Fans of SCP (Secure, Contain, Protect) how did you like Control's take on the genre?

[Chaos2Frozen]

So it's no secret that Control base a lot of idea on the SCP universe, the Bureau and the Foundation is functionally the same thing even if their organization structure is different.

Personally I prefer the more coherent and 'restrained' writing of Remedy. Too often I feel that SCP writers are trying to one up each other with writing the most bizarre articles with increasingly higher and higher body counts.

Helps that nobody has to feed anyone their testicles.

One downside though is that they focus mostly on anomalous objects, while I would have preferred if they added more anomalous entities or locations as they tend to be the more interesting entries for me.

 

[@TheFriendlyBro]

Best SCP game I've ever played. Honestly though, I've never played a game before in which I'm so invested in picking up every note, recording, etc.

The world is so interesting.

 

[HK-47]

Hard to have weird locations when you are stuck in one building, no? You need to have a differently structured game for that.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Hard to have weird locations when you are stuck in one building, no? You need to have a differently structured game for that.

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Oh I mean like finding more articles about anomalous locations, or "Place of Power" to use the game's term.

 

[Patitoloco]

Hard to have weird locations when you are stuck in one building, no? You need to have a differently structured game for that.

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You clearly haven't played Control.

 

[HK-47]

You clearly haven't played Control.

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No I haven't.

 

[Patitoloco]

No I haven't.

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Maybe you should before stating wrong things then. You would be surprised with some of the enviroments in Control.

 

[Englebert3rd]

I haven't played it yet, but I need to get it because of its SCP inspired craziness and also because Remedy.

 

[Calibro]

I've played through about 70 or 80 percent of the game by now (it's not a long game if you don't go collecting every last bit of info, but I've done a lot of side missions), so I've seen a lot of it. There are going to be some light spoilers, so refrain from further reading if you don't want them.

The first time I learned about Control I was quite hyped be the idea of a big budget new weird / SCP-like game, and made by Remedy themselves! I thought I couldn't even imagine what Remedy can do with this idea.

Now. let's get this out of the way first. I think it's a good game, it has gorgeous design (if a bit divisive), pretty fun combat sequences and overall great atmosphere.

But goddamn, most of it of it is just lazy. Not lazy in terms of the amount of work put in, but creatively lazy.

Why do we need an OoP gun if it's just a revolver / SMG / shotgun / railgun / grenade launcher? Why not just pick up enemy guns since they are pretty much the same thing? I understand the story reason for it, but man, why not give it some unique stuff? Like, I don't know, a mode in which the gun summons some huge ass nails around the target and pierces it with them. A mode in which it freezes enemies so you can shatter them with melee. A mode in which it creates some kind of a mini black hole. A shrinking mode. A mode in which the gun transforms in some king of a huge laser sword or a whip. I can go on.

Why are the powers just plain standard jedi powers? Telekinesis, okay, that's a pretty fun one, bland but fun. Flying, dashing, mind control? Okay, useful in a lot of ways. But it's everything we've seen before in countless games, movies and books! I'm sure the designers could've imagined something more exciting, because even I, a random guy on the internet, can.

Why are most of the AIs and OoPs so generic? Wow, a fridge you must constantly look at to keep it from spazzing out? A floating TV? Please, all of this just reeks of a first-time SCP Wiki reader experience. There's so much more creative potential in there, it's basically limitless, and we're stuck with these boring examples?

I just needed to get it out. I'm gonna finish the game, I quite enjoy it and I definitely recommend it to almost everyone, but man, it pains me to see such mediocre level of creativity from none other than Remedy. Maybe in Control 2?

 

[AngryPuppy]

I'm not that far in but I was sold within the first five minutes when the first three collectible documents were;
1) a list of prohibited items starting with normal things like unauthorized weapons and gradually getting weirder (number 2 pencils, rubber ducks) without any context.
2) a heavily redacted report
3) mundane office admin shit

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

2) a heavily redacted report

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"[redacted] Containing a shark [redacted]"

 

[Nightengale]

I love Remedy's contextualisation of the paranormal - both in terms of how the lore in Control tries to create a historical narrative around Objects and Places of Power. ( aka mythical weapons in mythology/history like Excalibur being an OoP ) and looping in the SCP aspect in a more grounded nature is also really great, along with the imagery of things like Black Pyramid/etc.

