's no doubt in my mind that it was at least partially a victim of expectations. Appreciate the comment mate!
Just like many TLOU part1 players' opinion on part 2
@@bsaarob7950 I think that's more based on TLoU P2 being a generally bad story meant to subvert expectations and insert a certain character rather than to follow up a very emotionally impactful first game, and also being basically the textbook example of ludonarrative dissonance lol
I don’t know why, but the opening music to your videos always makes me happy.
Okay. I need to give this game a second chance. I disregarded it when it released but as a Silent Hill fan, this is what I've been missing.
Just found your channel thanks to my recommendations and I gotta say I am loving your videos. I hope you make it big sooner rather than later!
love your videos, kinda just binged all of them
Tango's next game, Ghostwire Tokyo, leaned harder on the open world and action elements, much to a lot of people's chagrin. I, for one, love that game. While clearly having a checklist to go through in a way bigger open world, the merger between traditional japanese folklore and urban legends with modern Shibuya makes for a very striking world to play in. There are side quests that involve more linear quests solving hauntings and the like, which are nice, but not terrifying.
Until you get to the Fear For The Children quest.
Not gonna spoil much, but that quest has the horror of the entire game concentrated in a single mission. It came on the Spider's Thread DLC, released almost a month ago, and it feels like the developers telling those who were disappointed the game wasn't a horror experience through and through "you wanted horror? Here, have some horror." It's a great sidequest, perfectly meshed with the open world.
Still, I've found Tango's formula for open world games, while drinking deep from the western scavenger hunt well, to be sufficiently interesting and nuanced to be a gripping experience.
After Elden Ring re-spark my love for open world, I finally realize that it isn't me who grew older and "too old to play open world", it is just that most modern open world design stop emphasize exploration and risk and reward, it is either anywhere is easy and explorable, or the exploration is fake as enemy has certain level tied to it. Evil Within 2 and Elden Ring does these too but it gave players choices, there are always multiple choices regardless players level, and if we want to push our luck, there will be more choices out there that has harder enemies but also better rewards at the same time, that's why I love open world but sadly, it is hard to design game like this
I love both games. I always do my best to tell others to check both out.
People don't realize how good of a year 2017 was.
Not only we got bangers, we got underrated gems like TEW2.
This video is 5 years late, but encapsulates its appeal so well. Small open ended map filled with dense encounters and meaningful stuff.
2017 was the best year for both quality & quantity of great games since 2007, that's what I think. I remember being physically unable to keep up with how many great releases there were.
Ahh I love the evil within 2, in my opinion both are unique in their own way. Yeah both have flaws but regardless they are some of my favorites that made it on my horror game shelf.
I will say, I’ve beat both 1&2 on nightmare and it is a must to give it a go!
I love the longer videos and those are what drew me to the channel but this shorter more focused format is awesome too. Gives a nice variety to the content on display.
great video! glad i found your channel
babe wake up new majuular vid dropped
Mic is indeed sounding great!
I am here for Majuular video fun time; I am here early, and I'm FOR IT. Because BOIIIII, I know you'll be at 100k like _that._
Keep it up.
Found the channel yesterday and started with Legend of Dragoon and now this. Really enjoying the content - really well narrated and edited, and overall highly engaging. Would love to see some PS1 era Final Fantasy game deep dives. Keep up the amazing work.
Great video liebling 💞
Majuular! Imagine a game where you play as a giant Godzilla monster rampaging through a city that exists within the mind of a fish!
Imagine participating in a grand strategy game against Napoleon Bonaparte where you become a playing piece who must endeavor to satisfy the hungriest playing piece's appetite for snails who willingly give their lives in support of the cause!
Imagine finding the answer to one of the most important questions in gaming! Who is the Milk Man? Are you the Milk Man? Am I the Milk Man? His milk is delicious!
Can you imagine all this within one slightly flawed but special game that tackles deep issues while giving you a good laugh?
This is day fifteen of my outstanding request that you review the hidden gem, cult classic Psychonauts!
You are, if nothing else, an excellent salesperson. Out of curiosity towards the game & respect towards your tenacity, I will add Psychonauts to my mental rolodex of potential video ideas.
