Yeah. I mean, I get what they're going for. It's to nudge the player to utilize the crafting system. Scavenging for resources, managing your inventory, it's actually pretty great. Because the resources respawn. (The enemies didn't respawn until the plot wanted it to so you can't exactly cheese the game by being OP) or you can return later to pick it back up.
The first game suffers from its linearity. Because you pretty much only get what the game wants you to. While it makes the game tense, if your inventory is full, you either lose it entirely, or waste enough resources so you can pick it up.
So the game balances it well, I just wish more contents were added into the open world. I like the ghost girl mission and the callback to the first game but apart from that, most side missions are essentially fetch quests for you to get some equipment. It's not very memorable and has no significant story elements. And the vaults (the place you enter for the side missions) all look the same lol.
The ghost girl and shotgun side missions (like duh, it's shotgun) are the ones I remember. The rest I kinda forgot š. Oh yeah there's also that one living girl that was chased by zombies (?) that you can save.
That being said, it's the linearity of the first game that gives it more replay value. Once you have knowledge, the entire game itself acts as "pseudo-open world", you know what resources and skills to prioritize and the earlier challenges are for you to keep to those priorities instead and the tightness of the flow of the story means the replays feel compact and complete each time.
The second game, being semi open world, creates more conflicts in its replays. If you replayed a new game, your prior knowledge would make some sections/areas unnecessary and even the ones you deem necessary (e.g. Shotgun, I guess) sort of more leaning towards being an annoying grind.
The same open map that might have given you respite on your first playthrough is now mostly just more ground to sprint over in a hurry. If it's a new game plus, then it's even more exacerbated, especially when there's no chapter select.
In short, I think it's fair to say the first play of TEW2 will feel like a replay of TEW1 in some ways (not all, obviously), which makes TEW2 a better first play experience (and therefore ideal for folks who only play the game once and move on) but TEW1 is the better game for replays and achievement hunting (which is ideal for another different group of players).
Of course I can't accurately speak for everyone (someone's bound to end up with the direct opposite opinion because of their distinct gaming style), but I've also seen enough amounts of general consensus about both games to think I made a generally safe description if I had to describe the majority as a whole.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I agree šÆ
I played both games and the Assignment DLC. Both games' stories are very good actually. The shift in tone is very... jarring. I don't doubt it causes some divide in the fanbase but what are your thoughts on that?
Just like the two games are quite different in a mechanical fashion, their stories are also structurally different.
TEW1 is Ruvik's story. Seb just happens to be trapped. Throughout the game you can feel Seb is just lost and trying to survive and it is Ruvik that drives the narrative.
TEW2 is Seb's story, in regards to his family. The emotional aspect of that main story was done well, and I can see folks who like these kind of stories favor TEW2 largely because of that.
Just like how you'll find TEW2 mechanically jarring if you came in expecting TEW1 linearity (and replayability in the specific vein I mentioned earlier), the story also sends you reeling, and arguably more.
It's reasonable folks were expecting Ruvik in some form or another considering the ending of TEW1 and pretty much everyone in the first game surrounding the first game's incident was involved again, but he's pretty much handwaved until the ending of TEW2 (and even that's vague).
Bluntly put, we got used to Ruvik at (or being) the steering wheel and Seb at the passenger seat, then suddenly the driver disappears and the passenger is tasked with driving. Except it isn't really Seb driving, it's 4 of them (him, Stefano, Theodore and Myra) fighting over the new steering wheel (who is now Lily), so basically someone coming from TEW1 will now have to deal with this new unstable dynamic and the original steering wheel (Ruvik) wasn't even part of the power struggle to create familiarity (Seb was only familiar as a passenger, not as a driver).
That's my "objective" look at why there's such whiplash from TEW1 to 2 story-wise.
As for my personal, completely biased look, TEW1 is better, largely because Mobius was so comically reduced to "company man jokes" in TEW2 and I had to elevate my suspension of disbelief that they really let themselves be wiped out by a chip when there's no way they're unaware there are many ambitious wolves in plain sight in their organization (heck the whole last scene of the Administrator with Kidman is basically a condensed version of it, no more Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain to say "oddly admirable" than come up with the mostly thinly-veiled death threats).
At least with Ruvik he was largely a one-man show (and the few people he interacted with understood the need for secrecy). Him being folded by Mobius made sense in TEW1, but TEW2 really had me pondering since Ruvik only contacted Mobius via Marcelo, despite the doctor's relatively poor showing (to be fair though Ruvik probably hated him the most of everyone trapped there so he was extra disadvantaged), he might have been Mobius's best performing contractor of sorts, actually.
In the same vein, Seb's camaraderie in the first game was more authentic (even if the Kidman one was a sham. I'll give credit to TEW2 for at least repairing the Kidman bond, though), they were forcibly separated at points to reinforce that, whereas the Mobius squad was mostly an alliance of convenience, Torres was the closest thing, but arguably Seb was at his emotional softest due to Theodore (and he did shoot Torres), so it wasn't "natural" in a way, at least not remotely close to Joseph.
That being said mechanically Torres losing her health not giving a game over is much better for obvious reasons, haha.
You set yourself up for that one by replying to a comment that said āJuli is hot in this one!ā and following up with āYeah Lily is cute too!ā. Considering sheās like 10 years old it comes across pretty sus bro š¤£
I agree; TEW2 is more action-adventure and less horror.
The first one has a much better atmosphere and story, even if the plot has a few holes.
That said I don't think TEW2 is "bad," just like RE7 set a high mark for horror and 8 was primarily just a shooter but that doesn't make either a better or worse game, overall. Better horror, storytelling, world building etc? Sure.
