Can you dig it?

• 13Oct 07

  Games for the Halloween season.

  Tis that wonderful time of year again when the leaves change color and the air turns as crisp as a newly opened video game. Halloween is around the corner, and it's only fitting that we as game enthusiasts snuggle ourselves in games appropriate for this grand of holidays (we really should get the day off)

  Without further banter, I give you, groovy games to play for the Halloween Holiday:

  1. Silent Hill 2: A letter from Silent Heaven (PS2)

  If you have never experienced the psychological horror that a Silent Hill game has to offer, then this is a good place and time to start. No need to play the first, as this one is a stand alone, but if it peaks your interest enough to try the others, PLAY THEM IN ORDER! Grab the greatest hits version, as it has extra content not found in the standard version. Emotionally taxing and genuinely disturbing, Silent Hill 2 is a must for the season.

  2. Splatterhouse 2 (Genesis/Megadrive)

  Still the goriest and most violent game to grace a console, Jack Thompson would jump on this like a randy teenage boy on prom-night. I mean, name another game where you cut up aborted fetuses hanging from their umbilical chords? And to think, this game was originally released in 92!!!! Challenging game play, tons and tons of blood, guts, brains, decapitation, ghosts, and everything to give you a good time for M-rated candy muncing!

  3. Shadowgate (NES, GameBoy Color)

  This old point and click adventure game still gives me some chills down the spine. Creepy music, and some rather gruesome death descriptions still make this a perfect horror game in my book.

  4. Castlevania 4 (SNES)

  Still my favorite Castlevania, the perfect blend of dark ambiance and an incredible music score make this stand above the rest. The game just drips Halloween atmosphere. Perfect when played at Midnight. Grab the Japanese version if possible: It's un-edited.

  5. Medieval (PSone, PSP)

  Throw in a sprinkle of Tim Burton, Ghosts and Goblins, Maximo, some good British humor, and you have a rather silly but fun game for the season. Not the best game in the world, but appropriate.

  6. The Splatter Action (PS2, Japan only)

  Part of the simple series on Japan (Vol 64), this beat-em-up has you play as a rather adorable little boy with a pumpkin for a head. Armed with your fists and chainsaws, you go level by level turning equally adorable baddies onto a bloody mess! Ahh, I love the irony!

  7. Zombie Vs. The Ambulance (PS2, Japan only)

  Also a Simple series game (Vol 95), and made by the same folks who brought you the Splatter action. You drive around in a (guess this) ambulance saving infected victims and bringing them back to the hospital before they go all brain-hungry on you! However, on the way, you get to power up and improve you vehicle by....running over zombies over, and over again! Body parts fly, blood splatters, and your newly acquired front-bumper-blade slices bodies like a knife through a sternum! Good times!

  8. Fatal Frame (AKA Zero, PS2, XBOX)

  Based off of actual events, the Fatal Frame series does a wonderful job of introducing an audience to the Japanese view of the paranormal. This is one of the few series of Horror games other than Silent Hill to actually make you uncomfortable, creep-ed out, and give you reason to sleep with the light on.

  9. Ghouls and Ghosts (Genesis, Megadrive, Arcade)

  Punishing game-play, pissed-off bosses, and an undeniable Halloween charm put this one on the list. Nearly any game in the series is worth checking out (including Maximo), but this one happens to be a personal favorite.

  10. The Onechan Bara 2: Puru (PS2, Japan only)

  Yep, another in the Simple series line (Vol 101). Girls in bikinis cutting up Zombies with swords. Do I really need to say more?

  11. Otogi 2 (XBOX)

  A horribly under appreciated game, a blend of hack-n-slash meets Japanese mythological horror with perfect control, interesting characters, and a rather dark edge make this game worth trying. Not too many games have a portion of the main characters kill themselves at the onset. Impressive graphics, wonderful Gagaku score, and a genuinely beautiful view of Japanese action horror make this a perfect game for October.

  So, there you have 11 of my favorites. What, no Resident Evil Baroque? For me, I like horror to remain in the supernatural element. Once you begin to explain through science as to why you have zombies roving the town, it loses it's fright-factor for me. It becomes more sci-fi than horror. Not that sci-fi can't be horror (Alien) but I just like the genre more....ethereal.

  How about you fine folks? Got any fave horror games to share with us?

  Happy Hallows-eve!

