Evil returns and it did not disappoint. I'm one of those weird, rare die-hard fans of the severely underrated original (like I own a Beacon Mental Hospital staff hoodie die-hard). Next to Silent Hill: Downpour, it quickly took its place as one of my favorite horror titles across all categories of media. The game encompassed what I love about horror; the psychological aspect. Paired with a rich story, a compelling hero, and just enough of a sense of unknown urgency, it created a world that was as frustrating as it was satisfying. It begged to ask the questions of what happens when the mind breaks, how far are you willing to go to survive, how much can the human mind withstand, and at what point do the hallucinations become reality. It's psychological horror at its finest, so when rumors began to circulate of a sequel around E3 time I was pumped. I just wanted to take one more step into this thrilling, anxiety pounding world and all the aspects of what makes this powerful title so legendary in the eyes of horror fans. Bethesda (as always) has put a lot of work and time into this game, it shows in the marketing, it shows in the designs and updates, it showed in the excitement of the fans. As the count-down to Friday the 13th loomed I grew more and more excited and my first playthrough clocked just fifty one seconds shy of twenty eight hours between game-play, exploring, collectibles, and just appreciating the overall experience. The Evil Within 2 is an aesthetically pleasing terror-trip into darkness, and I couldn't be more satisfied with seeing how Sebastian's story is continuing thus far. As I began my second playthrough I decided to reflect on the game.
0 Comments
Humans are natural conspiracy theorists, cause reality sucks and it's more fun to believe Elvis is still alive instead of focusing on what's happening around us. We love taking things that are 'known' and shaking them up. The what-ifs of the world are always more appealing than the reality we live in - it's why we believe in Bigfoots (Bigfeet? Debate.) and ghosts and aliens. There's no definitive proof that they're real, but we'll do anything to convince ourselves otherwise. Millennials are ruthless conspiracy junkies, we will literally argue till the sun comes up to defend our beliefs. From FNAF Fanatics to the "Who Is Gonna Kill Rick Sanchez" obsessors (that's my current category), everybody has a niche subject they like spend time delving into the what-ifs of. Lucky for us we live in an age of technology, where we can hop on Reddit or Wikis in an instant, we have easy access to be able to research, create, and share theories about our favorite stories with each other and the world and, if you're anything like me, YouTube is your go-to place for the latest in media theories. One day YouTube autoplay blessed me with the most wonderful new content I never knew I needed (see what I did there?). It's Treesicle, a group of dudes with way too much time on their hands, a penchant for sneaking the word butt into every other sentence like an art form, and fantastic senses of humor - and you really need to be watching their stuff. TellTale sure does know how to drop a release in timely ways that make even the most composed of geeks giggle like a fan-girl. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The TellTale Series (that's a mouthful) had its first episode release within just a few days of the second Guardians film hitting theaters back in May. Now, riding on the coattails of not only the release of the second season of their Batman series, but the release day of GotG Vol.2 on DVD/Blu-Ray/4K/Digital (all the releases), the hype was all-too real and all too intense for the third episode. It's a hype that built up a lot of anticipation and excitement for me, Guardians is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and after binging both movies in the span of about a day I was needing a fix for some more Star-Lord and his band of misfits. So, naturally, it auto-downloaded on Tuesday and I blew threw it in a matter of about an hour or so - it's not the finest installment in TellTale history, it has some flaws, but it definitely got a couple of really good laughs out of me and showcased unique spins on back-stories that really made the wait worthwhile. So, if you're interested in getting the low-down or just want to hear my perspective on the installment, please read on. Anyone who knows me even the slightest bit knows I am very passionate about all things nerdy, geeky, and content with a compelling story. But there are three things in particular that I value above almost anything in those categories; anything and everything Batman, a powerhouse story from TellTale Games, and