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Obscure (video game)

May 02, 2024

Obscure (stylized as ObsCure) is a survival horror video game developed by Hydravision Entertainment and published by DreamCatcher Interactive[1] in North America, Ubisoft in China and MC2-Microïds in other territories for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was released on October 1, 2004 in Europe and on April 6, 2005 in North America.

Obscure
North American PC cover art
Developer(s)Hydravision Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Director(s)
  • Desmond Oku 
Designer(s)Emmanuel Horrent
Programmer(s)Lionel Fumery
Artist(s)Anthony Lejeune
Composer(s)Olivier Deriviere
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)
Release
  • EU: October 1, 2004
  • NA: April 6, 2005
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Synopsis edit

Characters and setting edit

Obscure follows five students of Leafmore High School as they investigate strange happenings, with players being able to control one at a time while the others are controlled by a computer or second player. The playable students are Josh Carter (voiced by Sam Riegel), a shy and reserved reporter for the school paper who can determine if there are unfinished tasks in an area; Stanley "Stan" Jones (voiced by Scott Haze); a drug addict, thief, and hacker as well as a friend of Josh and Kenny who can pick locks and break into rooms more easily than the other characters; varsity athlete Kenny Matthews (voiced by Liam O'Brien); Shannon Matthews (voiced by Stephanie Sheh), Kenny's intelligent younger sister who provides tips to solve puzzles more quickly, heal the others, and recover more health with normal health items; and Ashley Thompson (voiced by Tara Platt), Kenny's cheerleader girlfriend who is more proficient with weaponry than the others. While investigating Leafmore, the students encounter Principal Herbert Friedman, who kidnaps students to turn them into monsters; Dan, a student and one of his test subjects; school nurse and Friedman's accomplice Elisabeth Wickson; teacher Professor Walden; and Herbert's mutated twin brother and Elisabeth's husband Leonard.

Plot edit

Upon learning their friend Kenny has gone missing, Josh, Stan, Shannon, and Ashley set out to find him. However, their search leads to them being locked in Leafmore High overnight. While searching the campus, they are attacked by photosensitive monsters that can be weakened with flashlights and killed by direct sunlight. Meanwhile, Kenny encounters a fellow student named Dan. They attempt to escape together, but Dan is killed by one of the monsters.

The students eventually discover a conspiracy surrounding Principal Friedman, who has been kidnapping students and infecting them with spores derived from a rare African plant called Mortifilia under the belief that it will allow them to live forever. Additionally, they learn that Herbert and his accomplice Elisabeth are over 100 years old despite appearing in their 60s after successfully experimenting on each other. Along the way, the students become exposed to the spores while Herbert is killed by Professor Walden, who seeks to cure himself of his infection. Upon seeing this, Herbert's brother Leonard grows enraged, kills Walden, and mutates into a large, monstrous form, only to be defeated by the students. The group return to the gym to inject themselves with a cure. Though Leonard returns to attack them, they defeat him once more and leave him to die in the sunlight.

Gameplay edit

Obscure has a two-player cooperative mode that allows the player to complete the campaign with a friend. The game also allows players to combine items, for example taping a flashlight to any firearm. Some critics, including X-Play, have stated that this was the only redeeming quality, and mocked id's Doom 3 for not implementing such a concept.

While each character has special abilities, none of them are necessary to complete the game. Each character can perform the same physical acts even if it takes some characters longer and/or more effort than others. If any characters die during the adventure, the player may simply continue with those remaining.

Reception edit

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[18][19][20]

Sequels and future edit

Main article: Obscure II

Obscure II takes place two years later. The kids who survived are now at college living normal lives. They discover a strange plant on campus and things start going awry. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Wii and PlayStation Portable. The franchise was abruptly halted due to the closure of Hydravision Entertainment, who had intended to do a sequel and possibly a prequel.[citation needed]

A third entry was announced in 2011. However, the following year, its developer, Hydravision Entertainment closed. While a group of developers formed a new company, Mighty Rocket Studio, decided to continue work on the game, the change of direction to more non-horror action-oriented gameplay caused them rename the game to Final Exam (2013).[21][22]

In 2014, a high definition remaster of Obscure and its sequel was re-released on Steam featuring Steam achievements, leaderboards and community support. This version of Obscure removed music from Sum 41 due to the rights being lost.[citation needed][clarification needed]

