logo

Info

Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for The Evil Within reviews.
You can find all The Evil Within reviews and ratings on this page.

Read the reviews.

Analysis

For The Evil Within, 753 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.1.

Detailed seller stats;
Amazon has 742 customer reviews and the average score is 4.1. Go to this seller.
Ebay has 11 customer reviews and the average score is 4.5. Go to this seller.

Detail

Click to list all products in this category.

Similar Items

19.4.2015

The Evil Within is scary. I never start a review with straight out statements like these, but this game deserves it. A lot of games are scary, but few are both scary and good. The Evil Within is one of the few titles which combines both, and that is the reason why I am so compelled to play it even though I know I will just piss myself upon turning on the game.The game opens up in Beacon Mental Hospital, where there is blood everywhere and also a few corpses laying around. Upon reuniting with an investigation committee, the group meet and check out security camera footage, where something seems to assault multiple cops at once before it teleports behind Sebastian, our hero, and attacks him.Sebastian then wakes up in a butcher store, and this is where he gets in contact with these evil beings for the first time. After escaping from the butcher in a couple of rooms, you enter a lift which takes you back to the mental hospital you made your arrival into, and exiting triggers the initial cutscene, complete with an introduction video, accompanied by spooky music, just to set the mood.The Evil Within racks up momentum from now on, giving you everything you need on your ventures and then throwing you to the unforgiving environment. As one observes from early on, the enemies are not your usual undead zombies, but rather human beings which have been mutated, probably affected by a disease or something. While you do get a revolver very early on in the game, the ammunition is very limited, and melee punches feel like they do not deal any damage at all, suggesting running is a very good option in the face of danger. The game’s hints while loading also says this, and coming from the game itself means it does have sense of it. Thankfully, you are able to outrun the majority of the enemies by just jogging around, conserving your stamina for the ones who are able to run. Stamina early on is very limited and only consents running for a couple of seconds at best, and exhausting it will have Sebastian bend over while regaining his breath. Thus, short bursts of running are the best tactic to evade enemies. One may also use traps to counter these beings, by baiting them towards the location of the traps while at the same time staying away from harm yourself. Traps may also be disabled to create parts for the Agonizing Crossbow, a weapon which is very flexible in equipping different bows and attachments and thus very handy for whatever situation. The game also features an inventory wheel where you can map different items, weapons or health kits to the d-pad in the order you want, which is very useful when wanting to switch items and guns on the fly. Lighting up downed enemies by means of matches found throughout the world is also a neat trick to conserve ammunition, especially due to the generous amount of matches compared to the very limited ammo available. Sneaking is also an option due to the crouch command, and is made even more appealing because of the fact that you can throw glass bottles to distract the mutants while you traverse to your objective.The Evil Within also has a neat upgrade system. Green gel is found scattered across various locations. To upgrade, you teleport to a hospital room through special mirrors, and enter a weird chair which permits you to upgrade different abilities, from physical skills like increased life to weapon damage modifiers, to increasing the maximum stock of items and matches. The hospital may also be used to save progress so a visit through the mirror will be made gladly.The bad guy in the game is Ruvik. Ruvik is a mysterious character, who seems to hold a grudge against Sebastian. He was the one to get you through this horrendous experience, and constantly haunts you and tries to make your life as miserable as possible. One of the game’s best features is the fact that Ruvik may appear before your eyes and the only thing you can do is flee. You cannot harm him no matter what weapon you use. The character is very detailed and has a massively ominous presence. His design is probably my favourite one, even better than Sebastian’s.The game’s setting is almost always in dark rooms or outside by night, which is almost the case in all horror games. What The Evil Within does right in this respect is that your lantern with which you make light around you gives as much light as is required while not giving too much. This lantern may also be the cause of unnecessary scares due to your shadow popping on the wall, which is recreated very well indeed. The game feels fair compared to other titles which have little light from a smallish torch or a video camera, for example, to increase the tension without doing nothing to the gameplay.Like all horror games, The Evil Within makes very good use of sound and music to spook the player, while never overdoing it. Enemies rarely make any shouting noises or the like to alert you, but when they are close you can hear their footsteps which is another element in favour of fairness. Some enemies, on the other hand, grunt a lot and can thus be heard from far away. The game plays a low music on the background of the game just to get you in the atmosphere, which really gets to you intense parts. The use of classical music is also incredibly effective, since in parts where I heard the music playing I felt more nervous rather than relax to the music. In fact, I think that my likeness for this genre of music has diminished even more than it was prior to the game. Sound effects are also recreated with incredible accuracy; a breaking bottle in the game would give the impression that a bottle next to you just broke. Effects for menus and inventory wheel are also spot on.Visually, the game is beautiful and the darkness around never gets in the way of beholding it. Watching a replay on Twitch of my playthrough made me realize also how cinematic the game really is, since because of the anxiety felt ingame no one really gives any attention to details. Really, if there was no interface there would be doubts whether this is a game or a movie. Graphics and textures are beautifully rendered and the characters feel realistic and alive, as if they were next to you. The user interface is also neat and kept to a minimum, not getting in the way of the experience or neither cramming up too much information in the game.On the negative side of the game, I encountered a bug which was a little annoying, being the enemies not triggering some traps after baiting them to their location. This was a little inconvenient seeing as then you are caught by surprise instead of them in the trap. This happened mainly to the bear traps not getting activated when walking through them. Other than this bug there were no major annoyances or problems. There is also a Season Pass to the game which makes a certainty the inclusion of more content, obtainable at an additional price come release.On the whole, The Evil Within is one of the best games of the year, and surely is a candidate for best horror of the year. Shinji Mikami, creator of the first Resident Evil has done it yet again with another masterpiece which will terrify players from start to finish on this incredible ride. So you better fasten your seatbelt because there are no stops here!
Read more..

