Unknown Soldier

Looking forward to this horror game month, as these themed topic are something you do very well. Instead of making it a month why not make it 6 or 8 weeks and just spread it out, instead of cramming everything into a month.

Hoping to see some Resident Evil and Silent Hill here.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

Dude, you can't post non-theme stuff during a theme month. That defeats the purpose of even having a theme month. Trollheart needs to bitch slap you in the dick.

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Key

Unfortunately i've never played either series that you'd want to see. I have planned on playing them at some point, but I've never gotten around to them.

And thanks for the kind words. I'm sticking to a month mostly because I have all my posts planned in advanced.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Key

Zombie survival horror games have really become something of an addiction for me. There's been a lot of great releases in recent years that have made this genre as strong and fun as it is today. Of course, along with that, there's been a few duds, but it doesn't take much to look past that and play the games that are compliments to the series, and i'm going to talk about a few of those right now.

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H1Z1 & DayZ

Before I begin, I want to say that I really don't see a whole lot of difference between these two games, which is why i'm including them together. H1Z1 and DayZ are two games that are very complimentary to the series of zombie survival games in the best way possible. Both games are still in early access, so if you're thinking of picking them up, don't expect the greatest. You basically start off in the middle of the map, and your goal is to run around, search for supplies, learn new crafting recipes, and as the genre would suggest...survive. The longer you can survive, the more stuff you can find, and the harder it becomes for zombies to attack you and kill you. On death, you lose your items and you have to start all over. The fun of these games comes mostly from the atmosphere they create. You get a sense of loneliness and as you look around the map, you search houses only to find that the building have been abandoned and are set up in ways where the windows, and doors are all boarded up to keep the zombies away. You keep your hunger and thirst up by eating stale and rotten food and disgusting water and you have to deal with the consequences that will bring, be it food poisoning, or quick dehydration. It's a lot of fun to just sit around and play because I've caught myself spending hours just running around trying to find more loot to better prepare myself for the zombies. And of course, there is a day and night feature which can make the game extremely difficult depending on how well you've managed to survive. Another one of my favorite things is a little bit contradictory to what I said about the sense of loneliness and the atmosphere, but when you're playing with friends, the game becomes a lot more challenging, because you're basically trying to either cooperate with each other and split the loot, or you have those friends who will go off on their own and you kind of race to see who can get the better loot. Certainly a lot of fun to play these games, and ones I've definitely put a lot of time into.


7 Days To Die

I'll just make it easy for this one. If you're interested in playing a game that's a little bit more on the difficult side, and plays in first person mode, and is pretty much like the mirror of DayZ and H1Z1, you should definitely pick this one up. To me, the crafting in this game is a little bit easier to get used to, mostly because it uses some of the same formula as Minecraft does with their crafting. Plus, the zombies seem way more difficult in this game, and this one, unlike the other two mentioned, is more about finding a place to base, and survive as long as you can. Obviously, you go out to other abandoned towns and try to find food and water, but you always want to make sure you have proper shelter, especially since there is a horde mode where the zombies come in packs, and they come quickly. I've got 22 hours of gameplay time logged on this, so it's definitely worth the money if you're interested in a game like this.

Other than that, those are really the only 3 games I can think of at the top of my head that are worth some sort of mention that compliment the zombie survival genre. The thing about this genre though, and maybe it's a bad thing, but I don't really think it is. If you're looking for a unique spin on the genre in a game, you probably won't find it in this genre. It's a pretty basic formula for these games. You survive, you loot, you craft, and you survive more. It's definitely not a fault in my eyes though, because like I said earlier, the atmosphere is what makes the games worth it. But that's just my opinion on it.

Key

When it comes to the horror genre of gaming in general, there are a lot of ways to go about thinking of what could be considered a horror game and what could not be considered a horror game. There's actually quite a few games out there that i'll be talking about this month that although aren't really considered scary , they've still got the potential and the chance to be among the horror games that are legitimately horror games. Some games are made to scare the crap out of you, which most of us know about, and than there are some games that aren't meant to scare you, but put you into a position where you feel as if something could get you at any moment, even though you know there's a low chance of it happening. Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together are the two games I would like to talk about in this post.

