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My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture
Penumbra Offline
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#1
My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

Both games were really good, but for some reason after finishing Black Plague, I kept wishing it was more like Overture. So, I did a little analizing to see what parts I liked about each.




Overture

Overture was way more mysterious than Black Plague. You'd go into the mine and have no idea what to expect. I usually hate scarry things, so the only reason I kept playing was to find out what was going on and what happened to Philip's dad. Not to menchon, there were 3 different types of 'new' monsters, so just when you'd get used to one, another will show up.

Now, I also noticed there was a difference in the way things scarred me. Overture would get me scarred and tense with the music and then I'd manage to hold my breath and make it past a monster to a 'safe place' that made me feel calm. Right when I felt safe, BANG, something charges at me or breaks down my barricaid or breaks through a hole in the celing. So, instead of trying to creep you out with blood and grose looking things, Overture gave you 'shocks' that would make you jump.




Black Plague

When I started playing Black Plague I was eager to find out what exatly was going on in this place. After I was a little ways through the game I was begining to be dissapointed because the whole thing was caused by 'deamons' or 'aliens'. (This was shortly after the sewer area) After making it out of the sewers, I had noticed a familar pattern. I was going from place to place to find clues, items, and ect, but for some reason I felt that it was more of a scavenger hunt. Once I had made it into the library, I had no motive to finish the game, I had already found out everything I needed to know. I was expecting to contantly be wondering Why is ______ or How do ______ happen.

Also, our new friend in Black Plague, Clarence, wasn't quite as mysterious as Red was. We knew that he was a 'virus' who had infected Philip. And the ending didn't leave me thinking too much, like Overture did. I guess I was just hoping for more of a mystierious ending.

Now, Black Plague used a different method of scarring us. There was discusting looking monsters, corpse's, and other 'creepy' things. There was never really a 'safe place' that made you feel safe when you actually weren't. Every where you went you knew that there was going to be another zombie. I just feel that there's a difference between 'scarry' and 'creepy'. Overture focused more on scarry and Black Plagues did more creepy than scarry.
06-04-2008, 08:17 PM
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Guyra Offline
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#2
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

There's definetly a huge difference in the way the two games scare you, though I experienced it quite differently than you. I don't feel like going into detail, because I've done so twice today already(one in the TDvsOvsBP thread, another on my DA journal), but I was not really much scared through Black Plague, except for some typical "Boo!" moments, and a couple of other happenings. In Overture, however, I was on the edge all the time. Overture had safe places, and yet they didn't feel safe - Black Plague had too many places that felt safe.

Well, check my post in the other thread if you want to know what I think. Smile
06-04-2008, 08:26 PM
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Penumbra Offline
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#3
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

Well, I guess I described it wrong. I just never got a false sence of saftly like I did in overture. I was either sneaking past a zombie (The zombies stopped also stopped being so scarry after a little ways into the game, which is why I wish that their were newer monsters.) or I was in some room looking for an object or solving a puzzle. I mean, there were lots of 100% safe places, but no places that felt perfectly safe to throw you off guard and then scarre you half to death when something happens. Except of course in the dog kenal, I liked how I started to feel a little safe after I realised there were no dogs in there and then all of the sudden a dead guy falls from the ceiling.
06-04-2008, 08:37 PM
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WindexGlow Offline
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#4
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

In black plague, I actually felt alot safer since I was "Close to the surface" and I could escape. Also the game became a drag after finding philips father..=[

Please -REP me.
Honestly, please do. I want to see how low I can go!!
Ignore that error message too. Just ignore it and keep going to give me -rep.
06-04-2008, 09:00 PM
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m0rtal Offline
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#5
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

WindexGlow Wrote:In black plague, I actually felt alot safer since I was "Close to the surface" and I could escape. Also the game became a drag after finding philips father..=[

true true Sad
its scarier to know that you have to go deeper into the mine and msot of the time, not knowing that a gigantic poop with foot-long fangs is hunting you, than just runing around solving simple puzzles and after "finding philips father" the game lost a bit of its charm. You just had to run around trying to figure out where to go and what to do next Big Grin
06-05-2008, 12:03 AM
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Guyra Offline
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#6
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

Let's just hope what Requiem will bring will improve the general atmosphere. ^^
06-05-2008, 12:49 AM
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ZaRboN
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#7
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

Well, every game of Penumbra has it's speciallity.
They are ALL scary, and everybody agree.
I like them all, I was scared and terrified in all...
06-05-2008, 10:40 PM
Petike Offline
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#8
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

Penumbra Wrote:Both games were really good, but for some reason after finishing Black Plague, I kept wishing it was more like Overture. So, I did a little analizing to see what parts I liked about each.

Now, I also noticed there was a difference in the way things scarred me. Overture would get me scarred and tense with the music and then I'd manage to hold my breath and make it past a monster to a 'safe place' that made me feel calm. Right when I felt safe, BANG, something charges at me or breaks down my barricaid or breaks through a hole in the celing. So, instead of trying to creep you out with blood and grose looking things, Overture gave you 'shocks' that would make you jump.

Now, Black Plague used a different method of scarring us. There was discusting looking monsters, corpse's, and other 'creepy' things. There was never really a 'safe place' that made you feel safe when you actually weren't. Every where you went you knew that there was going to be another zombie. I just feel that there's a difference between 'scarry' and 'creepy'. Overture focused more on scarry and Black Plagues did more creepy than scarry.

Nicely described. :-)

"You... silly Billy !" (Clarence, Penumbra : Black Plague)
06-08-2008, 12:06 AM
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ZaRboN
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#9
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

Petike Wrote:
ZaRboN Wrote:Well, every game of Penumbra has it's speciallity.
They are ALL scary, and everybody agree.
I like them all, I was scared and terrified in all...

Nicely described. :-)

Thank you, my good mate!
(This post was last modified: 06-11-2008, 10:48 PM by cool4345.)
06-11-2008, 10:47 PM
eliasfrost Offline
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#10
RE: My thoughts on Black Plague vs. Overture

It's very easy to understand that you changed the quote by looking at difference between that post and the one above. Wink

[Image: indiedb_88x31.png]
06-11-2008, 10:52 PM
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