References edit

  1. ^ . GameSpot. April 6, 2005. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  2. ^ Cook, Denice (July–August 2005). "Obscure" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 253. p. 88. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  3. ^ Reed, Kristan (September 29, 2004). "Obscure (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Mason, Lisa (June 2005). . Game Informer. No. 146. p. 127. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  5. ^ Todd, Brett (April 19, 2005). "Obscure Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Todd, Brett (April 19, 2005). "Obscure Review (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  7. ^ Hodgson, David (March 28, 2005). . GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  8. ^ Hodgson, David (March 28, 2005). . GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 18, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  9. ^ Aceinet (April 17, 2005). "Obscure - PC - Review". GameZone. from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Bedigian, Louis (April 24, 2005). "Obscure - PS2 - Review". GameZone. from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  11. ^ David, Mike (April 13, 2005). "Obscure - XB - Review". GameZone. from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Dunham, Jeremy (April 6, 2005). "Obscure (PS2, Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "Obscure". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. June 2005. p. 95.
  14. ^ "Obscure". Official Xbox Magazine. June 2005. p. 81.
  15. ^ "Obscure". PC Gamer. July 2005. p. 62.
  16. ^ Huschka, Ryan; Newman, Heather; Gardner, Omari (May 15, 2005). . Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Ring, Bennett (November 6, 2004). "Great concept". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Obscure for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Obscure for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Obscure for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  21. ^ https://gamerant.com/canceled-3ds-games/#obscure-d
  22. ^ https://www.gamereactor.eu/the-story-of-final-exam-obscure-wasnt-a-good-name-any-more/

