Until Dawn

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JaySevenZero
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Until Dawn

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here is where you can leave your thoughts regarding Until Dawn for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
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matten zwei
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Re: Until Dawn

Post by matten zwei »

"Until Dawn" was one of the first games I played on a current 8th gen console. Graphicswise, this game was almost a system-seller.
I remember looking at the pause-screen for quite a while and turning the character's head and eyes.
I thought the gameplay was descent, and I liked the Idea of having a shrink asking me questions and making tests with me.
But somehow, I never really saw what difference my choices made.

What I did see though, were the consequences of my choices in the rest of the game, especially when characters were in danger.
Luckily all of my characters survived, which they did because I didn't care for Josh and thought that Mike and Ashley were a sweet couple... ANYWAY. Mostly, I found these consequences a bit unfair, especially during the quicktime events, where I had to hold still. I failed many times during these even though my hands were still. Really! Finally I gave up and placed my controller on my couch table, when the game told me to hold still. I know, I cheated, but I felt cheated by the game too. The game made me suffer for my mistakes, but I never stood a real chance to make the right decisions.
If I did, it was pure luck.

As a fan of horror-movies, I like how the game is soaked up with its clichés, although I find the ending with these zombie-creatures from "the descent" a bit lazy and cheap. But still, I think the characters were well written and I had a thing for Sam. As mentioned, "Until Dawn"'s graphics were a blast. The camera-angles sometimes reminded me of the Resident Evil Remake on the gamecube.

"Until Dawn" is almost just a very appealing tech-demo for me. The game is fun, and I would recommend anyone to try it out, but for me it hasn't really any replay value.
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Mechner
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Re: Until Dawn

Post by Mechner »

Until Dawn.

From a pure "technical achievement" point of view, it certainly hits the ball out of the park. The 3D motion capture on display here, is pretty graphically astounding, like a high end CGI movie. It kinda reminds me of 90's FMV games in a way, albeit with far better acting. Some of the facial animation though isn't quite fully there yet, some of the.... "playful smiles", just end up looking like a creepy doll, dead in the eyes.

From a gameplay point of view, its definitely not a hardcore thing, more along the lines of Heavy Rain and Telltale adventures. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes its nice to just experience story, with minimal player input.

The story was pretty good, in that late 80's/mid 90's, cheesy slasher horror way. Not to be taken seriously at all. It is worth getting a group of friends together, and experiencing this as you would a movie. The fact its easy to take the piss out of, makes it more fun to play, and the cheap jump scares, will leave you and friends having a gay old time.

The voice acting and general performances from the actors, is competent, and most of the characters I found likeable, even if they are all typical, "cookie-cutter" teen movie roles. It was nice to have girls fairly well represented too, "Sam" was likeable and reasonably strong as a female protagonist.

Though, if you go in to this game thinking "this will be an easy game to get all the trophies in", I implore you, to turn around, and walk away.

This was my first ever "Platinum trophy", and my god how I regret that decision. The un-skippable cutscenes are largely to blame here, and that god dam "Don't move your controller" mechanic. Nearly having all the kids saved on the second play through, only to have Sam struck down in front of me, and then the game "not" saving my second play though choices, reverting to my first play through choices, making me have to replay the game nearly fully through again, had me at my wits end.

I can categorically say, I will never play "Until Dawn" again. There is no replay value.

But I can recommend, "one", and I mean "ONE" play through.

After that.... burn it, in the fires of hell.
Patrice226

Re: Until Dawn

Post by Patrice226 »

You guys know more about graphics and sound than I do so I will leave that to you and focus on the story. I enjoyed the first part of the game - a classic teen horror with a wonderfully preposterous set-up to get them to an isolated cabin. Unfortunately, halfway through the game everything turns to shite and instead of our protagonists trying to evade some sinister killer and screwing each other over (because, you know, hormones) we get some pish about wendigos and native american curses. Worse still, the reveal halfway through that one of the friends was just playing a trick rendered all of the early decisions trees and QTEs totally redundant. I played through to the end, but I don't really recall much of the second half and couldn't tell you who survived in my playthrough. I lost any respect I had for the game or its execution at the halfway point.

Another promising QTE, story-based game with a terrible story. I guess David Cage is influencing developers after all.
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stvnorman
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Re: Until Dawn

Post by stvnorman »

I'm a sucker for forteana, but the wendigo rubbish ruined the second half of this for me. Glad I played it though, if for nothing more than the kick in the teeth to see-it-all-coming horror fans like me!
deacon05oc

Re: Until Dawn

Post by deacon05oc »

Until Dawn was one of my biggest gaming surprises. I bought it on release day and finished it hours later because I was completely captivated. I loved the way it presented its horror movie tropes and there were some truly gut wrenching moments. Also I loved the archetypal characters. Especially Mike who you hate at the beginning and actually has a bit of an arc by time it ends. The first time I played, I had all the girl survive until I misjudged something and then lost someone right at the end. I still need to go back and have everyone survive and also want to see what happens when everyone dies. I just wish the game let you make multiple saves.
PapaJupe13

