Haunting Ground - Nitro Rad

One of Capcom's most underrated games of its generation, Haunting Ground was a sort of spiritual successor to the Clock Tower series. You'll find yourself escaping your pursuers as you explore a castle, uncovering the horrors of what's going on.
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#Horror #HauntingGround #Capcom

[@theloz3r]

Wait,a girl named Fiona trapped in a large castle, and there’s an ogre! Okay, I see what’s going on here.

[@stripedhyenuh]

Spiritual successor to Clock Tower my ass, this is clearly an unlicensed Shrek fangame

[@lambsauce5312]

featuring Ricardo

[@GatorRay]

I would laugh out loud if Capcom said that they had no intentions on having ANY similarities to Shrek in a future QNA.

[@omegasynth2775]

some B O D Y

[@ryansamson13]

@@omegasynth2775 once told me

[@UnexpectedGamer7]

"People need to be able to play this thing without paying 200 bucks." I love how this sentence actually happens to perfectly sum up the entirety of the video game market in Brazil

[@alexhamilton4084]

Unexpected £13.49 on Amazon

[@zakeeros1663]

Uma triste realidade.....

[@marvalcomicsfan123]

Alex Hamilton the pal region version is cheaper because 50hz sucks

[@sampokemppainen3041]

That's a pal version and costs like 13€.

[@ricardozamora1696]

the same for rule of rose , still a very bad copy without the case and manual book can be found between $100-$200 like wtf

[@mohamadafifazizizaidi5625]

*Debilitas* - horror of _childhood innocence_ *Daniella* - horror of _womanhood + sexual awakening_ *Ricardo* - horror of _pregnancy + motherhood_ *Lorenzo* - horror of _trapped marriage + loss of youth/old age_

[@heroofkvatch5878]

Spot on!

[@ChristianFrates1997]

Daniella is the creepiest in my opinion.

[@noyoucantnoicantnowecantsostop]

Ok you said that in Tangomushi's video and possibly others as well. We _GET_ it

[@hesiolite]

Is no one going to talk about just how good this game looks for the ps2 ?

[@BlackCroft666]

@@Dragzilla66 I think Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary hold up as well.

[@KaminariHouse]

@@BlackCroft666 Eh, not really, especially compared to this, Clock Tower 3, Valkyrie Profile 2, and Kingdom Hearts 2. Only Next-Gen consoles/PC do photo-realistic graphics justice, as that's what the West was going for even back then, and still is usually. Although it might not be obvious, because of hardware limitations.

[@TheAlison1456]

Yeah, this game is pretty as hell. Many PS2 games were really beautiful. Shadow of the Colossus, ICO, Final Fantasy 12, God Hand (environment aside), Resident Evil 4.

[@Mariesun]

You all are forgetting Silent Hill 3 and Rule of Rose smh

[@noyoucantnoicantnowecantsostop]

How do y'all managed to forget Final Fantasy X & X-2 in graphic-wise, geez

[@lydoncolston4886]

I'm always confused when people talk about this game and mention how bad Hewie is at the beginning - leaving out that near where the game starts, there's a training ground to speed train him to a good level. I think it was more hidden than I realised though.

[@LeneChibi]

A training ground?? Where?? Played this game like 15 times and never noticed anything like that. That said, I never had any problems whatsoever with commanding Hewie

[@alexanderhernandez758]

@@LeneChibi it’s in the first area, where you find Hewie chained, if you go right enough instead of going up the steps, you’ll find a gate with a box blocking the way behind it. Once you have hewie you can send him through a small hole and he’ll move the box, revealing a dog training ground with a ball as well.

[@azadalamiq]

@@alexanderhernandez758 yup i found this during the grounds keeper segment and trained hewie to max before i left. never had issues at all. it was fun and is 100% safe there so u can take a break from the chasing/exploring and play with a cute puppers.

[@carterwilliams596]

@@azadalamiq Not 100% safe I had DEbilitas get me there once

[@carterwilliams596]

@@alexanderhernandez758 SO THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS

[@KOTEBANAROT]

Sad and disturbing thing is, Fiona's mother wanted her Azoth, too. It's so sad that Fiona has so many good qualities like kindness, smarts and perseverance, and yet nobody but Hewie actually loved her.

[@noyoucantnoicantnowecantsostop]

Huh? At which part does it imply that, the one who inherit the Azoth is her own mother, which she already had it since beginning and she ISN'T a clone, unlike Fiona's father who ran away to start a new life. Nice try but no.

[@MAEG0RWITHTEATS]

@@noyoucantnoicantnowecantsostop I guess they are talking about the song that plays in the credits of the game, "Endless Zero". You can hear Ugo and Ayla talking about a baby, and Ayla says "I'm thirsty for immortality" implaying that she wanted Fiona's azoth too. It's just a theory tho. Also, who gave the azoth for Fiona was her father, not her mother, because Ugo was Aureolus clone and therefore had the powerful azoth. (sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language.)

[@PinkPanther45518]

What about Fiona's father. He obviously loved his daughter. I'm sure he would have been there to protect her all her life, except I think he died didn't he? So that's why Fiona was captured by Aurelius so easily.

[@ElliFong]

@@PinkPanther45518 He was killed by Riccardo Belli right after the car crash before he kidnapped Fiona.

[@paulman34340]

@@PinkPanther45518 Who do you think had the idea to give Ayla the Azoth! The two brought Fiona with them hoping to make a deal with Ugo "Father" (Creator) for Ayla using Fiona! (If I remember Ayla was also a maid in the castle at the time of Ugo and Riccardo creation, that's how Ugo and Ayla met! Also if I remember Ayla was sick) but as you know already as EricPaz put it. He was killed by Riccardo...and I like to think less about Ayla after what Daniella (her replacement as a maid of the castle) did to her remains! Also to add that debilitas cares.........well provided you go the path of not killing him, but that may also be fear! Who knows! Also another thing I found out and still trying to fully confirm as I found this out on Haunting Grounds Tv Tropes entry! Daniella is actually human! She's just been driven insane into thinking she isn't human. I would wonder HOW that would be true with some of the shit she pulls, but I can chalk it up to Lorenzo and/or Riccardo experimenting on her that much of her senses got dulled! And Riccardo might have originally TRIED to copy what Ugo did with Ayla, but of course that was a failure from the start because Ugo was the one with the Azoth! And the Azoth may have been the factor of why Fiona was even BORN in the first place (without it, the clones likely can't procreate with human women! And I'm guessing it's a one shot seeing how Fiona is the only child born between the two and Ugo was immediately killed by Riccardo so I'm guessing it's like "The Darkness" where the Entity leaves it's previous host the moment they get a female woman pregnant with their seed! Going through said seed to a new Host in the child...which kills the father as the Darkness is the thing keeping him alive and immortal! So when Ugo got Ayla pregnant with Fiona, the Azoth left him and went within Fiona) KOT EBANA ROT is right though, No one really cared about Fiona! Ugo and Ayla might have at first....maybe, I don't know with that "Thirsty for immortality" line! If Riccardo is any indication! Ugo might have only been "slightly" stable mentally!

[@lovelesswing458]

Daniella actually hates Fiona because she has a uterus, and when you die you can hear daniella tearing fiona apart to get said uterus. That's because what makes fiona a woman and the whole theme of this game is birth and resurrection, daniella can't do that because she doesn't have one. That's why she keeps saying to fiona she was the perfect woman but she's missing "something". Thats why she hates Fiona. Also its implied in the begining scene where Daniella is making pasta, Fiona comments on how soft and angel hair it is, which is the same description of her moms golden angel hair and how familiar it looks to her, via gameplay when you press the action button to investigate and also her personal journals in the menu, sooooooo it's implied they killed her mom and made her into soup that fiona was served, and basically quotes whatever daniella is cooking seems "off" and has a strange smell. And she gets freaked out during I think a dinner scene (it's been awhile since I've played this game but thought about replacing lately!) It's also implied debilitas also rapes fiona after you, the character dies as her, if you listen to the sounds after the death screen, but I'm not sure if that's entirely true or not. But the daniella thing absolutely is.

[@Dinker27]

I thought that Debi was ripping her apart in those game-overs, but I think that's applicable for Riccardo.

[@ReesesBees]

Debilitas doesn't rape you. he sees you as a big doll, and since he's very child-like, he most likely tossed her around, hugged her too tightly and hurt her, not knowing it was killing her.

[@mistahchad220]

@@ReesesBees Yeah, unlike the questionable noises that come from Riccardo's game over screen, Debilitas' sounds more akin to him ripping her limb from limb, like a child de-limbing their doll for fun? There's absolutely no indication of Debilitas viewing her as a sex object in the game. If anything, Debilitas is the most misunderstood and likeable-- he even apologetically bows to her in reverence after you defeat him, implying that he finally understands that she's not a toy.

[@ReesesBees]

@@mistahchad220 late but you're correct. Debilitas is definitely the most misunderstood, and i honestly always feel bad about hurting him whenever i play the game.

[@noyoucantnoicantnowecantsostop]

The one who rapes Fiona in game over screen is Riccardo, not Debilitas as the comments above said. And in addition, Fiona gets freaked out if you check on the kitchen piot twice. I don't remember much about Daniella's journal so i probably never gotten it or i forgot. And her real intention of killing Fiona revealed in projector room above the library

[@MorosSilverwing]

"but he kind of has a gun" I don't know if i should've laughed but I did.

[@spicybeantofu]

I did too lol

[@KaminariHouse]

"And for his Neutral special, he wields a G U N.

[@nyancat2221]

It’s only _kind of_ a gun, not a full gun, so it’s fine.

[@ChristianFrates1997]

“Yeah, waving the fucking gun around!? Will you just take it easy?!” - The Dude.

[@blitzzx2349]

September 1st 12:00 AM, James: “Yup its time to work on the Halloween Special”

[@imranicanovic1154]

Who gets up at 3 am on September 1st to work on a Halloween special? James: Oh boy, 3 am on September 1st!

[@Burn_Angel]

You know he's playing people like you two like a fiddle, right?

[@imranicanovic1154]

@@Burn_Angel maybe, or maybe he's playing us all like a fiddle convention!

[@SHADOMEGA7569]

Meanwhile walmart busts out the christmas decorations at this time

[@blitzzx2349]

SHADOMEGA7569 I’ve seen Christmas Decorations in July

[@tdlo123]

The games endings also reference clocktower: - the good ending shows dabilotas coming out out with huge garden scissors, which is a fake-out making you think he will come after you like scissorman. (He ends up just using them to trim plants lol) Also, there's an ending where you could just leave the castle halfway through the game, just like you do in the original clock tower.

[@ventis_shotglass8563]

wait a second! i've played this game like 30 times and I had no idea you could just leave in the middle of the game lol

[@leadvendor]

Yeah, I loved that. He was perhaps the only one in that castle who truly wasn't a bad person at all, and now, he inherits it, being free of the other pursuers who undoubtedly oppressed and belittled him.

[@LeneChibi]

I loved the "just walk away" ending :D Imagine doing that and thinking the game's over hahaha

[@TeaLadyHanner]

@@LeneChibi well thankfully you can only do it after clearing the game, it's a fun little ending I agree

[@baroquechevalier8516]

@@TeaLadyHanner and Lorenzo trying to go after you in his wheelchair is unintentionally hilarious

[@Moon-Vixen]

little surprised you didn't cover the alternate endings. they really take those super uncomfortable themes to the next level. seeing Fiona pregnant and with her mind entirely broken is the scariest, most unnerving end to a horror game to me.

[@sarahEAwood1008]

Minus harming the dog, it's probably my favorite ending because it's so messed up. The PS2 era was a time that had no qualms about exploring some messed up stuff & I respect that

[@LunaP1]

Both this game and Rule of Rose had a female protagonist that has a canine companion and is unarmed in a mysterious large location. They would be considered copycats of each other if they didn’t come out at different times.

[@Sarah-qx4vz]

At least Hewie lives in this one 😭

[@AnInkStick]

Hmmm I wouldn’t go that far. Aside from that they’ve got nothing else in common. The gameplay, story, core concepts and themes.

[@conlooka9356]

Jennifer In RoR wasn't unarmed

[@Hydra360ci]

Plus brown would only sniff things out; couldn't use him for anything else. And also...gameplay just sucked in Rule of Rose.

[@Tsugandate]

Aww you didn't mention how the terrifying chasing music gets louder and more intense the closer the stalkers are to you, and how each one has a different one, that was one of my favorite things about Haunting Ground. Riccardo's theme (Sly Hunter) still unnerves me. On that note, Hewie's theme is such an endearing tune.

[@ARMORXV]

That's one of my favorite things about this game too! Daniela's chase theme is the freakiest thing ever, like a robot woman glitching out which sort of fits her. Riccardo's is flat-out intense every time I hear it.

[@jedstuhr]

personally, I thought Daniella's was the most terrifying because it really sounded like a robotic breakdown. Also ... I really liked how all of the boss music had each of the pursuers theme as the backdrop

[@MewLime]

The music (and sound design in general) is sooo ingenious!

[@Knapperoni]

The fact that the regular background music when not being chased tends to randomly pause in order to trick you into thinking a stalker is coming manages to get me every time and always keep me on edge, amazing sound design

[@caim3465]

@@Knapperoni true. I played the game when I was 13, that still makes me nervous.

[@alisorvoluntas9790]

>Nitro Rad >Horror game review Well today is a good day.

[@indigowendigo8165]

He said at the beginning of one Halloween video that if groceries are already putting out Autumn or even Halloween related stuff out already, then he can make a horror video, LOL. XD

[@Dr0dd]

@@indigowendigo8165 man, I wish. Stores here have already started selling the first Christmas pastries.

[@MiguelRPD]

As a Floridian with an impending hurricane. This video made my day lol

[@sleepycowboy18]

Your like is 666, i cant bring myself to like and ruin it :(

[@alisorvoluntas9790]

@@sleepycowboy18 Too late someone already ruined it xD

[@bluestrife28]

The panic mode was legit what panic attacks used to feel like to me. This is one of my fave games even tho I still kinda suck at it.

[@benortiz8702]

The discussion on the game’s cinematography easily makes this one of my favorite reviews Nitrorad has done.

[@NemesisTWarlock]

James: "I hate that coat Rack!" *Instant Jump Scare*

[@Koraroco]

Coat Rack > Jump Scare

[@justletmechangemynamegodda5156]

That's what you get for shit talking coat racks

[@imranicanovic1154]

Coat rack to jump scare is a true combo.

[@eve-chanbushido6953]

"why am i talking about bionicle in a horror game" theres actually a world in yume 2kki that uses the matoran language

[@projectsinclair]

Hell yeah

[@sonyafirefly3879]

Oh THAT'S what that was! I was just re-playing Yume 2kki for the first time in years yesterday. I was like, "Hey, a new world. Hey, an owl. Hey, what the heck are all these circles on the walls?" Thank you for clarifying.

[@eve-chanbushido6953]

Sonya Firefly the even cooler part is it's actually a giant keyboard which i didn't process at first

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

@@sonyafirefly3879 Why is it called yume 2kki, that's not even an abbreviation, that just makes it sound stupid. Just call it yume nikki like a normal person. It's like saying 2hou, shut up and say toehoe.

[@sonyafirefly3879]

@@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668 If we didn't call it Yume 2kki, we would have to call it "Yume Nikki" and then we wouldn't be able to tell it apart from the original game and everybody would be confused. I mean, I guess we could call it "that one Yume Nikki fangame that's called Yume Nikki and is a collaboration of a bunch of different people", but...yeah, I'm not typing that every time I want to have a conversation about it.

[@millis6054]

ok so while looking through the comments I see (might be wrong) that none of my fellow alchemist are here, so yeah. Azoth is known in alchemy as "the universal medicine", a very sought after substance like a philosopher's stone. To be honest, James was pretty on the money with his definition of it, using Azoth would be like drinking from the fountain of youth, get a steady supply of it, and you live forever.

[@PIMKAMINA2]

Aha i get that meth and emeth thing! Yay hebrew mythology Emeth is actually written as אמת which means truth, you write that on the golem you make to give it life, and to deactivate it you wipe away the א, leaving the word מת which means dead, killing the golem and letting it crumble. Nice.

[@ava4477]

see i didn't think about it that way, bc im not an intellectual, so im like: ah yes, meth ruins everyone's lives.

[@metazoxan2]

I remember a short manga that used golems that dealt with that word play as well. It seems to be a common mythos surrounding golums

[@monmon-ms6fu]

bruh I'm Hebrew and i didn't pick up on that

[@deathserpent9747]

@@metazoxan2 Isuca is an ecchi anime/manga that did the same thing actually.

[@akaiyoru2681]

Yeah, I have seen it a few times used with golems

[@Dr0dd]

I can't believe James is a freaking Bioniclehead.

[@deltaknight2764]

Hell yeah.