External links edit

May 02, 2024
obscure, video, game, obscure, stylized, obscure, survival, horror, video, game, developed, hydravision, entertainment, published, dreamcatcher, interactive, north, america, ubisoft, china, microïds, other, territories, microsoft, windows, playstation, xbox, r. Obscure stylized as ObsCure is a survival horror video game developed by Hydravision Entertainment and published by DreamCatcher Interactive 1 in North America Ubisoft in China and MC2 Microids in other territories for Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 and Xbox It was released on October 1 2004 in Europe and on April 6 2005 in North America ObscureNorth American PC cover artDeveloper s Hydravision EntertainmentPublisher s EU MC2 MicroidsNA DreamCatcher InteractiveDirector s Desmond Oku Designer s Emmanuel HorrentProgrammer s Lionel FumeryArtist s Anthony LejeuneComposer s Olivier DeriviereEngineRenderWarePlatform s PlayStation 2WindowsXboxReleaseEU October 1 2004NA April 6 2005Genre s Survival horrorMode s Single player multiplayer Contents 1 Synopsis 1 1 Characters and setting 1 2 Plot 2 Gameplay 3 Reception 4 Sequels and future 5 References 6 External linksSynopsis editCharacters and setting edit Obscure follows five students of Leafmore High School as they investigate strange happenings with players being able to control one at a time while the others are controlled by a computer or second player The playable students are Josh Carter voiced by Sam Riegel a shy and reserved reporter for the school paper who can determine if there are unfinished tasks in an area Stanley Stan Jones voiced by Scott Haze a drug addict thief and hacker as well as a friend of Josh and Kenny who can pick locks and break into rooms more easily than the other characters varsity athlete Kenny Matthews voiced by Liam O Brien Shannon Matthews voiced by Stephanie Sheh Kenny s intelligent younger sister who provides tips to solve puzzles more quickly heal the others and recover more health with normal health items and Ashley Thompson voiced by Tara Platt Kenny s cheerleader girlfriend who is more proficient with weaponry than the others While investigating Leafmore the students encounter Principal Herbert Friedman who kidnaps students to turn them into monsters Dan a student and one of his test subjects school nurse and Friedman s accomplice Elisabeth Wickson teacher Professor Walden and Herbert s mutated twin brother and Elisabeth s husband Leonard Plot edit Upon learning their friend Kenny has gone missing Josh Stan Shannon and Ashley set out to find him However their search leads to them being locked in Leafmore High overnight While searching the campus they are attacked by photosensitive monsters that can be weakened with flashlights and killed by direct sunlight Meanwhile Kenny encounters a fellow student named Dan They attempt to escape together but Dan is killed by one of the monsters The students eventually discover a conspiracy surrounding Principal Friedman who has been kidnapping students and infecting them with spores derived from a rare African plant called Mortifilia under the belief that it will allow them to live forever Additionally they learn that Herbert and his accomplice Elisabeth are over 100 years old despite appearing in their 60s after successfully experimenting on each other Along the way the students become exposed to the spores while Herbert is killed by Professor Walden who seeks to cure himself of his infection Upon seeing this Herbert s brother Leonard grows enraged kills Walden and mutates into a large monstrous form only to be defeated by the students The group return to the gym to inject themselves with a cure Though Leonard returns to attack them they defeat him once more and leave him to die in the sunlight Gameplay editObscure has a two player cooperative mode that allows the player to complete the campaign with a friend The game also allows players to combine items for example taping a flashlight to any firearm Some critics including X Play have stated that this was the only redeeming quality and mocked id s Doom 3 for not implementing such a concept While each character has special abilities none of them are necessary to complete the game Each character can perform the same physical acts even if it takes some characters longer and or more effort than others If any characters die during the adventure the player may simply continue with those remaining Reception editReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScorePCPS2XboxMetacritic63 100 18 65 100 19 66 100 20 Review scoresPublicationScorePCPS2XboxEurogamerN AN A7 10 3 Game InformerN A6 10 4 6 10 4 GameSpot6 1 10 5 6 4 10 6 6 4 10 6 GameSpyN A nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 7 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 8 GameZone6 7 10 9 6 10 10 6 7 10 11 IGNN A7 6 10 12 7 6 10 12 Official U S PlayStation MagazineN A nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 13 N AOfficial Xbox Magazine US N AN A5 5 10 14 PC Gamer US 78 15 N AN ADetroit Free PressN A nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 16 N AThe Sydney Morning Herald nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 17 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 17 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 17 The game received mixed or average reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic 18 19 20 Sequels and future editMain article Obscure II Obscure II takes place two years later The kids who survived are now at college living normal lives They discover a strange plant on campus and things start going awry The game was released for Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Wii and PlayStation Portable The franchise was abruptly halted due to the closure of Hydravision Entertainment who had intended to do a sequel and possibly a prequel citation needed A third entry was announced in 2011 However the following year its developer Hydravision Entertainment closed While a group of developers formed a new company Mighty Rocket Studio decided to continue work on the game the change of direction to more non horror action oriented gameplay caused them rename the game to Final Exam 2013 21 22 In 2014 a high definition remaster of Obscure and its sequel was re released on Steam featuring Steam achievements leaderboards and community support This version of Obscure removed music from Sum 41 due to the rights being lost citation needed clarification needed References edit DreamCatcher Ships Obscure in North America GameSpot April 6 2005 Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved December 3 2016 Cook Denice July August 2005 Obscure PDF Computer Gaming World No 253 p 88 Retrieved December 3 2016 Reed Kristan September 29 2004 Obscure Xbox Eurogamer Retrieved December 3 2016 a b Mason Lisa June 2005 Obscure PS2 Xbox Game Informer No 146 p 127 Archived from the original on April 9 2008 Retrieved December 3 2016 Todd Brett April 19 2005 Obscure Review PC GameSpot Retrieved December 3 2016 a b Todd Brett April 19 2005 Obscure Review PS2 Xbox GameSpot Retrieved December 3 2016 Hodgson David March 28 2005 GameSpy Obscure PS2 GameSpy Archived from the original on December 16 2005 Retrieved December 3 2016 Hodgson David March 28 2005 GameSpy Obscure Xbox GameSpy Archived from the original on December 18 2005 Retrieved December 3 2016 Aceinet April 17 2005 Obscure PC Review GameZone Archived from the original on October 2 2008 Retrieved December 3 2016 Bedigian Louis April 24 2005 Obscure PS2 Review GameZone Archived from the original on October 5 2008 Retrieved December 3 2016 David Mike April 13 2005 Obscure XB Review GameZone Archived from the original on May 13 2008 Retrieved December 3 2016 a b Dunham Jeremy April 6 2005 Obscure PS2 Xbox IGN Retrieved December 3 2016 Obscure Official U S PlayStation Magazine June 2005 p 95 Obscure Official Xbox Magazine June 2005 p 81 Obscure PC Gamer July 2005 p 62 Huschka Ryan Newman Heather Gardner Omari May 15 2005 RECENT VIDEO GAME RELEASES Detroit Free Press Archived from the original on December 20 2016 Retrieved December 3 2016 a b c Ring Bennett November 6 2004 Great concept The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved December 3 2016 a b Obscure for PC Reviews Metacritic Retrieved December 3 2016 a b Obscure for PlayStation 2 Reviews Metacritic Retrieved December 3 2016 a b Obscure for Xbox Reviews Metacritic Retrieved December 3 2016 https gamerant com canceled 3ds games obscure d https www gamereactor eu the story of final exam obscure wasnt a good name any more External links editOfficial website at Microids archived from the original Archived 2011 05 26 at the Wayback Machine Obscure at MobyGames Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Obscure video game amp oldid 1220878418, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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