Halloween Streaming – The Evil Within, part 3

Okay, now the frustration starts kicking in. Just as I started having fun with the game, we reach a new enemy type that leads to a multitude of deaths and a level of frustration that I thought was only saved for bad NES games. Or even good ones, for that matter. See, that’s the feeling this game gives me: it’s like playing Double Dragon. When it’s good, it’s great. When it’s bad, you SMASH YOUR GODDAMNED COPY OF DOUBLE DRAGON.

It’s near the second half of the playthrough that I get to meet the shitty invisible enemies, and suddenly they’re ten times more difficult than the first one you met. Finding enemies that can’t be killed without being told, figuring out which ammo works with what, and what one is this one, and this one is that one, and so on, ad infinitum.

I usually don’t have a problem with that style of gameplay, a kind of trial end error methodology, but this is more error than trial. The game also doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Just as soon as I’ve figured how to use stealth properly, the game turns into a linear, corridor based survival horror. Then, it becomes an unload-your-ammo action game. These genres don’t mesh particularly well, especially considering you have somewhat of a resource management issue.

Resident Evil 4 never felt like this. It was fluid, and near perfect in its design scheme. I almost wish Mikami had just stuck to remaking that game with a new story, rather than shoving styles from every other game ever made. It’s pissing me off.

Just wait until you see part 4…