It took me 5 minutes to realize that it wasn't all one big cutscene, and that THIS is actual gameplay now. Oh, we're in for a doozy for this one, aren't we?
Laura. Laura! What's happened to that boy you used to date in high school, Laura? You are 27 and still not married, Laura. I want to live to see my grandchildren, Laura. Please, Laura. At least try Tindуr, Laura.
Joking aside, the history behind this game and its director is quite fascinating - especially the whole story about how he bypassed the censors (by showing them tamer version of the game, getting approval, importing it to 3DO personally, and switching discs while no one was watching, so it got manufactured in uncensored state). I recommend to google some articles about Kenji Eno, he was a weirdo on a level of Suda51 and SWERY.
Man was a maverick. When he was unsatisfied with Sony's treatment of D, at a Sony conference, during a preview of Enemy Zero the Playstation logo appeared at the end but then slowly formed into the Sega Saturn logo. So basically he told Sony to go fuck themselves
Kenji Eno embodied sweaty earnest work. Check out this excellent 2008 interview, now archived due to 1Up's closure: [Nov. 11 EDIT: Link removed, the archive no longer works.] Eno talks about parallels in the gaming and music industries, and how he pulled some tricks from the more daring music industry to force people into noticing his games. You don't hear a single ounce of cynicism in Eno's recollection, just belly laughs and a huge grin at his own shenanigans. Please let me know if the link stops working or does anything weird.
I read about Eno a few times, but man, that interview is actually really interesting and he seems like a pretty cool dude. I don't really think I'll play any of his games, but he had balls and he did what he wanted to, and I can respect that. The only problem is that it kinda spoils the ending of this game, though I guess that's not really too important considering I wouldn't have played it myself.
So the main guy behind this game, Kenji Eno, believed in "Digital Actors" which is where a character appears in multiple games in different roles. The Laura here is unrelated to the Laura in D2 and the other one in Enemy Zero, the same goes for two other characters.
There were a handful between Enemy Zero and D2 actually: Laura, David, Kimberly, Parker, and Mercus (kinda, in D2 you can find a lunchbox with his name on it).
Grammaton485 For Enemy Zero, he released what is the most exclusive Special Edition ever released. It was a crate filled with bunch of memorabilia including a towel among other things. There were only 20 ever released and that's because Kenji Eno would deliver it to you. Personally.
LAURA I have a dream that one day this nation will LAURA rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We LAURA hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men LAURA are created equal." LAURA
The thing about D is that it's on a timer, so you have to beat it within a few hours or it's game over. So yes, when the game designers have Laura going at a snail's pace, they are intentionally wasting your time.
D: It's like Alone in the Dark if they actually had the ability to render graphics in 1993! Or that weird butterfly game if it had used less FMV rotoscoping! Or Myst, if it was worse! Hmm, 1 year into Re-boot...and just same year Toy Story came out. One year before this, Ridge Racer, A-Train IV, and Gokujō Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack were released for PS1. In 1995, Wipeout and Rayman both released. All I'm saying is that this was already aged by the time it came out, but I presume that it was the 3DO port that held things back.
For anyone wondering, the reason the Action Replay is used is to bypass region lock on the Saturn. The AR and Gameshark on the Saturn worked by forcing the Saturn to load a custom BIOS that got around the console's security - this is also the reason that the AR and Gameshark can be used to "softmod" a Saturn to play burned games. Some games on the Saturn had anti-piracy features that would try to block you from playing the game if anything was inserted into the memory card slot, and as a result those games had to be patched to run off a CD-R. On a side note, this game's sequel (aptly named D2) was probably the biggest game in terms of size on the Dreamcast, spanning four 1GB GD-ROMs - or EIGHT standard CD-Rs.
The only part of _D_ that holds up is story of how Kenji Eno (RIP) was told to censor a bunch of stuff, so he personally delivered a gold master with no censorship. Dude had some balls, man
Oh my god, could Laura possibly walk any fucking slower!!!! It was so damn painful!!! It was like being stuck behind one of those old people on the highway who refuse to drive over 25 mph when the speed limit is 55!!!!
I assure you, D2 is bigger, longer, and waaaay harder. In all seriousness, Supergreatfriend has a really good LP of D2. In general, SGF does a pretty deep dive into the D franchise. It's good viewin'.