[@fishibo9505]

Nitro Chad

[@Guymanbot97]

Seriously. If I can relive ONE aspect of my childhood, it would be Bionicles. Going to a Toy R Us every Friday and bugging my parents to go to the giant capsule holder and get me one. God, I miss those days. And then I found out a decade later it's lore was rad as hell.

[@galmiko2272]

Bionicle was the gud shit man

[@monokoman5503]

The capsules were by far the best thing about bionicles

[@jr637-1]

I will never forget Cry’s playthrough of this game and the pervasive camo-millie.

[@Zenlore6499]

“Let me into you’re womb!” “Pfff-HAHAHAHA”

[@sanuria1]

I want to look at his playthrough again now! It's one of my favorites

[@Iyasenu]

I love Cry's playthroughs of horror games. His Rule of Rose and Clock Tower 3 series are also great.

[@jr637-1]

Oh and when Cry kicked Hewie. That was heartbreaking.

[@TheWipal]

Ah crys playthroughs with blond girls in scary places 😩😩😩👌👌👌

[@LinlyKi]

It's weird how overly expensive this game is in the US. I got it for 25 bucks in Germany, an original and unused copy from Amazon.

[@KaminariHouse]

We're an expensive as hell country, so it figures:p

[@KOTEBANAROT]

@@pedrobelle5623 based Ive always had better experience buying games from pirates. If i didnt like it, i could return it for the price i paid or pick another game of the same price.

[@onometre]

@@KaminariHouse the us is actually crazy cheap by first world standards

[@WaddleDee105]

@@onometre Welll, except for important things like healthcare and housing...

[@SIPEROTH]

In Europe is cheap, i bought it for just 15 euro brand new some time ago. Don't know why it is that expensive in the US. Maybe it sold well in Europe while bad in the US so the US copies of the game are more rare.

[@ilikecurry2345]

If I had a nickel for every time a horror game starred a late-teens girl and a dog friend, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[@torgogorgo1888]

I'm not really into sexy outfits in games either, but all I could think of at that segment was "they didn't put all of that effort into boob jiggle physics not to put her in sexy costumes".

[@Traina]

I love sexy outfits for both males and females 😍😍😍😍😍

[@azadalamiq]

dude her leather outfit is op due to having an actual weapon xD also it a great game graphically considering the system it was on.

[@theblocksays]

@@azadalamiq If only the Domme outfit also came with a whip XD

[@videotroll72]

@@theblocksays Its been many years since I played but I am pretty sure the Dominatrix outfit did have a whip in place of the kick attack

[@markoyamashitach]

8:58 Huh... I see Capcom has also perfected the "bounce" physics once attributed to Tecmo's DOA series. Never noticed that until now.

[@occamsaturn]

I was thinking this

[@theinternetexplorer7873]

Capcom once put simlair high-tech physics on female zombies in one of the Resident Evil games. For... you know, to make the undead hot or something.

[@NotsoseriousNick]

The Internet Explorer let us not forget Rachel in Revelations

[@dimentiorules]

@@theinternetexplorer7873 ever played a Shantae game? The undead CAN be hot!

[@_-Lx-_]

The Internet Explorer Ever heard of Sienna "Squigly" Contiello? There's a market for Zombie Girls, and monster girls/boys in general.

[@PopTartNeko]

Man this and rule of Rose are such criminally underappreciated games. Japanese horror games from this era just have that dark, hazy, "gothic" vibe which I just miss.

[@HACHIAttack]

Horror Games that needs a remake: - Haunting Grounds - Silent Hill 1 & 2 - Rule of Rose That's all I think about for the PS1 and 2 era. Anything else?

[@ARMORXV]

Fatal Frame, Siren, Kuon, Clock Tower, Resident Evil: Outbreak

[@ilovebruno490]

Parasite Eve. Galerians

[@Lq84i-P]

Silent Hill 3 as well. It was actually the second one I played. I played through 2 afterwards. Everyone else in the comments already said everything else I wanted to lol.

[@Zosalot]

Rule of Rose especially needs a remake the most out of all of these because I found the gameplay absolutely awful. The camera was shit, the controls were uncomfortable to handle, the way it played was just the fucking worst and the mechanics with the dog were just non-existent. You basically just followed the dog on a strict AI path for 80% of the game. It was an awful playing experience. However it's story was really good and the characters were deep and complex. If it can be given to developers who can iron out the way it played and fix the camera to make it an easy to enjoy and immerse yourself experience, I feel more people could enjoy the awesome story.

[@kirby2190]

Gauntlet Dark Legacy Klonoa 2

[@Fiddl3head]

That's kickass new intro my man. Your Halloween specials are always a treat.

[@Devilsblight86]

And it's literally 2 months early for Halloween!

[@ebagentj]

@@Devilsblight86 He mentioned last year he might start Halloween in September/stretch it to two months because he has a lot to cover. I believe he intends to do the Fatal Frame series as the main focus.

[@rustyvent]

Gives me huge Petscop vibes, maybe it's just the filters to make it look like a PS1 game. Still sick.

[@Devilsblight86]

@@ebagentj I have forgotten that.

[@chrisossu2070]

The case with Daniella is actually more complicated than that. She is actually a human being, but was tortured into believing she was artificial. Her pursuit of Fiona also isn't just due to jealousy but also because she wants to cut out Fiona's womb and implant it into herself to become a "real woman". Yeah, the game's really screwed up.

[@MiloKuroshiro]

Thanks for explaining! It's really a big point on the game

[@Ndcrocks]

Daniella's theme is my favorite, it's so distorted like her mind

[@Next-xm2dh]

She's probably the most scary in villain the Game

[@arielgonzalez008]

Oooh, kay, that went dark *real* quick

[@Xxsorafan]

Thank u. I played this a long time ago and thought it was more about her wanting to be a “real woman” because she was artificial or something.

[@DioJeans]

I played this game to death when I was a kid. I got it for 10 bucks from a pawn shop, not realizing what it was, and then went on to get my hands on a factory sealed copy for $50 from resale shop a few years later. One thing that always irked me about watching game reviews is that nobody ever seems to talk about the fact that if you get good with the "combat" system, you can knock the chasers out and loot stuff off of them. Plus the whole equipment system factoring into that never seems fully explored. There are boots tipped with magnesia that explode when you kick enemies, earrings that make you invisible when you stand still, a necklace that makes you more calm, etc. Plus the whole alchemy minigame seems to get glossed over, but it's honestly the key to mastering the game from a combative standpoint. Most of the good equipment you can get comes from that minigame.

[@ariannanightingale4054]

I'm gonna try this one out then. I didn't play the game before because I've never played games with a controller and only having the option of running from stalkers always seemed kinda... boring. Thanks a lot for the info

[@Blarglesnarfe]

I absolutely LOVE the little details of this game. Like, if you've escaped the maid, she can be sometimes found cleaning, cooking, and doing chores, and will ignore you until she's finished them! Heck, sometimes you'll run to hide in a room and SHE is waiting in the hiding spot and will getcha!

[@PFPDan]

Actually choked on my drink with that Big the Cat sound bite. Well done.

[@tonyhakston536]

Captain Rupertikjakmos You’re right, I was the one who choked on Dan’s drink.

[@hbomberguy]

yessss I've been waiting for you to do this since Clock Tower 3

[@SIRKISSHY]

i did not know you watched nitro rad, but now i do and my life is complete.

[@Maschinengoth]

Wait is this a crossover episode o.o Collab when?

[@magical571]

What the.... finding you here is an awesome coincidence

[@casperchristiansen2458]

Are you surprised he hasn't talked about any Ice Pick Lodge games yet. Because, I sure want to hear about "The Void".

[@alwaysasn]

Ahh yes. A brit and a Canadian. How nice. While you're here (which I know was a year ago) can you please take your Queen off our currency. I don't want her. :(

[@huemins]

"but he kinda has a gun". well that looks like pretty darn definitely having a gun to me alright

[@kyburn6195]

Hey, Bionicle could downright get freaky at times. Remember when the heroes got captured and were mutated into monsters? Remember the Piraka? Remember the Barraki?

[@Glitch_Man42]

Oh man, that little film rant you had is so true. Taking elements form other mediums can make make improve games as a whole. If you only ever have the things you make only ever influenced by things in the same medium eventually there will be stagnation. Though there are problems with how video games take inspiration from movies. They don't try to get the meaning or what makes the things in movies work they just emulate the look and feel without any concern for substance. It's like when there are games coming out in the Battle Royale that are there only to chase the fame of Fortnite. They don't care what people liked about it, just emulating it. They take the skin of movies, but not the bones and guts that make movies so good.

[@TimelostFlare]

It's funny that Capcom made a Fiona costume for Cammy in SFV.

[@smashmaster521]

Really? Neat.

[@julianroman3268]

Because a remake is coming.

[@eduardmazilescu3846]

@@julianroman3268 that would be grand

[@julianroman3268]

@@eduardmazilescu3846 it's happening

[@DieHardjagged]

The moment such an outfit shows up in SF V literally means the game is considered dead by capcom.

[@MegaAniLinkFan]

I am extremely surprised he didn't mention any of the trap hiding places that insta-kill you, which can be a hit or miss for some players. Some are more obvious than others like hiding in the Iron Maiden...what did you expect was going to happen?

[@BenjaminBlueforever]

I am praying for a HD remaster of this game. It's incredible.

[@ChristianFrates1997]

It almost got a PS3 port worldwide, not just Japan.

[@swampmermaid3081]

I wished Capcom would remake Haunting Ground (or modders remaking it in some updated graphics engine). Imagine the visual beauty of each setting when it's more detailed/has better graphics? And, of course, keeping the dreamy atmosphere (like the hazy/fuzzy quality of the light sources).

[@zeezenfrozen]

@@PikaLink91 oh MAN

[@shizotypical]

Yay, running in skimpy outfits in full HD!

[@cristalido3640]

and frog outifts

[@Traina]

@@PikaLink91 As long as the plot is unaltered in the remake

[@Traina]

@@PikaLink91 For me Resident Evil 2 remake was not faithful enough to the original so I fear remakes for that.

[@Sonic62920]

You didn't talk about the alternate endings, my dude!

[@TheSeelieCourtier]

I was seriously about to mention that! Some of the endings are downright freaky if not flat-out disturbing, giving you that "icky" feeling on your spine.

[@Odinsday]

@@TheSeelieCourtier The ending with Lorenzo falling down the stairs had me crying the first time I saw it. lol

[@nobodyinparticular9640]

He also got Daniella wrong :v She isn't really what she says she is... ;)

[@StCerberusEngel]

​@@nobodyinparticular9640 Hard to say. A lot is hinted at, but not much is outright made clear about her. But she is the most interesting stalker in the game. Classic tragic villain.

[@BB-eq7hb]

wait what happens in them ?? you can’t leave me hanging

[@bomapdich]

I really enjoy the dog mechanic implementing in the beginning part of the game. This game doesn't do much hand holding, together with the eerie atmosphere and helplessness, It doesmake you feel stranded. Of course the dog will not be obeying you, you guys just met. It takes time to build trust and this is what you just gotta deal with if it was real life. It really adds to the immersion.

