Obscure: The Aftermath

true Game: Obscure: The Aftermath Genre: Survival Horror Platform: Wii, PS2, PC (reviewed on Wii) <img src="/contributed/1210690809LE0aIFlbO8.jpg" alt="" /> When the first Obscure game hit PS2 and Xbox consoles in 2005, it may not have been the best-reviewed title ever, but it developed enough of a cult following to make it hard to find and warrant a sequel. That sequel is the recently released Obscure: The Aftermath, which follows the survivors of the first game to college, where the nightmare is starting all over again.  The game does appear to have a few things going for it at first, like a lovely cinematic opening and a decent soundtrack. You’ll soon find out that the entire game, set mostly on a college campus, employs a very over-the-top Beverly Hills, 90210-esque approach to college life, with students being ridiculously promiscuous, doing drugs of unknown origin, and trying to get into wild frat parties. Mind you, this is within the first ten minutes. Obscure: The Aftermath really goes out of its way to hammer home the idea that these kids are shockingly outrageous with their college extracurricular activities. The only thing is, in the year 2008, it’s much more clichéd than shocking. <img src="/contributed/1210690827r1QLDSa1h2.jpg" alt="" /> Obscure: The Aftermath allows for either one or two players to make their way through campus together. Characters are found in teams of two, and a second player can jump in at any time and take the role of the student not being used. In single-player mode, the player can switch between the current characters to utilize their unique abilities. However, since all of the characters are annoying and generally unlikable, with some of the worst written dialogue I’ve ever heard in a game, there’s not a lot of motivation to spend time with any character at all. I spent most of the game wishing I could ditch whoever was tagging along, as the second teammate tends to just get in the way when playing single-player. There are a few creepy moments in the game, which is a necessary ingredient in any entry in the survival horror genre. However, nothing about it feels original at all; it’s more like a rehash of past video games in the genre and creepy horror movies. Aftermath doesn’t really frighten so much as go for the cheap, easy thrill, so any spine-tingling moments are brief in addition to being few and far between. As a fan of horror stories, no matter what form they come in, I’m usually looking for something that’s going to genuinely scare me and stick with me for a while. For example, you probably still remember the famous dogs-jumping-through-the-window scene from Resident Evil, which was terrifying and made me afraid to walk down any hallway in the game. That kind of fear factor doesn’t exist here. <img src="/contributed/12106908180zuCdvKFyD.jpg" alt="" /> Though the graphics aren’t great (another underwhelming third-party attempt at properly utilizing Wii hardware), Obscure is sometimes able to hide this by making environments dark and grainy. This does help set the mood and hide the mediocre visuals, but since the character models are so blocky and unrealistic, it’s hard not to notice. I would able to look past that if only the story and gameplay were well done. Too bad that isn’t the case. Camera control is frustrating at best, controlled by the Wii remote. Considering that the remote is used for several other gameplay aspects as well, this leads to a lot of shaky camerawork, getting stuck in corners, and not being able to see what is in front of the character. That’s really not helpful when you’re being attacked by evil drug-induced plant monsters. Combat is just another area where Obscure: The Aftermath falls painfully short. Melee weapons are controlled by swinging the Wii remote, to some success, while guns use the remote for aiming, which works if you’ve got a steady hand and the camera happens to line up properly. Fighting is just a clumsy affair, with the characters being ripped to shreds countless times because you can’t see what you’re shooting at or you’re not making contact correctly. It’s not the worst combat I’ve ever seen on the Wii, but that’s not exactly saying much. <img src="/contributed/1210690838WZxqmwek4O.jpg" alt="" /> There are some puzzles in the game that are actually enjoyable and make good use of the two-character system. Most have the players working together to get from Point A to Point B, using their unique skills to advance the game. Some players have extra strength, making them ideal for moving heavy objects, while others are good at hacking or picking locks. Again, none of this is entirely original, but there are moments where it works well. I believe that if the developers had developed a better story and put a little more effort into the gameplay, this could have been a solid title, especially for fans of the first game. However, Obscure: The Aftermath is littered with horrible dialogue, a cast that has no redeeming qualities, and gameplay that simply is not fun. If you’re a huge fan of the first game and are dying for more of the story, you may be able to get past everything that’s wrong with Aftermath. However, for everyone else, I can’t imagine wanting to play this game for any amount of time. <img src="/contributed/1208195969PuNHvzxRjn.jpg" alt="" />   <a href="http://www.gamerankings.com"><img src="/contributed/12049090913D6uenyIJz.jpg" height="42" alt="" width="111" /></a><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/games"><img src="/contributed/1204909164Gepk74pXtB.jpg" height="51" alt="" width="154" /></a>   Related Articles: <a href="/gamer/sarah/reviews/article/mario_kart_wii">Mario Kart - Wii</a> <a href="/gamer/sarah/reviews/article/baroque_wii">Baroque - Wii</a> <a href="/gamer/sarah/reviews/article/destroy_all_humans_big_willy_unleashed_wii">Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed - Wii</a> review

2008-05-13T11:23:31-04:00

Game: Obscure: The Aftermath Genre: Survival Horror Platform: Wii, PS2, PC (reviewed on Wii) <img src="/contributed/1210690809LE0aIFlbO8.jpg" alt="" /> When the first Obscure game hit PS2 and Xbox consoles in 2005, it may not have been the best-reviewed title ever, but it developed enough of a cult following to make it hard to find and warrant a sequel. That sequel is the recently released Obscure: The Aftermath, which follows the survivors of the first game to college, where the nightmare is starting all over again.

8800

3511

2008-05-13T07:01:16-04:00

2008-05-13T11:23:31-04:00

11559

4.0

obscure_the_aftermath_wii published It's Horrifying, All Right Obscure: The Aftermath - Wii

2009-04-29T12:05:32-04:00

763