1.1.2015

Well where do I start with this one? Whoever created this has an amazing imagination. I will begin with why I gave this 5 star game 4 stars (if that makes sense) and get the bad bits out of the way first. When you start there are only 2 difficulty settings, I don't remember the names exactly but I think they are casual which is the easiest allowing auto aim and more ammo (which can still become low in places) and normal (survival) which is self explanatory and also the setting I played the game on. These levels can be changed at the start of the chapters via the options menu if you are struggling. I class myself as a good gamer (and a resident evil/silent hill veteran) and I will admit I found this,in places to be extremely challenging with a lot going on, I feel some battles were a bit over the top and found some of the mini boss fights harder than the game ending battle. If like me you have a lack of patience this game will annoy you in certain areas....very much! At times you aren't only fighting a boss but trying to figure out what to do with your surroundings to either progress to the next bit or defeat your foe ie pulling levers, turning valves, shooting switches etc (as if you don't have enough to contend with) and due to this you may find yourself being killed over and over to the point it gets boring (well I did anyway) until you figure out what to do. The repeated deaths and over the top battles throughout certain chapters are the reason I docked this game a star off the top rating. Graphically its not "next gen" its probably on par with resident evil 4 on the gamecube/ps2 its nothing special to look at but that didn't really enter my head as I was so engrossed in it. To be honest after completing it I still don't fully understand what its about or what was going on because it jumps from one place to the next so much. There are 15 chapters in total so it is a long game so you do get your moneys worth, especially at the new price of just over £20. It was £40-50 when it was released and I would still pay that for it now. If you want to get technical about the graphics for those who are really into it it does feel a bit basic, for example outside the mansion in the garden there is a hedge and some scenery and you can just walk through it as though it doesn't exist, the hedge doesn't move or stop you, you just walk through it and out the other side. Just as you can in "the last of us" you can perform "upgrades", this is done by collecting "green gel" from around the game, it will pay to be vigilant and search everywhere possible for it as it will be a much harder game without it. You can upgrade stock (the amount of ammo you can carry etc), abilities (health, mele power, sprint etc) weapons and your crossbow bolts. If you don't upgrade your sprint time and health you will spend more time dead than alive and I must add another little niggling thing about this game, once you have sprinted and depleted your meter your character will bend over with his hands on his knees and stop until he gets his breath back allowing the enemy to do a job on you, the recovery time is beyond a joke and will be the death of you(even with tapping x repeatedly to recover faster) a realistic touch but just ridiculous. If you get the "fighting chance" version all it means is you redeem a code and get a shot gun and a couple of other perks to start the game with but you can do without it as you get a better shot gun near the start anyway. There are plenty of check points and places to save your game which is just as well, the save hub is accessed via a mirror portal and can be a disturbing and confusing place. I am forever seeing this being compared to resident evil, I would say it is more silent hill style but it isn't trying to be either, although some early chapters do make think you may be on RE4 and they certainly let you know the same guy is behind it. There is plenty to make you jump and scare you, I played in the dark and with surround sound for a better experience and it did what a survival horror game is designed to do, it kept me on edge and scared me. I will admit I had to use a walkthrough in places, I did this for 2 reasons, firstly because I genuinely needed the odd tip on how to beat a boss or what to do in certain areas (unlike RE there aren't many puzzles in this game) and secondly because I was so apprehensive about what might be lurking around the next corner and I wanted the heads up. Yes it was scaring me and I was a nervous wreck after being made to jump so often so I read ahead sometimes. Too many people jumped to the conclusion that it would be like nemesis because the trailer for this game showed "the keeper" and they all thought it would be a constant chase like resident evil 3, that was very wrong to assume. The main boss is ruvik and he is one scary you know what, he crops up now and again and he will have your heart racing. I spent over 5 minutes hidden in a wardrobe (on the game not at home) as he crept around looking for me and i was too scared to come out, then theres the mansion, I wont spoil it but I didn't like the meetings with him in there either. There's a huge range of different enemies and plenty in your arsenal to deal with them but its essential you do your upgrades to make progress with this game. I'm not ashamed to admit it took me 16 hours and 23 minutes to complete and I died 103 times in my efforts to finish it, if I hadn't have consulted a walkthrough you could probably double the deaths and add a lot of time on top of the 16 hours, it is a challenge. It's the best survival horror game for a very long time, very scary and enjoyable although frustrating at times. You cant afford not to have it at this price, there is a possibility you may pick it up more than once, as an incentive when you complete it (on normal) you are rewarded with 50,000 green gel upgrade points, a machine gun and a rocket launcher. Completion will also unlock a rather pointless screen to view all characters in various costumes. Also unlocked after completing it on normal are 2 more difficulty modes, nightmare (hard) which I couldn't imagine being able to complete myself and Akumu which I hear is virtually impossible as your character will be killed instantly with one single hit from an enemy or trap, I respect anyone who has finished the game on that mode. If you're looking for a scary game that will last you a while then give this a try, I thoroughly enjoyed it even though it was annoying at times I am extremely pleased with it over all.
Read more..

20.12.2014

The Evil Within is directed by Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil heritage which is likely why the game had attracted a considerable degree of hype prior to its release. Survival horror as a genre is increasingly action orientated. Does this title deviate from that formula, or does it never get away from Resident Evil's shadow in the overall construction of the game?In The Evil Within you play as Sebastian Castellanos, a police officer within Krimson City's ranks. Sebastian himself has an interesting back story with weaknesses and flaws within his own personal character and this part of the story is moved along through collectibles which can be found throughout the game.The game starts with a police investigation but things soon take a turn for the worse and you're transported into a world that is unsettling, confusing and twisted. The understanding of why this world exists and how it adapts, in addition to questioning if it really exists at all are just some of the mysteries raised by the story.To turn focus to how the game itself plays it is easy and fun to play. There are a variety of weapons such as a shotgun, revolver, sniper rifle and a bow that can be upgraded with different types of agony bolts. These bolts can be used in a number of ways and do different things such as using fire and ice which are best used in some instances against some enemies as opposed to others. There are plentiful enemies in the game and a few in particular stand out. Occasionally enemies drop a green gel like substance which can be used to upgrade Sebastian's abilities and weapons. One slight gripe is that it isn't possible to buy ammunition, but scarce resources work well in this genre.There are a few influences from the Resident Evil series, not surprisingly, but it isn't to The Evil Within's detriment. A few things that may be noticed are the save points which stand out with their music, much like the typewriters in Resident Evil. Then there's the over the shoulder view which was pioneered by the series. It is full of action in terms of the game's direction but it doesn't feel excessive and resources within the game are limited. Granted, the ability to upgrade your character can make this a bit easier to deal with.At times The Evil Within does deal a chilling atmosphere. Certainly, in terms of scares it provides more than any of the recent Resident Evil titles have. This is one of the main points that critics have targeted which isn't entirely fair. It does throw new enemies and ideas at the player that haven't been seen previously. This doesn't always work admittedly with the story and its narrative, and whilst the story is unique in that respect it also falls into a convoluted mess and isn't straightforward. Bethesda have even put their mark on the game which for the observant does have a reference to the Fallout universe with a Sugar Bombs poster emblazoned on the wall at one point.The Evil Within has no online play to speak of but considering that the story is the main focus in any good survival horror game it isn't entirely needed or expected.---Summary---Graphics 9 - Graphically, The Evil Within for the most part looks great. However, it does take some time to get used to the widescreen letterbox format, at least initially. Overall, though it doesn't detract from the game.Sound 8 - Solid voice acting and orchestral score which shines especially in the final chapter.Gameplay 10 - As good as it gets really and not changing a winning formula.Lifespan 8 - The Evil Within has considerable replay value with the New Game + option enabling you to go back and play through the game with all the abilities and weapons that you've collected in the first playthrough which includes fifteen chapters and is around 15-20 hours if you pace yourself. Furthermore, three dlc packs are due to be released at some stage which seek to flesh out the story even further.The Evil Within has been considered a disappointment by some critics. Perhaps too much was expected from The Evil Within with Mikami's background. It's a very good survival horror that offers some fresh, if albeit outlandish, concepts that intertwine with the narrative. At a basic level, The Evil Within is a lot of fun to play and is satisfying. It isn't a new dawn for the genre, but The Evil Within is somewhat of a masterpiece. It doesn't just take its inspiration from Resident Evil but also Gears of War (sparingly) and even Silent Hill in places. Ultimately, The Evil Within delivers and Shinji Mikami's pedigree is very much unblemished. 9/10.
Read more..

16.9.2015

I've been playing 'The Evil Within' for a few days now and actually feel pretty compelled to get on here and give it a review, which isn't something that happens all that often.I have to admit that I don't follow the release of games as fervently as I used to - I don't buy gaming magazines and rely pretty heavily on offers from digital platforms such as Steam to get my games, so I had only vaguely heard of this game and had no idea of the talent behind it. It wasn't until I was talking to a colleague about games (sparked off by a conversation about the terrifying 'Alien: Isolation' and other survival horror titles) that he mentioned 'The Evil Within' and the name Shinji Mikami and gushed about how great it was.Which obviously made me rush home and purchase it!If your response to the name 'Shinji Mikami' is 'who?', then... Ok, I'll fill you in; Shinki Mikami is the genius game designer behind the 'Resident Evil' series of games and the man who pretty much single-handedly invented the survival horror genre, sparking the release of excellent games such as 'Silent Hill', 'Fatal Frame' and various others. While it's true that the Resident Evil series has had a few peaks and troughs over the course of several (six now) releases, nothing has really captured the lightning-in-a-bottle brilliance of the fourth game in the series, which is a truly astounding experience to play through. If you are reading this and have never played it, I cannot urge you enough to try and get a hold of it! Although 'The Evil Within' is not a 'Resident Evil'-related title, you can feel the influence of Mikami's genius flowing through the game - and this is a very, very good thing indeed.I'm not going to delve into the plot too much because I'm still playing through the game and it is not making a great deal of sense so far, so I can only go from what I've experienced up to this point. You play a cop who is responding to a disturbance at a mental hospital who unwittingly gets sucked into a terrifying psychological (supernatural?) battle with a patient (I think) who at this point in time doesn't have a clear agenda. The plot seems very convoluted so far but I'm sure it will start to unravel as I play. I'm also intrigued by the character of a nurse who lingers in a place that you travel to via broken mirrors (yup, it's pretty trippy) and can save your game and upgrade your abilities. But a good story in a game is only a small part of its enjoyment; gameplay mechanics are where the big points are scored.And this is where I can joyfully say that this game feels like an alternate reality/unofficial sequel/sister title to Resident Evil 4. The over-the-shoulder camera angle, lack of a big supply of weapons and ammo and continuous atmosphere of dread are all present and accounted for, as are the panic-stricken moments of being surrounded by zombie/mind controlled monsters that want to eat your brains as well as hard-to-kill, chainsaw-wielding maniacs. New to those gameplay mechanics however are stealth tactics that allow you to sneak up behind enemies and dispatch them quickly and quietly, which can be very satifying. This all adds up to it being an excellent and fun game to play, which feels both old-school and fresh in equal measures.As is de rigeur these days with most games, the graphics and sound are top notch. I'm not playing this on a console, though - I've got the PC version of the game which is no doubt the superior version and everything looks pretty nice. I suspect however that it's a port of the console version that we're getting on the PC, which is made obvious by lower-than-expected textures on scenery and items, disappointingly - bit it doesn't detract from the overall quality of the game. The mouse/keyboard controls feel just right and everything moves nicely with the graphic settings set to maximum on my machine. The sound is noteworthy too, with plenty of atmospheric clunks, moans, maniacal laughter and such like, interspersed by classical music at points. Very creepy and great for headphones.It has to be said that this is not a game for people who don't like horror. There's blood and guts and violence in great quantities, as well as situations that will make you jump out of your skin and others where you are being pursued by a multi-limbed monstrosity! But if you love horror games (and relish the thought of any title that comes close to the greatness of RE4) this will be right up your street.
Read more..