At the same time, Control's lore left me so desiring of a game that Control isn't.

Based off all of Control's lore, I really want a Control x Alan Wake style game where you play a Bureau agent, visiting several places of paranormal such as a rural village, an abandoned amusement park, etc , doing detective work , piecing together clues and locating the source of the paranormal in that area and securing it.

 

[UltraGunner]

Love it. A shame that the main story doesnt better utilize it.

 

[Calibro]

Based off all of Control's lore, I really want a Control x Alan Wake style game where you play a Bureau agent, visiting several places of paranormal such as a rural village, an abandoned amusement park, etc , doing detective work , piecing together clues and locating the source of the paranormal in that area and securing it.

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I usually don't care for open world games (at least anymore), but this sounds like a very cool one if done right! Throw in some async multiplayer even!

 

[Deleted member 51539]

"Place of Power"

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Medallion's humming.

You clearly haven't played Control.

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Or read the Site 13 skip, I suppose.

 

[Sargerus]

Not gonna lie, my interest in Control just increased ten fold upon reading the thread title.

 

[Hilarious_Bearious]

I'm old enough to remember when SCP stood for "special containment procedure".

My interest in the game has definitely increased, I wasn't aware of this element to the game.

 

[Kyuuji]

Thought it was hugely effective.

Some of the best world building in a game I've experienced. Every room I was seeking out files, audio tapes and slides like they were stars in Mario. Zooming in to read whiteboards and look at things pinned on corkboards, everything.

The way some side elements are pieced together from initial reading on a loose file you found to getting fully involved later (like the object in a certain building collapse) is really satisfying. Even when it's items you read about hours back and see in a containment cell somewhere as you're exploring - works so well.

Probably the most sustained attention I've given to any game environment.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Not gonna lie, my interest in Control just increased ten fold upon reading the thread title.

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I'm old enough to remember when SCP stood for "special containment procedure".

My interest in the game has definitely increased, I wasn't aware of this element to the game.

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Yup, Control is Remedy's take on the whole SCP genre.

The game revolves around the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), a secret U.S. government agency tasked with containing and studying phenomena which violate the laws of reality. As Jesse Faden, the Bureau's new Director, players explore the Oldest House – the FBC's paranormal New York headquarters – and utilize powerful abilities in order to defeat a deadly enemy known only as the Hiss, which has invaded and corrupted reality.

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[Deleted member 48434]

Woah woah woah.
Control is based on SCP?
And I've just been sitting here ignoring the game like a fool.

 

[tulpa]

eh I think the SCP influence is probably a bit overstated. some people working on the game were influenced by that stuff when they fleshed out the world but i think the main inspirations were the Sam Lake mainstays like House of Leaves, Twin Peaks and Lost

 

[Mórríoghain]

Woah woah woah.
Control is based on SCP?
And I've just been sitting here ignoring the game like a fool.

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It is not based but heavly inspired by it. The main story is basically good vs evil but the world building and side stories are straight up SCP.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

It is a shame the most interesting parts of the world are basically the notes scattered around the levels. They don't do enough truly interesting things in the game itself, I feel. There are a couple standout sequences but otherwise it is mostly a third person shooter with a gravity gun mechanic.

 

[Yossarian]

No I haven't.

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It's definitely one of gaming's most intriguing locations.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

Like that the case files even follow the structure of SCP. Picture of anomaly in top right followed by containment procedures then by description with flavor at the end.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

But goddamn, most of it of it is just lazy. Not lazy in terms of the amount of work put in, but creatively lazy.

Why do we need an OoP gun if it's just a revolver / SMG / shotgun / railgun / grenade launcher? Why not just pick up enemy guns since they are pretty much the same thing? I understand the story reason for it, but man, why not give it some unique stuff? Like, I don't know, a mode in which the gun summons some huge ass nails around the target and pierces it with them. A mode in which it freezes enemies so you can shatter them with melee. A mode in which it creates some kind of a mini black hole. A shrinking mode. A mode in which the gun transforms in some king of a huge laser sword or a whip. I can go on.

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Because the game is still supposed to take place in the real world and it's hard to keep that in mind when you teleport around with a laser sword nail gun and kill floating goat demons. There still needs to be a connection to reality or the game looses all of its atmosphere and becomes just a sci-fi fantasy game.

