“And the award for most drastically changed franchise goes to …”
If there was a theme to 2012, I’d describe it thus: Developers making massive changes to established franchises while crowds of fans bellow defiance from the rafters. Fortunately, fans of prophetically-titled, PS2-era survival horror game, ObsCure, are so rare they deserve their own wildlife reservation and breeding program, which means there probably won’t be too much angry hooting at the announcement that the series’ third installment is a self-referential, sidescrolling brawler. For comparison, this is the original game.
The developer behind the original two ObsCure games, Hydravision Entertainment, went bankrupt last year, taking an unreleased third game with it. The franchise has been picked up by Mighty Rocket Studios, which just so happens to be chock full of former Hydravision staff.
ObsCure’s core theme – a gaggle of teenage horror movie clichés banding together to fight the supernatural – is still intact, but gone are the realistic graphics, tank-like controls and serious presentation of the original games. In their place we get a brightly colored brawler that’s “drenched in the blood and caustic humor inspired by the teen and horror movie genres.” The co-op, which is what really set ObsCure apart from the competition, is still present; players can make their way through non-linear levels in either local or online co-op modes, with each of the four characters boasting unique attacks that can be upgraded via light RPG elements.
ObsCure is due out on PS, PC and Xbox this spring.
Source: Focus Home Interactive
