Mid-2000s Teen Horror (On Campus) | The ObsCure Series

[@BoulderPunch]

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[@thespianmask]

You really got the 2000s vibe from this, complete with the teen characters not looking like teens at all, just like in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie.

[@HotProbs]

The high school movie trope isn't as prevalent in pop culture anymore because big budget comedies don't get made anymore. Studios stay away from them, as they aren't reliable at returning their budgets. So we get big budget releases of superhero stuff and already known intellectual properties.

[@rustyshackleford6533]

well the majority of people watching movies are in their 40s

[@Artersa]

Mmm I don’t see any real causation here. That implies big budget comedies are literally the only reason high school is represented in film. Maybe they kept it going along, but if we get big budget comedies again I don’t foresee us suddenly having high schools in pop culture.

[@TrinSpin]

I wonder if another reason we don't see high school movies is the recent push to reclassify teenagers as children

[@HotProbs]

@@Artersa Not just comedies, that was just the one that popped up in my mind to get my point across. I suppose horror would be up there. Though in making a horror film it would be in one's best interest to make the characters adult; so that it's easier to kill them off in awful ways. Thus not set around a high school.

[@NN-pe6ip]

You couldn't make a typical high school movie that was made pre-2016 today, it wouldn't be PC enough.

[@aihereplia]

At 4:35, the cutscene also changes depending on if you make it to the ladder or not. If you do, Kenny will climb up the ladder, but the manhole will be block just when he's about to reach it and you'll see his "last" scream. If not, you'd just see empty ladder and hear his scream in the distant. It's a minor change but it's still cool to learn about it since people can easily miss. I had quite a fun time with my friend playing the first one through steam's remote play, but I couldn't stomach the second one's camera at all.

[@JanJansen985]

4:22 "You fell for it too? The are no single MILFs in your area, its a scam."

[@stitchfan93]

Glad to see the Obscure series get reviewed and recognised 😊

[@jamesabernethy7896]

This and The Thing are some of my favourite Xbox titles. The Thing is getting a remaster and I hope this gets one too.

[@llab3903]

@@jamesabernethy7896it won’t. This is by no means a popular game. The thing is a clut classic

[@dylancole3430]

I was in elementary school when the faculty came out and i freaking loved it. It was basically a dramatization of a day at my brothers high-school plus some aliens.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

From the UK but this setting seemed so familiar through movies. I got the Faculty on VHS only a little before getting the game. Both stick in my head because of their similarities.

[@xityarxip]

@@jamesabernethy7896 Eastern Europe, my case was a specific high school that was corrupt, from the director to everyone else, all questionable people, we even had a court case but we were dismissed basically the whole system was corrupt and against us, due to this I never finished high school it was bad luck really since there were plenty of other schools that were normal. It was a bummer but I overcome it all fast because A: I didn't needed a diploma to work my jobs (for decades this was a case now not so much ...) B: I started to work day one out of school ironically in the same shop where we had our practice classes (idk how you call this in English) So I was working and moved on, fast forward some years later Obscure came out so finally tried it with a friend arount the time the 2nd game was about to be released and ended up liking it same for right after the 2nd game too. In conclusion all that corny stuff aside I completely fell into the atmosphere of the game due to the same setting backgrounds I had in my high school inrl, corrupt individuals shady stuff going on and nobody to turn to for help. It was the same stuff, so I resonated with the characters or story a lot. The only difference is that this is horror sci fi while luckily that stuff wasnt part of my school days XD

[@geoffreygorgonzola248]

soundtrack for the first obscure is phenomenal

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I really liked the soundtrack, the Span video on the Xbox Disc was great. I ended up getting the Album.

[@Marksmarcabre]

Even though I already saw TotallyPointlessTV's video on the game, you still managed to make this one extremely entertaining as well! Time to rewatch this for 3 hours!

[@treetheoak8313]

Bruh when he mentioned you can give the ai buddy your x ray gun to make the game trivial I felt so dumb to never think of that.

[@Unlikekillakay]

My wife and I still listen to Still Waiting and get reminded of when we played this together. So awesome

[@Szokynyovics]

Goddamit, I was looking for that song for so long after hearing it in the game trailer and years later accidentally bumped into the band... 😂

[@torshec8634]

A Video Obscurus about an obscure video game series, Obscure! Both games deserve the Remaster treatment.

[@GiftedVisionary]

ground up remake 4 player online coop. this and outbreak need their redemption.

[@andyf3269]

I graduated in 2005. I got to watch and witness everything you are talking about in this video. Also I have a particular nostalgia feeling in my head anytime I look back at say mid 90’s to 2000’s

[@hardbody2072]

As a big fan of Boulder Punch and someone who watches all of his vids this is one of the best, really shows why BoulderPunch stands out amongst other KZbin rs in this genre, so much interesting info on Obscure i never knew

[@MrGreenToS]

13:04 Olivier Deriviere is so good, this was his first gig in the ost video game realm and would later on do the ost for Dying Light 2, A Plague Tale series, Vampyr and the underrated Get Even.

[@fx7105]

He did remember me too! The music flows depending on how good you are in combat it's amazing

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Thank you for covering this game. I've said some of this already in various replies in the comments. I love this game and although I played through this separately with my best friend and nephew, I did a lot of solo plays too. It does have great atmosphere but playing in co-op was muich more immersive. I'm from the UK but the high school setting felt so familiar because of movies and other pop culture. I got the Faculty on VHS well after it came out so it was very fresh when I played this. I love the Span song available after competing the game and even got their album. Obscure 2 was such a let-down but you are right about the thought that was put into the minigames. While the band Sub 42 was a definite nod to Sum 41, Sven being Norwegian is most likely a nod to Span... or a massive coincidence. Again... thank you for this.

[@ineedspicyfood6427]

Lmao I love hearing people throw shade at e-rags like Kotaku.

[@user-fl8ye2ge3r]

In Obscure 1 There are some specific moments where characters react to a moment in the game and say different things depending on which one you play. In the bedroom is where the two characters in the team have a little dialogue which can vary

[@OmarCruz-rx9nv]

I remember playing Obscure 2 when I was a kid and it was really scary but over all fun. One of my first experiences with a coop game too!

[@akemiknowsbest3671]

My brother and I binge played Obscure the Aftermath in a day, and it was extremely fun. Nowadays, I play it with a friend about once a year, cause we both love it so much.

[@alsnana00]

I LOVE obscure, played it as a kid and played it again as an adult! its so cheesy but i love it. happy to see you finally review it! also this game is great in co-op.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Co-op was awesome. I played this with both my best friend and my nephew, it felt so immersive when you were relying on each other.

[@hailpoppy]

YESSS!!! I commented asking if you would ever do a vid on Obscure and you delivered!! Can't wait to watch this Thank youuuu

[@gnuwaves743]

The amount of games I've never even heard of from the early 00s blows my mind. Nowadays a game (non AAA) drops every day. Back then, there weren't as many tools for game dev so the barrier to entry was higher.

[@jjenk911]

I was in high school from 1998-2002, so the first game is pretty accurate in its aesthetic. I only played the sequel on the Wii. I got so angry when I couldn't save a character. But finding out that you can't save the character, I felt a smidgen better lol.

[@zxtudio]

Im so happy more people are talking about this series. I have the game but could never get it to work on my computer.

[@natsuki6393]

omg I didn't think anybody else knew about this game! I was first introduced to the second game and fell in love with the The Auditions song "warm me up" because the music video was promo for the game 😅

[@fabriciothimoteo]

I played the second one on the ps2 back in the day, i was so happy when i found out both games were on steam.

[@Mankey619]

Now I want these two survival horror games to get remastered in the near future. These two should never be obscure from everyone.

[@Ico_]

You know what trully made Obscure stand out on it owns? => The characters actins theirs age, and being NOT stupid, at least when it comes down to survival. Don't get me wrong, both game do have theirs flaws, and yes there is some cheesy moments. But there was something.. "new" on the way the character acted and weren't all defendless. Obscure 2 was probably the one, with the most "shocking" way to showcase how every stories does not have a happy ending. June, Mei's sister, is a good example.. That phase/part when you play her is terrifying, and honestly.. upsetting. Overall, and despire the monsters elements, it was credible. And that was refreshing.

[@elizabethlovett4318]

I played Aftermath but not the first Obscure. I came across Aftermath by chance at GameStop and had no idea what it was. While it wasn't the best game I played at the time, I enjoyed it all the same. Flaws aside, it has its upsides and a strange charm that hooked me.

[@ITyphoonI]

I didnt like how Obscure II just killed off main Characters... So this game never really existed or was not considered canon to me XD. Everything ended after the first Obsucre and everyone is happy ^^

[@Wulfenburg]

SICK, how have i never known about this game?? It's on steam, so I'm going to buy it. I'll have to come watch the video another time, but i'll put it under "watch later" haha thankyou!

[@xaviersejour9183]

I clicked on the video expecting this to be a 2000s TV show that uses video game graphics. Not just CGI but actual PS2 graphics. Similar to Red VS Blue

[@CatzBell]

Looks adorable and cheesy but I appreciate your open mind on nostalgic content.

[@Choptopbbq31]

My favorite channel. Thanks for covering an all time favorite for me. 1 may have a better story but something about 2 just makes it one of my favorite games ever. Love them both and always love your takes.

[@giuliagallus1122]

I still have it in my collection it was a favourite in my house , I can clearly remember my dad playin’ it alone mumblin and grumbling because I was a bit too scared to be player 2 😂😂😂 It gives me such a rush of nostalgia 😊

[@jamesabernethy7896]

My nephew was clearing out some stuff and he gave me his Original Xbox and and I dug out my old games. Massive nostalgia trip.

[@ebonhawken574]

So happy to see you do a video on this gem of horror game.

[@Midekai]

Me and my friends loved this game in high school, especially since we wouldnt have found out about it if it werent for his hacked xbox. We spent sleepless nights playing the co-op like crazy. Good times~

[@bassgrudge1602]

ohhhhh dude i loved playing this series back in teh day

[@Skriak]

Hell yeah. I have a lot of fons memories of playing Obscure 1 with friends, it's one of the first spooky games I beat. I thought the prologue section was TERRIFYING lol. And it became a running joke that only Josh died, because it happened early on and then nobody else went lol.

[@seazonegranec]

Always loved this series

[@madmorpheusgaming]

I love seeing this series get a spotlight on it.

[@willwoodall1561]

Wish they didn’t killed Ashely and josh off after the first game.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Obscure 2 was such a let-down. The characters of the first were archetypal but saying that I didn't find them dull either. I mostly took Ashley and Josh for the first game.

[@hangyuI]

Ashley was such a queen I'm mad she got the whole killed-offscreen (sorta) treatment

[@FumblsTheSniper]

I found a copy of “The Faculty” on VHS in a box on the side of the road when I was a kid and then a few months later randomly picked these up from the bargain bin at GameStop. I had already decided that was my favorite movie of all time (still is) and these immediately became my favorite horror games. Here on KZbin there was only one let’s play of the games for the longest time from a KZbinr called “Dithoricki” and it’s been amusing to see my favorite obscure game gain attention in the past decade.

[@bracerkum69420]

man this game really imprinted some memories on me, what a great time

[@hopefaith4595]

Oooo did not expect to encounter this series again haha. I remember trying to look for the name of it a few years back because I had suddenly remember a game with dead flowers that used to scared the shit out of me as a young kid which was Obscure 2. I saw my sis played a bit of it but I don't think they ever finish it.

