A Short Review

As you may or may not have noticed, I have been mentioning the game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem quite frequently. This is because I am currently playing through it with friends, and I finally finished it! (No, it's not a very long game, but I am a college student with homework and such.) I won't talk abut the exact story line much, because it could spoil the ending for anyone that wants to play - which I highly recommend by the way. Although if you want to see a walkthrough of the ending you can watch it here (hella spoilers though).

A look at all the playable characters over the course of the game.

Plot

The main plotline is centered around Alex Roivas (the chick in the center wearing modern clothes in the picture above) and her family. Your job is to save the human race from becoming engulfed in eternal darkness (as the title hints at). However, for most of the game you don't actually play as Alex, but rather you cycle through a plethora of different characters from different time periods with unique abilities, stories, and puzzles.

Sanity
As I have mentioned in previous posts, the main thing that makes this game special is the Sanity Meter and consequently the Sanity Effects that go along with it if you loose too much. I'll admit that there were a few that took me off-guard and some that actually caused my character to die (dick move Silicon Knights), but it adds an element to the meter that made me want to keep it full instead of just thinking I could skate by and focus more on health.

Combat
One downfall of the game is the combat system, which obviously weren't a priority in perfecting. Combat quickly becomes repetitive and tedious, making it more enticing to simply run past enemies whenever possible. There is also a combat triangle in place (think rock-paper-scissors) making certain types of magic effective against enemies of the submissive color. This element didn't necessarily impede combat, but made enchanting weapons a priority whenever you actually decided to engage in combat.

Enemies
Although you travel through multitude of time periods, the enemies essentially stay the same. they don't evolve or change appearance to represent the period that they are in, and although they are not of this world, any creature on this planet for long enough would at least decompose a bit more after being in existence for a few thousand years. I won't hold this against the designers though because back when this was made, there were clearly more limitations on graphics and other mechanics.

In conclusion, I did enjoy this game and it made me scared to watch more than a few times. Although the enemies and combat get old pretty quick, the Sanity Effects and different plot line are enough to make me want to keep progressing to the end. I recommend this to anyone with a system able to play GameCube games who likes horror games that aren't just all blood and guts, and are more about the story than strict survival.

Have you ever played this game? What's your opinion on it?

5 Horror Games to Try This Season

Although there are many games that you can play to get into the spirit of Halloween, there are a few that have caught my eye, and some that I wish that I could try. So through some personal experience and a ton of research, I compiled a small list of games that I would recommend trying this season if you're looking for horror titles to play.

I attempted to find games across multiple platforms, meaning that I will admit to not have playing all of them. I wont get into specific story lines, just interesting tidbits about each title. (This list is also in no particular order)

1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - GameCube (2002)

Eternal Darkness is one of the most notable games that came out for GameCube. Partially for the fact that Nintendo was able to support a good horror game, but also because of a certain mechanic that this game introduced: the Sanity Meter.

The Sanity Meter is used in tandem with a typical Health Meter to not only give players another way to loose health and potentially die, but add "Sanity Effects" to the experience. Seeing enemies lowers your sanity, while killing them brings it back slowly. If your Sanity is low enough, the effects will begin. They can be events anywhere from bloody walls, jump scares, or even events that seem to break the fourth wall.

Footage of all Sanity Effects possible throughout the game. (WARNING: This video does contain spoilers.)

2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent - MAC / PC / Linux (2010)

Chances are that even if you are not a horror game connoisseur, you have probably heard of this game. This first-person psychological horror has no combat system, you just have to rely on your wits to avoid enemies and gain items to help with various puzzles. Oh yeah, and we see a return of a very similar mechanic using the Sanity Meter.

In order both help in hiding from enemies and managing your sanity bar, you are fully reliant on lighting sources, including the lantern that you carry with you throughout the game. Unfortunately, aside from Let's Plays, it is challenging to find footage that shows the extent of how the lighting effects are used.

Teaser Trailer (2010)

3. Until Dawn - PlayStation 4 (2015)

Until Dawn is a very new title (just released in August this year) that not only scares you, but makes you think about each and every single decision you make in the game. Although this is a single-player game, there are eight main characters. So if you wanted to have some fun with your friends, it would be interesting to pass the controller from person to person whenever the character changes.

Given the mechanic of making every little decision you come across, from investigating something, to choosing to run or stay hidden, there are many different endings to the game, and many way that each character can end or survive. Some decisions can possibly mean the difference between life and death for the whole cast.

An example of how decisions effect your play through. (WARNING: Possible spoilers)

4. Outlast - PC / Xbox One / PlayStation 4 (2014)

Going along with the trend of games where there is no combat mechanic, is Outlast. Many horror games enjoy using this mechanic because it invokes a feeling of helplessness within players. Outlast adds another level with the use of the night-vision camera.

With much of the game being in the dark, and batteries few and far between, players are forced to take risks walking in the dark. Would you rather conserve battery life for a time when you know that you are going to need it? Or be able to know what is around the next corner?

Official Full Trailer.

5. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water - Wii U (2015)

Out of all the games on this list, this one was released most recently. The most recent in a franchise dating back to 2001, Fatal Frame is relatively unique in the mechanic of having a combat style that involves no actual combat. In these games, and especially this one, your only weapon is your camera, the Camera Obscura.

With this newest installment being a Wii U exclusive, players get to take full advantage of the Camera by using the GamePad to act as a more realistic substitute. With this new addition you are able to rotate the camera to get better shots, and even move it around you to look for ghosts that may be behind you at the time.

Announcement Trailer from E3 2015.

What games would you recommend to friends this Halloween? 

