Frag Maniac
Well-Known Member
***Warning, some Minor (non story related) Spoilers***
I have already finished a playthrough on Standard mode, and I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised by this remake. I would go as far as saying it's the best remake I've ever played. They've kept some of the classic battles the same or very similar, but much of the game is so reinvented it keeps you guessing on your first playthrough.
Compared to the negatives I've read about the new sneak kill option, I was surprised it can be used in a lot of places, even after some enemies in the same area have spotted you. I even stealth killed a Brute at the farm just before the village on my first playthrough. At the fish farm on this playthrough though, I did not get the stealth kill prompt when sneaking up behind one, though it may have been that I was in view of a guy with a crossbow up high.
The enemy AI is fairly complex in that sometimes the enemies at the other end of the fish farm for example will be already spawned by the time you take out the ones on the opposite end you start at. Other times they will spawn in at the other end as you approach it, and they can also spawn in back at the starting end as you circle back while scavenging.
Knife strategy comes into play more in this remake, since you can do a fair bit of sneak killing with it. At times I am reluctant to block attacks for fear of it wearing down the knife, but I'm not sure if blocks even damage it. I wound up with just enough knife stability at the fish farm though, as it literally broke on the very last enemy after killing her as she was trying to mutate. You also have backup knives you can find like boot knives and kitchen knives, but they wear faster and aren't as powerful. The backup knives can also be used to make bolts for the new Bolt Thrower.
This first one is a mix of stealth and open combat, the latter of which utilizes a ladder top choke point. I can never get enough of seeing the burly Brutes lose their balance and fall off the ledge after I pummel them with shotgun rounds. It feels easier to avoid the stumps in the lake when battling Del Lago in this remake, as the boat steers a LOT more responsively. He can very quickly turn 180 and lunge at the boat though, so you must be ready for that or the boat will take damage. You also can't swim to the boat if you get knocked out of it by the boss or hitting stumps, which is why it's important to avoid capsizing. It's hard to believe this guy started life as a miniscule salamander!
Searching the fish farm for boat fuel, and battling Del Lago!
This one I call Mining For Some Heart Palpitating Gold. The flash bang comes in really handy here to deal with this first nasty encounter with mutating dogs. However I had later come to regret that I neglected to buy the recipe to craft them. This starts out as a backtrack to find a Small Key to unlock a drawer that has the treasure. Small Keys are one of the things in this game that are seemingly simple, with less valuable treasure to find, yet they cleverly hide them and that treasure can add up if you miss it.
Revisiting the Lakeside Settlement for loot!
At first I thought they left out the dog that you can rescue from a bear trap, whom then later comes to help you with this boss. It turned out they just put him in a bit later in a different spot. This is where I was wishing I had a flash grenade or two to get in one or two easy melee attacks after stunning him with them. In reality though, the only reason I took damage from him was I wasn't patient enough to let him come near me at one end before running to the other. I had that in sync pretty well the first half of the fight, but you need to change up your pacing if he stumbles around, I didn't, and paid for it. However the final time he damaged me he nearly instantly pounced on me from the other end, I did NOT see that coming. Luckily I had plenty of eggs from my feathered friends at the chicken farm on the other side of the lake!
Defeating the first giant El Gigante!
BTW, I did some more testing on sneak killing Brutes and have verified that if another enemy is seeing you while you try it, despite the Brute not being alerted, you won't get the prompt. If not seen by another while trying it though you can definitely sneak kill Brutes on Hardcore mode too.
I like this formula, it's not at all like the cheap hive mind AI many games use, and I think it's befitting zombies to be a bit clueless at times if only one of their kind sees an enemy. I have recorded some more footage, including passing back through the Village at night after rescuing Ashley, and it's mostly done with stealth, including a Brute.
I have already finished a playthrough on Standard mode, and I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised by this remake. I would go as far as saying it's the best remake I've ever played. They've kept some of the classic battles the same or very similar, but much of the game is so reinvented it keeps you guessing on your first playthrough.
Compared to the negatives I've read about the new sneak kill option, I was surprised it can be used in a lot of places, even after some enemies in the same area have spotted you. I even stealth killed a Brute at the farm just before the village on my first playthrough. At the fish farm on this playthrough though, I did not get the stealth kill prompt when sneaking up behind one, though it may have been that I was in view of a guy with a crossbow up high.
The enemy AI is fairly complex in that sometimes the enemies at the other end of the fish farm for example will be already spawned by the time you take out the ones on the opposite end you start at. Other times they will spawn in at the other end as you approach it, and they can also spawn in back at the starting end as you circle back while scavenging.
Knife strategy comes into play more in this remake, since you can do a fair bit of sneak killing with it. At times I am reluctant to block attacks for fear of it wearing down the knife, but I'm not sure if blocks even damage it. I wound up with just enough knife stability at the fish farm though, as it literally broke on the very last enemy after killing her as she was trying to mutate. You also have backup knives you can find like boot knives and kitchen knives, but they wear faster and aren't as powerful. The backup knives can also be used to make bolts for the new Bolt Thrower.
This first one is a mix of stealth and open combat, the latter of which utilizes a ladder top choke point. I can never get enough of seeing the burly Brutes lose their balance and fall off the ledge after I pummel them with shotgun rounds. It feels easier to avoid the stumps in the lake when battling Del Lago in this remake, as the boat steers a LOT more responsively. He can very quickly turn 180 and lunge at the boat though, so you must be ready for that or the boat will take damage. You also can't swim to the boat if you get knocked out of it by the boss or hitting stumps, which is why it's important to avoid capsizing. It's hard to believe this guy started life as a miniscule salamander!
Searching the fish farm for boat fuel, and battling Del Lago!
This one I call Mining For Some Heart Palpitating Gold. The flash bang comes in really handy here to deal with this first nasty encounter with mutating dogs. However I had later come to regret that I neglected to buy the recipe to craft them. This starts out as a backtrack to find a Small Key to unlock a drawer that has the treasure. Small Keys are one of the things in this game that are seemingly simple, with less valuable treasure to find, yet they cleverly hide them and that treasure can add up if you miss it.
Revisiting the Lakeside Settlement for loot!
At first I thought they left out the dog that you can rescue from a bear trap, whom then later comes to help you with this boss. It turned out they just put him in a bit later in a different spot. This is where I was wishing I had a flash grenade or two to get in one or two easy melee attacks after stunning him with them. In reality though, the only reason I took damage from him was I wasn't patient enough to let him come near me at one end before running to the other. I had that in sync pretty well the first half of the fight, but you need to change up your pacing if he stumbles around, I didn't, and paid for it. However the final time he damaged me he nearly instantly pounced on me from the other end, I did NOT see that coming. Luckily I had plenty of eggs from my feathered friends at the chicken farm on the other side of the lake!
Defeating the first giant El Gigante!
BTW, I did some more testing on sneak killing Brutes and have verified that if another enemy is seeing you while you try it, despite the Brute not being alerted, you won't get the prompt. If not seen by another while trying it though you can definitely sneak kill Brutes on Hardcore mode too.
I like this formula, it's not at all like the cheap hive mind AI many games use, and I think it's befitting zombies to be a bit clueless at times if only one of their kind sees an enemy. I have recorded some more footage, including passing back through the Village at night after rescuing Ashley, and it's mostly done with stealth, including a Brute.