It doesn’t feel like the gaming year has really kicked off until we’ve had a Nintendo Direct, so lucky us that Ninty decided to grace us with a slew of updates, including a few surprise reveals which we could dive into right away. We’ve picked our own personal highlights, this time summarised in the form of the overarching emotion the show evoked for us, but what stood out for you from the update? Let us know in our Discord. Disappointment | Chris BrandI'm rather disappointed that there was no mention of Pokémon, as I've had to shoehorn in this link to a wormhole I'm slowly building. I'll get around to playing it man, just give me some time. Running with the theme of disappointment, there seemed to be very little variety on offer, with many titles blurring into one huge mass of retro-styled RPGs and more than a handful of actual retro games that are finding a second home on the Nintendo Switch. My lack of interest may stem from the fact that I don't own a Switch, though this didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the one game we were all surely waiting to see. Liam's most anticipated game of 2023, Tears of the Kingdom, single-handedly carried the show. We didn't get a ton of info or an extended look, but after the success of Breath of the Wild we didn't really need to, everyone had already made up their mind. The idea of playing third-party titles on Nintendo's hardware just doesn't do it for me, but seeing Mario or Link in a new outing often fills me with excitement. A restrained excitement, given that I probably won't ever play these games, but excitement nonetheless. Ninty do make the occasional blunder (Labo, again) but when it comes to first-party games their creativity and innovation shine through. Not enough to make me fork out for a new system, yet enough that I would consider picking one up if the price was right. For now, I'll live vicariously through others, waiting patiently for TotK's release and for one of the team to review it. Or for Ubisoft to announce a sequel to Immortals: Fenix Rising, which is about as close as I can get. Optimism | James ParryWhile, like most Nintendo fans, I appreciated a brief respite in the long wait for Tears of the Kingdom in the form of a trailer, though I am still waiting to be wowed quite as much as its predecessor. If it ends up being more of the same though, that will still be a fantastic experience, and one I’m looking forward to.
What I did love was that the opening of the show was given over to a fairly extensive look at Pikmin 4, a series which I feel like I frequently rave about, often by myself. The game is looking as adorable as ever, and I’m excited to jump in in July. Like Liam, I found the reveal of Metroid Prime Remastered a pleasant and welcome surprise, particularly at a price point that isn’t ridiculous. I expect Splatoon 3 will be keeping me busy for a fair while yet, especially with the new expansion pass looming, so I doubt it will make it onto my Switch, but I’m excited for the series to attract new fans ahead of a brand new instalment. Seeing Samba de Amigo return raised a smile, though I know it more by reputation than personal experience. In fact it was seeing those GameBoy and GBA games which were the biggest nostalgia hit, and it makes me optimistic for them finally getting around to adding more systems, so Nintendo’s complete back catalogue can finally be available all in one place. Finally, it was nice to see the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Courses add a brand new track, and a Yoshi-themed one at that. Despite my inconsistent performance in multiplayer, a new course does tend to level the playing field…at least for a while. As the cold and dark days of winter begin to subside, it’s got us feeling strangely hopeful, wistful even, for the excitement of the year to come, and the prospect of more games. But we’re an old fashioned bunch around here, so we don’t want to get too carried away with anything too “new”. Fortunate then, that GoldenEye 007 is back on both Switch and Xbox to serve up a re-release fit for the world’s greatest secret agent, and the PC strategy classic Age of Empires II now has a definitive edition on console for the first time. Since some titles aren’t lucky enough to have a full remake like Dead Space, what’s a game that does deserve to be served up to a new audience as a remaster? If you’ve got a top pick then let us know on Discord.
Red Alert 2 | James ParryWe’ve been spoiled by remasters in recent years, with The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection being a particular highlight, which made picking a fruit ripe for revival challenging, but after hours of head scratching I finally realised it had been staring at me all along – Red Alert 2. While console releases of strategy games can be hit and miss. The control style adopted by the very experienced team at World’s Edge for the aforementioned Age of Empires II port shows that the control scheme can be adapted sensibly – and if all else fails you can always plug a keyboard and mouse in. I’ve mentioned before that Red Alert 2 is my favourite strategy game, but to play it in multiplayer on console would be a game-changer. The campaign would hold up to the remaster treatment too, since the bones of the game are in good functional shape, so it’s just a case of widening out its audience. Tie it up with Game Pass for an exclusive launch window and you’ve got an instant captive audience who are already warmed up on AOE and keen to try out more strategy games. Plus, magically releasing it in a few months time would keep the strategy momentum going for the Xbox release of Age of Empires IV, which left many fans (including me) behind thanks to being PC only. Diddy Kong Racing | Liam AndrewsThe return of GoldenEye 007 is a welcome comeback, but there’s another title from the studio’s back catalogue that I’d like to see made playable on modern hardware: Diddy Kong Racing.