[@KayderimGameplays]

16:18 You can use Hewie to maul the chaser until he becomes uncontious, they would sleep for a good time then, it's enough for you to take care of any puzzle. Also, if you defeat the chaser multiple times, they will start dropping items to you, just like Nemesis from RE3

[@michalander2131]

Have you ever heard of Gregory Horror Show? It's an anime that got a video game adaptation on the PS2, which was also developed by Capcom.

[@luketfer]

Do you know how I am? They call me Judgement Boy. Played the game before I saw the anime. went and binged all four 'seasons' of it...actually found it kind of cool though I was glad I played the game first before seeing it since the entire game is basically 'season 1'.

[@theinternetexplorer7873]

Gregory Horror Show? More like baby's first Resident Evil. But actually kinda it's kinda of an interesting game.

[@camofan123]

Michael Jimmy oh dude that would be so sick if he covered it!

[@pinkuparfum]

I’d love to see him play it! Such a strange game with very cool graphics.

[@camofan123]

luketfer Actually, the game is a blend of season 1 and 2. I remember characters like cactus gunman and his sister weren’t in the original

[@ThatOldSchoolMagic]

The main problem with this game is the same problem games like Snatcher and Panzer Dragoon Saga are dealing with. Its on an older console and people are selling the game in the triple digits. Capcom should really think about Remastering or remaking the game but since it didn’t do too well they probably won’t unless people heavily ask for it.

[@andrewstencel]

"a coulple years ago" 2013 was 6 years ago, dude! time sure flies by, I get you...

[@DustinBarlow8P]

27:50 The power delivered in this build up and reveal....... brrrr sends shivers down my spine! Great scene!

[@Dr0dd]

It' the Haunting Season, ghouls and ghoulettes!

[@Reversinator]

NitroRad's not-Halloween Halloween specials are my favourite.

[@anonymousoff-brand7538]

to note on azoth: in proper alchemy, it's sometimes used as a synonym for the various great works(the philosophers stone, the universal solvent, immortality, creating life), and at one point it became a poetic name for mercury, but the 'main', defining idea of it is as some sort of nebulous divine principle energy and platonic ur-matter that may be a great work itself or may tie into the others.

[@BloodRedFox2008]

That part about sexy costumes vs ridiculous costumes reminds me of some debates I saw online about Fatal Frame 5 when it came to the West. The Japanese version had unlockable sexy costumes for the characters which were removed in the Western release, but to compensate the Western version has these fun Nintendo costumes based on Princess Zelda and Zero Suit Samus. This lead to a lot of people debating on if it was better to have these fun costumes themed after other video games or ones that made you not think about horror for another reason. I think I do honestly lean more towards silly/fun costumes over sexy ones, if only because if I wanna see these characters in sexy outfits I know for a fact the internet will have to covered, meanwhile I doubt some random horny dude is gonna commission art of Jill Valentine dressed as Mega Man.

[@jordanboxman]

Funny that she looks like Resi 5's Jill and a bit like Ashley from RE4. (Yes I'm aware it is a Capcom game)

[@ARMORXV]

Fiona definitely has the symptoms of the famous "Capcom face" from that era, where it's like they modeled all of the girls' faces off of one face model

[@spicybeantofu]

I was told its the same model Fiona got turned into jill

[@TrueNoirChloeMoko]

So it's noted on Fiona's model's face, hair, and even maybe the sleeves of her upper arms are much similar to Jill's RE5 version, but there was a lot of rumors that Haunting Ground was a scrapped idea where Leon has to help a girl who befriended a B.O.W. dog, but they changed it to where it would only be a girl he had to save, hence Ashley. There was another rumor about Devil May Cry was another scrapped idea for RE4, which is why a big thing that is similar is the design on Dante's chest during his Devil trigger is almost the same as the design that you have to make on the back of the church and inside of the church that you see on the tombstones in front of the church in the cemetery.

[@HanakiHan]

Now I’m patiently waiting for Kuon because oh boi Onmyoudo theme and Heian era. The fact that you review horror classics makes me happy, still watch your Siren videos and now will add Haunting Ground as well.

[@asylumarcade]

I’ve been sitting here with this game in my shelf ever since my ps2 got stolen. I literally only played up until what i think is right before the debilitas boss fight. always wanted to play it more because I love both silent hill and clock tower. I didn’t know the game was like $200 tho. I’m working on getting my PC to smoothly run ps2 games, so maybe it’s not too long until I can actually play.

[@sokk8]

AsylumArcade did you get to play it?

[@nmotschidontwannagivemyrea8932]

You're absolutely right about cinematography. Fixing the camera at a specific angle, or restricting the field the player can look around in, or even just leaving it unrestricted but carefully picking the specific angle the camera starts at or using some other trick to subconsciously encourage a player to look in a specific angle or direction, can have a great effect on the impact a scene can have.

[@AshigaruAngler]

Bionicle was the shit man! I still have some stored away.

[@LucyTohsaka]

Great video !!! I love Haunting Ground and Im happy you mentioned the fact that there are not loading screens! I was so impressed by that when I played the game... all the scenary of the castle is a huge map! Also... I was super impressed about how good the facial animation of the in-game characters are! I even think that in-game characters looks better than how they look in cut-scenes. Also, the storyline and the characters were great ! Another thing I enjoyed about the game was the lore and the alchemist theme, full of magic terms, golems, homunculus, etc

[@real_Furryratchet]

The frog costume gives you also almost unlimited stamina. So you can push and kick the shit out of it. It is amazing. Most costumes in this game actually have some gameplay too. THIS game is one of my alltime favourites. There is so much replay value here. To see everything you have to beat the game 3times if Iam correct. Depends on how you treated Hewie. I treated him like gold. He was so precious. I wish they would remake this game. It'S a hidden BRIGHT gem

[@daviejones8862]