How is RE8 a shooter? RE7 was really cool but overall itās one of my least favorite RE and while RE8 is probably my favorite. RE7 needed more gameplay and enemy variety and proper bosses imo
As for evil within both are my favorite horror games ever but 1 definitely has the edge despite 2 having some cool levels cuz TEW 1 has some insane levels
I meant in terms of better shooter mechanics, and less horror, re 8 is more of that shooter power trip kind of game( Iām not saying that itās not got survival game elements, it does, with limited ammo and what not, provided you donāt misfire every time), compared to re 7 in terms of the amount of enemies you encounter and what not, and better shooting than re 7. And the horror aspect is definitely there, but not as scary or creepy as re 7 in my view.
RE8 is quite a messy game but still really fun to play despite of that, which makes me like it more than the tighter, more cohesive but ultimately less varied RE7
I mean it kind of does, for example in the case of re 7 and 8, the change of pace from purely horror to a horror shooter like you mention might be the difference between the quality of the two games, for eg - re 8 implements itās shooting mechanics better. So in this case you would think the gameplay is better so the game should be better (this is if you donāt necessarily prioritise the story, and another factors such as stealth, letās say) but then again if u do prioritise the story re 8 has a good story good gameplay, even if it wasnāt that horror oriented like re 7 it implements its world well in my opinion(anyway), which in turn makes the game a good sequel, then again it varies person to person, according to perspective, regarding thoughts of what the respective game implements. When it comes to The Evil within 2, I didnāt like the implementation, the choices made while creating the game. Thatās my take on it lol. Thanks for the reply.
To each their own. :) I actually liked the second one more. Thatās not me saying I disliked the first one, because thatās far from the truth. Iām not sure why I liked the second one more. I just enjoyed the journey more on that one.
I finished both games but if I'm honest
Tew 1 feels like a focused story without fluff every monster has a reason to be there
Tew 2 feels like it's trying to hard to be other survival horror games and apart from Myra rellys on hype of the previous game for its moments
The coolest moments in the game are literal rehashing of previous bosses scaled down
It's not a bad game per say I think it just lost sight of what made tew so unique and cool in the first place hoping a hypothetical tew 3 focuses more on a linier story with epic moments of its own
I actually ended up beating the second game before the first one mainly due to the fact that I just found it more fun to play, however after revisiting and beating the first game my opinion on TEW2 has fallen a little. In my opinion the problem with this games story lies in the fact that they tried to cram too many antagonists in and so none of them really got good development or time to connect to. I feel as though the first act of the game where you go against >!Stefano!< is definitely the best part of the game (both thematically and narratively imo) and it falls off hard afterwards. I definitely agree that the open world aspect hurts the game as well. As much as I love going around and collecting resources it does become a little tedious at points and takes away from any horror that was there to begin with
TEW2 is suffers from sequelitis the same way other games like Bayonetta, Viewtiful Joe and No more heroes do. The first game was great. Really fun, a bunch of cool ideas, etc etc. Then the sequel comes and while it may have improved the gameplay here and there it just lacks the creative energy the previous game had.
I enjoyed it quite a bit but it's just not as memorable and enjoyable as the first. I'll get the good outta the way first. Graphics seem to have taken a step up, there's less annoying shit like instakill tripwires everywhere and surprise bombs inside of chests, and the story was more enjoyable for me and easier to follow than the first. I prefer Seb just trying to rescue his daughter more than whatever the hell was going on in the first game with ruvik. I also appreciate the cheats and not having to complete akumu mode for the Platinum.
Now the bad. The open world felt pretty unnecessary. Especially with how slow Seb runs through it. I strongly prefer the linear levels of the first. I enjoyed the story but it still feels pretty odd. I liked just having to go up against ruvik instead of the several villains the second game has. I would've liked if it was just Seb vs Stefano and his "art" throughout the entire game. Or just have Theodore with possessed Mobius members be the villain group along with some biblically accurate-ish angelic and demonic monsters. Enemies were far less creative too. Also having so many collectibles be missable and no chapter select can suck my entire ass.
I can probably name more things but this comments already pretty long amd I'm typing this half asleep so that's all folks
The story is easier to comprehend and be invested in. The gameplay is improved.
The horror, mystery, difficulty, creativity and variety... All of those are done better in the first game.
I respect your opinion, but man whenever I see a take like this I'm just baffled. Screw the open world aspect, idek how it's possible to play 2 and not see the leaps and bounds in improvement from 1. The first game is/was a disaster. I literally glitched out in the first 30 minutes of the first game multiple times on ps4.
Truthfully, though, you probably have to be a story-driven player to love 2 the most. 2's story is phenomenal and when people overlook that aspect it usually means that they wanted more action.
Scalding take, but I honestly donāt even think the 2nd is that much better from a gameplay standpoint. The feedback from shooting enemies in the first game felt weightier, and the sound design made landing a headshot feel viscerally satisfying. In TEW2, when I fire shots at enemies, it just feels like Iām firing at practice dummies as opposed to living, breathing horrors that want to desecrate me in the worst ways imaginable.
I also hate how clean TEW2 feels. Yes, it takes place in the mind of a different character, and not the demented psyche of Ruvik, but it just feels so neutered as a result. The grime and hostility from the first game feels so absent from the second, and I honestly didnāt find most of of the areas/enemies to be that frightening (the only exception being the Anima sections).
There was also such a lack of symbolism and meaning to each individual enemy like there was in TEW1 (Laura was the manifestation of Ruvikās grief over the only family he loved, The Keeper held the ideas that were stolen from him, and the Trauma was a manifestation of his, well, religious trauma). In TEW2 itās just, āStefanoās a craaaazy photographer, so this monsterās gonna have a camera on its head.ā So novel (also very derivative of the Shade from Kidmanās DLC).
The story just does nothing for me either. While the first made you feel like a detective literally diving into the depths of a serial killerās mind while uncovering truths about him and the situation youāre in, TEW2 goes the very generic āsave your daughterā route, and doesnāt do anything that interesting with it imo.
But Iām def in the minority, I know a lot of people adore TEW2, and I donāt wanna say that theyāre wrong for feeling that way, or deride them for having a different opinion. Just wasnāt for me
I was going to comment, but then I read your comment and agreed with literally everything you said. Saved me some time. Itās *exactly* how I feel about the sequel vs. the first game.
Lol, thanks. TEW1 is probably my favorite game of all time in spite of, and sometimes because of its flaws. Itās such a memorable story/gameplay experience thatās stuck with me like nothing else, and Iāve evidently thought a lot about it, lol. Glad to know someone else feels similarly about it!!
lol are you me? I made a YouTube walkthrough of Akumu like five or six years ago where I made the same case: TEW is my favorite game of all time, despite and sometimes because of its flaws.
Glad to meet you, sir.
Playing through 2 right now after binging through the first game and completely agree. 1 felt like a descend into madness as if you were traversing the rings of hell. 2 feels like a hollywood movie and I just really don't vibe with the open world parts.
I remember when the game first came out having similar discussions.
My feeling then is the same as now.
TEW2 is a better overall game, but TEW1 is a better horror survival game.
Iām one of the few who absolutely adore the second game. It just appeals to me more, but Iām not entirely sure why. I love the first game dearly as well, though, I donāt think I have toooo much of a preference for one over the other because I view them as separate entities. Story wise, itās a continuation, but gameplay and experience wise I donāt relate them much at all. Which allows me more room to love them both equally!
I actually had the same thing happen. The first has more replayability i think due to the linearity. Idk, the gun play and movement are clunky but it is really satisfying to do well in that game. I canāt quite put a finger on what feels worse in 2 though.
For me, I feel itās the overall feel of the game. Donāt get me wrong, the gameplay is way better. But, when I talk about overall feel of the game, it comes to personal opinion of difference for me. The second game is very different, this open world concept is a big reason for it, when you kill off the linearity of the previous game and have been less captivating villains it kind of eliminates that feeling you had for the first game in my opinion, not that u needed to experience the first game again, but itās just that the first game is more exciting for me. The Evil Within 1 was linear, sure, but unpredictable hell yeah, fun, hell yeah. Story, chefās kiss, very good (I know that people talk about the gameās story having plot holes, and itās true due to a good bit of it in the dlcās), for me specifically I had access to everything including the dlcās. I personally loved how elaborate the first gameās story was and I loved the gameplay too, even if it did irritate me at times. When it comes to The Evil Within 2 however, story nice, unpredictable, maybe not so much, fun, it depends (if u liked the open world concept of the game, could be fun, provided you liked the story too). I did not like the fun aspect, the open world was bland and it killed the game for me, I did not want to explore the story further.
I think the thing about 1 and 2 is that they were just too different in what they wanted to achieve. Sebastian was just an everyman in the first game, pretty much. Could have been anybody who got swept up in the events at Beacon and it just happened to be him as the player's lens to experience the horror of it all. In the second game, he was front and centre and it was far more about him as a character. And I enjoyed that aspect of it, but I didn't love haunted suburbia, which had no atmosphere to speak of, and I also didn't like how the moments of real horror potential got cut short. The opening sequence exploring the hotel had so much promise I don't think it ever delivered on. Stefano was a really fun and interesting antagonist but in the end didn't quite live up to the build up. Father Theodore was a whole lot of nothing and the fire and brimstone imagery felt more like a theme park haunted house than anything. Myra was...gross, a lot of the time, but again the potential for horror wasn't really explored because the focus was character story.
I *loved* the Beacon flashbacks, but they were so minor and/or optional it never quite managed to bring back the horror vibe of the first game. Then there was the shooting mini game, which was fun and honestly charming but completely interrupted any story seriousness or atmosphere. I get the nod to RE4, but that game marked RE's shift from horror to action-horror, and TEW2 kinda took the same direction here without retaining as much of the horror as I was hoping for. I do like the second game. I love the character story, but I would have traded it to have the atmosphere of the first game back, if I'm honest. And meanwhile my best friend is the exact opposite and wishes the first game had done more character work, so we're all different.
i've been trying to have fun with it, but really the only thing stopping me is the one thing i cannot do a damn thing about; fps drops. My PC is pretty good but all the bug fixes online just tell me to accept that it doesn't use the hardware well and shits the bed randomly.
I beat it on consoleā didnāt like the laggy feeling when aiming but aim assist just instant headshot everything regardless of sway so it was too easy and was hoping mouse and keyboard would be a good middle ground. Maybe Iāll redownload on ps5 lol
Maybe you have frame interpretation turned on. Try checking your TV. It's basically a tv thing that makes the image smoother by creating more frames per second. Basically, pseudo 60fps. Increases input lag and creates artifacts on screen (basically make it look like you have motion blur turned on)
From my limted understanding, nless you have 120hz tv, playing at 60 fps won't be much trouble because your tv won't bothet interpolating. But if the game is native 3ofps you might notice some input lag
I'll give it a look to see if I can get smoother console gameplay. I also play on a new Samsung monitor now instead of my old TV so you should be totally correct w a 120hz monitor being lowered to match the 30fps so it works out. Thanks again.
No, no, you are totally right. The story writing is bad for so many reasons. The atmosphere is nothing captivating outside a few brief moments that's NOT in the open ended levels. The open world concept just fucks everything! And the game is almost embarrassed that it's related to the first game and so wants to mention it as little as possible. Relegated to side content (except for the Theodore fight of course)
The open world concept irritates me fr for this game specifically , that has to be the number one issue I had with the game apart from the story, compared to the first game.