enticing, well-rounded character development. So, naturally I was over the moon with the announcement of TTG's reveal of the second seasons of their Batman series and, even more so, The Wolf Among Us (so stoked). Batman: A TellTale Games Series made a very deep impression on me and I couldn't give it enough praise if I tried. Every episode left me wanting more and feeling strong emotional ties to characters that defined my childhood in new, profound ways. It took a franchise that is so near and dear to my heart and gave it a refreshing breath of modern life with a dark, stoic look at one of the lesser focused on sides of the Dark Knight - Bruce Wayne. This is a Bruce existing long after the Bat has become an icon, what it does to his psyche and just how much exhaustion and mania takes its toll on him. We were introduced to a suave, smooth Penguin that actually posed a threat. A unique origin story for Two-Face and the deep, political bounds of his friendship with Bruce. The evil side of the Waynes and the underbelly of Gotham that is so rarely touched except in some more overshadowed lore. Not to mention a lot of screaming and groaning at every poorly made decision. It brought a realistic and macabre tone to a beloved pop-culture icon that also touched on the human side of Bruce and his peers. All this to say that, naturally, myself and every other gamer who got their hands on it welcomed the game with open arms and critical acclaim. So it was no surprise that its second season would hit the ground running and provide a powerhouse opening that could not disappoint. And MAN it did blow my mind, and I am still ticked about that cliffhanger. To say I've waited (impatiently) a lengthy amount of time for The Long Dark to be fully released would be an understatement. I purchased the game preview in late 2014 on Steam and on XBOX in early 2017 (just for good measure) and was eagerly waiting to see the narrative behind the haunting and troubling world that Hinterland Games had created . I've played countless hours of survival mode since it was the only option available to players, and frequently checked for updates almost weekly over the years. So many hours of my life had been blissfully spent surviving long nights in lighthouses and caves, searching for that coveted rifle, and memorizing maps as they slowly kept getting released. After a while I had totally given up hope that it would ever be fully released and the story mode was just a fabled tale...then my XBOX game icon changed and I knew the time had come. Hinterland Games had finally blessed us with the story-mode for The Long Dark and it is a beauty. For those of you who aren't aware, The Long Dark is a survival-based game that throws players into the wintery wastelands of Northern Canada after a geomagnetic storm brings your plane crashing into the mountain side. It's a stark look at just how far someone would go to survive when pitted against Mother Nature. Your goal is to survive, by any means necessary, and search for a way out of the wilderness. It's an engaging game with an even more powerful, beautiful, and compelling story mode that was just released a mere twenty four hours ago. In the typical fashion, my first question was this - was it worth the wait?
It was as if on the day I was born the powers that be said "And lo, twenty five years and not quite two months from this day in May of 1992, this incredibly socially awkward child shall be blessed with a game that shall appeal to her. She shall spend somewhere close to 1,011 days of accumulated time on the YouTube, fangirling over Let's Players and becoming obsessed with their pet projects. And her youthful days shall be filled with anime visual novels, mindless Quizilla romance quiz-based fan-fiction, and endless hours of The Sims 2. Then, in the summer of 2017, a game shall come forth from the haziness of Steam in both Mac and PC compatibility. And it shall be filled with the dadliest of all the tropes, and shall relate to her like the dankest of memes. It shall be christened Dream Daddies, and we shall see that is indeed very good." - Aaaaand so began the journey of Al Holcombe, punk-hipster dad alter ego of yours truly, and the last three days of my life have been nothing but an extravagant and painful struggle to find the dad of my dreams, falling in love with a goth and being rejected by Joseph FOR THE FOURTH TIME. So, I shall give thanks to the Game Grumps for blessing what little free time I had with this incredibly fun, down-to-earth visual novel treat. It's Dream Daddy, and it's the reason I was up at 5:09am replaying the third date with Joseph for the fourth time (MARY WILL NEVER LOVE YOU LIKE I DO, COME BACK TO ME JOSEPH!!!)
