The Batlord

Have it. Gonna have to take a knife to your pretty boy face. Only option.

__________________

Key

Left 4 Dead 2
We Need A Sequel / mini rant

I was late to the L4D2 party, or the L4D party in general. I think I actually only started playing L4D about a year or so ago. I know, I really should know better. In my defense, I wasn't really too into games a few years ago, nowhere near like I am now. So, what is Left 4 Dead? Do I really have to tell you? Y'know what? I'm not going to tell you. Look it up. You should already know about this game. Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Wait, yes it is.

So, L4D2. It's a great game right? Great with friends, very competitive, very original at the time, and still one of the best games to play when you really don't know what else to play. I've heard from people that L4D2 is basically just a much better version of L4D, but i've also heard people say that it's the opposite, that L4D is superior. Unfortunately, I've never actually played the first game, so I don't actually have an opinion on it. However, I can say that L4D2 is a lot of fun, and I personally prefer to play as the zombies, mostly because it feels a lot more fun. Playing as the survivors is great and all, but sometimes you just get matched up with people who don't know what the **** they're doing, and some people don't even bother to play as a team, they just run off without you and leave you to die.

Of course, it has it's faults sometimes, but the real question I have is...where's it's sequel? Seriously. We've come so far through the years when it comes to graphics and computers that there really should be a Left 4 Dead 3 somewhere in the horizon, right? Well, we all know how Valve works, they can't count to 3 for some weird reason. I mean, they haven't even bothered making a Half Life 3 yet, or a Portal 3, so how can we expect them to put time into Left 4 Dead 3? Well, I can kind of understand where they're coming from. They've made great games, and they don't really want to risk making a game that could give them a bad name. Think about it, the longer they go without making a third installment of their games, the more hype they gain, and the harder it is for them to match that hype with a great game. Either that, or they're just lazy. It could even be both.

I think when it comes to team based zombie survival / "get to the end" games, the Left 4 Dead series certainly does it best, and has made a huge impression on gaming in general. The reason I say that is because if you log into L4D or L4D2 right now, you'll find full servers or people wanting to play it. There's a difference between making a game with great graphics and poor gameplay, and than there are games like the L4D series where the graphics (granted they're still pretty good) aren't the best, they still hold some charm and the gameplay has never changed as time went on. Which is why I think people really enjoy it. That's why I like it anyway. I can go into a game and just know what to do right off the bat, and play with friends who also know what to do. Overall, it's certainly a game that will continue to be one of the best, and definitely one that anyone should play at least once.

The Batlord

That's kind of ironic, since at the time of its release it had only been a short time since the first game, and the whole gaming community was complaining that it would just be a Left for Dead v1.2 cash-in.

__________________

Key

In the first part of this series, I talked about Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together. I'd like to continue the series with another game that although isn't really a big part in the horror genre in the exact sense of the word, it's still a game that could give you some spooks if you're willing. Limbo is the game that i'd like to talk about today. Limbo in the simplest terms is a dark / ambient puzzle platformer. Pretty much everything in the game is either black, or white. You run through the levels trying to complete puzzles and you continue on to kill monsters and basically not die in the process. The puzzles on their own can be very unforgiving. There's some that are very difficult (and I have looked at tutorials for some of them) and than there are some where the movement of a certain object is so precise that if you do it wrong, you'll see your death. Of course, once you complete a puzzle, you get the satisfaction of moving onto the next part of the game and enjoy the story simultaneously.

The game is being put in this series more for the atmosphere aspect. Much like Don't Starve, Limbo has the ability to not so much be a horror game, but add the atmosphere of one and sort of put you into the shoes of your character and feel the hardships that the character is going through. There's no jump scares or super terrifying monsters or anything like that, but a game that uses only the two colors I mentioned before in a way to make a dark ambient atmosphere, it's definitely up there in potentially being a pretty scary game. I've got hours playing this game trying to solve puzzles only to have to snap myself out of it because I honestly felt like I was in the game with my character.

There are times when Limbo can be pretty frustrating and you just feel like the puzzles are impossible to solve and the game is just ****ing with you, but I guarantee that all the puzzles are possible and you can definitely beat the game. If you're a big or decent fan of puzzle platformers with a bit of a horror-esque twist to them, you'd love playing this.

LoathsomePete

Limbo definitely works as a horror game in the same sense that Dark Souls works as one. You're a lone wanderer in an oppressive world where everything is trying to murder you. In Limbo you're just an insect gazing up from the bottom of the food chain where you reside. It's not exactly the jumpscare fear for your safety kind of horror but it doesn't need to be. I do think the game kind of loses what makes it good towards the 3rd act though where the puzzles just because a loose assortment of physics puzzles but the first 2/3rds of the game are incredibly memorable.

