The Evil Within 2 - game review

I was very depressed when I played The Evil Within for the first time. I was still living at home, had just finished my 2nd year of college and was in a really awful place. So when I got my hands on this new horror game that rivaled Silent Hill's atmosphere, I was spellbound (that munted version of the Debussy song that seeps in to your ears when you're near a safe room was just genius). I was so immersed in the gameplay that I stopped thinking about death for a while (even though I died multiple times each time I played. My dad, who used to watch me play, was very confused.)

It was linear, but not overly restrictive. The characters actions made sense, and the universe was the perfect balance between reality and unreality. I don't want to be That Guy (too late, I'm already making a blog), but why did they change the things I thought were most successful about the game and introduce everything I dislike about games? *Shannon Noll plays plaintively in the distance*

Let's see, they kept the character Sebastian Castellanos, who I never really connected with. But as a *Gamer Girl* I'm not expecting to relate to many of the characters I play. He's more bedraggled now, having spent all his time drinking and crying since coming out of Beacon (same). It was so long between games I honestly forgot the majority of the plot, did he remember Beacon? What happened to his family again? Who knows! (probably everyone reading this post).

They introduced a fuck-ton of cut-scenes, which I personally hate with a burning, fiery passion. Especially since I'm a little hard of hearing, meaning I read through the subtitles before the character is done talking. They also put huge pauses in between each sentence, which isn't realistic to me in a world where hands are coming out of the carpet. A sense of urgency is the least I would expect from these conversations.

As well as the cut-scenes, we got "resonances" which were basically collectibles that I didn't want or care about. It was like I got to experience parts of the storyline that I would've preferred to be a part of, rather than watch some weird, ghost-people die over and over. I always say (this is definitely the first time I've said this), if I spend more time watching clips than engaging in actual game-play, it's not for me. Make a fucking movie!

(I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, if anybody actually reads it).

Anyway, give me feedback if you made it this far. Or don't. I'm only doing this to get a job (but it's proving to be more cathartic than I thought. I'm sure my friends are sick of me griping about weirdly specific horror game problems).

Meredith