I didn’t know this, but there was a remake of the classic N64 racing game turned up on DS some years ago but it somehow completely passed me by, or I totally forgot about its existence. While I could easily pick up this version and play it on my 2DS XL, I’d still like to be able to play the original version of the game on a TV. I never owned the original game, but a good friend of mine did and I used to thoroughly enjoy stopping over to play it. I remember being hugely impressed by the addition of planes and boats as drivable vehicles (particularly the latter) as I’d only ever gotten to drive Mario Kart’s more grounded vehicles. Seeing as Rare is now a Microsoft studio, and how that complicated GoldenEye’s recent release on Xbox consoles and Switch, I’m not too confident we’ll be seeing Diddy Kong Racing any time soon, but I suppose there’s always a chance. In the meantime, I might have to try that DS remake. With The Last of Us blowing up the internet and bringing grown men to tears before even the end of the first episode, we’ve been thinking about the best examples of video game adaptations. Of course, it’s a phenomenon that goes both ways, with films based on games, games based on films and even a game inside another shame based on a film that’s based on a theme park ride – that be Pirates of the Caribbean in Sea of Thieves for those of you keeping up with this tortured explanation. So, what’s the translation, transmutation or transfiguration which hits the spot for you in the video game world? Perhaps Pedro Pascal’s Joel has blocked all other examples from your mind, or you’re dead set on convincing us all that Bob Hoskins’ Mario is, in fact, the ultimate version of the character. Sound off in the Discord with your ideas. Detective Pikachu | Liam Andrews I loved the original series of the Pokémon anime. As a huge fan of the original games, it was cool seeing characters I’d battled with turning up as fully formed characters in another medium, and Pokémon had proper personalities instead of merely being members of your squad. However, I’m going to spurn Ash and co. and instead opt for Detective Pikachu for my pick this week. Game adaptations have conditioned me to have very low expectations when it comes to silver screen productions, but I was pleasantly surprised by Detective Pikachu. I thought Ryan Reynolds did a good job in his role as what is essentially a giant mouse, and the 3D models themselves were very impressive and easily the best part of the film. I also enjoyed seeing classic Pokémon city locations being referenced on tickets and posters. The plot was a bit bonkers, but you’re not really turning up to these sorts of films for a coherent story. As far as video game adaptations go, I think this is one of the best, which isn’t saying a lot given what’s come before it. It might not be a classic or even well remembered years from now, but I enjoyed watching it and didn’t leave the theatre feeling disappointed, which counts as a win in my book. Die Hard Trilogy | Chris Brand Way back before the likes of Batman and Spider-Man changed the world for the better, licensed game adaptations were often seen as a cheap, easy, cash grab – because they were.