 

[Mib]

eh I think the SCP influence is probably a bit overstated. some people working on the game were influenced by that stuff when they fleshed out the world but i think the main inspirations were the Sam Lake mainstays like House of Leaves, Twin Peaks and Lost

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Can you explain? What's the difference here?

 

[Frankie Williamson]

I kind of wish the main character reacted to stuff more. Like, after watching the first of those VHS kid's show tapes, she doesn't say anything.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

Because the game is still supposed to take place in the real world and it's hard to keep that in mind when you teleport around with a laser sword nail gun and kill floating goat demons. There still needs to be a connection to reality or the game looses all of its atmosphere and becomes just a sci-fi fantasy game.

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I mean we could always use a gun that shoots teeth.
SCP-127 "The Living Gun"

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Well, I like both Remedy's kinda feedback-loop based action games and SCP documents, but I went into Control with my expectations geared more towards getting a Remedy action game first.

That said, I think they fit it into the Remedy action feedback-loop extremely well, though I think there's better ways to convey SCP style encounters in games. I feel like "true" SCP encounters have a greater element of disempowerment than what Control offers, but this being a Remedy game, I'm still pleased and impressed how they managed to balance the suspense of SCP with empowerment action.

I love it.

 

[Ananasas]

They should have advertised Control as SCP, because I was shocked to know it's not just a shooter with mindfuck elements.

 

[Dernhelm]

I said it ages ago, it's apparent here, and likely any other thread/forum where SCP and Control comes up; people weren't nearly as forewarned about how batshit insane this game is, nor where the inspirations of the game came from, based on how it initially looks at a glance. People going to be double-taking sentences about Control for years, which sucks for initial sales but I think will keep it infamous for a long time.

 

[Stalker]

It's pretty poorly implemented with little actual paralogical content.

It's an outstanding game but buying it for SCP The Game will only raise false hope as it flirts with the subject as a story vehicle instead it using it for gameplay and encounters

 

[tulpa]

Can you explain? What's the difference here?

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What do you want me to explain? I think the game is not as influenced by SCP as some people suggest

 

[Keldroc]

What do you want me to explain? I think the game is not as influenced by SCP as some people suggest

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The fluff (collectibles, in-universe gags, sidequest-oriented worldbuilding) is very SCP-influenced, I'd say. The storytelling, characters, themes, and tone are much more Twin Peaks/House of Leaves.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

I said it ages ago, it's apparent here, and likely any other thread/forum where SCP and Control comes up; people weren't nearly as forewarned about how batshit insane this game is, nor where the inspirations of the game came from, based on how it initially looks at a glance. People going to be double-taking sentences about Control for years, which sucks for initial sales but I think will keep it infamous for a long time.

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To be fair SCP is one of those niche Internet things that very few people would ever come across.

I've heard of it yes before but I only really got into the Universe when the Exploring Series started covering it.

 

[Mib]

What do you want me to explain? I think the game is not as influenced by SCP as some people suggest

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What I mean is, what's the difference between something like House of Leaves and SCP? What makes Control more like the former? As someone who hasn't read or watched those books/series, but likes SCPs well enough, I'm interested.

 

[Xalbur]

I think it's good that they stayed a little reserved when it came to the supernatural SCP like stuff, the game is still grounded in it's own way, despite the whackier anomalies, teleporting around with a sword or crazier powers would have killed the immersion and world building for me, and to be fair, some SCP stuff is pretty poor or a straight up joke, that being said, if the game does well and we get a sequel down the line I'd like to see some more abstract stuff explored, or even as others said weirder places.

 

[Calibro]

Because the game is still supposed to take place in the real world and it's hard to keep that in mind when you teleport around with a laser sword nail gun and kill floating goat demons. There still needs to be a connection to reality or the game looses all of its atmosphere and becomes just a sci-fi fantasy game.

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Yes because it's not enough of a sci-fi fantasy yet while I'm literally floating in the air force-hurling tables and toilets at paranormal aberrations from another dimension.

 

[tulpa]

The fluff (collectibles, in-universe gags, sidequest-oriented worldbuilding) is very SCP-influenced, I'd say. The storytelling, characters, themes, and tone are much more Twin Peaks/House of Leaves.

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Yeah that's what I mean. There are elements that are clearly influenced by SCP but overall the game draws more from that Twin Peaks, Lost, House of Leaves, John Woo, David Lynch influence Lake is always mining

What I mean is, what's the difference between something like House of Leaves and SCP? What makes Control more like the former? As someone who hasn't read or watched those books/series, but likes SCPs well enough, I'm interested.

