Rating: Summary: The REAL "fear factor." Review: Clive Barker's Undying is yet another bold step in a new genre for the PC Gaming market: First-Person Terror. This game drips with atmosphere and fear; at times I was deeply afraid to open the next door, or too busy running from a violent ghost to keep track of where I was going. There's just so much to love about this game: the beautiful settings, the involved story, and dynamic gun-and-spell weapons system; I could go on like this forever. Only one other game is in the same rank as this title: System Shock 2. Bottom line is that if you want a game that will grip you even after you stop playing, buy this under-appreciated bad-boy.
Rating: Summary: How did I miss this one!! Review: Wow! How did I miss this game when it came out? I purchased it on a whim recently and found one of the best realized, most entertaining and scariest shooters I've ever played. The idea of placing it in 1920's Ireland is brilliant. It oozes with atmosphere, and the time period combines the best of both the 19th and early 20th centuries (i.e. 19th century atmosphere with somewhat modern 20th century weapons -- at least the ones that aren't magical). The music, graphics, pacing, lighting, level design and "enemies" (both human and other) are right on. There is even an incredibly well realized magical city to visit and eventually subdue. This is one of the few games that has really scared me (the old adrenaline was really pumping). The most disappointing aspect is the ending (bad enough to warrant the loss of a star). The final "boss" or monster is so ridiculous it seems like almost an afterthought to the high quality shown in the rest of the game. Purchase it -- especially now when it's such an incredible value!
Rating: Summary: Would've given the game a 3 but... Review: I like to be scared. From all I've heard about this game I knew I was going to be in for a good fright. Unfortunately, there were some annoyances to this game that completely ruined it for me. Just when you are getting into the game you enter a door and the gameplay stops to load data. Not a big deal but it happens more frequently than you would think. I simply could not get into the game because of this. The horror factor was not really there for me either. While some of the scenes, characters and monsters were somewhat creepy I was never scared. Plus just when you might think you are getting scared you get the dreaded "Loading" screen which just kills the moment. It took a while for me to get used to the controls. I reassigned the default configuration of spells and weapons to the keyboard. Also, you can't auto-reload your pistol which can be a nuisance when trying to kill a monster that is in your face. The developers of the game should've come up with a better Save Game system. It's horrible. The worst part of the game for me was the random crashes that happened on a somewhat frequent basis. I have an AMD 850 with 516K RAM and an ATI RADEON 7500 with 64 Megs. I was extremely dissapointed with the final encounter with the Undying King. I didn't even know that I killed the thing until I got the "Loading" screen. My computer crashed about 1 minute into the final scene so I do not know exactly what happened. So, why did I give the game a 4? Because the game is truly beautiful to look at and a delight to hear. That in itself was worth the frustration that I experienced either due to a crash or the constant "Loading" screen. In my opinion the gameplay is typical of a FPS but the textures and environments are awesome. The score was also top notch and blended very well with the gameplay. I think that the most scared I got during the game was due to some of the very eerie sound effects as I walked around the mansion.
Rating: Summary: One of the best games out there. Review: First off, I want to say that I am not an expert on first person shooters. I tend to go for the RPGs or simulation games but I gave this one a try for two reasons. One, I am a huge fan of horror movies and two, I kept seeing the outstanding reviews for this game on a multitude of gaming sites. So when I saw Clive Barker's name and read the reviews I decided to take a chance and I'm glad that I did. The thing I love most about this game is simply the atmosphere. It's everything I imagined a creepy haunted house to be and more. And the sounds, whether it's howling (from the howlers), screams from the dying, the thunder and rain that is a constant throughout this game, or the music that blends in so well with the story, the sound sound quality is utterly amazing (and I have average speakers with a good sound card). The second thing besides the sound is the graphics. I have played some games with top notch graphics and this game is right up there with the best. The dark, faintly sinister interior of the house, the flickering lights, the pale bleached skin of Lizbeth, and the blood pooling on the floor. Even the smokey haze of other spirits as they appear then disappear. It all drags you into the story and does not let go. And in case you're wondering, I have a 64mb Nvidia GeForce4 MX420 video card which works very well. One word of caution though, if you play this game it is best to use a walkthrough especially when playing it for the first time. I printed out a complete walkthrough from Gamespot and got lost anyway, without it I would have missed tons of health packs and ammo. There are many doors and long hallways to pass through, not to mention the special items you must find and pick up along the way. Example: the priest key above the girder. Even with the guide I had a hard time finding that one. Overall, I would have to say that this is one of the best games I have played in a long time.
Rating: Summary: Best Action Game Of All Time!!!!!!!!!!!! Review: WOW Before I got this game I almost was certain It was Scary. But After I got It I realized it was the scariest and best action game of all time I opened it up put it in the cd rom and installed it. After it was installed I clicked start and new game. I went to the easy setting of course I new I wouldn't get anywhere on nightmare mode. The first five minutes where bone chilling. I played it all night till I had no mental energy left. I still Was on the walk through still.Best visual and sound effects of any action game since Half Life(SIEERA GAME). I strongly recommened this game for people who absolutly love CREEPY shooters,and are dying for great effects.
Rating: Summary: Despite my rating... stay far away from this game. Review: I loved the mansion design. Reminded me of the original Phantasmagoria. But then the horror came. It doesn't even have a true god mode. So if you wanna cheat.. it has healing but they keep coming at out. Then there is all this freaking silence that'll drive you insane. Have a ball folks.