Die Hard Trilogy, was loosely based on the film series which chronicles the early life of Bruce Willis, bucked that trend by offering up three action-packed, and very different, games in one. Though each could have felt a little light in isolation, together they were great value for money and (surprisingly, for the time) rather fun. Die Hard was a third-person shooter in which the player ascends Nakatomi Plaza, slaying terrorists and rescuing hostages. Die Hard 2: Die Harder changed things up, giving us an on-rails shooter, similar to light gun games that were (are?) a highlight of arcades. Die Hard with a Vengeance swapped guns for vehicles, as we raced around an over-crowded New York City defusing explosives. Some of my fondest memories of the trilogy come from Die Hard 2, specifically the cheat code which unlocks the map editor. With it, you could modify the path the player takes, the various paths of the enemies and NPCs and the locations of weapon pickups. It was cumbersome and unintuitive but with a little tinkering you could dramatically alter the flow of the game, even reducing or increasing the difficulty as a result. Die Hard Trilogy really did feel like three separate titles, not just three chapters of the same game. In the modern gaming world of today, it wouldn't have the appeal, as Grand Theft Auto, and many games of that ilk, seamlessly merge third-person shooting with driving, in a much more attractive package. However, it's possibly a forerunner of the open-world crime sim and one of the first decent licensed games. A new year is upon us, and after a festive break we are back brimming with enthusiasm for the exciting games lineup due this year. Thanks to a slew of COVID-related delays, there are an awful lot of titles coming out in 2023. From new entries in established titles like Zelda, Like a Dragon: Inshin and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, remakes like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, and new IPs like Atomic Heart, the definitely controversial Hogwarts Legacy and the potentially exciting Forspoken. What’s your pick? Let us know in the comments or on our Discord. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Chris BrandAfter weighing up my top five options (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Hogwarts Legacy, The Wolf Among Us 2, a rather ambitious Fable 4, and finally Crisco Simulator: Cake for Breakfast, because there was really only a top three), I had to give Star Wars Jedi the top spot, though it was very close... I'm not into the Harry Potter franchise, it just isn't for me, so Hogwarts Legacy was already on the back foot and needed to leave a real impression on me to be in with a shout. But it did. Its biggest weakness became a strength. Everything in this universe is new to me and that's a unique kind of excitement. I can discover everything for the first time, maybe even gaining a deeper appreciation for Harry Potter. Ultimately, my time with the, genuinely excellent, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order tipped the scales. I know that everyone involved in the development of Hog Leg (please, can we call it that?) will be absolutely devastated by my decision and I hope they can recover from this crushing blow. Many Star Wars titles have the demanding task of making you feel like a powerful Jedi whilst still providing a significant combat challenge, and Fallen Order got closer to that goal than most. I did find there were a couple of difficulty spikes, but nothing that couldn't be overcome with a little bit of patience. Do or do not, there is no try. The only complaint I could throw at Fallen Order is the length of the story. I wasn't ready for this tale to end, I sensed more worlds to explore and more secrets to uncover. In retrospect, I'm glad it left me wanting more and kept me primed for the sequel. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | James ParryApproaching making my final pick I encountered a problem. A few games I found myself interested in last year have since given us glimpses which were disappointing, particularly Forspoken and Skull and Bones, and so I don’t want to touch any other games with some sort of curse. However, tradition demands I must name names, so here goes… At first I thought of going for the Dead Space remake, as I’m excited to finally dive into that series, but I feel like something which pulls us forward to something new is more worthy of excitement and anticipation. And so I settled on Spider-Man 2. Firstly, I love Spider-Man as a character, always have, and there’s something very relatable about him as a hero – really any iteration, particularly given how many different ones there are, plus you can expect there’ll be at least some Across The SpiderVerse tie-in, as there was between the first game and film. Secondly, Insomniac Games consistently bring out games I’m excited to play, from the likes of Sunset Overdrive when the Xbox One debuted, even as far back as trying out the very underrated Resistance series back in the mid 2000s. More recently, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, was my game of the year in 2021, so the teams are on a hot streak as far as I’m concerned. However it turns out, I think we’re in for a really good year in gaming. Don't forget to join the conversation in our Discord.