Re: Until Dawn

Post by PapaJupe13 »

I am a horror movie geek. Have been since I was a kid. I am also a horror movie snob. I do not judge other folks for what horror they enjoy, but for me personally, 95% of horror moves released are just garbage. Hot garbage.
I looked into Until Dawn after it was released and quickly wrote it off. It just looked stupid. Like everything I hate in horror movies.
But the day it came out I started seeing amazing word of mouth from actual gamers actually playing the game. So I took a chance and like the poster above me, it became one of the biggest and best surprises for me ever. I absolutely love the game. It is tense and exciting. The characters are great. I am usually not a fan of these "adventure" type games where you watch more than you play, but it works perfectly here. I played the game twice through in the week between its release and the release of MGSV. I played through it with a group of friends around Halloween that year and it has become a Halloween tradition. I love this game. One of the games that helped make 2015 the greatest year in gaming ever...well, until the first half of 2017 hit.
Todinho

Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Todinho »

Until Dawn was a game I was really looking foward to given all the buzz around it and the claims that it was finally a "David Cage game done right" when I got around the playing it the game did not disapoint, but what impressed wasnt the major earthshattering decisions usually advertised to have major consequences but the smaller seemingly inconsequencial choices that actually changed the game in unexpected ways and how the game was masterfull in playing with players expectations.

For starters the game knows exactly what it is to the point of hitting nearly every trope of the teen horror flick of the 90's, to some that might seem like a weakness but the game turns it into a strength, because above the cheap scares, stereotyped characters and familiar plot points Until Dawn excells at surprising the player , every time you think you know where the game is going it throws another twist at you, at the start of the game it's rather obvious that Josh is suspicious but as soon as you think that he is the culprit,bam! He's dead and you are left wondering just what is going on, then you start to see ghosts and other semingly supernatural events, you start to wonder about that and it gets revealed that Josh was in fact behind it all and just as you're done processing that the game throws actual monsters at you. It's all very well written to keep you at the edge of your seat and the characters even though they are familar sterotypes are well rounded enough for you to care about then even if they sometimes go abit into the uncanny valley.

The story aside what really made me love the game was the gameplay, weird to say that for a game with so little of it but it's the small gameplay touches that really elevate this game above it's peers for me, the most obvious thing is the entire choice aspect and how it shapes the story and it's true all characters can die and all can live depending on your choices but simply putting it like that would be very lazy, important choices arent obvious in this game in fact the ones that are hardly matter it's the little choices that are important, for example simply moving a bat to a different location might help your later, closing a door can save a life and attacking a squirrel may have catastrofic consequences. It doesnt stop there however the game gives each character stats like bravery and humor as well as their relation with each other and you can play the game and think they didnt matter at all but you'd be wrong, like all the other choices in the game your dialogue impacts your stats which in turn subtly impact how your characters react, for instance depending on Matt's stats and his relationship with Emily he may get a flare gun and not use right away which later can save his life and Ashley and Chris might have very different relationships, all character have this and it's another layer that shapes the game in ways you might not even realize
To add to your choices the game introduces the totems which are a genious addition, the devs knew that the instinct most people would have was to try and keep the characters alive so they gamified that and threw collectable that show a bit of the future and can help players to make the right choice in a dilemma, the secondary consequence of the totems however are to play with players expectations, once you start to see visions of people dying by fire you start to get very wary in every scene that there's any fire involved which once again feeds into the story in keeping the player guessing and at the edge of their seat.
The last gameplay touch I want to highlight is the "dont move sections" these sections were some of the most tense and frightening momments I had in a game in years, the concept might sound gimmick and might've been in any other game but here they work perfectly enhancing the tension of certain scenes and putting you right there with the characters and their struggle.

In conclusion Until Dawn is a fantastic game that knows exactly what it wants to be and executes it nearly without flaw, it's also a great example of gameplay and narrative complementing each other perfectly, it's a game I've replayed multiple times and it only made me like it more, to me this set a new bar for interactive story games sure you can say that Walking dead has a better story but as game Until Dawn is unrivalled and I hope it's success pushes the genre to evolve especially given Telltale's stagnation in the eyes of many.
Todinho

Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Todinho »

Oh and on the subject of story I know alot of people write off Game Theory but it's video on Until Dawn is pretty interesting, if nothing else it gives you something to think about, especially given that the topic of mental health is bound to show up during the podcast:
ToQi

Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by ToQi »

I played this through with my wife, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The graphical fidelity helps sell the atmosphere exceptionally well, and the hammy acting was enjoyable for us. Some of the choices that lead to deaths felt a bit arbitrary, certainly in the case of Matthew, but we didn't actually care for any one character enough to mind them biting the dust. The mixing up of, and switching between horror genres did feel slightly off-putting in terms of the introduction of supernatural elements, but overall, it left us contented.
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Miner Willy
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Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Miner Willy »

I played Until Dawn for the first time about 18 months ago and whilst I enjoyed it a lot I always envisaged that I would be leaving it a few years before coming back again so that as much of the story had faded away from my memory as possible as it immediately struck me as a game which was unlikely to have much replay value. The buzz the game has been getting since being given away on PS+, coupled with its placement on the podcast schedule, encouraged me to give it another go and I just finished my second play-through.

