Post by boogieknight on Dec 13, 2008 19:58:27 GMT -5
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Sex Offenders
I was curious about this game for a while because it based on a scrapped new addition to the Clock Tower series, and also because I saw a screenshot in which I saw how the outfit complimented the assets of leading lady Fiona. I've played it through to three of the four possible endings, and I think I have a fair understanding of the game.
Mechanics: It plays much like Clock Tower 3, the first one handled by Capcom, which is good and bad. While the cursor controlled stlye of play is dated and a normal 3D control style is an upgrade, the panic system is a little unsatisfactory. In Panic mode Fiona is harder to control and she loses some functions. It makes sense in some respects, but the character losing her head while I'm dead calm cause I know what I'm doing is a hassle. This is only worse as you try to make your way to a handful of hiding places where you can trick your pursuers. Let me saw a few things about the hiding spot mechanics. Use the same hiding spot over and over, and eventually the pursuers catch on, fine. But, when I use a hiding spot, the pursuer enters and inspects the room, then leaves the room. A few moments later, All Clear! appears on the screeen, but not really. You see, in 5-15 seconds, the pursuer will actually run right back into the room and do its thing. This can happen as many as four times in a row!
Some games rely on atmosphere most in creating fear, others in surprises, Haunting Grounds uses... it uses... not really sure what it uses to evoke fear. True, when you're in a bind and it's hard to escape from an enemy it can be scary, but the worst stuff is in the cutscenes rather than normal gameplay. The enemies don't jump out of nowhere, they don't use the element of surprise. Basically, the normal music stops for about two minutes, your canine companion Hewie starts growling (more on him later), then your pursuer casually walks into the room, that's it. Seriously! The only exceptions are cutscenes in which it's pretty obvious that the pursuer will show up.
There are plenty of restorative items you can find, little trinkets that can stun or hurt the enemy, but they are limited in usefulness. The landmine type item seems to be ineffective when the camera angle changes (Damned fixed camera!). I really wish there were more cases like in the older Clock Tower games in which an improvised weapon can be used to fend of an attacker for a little while. The stun item is only good for making the enemy vulberable to Hewie's attacks, not escaping.
Story: Holy Shiite, Batman! There is so much wrongness and things just so ick about this game's story. As best I can tell, Capcom wanted to make an H-game but didn't have the balls to go for an Adult rating (or it was written by the director of "Manos" the hands of fate). There's a very clear alchemy angle to the whole thing, but it involves the most repulsive cast of characters ever. I kid you not, there's this one Benedictine monk looking guy who makes Pope Palatine seem warm, lovable, and cuddly by comparison. The fact that the story is totally messed up is bad enough, the multitude of plot holes makes it even worse. There are two certain cutscenes that are only viewable the second time you play through the game. The first one, I don't think we really needed to see. The second one would have been nice to see the first playthrough. I understand why that one was omitted, but using it as a flashback to explain what was happening in the final stage would have been nice.
Fiona: The main character of the game. I really wanted to not be a pervert while playing this game, but there's only so much temptaion a guy can resist. She's a decent character, a little slow in figuring out the story, but I think that affects more main characters than I want to accept. The thing is, they jiggle all the damn time. Even when mired neck deep in hostilities, her bust is at it like a pair of Mexican jumping beans. I can't be scared when I'm staring at that! Then there are the alternate costumes, oh lord. A sexy costume as a reward is nice, but two of them are very... fetish oriented.
Hewie: Maybe it's that I just like dogs, but I think Hewie was the best characters in the game. At first there are a few snags in getting him to what you want, but it's not long before he follows directions every time and competently. He has a fair amount of personality that he exhibits during the game. One thing that really stood out for me was one passage which had a stuffed "chimera." Hewie is spooked, and he'll get his courage back by patting him on the head. When most ally AIs are brainless battle monkeys, that kind of reaction stands out and I think bridges the gap between gameplay and dramatic elements.
Overall: Only the hardest of the hardcore horror fans should play this game. As much as I like Hewie, you're probably better off with Nintendogs or some other virtual pet.