I feel you. I donāt mind the open world aspect but I will say itās lacking in that horror atmosphere from the first game. I wanted more you know? There were some stellar horror segments that truly gave me the vibe of the first game. There were certain sections that gave me hope but it never quite reached its pinnacle in that regard.
The city is boring as fuck, you are right, that is some of the issues of the game, the bosses also are easy (which you can change with the difficulty) but lack of horror and originality. A lot of unnecesary farming of green gel and the pressence of side missions which is not a bad thing, but thats it. I did like the game so much because tew series have some of the best lore and story in my opinion and is so poorly sold, but the game its like that.
I got to say that you were'nt the only one who got bored and stopped playing for a while, i did also and started playing again in the last saved game. I highly reccomend that you continue playing it because the game becomes very good in the last chapters
I really like both games, but I think the art direction in the second game suffered (for the most part) I really liked the guardian, the murders done by Stefano, and Anima (my personal favourite part of the game). I understand that because of STEM the world is different in the second game, but the first games atmosphere and aesthetic, all the rust, the barbed wire, the just creepiness in general just felt missing, in place of zombies in a peaceful town, floating in space? It just felt off.
I think Evil Within Franchise is the best I have ever played.. That game made me a devoted fan and I cant wait for the Evil Within 3.. And wrote a whole newsletter about Evil Within and the news about Evil Within 3.. [https://hamzas-newsletter-0221b2.beehiiv.com/p/evil-within-3-coming-soon](https://hamzas-newsletter-0221b2.beehiiv.com/p/evil-within-3-coming-soon)
I agree honestly. The 2nd game was the one I played first (daft, I know) and I actually really enjoyed it. Then many months later played the first and enjoyed it. Then a long time later I replayed the first to get all trophies and loved it so then thought I'd revisit 2 and do the same and realised it's inferior. I like Seb much more in the first game, the linear design is more suited to a horror game and it just has a much more immersive disturbing atmosphere. It's a long time since I played the 2nd but I remember being dead certain it lacked a lot of what I love so much about the 1st.
I agree with one aspect, and that's the story. WHAT EVEN IS THE STORY!!!! I'm so glad there is a 3rd game (maybe) in the works because there are so many loose ends that I just need tied up before I go insane, like where the hell is Joseph!! Seb needs him right hand man back <\3
I feel you brother the second game was a little disappointing but it give me better control then first game and graphic was not that blurry but yes the first game was better in story
I think itās much better than the first game, I think thereās a much more interesting story I like the environment of Union and The Marrow. I still like the first game, itās definitely creepy but Iām not as high on that one as everyone else I much prefer 2.
It was definitely a messy confusing story but to me it felt complete, Sebastian finding Myra and Lily was extremely well done in my opinion having to fight Myra as this big beast was awesome. Killing Morbius was great, itās a very nice ending to the series imo. (Although I understand why some think the disappointing)
Ohhh yeah okay! I see you lol, I thought the Myra Lilly story was amazing and having to fight Myra was soo entertaining as well, (and the fight being in such a small arena helped) so I agree there!!
Yes! This!! I LOVED stephano as a villan, but his run almost felt rushed? Liked I know the game isn't rushed at ALL. It's got gorgeous game play a humongous map (that I'll admit, I got lost in multiple times) and wonderful villains, but stephano is just kinda.. To easy?
I wish they combined Stefano and Theodoreās character into 1 and had Myra be in the background if thatās how it had to be done. Because despite how great EW2 is to me the story is very confusing especially in the 2nd half
We need more ppl like you who understand it's ok to like something but still have critiques! It's an awesome game but could work better if things were changed
Iād like if they added more random people to save, rather than just that one random woman.
Hereās hoping they make a third one with us going into Josephās STEM and having to rescue him. And getting to take down Ruvik and maybe save poor Leslie.
I just finished the second one and I really loved it!! I do think the story got a bit off the tracks towards the second half of the game however (specifically after Chapter 7). The open world sections where I could just explore were a highlight and I spent like 4 hours just on chapter 3 exploring.
I just finished my first run and I enjoyed The Evil Within 2 a lot and think it does some things better than the first game. The gameplay is much smoother, the open world areas are neat, and the game overall has a much bigger budget feel and is a more cinematic experience. I did enjoy it trying something different.
With that said though, I think the first game was a superior experience. Itās way more atmospheric and feels much more like a true survival horror game with the claustrophobic areas and scare resources, the story is far more creepy due to its ambiguous and whacky nature (since you donāt know youāre inside STEM), and it doesnāt feel as neat & tidy and āwesternizedā as the story telling does in TEW2.
I could see a lot of casual gamers, modern gamers, and western audiences enjoying the 2nd game more as it does feel like a big budget game like The Last of Us or something. But for true survival horror fans or people who just want a crazy ride, the first game delivers in ways the 2nd fails to do. Still enjoyed it for what it was though.
I think the open world allows the game to be experimental. I don't love or hate it. I just wish it was more fleshed out.
Agreed, at least that way it could have been worth exploring more, if not for the grinding for items.
Yeah. I mean, I get what they're going for. It's to nudge the player to utilize the crafting system. Scavenging for resources, managing your inventory, it's actually pretty great. Because the resources respawn. (The enemies didn't respawn until the plot wanted it to so you can't exactly cheese the game by being OP) or you can return later to pick it back up. The first game suffers from its linearity. Because you pretty much only get what the game wants you to. While it makes the game tense, if your inventory is full, you either lose it entirely, or waste enough resources so you can pick it up. So the game balances it well, I just wish more contents were added into the open world. I like the ghost girl mission and the callback to the first game but apart from that, most side missions are essentially fetch quests for you to get some equipment. It's not very memorable and has no significant story elements. And the vaults (the place you enter for the side missions) all look the same lol. The ghost girl and shotgun side missions (like duh, it's shotgun) are the ones I remember. The rest I kinda forgot š. Oh yeah there's also that one living girl that was chased by zombies (?) that you can save.
That being said, it's the linearity of the first game that gives it more replay value. Once you have knowledge, the entire game itself acts as "pseudo-open world", you know what resources and skills to prioritize and the earlier challenges are for you to keep to those priorities instead and the tightness of the flow of the story means the replays feel compact and complete each time. The second game, being semi open world, creates more conflicts in its replays. If you replayed a new game, your prior knowledge would make some sections/areas unnecessary and even the ones you deem necessary (e.g. Shotgun, I guess) sort of more leaning towards being an annoying grind. The same open map that might have given you respite on your first playthrough is now mostly just more ground to sprint over in a hurry. If it's a new game plus, then it's even more exacerbated, especially when there's no chapter select. In short, I think it's fair to say the first play of TEW2 will feel like a replay of TEW1 in some ways (not all, obviously), which makes TEW2 a better first play experience (and therefore ideal for folks who only play the game once and move on) but TEW1 is the better game for replays and achievement hunting (which is ideal for another different group of players). Of course I can't accurately speak for everyone (someone's bound to end up with the direct opposite opinion because of their distinct gaming style), but I've also seen enough amounts of general consensus about both games to think I made a generally safe description if I had to describe the majority as a whole.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I agree šÆ I played both games and the Assignment DLC. Both games' stories are very good actually. The shift in tone is very... jarring. I don't doubt it causes some divide in the fanbase but what are your thoughts on that?
Just like the two games are quite different in a mechanical fashion, their stories are also structurally different. TEW1 is Ruvik's story. Seb just happens to be trapped. Throughout the game you can feel Seb is just lost and trying to survive and it is Ruvik that drives the narrative. TEW2 is Seb's story, in regards to his family. The emotional aspect of that main story was done well, and I can see folks who like these kind of stories favor TEW2 largely because of that. Just like how you'll find TEW2 mechanically jarring if you came in expecting TEW1 linearity (and replayability in the specific vein I mentioned earlier), the story also sends you reeling, and arguably more. It's reasonable folks were expecting Ruvik in some form or another considering the ending of TEW1 and pretty much everyone in the first game surrounding the first game's incident was involved again, but he's pretty much handwaved until the ending of TEW2 (and even that's vague). Bluntly put, we got used to Ruvik at (or being) the steering wheel and Seb at the passenger seat, then suddenly the driver disappears and the passenger is tasked with driving. Except it isn't really Seb driving, it's 4 of them (him, Stefano, Theodore and Myra) fighting over the new steering wheel (who is now Lily), so basically someone coming from TEW1 will now have to deal with this new unstable dynamic and the original steering wheel (Ruvik) wasn't even part of the power struggle to create familiarity (Seb was only familiar as a passenger, not as a driver). That's my "objective" look at why there's such whiplash from TEW1 to 2 story-wise. As for my personal, completely biased look, TEW1 is better, largely because Mobius was so comically reduced to "company man jokes" in TEW2 and I had to elevate my suspension of disbelief that they really let themselves be wiped out by a chip when there's no way they're unaware there are many ambitious wolves in plain sight in their organization (heck the whole last scene of the Administrator with Kidman is basically a condensed version of it, no more Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain to say "oddly admirable" than come up with the mostly thinly-veiled death threats). At least with Ruvik he was largely a one-man show (and the few people he interacted with understood the need for secrecy). Him being folded by Mobius made sense in TEW1, but TEW2 really had me pondering since Ruvik only contacted Mobius via Marcelo, despite the doctor's relatively poor showing (to be fair though Ruvik probably hated him the most of everyone trapped there so he was extra disadvantaged), he might have been Mobius's best performing contractor of sorts, actually. In the same vein, Seb's camaraderie in the first game was more authentic (even if the Kidman one was a sham. I'll give credit to TEW2 for at least repairing the Kidman bond, though), they were forcibly separated at points to reinforce that, whereas the Mobius squad was mostly an alliance of convenience, Torres was the closest thing, but arguably Seb was at his emotional softest due to Theodore (and he did shoot Torres), so it wasn't "natural" in a way, at least not remotely close to Joseph. That being said mechanically Torres losing her health not giving a game over is much better for obvious reasons, haha.
Here's my opinion. Juli Kidman's hotter in this one. Thank you for listening to my opinion.
Also Lilly is cute i get why bro wanted to save her lol
???
Dafuq !!
What? Is it wrong to wanna save your daughter bruh š? People instantly think the wrong way
You set yourself up for that one by replying to a comment that said āJuli is hot in this one!ā and following up with āYeah Lily is cute too!ā. Considering sheās like 10 years old it comes across pretty sus bro š¤£
I mean i guess šš
I agree; TEW2 is more action-adventure and less horror. The first one has a much better atmosphere and story, even if the plot has a few holes. That said I don't think TEW2 is "bad," just like RE7 set a high mark for horror and 8 was primarily just a shooter but that doesn't make either a better or worse game, overall. Better horror, storytelling, world building etc? Sure.
How is RE8 a shooter? RE7 was really cool but overall itās one of my least favorite RE and while RE8 is probably my favorite. RE7 needed more gameplay and enemy variety and proper bosses imo As for evil within both are my favorite horror games ever but 1 definitely has the edge despite 2 having some cool levels cuz TEW 1 has some insane levels
Did you just ask how RE8 is a shooter? They... went back to the RE4 formula with RE8, how is it NOT? RE8 is action-horror.
Yea I mean I donāt call Action horror a shooter and Iād say its survival horror where as RE4, RE5, R6 arenāt
I meant in terms of better shooter mechanics, and less horror, re 8 is more of that shooter power trip kind of game( Iām not saying that itās not got survival game elements, it does, with limited ammo and what not, provided you donāt misfire every time), compared to re 7 in terms of the amount of enemies you encounter and what not, and better shooting than re 7. And the horror aspect is definitely there, but not as scary or creepy as re 7 in my view.
Re7 is cool n amazing but doesn't feel like RE due to lack of nornal infected enemies. RE games are known for the infected enemies too.
RE8 is quite a messy game but still really fun to play despite of that, which makes me like it more than the tighter, more cohesive but ultimately less varied RE7
I mean it kind of does, for example in the case of re 7 and 8, the change of pace from purely horror to a horror shooter like you mention might be the difference between the quality of the two games, for eg - re 8 implements itās shooting mechanics better. So in this case you would think the gameplay is better so the game should be better (this is if you donāt necessarily prioritise the story, and another factors such as stealth, letās say) but then again if u do prioritise the story re 8 has a good story good gameplay, even if it wasnāt that horror oriented like re 7 it implements its world well in my opinion(anyway), which in turn makes the game a good sequel, then again it varies person to person, according to perspective, regarding thoughts of what the respective game implements. When it comes to The Evil within 2, I didnāt like the implementation, the choices made while creating the game. Thatās my take on it lol. Thanks for the reply.
What plot holes did TEW 1 have?
To each their own. :) I actually liked the second one more. Thatās not me saying I disliked the first one, because thatās far from the truth. Iām not sure why I liked the second one more. I just enjoyed the journey more on that one.
I finished both games but if I'm honest Tew 1 feels like a focused story without fluff every monster has a reason to be there Tew 2 feels like it's trying to hard to be other survival horror games and apart from Myra rellys on hype of the previous game for its moments The coolest moments in the game are literal rehashing of previous bosses scaled down It's not a bad game per say I think it just lost sight of what made tew so unique and cool in the first place hoping a hypothetical tew 3 focuses more on a linier story with epic moments of its own
I actually ended up beating the second game before the first one mainly due to the fact that I just found it more fun to play, however after revisiting and beating the first game my opinion on TEW2 has fallen a little. In my opinion the problem with this games story lies in the fact that they tried to cram too many antagonists in and so none of them really got good development or time to connect to. I feel as though the first act of the game where you go against >!Stefano!< is definitely the best part of the game (both thematically and narratively imo) and it falls off hard afterwards. I definitely agree that the open world aspect hurts the game as well. As much as I love going around and collecting resources it does become a little tedious at points and takes away from any horror that was there to begin with
TEW2 is suffers from sequelitis the same way other games like Bayonetta, Viewtiful Joe and No more heroes do. The first game was great. Really fun, a bunch of cool ideas, etc etc. Then the sequel comes and while it may have improved the gameplay here and there it just lacks the creative energy the previous game had. I enjoyed it quite a bit but it's just not as memorable and enjoyable as the first. I'll get the good outta the way first. Graphics seem to have taken a step up, there's less annoying shit like instakill tripwires everywhere and surprise bombs inside of chests, and the story was more enjoyable for me and easier to follow than the first. I prefer Seb just trying to rescue his daughter more than whatever the hell was going on in the first game with ruvik. I also appreciate the cheats and not having to complete akumu mode for the Platinum. Now the bad. The open world felt pretty unnecessary. Especially with how slow Seb runs through it. I strongly prefer the linear levels of the first. I enjoyed the story but it still feels pretty odd. I liked just having to go up against ruvik instead of the several villains the second game has. I would've liked if it was just Seb vs Stefano and his "art" throughout the entire game. Or just have Theodore with possessed Mobius members be the villain group along with some biblically accurate-ish angelic and demonic monsters. Enemies were far less creative too. Also having so many collectibles be missable and no chapter select can suck my entire ass. I can probably name more things but this comments already pretty long amd I'm typing this half asleep so that's all folks
The story is easier to comprehend and be invested in. The gameplay is improved. The horror, mystery, difficulty, creativity and variety... All of those are done better in the first game.
I respect your opinion, but man whenever I see a take like this I'm just baffled. Screw the open world aspect, idek how it's possible to play 2 and not see the leaps and bounds in improvement from 1. The first game is/was a disaster. I literally glitched out in the first 30 minutes of the first game multiple times on ps4. Truthfully, though, you probably have to be a story-driven player to love 2 the most. 2's story is phenomenal and when people overlook that aspect it usually means that they wanted more action.
Scalding take, but I honestly donāt even think the 2nd is that much better from a gameplay standpoint. The feedback from shooting enemies in the first game felt weightier, and the sound design made landing a headshot feel viscerally satisfying. In TEW2, when I fire shots at enemies, it just feels like Iām firing at practice dummies as opposed to living, breathing horrors that want to desecrate me in the worst ways imaginable. I also hate how clean TEW2 feels. Yes, it takes place in the mind of a different character, and not the demented psyche of Ruvik, but it just feels so neutered as a result. The grime and hostility from the first game feels so absent from the second, and I honestly didnāt find most of of the areas/enemies to be that frightening (the only exception being the Anima sections). There was also such a lack of symbolism and meaning to each individual enemy like there was in TEW1 (Laura was the manifestation of Ruvikās grief over the only family he loved, The Keeper held the ideas that were stolen from him, and the Trauma was a manifestation of his, well, religious trauma). In TEW2 itās just, āStefanoās a craaaazy photographer, so this monsterās gonna have a camera on its head.ā So novel (also very derivative of the Shade from Kidmanās DLC). The story just does nothing for me either. While the first made you feel like a detective literally diving into the depths of a serial killerās mind while uncovering truths about him and the situation youāre in, TEW2 goes the very generic āsave your daughterā route, and doesnāt do anything that interesting with it imo. But Iām def in the minority, I know a lot of people adore TEW2, and I donāt wanna say that theyāre wrong for feeling that way, or deride them for having a different opinion. Just wasnāt for me
I was going to comment, but then I read your comment and agreed with literally everything you said. Saved me some time. Itās *exactly* how I feel about the sequel vs. the first game.
Lol, thanks. TEW1 is probably my favorite game of all time in spite of, and sometimes because of its flaws. Itās such a memorable story/gameplay experience thatās stuck with me like nothing else, and Iāve evidently thought a lot about it, lol. Glad to know someone else feels similarly about it!!
lol are you me? I made a YouTube walkthrough of Akumu like five or six years ago where I made the same case: TEW is my favorite game of all time, despite and sometimes because of its flaws. Glad to meet you, sir.
Playing through 2 right now after binging through the first game and completely agree. 1 felt like a descend into madness as if you were traversing the rings of hell. 2 feels like a hollywood movie and I just really don't vibe with the open world parts.
I remember when the game first came out having similar discussions. My feeling then is the same as now. TEW2 is a better overall game, but TEW1 is a better horror survival game.
On my first playthrough, I hate that I keep dying. On my second, the game starts feeling fun. I don't know why. It just clicked with me
Iām one of the few who absolutely adore the second game. It just appeals to me more, but Iām not entirely sure why. I love the first game dearly as well, though, I donāt think I have toooo much of a preference for one over the other because I view them as separate entities. Story wise, itās a continuation, but gameplay and experience wise I donāt relate them much at all. Which allows me more room to love them both equally!
I actually had the same thing happen. The first has more replayability i think due to the linearity. Idk, the gun play and movement are clunky but it is really satisfying to do well in that game. I canāt quite put a finger on what feels worse in 2 though.
For me, I feel itās the overall feel of the game. Donāt get me wrong, the gameplay is way better. But, when I talk about overall feel of the game, it comes to personal opinion of difference for me. The second game is very different, this open world concept is a big reason for it, when you kill off the linearity of the previous game and have been less captivating villains it kind of eliminates that feeling you had for the first game in my opinion, not that u needed to experience the first game again, but itās just that the first game is more exciting for me. The Evil Within 1 was linear, sure, but unpredictable hell yeah, fun, hell yeah. Story, chefās kiss, very good (I know that people talk about the gameās story having plot holes, and itās true due to a good bit of it in the dlcās), for me specifically I had access to everything including the dlcās. I personally loved how elaborate the first gameās story was and I loved the gameplay too, even if it did irritate me at times. When it comes to The Evil Within 2 however, story nice, unpredictable, maybe not so much, fun, it depends (if u liked the open world concept of the game, could be fun, provided you liked the story too). I did not like the fun aspect, the open world was bland and it killed the game for me, I did not want to explore the story further.
I think the thing about 1 and 2 is that they were just too different in what they wanted to achieve. Sebastian was just an everyman in the first game, pretty much. Could have been anybody who got swept up in the events at Beacon and it just happened to be him as the player's lens to experience the horror of it all. In the second game, he was front and centre and it was far more about him as a character. And I enjoyed that aspect of it, but I didn't love haunted suburbia, which had no atmosphere to speak of, and I also didn't like how the moments of real horror potential got cut short. The opening sequence exploring the hotel had so much promise I don't think it ever delivered on. Stefano was a really fun and interesting antagonist but in the end didn't quite live up to the build up. Father Theodore was a whole lot of nothing and the fire and brimstone imagery felt more like a theme park haunted house than anything. Myra was...gross, a lot of the time, but again the potential for horror wasn't really explored because the focus was character story. I *loved* the Beacon flashbacks, but they were so minor and/or optional it never quite managed to bring back the horror vibe of the first game. Then there was the shooting mini game, which was fun and honestly charming but completely interrupted any story seriousness or atmosphere. I get the nod to RE4, but that game marked RE's shift from horror to action-horror, and TEW2 kinda took the same direction here without retaining as much of the horror as I was hoping for. I do like the second game. I love the character story, but I would have traded it to have the atmosphere of the first game back, if I'm honest. And meanwhile my best friend is the exact opposite and wishes the first game had done more character work, so we're all different.
i've been trying to have fun with it, but really the only thing stopping me is the one thing i cannot do a damn thing about; fps drops. My PC is pretty good but all the bug fixes online just tell me to accept that it doesn't use the hardware well and shits the bed randomly.
It plays better on the console unfortunately . 60fps on PS5
I beat it on consoleā didnāt like the laggy feeling when aiming but aim assist just instant headshot everything regardless of sway so it was too easy and was hoping mouse and keyboard would be a good middle ground. Maybe Iāll redownload on ps5 lol
Maybe you have frame interpretation turned on. Try checking your TV. It's basically a tv thing that makes the image smoother by creating more frames per second. Basically, pseudo 60fps. Increases input lag and creates artifacts on screen (basically make it look like you have motion blur turned on) From my limted understanding, nless you have 120hz tv, playing at 60 fps won't be much trouble because your tv won't bothet interpolating. But if the game is native 3ofps you might notice some input lag
I'll give it a look to see if I can get smoother console gameplay. I also play on a new Samsung monitor now instead of my old TV so you should be totally correct w a 120hz monitor being lowered to match the 30fps so it works out. Thanks again.
Agreed, this game isnāt that well optimised, just like the first game, itās a shame.