Oops, I guess this version of the game doesn't have the cutscene that establishes why Laura is at the hospital in the first place (probably cut for space, if I remember correctly). I think I remember what it is (under the cut): Laura's father (I think he's a doctor?) started killing people in the hospital and Laura heard about this somehow. He's holed up in the hospital with police surrounding it, and for whatever reason the police let her go in, maybe to talk him down or something.
I think I recall the PC version (and other versions after the original Saturn version) has a cutscene showing what I described. But beyond that, I don't think it's explicitly mentioned again.
I have that same Action Replay for my Saturn. It functions as a RAM expansion cart, import converter, gameshark and external memory card. It's pretty awesome for when I feel like playing some old school Capcom fighting games.
Enemy Zero is an interesting sci-fi horror game that I'd recommend. The one hit kill, invisible enemies will piss you off at first but its a mechanic you get used to especially if you do the practice mode. D2 has great atmosphere and the shooting gameplay is fun, but the story is very complicated in a not so good way and it brings the game down imo.
So in case anyone wants to know. that cutscene in the beginning that was skipped explained that her dad was a doctor who went on a killing spree in his hospital. And the police agreed to let her go in to try to talk him down. That's when she gets sucked into this other world.
Holy crap. The brightness issue is real. I kept noticing dust on my screen that was obscuring the game, and then brushing it off...only to see my reflection [insert Halloween joke here]. Also, wow. Laura is giving Eike a run for his money.
I remember reading about this game in a 3DO strategy guide when I was young. It looked really spooky, but seeing the actual gameplay, it's really cheesy
I know why the player skipped the opening animation since it is one of those things that showcases lots of scenes like Timegal and others did. But at the same time it does take away the reason for her being there......but then again the reason made no sense anyway so whatever yea fuck the narrative it's better this way.
You have to beat the game in less than two hours to get either of the real endings because not beating it before then is the game's fail state. You get a 'time out' ending and have to replay the entire thing from the beginning because there is no way to save the game since it was intended to be a movie-like experience. To get the full story (which isn't a separate ending, but adds context to the real endings) you have to collect the beetles that are hidden throughout the mind house. The difference between getting the good and bad ends depends on what action you take in the final scene.
The game isn't actually supposed to be this dark. I don't know why it looks that way here. I'm guessing an emulation issue because the quality of the graphics look a bit low in general. I mean, yeah, it looks bad, but not this bad.
I remember my dad had this game in his collection of "weird pc games he bought before we actually had a pc", and being shocked to look it up and find out it's actually a cult classic weird japanese horror game. I'm... not sure how he found it.
It's funny to look back on this, because I was BLOWN AWAY by this game when it was new, in no small part because I didn't realize they were just stitching FMVs together... and yes, I was also fooled by Donkey Kong Country.
There was also a sort-of sequel/spin-off/whatever released between D and D2 called *Enemy Zero* . It's a sci-fi horror game set over a space station where you need to survive against invisible aliens (by using a device that emits pitches depending on how close they're to you).
![D: It's also what we rate this game [Part 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/584H_BjFRzo/mqdefault.jpg)
![D: It's also what we rate this game [Part 2]](/img/tr.png)
Maybe the D stands for Dawson.
If Laura fails at a ring toss, I think we'll have our confirmation.
It took me 5 minutes to realize that it wasn't all one big cutscene, and that THIS is actual gameplay now.
Oh, we're in for a doozy for this one, aren't we?
its certainly interesting, fun and filled with varied gameplay
when the dad first said Laura, I thought he said moron.
1OOOmbr same difference
Laura. Laura!
What's happened to that boy you used to date in high school, Laura?
You are 27 and still not married, Laura.
I want to live to see my grandchildren, Laura.
Please, Laura. At least try Tindуr, Laura.
I know this comment's a year old but literally all of this applies to me.
Joking aside, the history behind this game and its director is quite fascinating - especially the whole story about how he bypassed the censors (by showing them tamer version of the game, getting approval, importing it to 3DO personally, and switching discs while no one was watching, so it got manufactured in uncensored state). I recommend to google some articles about Kenji Eno, he was a weirdo on a level of Suda51 and SWERY.
Man was a maverick. When he was unsatisfied with Sony's treatment of D, at a Sony conference, during a preview of Enemy Zero the Playstation logo appeared at the end but then slowly formed into the Sega Saturn logo. So basically he told Sony to go fuck themselves
Kenji Eno embodied sweaty earnest work. Check out this excellent 2008 interview, now archived due to 1Up's closure: [Nov. 11 EDIT: Link removed, the archive no longer works.]
Eno talks about parallels in the gaming and music industries, and how he pulled some tricks from the more daring music industry to force people into noticing his games. You don't hear a single ounce of cynicism in Eno's recollection, just belly laughs and a huge grin at his own shenanigans.
Please let me know if the link stops working or does anything weird.
There's an article at HG101 about all the D games, also has some info on Eno.
I read about Eno a few times, but man, that interview is actually really interesting and he seems like a pretty cool dude. I don't really think I'll play any of his games, but he had balls and he did what he wanted to, and I can respect that.
The only problem is that it kinda spoils the ending of this game, though I guess that's not really too important considering I wouldn't have played it myself.
nateman742 Your link stopped working :(
Walking around in a poorly rendered building very slowly, just what I've always wanted from my video games.
Laura is contesting Samus Aran for the 'most wooden female protagonist' title.
"D is like a cricket match -- really really long and I just don't understand it". My gosh, that was beautiful.
So the main guy behind this game, Kenji Eno, believed in "Digital Actors" which is where a character appears in multiple games in different roles. The Laura here is unrelated to the Laura in D2 and the other one in Enemy Zero, the same goes for two other characters.
There were a handful between Enemy Zero and D2 actually: Laura, David, Kimberly, Parker, and Mercus (kinda, in D2 you can find a lunchbox with his name on it).
That's actually kind of a cool idea.
Grammaton485
For Enemy Zero, he released what is the most exclusive Special Edition ever released. It was a crate filled with bunch of memorabilia including a towel among other things. There were only 20 ever released and that's because Kenji Eno would deliver it to you. Personally.
Kenji Eno also made a sound-only game for blind people. He was a true original, may he rest in peace.
D4 is the only one in the series worth playing
D4 is a different series and company.
that's the joke
+Kandriod 2001 aren't you a smart cookie
I won't spoil anything but there actually is a reason why the game is called D. It's pretty contrived and shoehorned in, but there is a reason.
And it's...Dumb.
LAURA I have a dream that one day this nation will LAURA rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We LAURA hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men LAURA are created equal." LAURA
"Laura! Laura! You'll never reach a million subscribers if your scare-cam game is this weak!"
I don't even understand when gameplay began, but I know when silliness did.
Beef always seems to be in his element when the subject is on a Sega console.
The thing about D is that it's on a timer, so you have to beat it within a few hours or it's game over. So yes, when the game designers have Laura going at a snail's pace, they are intentionally wasting your time.
'D' is named after the final boss of this game, a chest of 500 drawers.
I'm glad the longplayer seems to know what to do, because the game sure as hell doesn't tell you anything.
D:
It's like Alone in the Dark if they actually had the ability to render graphics in 1993! Or that weird butterfly game if it had used less FMV rotoscoping!
Or Myst, if it was worse!
Hmm, 1 year into Re-boot...and just same year Toy Story came out. One year before this, Ridge Racer, A-Train IV, and Gokujō Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack were released for PS1. In 1995, Wipeout and Rayman both released.
All I'm saying is that this was already aged by the time it came out, but I presume that it was the 3DO port that held things back.
Thank you for the D, daddy Retsupurae.
Take that D in well.
I swear she has a toilet seat in her inventory.
*heavenly chorus*
She pulled the toilet seat lid off the toilet!
For anyone wondering, the reason the Action Replay is used is to bypass region lock on the Saturn. The AR and Gameshark on the Saturn worked by forcing the Saturn to load a custom BIOS that got around the console's security - this is also the reason that the AR and Gameshark can be used to "softmod" a Saturn to play burned games. Some games on the Saturn had anti-piracy features that would try to block you from playing the game if anything was inserted into the memory card slot, and as a result those games had to be patched to run off a CD-R.
On a side note, this game's sequel (aptly named D2) was probably the biggest game in terms of size on the Dreamcast, spanning four 1GB GD-ROMs - or EIGHT standard CD-Rs.
oh, is this what that open house game with francesca was based on?
0:53 If your D is having its period you may want to consult... actually I have no idea who you'd need to talk to, but for god's sake find somebody.
A cricket match can last for 5 days and still end in a draw which, honestly, I think is how this will end.
"0000 cheats enabled." It must have been hard to limit themselves to 10,000 cheats.
The only part of _D_ that holds up is story of how Kenji Eno (RIP) was told to censor a bunch of stuff, so he personally delivered a gold master with no censorship. Dude had some balls, man
In all seriousness, the guy who made this was a legend. Rest in peace, Kenji Eno.
Seeing another game about an easily impressed girl exploring a house makes me long for Bates.
I'm so glad we dont have garbage like this anymore, but sad that the vacuum it left was filled by worse trash.
6:39
when you accidentally switch to front-facing camera
I went into this knowing nothing about this game, and twenty minutes later I feel that hasn't changed.
I can't wait till the next part where I can finally see what is happening
The D: is also my reaction
I'm glad that you guys got around to D. Believe it or not, this game has a hard time limit of 2 hours.
That's ridiculous...
And that time limit is literally the only way you can die in this game.
Because of all the slow walking I bet. XD
seriously? thats probably the stupidest game mechanic i've heard of
if D lasts for more than four hours, consult your doctor.
This is the first time I saw the D, and can't really say I enjoyed it much. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the D is very unpleasant...
Can't wait to hear the reaction when they learn what D actually stands for
I love Diabeetus implying that Lara is a DBZ character.
18:21 - That's a bad sign when even the main character in your game is struggling to stay awake
Oh my god, could Laura possibly walk any fucking slower!!!! It was so damn painful!!! It was like being stuck behind one of those old people on the highway who refuse to drive over 25 mph when the speed limit is 55!!!!
Any chance of you guys giving us more D after your done?
i love me some Retsupurae D, it really makes me feel good
I assure you, D2 is bigger, longer, and waaaay harder. In all seriousness, Supergreatfriend has a really good LP of D2. In general, SGF does a pretty deep dive into the D franchise. It's good viewin'.
Nah they gotta wait 3 days first
There needs to be a Retsupurae of The Ring: Terror's Realm. it's perfect material for slowbeef and diabetus.
Oops, I guess this version of the game doesn't have the cutscene that establishes why Laura is at the hospital in the first place (probably cut for space, if I remember correctly). I think I remember what it is (under the cut):
Laura's father (I think he's a doctor?) started killing people in the hospital and Laura heard about this somehow. He's holed up in the hospital with police surrounding it, and for whatever reason the police let her go in, maybe to talk him down or something.
Yeah, it's weird enough even with context. I don't remember if the game proper even mentions the killing spree.
I think I recall the PC version (and other versions after the original Saturn version) has a cutscene showing what I described. But beyond that, I don't think it's explicitly mentioned again.
The longplayer skipped the intro for some reason.
I have that same Action Replay for my Saturn. It functions as a RAM expansion cart, import converter, gameshark and external memory card. It's pretty awesome for when I feel like playing some old school Capcom fighting games.
Suddenly I miss Phantasmogoria.
Edit: I really wish the "D" stood for "Don".
Fun fact: according to wikipedia this game has a two-hour time limit. So given Laura's... casual pace you'd better know exactly what you're doing.
This is the most emotionally dead protagonist ever.
I just realized that Laura looks just like Samus from Metroid Beginings.
The bricks in this dungeon look like when a Super Mario 64 cartridge gets corrupted.
Ah, D.
Starts out with a bang, climaxes too early and then it's laughable at best.
just like me.
What are enemy zero and D2 like?
fucking amazing
D2 that is. E0 is... interesting. They're complicated.
Enemy Zero is an interesting sci-fi horror game that I'd recommend. The one hit kill, invisible enemies will piss you off at first but its a mechanic you get used to especially if you do the practice mode.
D2 has great atmosphere and the shooting gameplay is fun, but the story is very complicated in a not so good way and it brings the game down imo.
IronManx70
So skip the cutscenes?
No, not grainy textures! AAAAAAAAAAH! MY HEART!
Why does she look like a character from a Michael Gibson game?
it toke me a good 5 minutes to find out the let's player was playing the game, it runs so slow thought it was still in a cutscene
I like how the crank clipped into the barrel when she used it. I've never seen clipping in FMVs before. Clearly this is a quality game.
There are two sequels:Enemy zero and D2, which are a fair bit more action oriented,thank goodness.
I thought that was a " D: " in the title.
Now looking at the game, it was probably intentional.
13:40 Aaah, she has DSP face!
This character is already less annoying than Alexander (Dracula), Carnaby, Mike, and King Graham combined
So in case anyone wants to know. that cutscene in the beginning that was skipped explained that her dad was a doctor who went on a killing spree in his hospital. And the police agreed to let her go in to try to talk him down. That's when she gets sucked into this other world.
2:10 “Obama-Care”
**character covers face and gasps** Damn
Holy crap. The brightness issue is real. I kept noticing dust on my screen that was obscuring the game, and then brushing it off...only to see my reflection [insert Halloween joke here].
Also, wow. Laura is giving Eike a run for his money.
D4: D is Dark and Doesn't Delight
I was hopping this was the Vampire Hunter D game.
I remember reading about this game in a 3DO strategy guide when I was young. It looked really spooky, but seeing the actual gameplay, it's really cheesy
I remember playing this on release- I can't remember much of it other than what "D" actually stands for
This is the most flaccid D I've ever seen
I'd say this game has an old-world charm to it.
0:16
"E.M.S. Indutrial Ltd. 1996"
That's a good start right there.
I know why the player skipped the opening animation since it is one of those things that showcases lots of scenes like Timegal and others did. But at the same time it does take away the reason for her being there......but then again the reason made no sense anyway so whatever yea fuck the narrative it's better this way.
Also fun fact about this game, you have to beat it in under 2 hours to get the best ending.
ReasonForNo the best ending is "it only took 2 hours of your life."
You have to beat the game in less than two hours to get either of the real endings because not beating it before then is the game's fail state. You get a 'time out' ending and have to replay the entire thing from the beginning because there is no way to save the game since it was intended to be a movie-like experience. To get the full story (which isn't a separate ending, but adds context to the real endings) you have to collect the beetles that are hidden throughout the mind house. The difference between getting the good and bad ends depends on what action you take in the final scene.
Surely I can't be the only person hoping for a game based on everybody's favourite Beastie Boy, Mike Diamond?
So, D actually does stand for something.
We'll see if you can guess what it is.
Appropriate, as D just came out on steam, a couple days ago. Then again, so did Starship Titanic. Buy that instead.
The game isn't actually supposed to be this dark. I don't know why it looks that way here. I'm guessing an emulation issue because the quality of the graphics look a bit low in general. I mean, yeah, it looks bad, but not this bad.
I remember my dad had this game in his collection of "weird pc games he bought before we actually had a pc", and being shocked to look it up and find out it's actually a cult classic weird japanese horror game. I'm... not sure how he found it.
Oh wow, I've seen this game before. Appropriate for Halloween at least considering.
If you guys do D2 you have to bring SuperGreatFriend along
Indeed, SGF has done a lot of D.
I've never seen a game like this and considering how dark it is, I guess I never will.
D eez nuts
So how was the sequel, E?
Silent D
Man, those graphics were terrible even for back then!
It reminds me of that maze game they riffed on a while back. Reality Death Maze, or something
Are we still allowed to submit longplays of our own, or do we have to recommend someone else's?
Didn't you all play this-- or showcase it or something, about a year ago?
Goodness I understand that the game is time based but come on!
D stands for daddy issues, I guess.
Finally get to find out who killed Little Peggy.
thought this was gonna be a game based on Vampire Hunter D.
Well, about that...
what? is it?
well the D stands for.... *spoil block*
that'd be fucking awesome
there better be some sort of adaptation for it soon
there is a ps1 game of Vampire Hunter D it's not good though...
holy shit. I remember playing this.
Alone in the dark 3.... D.
WHAT?! WHAAAAAAAAAT?!
Wasn’t this one of the first fully pre-rendered games?
(reads comments)
Some people unironically like this game and Enemy Zero. Why?
Because they're dumb idiots
also nostalgia
It's gonna be on steam, too.
It's funny to look back on this, because I was BLOWN AWAY by this game when it was new, in no small part because I didn't realize they were just stitching FMVs together... and yes, I was also fooled by Donkey Kong Country.
Jaspertine DKC was actually pretty fun though, unlike D.
There's a D2 as well that came out for the Dreamcast that was pretty bad and over the top. Didn't know there was a prequel
there was also a 4th installment, Called D4. they finally made a good game then.
There was also a sort-of sequel/spin-off/whatever released between D and D2 called *Enemy Zero* .
It's a sci-fi horror game set over a space station where you need to survive against invisible aliens (by using a device that emits pitches depending on how close they're to you).
Surprised we didn't get a Bill Clinton impersonation.
Retsupurae has been great lately
Yeah, I would prefer watching a cricket match over playing this.
2:10 The truth Obama Care doesn't want you to know.