So originally I planned to do a game for each day of October but it looked like the thread had died, then in true Halloween fashion Big Pete brought it back from the dead and saved the day.



Now there’s too many games and I already started another idea despite October being a very busy month for me. So this will be presented in a different format and early, so if you want something to play coming into the spooky season you can get a head start.

Sting Showcase

Presented by sting





The Thing


(2002)
PC/PS2/XBOX

To absolutely no one's expectation, John Carpenter's The Thing was used as IP for a video game twenty years after its release. I'm a big fan of the movie, and the Carpenter-Russell partnership in general, so this game had some boots to fill. To that end, it doesn't let the player down. My recollection is that the player's squad members' transformations into "The Thing" are largely spontaneous, adding to the tension. The player can choose to equip his squad members with arms and ammunition to gain their trust; however, the obviousness of both the upside and downside doesn't detract from strategy at all, since even temporary allies can be useful, despite ammo scarcity. I struggled enough to survive to say that the challenge is palpable. Others were fairly entertained by the unpredictable appearance of "The Thing" and my sometimes multiple attempts to best one (or several) of them in a single setting. A still under-the-radar, incredibly solid game, another twenty odd years on.






Resident Evil 4 (original)

[
(2004)
Gamecube,PS2,Wii

One could argue that Resident Evil is more effective as a horror game when it implements tank controls, and that the move to the over-the-shoulder perspective, therefore, represents a step back for the franchise. There is merit to that in terms of the game's pure ability to scare; however, the shift to “action horror” from “survival horror”, per se, made the franchise the most accessible it had ever been. RE4 is divided into three sections: the village, the castle and the island; each setting more macabre and frenetic than the last. The village, for me, struck a compelling balance between idyllic and horrific. The setting was not cloistered or hellish enough to put me off, but still offered enough in terms of zombie hordes and moments of desperation to deliver on the Resident Evil experience.



I'm somewhat surprised I managed to finish the game, as by the time the Gatlin gun, building jumping zombie was introduced, I was just starting to think that it was all a bit too unfair. 😂






RE2: Remaster


(2019)
PS4/5,PC/Xbox Series S/X,Switch

While RE2 sticks with RE4's over-the-shoulder perspective here, it also returns some of its trademarks that were minimized in that installment to the center. The map, which is designed perfectly enough that the game could have easily been frustrating with lesser design, is far more important here than at any point in RE4. Locked doors are part and parcel of navigating the mansion--and I hate it--which is one reason why I highly enjoyed watching two playthroughs of this game, but have never touched it myself. The way that Mr. X randomly stalks Leon, and *unstoppably* stalks Leon, imputes a kind of anxiety to the player that is much more fun to experience vicariously than not, as far as I am concerned.



The visuals are top-notch, and the sounds do their job to usher in a feeling of pervasive discomfort. Sometimes it is mostly just silence and, say, Mr. X's footsteps, and that is all that is needed. The game left a positive enough impression on me that I both own it and have never opened it. Now that's a f*cking scary game ... 😆







The Walking Dead 1


(2012)
All Platforms

Winner of innumerable game of the year awards, Telltale managed to reinvent and revive the point-n-click adventure genre. I was so hard hit by the death of Carley that I relentlessly loaded back to previous chapters of the episode, and even the previous episode, in vain attempts to save her. I ultimately had to put the game down for a while to cool off from this particular attrition of Lee's group of survivors. That, really, is the mark of effective writing; the player is totally empathizing with the path of the protagonist.



The alliances and enemies that the player makes are impactful, such that it could be a fairly easy decision to help Kenny kill Larry, Lilly's father, while it is still uncertain whether he will "turn". In the event that Lee and Kenny become friends, the final chapter of the game twists the player's arm no less masterfully than a patented Steamboat arm drag. If I could distill the success of the first game down to a meme, it'd be the one that depicts how the player always chooses to "mention Lee" in dialogue forks in the sequel. In keeping with the theme of empathy, the paternal role Lee takes with Clementine continues to imprint, in the second game, even once Lee is gone.

Blindy
(Had a double up so I’ll include his write up too)



=========

(Telltale had made games in the past like Sam & Max and Back to the Future but it was The Walking Dead where they jumped to meteoric popularity. For great reason to mind you! I think plenty of people have played this one and it's definitely a roller coaster of emotions. This one pulls zero punches as you'd expect from a Walking Dead game and this really shows the despair of a Zombie Apocalypse to the utmost. Clementine and Lee are as good of a duo as one can find and the growth both characters show in this one from Episode 1 all the way to the final episode is a great job of video game writing. Tons of characters from the show/comic make their way to this(Lily/Glenn/Hershel).



The ending had me in tears ages ago on my 1st playthrough, not even ashamed to admit it. Definitely not alone with this either. Future TWD games just don't come close to the amount of quality TWD Season 1 gives you here. Such a great game, recently played this 2 years ago and it still holds up!)









The Walking Dead 2


(2013)
All platforms

While Season 1 mastered an alchemy that serves the player alternating highs and lows in the right amounts at the right times, urging him through despair, the writers in Season 2 asked their inner-Mr. Owl, simply, "how many pieces can the human heart tatter into?". Despair and despair alone is the plot device here, which will challenge even the biggest TWD fans to complete the season.



The drumbeats of Season One loom large enough, nonetheless, to make the player believe that there is, somewhere, going to be a big "hope spot", to take from the pro wrestling vernacular. The decrepit state of Kenny, who loses the bubblegum, scotch tape and paper clips holding his fragile psyche together, and the ensuing tension between himself and Clementine, make for some interesting decisions in terms of alliances. I recall being shocked at how many players chose to save Jane over Kenny in the finale; but these are the sort of "bomb shelter" psychology class exercises that the series is famous for.