Whilst the plot twists obviously don't carry anywhere near as much weight second time around the core game still stands up. I'm a self-confessed abject coward and the jumps and shocks in the game were extremely effective at getting the reaction that they were looking for. Playing the game on my own in my creaky old flat with the lights off and the sound up took at least six years off of my life.

I found the controls clunky at times but If I've one real criticism it's that I felt too big a tonal shift from the first half to the second half. It felt like watching two different episodes of The X Files and personally I always found the Monster Of The Week episodes around disturbed, psychopathic but fundamentally 'normal' people to be more scary than those around supernatural creatures from Native American folklore.

Production-wise this game is as good as it gets. The writing, the acting, the motion capture and pure graphics are all worthy of what they're attempting to emulate - mid-budget teen, slasher horror. I disliked most of the characters, but was distinctly aware that I was supposed to be disliking them. Sam seemed like the only decent person amongst them - or maybe I just think that because I always fancied The Cheerleader...? But when push came to shove I felt gutted on both play-throughs when I lost any of them. Ashley may have been slightly annoying but I didn't want to see the poor girl brutally decapitated in front of me. My first go round I only lost Josh and Mikey and both to stupid mistakes that I repeated this time. I've my next go pencilled in for Halloween 2018 and am determined to save them all that time.
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Chopper
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Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Chopper »

Miner Willy: you didn't like Chris!!?



:D
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Miner Willy
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Re: Our next podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Miner Willy »

I didn't massively dislike him. Emily is the only one who I actively disliked. But the rest grated on me to a degree. Which I'm convinced they were supposed to do. They're annoying teenagers doing annoying teenage cliche horror movie things.
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Alex79
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Re: Our next podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Alex79 »

I really wanted to get this done before the recording but haven't had time. I'll look forward to listening when I've finished it.

Three word review: Very promising intro! :lol:
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Tleprie
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Re: Our next podcast recording (29.7.17): Until Dawn

Post by Tleprie »

What sticks out most to me about Until Dawn is the connection between the mechanics and characters. Upon starting the game with my brother and friends, we quickly singled out who we most wanted to save, and who we would probably get killed. While I certainly still had my favorites by the end, I tried my hardest to keep everyone alive. Looking at a character from afar, thinking they're just another horror stereotype is easy, but once the game puts you in control, its hard to not feel a sense of connection with them.

The game also made me think differently about characters in the horror genre. So many times I've watched a movie or read a book, scratching my head in befuddlement as to why the characters would do such silly things so often, yet in Until Dawn I was making the exact same mistakes. I could cast blame on the completionist side of me that wants to see and do everything, but I wasn't that concerned with 100% completion in Until Dawn. Rather I think it was curiosity, and maybe a bit of hope that that waving hand would just give me a high five for being awesome, rather than attempt to dismember me.
Bakers_12

Re: Until Dawn

Post by Bakers_12 »

Realy enjoyed the concept of this game. Performance wise I think it starts a bit shacky but once the treats to the characters comes to the for they become vastly improved. The story is like a horror movie mega mix , a bit teen slasher , bit saw , bit hills have eyes. The twists in films that until dawn emulates have to be a shock to make the film stand up, unfortunately I saw the twists coming a mile off. I hope a sequel to this uses the same template as this one but have a more focused story that does not borrow from too many sources at once.
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DomsBeard
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Re: Until Dawn

Post by DomsBeard »

Just finished it and loved it.
Spoiler: show
I didn't lose anyone till the final chapter but then lost Josh, Mike and Sam at the very end. I lost Josh as I missed ?Hannah's journal and Sam for not keeping still at the end. Mike blew himself up. I replayed the last chapter to get the ''good ending'' with everyone saved this morning.
I also did stupid things that I always laugh at people when they do them in horror films. There was one scene where I decided to ''investigate the noise'' rather than stay with the group and found a trap door that was being banged on. I didn't open it so I need to check youtube to see what happens.
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DomsBeard
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Re: Until Dawn

Post by DomsBeard »

Yep the character would have died *phew
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DomsBeard
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Re: Until Dawn

Post by DomsBeard »

I do have a question though (not really a spoiler):
Spoiler: show
Who cut the cable that caused the tower to collapse?. Wasn't Josh and I don't buy it being a Wendigo...
Just rewatched it on youtube
Spoiler: show
you see a skinny arm cut the cable so it looks like a Wendigo
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