So, what is Don't Starve (i'm not going to say and Don't Starve Together every time, they're basically the same game, although one is co-op). Well, it's basically in the name. Sort of like what 7 Days to Die does in the way that it gives you an undetermined amount of time, and you play as long as you can without dying. Don't Starve is a top down sort of wilderness survival game where you go around killing animals for food, chopping down trees, and if you so choose, build a base. The nice thing about this game though, is that depending on the way you like to play, you can play it that way. I usually like to try to set up a base so if I find any good loot, I can bring it back to a chest and continue on. However, other people like to just go on an adventure and just keep the good stuff, and discard the bad. This game honestly has a lot going for it. The crafting is very simple and easy to get used to. There's a lot of different hunting equipment for if you feel like hunting "boofaloo" or there's more casual outfits that you can put together like top hats and straw hats to make your adventure more...fun. On top of that, there's a few obstacles that can get in your way that could cause you harm if you're not prepared. The weather changes from season to season depending on how long you play. One minute you'll be playing in what seems like the summer season, and suddenly as the days start the get shorter, winter comes around and your adventure gets filled with snow. The scary part about that, is that if you haven't decided to make yourself clothing to keep you warm, you won't survive the winter too long. If you build a fire, you can last a little bit longer, but you won't be able to go out and about until winter is over. And trust me, the winter season in this game is a long one. If you are prepared however, the winter season should be no problem at all. Another thing you want to watch out for is the mating season between some of the animals in the game. If you are into hunting for your food, you won't be able to do much of that during this time, due to the fact that since it is mating season, the animals are more likely to attack in packs. Trust me, if you get attacked by a pack of boofaloos, you're pretty much setting your own grave. On that topic, the game also puts in random gravespots of either your friends, or just random names with skeletons next to them. Some of them have loot, some of them don't. One of the best things this game has to offer on top of all of that is the art style. It's got a sort of Tim Burton feel to it, and that adds a lot of charm to an already great game. It's a lot of fun to play with your friends, but honestly, i'd much rather play by myself, since I have a different style of play when it comes to these games, and it's hard to come to agreements when life itself is on the line in a game like this. I would strongly recommend playing it though, as it's definitely one of my favorite games.

Key

Let's Talk About...Five Nights at Freddy's
Part II: Too many god damn sequels

I honestly can't deny the fact that the creator of Five Nights at Freddy's is a genius to make sure he can get every buck he can out of his...er creation. But dude, when is it going to stop? The first FNAF game was fantastic and was great on it's own, and then a sequel was made, and i'll be honest, I played a little bit of the second game and it had some evident improvements and it was somewhat of a better experience than the first, but than things just got ridiculous. I couldn't really tell how quickly it happened, but I was starting to see new Five Nights at Freddy games show up in the Steam store what felt like every week. After the second release, I sort of grew tired of Five Nights at Freddy's, as I'm sure most other people did. I was starting to see video after video from my favorite Youtubers playing the **** out of the sequels and just watching them wasn't really all that interesting. At that point, I pretty much had it with this series and was happy with the fact that I really only spent money on the first game. I'll happily continue to support the developer in his future endeavors, but he's got to let this train stop at some point.

The other thing I want to mention is the fact that they're planning to make a movie out of this series. Now, I don't really know where I fall on this idea because there's really only two sides to this. Half the people are thinking "jesus christ, this guy is just milking this idea until it can no longer be milked" and than the other half are like "this is going to be such a cool idea, because seeing this type of game into a movie could potentially do really well." I'm in between, I guess. Part of me thinking the same thing where it just seems like the developer keeps finding new ways to get people's money, but than the other side of me thinking that maybe the developer is really happy with the success that he's fallen into, and he just wants to do the best he can to make his fans happy (which we will talk about that whole thing later), and that's totally fine. He's keeping the fanbase excited and pleased, and I suppose that's the best you can do when developing games and making movies. So kudos to him for doing the best he can.

Now, let's talk about the fanbase of this whole thing. I don't think i've ever seen a fanbase as ugly as this series has created. If you don't know what I mean, just look at the comments in the Steam reviews. There's 10 year old after 10 year old basically poisoning the reviews for this game. There's also people commenting on the fact that the scariest part of the game is the fanbase, and not the game itself...



I get it though. The fans of this game really want everybody to enjoy this game, and that's totally fine. I've seen myself get overly passionate about a game that i'm playing and I just try to get the people i'm discussing it with to play it for themselves to see how they feel. However, I wouldn't say the game I was playing is the best thing ever created, nor would I think someone's negative opinion on a game that i'm passionate about is completely unjustified. There's just a fine line between getting someone to enjoy a game the same way you do and understanding that the people may not think the same, and then there's the side where you get really defensive about the game you're playing, and you just **** on anybody's opinion that is different than your own. As it stands though, the series seems to be doing really well, and it doesn't seem like the fanbase has really disrupted the developer from making more content.

So, I do just want to stress that I don't think the games are bad, nor do I think the developer is stupid for doing what he's doing. Hell, he's making more money than I ever could, so kudos to him. I'm just hoping he doesn't end up overdoing it to the point that the games become extremely stale and annoying. What am I saying? That's where they're at right now.

LoathsomePete

I think the major reason the series got as popular as it did was the cost of the game, the fact that everyone else was, and the way the story gave you just enough to keep you guessing but never enough to fully figure it out. Each new iteration basically sold itself on the idea that if you buy this game you'll get another piece of the puzzle and the game will make sense.

As for the horror, the only real scare of the game is the jump scare, and seeing as how you know the jump scare is coming it fails as a jump scare. I mean I'm glad he managed to make something out of the series but I'll just wait another 2 weeks to play SOMA, a real horror game.

I think FNAF 3 was where it really jumped the shark in terms of story, about how you had to enter a combination on this patch of wall set up to get a certain ending that unlocked more of the canon. I mean it's one thing to leave you game open to interpretation, and I don't mind alternative endings, I mean hell, Silent Hill 2 has one where a fucking dog orchestrated the entire thing, but I don't think the FNAF games are really psychological. They have a set series of events and it's just a matter of piecing them into the correct order, yet Scott Cawthron has recently stated that nobody has figured out the story yet entirely.

