The "D" Series and Kenji Eno

Just a few days ago Kenji Eno, the mastermind behind the “D”series passed away. It’s a real shame as those games were incredible and while there isn’t much in the series to explore the 2 games in the series are somewhat forgotten survival horror classics. They offer a lot of features and little details that many games simply gloss over or choose to ignore. I believe D2 was significantly more fun than the original D but then again those games are very different and both are very unique and exciting horror games. Both are well worth checking out if you are a fan of survival horror.

The original D came out in 1995 and it handled some off limits material, as did the sequel. D featured heavy amounts of violence, cannibalism and gore as well as having very adult themes throughout the game. The original D introduced Laura Harris who continues throughout Kenji Eno’s other games Enemy Zero and D2. The original game follows her as she investigates a strange killing spree that her father has supposedly gone on. He barricades himself in a hospital and when she arrives it is transformed into some sort of dark dungeon where she must hunt her father down.

The game doesn’t allow you to save and you are on a time limit as you play. If you don’t finish the game within 2 hours then it’ll kick you back into reality and ask you to try the game again. There’s also no pause function so you have to sit there and play the game straight through. While this isn’t very difficult it does make you experience the storyline realistically just as your character does.

The gameplay itself involves collecting small scarab beetles, solving various puzzles, finding clues about your father and exploring the dungeon. It is best described as a survivor horror puzzle game. Most of the terror comes from the grimy atmosphere and the idea that you are stuck here chasing down your own demented father.

D2 came out a few years later in 199 for the Dreamcast. It is not related to the original at all however the main protagonist remains the same and Kenji Eno still made it a point to make this game stand out boldly with the taboo themes. I remember it being the first game to feature nudity and one of the first times I was exposed to such graphic surreal violence. I had watched plenty of slasher movies and seen things on television but when you see a flight attendant get torn apart from the inside and turn into a monster that is half plant it’s something special. Then her voice is distorted and she continues to speak to you while her carcass is tossed around and the plant monster starts swinging at you. It’s a hell of an experience.

The storyline involves a strange group of terrorists tied to some cult crashing an airplane with Laura on board. She awakens just over a week later in a cabin and is being cared for by another one of the passengers. As they start to talk they discover one of the terrorists has stumbled onto their property and turns into one of those heinous mutated plantlike monsters. As the game progresses Laura must learn about the cause of these mutations as well as protect a little girl she meets and herself.

The gameplay was very repetitive and that is the biggest downfall of it however it is also unique and quite a lot of fun. Typically, you’ll have about 4-5 different modes of play. The combat mode is simple point and shoot with basic reload mechanics. It’s like any rail gun shooter only you don’t move but turn side to side. Then there’s the exploring mode which involves you trudging through the wilderness seeking clues and items for puzzles. There’s hunting which is needed to get you food and help survive. There’s first person exploration which locks you onto a track and plays like an old dungeon crawler. Then there are the cut scenes, which there are many of, which fill in the blanks in-between.

The gameplay can get repetitious but it is such a change from anything I’ve played before that it manages to stay refreshing through most of the game. The cut scenes are quite frequent however the storyline is rich and enjoyable so I didn’t mind it so much. Most reviews ragged on it for those details but if you’re like me then you’ll see right past it.

Kenji Eno might not have been the most prominent game developer but his track record is something that he should be proud of. The “D” series was something different, something fresh and something lots of fun for survival horror fans. Looks like I’m off to play Enemy Zero.

System Shock 2: Prepare for a Shodan!

That was a very bad joke on my part and I apologize for starting this post off with that. I just wanted to call attention to System Shock 2. You have probably heard of the re-release by now and I am extremely excited to see it because I have struggled to get it working with all the mods I enjoy. It seemed like every time I installed one or two mods then one wouldn’t work with each other. Even with the mod loader programs called the SS2Tool and the very helpful community out there it just wasn’t the perfect way to have the game installed on my PC. Now we have a great go to version that runs decently and is pretty comfortable right out of the box. Installing mods is a lot easier from this version too. GoG has really outdone themselves and at only 10 dollars it’s going to give many other AAA titles a run for its money. This came out at the perfect time as well because many of us horror fans are disappointed with the recent alien release and now we can jump back into a great horror sci-fi game.

System Shock 2 was developed by Randy Pitchford and a huge team of very talented individuals. The closest games I can compare it to are Deus Ex and Bioshock. Bioshock actually is made in the same vein as System Shock and Biohsock basically started out in development as a sequel. While Bioshock is a fantastic game System Shock 2 has always felt much colder and much more terrifying to me. It’s one of my favorite games and the atmosphere is just unbeatable. While Bioshock certainly had a unique setting and it’s timeless, System Shock 2 will be a great game for fans of Bioshock and a special treat for those who enjoy the cold atmosphere of 70’s sci-fi.

System Shock doesn’t just stand out with a cold and inspired ship though it also stands out because it plays like Deus Ex. There’s hacking, repairing weapons, searching through logs, inventory management and more. If you played the original Deus Ex you’ll feel right at home with the UI of SS2 only instead of managing augments you can have psychic abilities.

The sound design is pretty much flawless. Music blares through the ship at just the right moments and is often a bit out of place and discomforting. Shodan is the most villainous female AI ever created and making Glados look like a nurturing mother. The monsters make groans and screech sounds that are flat out uncomfortable and almost all the sound effects are punchy and feel full and intense. The eerie silence of the ship with just faint ambient noise makes these effects and the music very impactful.

If this has enticed you to give the game a go then pick it up on Gog. I’ll place the link below as well as links to some of the best mods for the game out there. It’s a classic and unbeatable at this price.

System Shock 2 on GoG for $10 à http://www.gog.com/gamecard/system_shock_2

Rebirth for Enemy Models à http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=8.0

The System Shock Texture Upgrade à http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=22

The System Shock Music Upgrade àhttp://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=657

The Tacticool Weapon Models àhttp://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=691

Joshykins(on reddit) links to these mods as well and even goes so far as to give you some default settings to configure bloom in the game. His comment is found here à http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/18ibri/in_anticipation_for_system_shock_2_on_gog_ive/c8f23vk

            

ROAM

Before I start writing this article it's important to point out that this game is development. I am going off of the features listed, the team experience described on the page and the videos they have released so far. Check it out on the kickstarter page linked below, which is already well past it's goal. With the huge amount of attention that we give DayZ it's no wonder that there are starting to be more games inspired by DayZ. Of course there aren't many of them doing well at the moment. War Z has been hated on by everyone in the entire gaming community and The Dead Linger is still extremely early in alpha. DayZ is definitely the best in the genre so far and the standalone is looking fantastic. ROAM however does things a bit differently. It takes the principles of Day Z and puts them in a procedurally generated world with a top down perspective that you can play coop with your friends.

While this might sound differently than DayZ substantially it keeps the core principles that it and games like Project Zomboid have accrued. It is all about survival, scavenging the city and finding food, supplies, water, weapons and more. Based upon how nice or murderous you are people will react differently to you in the game and some will fire at you on site or some might fear you.

Roam has also placed a large emphasis on being able to build forts and put buildings together. You can barricade a building and craft many different items. The world is planned to get increasingly difficult as well making those early stages of gathering, building, crafting and scavenging all the more important. Zombies even mutate randomly making them more varied and difficult to combat.

Combat is planned to utilize a unique aiming system, a wide variety of traps and strategy in order to make your attacks quiet and not draw attention. You'll want to collect specialized professional survivors in order to make things easier for you as well such as a doctor or a marine. While the online is limited to only 4 players at once, leaving some to be desired, it is nice to have the ability to get special NPC's. Of course, not all of them are going to be friendly.

I know this game is early in its Kickstarter however the features described sound incredible, the videos already show a great deal of progress especially when it comes to the base-building and the crafting which, for me, is one of the most interesting parts. If you aren't leery to back a Kickstarter these days then you can get in on the action for 15 dollars and there are many tiers to pick from with extra goodies as well.

If you love horror, love zombies, love survival games and are looking for something a bit refreshing in the genre then I'd give Roam a look. It may be early in it's development but I am very excited to see it come out and happy to have backed it.

Kickstarter link → http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roam/roam

Base-building video → http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wzD7WqP5Db8#!

Crafting video →http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TfOfDHBZsG4

Enemies Video → http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IoqDNBGTGOs

New Dayz Standalone Vid !!!

Communal Survival Horror: An Idea

I love survival horror but one thing that movies continue to scare me with that games have yet to really capture is that vulnerability, that sense of loss and confusion as much as fear of being murdered. This is the feeling when you notice that your child is missing. The discomfort you feel when you realize that your friend has changed and may not be himself ever again. It's an emotional connection to the characters that video games so barely touch on.

Some have come close but they are rarely what I would describe as "survival horror". The Walking Dead is probably the closest but it still doesn't give me that feeling of weakness as a person and ultimately not everything is controlled by you. The ending is set in stone, the locations you visit are set as well and while your choices do matter it's a linear plot with a single ending. It's a point and click adventure game with horror elements but no real combat system and your input on the character is more a series of mini-games combined with a point and click adventure rather than the direct effect and control you have on a character in a game like Resident Evil or Deadly Premonition.

A game that plays like Silent Hill or Resident Evil combined with the emotional impact and decision making of a “visual novel” game like The Walking Dead or Heavy Rain would be able to influence the way you play it. Where in the Walking Dead you click on the zombies parts at the right time to attack this game would force you to be active just like in traditional survival horror games but your hands on experience would directly affect those around you. I’ve heard that Fatal Frame 2 gets close to this experience and I’m looking forward to trying it out. That said, even if it is what I am looking for, we need more!

With proper AI these two systems could work together perfectly. Since I hate escort missions in most game and have nightmares of escorting Ashley around in RE4 I’m strongly against the idea of having to lead another character around. That is why I think having gameplay like Deadly Premonition would be so perfect for this kind of game. That game combines hands on experience with you directly controlling the character moving him around while interacting with characters around the town and having to do realistic things like sleep, eat and even get gas.

Take that experience and add in real characters that fall in love with you, who help you, who have families and who matter. Maybe make some that hate you, some that are rude, some that aren't likable and yet they have to be utilized in some way and you might have to make a choice to save them over someone else for the greater good. Make these decisions count! Make sure to take the time to establish them even if it means the first couple hours that’s all that happens as you run around the town beginning your quest. With these characters being so real and having meaning to the player now the horror bits will be so much more impactful.

Gamers typically want instant gratification but since survival horror has become such a niche genre today it is a great time to see experimental mechanics out there such as those in Lone Survivor and Deadly Premonition. The birth of the virtual novel games such as Walking Dead are born from these classic horror games and point and click adventures but they tend to swing towards the point and click side of the tracks. I think it’s time we have a game swing the other way and make a game primarily survival horror that takes the time to make the characters real and mean something and cause the horrors that happen to you and them to be that much more intense and impactful.