(2016)
All platforms





The Walking Dead 3



All of the despair of Season Two turns out to be a lot of painful jabs to set up a picturesque right hook. The voice actor for Clementine, Melissa Hutchison, calls this incarnation "Dirty Harry Clementine" for good reason. Witnessing Clem's growth from a helpless preadolescent in the care of a "good Samaritan" (and hot-blooded murderer who offed the man, a Senator, his wife cheated on him with) to a full-on badass, after two seasons, is about as satisfying as it gets. Season 3 Clem is the person people hope to be after God is done sending them battles for "character development", instead of becoming shells of their once future selves.



Clem dispatches zombies with aplomb, and she navigates the shady inner-workings of the human psyche like a familiar path broken up by occasional, unexplored detours. The antagonist, really, is no longer the undead, her lack of stature or inexperience; instead, it is her separation from AJ, the baby more or less left in her care after Season 2, and her maternal instinct in an apocalyptic world. It's an interesting way to bring the series full circle, as Clementine fully embarks on her role as "Lee" herself to AJ in Season 4 ...





(2010)
360,PS3,Switch,PC


Deadly Premonition



The actual gameplay, specifically referring to the gunplay, is flatly below average, ditto the visuals; however, Deadly Premonition's quirks overshadow its flaws. When Agent York talks to his alter ego, Zach, while he lights a cigarette and muses on his cases as an FBI agent, or banters with him over the minutiae of cinema during a car ride, we are provided with examples of how some B-games better their AAA counterparts in terms of character.



Zany characters like Thomas, a seemingly amiable cop who is the assistant and secret lover of the town's Sherriff and "Type-A male", George (and, ultimately, serial killer), manage to add both complexity and levity. While the game is too shlocky in terms of execution to really instill fear in the heart of the player, the juxtaposition of Greenvale as a charming, somewhat sleepy town in the day, and a hunting ground for the supernatural at night, just works.

Re4:

Got up to a maze like area and that was it, enjoyed what I played. The “what are you buying” Guy is worth the price of admission alone. Will probably just play the remake if I jump back in.

Re2: Remaster

I had a few weeks off work and purchased this game, the rest lives in PW infamy. I love the idea of survival horror games, but the survival aspect always grinds my gears as do puzzles.
I still have this, so maybe I should bring back
“System is streaming” and suffer.

Walking Dead:

I played maybe an hour of this, IIRC sandylea played through all of them.

Deadly Premonition

Need to play through this, was one of the free PSN games at one point but never got around to playing it.

Resident Evil 4- Probably one of the most funnest ones to play, and easiest if you know what you're doing. My only issue with it is the island portion of the game as it start turning more of what 5 and to more of an extent 6 turned into in terms just action. Can't deny this game's charm though. Still an all time favorite.

Resident Evil 2 Remake- Probably considered the best remake (also for me imo) in terms of still capturing the original perfectly.

The Walking Dead- S1 is probably one of the all time goats in terms of just getting you invested into the main characters and following their journey till the end. Sadly, I think 2 and 3 kinda fall off, imo as you have a lot of the character just doing boneheaded decision which ultimately cost them in the end. Making this little girl Clementine seem like the smartest person in the room. Lee is one of my favorite characters from that generation and this is one of Telltales all time greats.

Deadly P- An very interesting game. How can a game that is pretty much be shit at everything be so charming? Terrible driving controls, wonky map that flips around when you turn down another road, horrible combat but man, the story is so silly. I love it. A love letter and blatant rip of Twin Peaks but still told in it's own unique way and fun way. Being able to see all main characters in the town on your map is also a very cool feature. And yes, you should play it System,

I love the Resident Evil games but honestly I’m a little bitch when it comes to them because the healing/lack of ammo stresses me out 😂 I’d much rather watch someone play them, than play them myself but since I own most of them I should stop procrastinating and get around to it haha

The Walking Dead games I absolutely adore!!!
The first one was my introduction to Telltale/episodic interaction games, and I fell in love instantly. Every choice really effects the gameplay, and my favourite thing is your choices from season 1 effects all the others.

Season 1 had me crying over Lee, and I’m still not over it.
I wish you could save him, but his goal was to teach Clem and protect her, and you see how well he did as you play through the following season.
Sounds like I’m the only person who did the 4th season, it’s not the best but it’s still great to finish it off, and the Michonne mini story was also great.

Sept 16, 2024 8:04:54 GMT sandylea said:

Sounds like I’m the only person who did the 4th season, it’s not the best but it’s still great to finish it off, and the Michonne mini story was also great.

I did play the final season ... didn't include it on my list as I had my seven, and I think the first three are better. The best epithet for Season Four might be "art imitating life"; Telltale closed mid-production of the season, so it was possible at the time that players might have never been able to complete the story. The way that Clem survives as an amputee made me think of the fate of the studio and the franchise itself; it hobbled to the finish line, and both Clem and the studio kind of stood as unfortunate instances of killing one's darlings.

Thoughts:

1) Resident Evil 4 is my favorite of the series and probably my favorite Survival Action game of all time. It barely beats the Remake which I will cover in the near future in this thread via a writeup. Game still holds up so well to this day. I feel all the parts are good, and that includes the island which has some absolute lunacy parts to it(Regenerators/Krauser fights/You & Mike tag team/"It" which is a bit after). Even stuff like the water room in Salazar's castle is rough but it makes you work and utilize ammo and ways to get multiple enemies down. The campiness of Leon Kennedy as an action star is such a far cry from Day 1 rookie Leon in RE2 and seeing the Ada Wong/Leon Kennedy dynamic get a little bit more spicy is great. Ashley is pretty unbearable in this one vs the remake but I get it, damsel in distress/realistic way that not many are equipped for something like this. A 10/10 type of game, it's just a fantastic game all around. Playing it on Hardcore mode really makes you work for it.

2) I only played The Walking Dead Season 1, Season 2 and Michonne. Never got to play A New Frontier, want to get to it in the near future though as I replayed TWD S1 and 400 Days DLC leading up to TWD2(Which criminally fails to jump on the DLC in any meaningful importance outside of making each one look like an asshole).

This, The Wolf Among Us S1 and Tales from the Borderlands S1 are the pinnacle of Telltale games. Batman S1 was good too but those 3 would be my favorite 3 to recommend to anyone looking for a good time from a Telltale game. I hope they can nail Wolf Among Us S2 and not fall into the trap of a dud like with what Tales from the Borderlands S2 ended up being(I never played it but it got slammed, hard on reviews).

3) I never got to play The Thing but it's getting a remastered and it's coming out this year or next year so might be able to jump on that in the future. Heard very good things, seems like it's a cult hit out of the PS2 era. Curious if the remaster helps this age well or not.

4) Played Deadly Premonition 1(Not 2), it's a lot of campy fun. It has that Swery65 type of humor that you will either love or hate. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die for example was a hilarious joy of sheer lunacy type of fun. These games are far from technical masterpieces, like The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories was where it glitched out and I lost 35-40 minutes of gameplay due to it which turned me off from finishing it....

But Deadly Premonition 1 is not going to be a gameplay highlight. The driving is whatever, the gun/gameplay is pretty bad(Fighting the real culprit of the Raincoat Killer was honestly, a dud), the fishing is considered to be unironically the best gameplay part(Even with the iconic whistle music) but damn if this wasn't some silly Twin Peaks type of ripoff nonsense. The voice acting and random cut in's and out's are unintentionally funny and if you get this type of humor, you will love it. It may also just be too cringe and ridiculous to even comprehend.

I would recommend the Switch version which is the Director's Cut, I heard it runs(!) better on the Switch vs it's PS3/XBOX 360 counterparts IIRC? That's where I played it on for the 1st time years ago.


Swery65 and Suda51(No More Heroes/Lollipop Chainsaw/Shadows of the Damned/The Silver Ward etc.) are teaming together to do Hotel Barcelona which I can't wait for, just for the sheer nonsense both of those guys will think of from a story perspective. I just hope the gameplay is good! 

Emperor Showcase

1. Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
(2005)
PlayStation 2

The best entry in one of my all-time favourite gaming series. Creepy atmosphere, horrifying ghosts, and a captivating story. The gameplay is incredibly fun: a healthy mixture of exploration, puzzle solving, uncovering secrets, and an innovative combat mechanic.

The combat is what sets Fatal Frame apart from the pack. Combat is often the weakest part of a horror game: they really knocked it out of the park with a fighting system that enhances the horror by being forced to view your spooky adversaries directly through a camera lens as they try to destroy you.



2. Dead Space
(2008)
360/PS3/PC

Dead Space does a great job of capturing a scary and tense atmosphere in outer space. From the beginning it really feels like you are fighting for your life. The mechanic of shooting off alien's limbs to slow them down is brilliant and puts more emphasis on accuracy instead of firepower.



3. The Room
(2012)
Windows/Switch/iOS/Android

A series of escape-room style games on Steam. It's primarily a puzzle game but there is a clear occult/horror storyline and it does gets spooky at times. The puzzles are exceptionally intricate and well thought-out, a real brain teaser.


4. Silent Hill 2
(2001)
PS2/Xbox/Windows

The scariest horror game I've played. Even on Playstation 2 graphics it has a terrifyingly tense atmosphere, you never know what's lurking around the corner.

Another duplicate so G/B ‘s write up:

Silent Hill 2 (PS2) One of the best psychological horror games of all time. The atmosphere where you have all the enemies hiding behind the fog was very creepy, but in reality to hide the PS2's limitations at the time is genius. It's one of those games that you can take away something new every time you play it. A game they continue to try to replicate but has failed to duplicate.


5. Resident Evil 4
(2005)
(GameCube/PS2/Wii)

A classic of the genre, silky smooth controls and great level design.

(Apologies to sting, forgot this was already listed)


6. DOOM
(1993)
(Almost every platform and some appliances)

A revolutionary first person shooter, sophisticated level design and enemies that are kinda creepy despite being heavily pixelated. Turning a corner to see hordes of demons coming after you is harrowing.


7. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
(2010)
PC,PS4,Xbox One,Switch


Unsettling, frightening to play at night with the lights out and the headphones on. The first time I encountered a monster was shocking to say the least.

I’ve only played Fatal Frame: Maiden of the black water (project zero in Aus) but enjoyed what I played of it.

As for Dead Space I should have listened to the critics with Callisto protocol as it definitely was ALDI brand Dead Space by the sound of things. My breaking point was a part where you had to save a guy, so confused as to what to do. Turns out you just have to attempt to save him.

So I should just go back and play the OG games or the remake.

Same story with Silent Hill 2 only played the horrible PS3 port.

I’ve started playing more of the OG Doom since it was put on the PSN with trophies, always saw ultra-religious people freak out over how “satanic” it was and as someone that only got through the first chapter I didn’t get it. You’ve got a fair point later in the game :lol:. Very fun and Iron Maiden worked well alongside it, very confusing where to go at times.




Amnesia confused the hell out of me and not just me being a clueless gamer.
My mate and I played it for about an hour or two before throwing in the towel as to what to do. Might jump back out with a guide though.

The only game I've played from sting's list is Resident Evil 4, which as you all now know is a guest on my list.

The Fatal Frame games are known as Project Zero in Europe too but I decided to surrender to the American naming convention. Shame on me! Easily my favourite survival horror series and underappreciated. Mechanically they are similar to the early Resident Evil games but the aesthetic and the combat is so much cooler.

Amnesia is a confusing game, pretty difficult puzzle exploration. Well, that's the only gameplay mechanic so they had to make it interesting/difficult. The sequels are a letdown though, very sameish.

I’ve never played Fatal Frame games myself but I watched Fergus play Project Zero and that creeped me out enough. It’s a really cool concept but way too stressful.

I’ve seen a bit of Dead Space and that seem pretty cool but never interested me too much in all honesty, I’ve played a bit of Callisto Protocol and that’s somewhat similar anyway.

Silent Hill - a franchise I have never played but I enjoy watching people play it. I need to convince Fergus to get them and play for my enjoyment.

Doom I really enjoyed on the Nintendo 64 and recently Ferg and I have played a bit more of it but wow considering how heavily pixelated it is there is no denying how creepy it was for the time.

Amnesia and The Room I don’t know much about, but they sound cool in their own way.

Thoughts on Emperor's games
(Mentioned RE4OG in other post so won't beat the dead horse here, there's a reason it will probably be the most highlighted game on this countdown.)

1) I played Dead Space 1 but never finished it. The entire series is on my to do list, I even got the Remake from last year for like 8 bucks on XBOX I really like it though and a lot of people say this and Evil Within 1(Another one I played but didn't finish) are the closest things you will find to Resident Evil 4 from a gameplay perspective.

Isaac Clark is def one of the GOAT protagonists of survivor horror in gaming. Dude is a friggin' engineer who is thrusted upon needing to fight mutations on board the ISHIMURA and despite having zero combat experience, dude still finds a way to get the job done. He is voiceless in DS1 that I know but he gets personality in the later 2 games. I think what most people like about Isaac is he is scared shitless of what is going on and is a victim of circumstance, almost like how Frank West is in Dead Rising but Clarke find a way to survive and progress. 

2) Fatal Frame I have downloaded on my PS3 but it's another one I never really stumbled upon but I already know defenseless school girl needing to take photos of the paranormal is a pure recipe for disaster. I heard the jump scares are nasty in this series, this shit sounds like heart attack medication.

I did play Silent Hill: Shattered Memories which I think was Silent Hill's attempt at this for a little bit.

3) Amnesia and Outlast(I know you just listed the former) are pretty rough for me to get into. I have never been a big fan first person survivor horror where you need to hide out and out stealth the enemies.

I tried SOMA and Visage and just could never get into the first person style of gameplay. I just have never been a big fan of first person perspective in gaming sans a few exceptions(Doom 2016 for example)

4) OGDoom is fun but it's pretty rough on tougher difficulties. I haven't played that in ages though but as I mentioned, Doom 2016/OGDoom are exceptions when it comes to first person perspective in games. Not too much of a scary game but it is pretty violent, especially for it's time so more than fitting for this list.

5) Silent Hill 2 is the one I played and adored and would have been a top 7 choice for me. I am skeptic on the upcoming remake from Bloober Team but that's for another day. The amount of storytelling done through this game and the symbolism and meaning behind the characters you encounter & what they symbolize to the main character, James Sutherland is pretty amazing. Yeah the gameplay is clunky and arguably intentional at that but the atmosphere and story are so worth it. Pyramid Head and the concept behind it is also crazy. This is before Pyramid Head was beaten to death and lost meaning for the sake of making him a big bad antagonist. 

6) Never heard of The Room to be honest, sounds like a cool concept going by how Emperor described it. Almost Saw esque with the escape rooms.

The only ones I played were the walking dead series and didn't like how all or nothing they were. Remember that one time you didn't side with me well I can't trust you. But what about the other 90%. That one time can never be forgotten.

Big Pete Showcase

Big Pete



1. Monster Party (1989) - A true cult classic, Monster Party was one of the real benefactors of the 00s retro revival. Here stood this hidden gem of a game that on the surface was just as horrifying as any Castlevania and yet had a quirky sense of humour. This would have been one of those perfect weekend rentals where you go in blind and you're just excited to see what comes next.



2. Dr. Franken (1992 - GameBoy) - One of those game's that has been lost in time, Dr. Franken is an early Metroidvania where you play as Frankenstein's monster and have to re-assemble the monsters girlfriend after she was dismembered and her parts were hidden all across Franken's estate. The entire game is set to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, so if nothing else you'll walk away feeling cultured.



3. Clocktower (1995 - SNES) - From the same developer's of Monster Party, Clocktower is another cult classic that owes it's popularity to the retro revival, namely Roo from ClanOfTheGrayWolf. The game is basically a Dario Argento movie transformed into a point and click adventure. You play as Jennifer, who has recently become an orphen and finds herself in this mysterious orphanage where you're tasked to discover it's secrets, fend off a slasher villain and escape while trying to save other orphens in the process. The game has a lot of different endings, so choices matter and make for a rewarding experience.



4. Shadow Man (1999 - N64) - I have to throw an N64 game on the list. Shadow Man was one of the most cinematic games on the console and one of the best licensed video games right alongside Goldeneye and Turok. You play as Shadow Man, a voodoo warrior who deals with the ocult who has to save the world from Jack the Ripper who is planning on building an army of like-minded killers in the land of the dead. What ensues is a sprawling third-person action-adventure.



5. Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness (2003 - PS2) - In the late 90s and early 00s, Nippon Ichi released a slew of tactical RPGs but none of them proved as enduring as the Disgaea series that has spawned several sequels and spin-offs in it's 20 odd years. Outside of it's depiction of the underworld, demons and it's nerdy sense of humour what set Disgaea a part was the way it went about breaking genre conventions. If you didn't like certain rules, you could overthrow the parliament by challenging them to a battle to help break the game. Ideas like this just made it so enjoyable to be evil.



6. Michigan: Report From Hell (2004) - So my brother is the horror afficianado of the family. He loved all sorts of horror games: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Project Zero, Clocktower etc. but his crown jewel was this obscure game he found in the city called Michigan: Report From Hell. One of those PS2 deep-cuts, you play as a camera-man and your job is to document as much relevant information as possible, while trying to fend off zombies and anything else the game throws at you. This was developed by Grasshopper, which was a big selling point for my brother as he loved Killer 7.



7. Resident Evil VII (2017) - Welcome to the Family! RE7 was a welcome return to form for the legendary series, returning to its survival horror roots while switching the perspective to a FPS which made the whole experience feel so visceral and intimate. Those initial hours in the game where you have to navigate through the estate while hiding from the Baker family was really thrilling and the game never over-stays it's welcome.

I honestly don’t know any of those games except Resident Evil Biohazard, they all sound pretty interesting in their own ways - but Biohazard is really one of the most memorable horror games in the last decade. Not only is Resident Evil already such a beloved franchise but then it does something completely different and fresh that lovers of RE will enjoy it and also welcomes new fans.