Game of the Year 2022 | Team Talk29/11/2022 And so, the end of the year is almost upon us. With hundreds of games released throughout the year, surely there’s been something for everyone? At least one game to remember 2022 by? While The Game Awards will bring the “official” winner on 8 December from the shortlist of Elden Ring, A Plague Tale: Requiem, God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, for our award, any title is allowed. There are no right or wrong answers of course – whichever game you feel is your Game of the Year holds that title for you, and no one can take it away – but in the interest of fun we thought we’d all make our case for the game which has hit the spot for us in 2022. We’ll now be taking a bit of a break for the festive season, unless something comes up we decide we’d really like to chat about, so see you in 2023. In the meantime, give us your suggestions in our Discord. Metroid Dread | Rob HoltYes, yes, yes, keen-ear’d observer, I am bending the laws of the task to my will, as Metroid Dread did indeed release during the back-end of last year. Does the fact that I only recently uncovered a batch of time in which to play it help my cause at all...? Back when the world was sepia - around 2011, if I recall correctly - I had my first of several attempts at understanding/enjoying the Metroid series, with 2D classic, SUPER. I enjoyed the atmosphere of it, but found the punishing difficulty - yes, I am a noob, and yes, Dark Souls can bugger off, too - a tad too rich for my liver. I tried again with Prime, but the pointer controls solicited such profound rage & frustration within my very noggin that I never made it past the second hour. Why then, Young Idealists, has Dread been the entry to finally take-a-hold? Let me reel off a ream, chums: I’m older, and although significantly stupider with every passing day, I am wiser to the tricks of these MetroidVanias, and have grown to love them for their multiple paths, abilities and puzzles. The way Dread opens up with each new discovery or scrap is utterly dreamy, giving this creaky-hipped curmudgeon a great sense of satisfaction - especially learning and beating those punishing, bastard bosses. The music and sound effects are delicious, the controls metronomically tight, the graphics luscious, and the story is wonderfully, accidentally hilarious/dross. It all bubbles away to create a heady, highly replayable jous. Are the E.M.M.I enemies a total pain in the Harris? Yes, almost definitely, but the joy in which I took in destroying them only served to prove how much I had enjoyed and invested in this entry in the series. AND I actually finished it. “The longer the note, the more dread." Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass | James ParryLike Rob, I’ve also picked a game which didn’t come out this year, but its constant presence on the sales charts since 2017 is a testament to its quality. After a few years off, I’ve bounced back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe thanks to a combination of a regular tournament with some very cool people and the Booster Course Pass, bringing 48 new tracks to the game over the next couple of years, bringing the final total to 96. The approach Nintendo is taking to breathing life into the game is smart. Since it’s been five years, you might expect Mario Kart 9 news by now, but instead the team is doubling down on the strength of what’s already there but adding replayability and variety. It might not be all-new, with most of the tracks coming from previous games, but plenty are being included from Mario Kart Tour, which far fewer people are familiar with. On top of that there are small updates being made to tracks here and there, showing player feedback is being taken into account. There’s another eight tracks coming next week with the Rock and Moon Cups, including a special, Christmas-themed new course, Merry Mountain. What more could you want? Honourable mentions should go to the very fun Cat Café Manager, the charmingly endearing The Last Hero of Nostalgaia and the curiously different Pentiment. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Liam AndrewsModern Warfare 2 might have only just arrived, but since its release a little over a month ago I’ve pretty much been glued to it.
The campaign is decent (though nothing the series has done has ever topped the original two Modern Warfares (Modern Warfi?) in my opinion) and isn’t afraid to throw a few curveballs at the player by introducing RTS elements and crafting. While these would probably be considered gentle underarms in other games (especially the latter), their presence in a CoD campaign was notable. The multiplayer is as addictive as ever, and the new unlock system does a good job of encouraging players to try weapon classes they might have otherwise avoided. The game modes have hardly changed since the original MW released, but that’s a testament to their quality, rather than a lack of evolution. I’m also going to lump Warzone 2 in with Modern Warfare 2. Even though they’re technically two separate products (the former being free-to-play) the two are intrinsically linked, sharing menu screens and weapon/character progression, at least until the next CoD comes along. The battle royale part of Warzone 2 hasn’t yet grabbed me the way 2020’s Warzone did, but the DMZ offering, which sees players trying to get high-end gear out before the last extraction helicopter leaves, has been hugely enjoyable and is set to be my go-to multiplayer experience for the foreseeable. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are finally here, and trainers young and old are already hard at work exploring the brand new Paldea region, inspired by Mediterranean Spain. In fact, we’ve been transported to many different locales over the years, with similarities to real places both close to home and far across the sea, but the question is, which was our favourite? Perhaps you’ll choose Kanto, from the original, Red, Blue and Yellow games, or do you prefer the English-inspired Galar region? Let us know in the comments, or in our Discord. Alola – Pokémon Sun and Moon | James ParryWhile I did hugely enjoy exploring the Pokémon take on the UK in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield’s Galar region, it’s Sun and Moon’s Alola that drew me back into the franchise back in 2016. The Hawaii-esque island paradise proved to not only be a great way to make the game feel exotic and different, but also brought the opportunity to introduce regional variants of existing pokémon, since the location was so remote and you felt like they legitimately could have developed differently. Case in point is the tribal Alolan Marowak, with a spinning, fiery bone baton making it far more inspiring than its Kanto predecessor. Raichu too had not only a really imaginative look, riding on its tail like a surfboard, but a psychic/electric typing which introduced some really interesting match-ups and made one an instant mainstay in my team. The structure of the game was a little different as well, with the gyms swapped for outdoor trials, so you avoid a, let’s face it, often contrived series of mini battles crammed into an odd-shaped building and do something a bit more unusual. Finally, if it’s a holiday destination you’re after, you could do a lot worse than four idyllic islands packed with exciting new and remixed pokémon and a dash of sunny (and moony?) weather. Certainly beats late November in the UK anyway… Sunderland - Pokémon Go! | Chris BrandAs I'm still in the preliminary stages of playing a Pokémon game (lots of planning, talking about it, general prep work, etc.), I've enlisted the help of my dear friend, Jimmy, for this week's topic. Tiny Little Jimmy, as I've decided to call him as a thank you for the assistance, had this to say when I asked him to write a few words about his favourite region in Pokémon Go!
