![]() ...and man, I feel sorry for you if you didn't, cause it was surprisingly fun. If you were too busy being caught up in The Oscars, The Walking Dead, hitting the theater to see Get Out, or a myriad of other things this weekend to open up a gaming console you may have missed this fun shooter drop on your system. The open beta ended yesterday and it gave players just enough of a taste to want more and rope you in with sharp dialogue and a harsh world of cartels and militia. This is one of the slickest, cleanest, most realistic Tom Clancy games in a long while and the new Ghost Recon: Wildlands beta cut no corners in dropping you into the heat of the action from the moment you boot it up. It doesn't shy away from the horrors of war and the modern setting placed a mere two years from now will shock your system in the best way possible. It's a fresh take on a much loved series that has been crafted with care and mindfulness of popular gaming trends, all while staying true to what makes Ghost Recon the beloved gaming title that it is. A game that is now five years in the making, Wildlands promises to be a unique adventure unlike any that the modern war-based shooter genre has seen.
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![]() Every year since indie horror became a mainstream powerhouse in the gaming and Let's Play communities, gamers have spent countless hours sifting through the mediocre, glitchy, and just plain weird horror games with the bright-eyed hope that we'd find 'the one'. (Now don't get me wrong, all indie games deserve the chance to be played and I have mad respect for what they do but not all of them really captivate us like we hope). We rummage through the not-so-scary passion projects on Itch.io, Steam, and the like to find something that truly captures the imagination and scares us half to death. It's games that really have heart, attention to detail, and a memorable bad-guy you love to hate that fills the need we've grown so accustom to. There is of course the icon that is Five Nights at Freddy's. Reflect Studios gave us Welcome to the Game and it's upcoming in-direct sequel Rides with Strangers which are fun surprises. Last year we were graced with a wonderful gem called Lethe from KouKouStudios that was reminiscent of Amnesia in all the right ways (blog post for that in the archives if you want to know more about that horror masterpiece). Even Emily Wants to Play and Hello Neighbor caught people off guard and kept players coming back for more. Then along came Bendy, and 2017 was given a standard that will be hard to surpass. I'm a big advocate for the darling of the gaming industry - indie games are a passion of mine and I try to always support one big up-and-coming game a year. Kind of like a long-term investment for a welcome heart-attack. That being said, I go big when I find something that intrigues me, but I have get the vibe that it will be worth it. It has to have atmosphere, it has to make me feel uncomfortable, and it has to have a memorable presence lingering in the shadows that leaves a lasting impression long after you exit the game. theMeatly has done just that with their new episodic project Bendy and the Ink Machine, and it's one of the coolest little games I've seen in a long while. ![]() I'm a Silent Hill girl, I prefer it to the Resident Evil series, always have. As a fan of horror gaming I feel that there is a certain aspect to a survival horror game that is necessary for it to actually scare you and be effective. For me, zombies aren't scary. Resident Evil has always felt like more like Left 4 Dead or Dead Island to me, they're fun hack 'n slash games with a tenseness to them, but there's no solid terror. If the game doesn't make you afraid to turn off your hall light, or feel uncomfortable in your own bedroom after playing it's not effective horror. That being said, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is downright unsettling, that is an indisputable fact. In the past week since the game has been released it feels like I can't escape the creepy feelings of the Baker mansion. It's like a lingering nightmare in the back of your mind long after you turn the system off. 9/10 of the videos in my YouTube feed have been RE7 related and a decent chunk of my weekend was spent playing the game in between jobs and it's left me feeling gross and on-egde. But is gross and on-edge enough for me to say this is a worth-while game for horror fans? I am a long-time and die-hard fan of Rooster Teeth (dating all the way back to Strangerhood many moons ago). I spend my days after work watching Achievement Hunter, I fall asleep listening to playlists of FunHaus videos, I proudly sport my sarcastic Rooster Teeth shirts at work, and I text frequently in Gavin reaction gifs. There's a sense of pride that comes along with being part of the RT Community, knowing you support such incredibly talented people, who consistently make quality content. They're just an impressive company, one that I am so proud to be supporting on a month-to-month basis. As someone who religiously watches close to 75% of their new releases -daily- I can seriously advocate that there's no better time than right now to become a First Member (check it here - click there, like now, it's awesome). From personal experience, it's one of the best subscription services I have, if not the best. The exclusive perks far outweigh the incredibly minimal fee they ask of you (and you get a shiny gold star next to your name). You can watch podcasts and shows like On The Spot recorded live, see exclusive content like Theater Mode, watch content a day before everyone else, get discounts in the store, and you get the feeling that you're doing something great by supporting a very hard-working and talented group of people do what they love, all for your entertainment. But, perhaps more than anything else in this world, you get BackwardzCompatible. Meet the infamous, creative mastermind Miles Luna (right) and his sassy, smart-assy buddy Kyle Taylor (left), just two dudes with a love for scary video games and way too much free time on their hands. This is BackwardzCompatible - it's exclusive for first members, it's hella funny, and it's my favorite thing on Rooster Teeth right now.