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

Key

True that. I think it's easily one of the best puzzle platformers i've played if not just for the dark ambiance. I just like that it adds a sense of hopelessness and you feel bad for your character whenever you fail or die.

Key

How To Survive Is Getting A Sequel! Hype!!

I've talked about How To Survive in this journal before, I think. If I haven't, i'm about to. Basically, what we have here is a top down Diablo style zombie survival crafting game that is so incredible underrated it's not even funny. Seriously, I was honestly surprised to see how much fun this game turned out to be when I played it for the first time. Let's talk about it.

On Steam, it currently shows that I've only put in a little over an hour into How To Survive. Unfortunately, that's more due to the fact that I've just had so many other games taking up my time that I haven't really put aside time to play How To Survive. But when I do play it, I have a great time. I love the fact that it pretty much just throws you onto an island, and you can instantly get into the action. In basic terms, I guess it really is just getting you to know How To Survive, which if you didn't notice, it is the name of the game. It does the genre justice when it comes to zombie survival games. The only complaint I really only have is the graphics do seem a little cartoony for my taste, but honestly, that's probably it. I think this game would do really well if it were set in a more "post-apocalyptic" setting, and darker. But like I said, small complaint.

Let's talk about this supposed sequel that is coming. I wasn't even aware there was enough interest in this game to even warrant a sequel, but according to what the internet has to say, they announced a sequel to How To Survive on August 28th and it's going to feature enhanced graphics and expanded base camp. They say it's set to be sent to early access in October, so you can bet your darn tootin i'm going to be adding this to my wish list. However, I don't know if i'm going to go as far to say that i'll be picking this up as soon as it's in early access. I may actually wait for the full release before I get it. I want to enjoy it as much as possible, and sometimes, early access games can really ruin the experience with game breaking glitches etc. So for now, i'll just enjoy the first game as much as I can and continue to get excited for the sequel.

With a sequel to this game already in the horizon, I can see potentially two things happening. The sequel gets released and hardly anybody hears about it because of how underrated the first game is. At the same time, enough people have probably supported this game considering they've been able to make a sequel. I mean, there'd have to be some sort of monetary success to warrant that. On the other side, I really feel like the sequel to this game may make a new name for this style of game. I've heard rumors that it's going to ditch the top down perspective and go with the first person perspective. I hope those rumors turn out to not be true because I really like this style of game in the top down perspective. Hell, I like the top down perspective a lot as it is. If anything, I am sincerely hoping that the sequel for this game is good, and won't have many, if at all, disappointments. This is the type of game that can do really well if done right, and we've seen from the first game that the developers know how to do it right. So, add this to the list of games that i'm hoping are successful and will be a great name in the genre and will continue to be great in years to come.

Key

I have a bit of a confession to make. I've never actually played the second or third Dead Space game for myself. I've really only experienced the first game. I'll explain my reasoning later in the post, but for now, let's talk about the first game.

So, I played Dead Space for the first time a few years ago on the Xbox 360 (I know I know, consoles etc), but it was all I had at the time and it's not the worst system in the world, although I prefer PC. Anyway, the game is amazing, and from what I remember, it was pretty terrifying. I remember not even wanting to play sometimes because I knew what areas I was stuck in and felt like I could never get past them. The jump scares if you want to call them that we're pretty good. I mean by the way the monsters would jump out at you from the walls. Over time, you could pretty much assume when a monster is going to jump out, but it still made it pretty scary, especially if you were low on ammo. From what I can remember though, the game and the story were both top notch, and if they ever came on sale for PC, i'd probably pick it up and play through it again. I imagine a PC experience would be interesting, if not better.

Now, onto why I've never actually played the next two games in the series. Is it because I was never really interested in the series as a whole? No. Is it because I just didn't feel like they would be good games? No, it's not that either. I'll tell you why. So, when Dead Space 2 came out, my cousin actually got the game before I did, and he actually played it while I watched. He told me it was a great game and much better than the first, so I was pretty stoked. However, I never actually got around to picking it up for whatever reason. Instead, I decided that watching him play it was good enough, and it was. The improvements were certainly evident and the story plus the final part of the game were both really interesting. The graphics were great and it was still as scary as the first. It'd probably be a game i'll pick it, for the same reason as the first. I would like to have my own experience of the game, but I just never felt a reason to.