@@Majuular Hey consideration is all I could hope for! I do seriously recommend a playthrough even if not for a video. Us fans had to wait many, many years for the sequel Psychonauts 2 which came our last year. It was crowd funded and it really delivered!
By the way... not gonna do the whole bugging game recommend again. This Evil Within review was great as expected. Take care.
I hate open world games but when it's small like this, I really really like it.
Recently found your channel, love the content man. Thanks!
Finally a new video! Please make more JRPG videos Majuular.!
Well, it's not a 12 hour video haha, but I can definitely tell it's the video you want to make, regardless of what others might tell you to make which I am fully on board for. I am enjoying your critical and comedic tone on stuff you wanna talk about so keep doing that!
i wish you talked more about how Sebastian drinking the coffee...
mmmm coffee
10/10
I remember talking to a friend about how I love the structure of this game: open section, linear area, small branching area, open area ect. I was lamenting it wasn't a normal approach to survival horror, then I remembered that its pretty much the exact method used by most silent hill games!
A new video just in time for Spooky Season! The man provides!
I loved EW1, so i was very excited for EW2, but when it came out it was really dissapointing to me, partly because of the use of open world. I haven't played it since then, but i did watch a few video here and there, maybe looking for a reason to try it again. Other people usually talk about how story is better told, how upgrades are streamlined or how stealth is improved. And i tend to disagree with those statements. But what you talk about in this video actually made me want to give it another fair try, and see if maybe with this new found knowledge i might enjoy it more. Great stuff.
Oh good. Something I can watch while I agonize over whether or not I should spoil xenogears. Likingvthe videos man.
Good work, friend.
Dont stop making these kinds of videos.
As a fan of both Evil Within 1 & 2 for different reasons I just hope they return with a third game sooner than later. I have a soft spot for its inception meets horror type universe. Going into evil within 2 blind on launch and experiencing the small open world in contrast to the first game blew me away at that time
A Tales of the Abyss review would be awesome. Anyway, great vid as always
i loved playing like solid snake, stealth killing everything possible to hoard items.
The game is amazing and hugely underrated. On the other hand, I'm glad to like something that isn't talked to death. I even dared to put it on the same level as RE4.
I enjoyed The Evil Within 1 and was super excited about the second one. I was shocked to find out all the new mechanics and I loved it way more. The Evil Within 2 quickly became one of my top Horror games but it is hard to place it. I loved the Resident Evil games, Silent Hill, Haunting Grounds, The Clock Tower games. I've been wanting to try some others that didn't do so well either like Rule of Rose.
I loved this game and this video highlighted some of the reasons why. I found the ending great especially compared to the crappy closing moments of the first game and this towers over the first game in general in every way. The word underrated gets used a lot but here it fits. Really does suck that there won't be a third one coming anymore.
I loved this game. I think the open world horror genre is how it should be. I feel like they dabbled with the idea here and with a sequel they could really flesh out this concept. I think we’ll get one in the future too but it may be awhile
The open world does sadly eliminate all sense of dread when you can abuse the overpowered stealth system (untill later parts where you are forced in more chamber combats, god forbid you screw up near the end, where those Marble Lost will rush and gank you if spotted), but it was fun to gather a ton of supplies before proceeding to further into the (sugarcoated sappy and hammy) story.
Its a pity tho that the only parts i like wasnt explored or redesigned better, but when you unlocked the Anima side quest she only appears in the first map at random (Not counting the scripted moments in later parts ). Afterwards, she doesnt reappear in the second or third map, which kinda kills the tension you had when you saw her in the first, which is a pity
My fav series for horror
I bought both games on a Steam sale a while ago, played the first one and hated the beginning and never went back. The second one seems a bit better, gonna try it soon.
The Evil Within 1 is one of my favorite games of all time, I recommend it any chance I get. Truly a great game.
