ROSS’S GAME DUNGEON: PHANTASMAGORIA 2

When I saw the game title I had to watch this.

I think I am going to overdose on Ross tonight...

Haven't watched this yet. Why is John Carmack on the thumbnail. 

5 hours ago, RaTcHeT302 said:

well the last ten fucking minutes turned out to be a roller fucking coaster of emotions jesus christ

 

what the fuck just happened near the end??? IT TURNED FROM THE SCARIEST FUCKING HORROR GAME INTO... i don't know what the fuck i just watched, BUT IT WAS SOME SHIT

 

i'm so fucking confused, i'm fucking scared, i'm fucking disturbed, I'M EVERYTHING AND NOTHING ALL AT ONCE

 

IS THIS WHAT BEING INSANE IS LIKE??? IS THIS WHAT BEING SCHIZOPHRENIC IS LIKE?

 

I DON WANNA BE A SCHIZOPHRENIC, NYAH

 

anyway i totally feel like i've lost some of my sanity, so i guess it worked on me

 

I think it was the 4/4 adult version of being banished to the shadow realm. 

This was fucking awesome. Though what was up with that half a second Eternam writing on the intro?

Holy crap man, YEARS ago I watched a guy named Spoony play through this entire game, and watching your Game Dungeon on it just brings back a lot of memories of it. I might go ahead and watch his entire playthrough again after this. It's funny how Trevor is treated differently - you see him as annoying, but in Spoony's playthrough he was pretty much everyone's favorite character. In fact, 

Excellent episode overall. I look forward to the follow up episode sometime after the Christmas episode!

While I do appreciate that this may seem "extreme" to some people, I was just left wondering why anyone would be freaked out to that extent... I'm also left wondering why he ever went for the bondage chick...

1 hour ago, BTGBullseye said:

While I do appreciate that this may seem "extreme" to some people, I was just left wondering why anyone would be freaked out to that extent...

I know, right?!

After giving it some thought, I came to a conclusion that people like you and me might just be kinda jaded, and *normal* people just have a lower "intensity bar".

47 minutes ago, ScumCoder said:

I know, right?!

After giving it some thought, I came to a conclusion that people like you and me might just be kinda jaded, and *normal* people just have a lower "intensity bar".

I guess so... Somewhat sad though, both for us, and for them.

6 hours ago, ScumCoder said:

I know, right?!

After giving it some thought, I came to a conclusion that people like you and me might just be kinda jaded, and *normal* people just have a lower "intensity bar".

5 hours ago, BTGBullseye said:

I guess so... Somewhat sad though, both for us, and for them.

I can join your hipster enclave?

I fucking knew that it was going to be one of the Phantasmagorias! On one of few Halloweens where I can't go out this made day! 

     If I had known how deeply brilliant this plot actually is I would have bought this when it came out. For those who this isn't obvious: Curtis clearly suffers from a borderline-personality and ptsd. This explains the dissociation (feeling that he's alien, in an alien world, blacking out, and having a split personality), delusions, self depreciation along with severe self loathing, risk taking behavior and his chemical dependency(alcohol). Most of those "chemicals" that Ross mentioned are anti-depressants and pain killers except Fluconazole. Interestingly Flucanazole is normally prescribed for vaginal yeast infections and when combined with amitriptyline it can cause suicidal thoughts and actions. I suspect that this may have been the real reason his mother committed suicide. I also suspect that the entire plot may have actually been some sort of immersive therapy or Curtis simply working out his shit. Anyways, thanks Ross for the great vid and I am definitely going to play this now.

In case anyone is curious about the ratings, here's what the levels are supposed to mean. It's a toss up whether they even followed their own guidelines or not, depending on what they mean by "explicit". That's always been a confusing term to me. Does it mean showing things that could only be acted out with real humans if real penetration was going on? That's what "explicit" means to me. Anything they could fake with strategic camera angles would by definition have to be implied. Meanwhile, their highest rating for violence requires "torture", which... I'm pretty sure some of the scenes in this game qualify.

Though it's good to know that by these standards, Grand Theft Auto V would have been given the highest possible rating for violence, no question. I always felt that torture scene should have been an instant AO. The ESRB is the industry's bitch.

24 minutes ago, xawesomecorex said:

I also suspect that the entire plot may have actually been some sort of immersive therapy or Curtis simply working out his shit.

I dunno, once we get into "literally everything that happened was all in a character's head" territory, it becomes a question of whether that's any less real than it already is by virtue of being a work of fiction. I have the same problem with stuff like the ending to St. Elsewhere.

1 hour ago, Steve the Pocket said:

I dunno, once we get into "literally everything that happened was all in a character's head" territory, it becomes a question of whether that's any less real than it already is by virtue of being a work of fiction. I have the same problem with stuff like the ending to St. Elsewhere.

 

I see where you're coming from but I don't actually have that problem as long as it has the right context. So for plots, like Phantasmagoria 2, Slaugterhouse 5, Perfect Blue, which are about mental illness turning out to be all inside the protagonist's head is perfectly fine by me. Whereas, with stories like St. Elsewhere, Dallas., FFX ect., where that kind of plot element just appears out of nowhere without any real context or reason I find it to be kind of a cop out and really a sign of bad writing.

10 hours ago, Im_CIA said:

I can join your hipster enclave?

We're always open to new members. Grab a jacket, the meeting starts in 10 minutes.

been wanting to get this game. Shame the version on GOG is the DOS version, I'd really love checking out the Windows version.

51 minutes ago, RaTcHeT302 said:

wait what happens when you run out of jackets

Then we get some more from the donation pile... Did you think they just appeared out of nowhere?

52 minutes ago, RaTcHeT302 said:

do the jackets keep you alive? is the jacket your life force? if i take that jacket off will you die?

Maybe?

53 minutes ago, RaTcHeT302 said:

IS THIS SOME KINDA CULT

Definitely. Is that a problem?

It was a great video, thanks for that!
Well I thank my lucky stars that I've never played this as a kid, it would have really fucked me up. Now as an adult, other for the gore scenes, It's not that scary (and other than the intentional jump scares(like with the monster on the computer screen)). I can't say I share Ross's usual enthusiasm to point and click adventures with this one (which I usually do), seems like a really short game bloated into 7 discs by over complicating the scenes with the movies and cheap hard-softcore scenes (not to mention that entire first workday routine of back and forth).

The whole alien world scene felt really out of place and really barren, the aliens just have the portal standing there active without any guards on it?

What was the point in killing the psychiatrist and the guard?

Also did I miss it or did Ross really not show us what was on the other side of that midget door behind the boxes?

I just checked the video on Youtube, and lo and behold, it is subtitled! Glad I didn't just start working on subs, only to find out many hours later that the job is already done.

I did my best to find who the author is, but I don't seem to be able to do it. Please show thyself, our hero!

Ross's Game Dungeon - Phantasmagoria 2-YTuB5Bgc4I0.en.vtt.zip

Of all the games that Ross would cover, I wasn't expecting this one. I must say that I gone down in a memory lane thanks to this episode. I didn't played it, but I watched Spoony's Let's Play of it.

I decided to do a quick research (and by that, I mean checking Wikipedia) and I can say that you are not alone on thinking that the sex and gore in this game is too tame for the rating, because that was one of the criticisms even back them. Also, there was plans for a third Phantasmagoria, but since this one was a flop, the sequel never came to be.

But I must admit, I think Dimension X is the lamest name for a alien dimension ever. I know that coming up with names is hard, that's a problem that I face in every game that allows me to name my character/town/rebel-faction/whatever, but come on...

Here are some links to commemorate the live chat with Paul Morgan Stetler (actor portraying Curtis in Phantasmagoria 2) hosted 2021-04-14.

Patreon for the budding series, Conversations with Curtis

YouTube channel for Conversations with Curtis

First live stream recording @ Patreon (behind pay wall, for now)

My opinion: Everyone was very classy and energetic, on-topic, non-clique-y, which bodes well for the continuation of this documentary/discussion series. I pessimistically expected more off-topic shouting, but people were genuine and celebratory; good feels. I also applaud Paul's (and his helpers') preparation. There was a lot to share in one session, so that even if the worst happens and the series falls apart, this was an excellent documentary and celebration of the game.