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It's hard to explain. House of Leaves is more surreal mystery with tinges of terror than full-on SCP horror. The story of a strange house whose inside dimensions are larger than the outside. It's very meta and postmodern with all these strange tricks it pulls on you, forcing you to hold up sections of the book to a bathroom mirror to read them, pages suddenly shifting to less and less words so you have to rapidly turn the pages to keep up, all of these interesting devices that work really well. I think the main thing is that the SCP stuff I've seen is very much horror, and Control is more about creating this sinister, alien atmosphere with only rare moments of true horror and that's more in line with Twin Peaks, House of Leaves etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is my instinct is that the general concept of the game wasn't that inspired by SCP, but the details fleshing out the world were. If people were expecting an SCP-style game, they would probably want something scarier than Control.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

It's hard to explain. House of Leaves is more surreal mystery with tinges of terror than full-on SCP horror. The story of a strange house whose inside dimensions are larger than the outside. It's very meta and postmodern with all these strange tricks it pulls on you, forcing you to hold up sections of the book to a bathroom mirror to read them, pages suddenly shifting to less and less words so you have to rapidly turn the pages to keep up, all of these interesting devices that work really well. I think the main thing is that the SCP stuff I've seen is very much horror, and Control is more about creating this sinister, alien atmosphere with only rare moments of true horror and that's more in line with Twin Peaks, House of Leaves etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is my instinct is that the general concept of the game wasn't that inspired by SCP, but the details fleshing out the world were. If people were expecting an SCP-style game, they would probably want something scarier than Control.

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They're not all horror, I mean we are about to hit 5k entries of the main series and god knows how many stories. They cover many different things from surreal, existential dread, horror, cosmic horror, fantasy, comedic or just oddities.

You can go from something as odd as a recording of a basketball game that every time it's played the people in the recording become more and more aware: SCP-1733 "Season Opener"

To something on the fantasy side like SCP-1230 "A hero is born"

Or something sad like SCP-1762 "Here be dragons"

 

[DrScissorsMD]

Loved it. Felt like a perfect amount. If they leant too hard into it it would've broken the flow of the game, too light and it's not interesting enough. I've never enjoyed reading so much in a game, and the genuine terror and mystery I felt from certain stories, or seeing certain items in the panopticon was amazing.

 

[The Shadow Knight]

It has SCP like elements? I suppose I'll have to bump this up a couple spots on my to play list then.

 

[Lentic]

I found it underwhelming. The SCPs in the game weren't particularly great. I just found myself thinking, "this game could be amazing, but it's kind of just....alright?" That whole aspect ended up feeling tacked on.

Alan Wake did it better with the Twilight Zone-esque TV show.

 

[Thorn]

The Oldest House and the FBC are interesting but thats about as close to SCP as the game gets.

The objects of power are just power ups stored in objects and the hiss is rather dull.

Still fun but the SCP stuff isnt as neat as it could be.

 

[Blue Ninja]

I loved it. Learning about and finding other Objects of Power, cleansing Altered Objects, discovering more about different Altered World Events, it was great. The connections to Alan Wake are just icing on the cake.

I enjoyed the Hiss as this pseudo-Lovecraftian foe and the Oldest House based on House of Leaves, as well. Sam Lake knows what works.

It doesn't go quite the same lengths of outlandishness that SCP does, but there's a lot of future potential.

 

[Jintor]

Pouring a shittonne of money and talent into it helps. It's kind of baby level for SCP's brand of fucked up horror but that's fine for me since I'm a squeemish baby anyway.

 

[tr1b0re]

Absolutely loved it, but I was a little disappointed by the writing in some of the case files

I figure it's a limitation of having to fit it all on just one page, but still

And although I do love the similar themes, I feel like most of the SCPs OOPs weren't all that creepy, with the Hiss and MAYBE the Fridge/FORMER being exceptions, but even they can't really measure up to your average SCP

 

[carlsojo]

I loved it! Can't wait to see where the sequels take us! And what's behind all the doors!

And will we see Rubber Ducky DLC?

 

[fracas]

I really enjoy its more grounded interpretation and trippier aesthetic overall, but it's a shame the game is a shooter.

I want to interact with this interesting world in other ways than just shooting at it.