While I was briefly disappointed it stepped away from zombies, it was just a great game overall and I enjoy the puzzles they always throw at you. The birthday party trap room is my favourite.

Hate the boss fight with all the billion eyes though, not only was that a pain in the ass for myself to try I also got to watch my Dad have a meltdown about it 😂😂

Also I don’t think WELCOME TO THE FAMILY will ever sound normal again.

Thoughts on Big Pete's games

1) Disgaea is my favorite off this list for sure, Disgaea 1 had the right amount of humor(Cmon Laharl being weakened by Succubus hot bodies?! Laharl wasn't affected by Etna or Flonne because of their "Flat chests" :laughy:) and had loads of deepness within the game if you chose to go farther in but if you just went for the main story, you still got a pretty good amount of gameplay within it. GORRRRRRRRDDDDDON FINISH! The Gordon/Thursday/Jennifer trio was super cool too. Each person Laharl defeated or rescued end up becoming his servants. Disgaea 2 was solid but the humor didn't click anywhere near as much for me.

"You can call me queen"


Tron Bonne & the servbots walked so Etna & the prinnies can run. Prinnies even got their own ultra difficult games that were PSP exclusive for years before they got ported over. 

2) Never played Re7 but I pretty much know it's considered top tier for first person horror but it's me needing to get over that hump of that genre to really appreciate the game. Go Tell Aunt Rhody that Everybody is Dead?

3) I like a lot of Grasshopper games but I vaguely heard of Michigan: Report from Hell, seems cool even if it has that PS2 jank that I assume it's filtered with.

4) Clocktower has a very important role in survivor horror as I can't imagine Pyramid Head and/or Nemesis would exist without Scissorman being one of the very first relentless antagonists that overpowers you and chases you through. Never got to play it but I own it on PS3 but might wait for the remake that comes.

Wayforward are remaking Clock Tower, just found out it comes out end of October(29th here in US, 31st overseas?). Same people behind River City Girls and Shantae series. Worth a look Big Pete



5) I know of Monster Party but never got to play it. Really loving these deep cuts Big Pete .

6) Same with Shadow Man which I can't imagine has aged well and you need to be cool with N64 graphics and gameplay to enjoy it.

7) Never heard of De-Franken but I am a fan of Metroidvanias but how well has this aged given it's a GB game? I can tolerate older Castlevanias so it's not out of the question but I would assume the only shot to play this is a rom.

(Wish I had more to offer with analysis but def a deep list by you Pete, love it)

I really did a good job of selling Dr. Franken. :lol:

To be fair, I haven't played the game in over thirty years. That was one of those titles my cousins owned on GameBoy, so I'd often play it over there, get my fix on Beethoven while exploring a mansion filled with odd forms and sombre tapestries. Decades later, I found out they released a SNES port, but it's vastly different from the GameBoy and they designed Franken to be more of a mascot. The developers had plans to make a series out of it, but pulled the pin due to a lack of interest.

I don't blame your dad, sandylea. That game was hard and while I got through the mutated form of Jack, OK - the human form took me ours to get the hang of. I agree completely that it was a great soft reboot for the franchise that catered to new and old fans alike. The reason why it got my vote is that it genuinely gave me the willies where you had to make your way to the guest house on the other-side of the estate and retrieve something from the baby's room.

Blindy - you may have sold me on another playthrough of Disgaea. Awesome write-up and the game just feels so ahead of it's time in terms of how zany it is. I always wanted to get around to 2, but I kept holding it off until I beat Phantom Brave...which didn't happen until 2014.

sting has that thread about games you can't go back to, and games like Shadowman fall into that basket for me. For 1999 this was one of the coolest games and really fell into that Y2K end of the world vibe that had entered the zeitgeist. I've always been meaning to go back and see how well it holds up because nobody talks about it anymore, but I just can't find the motivation. A few years ago they did release a remaster that gives the game a much needed face-lift so that might be my ticket.

Had no clue about the Clocktower remake. That looks sick, I'll definitely have to add it to the collection and give it a playthrough. My brother in particular has fond memories of playing it off a PSP emulator

Disgaea is pretty high on my want-to-play list. It's sitting there on my shelf of PS2 games, waiting to be played. It's a beloved game on PW.

I've heard legends of the mighty Clock Tower but never played it. Honestly the idea of playing a point and clock horror game on the SNES does not appeal, despite its reputation.

Never played Michigan but props to your brother for the Killer7 love.

Resident Evil 7 is the only RE game I’ve completed and I really enjoyed it, maybe it’s because I’m hard r but I never

SPOILER: Click to show

Suspected that old woman the whole time

I should check out Village next as I preferred that play style to the other games.






I saw this article about Shadow Man when I was a kid and it creeped me out, never got a chance to play it so I’ll probably give the switch version a go somewhere down the line.

Sandylea Showcase

sandylea




Man of Medan (2019) - The first in The Dark Pictures Anthology, if you love Until Dawn like I do I’m sure you were all over this like a rash. The story is fantastic, with incredible jump scares and constantly kept me guessing what was going on. If you like the movie Ghost Ship you would enjoy the story of Man of Medan. The gameplay isn’t for everyone as it is mainly QTE, but I LOVE them. It’s been 5 years and I still can’t get over how wonderful this was and all the games to follow. If you love Horror and enjoy this type of gameplay I would highly recommend the entire Anthology, and then The Quarry for good measure!




Heavy Rain (2010) - This isn’t your typical horror game, but it is terrifying and it’s a more common reality than most. Not only is the game instantly depressing as one child passes away in a horrible accident, soon your other child goes missing. A serial killer had taken him and you have limited time to find him, you need to do trials (like you’d find in the Saw movies). As Ethan (the father) you are tasked with the decisions of what you would go through to save those you love. The first time playing was truly mind opening, and every other character you play they each have horrific situations occur. Truly a masterpiece of storytelling.