Onto the third game. Now, i've heard mixed reviews about the game. Some say that the fact that you're not stuck in a ship or whatever makes the game feel way too open, which I can understand. Some say that the co-op in the game sort of ruins the whole "you're by yourself" experience. None of those really made me not want to play it. Honestly, the reason I never played it is because I just haven't even played the second game, and I don't want to jump into a third game until I play the second game. It's that simple. As time went on, I found other games that I liked, and the Dead Space series sort of took a back seat, and that's where they've been for a while. Hopefully in a few weeks or months or whatever, i'll finally pick them up. They've just never been on my "to-do list" of sorts.

As a series though, I think these games are worth the success and hype they receive. Only from watching the second game and playing the first, I would strongly suggest everybody played them at least once, just to get a feel for it. You're in for a fun ride.

Key

Believe it or not, there are some horror games out there that include some really great soundtracks. Whether it's just to set the ambiance, or if it's a really well done and orchestrated soundtrack, it all does the same thing, setting the stage for a game. I've played a lot of horror games and most of the time, the music included is usually the last thing people notice, at least for me, but it's still there. It's usually done in a way to make things feel creepier or in some cases, make you feel more alone. Regardless, it's always nice to find certain games that have a great soundtrack, and i'm going to talk about a few of those now.

So first up we have music from the Don't Starve series. I think this music is unique in the way that it actually adds a more cheerful and uplifting setting to a pretty depressing and scary game. I mean that in a good way to. The game can be difficult at times, but it's always nice to hear this little tune when you feel like you're alone:



The thing I really love about this soundtrack is that it adds more of a compliment to what i've said about the game before, when I mentioned that it reminds me of a Tim Burton movie, or the art style. The music feels like it would fit really well in a Tim Burton movie. Very well done soundtrack, and it works perfectly in game.

So onto the next game. THis one is a bit different in the sense that it's not really considered a horror game, but the music sets the mood perfectly. I've actually talked about this in it's own post, but I didn't really touch on it too much other than the fact that the OST is really good. The game is Fallout 3 if you're curious. The reason i'm mentioning this is because the OST in this game is absolutely phenomenal, and the more I can talk about it, the better. So, here we go:



Perfect song for a perfect game. Nuf said.

The last game I want to talk about is Limbo. I recently just talked about this game in my "games that aren't necessarily horror games" section, and I forgot to mention the music in the game, so I figured i'd do it here. The entire soundtrack is so well done that it just makes the game so much better. I'll post the whole thing because it's honestly worth a listen.



That'll be it for now for music. But don't worry, there'll be more.

Key

Watching Youtubers Play and Freak Out @ Horror Games Is Hilarious and Entertaining For Some Reason

I know in the past I have sort of complained about the fact that there are some horror games out there that are just straight up Youtube-fodder. I don't mean that in a mean way, I only mean that in the way where all you'll see in your subscription box is of that horror game. However, I suppose it's a good way to get the name of that game out there, so more power to them right? Well, one of the many things I enjoy is actually watching Youtubers play well known and sometimes not so well known horror games and just see them lose their **** / cry like a little baby. I've heard a lot of people say that they don't really understand why it's fun to watch someone go through the torture of a video game, well i'll tell you why I like it.

If i'm playing a horror game for the first time by myself, and I know it's supposed to be scary, i'm already feeling uneasy and I know it's going to be an experience on it's own. When it's game that I want to experience for myself, I won't really make a point to watch a Youtuber play it, unless I've beaten the game for myself. However, if there are horror games that i'm not entirely interested in, and I just want to see someone else struggle with it, than that's when watching a Youtuber play it is extremely helpful. Sure, I do like seeing people like Markiplier and PewDiePie react the way that they do, but I imagine most of their reactions are truly genuine. Though, there's also the argument that there doing it just for the video, but hey, if it's entertaining, why not right? Here's an example: When I played through Outlast for the first time a few months ago, I wanted to playthrough it and beat myself and experience the game all on my own with no help from guides or videos or anything like that. Honestly, the experience like that was a lot of fun and I was extremely happy when I was able to beat the game on my own. When I finished it, I was curious to see if any Youtuber that I follow did a let's play / playthrough of the game, and I decided to watch some videos on it. The funny connection is that there are certain parts in the game that I found to be really scary, and that the Youtuber found scary as well, and even funnier, I still would get scared mostly because of their reaction getting scared to it. It's as if i'm still playing the game alongside them, and that's fun for me.

Watching Youtubers on it's own is still a fun hobby of mine, and when you just mix that with another hobby of mine when it comes to horror games, it just makes for something special.