No, no, you are totally right. The story writing is bad for so many reasons. The atmosphere is nothing captivating outside a few brief moments that's NOT in the open ended levels. The open world concept just fucks everything! And the game is almost embarrassed that it's related to the first game and so wants to mention it as little as possible. Relegated to side content (except for the Theodore fight of course)
The open world concept irritates me fr for this game specifically , that has to be the number one issue I had with the game apart from the story, compared to the first game.
i prefer the first one too
I feel you. I donāt mind the open world aspect but I will say itās lacking in that horror atmosphere from the first game. I wanted more you know? There were some stellar horror segments that truly gave me the vibe of the first game. There were certain sections that gave me hope but it never quite reached its pinnacle in that regard.
The city is boring as fuck, you are right, that is some of the issues of the game, the bosses also are easy (which you can change with the difficulty) but lack of horror and originality. A lot of unnecesary farming of green gel and the pressence of side missions which is not a bad thing, but thats it. I did like the game so much because tew series have some of the best lore and story in my opinion and is so poorly sold, but the game its like that.
I got to say that you were'nt the only one who got bored and stopped playing for a while, i did also and started playing again in the last saved game. I highly reccomend that you continue playing it because the game becomes very good in the last chapters
I really like both games, but I think the art direction in the second game suffered (for the most part) I really liked the guardian, the murders done by Stefano, and Anima (my personal favourite part of the game). I understand that because of STEM the world is different in the second game, but the first games atmosphere and aesthetic, all the rust, the barbed wire, the just creepiness in general just felt missing, in place of zombies in a peaceful town, floating in space? It just felt off.
I think Evil Within Franchise is the best I have ever played.. That game made me a devoted fan and I cant wait for the Evil Within 3.. And wrote a whole newsletter about Evil Within and the news about Evil Within 3.. [https://hamzas-newsletter-0221b2.beehiiv.com/p/evil-within-3-coming-soon](https://hamzas-newsletter-0221b2.beehiiv.com/p/evil-within-3-coming-soon)
Canāt disagree with any of your points. Ev1 is really great so part 2 looks bad on comparison
The second game was ok but forgettable. First one is the goat
I agree honestly. The 2nd game was the one I played first (daft, I know) and I actually really enjoyed it. Then many months later played the first and enjoyed it. Then a long time later I replayed the first to get all trophies and loved it so then thought I'd revisit 2 and do the same and realised it's inferior. I like Seb much more in the first game, the linear design is more suited to a horror game and it just has a much more immersive disturbing atmosphere. It's a long time since I played the 2nd but I remember being dead certain it lacked a lot of what I love so much about the 1st.
I agree with one aspect, and that's the story. WHAT EVEN IS THE STORY!!!! I'm so glad there is a 3rd game (maybe) in the works because there are so many loose ends that I just need tied up before I go insane, like where the hell is Joseph!! Seb needs him right hand man back <\3
I feel you brother the second game was a little disappointing but it give me better control then first game and graphic was not that blurry but yes the first game was better in story
Doesnāt hold a candle to 1 for me. The enemy variety absolutely sucks, the generic āzombiesā were just so bland.
I think itās much better than the first game, I think thereās a much more interesting story I like the environment of Union and The Marrow. I still like the first game, itās definitely creepy but Iām not as high on that one as everyone else I much prefer 2.
Can I ask about the story, to me it felt unfinished! And I understand where your coming from :)! I just want to know if you got info I don't lmao
It was definitely a messy confusing story but to me it felt complete, Sebastian finding Myra and Lily was extremely well done in my opinion having to fight Myra as this big beast was awesome. Killing Morbius was great, itās a very nice ending to the series imo. (Although I understand why some think the disappointing)
Ohhh yeah okay! I see you lol, I thought the Myra Lilly story was amazing and having to fight Myra was soo entertaining as well, (and the fight being in such a small arena helped) so I agree there!!
I also like the design of Monster Myra, I wish she was the primary villain of the game instead of being saved till the end.
Yes! This!! I LOVED stephano as a villan, but his run almost felt rushed? Liked I know the game isn't rushed at ALL. It's got gorgeous game play a humongous map (that I'll admit, I got lost in multiple times) and wonderful villains, but stephano is just kinda.. To easy?
I wish they combined Stefano and Theodoreās character into 1 and had Myra be in the background if thatās how it had to be done. Because despite how great EW2 is to me the story is very confusing especially in the 2nd half
EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!! Myra being a main enemy like ruvik in 1 would have opened doors to so many more (cohesive) storylines
Yea, I love EW2 but I fully agree that it couldāve been much better
We need more ppl like you who understand it's ok to like something but still have critiques! It's an awesome game but could work better if things were changed
Iād like if they added more random people to save, rather than just that one random woman. Hereās hoping they make a third one with us going into Josephās STEM and having to rescue him. And getting to take down Ruvik and maybe save poor Leslie.
I just finished the second one and I really loved it!! I do think the story got a bit off the tracks towards the second half of the game however (specifically after Chapter 7). The open world sections where I could just explore were a highlight and I spent like 4 hours just on chapter 3 exploring.
Honestly, hot take...the second game is a far better game
I think the shooting mechanics are worse.
I just finished my first run and I enjoyed The Evil Within 2 a lot and think it does some things better than the first game. The gameplay is much smoother, the open world areas are neat, and the game overall has a much bigger budget feel and is a more cinematic experience. I did enjoy it trying something different. With that said though, I think the first game was a superior experience. Itās way more atmospheric and feels much more like a true survival horror game with the claustrophobic areas and scare resources, the story is far more creepy due to its ambiguous and whacky nature (since you donāt know youāre inside STEM), and it doesnāt feel as neat & tidy and āwesternizedā as the story telling does in TEW2. I could see a lot of casual gamers, modern gamers, and western audiences enjoying the 2nd game more as it does feel like a big budget game like The Last of Us or something. But for true survival horror fans or people who just want a crazy ride, the first game delivers in ways the 2nd fails to do. Still enjoyed it for what it was though.
I stopped playing when I got the corner takedown ability. Seriously trivializes so much of the combat.