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A Plague Tale Innocence (2019) - 14th Century France, 2 young children on the run from soldiers while the plague surrounds them. Amica is tasked with fighting soldiers, and protecting her brother. Hugo is extremely sick (and soon develops powers). You deal with the immense fear the children feel, deal with horrifying scenes of rats devouring bodies (the violence and gore is pretty severe) rely on lack of resources and fire to save you from the darkness. There is a lot of scary moments, but it’s so much more since they are so young and now have to take lives to save each other. A unique and brilliant masterpiece with great gameplay.


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Dredge (2023) - It’s a cute little fishing game until night hits and then it becomes a race against time to find the fish you need and get back to safety because you become haunted by a HP Lovecraft creation from your nightmares. It can be tense as you fall into insanity and rocks that weren’t there appear before you, risking damaging your boat/slowing you down for the monster to devour you. An amazing game!




PT 2014 - The most popular demo of all time. This was an incredible and unique experience that so many games have tried to replicate since it was released. Unfortunately we never got Silent Hills from this, but the simple gameplay told such an interesting story, had to so many puzzles to solve and has the most memorable jump scares (thanks Lisa) and a lot of WTF moments… I’m looking at you bathroom sink haha



Limbo (2010) - The young boy faces so many fears throughout the game such as being in the dark, being alone, factories, getting chased by a gigantic spider, and other creatures/people. It is a game of fears, as well as grief/desperation. You are on a mission to find his sister and reunite them, thinking they will be returned to life only to discover they have been dead all along. It’s not a typical horror game, but there is a lot of sections to put you on edge (did I mention the gigantic spider?!) if you like 2D side-scroller games, I highly recommend this and Inside.



Little Nightmares (2017) - I’m going to be honest, I’m not fully sure what the story is about. I have a few ideas/interpretations but mainly it’s just a really creepy game! All of the people hunting you are horrifying, you have to creep about/Stay silent and unseen and it’s incredibly stressful! I haven’t actually finished the game yet because it creeps me out so much. I still want to play 2 and 3 though so I’ll get there eventually.

Thoughts on Sandylea's games:

1) Dark Pictures Anthology has been a group of 4 games I have wanted to play. I liked Until Dawn and The Quarry but didn't love either but I think the consensus to most is it's hit & miss between the four. I've always wanted to do a week of each one during Halloween season but something always gets in the way(This year Metaphor is it which is supposedly going to be as long as Persona 5 was) but the consensus is:

House of Ashes
Devil in Me
Man of Medan
Little Hope

In that order from good to bad.

I played Man of Medan and got to the ship part but dropped it. It isn't an overly long game so def. something I want to squeeze in down the road.

2) I never played Inside or Limbo but I played Somerville which was made by one of the people behind those games. I actually liked the next game I am about to talk about which is featured in this list.

3) I liked Little Nightmares 1, very dark game. If you are at all into the Tim Burton levels of childish horror game, you will like this one. Little Nightmares 2 is the free PS Plus game of the month sandylea get it while you still can! The 3rd game is coming out next year?

A game I would recommend if you have the time & money Sandra is Bramble: The Mountain King. It's a better version of Little Nightmares 1 for me but in the Norse folklore sort of realm



It's not an overly long game but it was 10th place in my GOTY list last year until I played a few other games later on ala Fuga 2 and Lies of P that would have bumped it out of my list. Very dark game but I think there's more variety with the gameplay in this vs Little Nightmares 1. It took the foundation LN1 did and upped it for me.

4) I kept P.T. on my PS4 hard drive as you can't download it again as it got caught in the Konami vs Kojima saga. Def. a lost relic, again I am not a big FPS Horror fan but this one is downright scary and very, very, very cryptic.

5) Heavy Rain is absolutely cheesy(JA-SON! JA-SON! JAAAA-SONNN, the Madison stripper scene, and seeing people purposely fail QTE segments is a blooper reel) but there's something very endearing about the story though. It is so over the top and ridiculous in that David Cage way that I liked it. It's the only David Cage game I played though I own Detroit: Become Human and Beyond Two Souls. If you go into this sort of like Deadly Premonition just wanting a batshit crazy story, you will have a good time. Looking for logic in every little thing will sort of ruin the luster of this game.

6) Heard about Dredge but don't know too much about it.

7) A Plagues' Tale: Innocence is probably my favorite of your list. Have you played the sequel, Requiem? They up the ante with that one and the ending of the sequel is really a true gut punch, it gets so much darker than anything Last of Us would ever pull. Such a good series, if you at all liked Last of Us, this is as good of a AA try of it as you'll get. It isn't massively polished with a few glitches here and there but fuck if there isn't so much heart put into the game. Rats, lots of rats, they are the clickers of this game basically. They can be used for good and for bad. Amelia I thought was better in Innocence than Requiem as she suffered from the same issue I had with Lara Croft in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, being just totally bloodlusted beyond reason.

Innocence was such a good attempt and I thought this one had a better supporting cast than in Requiem. But fuck the end game cart push though, awful, awful. That was harder than the final boss. Innocence had very good gameplay, Requiem took it up a notch though. Both are deserving of playthroughs and strongly of course recommend playing them in order due to spoilers. 

The fact that the PT demo had so much replayability was what made it so fun. It was kind of a community effort finding the many paths that you could take with the game. One can only imagine what the final version could have been. Konami dropped it big on that one.

Sept 23, 2024 20:28:16 GMT Blindy said:

Thoughts on Sandylea's games:

1) Dark Pictures Anthology has been a group of 4 games I have wanted to play. I liked Until Dawn and The Quarry but didn't love either but I think the consensus to most is it's hit & miss between the four. I've always wanted to do a week of each one during Halloween season but something always gets in the way(This year Metaphor is it which is supposedly going to be as long as Persona 5 was) but the consensus is:

House of Ashes
Devil in Me
Man of Medan
Little Hope

In that order from good to bad.

I played Man of Medan and got to the ship part but dropped it. It isn't an overly long game so def. something I want to squeeze in down the road.

2) I never played Inside or Limbo but I played Somerville which was made by one of the people behind those games. I actually liked the next game I am about to talk about which is featured in this list.