(Spoilers ahead for certain choices and story arcs in regard to TellTale Games' The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - remember, the game is tailored to how you play, some of the details listed may not happen in your play-through so enjoy!) Anyone who knows me or is familiar with my blog knows I am a die-hard TellTale Games fanatic (I have been waiting for months for this release) - so it's no surprise I grabbed some covfefe (hehe) and pulled a late night after back-to-back work shifts to finish out the wonderfully woven narrative of Javi and his rag-tag gang of survivors in TellTale's "A New Frontier" - the third installment in their critically acclaimed Walking Dead series. I will admit, I wasn't sure how they were going to close out this season, since all hell broke lose in Richmond at the conclusion of episode four and it would be pretty hard to top the finales of some of the other TTG classics (I'm sorry, the end of Game of Thrones will always be one of the most powerful closing chapters they've produced and cannot be surpassed). But "From The Gallows" proved itself to be a satisfying, if not heart-breaking conclusion - taking its time to focus on family, love, and leaving behind a legacy that you can be proud of when you leave this world. As always, I was left wanting more, but feeling a nice sense of closure that I tend to lack when I finish out a season (I need answers for Tales from the Borderlands and Wolf Among Us.... and Game of Thrones.... like, really, TellTale you guys have punched so many holes in me it hurts). So, let's talk about this conclusion and how my story ended. It's been about a week and a half since Bethesda and Arkane Studios released the highly anticipated Prey into the hands of gamers. I'm one of those lucky few who still has a video rental store in town so I was able to rent it for a while for a mere few bucks and settled in for the ride on release night. It's basically Bioshock meets Deadspace, but in that classic Bethesda feel gamers have come to love over the years (more on that later). The game is gripping, graphically stunning, and has a deep and powerful narrative about the root of human morality. Plus the protagonist is actually a badass you enjoy playing as (one with personality, back-story, and actually feels realistically human). It's a highly in-depth game, more in-depth than I was anticipating, and it really makes the player question their actions for every little step they proceed to take. It's a fun re-invention of the space shooter genre that pays homage to some of the most memorable and loved FPS icons of all time. Prey sees players take control of Morgan Yu, a brilliant, justice driven scientist with an affinity for cooking woks. Our hero is thrust into a chaotic, apocalyptic nightmare aboard the space station Talos I after an experiment goes horribly awry - all thanks to your brother, Alex. Morgan's memory is 'shot full of holes', awakening to find himself in a world he (or she, depending on your opening choice) does not recognize. Accompanied only by a mysterious voice known as January and the pleading of your mad brother Alex, the player must maneuver their way through the remains of an all out war between humanity and a crazed alien species called the Typhon. It's your classic last human standing VS alien hoard story, but it feels fresh and inventive, and coffee mugs will never look the same. It's everything we asked for, nothing we expected, and it's managed to make YouTubers and gamers everywhere scream, puke, feel faint, and rage quit in a matter of a mere 48 hours since its release. The sadistic folks over at Red Barrels have done it again, compiling harsh sound effects, masterfully morbid story-telling, a crazed (and all too real) threat, and beautifully haunting landscapes to bring a new kind of terror to mankind's doorstep. Nothing is more terrifying that reality, the lingering thought in the forefront of your mind that this could happen to me someday is the best way to create a horror experience that is not only fresh but long-lasting. The threat is real. The danger is gruesome. Your faith will be tested and your sanity destroyed. You're in the thick of it with just a camera and the drive to find your wife. It's big, it's bad, it's brutal. But was it worth the wait?
This is Outlast 2. TellTale can do no wrong, I'm just going to say that right now. I've played every TellTale game from beginning to end and have loved every moment of every game (yes, even that weird Minecrat one), playing some of them up to six times all the way to completion just because I can't get enough. But this, this is a masterpiece of gaming craftsmanship - TellTale's Guardians of the Galaxy hits the ground running with all the sass, class, and smart-ass nonsense everyone adored about the film and the comic book inspiration it came from. The voice acting is on point, the character design is sharp, and the dialouge is as witty as you'd expect from one of the funniest installments in Marvel history. It's a thrill-ride. As a fan, there's nothing more satisfying than taking a favorite story or hero and getting to control of the narrative with your own hands. It's why TellTale has been so successful; we crave the ability to take the apocalypse survivors and the Caped Crusader and set their course for them, so it's no surprise that TTG's GotG has premiered strong and become an instant fan-favorite. Here's the low-down on episode one.... |
AuthorJust your average geek chic gamer chick into all things ghostly and geeky (and vice versa) Archives
April 2022
Categories
All
|