I was curious about this game for a while because it based on a scrapped new addition to the Clock Tower series, and also because I saw a screenshot in which I saw how the outfit complimented the assets of leading lady Fiona. I've played it through to three of the four possible endings, and I think I have a fair understanding of the game.
Mechanics: It plays much like Clock Tower 3, the first one handled by Capcom, which is good and bad. While the cursor controlled stlye of play is dated and a normal 3D control style is an upgrade, the panic system is a little unsatisfactory. In Panic mode Fiona is harder to control and she loses some functions. It makes sense in some respects, but the character losing her head while I'm dead calm cause I know what I'm doing is a hassle. This is only worse as you try to make your way to a handful of hiding places where you can trick your pursuers. Let me saw a few things about the hiding spot mechanics. Use the same hiding spot over and over, and eventually the pursuers catch on, fine. But, when I use a hiding spot, the pursuer enters and inspects the room, then leaves the room. A few moments later, All Clear! appears on the screeen, but not really. You see, in 5-15 seconds, the pursuer will actually run right back into the room and do its thing. This can happen as many as four times in a row!
Some games rely on atmosphere most in creating fear, others in surprises, Haunting Grounds uses... it uses... not really sure what it uses to evoke fear. True, when you're in a bind and it's hard to escape from an enemy it can be scary, but the worst stuff is in the cutscenes rather than normal gameplay. The enemies don't jump out of nowhere, they don't use the element of surprise. Basically, the normal music stops for about two minutes, your canine companion Hewie starts growling (more on him later), then your pursuer casually walks into the room, that's it. Seriously! The only exceptions are cutscenes in which it's pretty obvious that the pursuer will show up.
There are plenty of restorative items you can find, little trinkets that can stun or hurt the enemy, but they are limited in usefulness. The landmine type item seems to be ineffective when the camera angle changes (Damned fixed camera!). I really wish there were more cases like in the older Clock Tower games in which an improvised weapon can be used to fend of an attacker for a little while. The stun item is only good for making the enemy vulberable to Hewie's attacks, not escaping.
Story: Holy Shiite, Batman! There is so much wrongness and things just so ick about this game's story. As best I can tell, Capcom wanted to make an H-game but didn't have the balls to go for an Adult rating (or it was written by the director of "Manos" the hands of fate). There's a very clear alchemy angle to the whole thing, but it involves the most repulsive cast of characters ever. I kid you not, there's this one Benedictine monk looking guy who makes Pope Palatine seem warm, lovable, and cuddly by comparison. The fact that the story is totally messed up is bad enough, the multitude of plot holes makes it even worse. There are two certain cutscenes that are only viewable the second time you play through the game. The first one, I don't think we really needed to see. The second one would have been nice to see the first playthrough. I understand why that one was omitted, but using it as a flashback to explain what was happening in the final stage would have been nice.
Fiona: The main character of the game. I really wanted to not be a pervert while playing this game, but there's only so much temptaion a guy can resist. She's a decent character, a little slow in figuring out the story, but I think that affects more main characters than I want to accept. The thing is, they jiggle all the damn time. Even when mired neck deep in hostilities, her bust is at it like a pair of Mexican jumping beans. I can't be scared when I'm staring at that! Then there are the alternate costumes, oh lord. A sexy costume as a reward is nice, but two of them are very... fetish oriented.
Hewie: Maybe it's that I just like dogs, but I think Hewie was the best characters in the game. At first there are a few snags in getting him to what you want, but it's not long before he follows directions every time and competently. He has a fair amount of personality that he exhibits during the game. One thing that really stood out for me was one passage which had a stuffed "chimera." Hewie is spooked, and he'll get his courage back by patting him on the head. When most ally AIs are brainless battle monkeys, that kind of reaction stands out and I think bridges the gap between gameplay and dramatic elements.
Overall: Only the hardest of the hardcore horror fans should play this game. As much as I like Hewie, you're probably better off with Nintendogs or some other virtual pet.