For gamers in their twenties, we have experienced an incredible evolution of video games and developed tastes for more mature, sophisticated media. We've been through 8-and 64-bits, the rise and fall of Sega, the creation of VR, the launch of Halo, the viral sweep of mobile and handheld gaming, fully scripted and voiced stories, and life-like graphics that make it hard to discern reality from CGI. Perhaps, for most gamers in their twenties, this is why TellTale Games has quickly become the hard-core, fan-favorite developer of the 2010s and in all honesty, the current reigning king among the gaming community. 90's kids are known for having a fervent passion for the point-and-click style games we grew up with, and TellTale channels that passion with sophistication and maturity. With beautiful cell-shaded graphics and character designs, unique and fun new arcs of our favorite stories, and some of the most immersive visual-novel/point-and-click style media to date, TellTale continues to release hit after hit with each new episodic installment they deliver. Their games are mature in all the right ways; dark, riveting, and they grant an immersive experience that moves and changes based on the person playing it. Each play through and experience is thoroughly your own. This is exactly why "Batman: The TellTale Series" is by far their most powerful and gripping adaptation of any mega-media story to date, far surpassing The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. The second episode of the fan-favorite game released this past Monday at 8:00pm EST (and I completely missed it as I was close to twenty hours deep into the first Bioshock game), and the moment I got off of work I purchased the episode and prepared myself for another deep dive into the busted and tormented psyche of emotional playboy Bruce Wayne through the eyes of the TellTale Engine. And needless to say, as with all TellTale Games, I was very very impressed. (Some spoilers ahead for Batman: The Telltale Series)
Nowadays, unless you fall into one of three categories (1: high schoolers with no bills and extra income, 2: adults with way too much income, or 3: professional Let's Players), it can be a challenge to justify buying every brand new video game that drops in the span of a calendar year. Paying anywhere from $60-80 per game, $20 or more for much needed DLC, and month-to-month subscriptions for playing online with your friends has increased the average price of gaming over the last few years with Next Gen consoles becoming more and more popular. I tend to try and treat myself to pre-ordering one or two brand new games a year, this year the lucky titles being Quantum Break and (hopefully someday soon *coughcough*) Final Fantasy XV (c'mon Square, I have articles from 2005 with screen shots of this game, it's been long enough at this point). I tend to rent most games or wait for them to go on sale before I end up nabbing the big titles of the year, which can make for falling behind on trends like Overwatch and 7 Days to Die, but there's one title I just couldn't resit grabbing as soon as I had the extra funds - Bioshock: The Collection. It's bigger, it's badder, it's beautiful, it's worth every single penny you spend to own this incredible collection. It may seem silly to drop $59.99 on a collection of games that you most likely already own (if you don't yet, seriously go get them now), but let me tell you, despite it's flaws it's a collection worth buying. And hey, all the information below is spoiler free for the storylines (for those lucky few who have yet to play the game and get to experience this series for the first time with this incredible graphic set and enhanced audio).