14.10.2014

This review comes as I'm around 12 hours in the game.I have not slept... Shinji Mikami (known for Resident Evil) has clearly appealed to fans of his work with this brutal offering.Starting with a routine police investigation that quickly turns into chaos, detective Sebastian Castellanos (the playable character) wakes up in a world that appears to be created from nightmares. Reanimated corpses, multi limbed creatures and other beings that linger in the corridors whilst sentient barbed wire grows like ivy across the tortured landscape. It's bleak, dark, dingy, beautifully and sparsely lit, the levels themselves all convey an aura of pure impending doom.Enemies themselves are extremely punishing in this game,there's no multiple attacks to deplete your health bar, you are most likely to die in one single attack. The ways to die are unforgiving: crushed, mutilated and dismembered are a few ways... The gore is in full swing!There is a somewhat reliant on stealth at the start of the story as Sebastian has no weapons and can only melee, whilst it is possible to get single hit kills it's very difficult to judge when to do it as it will most likely attract more enemies that will simply obliterate you. The fear alone in this part makes you forget about weapons as all you want to do is panic and run, however weapons do become available quite soon and Resident Evil fans will be glad that Shinji Mikami has included some old favorites such as the Shotgun, Magnum and Cross-Bow. Ammo can be crafted however it's scarce in true survival horror fashion.The lead character of Sebastian isn't amazing but manages to blend with the story, it kind of reminds me of Aiden in Watch Dogs (yes I know they are different genres/games blah blah) to the point that he isn't very interesting. You only care about him really because of the gruesome fate he may end up meeting, I wish he was a little more engaging.Another lovely touch from Shinji Mikami's team is that the remake of Resident Evil featured burning zombies to prevent them reanimating as "Crimson Heads". I'm pleased to say that a similar practice is present here and you rely on matches to do the job which again are scarce... Choose wisely for these.Overall this is more than a solid effort but not quite a masterpiece. Developers are really pushing the boat out with the horror in this game and it's sure to cause some controversy, I'm only just past half way and I can see it coming.The game is creepy and certainly knows how to leave a mark, I haven't been affected by a horror game since the original Silent Hill and Resident Evil and although they had there own print on my memories I know for sure that this will leave it's own version. I'm 26 years old and not ashamed to say this is scaring the be-jesus out of me.I hate to use this term but "This is a must buy for survival horror fans" has never been truer.I implore any parent out there, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME FOR ANYONE UNDER 16. This will give them nightmares.Update 15/10/14Well... I have completed the story, I'm still alive but it's certainly not possible to un-see things...A few points I didn't pick up on;The aspect ratio, I expected it to change at some point but it doesn't, you are playing in a box and I can't use the benefit of my 50 inch LED TV. It's by no means game breaking but I really would have preferred the option to use the whole screen, the black edging takes up at least a quarter of the screen.The gore doesn't let up, all the way through to the end! I would not recommend this to anyone who gets queezy at the sight of blood and guts because there's a lot of it.The dialogue and voice acting itself is done very, very well. I won't say everything is believable but you do get that feeling that alot of it could be simply due to the acting however the developers have let themselves down with below par facial animations.This IP really has the potential to go a long way if the take it in the right direction seeing as the story itself sequel baits quite heavily, they have done well here and appealed to the horror fans. I hope to god they don't do a "Resident Evil" and try broaden their profit margin into FPS or run and gun games.I also apologise for the amount of Resident Evil references but I do feel they were warranted.
Read more..

19.6.2015

At first I wasn't entirely sure whether I should award this game three or four stars.As a huge fan of survival horror games (think of the early Resident Evil trilogy or the first Silent Hill on PS1), and knowing that this game was being directed by one of my favourite video game directors, namely Shinji Mikami, the man behind games such as Aladdin (SNES), Dino Crisis (PS1), Resident Evil 4 (PS2) and Devil May Cry (PS2) -- it's fair to say I was expecting a lot - perhaps too much - from ''The Evil Within''.''The Evil Within'' is very much a niche game, in that it goes back to the old school survival horror games of the mid-to-late nineties. The idea is that you quite literally need to ''survive'',with very very few ammunition, the constant attempts on your life by zombie-like monsters. What will you do when you have a horde of murdering creatures swarming from all sides, and you have no more than a couple of shotgun shells at your disposal? The game forces you to make use of all your resources in an efficient a manner as possible and you will need to be patient when doing so, taking time to reflect how you will approach each and every enemy encounter.The game is purposely designed to stress you out. On multiple occasions I jumped at the sight of my own shadow on the wall ; I constantly looked behind my back to see if anything was coming after me; I froze upon hearing an unfamiliar noise, not knowing where it came from and who, or what, produced it. I loved all of that.What I've just given you is the description of a classic survival horror game, and that is precisely what ''The Evil Within'' purports to be. However, you need to approach a game like this somewhat slowly, patiently, and very carefully. You cannot just run and gun. On the contrary, it will be imperative in many occasions for you not to be seen by the enemy. As such, it may put off those of you who are looking for fast and non-stop action. That is not what this game is about.The real problem with ''The Evil Within'', however, lies not with its game mechanics, but with the graphical presentation of the game. To begin with, it's fair to say this is a reasonably good looking game. Now, it's nothing that will you blow you away, but at the same it cannot honestly be said it's a bad looking game. However, the creators added the two black bars that crop the image on screen, as if you were watching a movie. This of itself is bound to generate controversy. I personally was indifferent to them, although a part of me secretly wished they weren't there. What I will expressly criticise though are the not infrequent frame rate drops that I experienced on several occasions. Granted, these occurred whilst many things were happening in game, but considering the black bars and general ''ok'' graphical presentation of the game, I found it unacceptable that I should see those frame rate drops. This is not the Witcher 3's massive and dynamic open world ; ''The Evil Within'' is a fairly linear and enclosed game, and I cannot accept such poor performance on a game that was also released on PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as on supposedly next-gen Xbox One and PS4. Clearly the game was poorly optimised for these consoles. I was so disappointed with the occasional frame rate drops that I would have knocked off not one, but two stars from my final rating.In the end, however, I think a four star rating better reflects the quality of Mikami's latest creation. Undoubtedly a lot of love went into making this game. This is a game made by survival horror fans for survival horror fans. Survival horror fans will, therefore, most probably enjoy it. If, however, the description of the game mechanics I've given you above doesn't sound right for you, then don't bother. I've seen a lot of people complaining here on Amazon about how hard the game is for them. They're probably playing it the wrong way -- no offence. On survival difficulty, this is a moderately challenging game, no different from many modern games. But you need to play it right if you want to get through it.Either way, if you do buy this game, don't expect it to be graphically amazing. If you can get past that, and you happen to have a sadomasochistic desire for psychological terror, then go ahead and buy this game.
Read more..