[@___vlc___5730]

lol, at 16:10 you say "she is Leonards husband"

[@jonbourgoin182]

He makes weird errors like that in all his videos. It's like he's reading his script and can't realize editing mistakes

[@G0thCrayon]

I was about to comment on that myself... but then I figured, kids these days and their silly gender games aside, maybe this is just a really, REALLY nontraditional couple... well, thruple, if you include the tree-thing brother. I Imagine their bedroom antics are either amazing, or horrifying... possibly both. "Such big, strong, naughty branches you have.... brother..." [ Shudder ]

[@beegchunguz7425]

36:01 They really didnt hide the fact Stan was modeled after Johs Hartnett. lol

[@PopMaster14]

39:42 the subtitles make it seem like 9mm bullets for the pistol is a good contraceptive :^)

[@thelastminuteman7513]

Man the first Obscure blew my mind at the time for how unique it was I absolutely loved it. I have both, tried playing the second one but got a lot of random crashes so I gave up. Maybe I'll give it another try.... after I play the first one again.

[@Domar7431]

16:10 "She is Leonard's Husband" I had to go back and check after hearing that

[@nickxcom]

Been thinking about playing through both PS2 games on my Steam Deck.. maybe this video is a sign?? Lol

[@herbertraffi]

That must be third or fourth time i watch a long review of this series, im still missing someone talking about the enemy design choice or logic behind the mutations. Like why the second game go heavy on big bloated monsters random flying enemies, while first one had a lot enemies showing bones and muscles.

[@ReaverSenpai]

i still own this game for the ps2 and i found out that its currently at 130 bucks market worth rn.

[@RumahNo16]

Omg!this is my fav game!!!

[@mastawizzard75]

2:40 There's even more going on with the music of the original PS2 release. If you had the EU version,depending on your language, it would play a different licensed song from punk/rockbands popular at that time in the region. (iirc it was Sportfreunde Stiller in 🇩🇪).

[@37Kilo2]

I still own my Xbox copy. It's value keeps rising. I never got too far into the game; some day I'll play through it in full

[@steelbear2063]

An og Xbox game keeps rising in value? Is such a thing possible?

[@37Kilo2]

@@steelbear2063 maybe games are. COVID drove prices up like crazy.

[@pixlman]

Everytime Oliver works on a new game I'm instantly interested because I know the OST is gonna be good

[@cyberomancer]

This game really felt like playing through a teen horror film it was so camp.

[@sighbatsu]

I would love Supermassive Games to take a crack at this type of game. i know they mainly do narrative story games that are more movie like, but this could benefit them so much. They are a European studio and primarily focus on American characters. But given Casting of Frank Stone is turning out to be a massive let down I'm not too sure how much quality we'd get from them. It goes up and down at that studio.

[@tyronecriss23]

Love obscure played it when it first came out! Never forgot it because it gave me nightmares as a kid. Now it’s kinda goofy.

[@matthewcorridor]

3:04 thats why they call it the 401k tour

[@lucifermorningstar2505]

This game deserves a reboot

[@professoremil]

Swamp rework infringing on being nearly an entire year late is insane to think about. That’s literally enough time to conceive a whole child. 💀

[@artemis1993]

Man, i used to have the BIGGEST crush on Shannon Matthews So much so, that sometimes when she died, i'd reload my last save lol

[@TidusX16]

Holy crap I forgot about this game! I picked it up from Hollywood Video (Midwest Blockbuster). Didn't get real into it but I still had a lot of fun playing it.

[@joadore2479]

Bed of Chaos was an Obscure easter egg all along

[@DaveTerrasidio]

man; another aspect of the 90s/00s is the use of conspiracies as plot devices, i mean what could go wrong, its not like a worrying amount of people will come to believe the most insane sorts of these ideas as truth. man i remember when these sorts of ideas were seen for what they were, nutso, anti-semitic, fash-coded nonsense created by bad people for bad reasons. ugh, anyway; all i can do is stay sane and try to talk the crazies down from the ledge.

