Posts Tagged ‘horror’
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin DLC trailer
The new DLC for Monolith Productions’ F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is looking scary. Reborn will be putting you in the shoes of Replica Soldier Foxtrot 813 as you play through four new missions. It’s estimated that it will take two hours to complete.
A demo for F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn will be out August 27th, while the full version will have to wait until September 3rd for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
First Details On New AVP Game
The Alien and Predator franchises are the biggest sci-fi powerhouses to be created since Star Wars and Star Trek. Despite the huge let-down of the long anticipated Alien Versus Predator films, the continuing battle between the vicious aliens and the honorable predators (not to mention the humans getting caught in the middle) still delights fans.
We’re now getting the first details regarding a new Alien Versus Predator game which is being developed by Rebellion, the team who created the original 1999 classic. If you’ve played either of the other two games the overall setup won’t be surprising. Its a first person shooter with a different storyline for each species, though the events of each will swirl together and inform each other.
The marine will rely on his array of fancy gadgets and weapons to help him against the more numerous and physically superior creatures, the predator uses his own gadgets and hunting skills to survive while the alien uses stealth, superior senses and sheer single-minded fury. There will also be a three-way multiplayer mode with each species battling for superiority.
The game is a multiplatform release, with versions for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 all planned to release in early 2010.
Clive Barker’s Jericho Game Review–The Title Is Warning Enough
I really, REALLY, hate Clive Barker.
It’s bad enough that he unleashes his misery on us in book form and in movie form, but recently, he’s dropped a video game on us too. Not his first, I know, but it’s no less painful for the fact that it isn’t first. If anything, it’s actually MORE painful, because he did it to us once already—now he’s come back for seconds. It’s called Jericho, and it’s out for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.
Anyway, this time, Clive Barker’s bringing us the story of the Firstborn, which he claims is part of Apocryphal and Gnostic texts (parts of the Bible in case you don’t follow that sort of thing) as the first thing God ever created. It’s not male, it’s not female, but it’s both beautiful and horrifying all at once. God, not surprisingly, turned out not to like the thing he made and thus shut it up in the Abyss. He then followed up with humanity, which turned out much more to God’s liking than the androgynous singularity he’d made earlier. And then, just to prove that Clive Barker’s grasp on logic is as tenuous as his grasp of sanity or writing a decent book, it turns out that the Firstborn decided to not be banished any more, and so, he wasn’t. He made seven attempts to break out of the Abyss, and every time, God sent him back, but not without taking a piece of the planet with him. The empty chunks of earth became fragments of time and space, and then did bizarre things to the world around them. The U.S. government, as represented by the Department of Occult Warfare, sends in the Jericho Squad to investigate one such singularity, which one of its former members is using as a gateway to bring the Firstborn back into the world.
See, that’s a real mouthful of a storyline until you consider that Jericho is yet another first person shooter. This is like trying to put a Ferrari chassis around a moped and expecting people to believe you own a Ferrari. Seriously, they’ve put everything into this—time travel, various occultic stuff…lesbians…yes, lesbians. They’re part of the plot, even though they’re really not here for anything more than the inevitable “hey look at this!” effect.
And while the game has spectacularly creepy visuals, the gameplay itself is suffering from some kind of mild brain damage, because your elite team of master soldiers dies a lot more often than master soldiers really should. That may be the worst part about the whole thing—even I have to admit that this is a really impressive story, even if it requires massive suspension of disbelief. And what do they DO with this story? They strap a chain gun barrel to it and say “Here, go shoot something. A lot.” Great—why do I find myself utterly unable to care? Maybe it’s because my character is just a gun barrel people talk to.
While this might have made a pretty good movie (or even series thereof), sadly, it doesn’t make a game worth a hill of beans. There are much better first person shooters out there, with much more action and adventure and fun than this could ever generate.
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles Details
Rail shooters aren’t anything new, but despite their general lack of originality they’re still very popular. The Wii made them possible as a home console title. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles was a big success, melding the simple action gameplay with the horror and intrigue of the franchise. Unfortunately one of the biggest issues people had was the sheer difficulty of the game.
This is one of the biggest issues that will be addressed Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. More details have just emerged regarding the game, with several new features added in to ensure that the game won’t be as frustrating to the less experienced gamer. The most obvious is the simple choice of difficulty settings, with settings for seasoned veterans and newbies alike. As with Umbrella Chronicles players will be able to customize their weapon choices for each mission. The problem oftentimes with these games though is you’re forced to choose without any knowledge of what lies ahead, meaning you can end up with a completely inappropriate arsenal.
Not in Darkside Chronicles however, as they’re adding in a sub-screen that will allow players to change their weapon options mid-level as well as administer healing items. Each playable character can also be customized to take advantage of several different combat styles. Currently the only officially announced characters are Leon Kennedy and Clare Redfield. Though both eventually become seasoned zombie battling veterans, the game will start them off as civilians unaware of the horrors in their future. There will be more characters as yet unrevealed.
There will also be new evade commands, so you’ll be waggling your wiimote to do more than just shake off attacking zombies. You’ll use it to outflank and outmaneuver your enemies, hopefully creating a wider range of strategic options. Two player co-op will of course still feature heavily with character interactions having been deepened to create a more immersive experience and now both players will share the same screen.
