Obscure

Or rather, ObsCure. Both are pretty relevant.


My boyfriend Steven and I have been playing ObsCure: The Aftermath recently. My first Aftermath experience was back when I was a Sophomore in high school. I knew that I'd be entertaining a friend of mine for the night and that was my way of saving my ass, you see. I was horribly awkward back in those days -- and, admittedly, still kind of am -- but with a game to play, we would at least have something to talk about if it sucked, know what I mean? No losing! It turned out to be a fantastic play-with-your-friends kind of game.
The writing is pretty terrible and the characters aren't anyone you'd regret not saving, but this game has a lot of good ideas. The graphics could probably be better, yet, it's still provocative enough to throw you for a loop or two. Or, in my case, right out of your boyfriend's lap. Some of the shots are downright brilliant. There's a part of the game where the character Jun has literally been knocked out of a fucking window down to the cellar. 
Up until this point, you've been playing as her twin sister and their friend, running on a time limit as her health bar ticks away at the top of the screen, trying to navigate college dorms with no direction whatsoever. Well, when you do find her, the window thing happens. You have to kill the creep that did it, then head down to the security desk. From there, Player Two (Steven) had to control the cameras and Player One (Me) had to play as Jun, trying to find her way out of a labyrinth of endless halls and hundreds of doors. 


None of the doors will open. 
You feel like you're running out of time. 
You can't access your inventory, so you have no health packs. 
You only have a baseball bat to fight with.
The cameras are at fixed angles, limiting your view.
That bloody music is kicking it into full throttle!
And speaking of the ambiance, you can hear. people. sobbing. 


You think you're finally making progress, then, at a juncture, you get cornered by the same type of mutant that tossed your ass down there in the first place -- who, by the way, is one of the hardest fuckers to kill in the game -- oh, and, look more doors! He beats you within inches of your life, just before your bat decides to be effective, then you have to limp the rest of the way out. Jun reaches her destination, but that's about all she does, while you're sitting there kissing the top of your controller, you're so tensed up.  


There was a lot of potential packed into that Playstation 2 disc, without a doubt. 


The music was undoubtedly the best part of this game. It would swell up, leaving your heart pounding, waiting for the next attack -- only to realize, "Oh. An empty room. Why did I get so freaked out!?" (Then, a split moment later, when you have that false sense of security? "Your ass is mine, PRETTY BOY!" says the mass of ornery mutilated flesh with working limbs. But, anyway.) The composer, Olivier Derviere, is fantastic. He did the music for both ObsCure's, some pirate game, and Alone in the Dark, which Steven argues is one of the worst games in creation. I've never played it but I'll take his word. 
It's really sad, because Olivier hasn't really gotten any work outside of those four games, to my knowledge, and he really is an incredibly talented individual. He uses soundfonts for everything but the creepy vocals, which are done by a french choir. There are layers upon layers, never an empty moment in his music -- unless he wants it to be. In which case, hold your piss, it becomes so empty that it's effectively eery.


You can download his work from this website: 

http://www.ameoprod.com/site/soundtrack

The ObsCure soundtracks are free, but you have to purchase the other two.

He also has a SoundCloud, if you're interested:

http://soundcloud.com/olivier-deriviere 

When I first purchased this game, I didn't realize that it was a sequel. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have gotten it, to be honest. I'm usually pretty anal about things like that. "I have to play it in order!" You know. But! ObsCure, the first game, is incredibly hard to find. Whenever it is in stock at Gamestop, it's apparently around 20$ -- which slays me.


Are there any games, preferably for Playstation 2, that you would recommend we play? I love horror survival, just because that means we can tack up a blanket over the window if it's day time and creep each other out. Don't limit your responses to two-player games, either. We don't mind taking turns. One night, we must have spent hours trying to beat this online game. What was it called? Deflector! Crazy hard game, but super fun. We've been playing Lego Star Wars, too. Steven's a bit of a completionist, so we spend a good measure of our time collecting bolts, haha. (Not complaining, just teasing~.)


Welp. I hope you've enjoyed this excursion 

just beyond the grey, 

but I must be heading out. The real world needs me! 

Thank you again for reading. Please come check by another time! Blessed be.

Humbly, 

Shannon Grey

P.S. Ostara turned out great. And? A very talented artist from The Tattoo Company has contacted me to see when I'll be stopping by. At the beginning of the month, I introduced myself to him as a prospective apprentice and he really liked my work. I can't wait~! It's such an exciting idea. I hope it all works out in the end. Or, at the very least, I learn some useful tips of the trade! (: