Discussion of topics related to licensed games, software hacking/modification, prototypes, and development kits belongs here. Includes topics related to emulating the Dreamcast console on your computer or on another gaming console. Discussion of Reicast should go in the Official Reicast Forum.
What the hell? No mention of Alone in the Dark? This was a really good game.
My review from Onlineconsoles.com:
Alone in the Dark (The New Nightmare) [Genre: Action Horror / Thriller]
This one's a game you don't hear too much about, and can sadly be overlooked.
Gameplay: 8
This is your basic horror / thriller, but orchestrated to such a degree that it really rises above the genre as a real shining example of the genre's potential. From the beginning, you are greeted with a mysterious cutscene immediately provoking a lot of intrigue and mysterious atmosphere. The use of the flashlight in a freeform manner is refreshing. The puzzles in this game are incredible, and will have you gussing for hours sometimes. The level (a mansion) is expansive, but not so much that you can easily get lost or find yourself running in circles. The characters you run into are quirky, yet entertaining and provide for several heart stopping moments. The game lacks in certain "battles" where you must fight against the evil that lives inside the house. Sometimes the enemies spawn far too many times, and like a boss battle in particular, can be nearly impossible to beat.
Graphics: 10
While the game is dark, it is not impossible to see. Making strategic use of the flashlight will make navigating the game, easy, while also adding to the suspense factor. The backgrounds are rich in minute details.
Sound: 9
While the soundtrack for the game is excellent, at times, it can become a bit repetitive. The game really shines in its library of sound effects, from walking over hardwood floors, to the flick of the flashlight's power button, to walking / wading through water.
Controls: 10
This game provides a gamer's dream. Inuitive controls. Using the flashlight, aiming the weapon, and movement are all done with a combination of the analog stick and digital pad. There are no wierd camera angles to skew the controls. The game is also very responsive to events from the controller such as a button / trigger press, or a movement of the joystick.
How can i forget this one
Alone In The Dark is a good game, certainly not as good as RE:V, but the story is good, the graphics are excellent!!!! It plays like a mix between survival horror and adventure game (eg. still life). I finished it with Edward (much easier than Aline) and although the final boss was not what i expected, it is very enjoyable. The weapons are also worth mentioning.
Cid Highwind wrote:About D2:
I've got the japanese version, with the uncencored rape scene
Not much raping to see anyway, but I was curious enough to buy this version, 3 bucks sounded okay to me. I've played the game for about 2 hours I think, I still want to get an English version. It seems like an interesting game to me.
So how was the uncensored rape scene? I've read some things about it..
I remember buying D2 and after 2 hours of play, I think I racked up 30 mins of gameplay. That game had cut scenes for EVERYTHING.
Alone in the Dark The New Nightmare? The graphics were indeed nice, especially the prerendered environments which were spectacular!! I was hoping for some variation to the gameplay though, it played too much like Resident Evil. The creature designs were also a disappointment- there wasn't much creativity in that area, as the monsters were not visually frightening.
The Scary Side of Sega
"The Dreamcast's Scariest Games!" - by Retrovertigo
Halloween is right around the corner, and what better way to honor some of Sega's scariest games than a list of some of the most frightening games for the Dreamcast We've compiled a list of the Dreamcast's scariest games and our thoughts on them.
House of the Dead 2, by Sega
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Many years ago, when you'd go to arcades and play the light gun shooters, chances are you were shooting at Wild West outlaws, criminals, or space aliens. House of the Dead 2, sequel to the first House of the Dead, went a step further than the other arcade shooters that were out at that time. Sega included some gory, green zombie blood splatter action! The game used polygon models that allowed for deformable zombie characters that would blow apart depending on where your shots hit.
HOTD2 was also a launch title for the Dreamcast, but it was unfortunate that Sega did not release its official first-party light gun accessory in the U.S. The third-party light gun that I purchased, was less than stellar on all three of the Dreamcast light gun games, especially during the calibration process.
Most frightening aspect of the game:
Even more horrendous than the green zombie blood and guts are the atrocious unemotional voiceovers! (FYI, the other good light gun shooter Confidential Mission has similar scary voice talent.)
Carrier, by Jaleco
Genre: Survival
This was the first survival title for the Dreamcast, and takes place aboard a plant-infested aircraft carrier. Of course, these are no ordinary periwinkles - unless ordinary periwinkles kill and mutate crewmembers and turn them into mindless killers.
Carrier was a pretty decent game on its own. However, when compared to Resident Evil: Code Veronica, the game is visually inferior, and the gameplay isn't as good. If it wasn't for RE:CV's month delay in early 2000, Carrier may have gone completely unnoticed.
Most frightening aspect of the game:
The weird slowdown. Some locations in Carrier suffered from slowdown that I can only describe as a "walking-in-molasses" type of slowdown, and the environments weren't even really that big or detailed, which could be a result of bad optimization.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica, by Capcom
Genre: Survival
Carrier was definitely the first must-own survival game for the Dreamcast, but when Capcom's Resident Evil: Code Veronica was released a month later, it was very apparent that Capcom knew how to properly tap the power of Sega's console.
RE:CV plays a lot like the earlier Resident Evil games but seems to focus less on the Night of the Living Dead brain-eating zombie storyline, and is a little more psychologically disturbing along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." However, there are plenty of zombies and weird creatures to whoop up on.
Most frightening aspect of the game:
The weird subject matter of the game is pretty strange. Wesker's secret is also a little unconventional for a video game, and was a good twist. Oh, and co-protagonist Steve's whiny voice talent was quite grating on the ears at times.
D2, by Warp / Sega
Genre: Survival / Action
D2 was perhaps one of the most bizarre gaming experiences I've ever had. The game takes place in the snowy Canadian mountains, after a plane crashes after being hijacked by some loony cult members. You play Laura Parton, the mysterious mute heroine, who somehow manages to walk around the snowy landscape in a mini skirt.
D2 features a mix of Resident Evil like exploration, with elements of RPG-leveling up and arcade action shoot-'em-ups. D2 is very bizarre and even contains some adult subject matter that is quite disturbing. The cinematic during the first monster encounter was edited slightly for the U.S. release, which caused a little controversy.
The most frightening aspect of the game:
The game as a whole is just completely bizarre and creepy, the setting, characters, and subject matter is just plain weird - and I loved it! I'm still wondering how Laura walked around in the snow in a mini skirt without getting frostbite on her legs. Now that's weird!
Tall Israeli wrote:Anyone remember Agartha from No Cliche? Man that game had the best graphics on the DC.
I remember seeing screens of it but it got canned right?
You feel at ease as you flock with the masses,
What do you see with your heads in their asses?
Keep on railing at what I believe,
Call me insane and I am proud to be.
How about "The Ring: Terror's Realm". Haven't played it but is looks/sounds like a horror game. I guess there must be some japanese-only ones not mentioned also.
Tall Israeli wrote:Anyone remember Agartha from No Cliche? Man that game had the best graphics on the DC.
I remember seeing screens of it but it got canned right?
Actually head hunter has better graphics then it never saw a motion video of it. It was in Antartica so the game could've been great with all the snow stuff and it was suppose to be like fable decisions will effect the ending...
Tall Israeli wrote:Anyone remember Agartha from No Cliche? Man that game had the best graphics on the DC.
I remember seeing screens of it but it got canned right?
Actually head hunter has better graphics. Then again we never saw a motion video of Agartha. It was in Antartica so the game could've been great with all the snow stuff and it was suppose to be like Shadow The Hedgehog type story hero or villain multiple endings depending on your decisions.