the overall story is pretty whatever, and i think the first one has a more striking aesthetic, but the gameplay in this one is miles better and just a ton of fun.

what i really want to talk about though is the early chapter (and some smaller later ones) where it's basically an open world horror game, and it's fantastic. running around the neighborhood, stumbling upon little horror vignettes, trying to sneak past enemies i had no idea how to handle, the weird ice ghost memory one-hit kill lady showing up out of nowhere... please devs i'm begging you, open world horror! make more of these! they're so good!

I really disliked the first one to be honest.

Weirdly enough: this one is a great improvement to the first one and fixes a lot of the beef I had with the first one!

The gameplay is better! Our protag got a backstory that matters! The lady cop DOES SHIT IN THE MAIN GAME GASP! The enemies are memorable and fun!

Sadly, this one didn't get an artbook which is a shame because of all the beautiful settings and scenes it puts the player in. It also tries itself on an actual plot twist that kind of works and had me at one point even emotionally invested. It takes itself not as seriously when it comes to its plot, which doesn't mean that it leaks heart.

But at this point I call fo every videogame dad to chip their kid and put them on a leash. I'm sick of saving your crotch goblins! Next time, just make a new one! :/

...This was a joke. I like bad jokes. Sorry.

So yeah, if you played the first one and didn't like it this one is actually better and it's sad to say we will probably never get a third one. :/

ive always felt the first evil within represented a pitifully directed attempt at something of a horror anthology, mikamis mythic final shot at a title that cobbled together the familiar imagery of his deific body of work with over a dozen new and incohesive ideas that ended up fitting together about as well as a broken jigsaw puzzle. it's one of the rawest disappointments in the medium; its successor replaces the originals dim and misguided attempts to foster a thrilling, psychological weight with a riproaring extravaganza through shattered suburbia and dingy back-alleys infected with competing egos and the subconscious. it's a modern title that perfectly replicates the tone and thrust of classic resident evil's brand of stark horror and schmaltzy optimism; if that doesn't appeal to you, i understand, but it's such a treat in modern gaming to be able to actively and sincerely cheer for a protagonists relatively unambitious goals and his raimi-esque awakening to fearlessness. ends up asking some unique questions of its own, too - just a really memorable package overall, one that i feel is way too easy to dismiss for some. in narrative structure it unabashedly wears resident evil 4 on its sleeve, too, and this is primarily worth mentioning because it's one of the few derivatives with the confidence to stand on its own and to not have me questioning if i should abandon all further engagement to go and replay resident evil 4 instead. its gameplay loop overextends its warm welcome but it is a surprisingly taut title until that point, and the open-district form led to some stirring surprises. removing mikami from the helm seemed like this burgeoning franchise's death knell, but in this instance it's a strong argument for allowing new talent to step in and try their hand at the craft

Have to say I liked the first one more. Usually that's not the case in video games. Unlike movies, the sequel is usually better. This one somehow felt even more like a rip off of Resident Evil 4.

Story wise you're a law enforcement agent that's sent to a mysterious, creepy, zombie filled world to rescue a girl. That's the exact premise of RE4. They're not even pretending it's anything different this time around.

The first one was scarier and more memorable with better creature designs. The final boss in The Evil Within 2 is one my least favorite video game clichés of all time. The giant, immobile boss that's fixed to the background. God it feels like every single game has that. The fact that you know from the get go that you're in some sort of matrix like machine takes away much of the horror and intrigue from the first. Then the top dog of Mobius is an agent Smith rip off and he has a bunch of agent goons.

But besides being so damn derivative of RE4 and The Matrix at least it's really well polished, plays well, and is a bunch of fun. It looks great too. An obvious upgrade over the first which I played on ps3. Terrific art design and well acted voice work even though they replaced the actor for the main character.

Less derivative and rather more inspired than the first game, The Evil Within 2 is a major improvement in terms of graphics and gameplay, adding The Last Of Us to it's reference material alongside the usual Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
My only real beef is that the story feels somehow even less compelling, just a simple 'get from A to B' structure to find your daughter, who all of a sudden exists. The open world exploration added some interesting discoveries but admittedly the first game succeeds more in its claustrophobia and unpredictable swings of tension.

A lot of dumb zombie bullshit for what amounts to the custody battle for the ages! Anyways, so much of this contains strong, superficially creative threads but overall lacks the off-kilter direction and wonky tone that defined the unforgettable unpredictability of the previous entry; despite its detrimental flaws that is. However this sequel definitely feels like an attempt to gradually parse out the downright inscrutability of the first while remaining accessible enough for the masses. It is actually quite successful at that for the most part as it adopts a uniquely open world survival horror mold. It is unfortunate that much of the material that fills this mold is more of the same shit you see in most other AAA titles, but that this tries something bold from the get is interesting. Its linear portions are propulsive and slowly progressing through the open areas had its rewards. Its a shame that this gameplay loop runs its course by the midway point (you'll know exactly when lol) and by then you still have at least another eight hours of story to trudge through. This beast is just entirely too long. All in all though it remains a AAA horror blockbuster devoted to actual ideas and character development and world building so for me, that is enough to warrant a single playthrough even if it relies too much on this bland functionality over the radical artistry of the first. I doubt I'll ponder on it much after a few days but I'd recommend it to those that need something competently creepy and gratifying but unlike its predecessor, not completely oppressive and unapproachable. It's a fun time waster.

I had more fun in my initial playthrough of this game than the first, and it has all the same charm, but I'm reluctant to say it's better. Instead of blending horror and action into a thrillingly tight experience like the first game, it goes for a more relaxed style where you can take your time exploring open world segments. The first game wanted to be a fast-paced trip through a variety of horror setpieces, so a dreamlike world was a great way to bind the pieces together, but it's less tailor-made for the premise of the sequel. Turning that dream world into a relatively stable environment with lower variety still allows for some interesting moments, but the uniqueness was certainly lessened, and the resulting methodical pacing prevents the sort of intensity that characterized the first game. It does have some unique strengths of its own though, being smoother the whole way through and much more impressive on a technical level. The writing is also surprisingly strong for a game even tangentially associated with Shinji Mikami, and Sebastian Castellanos is one of my favorite game protagonists in recent memory. I had a ton of fun with The Evil Within 2, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it's one of my favorites of the year, it just didn't go in an unambiguously positive direction overall.

Easily one of my favorite horror games of all time. It took the weak story/character focus, the only complaint I had about the first Evil Within and improved upon it ten-fold by giving Sebastian much more personality and making the game have a strong emphasis on story.

The Evil Within 2 managed to not only be one of the most cinematic survival horror games ever developed, but also has one of the best written psychological stories in a game and it still has incredible gameplay mechanics to boot so it never feels like you're just watching a movie and not playing a game, gorgeous artwork, a fantastic score, a vibrant quasi open world with side quests and secondary characters that actually have impact on the story and world around Sebastian. It's the perfect mixture of Resident Evil 4 action, Silent Hill 2 atmospheric, psychological horror and the Last of Us stealth and cinematic experience.

The only very minor complaints I can say about this game are I prefer the atmosphere in the first game more and this game is also a lot easier and less punishing as the first. Still when everything else about the game is as great as it is, I'm easily able to overlook those things.