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Last.FM
101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

Key

I honestly applaud the develop for his ability to make what seems to be a quality game. For me, it just falls short because of how many there are. But i'm in the same boat that you are with SOMA on the horizon. It'd be interested to see the full story laid out for FNAF, because i'm sure it's interesting enough, and could make for some pretty good creepy pasta if people don't know of the game. Who am I kidding? Of course people know of the game.

Key

I've been on a bit of an H1Z1 binge lately. A friend of mine and myself have been getting deep into the battle royale mode which if some of you don't know, it's basically a game mode where it drops you onto the map with over 100 other players, and you fight to survive. It's sort of a last man standing sort of thing, but a lot harder. Anyway, i've been taking screenshots along the way, and it's fun. With H1Z1 being in the early access state that it's in right now, it's actually really well optimized and very well made. A lot of fun to spend hours on, that's for sure. Anyway, here's the pictures.


As mentioned earlier, with H1Z1 being in the early access state, there's bound to be some glitches, but nothing game breaking or anything, some are just really funny. This happened when I dropped down onto the map and tried to switch into third person mode. For some reason, it thought I was still in first person and decided to show the inside of my face. It's funny to see that the developers put this much attention into the detail in the first place.


I took a screenshot of this, because I honestly just found it funny. This was a game we played yesterday and I just kept saying "dude, check out these gas prices!" Unfortunately, he didn't find it as funny as I did, but it was still pretty funny and interesting to see at an abandoned gas station. Again, these type of details to the game are spread out through the whole game.


This last image is of one of the best battle royale games i've had to date. It was one of the first few that I had played, and I somehow made it to top two. Basically what this means is that I managed to get to the safe spot and survive with hundreds of other players dying minute after minute. Unfortunately, I couldn't survive too far after that because the other guy was smarter than I was and hid until he could see me. Still, definitely one of the better games I've had in a little while.

Anyway, bit of a shorter entry, but I just thought it'd be fun to show these images off. Don't worry, there's be plenty more.

Key

One of the biggest reasons why I love horror games so much are due to the jump scares in some of them. They can definitely be hit or miss, but man, when they are hits, they definitely hit. There are games out there that really do a great job and catching you by surprise and making you nearly piss your pants because you've gotten scared. I won't go into too much detail with each game, I just want to mention the few that I've personally felt did a really good job at making sure the jump scares are worthwhile.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent:
So, some may say that Amnesia: The Dark Descent didn't really have too many jump scares, but from what I can remember, it had quite a few, and most if not all of them scared me ****less. The reason I liked the jump scares in this game is because not only were they meant to scare you, you were already in an environment where if even the slightest noise occurred, it already freaked you out. Adding jump scares into a game that is already terrifying on it's own easily makes it one of the scariest and yet, most enjoyable horror games i've played to date. For me, the game did a good job at making sure the jump scares were done right and made sure that if the situation called for it, they went for it. It wasn't done in a corny or stupid way that made you think "what the ****?" it really made you remember that you need to run, and run fast.

Outlast:
Probably along the same league as Amnesia: The Dark Descent, just from the trailers alone, Outlast was going to make jump scares some of the scariest parts of the game, and what's funny, is that it wasn't really the random jump scares that got to me in this game. It was more-so having to go outside the asylum, than knowing the horrors of what was inside the asylum, than knowing that you had to go back in and face your fears again. But I guess technically we are talking about jump scares, and this game did them really well. They were a bit more random than Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and unfortunately, some of them were pretty easy to avoid, mostly because you could see that they somewhat set them up for you to brace yourself. Not really too much of a fault though, since it got you thinking if it's possible for this thing to pop out of it's seat, and that alone was enough to put me on the edge of my seat. Again, great horror game. I even wrote a post here where I expressed how happy I was when I finally completed it. Easily one of the better games that i've completed in recent memory.

Slender: The Eight Pages:
I'll be talking about Slender: The Arrival in another post, but let's talk about the better of the two. This game is unfortunately part of the Youtube fodder that Five Nights at Freddy's has become a part of, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a great game and one that could easily scare your pants off. This game had one thing in mind, scare you. It did it well. No story, no where to go, just...jump scare. Now, the way they did it was actually really well done. Y'know, putting you into the middle of a forest with a flashlight that lost life over time, and as you find more pages, you just feel Slender stalking you as you get closer and closer to the end. This game was one of the first horror games I played back when it was first released, and I have to thank it's existence since it got me into a genre that really wasn't down my alley for a long time. I think this would go along with Amnesia: The Dark Descent with being one of my favorite games to date. Very good game, and if you simply want to be scared, play it. And play it in the dark for the full experience.

Jump scares in general are some of the best parts of horror games, and honestly, I hope they never stop. Developers that find new and exciting ways to scare the **** out of you are great, don't get me wrong, but to be able to simply get scared by something jumping out of nowhere towards you is something I will cherish and love forever. The adrenaline and stress that comes with it is irreplaceable in this genre, and I sincerely hope it never dies away.