Yaaay! Ilu
I love Evil Within as a guy who grew up playing resi 4 on the GameCube. However, I don’t like how Evil Within put horror before gameplay with its clunky controls and rng enemy reactions. However, the story of Evil Within is fantastic. Also, I do prefer the tight linear structure for survival horror but the second game did wide linear surprisingly well
Evil within 2 is one of my favorite survival horror games and i would be extremely happy to see a third.
Its got a great length unitl the final act honestly everything is brilliant until those flame throwing fuckers.
Ok not the final act because the last level is actually really good I'm mostly talking about back tracking through the movie theatre district while it is a cool gauntlet ill be honest i was disappointed when i had to go back through here rather than a final third open zone but i agree a man can dream and it doesnt get more lofty then a well funded third evil within with 3rd and first person mode lol
When this game was first released I beat it in a few sittings and somehow didn't realise how divisive it was amongst fans until later on. I enjoyed EW1 and 2 quite a bit just for different reasons.
Patiently waiting for your Tales of the Abyss review someday...
I would love to see you do more long form in depth analysis videos on the tales of games (particularly Xillia, cuz no one talks about it) because no one talks about them really, and it's disappointing. I do like your other videos too though
I mean, part of what's great about the open-world experience, if done well, is that you can sort of dynamically set your own difficulty. If you're struggling too much, go explore a bit and mess around, and you'll be better equipped, leveled up, and have more experience as a player, to tackle continuing the story. As long as this isn't necessary and excessive, it provides the ability for players to adjust difficulty without breaking immersion.
Of course, this allows the player to screw themselves by making the game too easy, but, yeah, that's the nature of having control, and being able to have control within the gameplay instead of via a menu is, imo, hands down better.
here before you hit a mil subs.
Both games were 🔥 it’s criminal they aren’t finishing out with a 3rd
TEW-2 "scared" the s.. out of me when I first played it many years ago, specially the enemies, the music, the visuals...it was like nothing I ever experienced before in a game. Having played Alien Isolation, Outlast or RE7:Biohazard, this game is one of the best horror games ever made.
I'd love to hear your thoughts of Project Zomboid one of these days. You seem to like Survival Games and where it might not be the most story driven (hell Zomboid has no story) its gameplay always pulls me back in.
i always tell ppl how underrated and sick this game is but no one listens to me!!! frustratingly seems like not enough ppl are listening to you either cause this vid deserves more views!!!
Evil Within 2 is so underrated, Amazing story, Amazing music, Amazing game. I wish it got more attention, an evil within 3 would be incredible and after the way the 2nd game ended it's very possible to continue the story
"Amazing story," 🤣
Oh yeah, now this is epic
Thank you gigachad Jerry Seinfeld
Evil Within 2 is like 5 dollars rn on sale on the PS store 😁
And idk The Evil Within 2 scared the absolute shit out of me. The first one wasn’t scary at all. I think it’s the slower, relaxing setting is what adds to the overall tension
I wish I liked the two games in the series since I love RE4. TEW1 drives me nuts with all the insta kills. The boss in the parking garage has lived rent free in my head since I played it when it came out.
TEW2 does have a great idea with an "open world" horror game, but it just feels too milquetoast for me to really sink my teeth into it. I can only hope they take a third shot at the series and maybe nail the formula perfectly. We really need another RE4.
I hear what you're saying there. TEW2's narrative is a lot more traditional & less cuh-rayzee than the first game, and I think you could chalk that up to the Western influence. The same goes for Resident Evil 7. both game's stories were penned by both Western & Japanese writers, both are often seen as more generic entries in their respective series, story-wise.
The difference is that one of those games saved it's franchise, while the other killed it. I think it's because Resident Evil had totally jumped the shark by #6, while TEW was just weird enough for fans to enjoy it. Bringing the stories back down to Earth affected each series in a different way.
Absolutely love this game
For it's part, I'm in the EW2 crowd so I'll argue the merits of it more; the first one feels like retread of Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space (I'd daresay it's a downgrade of DS, and absolutely DS2, mechanically) while relying a little too much on that particular..., thing? That je ne sais quoi, the "distinct lack of subtlety Japan apparently thinks is scary?"