21.10.2014

Finally Shinji Mikami’s Evil Within is here and after playing it for over a week here is my honest opinion on the game and if I feel it is a great return to the survival genre for the man or a regrettable mistake.Evil Within’s premise is pretty simple Detective Sebastian Castellanos of the Krimson City PD and his two partners are called to investigate an incident at the local hospital. Only to discover not only a massacre but some terrifying unexplainable force turning the entire world on its head. Sebastian has to battle not only the abominations that now populate the world but also try and figure out the true cause of all this chaos.The game is a third person title that opts for a similar camera style to Resident Evil 4 and its game play involves exploration,puzzle solving and combat as well as a dollop of jump scares. I love the survival horror genre, the idea that every bullet is precious and essential, every item used needs to be considered carefully first and Evil Within nails this. You will be smashing boxes and crates looking in every nook and cranny for items and ammo, sometimes you will find two shotgun shells and it will feel like hitting the jackpot. The enemy encounters are tense and you will be weighing up every possibility of dealing with them on the fly, whether it be taking an enemy quickly down and using a match to set fire to them and anyone around them or luring them to an environmental trap. It boils down to doing anything you can to not only survive but preserve as many resources as possible for whatever nightmare waits around the next corner. Stealth is also a big factor in your survival, you can hide behind objects out of line of sight and use bottles and items to lure enemies before delivering a stealth kill that saves precious ammo and matches. But this isn’t always guaranteed to work as I discovered when lightning illuminated the area revealing my location to enemies. Similar to Outlast you can hide in lockers, cupboards and under beds when trying to escape and some encounters you will just have to run or hide. There is also a hub area where you can save and use green gel to upgrade weapons, abilities and item stocks. This area also has lockers which can be unlocked with keys found in statues in the main game; these can contain ammo, green gel or healing items but it’s a gamble which locker you pick.Graphically the game has really impressed me, the environments are detailed and mood soaked with some superb lighting effects. It’s never going to be a title that’s going to win the award for best looking game of 2014 but it definitely produces a superb experience with its visuals and I have experienced no issues with it so far.Sound is where I feel this game really excels, with a stealth mechanic sound is important and the Evil Within succeeds with this. You can use enemy noises to gauge where they are and move around them, the sounds inform you what enemies are there and in some cases alert you that it is best to run like hell and hide. The music is fantastic and goes from nonexistent to ramping up the tension, to letting you know a save point is nearby. The voice actors are accomplished but do not expect any dialogue on the scale of a Bioshock Infinite or a Red Dead Redemption.Collectibles wise there are a lot to find here, ranging from map fragments to recordings and missing person posters. If you’re a completionist you will have your work cut out of for you finding all these. The campaign has taken me around 16 hours (there is an achievement for finishing 5 hours what the?!). Also there is a new game plus and harder modes.In closing I have to say that if you’re a fan of horror game’s or looking for a good video game experience Evil Within is that game. After a disappointing 2014 containing let down’s like Thief and Watchdogs I can say that Evil Within has surpassed my expectations and has delivered a superb horror experience that had me jumping, had me on the edge of my seat and left me feeling thoroughly rewarded when surviving a big encounter with some vital resources left. I would give the game 87 out of 100 but on the Amazon format it is easily a 5 star game for me.
Read more..

8.3.2015

The Evil Within does what is expected from a survival horror game. It is both scary and disturbing, creates a great, dark atmosphere and a feeling of the odds always being stacked against you, and has an interesting combat system. It also provides you with a good 20 hours gameplay, unless you play on the easiest level. Sadly the game does have a few downsides. I would like to sum everything up in an easy list of pros and cons:Pros:- Decent length of gameplay which actually makes the game worth its cost.- Visuals and sound are utilised greatly to create a dark, scary and disturbing atmosphere. Some of the enemies we encounter throughout the game were made with a lot of creativity.There is hardly a moment where the game makes you feel safe.- The combat is pretty cool. The different weapons and their uses are adjusted fairly to many situations where you have to think on the spot of which weapon to use (if any at all). You can also plan your movements to use many traps located throughout the game to take out your enemies and clear the way. Admittedly I did find a slight downside where you can often sprint inches next to an enemy and they will not touch you when realistically they should be able to at least do some damage. However, this would make the game near on impossible to finish.- The game does not get boring. I kept progressing wanting to see what would happen next, what enemies I would meet.- The upgrade system is interesting. You collect 'green gel' from enemies and in jars scattered throughout the game, and can use it to upgrade weapons, stock, abilities etc. etc. It gives you more of a chance in the game and makes it easier to progress.- When dying countless times throughout the game I got the impression that certain situations, for example boss fights, can be approached in different ways. Whilst the game itself is very linear (again, not really an issue), this in my opinion is a good thing as you can complete different sections in different ways.- In terms of replayability, you can unlock harder levels of gameplay and new weapons to use in the new playthrough. Myself I will not be playing through the game again, but I can see why many people would enjoy a tougher challenge.- The graphics overall are good, but...Cons:-... The black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, which cannot be switched off, are inexcusable. I have read up on it and supposedly the theory was that they had to be implemented to avoid FPS drops and having worse graphics. On a next gen-console I find this ridiculous. Just look at Far Cry 4. No black bars, no FPS drops and the graphics are beautiful.- A few chapters were incredibly short. I feel that a lot more content could have been put into those to make the game longer.- The camera angles can be frustrating, especially when running away from an enemy.- The stealth option, aside from very few situations, is not very useful, partly due to the camera. Sometimes you will be sneaking about not seeing an enemy, when they suddenly see you and the whole exercise is rendered pointless.- The story is quite bland and uninspiring. By the time I finished the game I still never really understood what had happened until I read the synopsis on the internet. There is little explanation throughout the game and while it may serve to create suspense, eventually you find yourself not knowing what it really is that you are trying to achieve.- The characters are dull, their reactions - especially the main character's - are unnatural, strange and quite laughable that they seem to act as if the whole situation is a common occurrence for them. There is very little character development as well, although in a game like this I would not expect much of it.Overall, this was an enjoyable game and despite its cons, it is worth the money. The game presents a challenge and has good audio and visuals wihch create a great atmosphere.
Read more..