First Saw teaser trailer points to Konami Gamer’s Night
We just recently learned that a game based on the Saw series was actually in the works and slated for a Fall release. Shortly after that announcement Zombie Studios released the first teaser trailer featuring the game.
You will recognize Jigsaw in the teaser if you watched any of the Saw movies with his mockingly quiet voice and uncanny knack for playing games that involves potentially killing someone. The teaser does a good job showcasing the game’s graphics and gives a general lowdown on what you can expect in terms of gameplay.
However, Jigsaw finishes off the trailer inviting you to “join him at Konami’s Gamer’s Night” which goes down April 9th.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Coming to Haunt Wii
The Wii so far has not been the recipient of any Silent Hill love from Konami. However, that is set to change as a Nintendo Power article reveals the existence of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
Said to be a “reimagining” of the one that started it all, the game will feature the same basic plot of the original, but will be tweaked to “betray your expectations”.
"The characters play different roles, things don’t necessarily happen in the same order, and the story is taken in lots of new directions," reads the article.
The Wii remote will be used to interact with the environment and the article notes that all puzzles are based around this idea.
No release date or details were given.
Capcom reveals RE5 Multiplayer pricing for Japan
If the fact that you even have to pay for Resident Evil 5’s recently announced Versus mode didn’t enrage you enough, you better look away.
Capcom recently announced that Japanese players will be getting the DLC for 160 Microsoft Points or ¥250 over PSN (about $2.50). This compares to the North American pricing of 400 Microsoft Points and $5.
Sure, Capcom, you explained why the content needs to cost money, now explain why the Japanese get it cheaper!
Read (Joystiq)
RE5 Mercenaries-mode going online
Capcom previously confirmed the “hidden” Mercenaries mode, which would be playable only after the game was completed, but at the same time said that the Mercenaries mode was to be offline only, including the co-op mode.
New information at IGN suggests that that an update will be available at launch on the Xbox 360, which will add online co-op support. This has not yet been confirmed, and Capcom has not responded to inquiries regarding the matter, however, IGN has confirmed that the patch works for the Xbox 360, but are still not sure about the PS3 version.
Dead Space Wii trailer hits web
We just learned earlier today that EA would be releasing a prequel to their popular survival-horror, Dead Space for the Wii entitled Dead Space Extraction.
Well it seems EA wasn’t satisfied with just an announcement and decided to throw in a trailer, shown above, for the game.
Dead Space Extraction is currently under development by EA Redwood Shores and is slated for a Fall 2009 release.
Dead Space now on Steam
EA’s popular survival horror game Dead Space is now available on Steam for $49.99, while Europeans are, getting screwed by Valve as usual their price is 45 Euros, which translates to 60 dollars.
Currently there is no demo available on Steam, but it should arrive shortly.
Fatal Frame IV in February?
Eurogamer reports that the fourth installment in the Fatal Frame (otherwise known as Project Zero) series may be out on the Wii as soon as February 2009.
This comes from the Official Nintendo Magazine, which disclosed the game’s full name, too – Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse.
Little is known about the upcoming title other than the fact that it will have the photographer heroine wandering haunted houses and getting nasty scares.
Dead Space Demo Tomorrow
Missed out on the initial Dead Space craze? Always wanted to feel scared and lonely aboard a scary spaceship? Didn’t want to spend money for it?
To satiate your hunger, a free downloadable demo of the game will hit Xbox Live and PlayStation Store tomorrow, as announced by publisher Electronic Arts.
“Before you carve your turkey this Thanksgiving practice on some Necromorphs with the Dead Space Dismemberment Demo,” noted EA.
The sci-fi horror shooter was released last month on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. No mention was made of a PC demo.
Japanese Psychiatrists Wants Dementium Shelved
The Japanese psychiatrists are going crazy over Dementium: The Ward, a West-made survival horror FPS set in a deranged hospital. They are demanding the game to be taken off not only taken off store shelves, but also to take its website down.
They are being represented by the Japanese Association of Psychiatric Hospitals, which represents almost all psychiatric hospitals in the country, who claims that the game “fosters prejudice and discrimination” and that it “uses the tradition of psychiatry in name but uses imagery of attacking patients.”
Publisher Gamecock replied that the game’s Japanese distributor – Interchannel – will deal with the situation appropriately; he also took the time to note how “this quick bout of paranoia” brought free publicity to the game.
Dementium: The Ward was released last Halloween exclusively on the DS; it was developed by Renegade Kid.
Silent Hill Homecoming Banned in Kangaroo-land
Australia is at top when it comes to video game censorship. Keeping that trend up, The Age of Melbourne, Australia, reports that Silent Hill: Homecoming, the upcoming entry in the horror franchise, has been refused classification by Australia’s Office of Film and Literature Classification, meaning that the game won’t be available for sale unless it is changed from its current form.
This is the fourth game to be banned this year, including, most recently, Fallout 3, which got banned due to drug use within the game world.
Homecoming is set to head to stores in North America this month, with an European release in November. It may be released in Australia following needed changes.
Silent Hill: Homecoming Only on Steam
Pulling off an unexpected and surprising move, Konami has announced that North American gamers will be able to get the PC version of Silent Hill: Homecoming exclusively through Steam in the region; Europe will see a normal retail release.
No reason was given for the decision. The game arrives in North America next month on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360; Europe gets it in November.