3) I liked Little Nightmares 1, very dark game. If you are at all into the Tim Burton levels of childish horror game, you will like this one. Little Nightmares 2 is the free PS Plus game of the month sandylea get it while you still can! The 3rd game is coming out next year?

A game I would recommend if you have the time & money Sandra is Bramble: The Mountain King. It's a better version of Little Nightmares 1 for me but in the Norse folklore sort of realm



It's not an overly long game but it was 10th place in my GOTY list last year until I played a few other games later on ala Fuga 2 and Lies of P that would have bumped it out of my list. Very dark game but I think there's more variety with the gameplay in this vs Little Nightmares 1. It took the foundation LN1 did and upped it for me.

4) I kept P.T. on my PS4 hard drive as you can't download it again as it got caught in the Konami vs Kojima saga. Def. a lost relic, again I am not a big FPS Horror fan but this one is downright scary and very, very, very cryptic.

5) Heavy Rain is absolutely cheesy(JA-SON! JA-SON! JAAAA-SONNN, the Madison stripper scene, and seeing people purposely fail QTE segments is a blooper reel) but there's something very endearing about the story though. It is so over the top and ridiculous in that David Cage way that I liked it. It's the only David Cage game I played though I own Detroit: Become Human and Beyond Two Souls. If you go into this sort of like Deadly Premonition just wanting a batshit crazy story, you will have a good time. Looking for logic in every little thing will sort of ruin the luster of this game.

6) Heard about Dredge but don't know too much about it.

7) A Plagues' Tale: Innocence is probably my favorite of your list. Have you played the sequel, Requiem? They up the ante with that one and the ending of the sequel is really a true gut punch, it gets so much darker than anything Last of Us would ever pull. Such a good series, if you at all liked Last of Us, this is as good of a AA try of it as you'll get. It isn't massively polished with a few glitches here and there but fuck if there isn't so much heart put into the game. Rats, lots of rats, they are the clickers of this game basically. They can be used for good and for bad. Amelia I thought was better in Innocence than Requiem as she suffered from the same issue I had with Lara Croft in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, being just totally bloodlusted beyond reason.

Innocence was such a good attempt and I thought this one had a better supporting cast than in Requiem. But fuck the end game cart push though, awful, awful. That was harder than the final boss. Innocence had very good gameplay, Requiem took it up a notch though. Both are deserving of playthroughs and strongly of course recommend playing them in order due to spoilers. 

It seems the consensus is that Little Hope was the most disappointing for everyone, the ‘twist’ was so disappointing.

I was so excited that Little Nightmares 2 is free, I’ve had it on my Wishlist forever. The same with Bramble, it’s on sale so I just picked it up!

I love Beyond Two Souls and Detroit Become Human, they aren’t as cheesy as Heavy Rain but definitely as glitchy haha I do recommend playing them if you like Heavy Rain.

Dredge is a way sounds boring, it’s a fishing game but I got so addicted to it.

I own Requiem and I started to play it, but I was getting my ass handed to me and it came out at the same time as a few others so I haven’t finished it yet but I definitely need to go back to it. So many great games to play, so little time 😂

Great list sandylea, off the beaten track with your picks. Limbo is awesome and I recently purchased Bramble: The Mountain King, haven't played it yet though.

Parasite Eve 😔

P.T. was brilliant, great party game for Halloween time even if you needed to lend a helping hand. Really one of the worst splits in gaming.

“JASOOOON” is all I think about when it comes to Heavy Rain.

G/B Showcase

G/B



Bloodborne (PS4) This is the game that got me into souls. The mix of Victorian horror with mix of cthulu monsters with the amazing FromSoft formula and combat with a twist. Once you get to the Forbidden Woods, you begin to uncover some of the things that the church and Byrgenworth fucked around with. This game is a bonafide masterpiece.




Darkwatch (PS2), a very cool game, with a cool look and unique gameplay. You die but are revived by female who was recently killed at the beginning of the game. The game has an honor system where if you do bad you get evil abilities and if you do good then you have abilities. Pretty much InFamous before InFamous. The spooky vibe comes from hunting down monsters and doing the moral choice weather to save people or consume them for yourself, since you get turned into a vampire. Weapons all have melee attachment, so to blow a monsters guts out then finishing them off with a melee strike to the face is satisfying. Your overall karma results will also effect your ending and boss fight. Just an overall good time and a very underrated game.



Resident Evil (PSX) There is something about these older Resident Evil. I played this on the PS3 when it came out digitally. As many time I've played the newer ones, there is something about the old one, the feel, the atmosphere, the fixed camera angles with enemies off camera zombie moaning but not knowing where they will be coming from. RE1 (the og) doesn't get a lot of credit it deserves for paving the way for survival horror.



Siren (PS2) I feel not a lot of people are going to pick this game, so I might as well add it to the list. I really enjoyed the feel and the atmosphere of the game, very unforgiving to an extent but a game where you learn from your mistakes and learn from there. The controls are a bit rough to get, so this is something that I would love to get a remaster.



Until Dawn (PS4) When I heard this game coming out during the PS3 era, was kinda bummed to hear that it may of gotten canceled. PS4 comes around and this game was saved. It has an interesting premise with great actors. Having a game where you are in control of your characters fates and one little thing can fuck all that up. It puts you the edge of your seat.



The Last of Us (PS3) Naughty Dog's finest hour, the Last of Us is one of my most favorite story in gaming with intense combat moments and situations. The clicker enemies is a nice addition to the zombie type formula with all it's other variations. Hands down a GOAT for sure.



Manhunt (PS2) Played this when I was fairly young (which most young people shouldn't) but as a Rockstar fanboy, I was gonna play it. This game has James Earl Cash, who is released from prison to be part of a big snuff film. You're goal is to survive the night for your freedom. The game has you going from unique mob to other unique mob. It is pretty evident, that is expected you to not survive this. You have weapons from plastic bags and glass shards to pump action shotguns and laser sight sniper rifles. Shooting is kinda no good in this game, so it's balanced in a way that the other goons would chew through your health quick.

Thoughts on G/B's games

1) Absolute pleasure and so much fun running that Plat run for Bloodborne with you G/B a few years ago. I thought I was good at this genre, nah. I got wiped out by a Chalice boss and dude ran with an NPC vs an overpowered boss and 1 shot it. Also heard me suffer through Orphan of Kos solo. A lot.

Bloodborne is a 10/10 game and one of my favorite games ever. The game that got me into Soulsbourne. I played Dark Souls 1 and dropped it in Anor Londo(I ended up getting this game down with the Remastered a few years later) and I got to the very end boss of Dark Souls 2 Vanilla before dropping it for some reason. Bloodborne was my 1st game of this genre and it hooked me to this genre. Everything is so good. The lore(Especially if you like HP Lovecraft), the gameplay even at 30 FPS, the discouragement of using a shield and instead going for a parry system and to dodge like no tomorrow. Platinum right away on base game and the Old Hunters DLC while great is very tough and I needed to summon someone to beat Orphan of Kos but as mentioned, I made amends on that. Also never took on Laurence, he wasn't nearly as bad as Kos was.

Injustice is not a good enough word that of all the fucking Sony remasters we have gotten(Including Horizon Zero Dawn! from today's state of play) we've yet to get a Bloodborne PC/PS5 remaster with 60 FPS. Guarantee if Sony does this, watch how much this sells.

2) The way you describe Darkwatch is exactly how it is with InFamous with the Good/Evil Karma system. Really interesting premise, dude looks like Alucard from Hellsing.

3) Resident Evil 1 is a classic, I still remember the zombie turn around scene from the beginning that haunted me for days. The dogs busting out the window too. So many crazy moments. The voice acting is great too, the only other horror game that rivals RE1 in the hilariously bad voice acting is House of the Dead 2. The intro deserves a play here.



I like the new Resident Evil 1 but I never got to play the Gamecube version which is beloved. The crimson zombies are hell on earth, they are Capcom's answer to the red skeletons of Castlevania. You have to burn them and you have a limited amount of the materials to do it to perma kill them but you have to pick which ones to burn because the ones you don't have a possibility of reviving to be a fast moving zombie that can be relentless to go around on.

4) I tried Siren: Blood Curse(The one in the village) for a little bit and it just didn't click with me. I think like you said GB, maybe the controls just felt janky to me. I love some of the stuff Team Siren has done ala Gravity Rush 1 & 2 and Silent Hill contributions though.

5) Of the Supermassive games I played, Until Dawn is probably my favorite. Didn't love it and actually dropped it 1st time but a couple of years later, I did go back into it and had a good enough time with it. The remake is coming in a few weeks so there's that but I still remember that Sony experience demo before the game came out that instantly sold so many people(myself included) with the audience yelling "YES!" "NO!" to a person from Supermassive playing the game on stage. It's crazy that this game had actors like Hayden Panettiere & Rami Malek too. I liked the twist of antagonists this game went through without spoiling things too. Went from a cheesy serial killer chase to an actual supernatural threat. Cool to see this game getting a movie too, curious if that is at all good. It is a B movie teen horror type of movie with the humor & storytelling so think "Wrong Way" or something of that realm.

6) The Last Of Us 1 was phenomenal and it stinks that for me at least, the sequel drags it down a bit. Like the game clerk told System years ago, it will change my life. Only unlike System, I didn't go next day and return it(I seriously hope you told the same guy it didn't change my life before asking for the refund).

It is a very good survival action game altogether and I don't think too much can be said. Sony again has beaten this IP to death with the remasters and remakes and TV shows it is doing where it's become almost The Walking Dead's levels of overdone. This is the game that Neil Druckmann went and lost his mind and began his best to try and become America's Hideo Kojima with the storytelling and shock factor.

I do wish the game was more polished when I first played it on release. Two bad glitches I encountered was losing 90 minutes because of an autosave glitch that seemingly everyone has forgotten about and in a bloater scene in the underground water part of Pittsburgh, I was getting randomly killed by an invisible Bloater that I could not see.



7) LOVVVVVVE Manhunt 1, killing it with this list GB. I have not played Manhunt 2 yet due to the highly censored console ports so it is PC or bust at this point for the sequel but the game is so good. You get more violent kill and scene and points based off how much you hold the execution button down behind a gang member. White is tame yellow is medium red is severe, like beheading or jugular throat cuts levels of violence.

I wish the 2nd half of the game was more like the 1st half. 1st half of the game is a pure stealth fest, 2nd half became GTA esque with the hide and cover gunplay which like you said, is GTA III levels of mediocre in that regard. Game gets pretty rough with the amount of enemies thrown at you. Starkweather is easily one of gaming's most sadistic characters, dude gets off and tells you your turning him on whenever you do one of those severe executions. "GUT THAT FUCKIN SONOFABITCH CASH MY BOY!". Dude will throw your character's family like live bait for the sake of getting his snuff fixation, dude is crazy.

(pun intended) I would kill to get a Manhunt remake/remaster but no shot in hell Rockstar is risking this. :lol: 

Heavy Rain was an incredible game. I replayed it a few years ago, and while some have knocked it for its voice acting as its most "aged" element, I think all aspects of the game have held up really well. What impressed me the most is the game's ability to make the player empathize with the serial killer; the moment when Scott Shelby is confronted as the killer by Madison Paige in his apartment, uttering to her "you don't understand", stands out to me because I thought to myself, "no, she doesn't!". 😂

... Lots of great moments. The "Invincible Scott" trophy, and seeing the slick, old detective with asthma unerringly brandish his pistol against a bunch of baddies in a rich guy's mansion, strikes the right chord at the right time. I had a hard time pulling for Norman over Scott in the end, so the humanization of the villain was intense.

I’ve finished all 3 Dark Souls games and Sekiro, I can’t even get passed the first section of Bloodborne. I just can’t get used to the no shields.

Didn’t realise Siren and Forbidden Siren were the same game, have it on the PSN so I’ll have to give it a go.