Welcome to the Headlines in Horror, won’t you stay awhile? Here you can relax and get caught up on all the newest happenings in the survival horror genre, all in one place. It’s understandable that not everyone has the time to keep up to date all the time; we understand you have to work, go to school, or maybe you just really want to get your Paladin to level 80. So if you happened to miss some big announcements (and this week brought plenty of them) than here’s your chance to get your weekly dose of all things horror.
This week has been especially good to horror fans because there’s been a little something for everyone. An ultra popular MMO is going all out this Halloween, a classic horror film is about to get a (almost definitely awful) game, a hotly anticipated demo just got a release date, and DLC for an upcoming title has been announced to contain, you guessed it: zombies. Intrigued? Get in the know after the jump.
The Undead Invade Borderlands
Haven’t heard of this game? It’s not one of the major releases this fall but it’s just a few days away. Ever since I first discovered this game almost two years ago I’ve been desperately hoping it’s good. The game itself is a really cool idea: if Mad Max and Diablo got together to make sweet, saucy baby love, Borderlands would be their badass cel-shaded offspring. It’s also worth mentioning the game claims to have a weapon selection north of seventeen million unique weapons and even though a large number of those are going to be very similar, that’s an incredible feat nonetheless.
The aforementioned DLC entitled ‘The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned’ will contain a ton of kickass zombie action, costs $9.99 for the PS3/PC, or 800 Microsoft Space Bucks, and hits later this year. Borderlands promises to take up a ton of my time, beginning next Tuesday, when the game releases.
Left 4 Dead 2: The Death of a Boycott, Birth of a Demo
If you know really anything about the upcoming sequel to Valve’s undeniably spectacular coop shooter set in a 28 Days Later-style zombie apocalypse, than you also know of the boycott. This boycott got a ton of coverage because someone was actually against Valve. That’s like saying Blizzard isn’t a company sent to us from the Gaming Gods. It’s just blasphemous.
While I never really agreed with the boycott this is a free country so gamers have a right to stand for what they believe in. Usually something like this would just blow over or get ignored entirely, but when over forty thousand gamers are angry with you’re product, it becomes something to take seriously. That’s exactly what Valve did when they decided to fly the leaders of the boycott to their studio to brainwash, er, persuade them into realizing the game is a worthy sequel.
This reminds me; because boycott leaders can earn free trips to play undeniably awesome games I’ve decided I’m going to start a boycott of my own for Blizzard’s upcoming StarCraft II. I don’t really have a reason yet since the game has win written all over it, but since when does that matter? Who’s with me! Together we will start an uprising: Viva la Revolución!
Anyways, I digress. When the ‘leaders’ wrote about their trip they had completely changed their minds about the game. The complete turnaround was a little surprising and made me wonder if Valve had actually gotten their hands on some sort of brainwashing device. Then I realized Left 4 Dead 2 is amazing and all Valve had to do was show them that and my worries were left unjustified. Before anyone starts violently tossing out accusations like ‘you’re a fanboy’ let me assure you that I am a fanboy, and a proud one at that. Let me also tell you that if Gabe Newell wasn’t so far away there’s a very good chance I would stalk him. My excessive level of crazy aside, I’ve actually had the chance to play Left 4 Dead 2 at a recent press event and after spending a good amount of time with the game I can say with complete honesty that the game is much more than an expansion. It plays better, with more polish in both the gameplay and visuals, there’s a plethora of new content, and the new Special Infected are marvelous.
Did I just go off on another tangent? Sorry, it’s early. Recently the boycott disbanded because the leaders felt they had achieved their goals, which were mainly to get noticed. They also went on to say how everyone in the boycott should be proud to be a part of making history. I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in. While I’m not one to crap on anyone’s parade, no history was made here. If the boycott would’ve actually swayed Valve to turn Left 4 Dead 2 into an expansion, that would’ve made history.
Enough with the boycott, if you’re not sure whether the game is worth it I completely understand and a demo will be available for those who pre-ordered the game on 10/27, for Xbox Live Gold members on 11/3, and for everyone else on 11/10. Like the demo for the original it will give you a great taste of one of the game’s levels, The Parish, and will feature all the new weapons as well as the new Special Infected.