"My favourite place I've been to in Pokémon Go! has to be Tokyo or Shinjuku in Japan. The sheer amount of Pokestops is surreal when you first experience it, if you're from an area with not many. The raids will also be full quite often, meaning if there's a legendary or Ultra Beast you really want, you have a much higher chance of being successful." However, Naughty Little Jimmy didn't travel the world to discover these places, he simply spoofed his real-world location, which is not only cheating, but also far more effort than I would be willing to put in, so I think it's only fair that we disregard everything he's ever said. Now that Jimbob Cheatpants has ruined my idea, I've been forced to write about the only thing I know, Sunderland. There's a gym only a stone's throw away from where I live and a good handful of parks within walking distance. If I was looking to recruit a bunch of animals to form an army, something I have considered on and off over the years, then a nearby park would be the first spot I'd check. I'm assuming that's all you need, a place to catch animals and a place to train them. Today you've learned that I live in the best possible area to start a rewarding Pokémon Go! career (if I ever get around to it), but the real lesson is that you should only do me a favour if you've got pretty thick skin. With the release of the excellent Pentiment this week (which you should absolutely read more about immediately) we’ve been wondering what games make the most of a 2D art style, hand drawn or otherwise to become our favourite examples of the format. Gaming leapt into 3D in the mid 90s, and these days only tends to look back to a flatter perspective if it has a specific reason, or if the scope of a project is limited, perhaps because of the size of the studio. There are countless indie darlings to choose from alone – Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley and Cuphead to name but a few – but what takes the crown as your favourite of all time? Let us know in our Discord. Castle Crashers | Liam AndrewsWhile I could have easily looked to the past for a favourite 2D title, I’m going with a (relatively) modern game in Castle Crashers. I played this around 2013 on Xbox 360, a few years after its initial release, and though I haven’t been back since, it was definitely one of my favourite gaming moments on a console that had plenty of them. Castle Crashers struck a good balance between difficulty and welcoming newcomers. As a fairly regular player of games, I found many of the boss battles challenging enough to keep me entertained, while my playing partner, who never played games, was kept engaged thanks to the game’s pick up and play nature and simple control scheme. It was also pleasant to look at, with a bright, bold cartoon-like art style, and had bags of character and plenty of visual gags. While the developer The Behemoth took that humour and art style into their other games, none of them managed to grab me the way Castle Crashers did. The hack ‘n slash gameplay might not have been ground-breaking, but it was bloody good fun, and I missed it once the credits rolled around. Here’s hoping for a sequel, one day. Aladdin (MegaDrive/Genesis) | JAmes ParryThere were a lot of games that crossed my mind for this question. In recent years the likes of Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends immediately came to mind, but arguably they still would have been effective as 3D side-scrollers, though the Ubi Art framework makes the designs far more endearing.