[@Omicron9999]

16:10 - Think you meant 'wife' there.

[@Deadsmegma]

I was just watching a lets play of this, the timing

[@Bob-ti3uq]

Phone batteries in 2003 could last about 2 weeks. It makes more sense today for a phone to run out of battery.

[@otherprisma7354]

I have the psp version of Obscure 2 on my vita before it got delisted. Might have to check it out now.

[@g.e131]

I LOVED the Obscure games 😍👍 I really wish they'd remake or remaster them.. If only

[@COH-y1t]

this game introduced me to sum 41. love the band and the game

[@jraxgaming5254]

I remember playing this games sequel on my PS4

[@xGARIDx]

This game is amazing, beated Obscure 2 many times

[@nazgulsenpai]

Japan owns the high school horror market in present year.

[@bellanamii]

LOL omg I remember this game when I was younger, I had a crush on kenny xD

[@miguelruiz2219]

thought this game was a dream lol inplayed both 1 and 2 like a million times

[@dorjjodvobatkhuu6457]

Yo wtf? I didn't know final exam was a spin off of Obscure 😮

[@RVBFan182]

16:11 "She is Leonard's husband" ?

[@journie3042]

I really like Obscure 1 but really hated Obscure 2 for its awful camera and combat but thats my opinion, often gave me nausea.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

It felt like such a cheap sequel. Writing and gameplay. The first had heard.

[@strugglesnuggledslime7040]

@@jamesabernethy7896 Yeah,the writing and gameplay took a hit. The first one played its tropes pretty well while the second just felt raunchy for the sake of shock. Kinda like watching Buffy and then a cheap late-night knock-off.

[@journie3042]

@@strugglesnuggledslime7040 the story is so bad for how it treated it's characters. Also making Kenny into a rapist is awful man. All of these characters suck, they also sobered up Stan 😂 The game also looks worse than the original outside of character models, looks muddy and was definitely made for PSP in mind then ported to PC later. The lock on is horrendous especially against those flying moaning creatures where it just spins and gives your camera seizures. Getting hit by bigger creatures also gives you this blurry shaky cam effect that covers up the screen honestly makes me wanna hurl.

[@Sizzlik]

Dang..i remember that game on original xbox. Got a bit weird in the last thrid of the game but overall not a bad game. Didnt know there was a 2nd one

[@sylas3265]

She is Leonard's husband"- me well damn I forgot obscure was apparently super progressive hahaha

[@sleepygbc9824]

I played the 2 again last month.love the games

[@maniestranger4329]

Every time I hear Kenny voice all i hear is yasuo from league of legends and war from darksiders

[@blackice1994]

I'm playing this game right now😂😂😂😂😂

[@Memesis]

i want a new obscure so bad

[@lazygamer93]

I awlays thought Stan is Josh Hartnett!! they share similar faces or it's coincidence??

[@ventus2002]

I wish this game came out already on the ps4/ps5 store

[@dodger7896]

Ive been playing this i wish i was able to check out the coop

[@AZodiacCancer]

She is Leonard's husband, alright Leonard, you do you. I've never heard of this game, survival horror was never my thing and most games I knew about were JRPGs, names Tales series and Final Fantasy

[@PaceyWitter-i4v]

16:11 she is lynard's husband??

[@ericcornish3773]

I wish I knew about this game when it came out

[@Kaff_Kesk]

Kotaku joke. LOL

[@Zelix678]

First game had a story that was awesome B movie goofy horror fun. Second one story is unhinged messy garbage with no idea what on Gods green earth it is even supposed to be.

[@MrGabilonia]

OMG they killed Kenny!!!

[@hugoumero9723]

that sounds like an job for dante or chris redfield

[@thequirklessginger8364]

This looks like the video game in the horror movie stay alive

[@Relaver_]

"She is Leonard's husband"

[@steelbear2063]

Are you reading my mind? Parasite Eve and now ObsCure?

[@DaveVoyles]

The faculty: the game