Indeed, silly costumes are the way to go. To fill in some things: There’s a scene you can find that shows Lorenzo finding Riccardo’s Corpse and absorbing his azoth. No idea how his body was in any shape after going through the crusher. Riccardo has a tiny amount but even that was enough to restore him to his prime. Danielle is actually human but after Lorenzo and Riccardo found out she Was infertile and had no Azoth, they began abusing her. The tragedy is that she was human all along (and yes, you are correct, it was jealousy. Her game over is her ripping out Fiona’s womb as a demented attempted to claim it and the azoth). Another interesting note which shows how powerless Fiona was: her parents were bringing her to the castle to sacrifice her. In the endless zero song (the one during the end credits) her parents Ugo and Ayla are talking about how Fiona has Azoth and Ayla is hungry for immortality. Likely they were going to go and offer Fiona up in exchange for Ayla being made immortal and for Ugo to be forgiven (since he was originally going to be a meal for Lorenzo). They didn’t know Riccardo had taken over the castle (though likely Lorenzo would have killed them anyway) Riccardo was trying to rape Fiona as by impregnating her with his Azoth (the scene wher Fiona finds out Riccardo stripped and gave her an ovulation test was so disturbing), he would claim all of her Azoth and be born as a perfect Lorenzo. The game does do an excellent job of expressing Fiona’s powerlessness and it has a pretty strong feminist bent as all of the pursuers only see her for how she benefits them and literally objectify her. The only other woman in the game has been so beaten down by not living up to the ideal of her abusers that she strikes out at Fiona. ...okay, yeah, I love the hell out of this game. I love the disturbing game overs (necrophilia anyone?) the surprise deaths (Iron Maiden) the ways to make boss fights harder, and of course best boy Hewie

[@jeanesseintes3451]

Would love to see you do a review of Pathologic,Pathologic 2 or The Void.

[@Shinigami13133]

he'd probably like the void the most

[@errorbirdesther]

I wanna see those videos now !

[@errorbirdesther]

@LAW maybe this is a early Halloween special (Like how some of the TV channels I watch are already showing Christmas episode despite it being September)

[@NoahDaArk]

18:02 It’s too late to back out now James! You need to review every Bionicle game now including Legend of Mata Nui

[@lanceolson5988]

To this day, I still regret selling my copy almost a decade ago. I searched, like, five stores the day it came out (it was weirdly hard to find at launch) and loved it so much. I've been saying the same thing for years about re-releasing it.

[@salazar556]

Azoth is, as described by Daniella, "the essence of life". It is the key to creating clones, such as Riccardo and Ugo, and establishing immortality. Azoth is found in everyone but Fiona's is more potent, given her heritage. This is also why there are many deceased animals, implying Hewie was going to be used for his Azoth as well. Azoth also appears to lie within the womb, hence why you see there's a lot of focus on Fiona's stomach. Hope that makes sense!

[@slurpifroggigaming9423]

They should make a sequel to this game where you play as Hewie that's called Pawnting Ground

[@TSFboi]

*Sees Sonic Adventure 2 poster on the wall* Ah, I see you're a man of good taste also

[@theegg8780]

18:39 love how the commentary is so calm and normal, and then there’s just a guy licking the ground

[@seraphina3093]

I wish they would make another haunting ground type of game. Sure there’s plenty of horror put there but HG has a special place in my heart lol

[@TheFuzzyOcelot]

Wait, Nitro knows how to read Matoran? That's amazing, not lame!

[@deltaknight2764]

Yeah! I dunno how Trexies can so fluent with Klingon. It's a made-up language/alphabet, HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO REMEMBER THIS?!

[@dsproductions19]

@@deltaknight2764 Matoran is *much* simpler, as they literally just replaced each normal letter with a unique symbol (which usually looks like the letter it represents). Klingon, however is a different beast entirely, basically becoming a limited language just by itself.

[@deltaknight2764]

@@dsproductions19 I know, BUT HOW'RE YOU SUPPOSE TO KNOW EACH MATORAN LETTER OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD?!

[@DarknessIsTheTruth]

22:34 "It's really unsettling and creepy.* Me: *plays cartoon running music in my head*

[@miscielrossvillegas6307]

I'm glad you liked Haunting Ground! I can only play it through emulation tho. The controller vibrations in sync with the characters heart rate or atmosphere is a detail I wholeheartedly appreciate every time a developer pays attention to! The lack of loading time in between rooms is really impressive and yeah, how distinct each room was to the point that you don't glance at the map to check where you are. It's very true. Oh yes the camera angles where amazing too! In every room it's like the camera is set up on a corner of the ceiling where your movements are tracked at all times but gives you the entire layout of the area you are in! It really does give you the position of a third person watching the scene!

[@MenxiGoblinQueen]

Holy heck, that concept art, they need to make that into a game, it looks so good! Make it like a paranormal investigation themed game and add some crazy effects, and bam, you have some pretty good framework

[@justinscott7546]

A Matoran of culture I see. Yes I am a Bionicle fan too.

[@robertwilliamson2856]

I always love Nitrorad's Halloween series!

[@jasongarrett768]

This game really is a gem. A creepy, disturbing gem. I had no idea it would wind up being so sought after. It needs to be more readily available than it is. I remember thinking Hewie was the same dog from Resident Evil 4. I can’t recall how close their development periods were, but I assumed it was a shout-out from one team to the other.

[@Hydra360ci]

They were made at the same time. And the RE4 rejects lived on as other IP's: Onimusha and Devil May Cry.

[@HickaruFire]

That Eddy Silent Hill part killed me, maybe i've gone insane... Great video! Haunting Ground was one of the few games i got to play on my cousin's PS2 and it remains in my nightmares' heart.

