It was acquired, played and here comes the afterthought...
Sometime ago I introduced a game called Obscure: The Aftermath. Through the forces of fate, I was given a review copy of this game for the PSP.
Here is a little refresher in the storyline of Obscure: Take several high school teenagers and trap them on school grounds. Add a demented headmaster who subjects these students to evil experimentation, then unleash horrific baddies on them while they slowly get taken out Darwin style. Oh, do not forget to add the grainy filter, and atmospheric music. Those who made it out alive now have since been treated for the mutations they endured, and also have graduated. Enter next step: college, which proves to not be such an easy transition.
Even though I have a natural attraction to the distorted and demented stories encased in survival horror games; I also harbor an enhanced reaction to fear. In laymen’s terms: I’m a scaredy cat. To be completely honest, they scare the bejesus out of me! This fear hasn’t stopped me from playing these titles; all they have managed to do is instill in me a habit of late night rummaging for something a little less threatening with a smiley face on it.
As I loaded this game into the PSP, I heard the chilling sounds of eerie children singing. If we haven’t learned a thing or two about what makes an atmosphere creepy; disembodied child-like choir voices surrounding you like the coat you put on is a good start. If that isn’t enough add the agent that is key to all Japanese horror films and no I don’t mean deathly pale eight-year-old girls. The element of flashing horrific scenes or pictures does the trick. Walking down a hallway at night can be spooky, but add a flash of screaming face or a mutilated person or dog and you are in business.
Lastly, if the grainy filter, invisible choir boys, and B movie acting isn’t enough to strike fear and uncertainty into your sub cranium, perhaps the lack of true control of your pairs will do it. It is one thing to combat the forces of the darkest twisted corners of the human psyche but try doing it when the only analog stick on your PSP is the biggest piece of crap on the face of the planet. One wrong flick could land you into a corner where you’ll become these monsters’ nighttime love…or at best their nighttime snack.
If you are a wizard at modification or know someone who has that gamer god-given talent, then I suggest bribing them to mod your analog stick. Then you’ll know for sure that your death was just bad luck and not because you couldn’t move efficiently.
One concern I do have with this game isn’t really a fault with the game but with Playlogic’s choice to put this game on a portable platform. This game has its share of jumpy moments that could compel someone-say like myself- in utter terror to throw their PSP into the air, thus potentially breaking it into several pieces. To safeguard said PSP, playing in a place made of plush pillows should be considered. However I have recently discovered that Obscure was initially for the Playstation 2 and the fan base clamored for a portable release of this game. So you guys got what you asked for!
Overall I felt like the atmosphere really set the tone for this game. It reminds me a lot of Silent Hill 2, which is one of my favorite survival horror games. So I give Obscure: The Aftermath for the PSP a 4 out of 5 rating. If you want some portable fear in your pocket Obscure: The Aftermath is the way to go.
Labels: E3, Games, Pandalicious, PS2, PSP
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