This led me to delve back further in time, to the MegaDrive era, where the likes of Streets of Rage 2, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Gunstar Heroes all defined what an amazing 2D game looks like, but in the end I chose Aladdin. Licensed games have come a long way since, but in those days, they were almost always terrible, and Aladdin flew (on a magic carpet, if you will) in the face of that to give us a game awash with the designs straight out of the film, and the consistency would only work by the game being 2D. From the idle animations to how accurately the characters and locations are realised, especially in the opening levels, the game is the quintessential representation of the film and its characters. What makes the game even more impactful is that there is a SNES Aladdin game, produced by Capcom no less, released around the same time, which is completely different and, ultimately, not as good. Plus, I challenge anyone to find a better, and more impossible endless running escape level than Rug Ride. There's no escaping Ragnarök, the Viking apocalypse, and its namesake God of War Ragnarök is no different, with PlayStation fans' excitement building to a fever pitch over the past few months. The prospect of Kratos and Atreus' continued adventures got us thinking about other gods in the gaming world we've enjoyed following around, so who's your favourite? You can choose the God of War himself if you wish, of course, but If you think you've got a particularly unexpected choice then why not chat with us about it on Discord. Raiden | Chris BrandIf you've not played through Mortal Kombat 11 and don't want spoilers, you can skip this part and go away knowing that Raiden is a badass. He shoots lightning from his hands, he protects Earthrealm, he helps old ladies cross the street (without also helping himself to the contents of their purses) and he rarely kills Liu Kang. He's not only the mightiest god, he's the nicest. Even if you don't believe in the God of Thunder, he believes in you, Champ. Go about your day merrily, knowing that Raiden is watching out for you. For everyone else... We're screwed. Raiden has foolishly relinquished his godhood and passed on the mantle of Protector of Earthrealm to Liu Kang. He used to be a revenant, you know? Fire God Liu Kang (as he's calling himself these days) was once resurrected to be a puppet for the evil sorcerer Quan Chi. I can deal with zombies, but kung fu zombies? I'm not familiar with that particular franchise, though there's no doubt in my mind it actually exists (yep, I checked). Raiden is now mortal and, given his advanced age, I think it's safe to assume that he won't be around to guide Liu Kang forever. For the moment, Raiden's infinite wisdom may be enough to keep our ex-zombie protector in check, but when the inevitable happens, who will step up? Can Kung Lao be relied upon to provide meaningful counsel, or will he just make silly, hat-based, suggestions? Maybe Kitana will have a calming effect on Fire Tyrant Liu Kang? Granted, she's still demanding everyone calls her "Princess" and her step-dad is the whole reason for this situation, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's just like the other power-hungry elites. Raiden was the best we ever had. Sure, he messed up occasionally, but none of us are perfect. Can you honestly look in the mirror and say your god doesn't make mistakes? Din, Nayru, Farore (The Golden Goddesses) | Liam AndrewsFrom a purely numbers perspective, The Golden Goddesses, seen in various The Legend Of Zelda titles, beat most other challengers to the title of best gaming god hands down. I mean, three is better than one, no?
They also have a much more no-nonsense approach when it comes to creating (and running) the world of Hyrule, which I also like. Din creates the world, Nayru makes all the rules, Farore stuffs it with animals, then they’re out, job done. Perhaps Bish, Bash and Bosh would be more fitting names for them. Not sticking around for all the (mostly Gannondorf based) drama that occurs afterwards could be seen as a negative, but this gives some of the (mostly Link based) locals the chance to have their moment in the sun and makes for some great adventures. Although they’ve yet to make a significant appearance in any Zelda title (as far as I can remember anyway), this does leave room for them to pop as playable characters in future releases. Perhaps a prequel that explores the creation of Hyrule? Or maybe even one set entirely away from places we’ve become familiar with and that explores their own backstories instead. It's Halloween (everybody scream) and so our terrifying trilogy comes to an end with a look at horror which should be raised from the depths of the past. There's been something of a resurgence of horror in gaming in the last few years, and it doesn't seem ready to let up with The Callisto Protocol, an Alone In The Dark remake and of course more Resident Evil and Silent Hill than you can shake a spooky stick at. The latter might have been a good candidate for this question in fact, but now it's happening, so what will you choose? Let us know in the comments or chit chat in our Discord.