To summarize my feelings, I describe it with the nippy advertising catchphrase of saying Evil Within 1 feels like quick kills/cheap thrills, and EW2 leans more to a slow blade penetrating the shield - all that joy of the Sword of Damocles over your head, at least until you get stealth killin'.
Well said & evocative to boot!
Isn't survival horror rooted in open world gameplay?..
Exploring the mansion in RE, exploring the town in SH. Both games required player exploration to progress.
TEW2's open world areas are more linear than traditional survival horror games as you always have a navpoint showing where to go to progress the main story and there's nothing stopping you from going directly to that navpoint. Exploration, while certainly incentivised, is optional.
I absolutely loved that they had all these optional areas that contained callbacks to the original game. They were really well done and it was really gratifying to have your choice to explore every building rewarded like that.
a part of me still hopes for evil within 3, the second one was so danm good and went so under the radar
IMO yeah, it works pretty well. This game is really good, and the world design is a big part of it.
Yes it can! Go play Witch Hunt! Also I haven't watched the video yet but it's made by Majuular so it's bound to be good. Watching it now.
The music ~21mins in is so pretty.
It's called Claire De Lune
This was pretty interesting, even if I am too scared to play horror games
I'm overcoming my fear of spiders by picturing them wearing 4 pairs of rubber boots & a top hat every time I see them... so, I dunno, maybe you could use that technique.
Dude, you are a genius
I sadly was done with horror games around that time. Since most turned into bombastic action games. Makes me wish I checked these out back then.
Ghostwire: Tokyo was originally being developed as The Evil Within 3, though that concept was quickly dropped in favour of the greater focus on yokai. Still, it's got a lot of TEW's DNA in it, with the shifting horror spaces and open world nightmares, and like TEW2 got way worse reviews than it deserved.
Ah shit, I'm going to actually just go buy the game now.
It's like 6 bucks
I need IMAGINARY GUNPOWDER to make my DREAM BULLETS.
I picked up the HD collection, but the janky tank controls killed it for me.
I love each and every Majuular video. But I never managed to get through this one - I now realized why.
The background tracks are too loud and the narration is super fast. I can't focus on anything.
Both are not the case in any other of his videos...am I imagining things?
Well lets hope for TEW 3 since HiFi Rush had tons of easter eggs!
I still prefer these two games over the modern RE titles.
They have a supreme sense of style and both have addictive gameplay you can't find in any other horror games. I love TEW1's industrial music, I love TEW2's melodic music.
RE feels pretty sterile to me by comparison. I love the production quality but they're too safe.
RE7 was awesome, but I guess your a third person child.
The first game have the atmosphere & idea albeit janky, yet still enjoyable & scary in parts.
The second game more action, better visual & art, not that scary compared to first, but highly enjoyable too.
Both games have their own pros & cons, wish we got the 3rd game.
There will be no sequel 😢
ULTRAKILL SPEEDRUNS LIKE WHIPGRASS% HAVE RUINED ME WHEN I HEAR CLAIR DE LUNE I START HOLLERING
I genuinely think E1 is a failure. It has some interesting ideas but ultimately it falls short. E2 has problems but it just feels well thought out in comparison. I think as you said. The best game would have been a combination of both.
I feel targeted with that trigger happy explanation. Thank you for explaining exactly why I don't play horror games 🤣
Sadly haven't played it yet......my backlog is complicated.
The gameplay made me think of it as a weird combination of Silent HIll+TLOU1. I ended up liking it much more than the first game.
I think it's odd this gets labeled open world. I felt that the scale of Evil Within 2 was more like classic survival horror. Semi open. 2 was so much better than 1, and it felt more like classic survival horror than the 1st, which is so odd and sad considering Shinji Makami being the director of the first.
I thought this one was too lacking in character development or any shred of feeling lived-in. For some reason, I associate this game with a much better one from the same era (but different genre) called "Murdered: Soul Suspect".
Tew2 didn't feel as... Desperate? As tew1 - it didn't feel survival horror-y to me :/
The Evil Within 1 is one of my favorite horror games of all time, TEW 2 in the other hand, I never finished it, I just hate the open world, and "questing"