It's no surprise that Hitman 2016 (or as some fans have come to call it, Hitman No Subtitle) is one of the most enjoyable and highly anticipated games of 2016. The Hitman games have always been fan-favorites, and what's not to love? The series gives players the ability to live-out childhood dreams of being a super-spy with the wicked twist of planning and executing strenuous and tactical assassinations on a colorful cast of targets. Players take on the role of Agent 47; a soulless, suave, and silent killing machine with overly-animated sexy hip swings and the infamous barcode tattoo on the back of his head. From his wide array of gadgets to his enigmatic past and collection of fine ass suits, Agent 47 is a force to be reckoned with in the latest installment of the best-selling Square-Enix and IO franchise. One can easily find themselves spending countless hours prepping, planning, and stalking numerous targets in some of the most famous locations across the globe (I personally spent six straight hours stalking Victor Novikov around Paris just to perfect my kill). The game has a few small things that one could complain about, as with any game, but for the most part, the self-titled Hitman game is a fun, expansive episodic experience. It's graphically beautiful (almost sinful with how gorgeous 47 looks in some of these outfits, haha), with realistic landscapes and unique characters, the game provides countless hours of entertainment. The hit-list is impressive and keeps growing, with elusive targets and community inspired hits, players are given fantastic replay value and new challenges every time they boot up the game. It's easy to see why the newest installment in the series is worth every penny, but for a few laughs, I decided to make a list of forty-seven reasons - so far - to love Hitman. Be warned, minor spoilers may be listed below.
For a specific type of gamer there is nothing more exciting than turning the lights off, gripping your controller tight, and delving deep into the unknown armed with little more than a flashlight. The music crescendos. Your heart starts racing. The room is dark and the noises that creep through your sound system make every small sound of your room become a nightmare. Then it gets you. The first time the monster chased you in the water in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The first time, no matter which installment, you stepped foot inside the city limits of Silent Hill. The first time you were caught in the sights of a Big Daddy. The first time you came face to face with the Wendigo. The first time Freddy Fazzbear came barreling into your office. And heaven help us the first time Pyramid Head came at us in all it's terrifying existence. It's survival horror, and for many gamers it is the only reason we keep gaming. Passionate gamers always have their niche game type, and for the insanely brave adrenaline junkies who thrive on survival horror, it looks as though we may finally get a breath of fresh air in the midst of a period that consists of remakes and copy-paste storylines. It doesn't matter how many horror titles you've played, there are a few defining moments you can never forget and haunt your nights alone in your home as you round the corner to go to bed. It goes without saying that the YouTube gaming community and Let's Players all across the globe have really helped make this genre as popular as it is in today's culture. It's been a relatively under-appreciated genre for a long while, with wonderful games like Clive Barker's Undying and Clock Tower not receiving the recognition they deserve because of the trends at the time and their competitors. People wanted more Halo, more Mario, more Final Fantasy. And while those are all wonderful titles and hold a special place in the gaming community, they're getting repetitive and it's been refreshing to see the originality and creativity coming from survival horror. 2016 is shaping up to be an incredible year for the survival horror genre - tapping into the things that gamers so heavily adore about the style. It's a hot commodity, and with the cancellation of P.T. it is something we desperately needed. Less ability to defend yourself, the majority aren't even giving you the option of a weapon anymore. Less ability to see, using the lack of lighting to heighten the beautiful soundtracks and horrifying sound bites. Proper jump scares at proper times. From Dead By Daylight to the terrifying half-hour demo of Resident Evil 7, developers are finally catching the hint and going back to their roots and what works. Something original - no more cookie-cutter CoD rip-offs, no more remastering old games for easy money on new systems. Video games are finally getting some originality again (I mean, look at No Man's Sky for crying out loud). And in the midst of the bombardment of less-than-satisfying Indie horror games, perhaps the most satisfying survival horror of 2016 is a little gem called Lethe.
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AuthorJust your average geek chic gamer chick into all things ghostly and geeky (and vice versa) Archives
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