  -Baroque-Legacy

  • Posted Oct 13, 2007 11:52 am PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 82 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 26Aug 07

  I feel so young: Being carded for games.

  
  So, I walk into my local Best Buy store today to pick up some CD's and Bioshock. I grab my reissues of Journey's ESC4P3 (perhaps a prelude to the internet 1337 speak of today?) and King Diamond's Abigail. Let's get one thing straight: there is only one "KING" of Rock 'n' Roll, and it isn't Elvis. Anyway, I also grab my copy of Bioshock, which will make my 360 happy since it has been played about as much as I cut myself for fun.

  So, I bring my products to the clerk, she greets me with a rather cheerful "hello" and proceeds to ring up the transaction. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I'll have to see your ID for this rated M game." I was stunned, and not in a bad way mind you. In fact, I was rather flattered: I'm not exactly a teenager anymore, and while I'm sure she did this purely out of obligation, it nonetheless made me feel a bit younger than I am (I'm 30 people, and loving it).

  This also took me aback simply because I hardly ever see this happen. Insert sarcasm: Are we finally getting to the point where parents can finally abandon all responsibility and rely on our friendly store clerks to watch the content our children purchase (end sarcasm). Still, can we just use common sense to decide if a person is of age enough to purchase an M rated game? I would like to think I look younger than I am, but I certainly hope I don't look young enough to be carded. Then again, it seems that "common sense" is far too much of a subjective concept to leave to an individual employee.

  Should we always card based on enforced policy, and if so, does it bother you? Why or why not? Personally, I'm happy to see retail taking some step in enforcing a rating system that parents have screamed for since 1992, but I certainly wouldn't hold them 100% accountable if an under-aged youth should end up with said game: parenting starts, you know, at home. Till then, I'll be happy to feel as though my age affords me the privilage of something "mature."

  Kids.

  • Posted Aug 26, 2007 9:00 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 51 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 3Jun 07

  What makes a game Classic?

  This is something my friends and I have debated for years: what are the criteria for a game to be considered classic? Is it a matter of age? A matter of quality? Something revolutionary? Perhaps a juxtaposition of said qualities? While there are a variety of opinions on the matter, many of which are rather well thought out, I thought it might be interesting to compile 4 of the best I have run into here.

  So, without further ramble and all that:

  Four rather decent criteria on the subject of awarding a game the title of Classic

  1. A game that stands the test of time.

  A good game, is a good game, is a good game. Just because you've had grandma's immaculate blue-berry pie since your where a wee lad doesn't change the fact that it's still damn good now does it? Or how about Journey's album Escape? OK, so that's up to personal opinion, but the point is this: a game that stands the test of time is a game that is just as fun now, as it was back in "X" amount of time. This often times speaks of the quality of the game as well: usually a poorly made game won't last long.

  2. A game that revolutionizes a genre or gaming in some significant way.

  Street Fight 2 revolutionized the fighting genre. Pit Fall revolutionized the idea of a game that progresses over multiple screens. Super Mario Brothers perfected that idea, and saved video-gaming after the 80s crash. Dragon's Lair showed us that a game could have a full Orchestra and movie-quality production. You get the idea. Any game that has brought a significant change to the face of our beloved hobbies for the good, gets this award.

  3. A game that changes the over-all outlook/politics/ethics of the industry.

  Two words: MORTAL KOMBAT. While games like Splatterhouse 2, (probably the most violent and graphic game yet. I mean come-on: can you think of any other game where you hack up aborted fetus's hanging from their umbilical chords?) slipped under the radar, it took a game like Mortal Kombat to bring gaming into popular politics, thanks to guys like Joseph Lieberman. Doom, Grand Theft Auto 3, Custer's Revenge, you name it: games like these have made a significant mark on gaming history.

  4. Personal Nostalgia

  We can talk all we want about what objectively makes a game classic, but often times when we get right down to it, it's all about a personal feeling of nostalgia. I'm sure we all have games we just love from our childhood that we still love today......that suck. Pit-Fighter man. I love Pit-Fighter. It's one of the worst games to ever grace the arcade, but I have fond memories of it, and events during that time. So, it becomes part of my personal nostalgia, and thus, I consider it classic...for myself. I hope not for you. God I hope not.

   

  So, what do you think? What would you add for criteria, and what do you have for personal nostalgia?

  • Posted Jun 3, 2007 9:17 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 46 Comments
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts »