[supermintyfresh]

Hasn't anyone played the DC yet? I did a search on the forum but only found one thread but they were asking for hints.

Anyways, I just finished the "last visit" scenario..

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

The ending was good, but it wasn't nearly as scary as the ending in Michael's experience. The moaning sounds Robin made took alot of the scare out of him and he looked sloth from the goonies so it was kinda funny, but anyways do you think that was James Blackwood who came in through the door at the end? At first I thought it was Milton, but why would he be there? Maybe it's true that James faked his death?

And it's sort of a shame we didn't get much disclosure on the whole mask thing. But I WOULD have to say there is infact a curse, consdering Robin was later on in the tub with the mask..As if he were drawn to it somehow.

And now it's time for me to play through the directors cut. I hope the alternate ending is good.

[Valkyrie]

I just finished "The Last Visit" a few hours ago. (And, naturally, went looking around for discussion threads, even in forums where I wasn't yet registered. So as for the ending, although these are some serious off-the-cuff responses...

Spoiler:

I'm pretty sure the old man is Christopher Milton. There's a bit of foreshadowing for that in the living room downstairs: one of graffiti scrawls in blue says "Milton Lives." (Out of curiosity, if anyone can make out the other graffiti, I'd be really interested in seeing what it says...the only other scrawl I can make out is an obvious easter egg; it says "Nucleosys Rules." )

As for why Milton would be there: just because he disappeared in 1970 doesn't mean he died. His journal on the coffee table hints that he just fled the house. He would have had to have stayed in the area, though, because otherwise Robin would have died of starvation before Michael ran into him 6 years later. If you look at the wall of Robin's cell by one of the windows (in the main game, sans alternate ending), there's recently dried blood, and a receipt up in the attic shows a purchase of a bunch of raw meat from 1970. So even though Milton fled the house, he was still visiting occasionally to toss meat down to Robin rather than let the boy starve.

(There's even a theory tossed around on Nucleosys's forums every now and again that Milton was the one who called the National Trust down on Michael, to keep him from finding out about Robin. Interesting idea, I think, but I don't know how true it is.)

As for why Milton came back, I think what he says in the cutscene makes it obvious: he was in the area, saw Peter's car by the gates, and came to chase him off. An ulterior/subconscious motive seems to be that he wanted to see Robin again before his death.

And the curse/no curse thing: that Robin was in the tub with the mask could simply be a coincidence. (Although, does anyone else wonder how Robin got in there at all? I swear, I took two steps down the hallway, came back, and boom. ...Clearly, the real secret is the fact that Robin is a teleporting ninja. ) I think the most damning evidence is that the game closes on a shot of the mask while Peter muses on what the real "heart of the matter" could be.

I do agree with you on the animation, though...it is oddly cartoony, especially compared to what you see in the main game. I'd chalk that up to development times, maybe? The original/main game most definitely had a longer development time than "The Last Visit" did. The new animations did take some of the scare factor away, though...which may have saved me a heart palpitation or three, but is a little disappointing.

I am still left with a couple of questions, however...

Spoiler:

1) ...Is Robin wearing jammies?

2) On a slightly more serious note, does anyone else wonder what happened to Robin with the destruction of the house? Was he rounded up by the authorities (assuming Peter called them, and assuming they believed him when he started going on about monsters at Blackwood Manor)? Or did he just escape for parts unknown?

[supermintyfresh]

Exactly! That is exactly how I felt I just couldn't put it into words..ha, thanks.

Spoiler:

On a slightly more serious note, does anyone else wonder what happened to Robin with the destruction of the house? Was he rounded up by the authorities (assuming Peter called them, and assuming they believed him when he started going on about monsters at Blackwood Manor)? Or did he just escape for parts unknown?"

Spoiler:

That part actually pissed me off...I'm positive peter included Robin in his story when he notfied authorties (which I'm sure he did) and he could of at least mentioned if Robin had been detained or not.

He could of at least idenified the man at the end! Or if they even found hid body when they demolished the place

...Anyways, anyone know how to get the alternate ending? I am looking everywhere, even on the messageboard at their website! No one has found it!


I tell you..It better be worth it! They originally said the game contained "2 hours" of additional play in the "last visit" chapter....That took me 25 minutes at most!


EDIT: I just read how you acheive the alternate ending on their forums...Dammit! It seems like I have to go through the whole game (well most of it) again. Right after I just beat it too! Can someone just spoil it for me? Please.

[Valkyrie]

Originally Posted by supermintyfresh

Spoiler:

That part actually pissed me off...I'm positive peter included Robin in his story when he notfied authorties (which I'm sure he did) and he could of at least mentioned if Robin had been detained or not.

Spoiler:

I'm not entirely convinced that Peter would've called the authorities, though (even though it was the most sensible thing to do). Calling them would mean admitting that he'd been out at Blackwood Manor, which could mean getting slapped with trespassing charges--and that could get his editor in trouble as well, and possibly cost him his job. He may not have wanted to risk all that...although if he later published his story, including his encounter with Robin, I'm pretty sure he could be charged with failure to notify the authorities about what had happened. He just can't win.

EDIT: I just read how you acheive the alternate ending on their forums...Dammit! It seems like I have to go through the whole game (well most of it) again. Right after I just beat it too! Can someone just spoil it for me? Please.

Do you have the 500MB update installed? With that, I think you can get away with just replaying from right before you call Bailey, because it makes getting the alt ending easier...

Spoiler:

Agustin has said that if you choose the most "nervous" responses when talking to Bailey, and then try to use the typewriter over and over before you descend down into the lair, you'll get the alternate ending. I haven't tested that myself, but it's worth a shot. You'll know you've opened up the alternate ending when you get a bizarre entry in Michael's diary that begins, "I am not Michael Arthate [...]"

I'm kind of reluctant to spoil the ending for people, if only because I think it would ruin the moment of brain breakage that ensues when you do get it.

[Thello]

Any chance anybody's willing to Youtube the alternate ending, or at the very least just spoil it here? There's no way I'm willing to start all over again and I'm dying to find out.

[Melanie68]

Have a look at this thread over at Nucleosys' forums. I didn't look at both pages so hopefully there are no spoilers (there didn't seem to be on the first page). I hope that helps to get to the alternate ending quicker.

[Thello]

Originally Posted by Melanie68

Have a look at this thread over at Nucleosys' forums. I didn't look at both pages so hopefully there are no spoilers (there didn't seem to be on the first page). I hope that helps to get to the alternate ending quicker.

I mostly just want somebody to tell me what happens, and nobody there seems to want to spoil it either .

Anybody, anybody?

[JemyM]

I have to ask a few questions to them who have played both Scratches and Scratches DC:

1. For me who finished Scratches and seen the original ending, how is the story/game extended in DC?
a) Is the story continued after the original ending?
b) Are there any new areas?
c) Do I have to finish more puzzles to reach the original end?
d) Is the extended content meant to flesh out the original story or continue the original story?
e) Are there any more scares in DC?
2. What is "Last Visit"?
3. Is the "alternate ending" more positive or more negative than the original ending (from the characters perspective).

[misa]

JemyM, I didn't play the original Scratches, only the Director's Cut so I can't answer your other questions except that "The Last Visit" is sort of a mini-game that occurs sometime after the Michael's stay at the house where you play a different character. It only took me about 30 minutes to go through the mini-game so not sure if it's worth it to purchase the Director's Cut if you already own the first one.

[MadTricks]

I'm going to get/play Scratches soon, and I was wondering which version should I get?

[misa]

Since you haven't played either, get the Director's Cut. I got mine for $20 at Target sometime over the summer. Prices may have dropped since then.

[PhoenixWrong]

Question, how scary is scratches? I;m not one for horror games, but I don't mind a spooky atmosphere.

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by PhoenixWrong

Question, how scary is scratches? I;m not one for horror games, but I don't mind a spooky atmosphere.

It has spooky atmosphere in spades! It has a couple of jump out of your seat moments but it isn't gory or keeping you constantly on the edge of your seat (it was perfect for me - I'm a wimp when it comes to horror movies ).