Rating: Summary: Play it with the lights off! Review: Clive Barker is the master of horror. This game brings his works to the computer, and does so in a way that does his name justice. If you play this game alone, in the dark, no lights on, you will be scared. It is set in an incredibly detailed, beautiful, magnificent mansion in Ireland, and the landscape, architecture, theme, feel, are all stunning. They put so much effort into this game, it comes with a softcover, high-graphics book/diary, complete with bloodstains. Nice touch. The plot line is articulate and interesting, if a bit linear. The monsters aren't smart, but they have a habit of sneaking up and scaring the life out of you. They also have a habit of moving with deceptive speed. You see them, think you have a bit of time before they get to you, and wind up with a lot less time then you thought. Time after time I've gotten swarmed. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story is set a little after World War I, and has a great "old time" feel to it. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first game that considered either a) using both hands to carry weapons and such and b) how many rounds you have chambered at a time. Fire a couple rounds, you have to decide whether the 2 bullets left in your gun will stop the next opponent, or whether you need to reload your gun. Stop to reload, you might be at the mercy of something nasty. Attack with a gun that isn't loaded up, you might not stop it. Makes a player think. Possibly a bit too graphic for the young or faint of heart. Lots of carnage, lots of creepy art. The harder levels are exactly the same as the easier levels, with less health and ammo. So play on the hardest level. Why spoil it for yourself? You'll like this one. Indra
Rating: Summary: Stunningly Original horror/first person shooter game Review: C'mon you lot. You are always complaining that there aren't enough original games out there. But if you don't buy 'em they won't be able to make them, so please go out and buy this one. It's an intelligent, engrossing game that just gets better and better as you work your way through the levels. At the start I didn't realise how big this game was. There are a lot of levels, and although you go over some of the same territory, it's always under different circumstances, with different aims and goals. One thing to note about this game, the sounds are amazing! I particularly liked the storms and the sound of rain on a tin roof, not just stock sounds stuff here.....you would have sworn it was really raining, you could hear the steady drops, and the loud splashes as a body of water was knocked down from the guttering. Why am I raphsodising about the rain? Just because its an example of the excellent attention to detail show by the creators. When I said this game gets better and better as it progresses, I mean it. Strangely, the first level isn't that interesting, to the point where I can see some people might give up on it. Weird. But make it to the second level, and you are hooked. Most of the levels are a real surprised, incredibly varied (most games tend to make levels that look much the same) The level I likes the most was the monastary. You explore the ruins in the present during summer, and then travel back in time to it's heyday, during a pelting snowstorm. (the weather effects are amazing, did I mention that?) I also enjoyed the final levels, climbing higher and higher in autumnal mountains, over steams and waterfalls, until you are above the clouds. Very cool! Ok, the levels in the crypt, graveyard, mauseleum, and oneiros also should rate a mention, also the smuggler's caves. The only thing I would have liked is for there to be a little more detail in the rooms, and for there to be more interaction with living people in a "safe" space. I feel that in any medium, the horror genre works best when the horror part is broken up by times when you can take a breather, explore the surroundings in safty, make discoveries that are importent to the plot, and interact with "ordinary" characters. I found myself wanting to go back and talk to my friend, and to the lighthouse keeper, the only two really normal people in the game (the servants aren't really that normal, they could have been depicted a lot better) The scrying was fun. When you are scrying you see things, well differently. Great idea! Really scary game. You find yourself looking around a lot nervously. Loads of different monsters, spells, and weapons, but you never run out of stuff. It's also based on one of the best engines around. Even if you don't usually like games, if you enjoy literary style of horror you will enjoy this.
Rating: Summary: If you like stories with your games.... Review: This is the game for anyone who does not just like to go "shoot em up" with no reason or storyline. I'm glad to see this game finally getting a little pub a year later as a "classic" and so forth. To me, this was the best 3d game I've ever played. I say this because it had an engrossing storyline, incredible graphics that are not just about the awesome effects, but also about sheer atmosphere. It's the kind of game where you are in horror after opening each door and peeking around every corner. You do this with an objective in mind, you are unfolding a mystery. The house is haunted, but for a reason, and you have to find out to make it end. It's just an amazing piece of work, from the drapes flowing in the wind, to the lightning in the sky, it's just perfect. If you have a high end PC, ignore all the complaints about loading times and so forth. People who make this complaint clearly have low end or outdated equipment as I was running this on a laptop originally and did so with flying colors, though it was a very high end laptop.
Rating: Summary: Chiller of a Game!! Review: Wow! Where to start! This game is absolutely one of the best FPS single player adventures of all time. The graphics are stunningly beautiful all through the game. If this is the Unreal engine as some have said, all I can say is that Unreal never looked near as good as Undying does. The soundtrack of the game will give you chills the way it compliments the game. The load times aren't nearly as bad as some previous reviews make it seem. Clive Barker has written an amazing storyline for this game and it was extremely well developed. One of the things that always hurts FPS games is when the storylines are not developed enough. This game is so scary at times, I had chills up and down my spine while I explored the monestary and believe it or not I was scared to go into the dark areas of the monestary. I have never felt like that in any game I have played. I think the Monestary Past level is probably the best rendered level I have ever seen in any game, it was absolutely breathtaking and incredible to explore too. This game is awesome all the way around. If you haven't played it, don't wait another second. If I had known how good this game was when it first game out, I would have gladly paid full price for it. It's that good!
|