21.10.2014

Having recently purchased my ps4, this was one of the first games that I pre ordered. The main reason being that I couldn't remember the last time that i played a survival horror which looked truly scary and atmospheric.Whilst I was disappointed on the first case, I personally found the game to be more disturbing than scary, the atmosphere in the game was a joy to behold. Creeping down eerie corridors and warped landscapes. Graphically, the game leaves is a slight let down, after recently seeing what the ps4 could achieve with Shadow of Mordor. The evil within doesn't use the full power of the console. However, the graphics are not what i would consider poor. The screen is displayed in a wide screen ratio,which whilst annoying for the first 10 minutes, quickly gets forgotten and adds to the enjoyment. The blood effects are superb and some of the games set pieces do look truly spectacular. Especially the cityscape in later chapters. However I did notice a large amount of texture pop in which is distracting.From an audio point of view, the game delivers. As you creep down corridors, the sound of enemies can be heard from afar. Often adding to the tension, as you try to figure out where they are. The soundtrack is impressive and all of this adds to the overall atmosphere that this game presents. However the voice acting is very poor and emotionless.Gameplay is another aspect where this game excels. Gunplay is excellent, some of the set pieces that the game throws at you are incredibly fun. Whether you are trying to navigate a maze full of enemies, or being chased by some grotesque creation. The game never fails to deliver an incredibly tense and nerve shredding experience. Stealth is one aspect where the game doesn't shine. Sneaking often feels clunky and the enemy movement often leaves you exposed very easily. In most situations you can tackle them through stealth or head on combat, but more often than not. The stealth option just doesn't seem viable.The one thing I truly enjoyed about this game is how the odds always feel stacked against you, but every situation that the game throws at you can be tackled if you take the sensible approach. Ammunition is scarce, but never to the point where the game becomes impossible. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes, often able to kill you in one hit. But never feeling overpowered to the point of impossibility. The game is incredibly unforgiving, you will often find yourself dying over and over at the same point, but once you sit back and learn from your mistakes things get easier. By the time i finished the game on medium difficulty i had died 103 times.Character upgrades can be bought by collecting green gel which is handily placed all over the game world. The game offers enough to ensure you can stay up to strength. Other collectibles are also spread throughout the game and offer other rewards. Making exploring the somewhat linear game some fun in exploring thoroughly.The one aspect of this game where it really stumbles is story. The game starts slowly throwing you straight into the nightmare. But fails to give you any answers until much later in the game, even then it gives more questions than answers. I think it took me until chapter 10 until I finally had any idea what was going on. Another problem with the game is character development, or lack of. Throughout the game you learn very little of the protagonist and it is truly laughable how he remains so calm throughout the entire game, in the face of such strangeness.So overall the game is let down heavily by an incredibly wishy washy story. But the sheer enjoyment and nerve shredding gameplay more than makes up for this. In terms of replay value. I can't honestly see myself playing through the game again on a harder difficulty. But this game is well worth picking up as a fantastic survival horror game.8/10
Read more..

22.10.2014

I have actually finished this game... I start with this as many people think playing an hour or so gives them the right to give it an average review. Anyway.The game is a fantastic lengthy old school survival horror which took me (according to the timer) 23 hrs and 1min to complete... now that is a good run time and well worth your money. Its 20 plus hours of varied content full of beautifully horrific creatures, deadly traps, good if not simple puzzles and i loved every second.The game has a few modern features such as mostly generous checkpoints and the last bit of your health regenerates. Not that this will help you in the middle of a fight as you have to stay still for this to happen.It does some hand holding but not enough to ruin it, it feels like the game expects you to have more than an 8 second attention span and expects you to work out what to do yourself. I died 111 times on one playthrough...in many many ways.The closest i can compare it to is Resident Evil 4 which in my opinion was the last good survival horror game. The gameplay is a mixture of stealth, shooting, melee, puzzle solving and is constantly adding in a new enemy type, trap or hazard to keep it fresh. At no point did it feel repetitive. Bullets have to be used sparingly as they should and the are many ways of using the environment to your advantage to take out enemys.Graphically its a little dated but the art direction on the monsters and levels is fantastic and at no point did it look bad. A few issues with texture pop in during some cut scenes but no major issues. It by no means looks like a next gen game so if you absolutely need the latest graphics to enjoy a game then you may wanna look for another.The story was good, its not going to change your life or anything but it is leaps and bounds better than any Resident Evil game. Its also less silly, with a more serious approach with no chop socky nonsense. You dont do karate on a zombie, at no point does anyone do a flip for any reason and most importantly nobody punches a boulder off a volcano.The bad guy is by far the best character in the game, hes a non campy creepy dude and I wanted to know more and more about as i went on. Less can be said about the "good guys" unfortunately. The guy you play as is nothing special but has an interesting enough background to keep you involved. Best of all hes down to earth and doesn't have the attitude problems of characters from other survival horrors. The two supporting cops however are insanely dull and generic but they only crop up every now and again so nothing is spoilt too much.Also the game features a new game plus with unlockable and upgradable weapons and abilities for replay value. The game has a simple but good upgrade system that requires some careful though as you cant upgrade everything on one play through.I cant recommend this game enough, its a breath of fresh air and feels like it was made for horror fans with love and not to cash in on the mainstream audience. No doubt it will suffer for this but thats the price you pay when you make something genuinely good.Great 20 plus hour gamechallenging old school survival horrorgreat art directiongood storynew game plusGreat bad guy (no more campy Wesker)Some dated graphical issuesweek supporting cast with a few exceptions
Read more..