House of the Dead | James ParryWhile it's not been long dormant, there was a fresh arcade game called House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn back in 2018 and even a Switch remake of the original this year, it's been a long while since we've had something fresh from this series on console. With motion controls a little more comfortable on PS5 and Switch these days, surely you could make it work. To take the immersion up to 11, there's always VR – perhaps a candidate for PSVR2? But on the other hand maybe that would just be too intense and spooky… The strength of this series isn't so much the scares as the shock value, as the enemies attack and the steadily rising panic and tension builds as you begin to fire more and more frantically. A moment which sticks out from the second instalment, from way back in 1998, is the intense fight against The Magician (who doesn't look like what you imagine from the name), and surely there are more tarot cards left to name bosses after. The tone of the series is what allowed for the Typing of the Dead spin-offs in the first place and that balance of silliness and intensity is something we don't get enough of in horror games these days – everything is so dark and intense. Apparently the game director has said he'd like to do three more so perhaps I'll get my wish? We shall see. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem | Liam AndrewsI never actually played Eternal Darkness when it came out, but I remember reading about it in GameCube magazines and thinking it looked pretty cool, which was probably because of the combination of monsters and historical characters.
Having researched it a bit more since, I sort of regret not giving it a try. I like the idea of dipping in and out of different time periods depending on the chapter you’re currently playing, with a character’s weapons/abilities determined by the technology available at the time. I also like the sound of different story paths that encourage you to choose a different route on another playthrough, and that you can target specific enemy limbs when attacking them. The latter seems like it would have been a very impressive feature at the time and makes me want to try the game even more. Although I’m still not great with horror games, this would probably be one of the titles I’d make an exception for. I’m not sure I can handle a full remake, with modern, horribly realistic visuals and sound effects, but a remaster which keeps the chunky graphics and nostalgia and is easily accessible on modern platforms would be well worth a try. With announcements from Silent Hill and Resident Evil promising more spooky journeys to come, we got thinking about the spookiest horror locations in the second of our trio of terrifying Team Talks. It doesn’t have to be a horror game either, sometimes the spookiest settings are the ones which catch you by surprise. Some of those football stadiums in FIFA can be really rough on a Saturday night… Is there a level that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end? Share your favourites on our Discord.
Aliens vs. Predator - Freya’s Prospect | Liam AndrewsIt would have been very easy for me to match Chris’s choice this week, seeing as I’m barely able to endure an hour in Spencer Mansion before calling it a day, but I thought I’d (gladly) avoid the Resident Evil series this week. That being said, I did mention last time that I briefly owned a copy of Resident Evil 0, and part of the reason I returned it was because of the game’s opening setting. Zombies in a mansion is one thing, but being stuck on a narrow train with them, unable to stop or get off, was unbearable. Worse, completing the train part only ‘rewarded’ you with a trip to a zombie infested mansion! Terrifying. Instead, I’m picking the opening level of the Marine campaign from Aliens vs. Predator (2010). Most people probably wouldn’t call this game scary, but for a coward like myself, playing as a lonely Marine abandoned in an Xenomorph-infested mining facility was very stressful. Everything in the poorly lit corridors was designed to look like an Alien was just about to tear you to pieces. Coupled with sudden noises, often sounding like they were coming from somewhere very, very close by (along with the occasional motion tracker bleep), and the whole experience was hugely unnerving. Luckily, shooting Aliens in the face with a Pulse Rifle was a very effective way of conquering my fears. If only they’d thought to add one into the early Resident Evil games, I might have completed more of them. BioShock – Rapture | JamesLook, I know I’ve brought up BioShock once or twice before, but I’ve never waxed lyrical about the game’s magnificent setting, Rapture.
An iconic spooky setting has to have atmosphere, and not only does Rapture have that by necessity – since it’s all underwater, it has to – but it really oozes it out of every Roaring 20s-inspired corner. There’s the murky holes that Little Sisters will occasionally crawl out of, the flowing curtains, complete with sweeping and often slightly torn fabric, and the dimly lit hallways, with spotlights that flicker on at just the right time to reveal the game’s incredibly unsettling Splicers. The concept alone, that Andrew Ryan dreamt of a utopia under the sea only to see it fall into disarray is such a beautiful, dark twist on one man’s dream of perfection, and metaphorically packs a punch with a sense that there’s no such thing after all. Despite the limited technical power of the original release, which is sharply and smartly polished in The Collection version, the understanding of water, reflection and light by Irrational Games is clear at every turn, and adds to the feelings of claustrophobia and dread. To visit Rapture on its best day is nothing to the experience you get in BioShock, an relentlessly creepy experience. |
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