A Brief Disclaimer

Keeping with the horror theme, lets talk games that are already out that you might have an interest in playing on those dark and stormy night alone in the living room. No, I am not suggesting that you do not have any friends to be there with you, just that most horror games are single-player. Although watching someone play can be just as fear-inducing.

But before just giving you a list, I think that it is only fair you you to know my personal opinions on the subject. My personal opinion is that media under the 'horror' genre are really only scary if there is a good story and structure driving the experience. While some people might actually be terrified of watching some psycho chop up dozens of people just for sport, I find that the real terror comes from slowly uncovering the causes of the events you are currently going through.

The scariest games don't necessarily have to be remotely based on realism, such as psychological horror games. Titles such as Eternal Darkness and Alien Isolation can be just as frightening from the knowledge of the terrifying creature might be around the next corner, as games that manifest actual fears and then exaggerate them into horror elements.

Screenshots from Eternal Darkness (2002) and Alien Isolation (2014)

Although I am a graphic artist, I don't think that graphics are absolutely needed for a good horror experience. Although many games on newer platforms are able to provide a feeling of being in the game which certainly adds another layer of fear on top of all of the other classic elements, this doesn't make older titles any less frightening as they once were. The ability to achieve an effective jump scare or make people fear what might be around the next corner was developed long before we had these advancements in artistic technology.

If you want to do more investigating of your own into the different horror games across all platforms, and news on upcoming titles, I would highly recommend scaredtoplay.com, which is where I did the bulk of my research for my posts on horror games.

Do you have any older games that you like to bust out for some nostalgic frights?

Let the Frights Commence

We find ourselves in that time of year again, where the theme of death is all around us: the flowers, the leaves on the trees, the victims on TV that we are constantly yelling at for being stupid as we watch our favorite horror flick with our friends...it's the season of the macabre again.

Although horror games are released year-round, and people still play them during the other seasons, there's a certain appeal to playing games designed to get your blood pumping when you are surrounded by the same themes on a daily basis. So prepare for the next few posts to be heavily horror-themed (without all of the jump scares....probably). So without further ado...

The Return of Friday the 13th (again)

That's right boys and girls, Jason is planning on making another comeback, this time for next-gen consoles. This isn't his first appearance in the interactive media world, you may know of his first game which was released for the NES back in 1989.

Photo courtesy of YouTube.

Although you would think that teenagers would learn to STAY AWAY from Camp Crystal Lake after all of the crap that's gone down there, sure enough more are back to fight for survival after an evening of drinking and fornication. This newest game is currently designed to be a multiplayer experience, pitting 1 player (Jason) against up to 7 of their friends (the councilors).

The game has recently released an official announcement trailer on the 13th (no, it's not a coincidence), but will not be actually released until late next year. Although they were able to add the franchise label to a game that was already in production - Slasher Vol. 1- Summer Camp - they are still in need of funding to make the game as big and bloody as they want it.

The production team is currently running a kick starter campaign to raise money to complete the game, (as well as giving out some pretty awesome gifts to those who donate enough). Their goal is $700,000 to complete the game, but after only 2 days of campaigning they have raised over $310,000. If all goes according to plan, they can expand plans for the game with extra funds.

The campaign ends, of course, on Friday the 13th of next month. If you would like to support the production follow this link.

What are your favorite games to play this time of year? Are there any new releases that you can't wait to get your bloody mitts on?

As Target Foretold

It's official! If you were thinking about buying that special someone (or yourself for that matter) a PS4 this holiday season, there has been a slight price drop! $50 to be exact, which will be starting today - October 9th.

Many have heard of the accidental leak that Target let slip earlier this week. With a page that looked similar to this one when you viewed the page for their "video games" section:

Image taken from the IGN article linked to above.

You might be thinking 'Its only $50, so what?' Well I will tell you what, this price drop is also being applied to the exclusive bundles coming out this season that come with games like: Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Star Wars Battlefront, and more! That price drop that might not seem very significant, but when coupled with a bundle, you are practically getting a free game in most of the cases.

This price drop also signifies the beginning of more price drops coming. It probably won't happen this holiday season, but once systems start getting cheaper, they continue that trend to keep sales up.

It's obviously too early to start talking about your Christmas shopping plans, but is this price drop making you consider buying a PS4 before the new year? Or will you wait a little bit longer for the next drop?

'Tis the Season!

With the beginning of a new month, comes another wave of anticipated games just itching to enter the shelves of stores and gamers who have already spent the cash on yet another pre-order so they can have a guaranteed copy on release day.

Photo taken from the gamesfan.com website.

The fall season is always just a bit more special, because of the surge of new AAA titles and other annually released games. It's easy to see why stores are already scrambling to hire their seasonal employees before the onslaught of midnight release parties, and hoards of people coming to spend holiday money early.

But what are the games that people will be flocking to local retailers to buy this month? I have done a little bit of investigation and have come up with a list of what I think are going to be some of the high-sellers this month: (In no particular order)

• Halo 5: Guardians
• Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
• The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
• Yoshi's Woolly World
• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

And yes, I do realize that there are plenty of Indie and smaller titles coming out this month as well, but let's all be honest, the main reason that most gamers rush to the nearest GameStop on a release day is for the big titles that everybody knows.

So what games are you most looking forward to this month? Any predictions on which game will take the title of top seller? Share your opinions in the comments!

The Journey Begins

Hello fellow gamers! This is your captain speaking. If you're looking for up-to-date and relevant news going on out there in the digital game community, then you have come to the right place! My name is Kat and I will be taking you on a journey through the upcoming releases, reviews, and other related game happenings that I see fit to share.
This blog is open to all opinions, so if would like to make suggestions, or if you have any questions, the comments are always open.
If you accept these conditions, then Press Start to Begin!