Free Realms Gets Spooky, nay, Super Spooky
I’ve never gotten the chance to try Free Realms, but from what I’ve heard it’s just another insanely popular free-to-play MMO aimed towards kids. I’ve always managed to stay far, far away from MMOs because I fear that my feeble mind wouldn’t be able to escape their expansive vistas, character customization, and the myriad of quests just begging to be completed. I’ve even had the strength to stay away from World of WarCraft, but if you’re a fan of the genre Free Realms is having a massive Halloween Extravaganza eloquently entitled the Super Spooktacular that will run until 11/11.
Stuff We Covered, but You Might’ve Missed
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Screenshots
Silent Hill used to be one of the premier survival horror franchises out there (try to remember a time before The Room, Origins, and Homecoming and you’ll be close), and if you’ve seen really any top ten horror game lists, Silent Hill 2 usually takes the crown as the scariest game of all time. Shattered Memories is an upcoming ‘re-imagining’ of the first game in the series; I say re-imagining because Konami has, on more than one occasion, stressed that this is more than a simple remake. Since the game is available on the Wii, that version will no doubt make full use of the motion controls and for those of us who like to have an affect on the game world the decisions you make will directly affect the game’s story and characters. Another interesting addition is a psychological evaluation players will have to fill out at the beginning of the game. If you’re afraid you may have deep-seated psychotic tendencies, don’t worry, as the goal of the test is to see what scares you.
Lists, Everybody Loves Lists
What’s a week in gaming without a good top ten list? While ‘good’ may be a relative term, earlier this week I bestowed upon unsuspecting readers a gem of an article containing ten games I consider worthy to occupy your time this Halloween. While games like Doom, Manhunt, and Dead Rising didn’t take a spot on the list that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t good games, though I’ve never been terribly fond of the excessively violent Manhunt series. Instead, classic horror titles like Silent Hill 2, System Shock 2, and Resident Evil 4 made the list, and the recent horror masterpiece Dead Space claimed the top spot.
Ju-On: The Grudge Interview
We recently got the chance to interview Jimmy Soga, Product Manager at XSEED Games about the new haunted house simulator for the Wii, called JU-ON The Grudge. Soga talks about and the game’s score, possibility of sequels, and what exactly a ‘haunted house simulator’ really is.
While I can understand why the Wii was chosen as the console this game would release on, I can’t help but wonder if it would’ve been better suited on the Xbox 360 or PS3. I just can’t picture the game finding an audience on a console with an audience that’s either really young or too old for this type of game. What I do is if a game wants to scare me pixilated horror and frustrating controls really don’t help reach that goal.
See the Traps of Saw (the game)
With Saw VI just around the corner you might’ve been one of the few who realized the game graced retail shelves a few weeks ago, though it completely snuck past me. Since its announcement I’ve been interested in checking the game out, I picture it to be something along the lines of Silent Hill meets Manhunt, and the Saw franchise is known for its brutality and thought-provoking insights into the fragile human psyche. Well, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch but I think we can all agree the series has always been over the top in the brutality department.
The films have brought with them some rather clever traps, my favorite being the Crucifix trap from Saw 3, which was also my favorite film in the series. If you’re on the fence as to whether you should get the game I can’t say I blame you, but there’s no denying some of these traps (the ones that aren’t already familiar) are actually pretty wicked.
Pet Sematary Gets a Game
You were probably predicting the unveiling of a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, right? Or maybe a game based off Friday the 13th? Well, we already have Splatterhouse, which is TCM-esque, and the last time Jason Voorhees stalked virtual victims the game turned out to be total rubbish. That leaves us with none other than the classic horror legend Pet Sematary, naturally. Look, there’s no doubt the game is going to be anything more than a waste of time, and apparently the developers realized that when they decided the game will only be plaguing the Apple store. However, if you’re actually looking forward to this game than… well, good luck, and it releases later this month.
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