21.10.2014

The Evil Within is a truly classic survival horror the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time. It clearly builds on Resident Evil 4, without straying too far away from made that great. You have perfectly reasonable control over your character, but he isn't a super human. You certainly can't run and gun your way through this like I suspect some people were hoping to. The enemies are strong in this, getting too careless even around the most basic enemies will result in your quick demise. That said the gunplay in this is absolutely awesome. It feels very much like Resident Evil 4, but damn the weapons pack a punch. The shotgun especially is a messy and fun tool to quickly give you some breathing space.You won't have enough ammo to rely on it too much, but it can definitely turn a losing fight in your favour when you need it.You can slowly upgrade both your weapons, and your character's abilities as you go, but never to the point where you feel invincible. The game provides a pretty harsh challenge, but never really feels unfair, even at the few points where I died several times. Most boss fights or big set-pieces provide you with enough help in the scenery if you look for it, traps you can lure them into or explosions you can trigger. Making good use of what is around you is just as important as carrying a big gun.I like The Evil Within for not relying too much on jump scares (which get predictable after you've seen them once). Rather, it surrounds you with an often intense atmosphere and a sense of threat. In that aspect it feels more akin to Silent Hill than previous Resident Evil games. It certainly isn't shy with throwing heaps of blood and guts at you, and you'll find many references to classic japanese horror movies and stories. This certainly isn't for the faint-hearted. The sound design works perfectly with the atmosphere, staying eerily quiet and then ramping up when everything goes crazy. The thunderstorm early in the game is a particular standout of excellent sound design. The graphics are also really good, I don't understand any criticism of this not being a good-looking game when it clearly is on Xbox One. The world is really well designed and varied, and the lighting effects especially are a treat (fully real-time lighting and shadows, I've often jumped at my own shadow whilst skulking around in the dark with the lamp).The game is a pretty decent length, counting in at 15 chapters and each can take 1-2 hours to finish. I definitely feel I got my money worth from just one playthrough, but the game is so fun to play I'm now going through on harder difficulties (I started on Survival, the recommended difficulty - more-or-less medium). Much like RE4 before it, each chapter often brings something entirely new to the mix keeping the game fresh. New enemies appear, and the game's locations grow ever more disturbing and twisted.If you buy The Evil Within knowing what you want and what to expect, then you'll get one of the best old-school horror games we've had in a long time. Do not buy this expecting something more action-horror like Dead Space 3 or Resident Evil 5-6. This is pure, unapologetically old-school and I love it all the more for it.
Read more..

19.4.2015

The Evil Within is an interesting game - a 3rd person shooter with some neat touches and setpieces, but some flaws too that pull it down a bit. The story goes: you're a cop, some people are murdered, weird stuff is happening and you investigate. Basically whatever I tell you it will sound rubbish - I could sex it up, but really it's just putting lipstick on a pig: The Evil Within has pretty poor storytelling, and it's a simplistic premise at best.The four stars is more for the gameplay than the dramatic narrative....it takes the setpieces of Resident Evil 4 and gives them extra oomph, some extra little touch that puts a nice spin on something familiar.Interestingly some magazine reviewers claim the director hasn't done enough to surpass Resi 4 (he directed that as well) and yet TEW has done more than any other game to advance that template forward....huh? magazine reviewers, eh? funny old bunchStealth is a viable option in your encounters with the monstrous enemies, and in some cases a necessity. While the game is relatively linear you will need to scavenge items to craft useful weapons - and the environments are just large enough to provide unwelcome surprises as you make your way around, yet still be focused and not too sprawling. You can hide from enemies under beds, but if you're too slow they'll find you and yank you out - they react to noise as well as sight, so running draws attention.Boss battles are solid, not the visual showstoppers that Resi 4 had, but tactically sound and tricky enough to be challenging. Some like "Safe head" (a guy with...a safe for a head...) sound and look a bit stupid - he's different when you face him, actually quite good as bosses go. Challenging, intense - has a safe for a head: you can't have everything. The same for the rest - "hairy woman" (or something like that) is another where they could have named her better, but she's spooky nonetheless and great to fight.Storywise I get where this ends up, it's just a shame the execution makes it so unremarkable - the gameplay is pretty strong to make up for it, but it can't be ignored the game still pushes the story upfront to receive attention it doesn't deserve. Very typical of the Japanese in that sense - it's one area of the game where a western developer with proven skills will always do better. This might not be a Capcom game, but it is a Capcom game when it comes to the "craftsmanship" in this regard - the plot could be written on a postage stamp and yet it's still a confusing awkward mess in the final delivery.Luckily for TEW it has some cracking setpieces and scale as it goes on, that handily distract from the fact any story coherence is barely there. I'd certainly recommend playing TEW, there are obvious issues but it has more than enough positives to be very enjoyable, and it is quite challenging at around 20 hours to complete. Here's hoping though, that if they do a sequel (which wouldn't be impossible given it's premise / ending) they get somebody western to oversee the story from the beginning - Japanese developers are great at the gameplay, usually suck at good storytelling. Very much the case here!
Read more..