[@arcanagamer6554]

I'm so glad you're finally talking about this underrated gem, James. It's one of my favorite horror games of all time. Hewie is probably the greatest dog companion in gaming. At least, in my opinion. Personally, I think you glanced over several interesting details and mechanics about the game, but overall, great review!

[@theredlagoon9903]

I think we're all thinking the same: Bionicle reviews when?

[@coolman229]

You're not alone in remembering that Bionicle game. That game was MY JAM when I was a kid.

[@Grimface_Komeiji]

Dude I've missed your horror vids so much, I really feel you excel in this genre when it comes to reviewing games and I absolutly love hearing about your days as a film student and how it can connect to when films meet horror in that sense. Excited for October to just get a plethora of your spooks

[@EmperorZ19]

As a current FFXIV player, seeing the frog suit was particularly funny

[@NTeKLullaby]

Fairly new to the channel, and thankful to have found it. Haunting Grounds is one of my favourite horror titles and you did a great job describing it. Plush Hewie is too good for this world.

[@ChronoTriggerHappy]

also there is a perk to the Plush hewie and the German shepard hewie, shepard hewie has a much higher attack power and can take persuers out faster, plush hewie has a huge stamina pool, making it harder to knock him out. Also, replaying the game after beating it gives you the Hewie Diary, where you can read hewie's thoughts about the situation and fiona throughout the game, its adorable because he really wants to protect her.

[@Dizzula]

Yay! So glad you finally got round to this. One of my all time faves. And yeah, the added costumes make the whole experience so much... weirder. I think you probably should have talked about some of those alternate endings though - there's some really unsettling stuff to be found there. And a wonderful moment with some stairs...

[@SirJohnnyAMS]

Fiona looks a bit like Jill Valentine's appearance in RE5.

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

Yeah 😱

[@spicybeantofu]

Someone said it's the same model reused. Fiona got turned into jill

[@mandibiedermann2246]

True 😆

[@axew3127]

And the best part… the dog doesn’t die

[@ChristianFrates1997]

Hewie is cute! 🐶

[@littlekitsune1]

"You said 'sit,' so I did. So please... don't leave me here." The goodest boy...

[@AzurezeroArt]

haunting ground was only ever terrifying for me when watching katrinonus playing... something about hearing a real girl whimpering while playing horror games sets me on edge.

[@LilPoopsie]

Ew lol

[@mslightbulb]

I guess she felt more like the playable character, so you took her reactions as more empathetic and attached to the character. The same would happen if you heard a child play as a child character in a videogame. I’ve noticed that when I watch a man voice a girl or a kid the immersion is a little bit broken, but of course the same happens in the case of a woman voicing male characters. For example, if you heard me voice an older character, you would probably be a bit disturbed because my voice is high as hell.

[@AzurezeroArt]

@@mslightbulb i think its just society conditioning people to feel distress when women and children are crying

[@nignamedmutt7270]

​@@AzurezeroArtThat's an evolutionary response. Nothing to do with SoCiEtY.

[@CommanderCOOL45]

Great Review dude!!! Also the Game Over Screen from dying by each chaser has it own creepy sounds and dialog. and the hidden trap kills are crazy too...uggh it just freaks me out.

[@Davaba19]

There is a game I recently heard of, the game is called Gregory's horrorshow

[@themadhattress5008]

This game is basically like playing a Gothic novel instead of reading it. There are several tropes from the genre that are prominently featured in the game and it works. It just works. The story and plot alone are very reminiscent of something you'd expect Sheridan Le Fanu or Emily Bronte or Ann Radcliffe or Matthew Gregory Lewis to write. For these reasons, it's one of my favourite horror games. And in my opinion, emulating literature so closely is a very difficult, albeit unique thing to pull off in a video game. From the atmosphere and sound design and characters to the story and plot itself -- it's just all so fucking good. Haunting Ground is truly underrated and I hope it get's a remake someday. The game deserves it.

[@ninthaeon8106]

Thank you for finally covering this game! This is one of my favorite horror games and I’ve always wanted to hear your take on it.

[@BouncekDeLemos]

27:00 - That's an interesting way of saying "dominatrix". lol

[@SakiMcGee]

THANK YOU that was driving me crazy

[@spicybeantofu]

Has he never heard the word maybe?

[@TreespeakerOfTheLand]

@@spicybeantofu He's just being a brat, that's all

[@YarugumaSou]

Man the PS2 era was a gold mine of experimental horror games. Too bad barely any of them survived till this day.

[@JohnstonBlackhorse]

What I remember from playing the game, the Maid was an automaton servant. She was modeled to look like a beautiful woman but she was ultimately a machine. However, in her broken mechanical mind, the only thing she thought was lacking to make her real was a uterus. Her desire was to be the perfect woman for her master by bearing his offspring and her solution would be to carve out Fiona's uterus and stick it within herself. At least that's how I remember it. I might be wrong though. It's been a while.

[@ChristianFrates1997]

Her name is Daniella.

[@MrValBar2]

Ayy, I'm hearing that Anodyne soundtrack. Found out about it from your review, and enjoyed the heck out of it. Great vid! Keep it up, this intro is really awesome too

[@bannerturtoise1219]

I personally favour costumes that are easter eggs, like dressing up as Van Helsing in a vampire game for an example.

[@casetech2793]

Well well. I was wondering when you were gonna cover this.

[@ThuyNguyen-ek4pz]

Just discovered this channel really like these old horror games reviews, also really jealous that you got these rare games.

[@diamondmetal3062]

This game did its research for the alchemical references. For example, Azoth is said to be a kind of universal medicine. The intrinsic agent behind all transmutation and, by extension, life. Were someone able to claim more of it, then they could persist beyond death.

[@ChristianFrates1997]

Azoth has the same amount of letters as Fiona.