16.11.2014

Welcome to the Evil Within a survival horror game developed by Tango Game works and also developed by, I think, the director of Resident Evil 4. In this game you play as a detective, Sebastian, who is called to the scene of a bizzare crime, is ambushed and wakes up in a world only seen in nightmares equipped initially only with his wits. What follows is a true heir heir to the legacy of Resident Evil. Playing as one protagonist your objective is to survive as you journey through this horrific world with bizzare monsters and unravel the mystery is why you are there in the first place.The GoodThe Evil Within is good because it plays like a traditional Resident Evil game but in my opinion surpasses it.It surpasses it because it gives fresh take on the genre. Whereas Resident Evil has fed off zombie clichés for the last god knows how long, the Evil Within features original monsters and an original setting, Krimson City. With it giving too much away although the path is pretty straight forward, during the play through the reality Sebastian plays through is manipulated frequently leading to quite a few wtf moments as you try and piece together what exactly is going. The game also contains, much like Resident Evil, collectable anecdotes, barely enough ammo to survive and many horrific gameplay elements that would keep any survival horror fan happy.The story is also pretty good as you are as pretty naive about your surroundings as Sebastian is when he first wakes up in the hellish world. Much like Sebastian I found myself equally as intrigued to find out just what was going on and with the various turns that develop as the fame continues, this kept me wanting to play more and moreThe BadI must warn you, before you buy this game there is one thing you should be aware off. The game is set in an aspect ratio that plays like a widescreen film. In otherwords, from the outside there are black bars that appear on the top and bottom of the screen. These bars are purely visual and are not used in any gameplay mechanic. As a result you play the game with a restricted view meaning that you only see 2/3rd's of the screen. Intially I was annoyed about this and done some research on the Internet to see if I could turn it off. Unfortunately you can't and while at first I was dismayed I eventually found to my satisfaction that these bars actually work in the games favour. Graphically the game is good, although it doesn't play with 60 fps and is set at 30 fps which means that sometimes the screen will slow if the turn the camera too fast and the black bars reinforced the feeling of vulnerability and tension that should be a staple in survive horror games. As far as I know the black bars cannot be altered, although there are rumours circulating around on the Internet that a patch may be released the make them optional.All in all a pretty worthwhile game and one worth purchasing. Perhaps the makers of resident evil should take a note of this.
Read more..

13.9.2015

So I'm not someone who regularly writes reviews; you may find this covers topics in a random order and I have little knowledge of the companies that created this game and what that means to it's conception and impact to the genre. What I can talk about is the game itself...When I was 12 years old I owned a PS1. I remember my first foray into survival horror being a short play-through of Resident Evil 2 round a friend's house. It was scary, unpleasant, gory and pretty damn hard to play - I was hooked! It was totally different to any game-play I had previously experienced and fired me down a path of survival horror games that kept me interested for around 7 or 8 years (don't worry,there is a point to this). I hadn't really gotten into the Silent Hill franchise however I loved everything that Capcom produced within the Resident Evil franchise...until Resident Evil 5 that is. The company skewed from survival horror into a more run-and-gun, gears of war style action game that lost the scare factor inherent in the early games.So to the Evil Within...I hadn't attempted horror games for years; plying my trade with games like Fifa and Call of Duty. I saw a few trailers for this online and thought I would take the plunge, hearing the reviewers likening its gameplay to that of Resident Evil. I got the game and played it for 4 straight hours on my own in the house while the wife was at work, in the dark at night - the game was forbodding, dark, atmospheric and left me feeling uneasy, agitated and nervous....I was NOT disappointed!! It took me back to those days when I would end up jumping at any incidental noise and had to put the controller down for 5 minutes to compose myself! I wasn't proud of myself in those moments but, hey, it's what I paid for!The graphics aren't amazing and the plot can get a little convoluted but completion of this title is enormously satisfying. The firing of weapons is massivly fun and the return to certain puzzle elements actually tested my mindset that has been drilled down after years of more linear 3rd person shoot-em-ups.I understand that I have digressed - if you take anything away from this then I suppose its that if you are looking for a game to replace the recent Resident Evil atrocities, then this is your game. If you want something that is a little different to the monotone action games that occupy the shelves in GAME, then this is your game. If you want to play football with characters that look marginally more realistic than last year's iteration then MAN UP, put Fifa-Pro Evo 300 down and get this game instead!Loved it!
Read more..

15.10.2014

Just wanted to add a quick write-up have got this game yesterday. Firstly I'd been concerned reading various reviews stating the game needed a really meaty PC to run it, including a 4GB graphics card, which I and many other people don't have. Here are my specs;AMD Athlon X2 7850 2.8GHz Black Edition CPU (Socket AM2+ | 2MB Cache)Gigabyte GA-780T-D3L MotherboardEVGA GeForce GTX 650Ti Boost Superclocked Nvidia Graphics CardCorsair 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MhzWindows 7 professional 64-bit SP1Got to say I had no problems whatsoever, completely smooth and looks fantastic. Unlike a game Like Far Cry 3 which has a long list, there don't seem to be too many graphical settings to adjust,other than the resolution (which I had at 1080p), and some other minor bits and pieces, so if you're having trouble running it on a slower system you may find other than the resolution, there isn't much else to tinker with. It took about 3 hours to install though, you have to go though four 7GB set-up DVDs which took around 90mins, then I had around a 6GB steam download too, which took another 90mins. Once that was done, it started first time no problem. Managed around two hours of late-night play after that.I had heard that it was in much the same vain as the earlier Resident Evil series, coming from the same creators. While this is partially true, it's not entirely true. If you're looking for a straight logical real world 'run around a large area while collecting ammo & items to solve puzzles' game, much like Resident Evil (or even as a bare-bones game concept, the old Dizzy games), then this is not quite that. It's more like Outlast; where you're having to move from confined area to area collecting items, completing tasks and dealing-with/hiding-from enemies within that area, before moving on to the next area. You're not running round an vast open world collecting objects in one place, to use them in a distant other to solve a puzzle. There are also abstract supernatural story sections akin to Silent Hill, along with the 3rd person character interface of Manhunt.I only got as far as the 3rd chapter last night, but I'd say it was certainly worth the money so far. One other thing, the whole game is in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, not just the cut-scenes & computer controlled sections. Switching between 2.35:1 at cut-scenes and 1.85:1 for the main game, is a useful way to tell the player if they're in control of the character. This doesn't do that, so it can get a little confusing in certain places until you've played through it a bit.
Read more..

List All Products

Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy