Sometimes a game can summon all of your attention with just the cinematic trailer. Here are couple of my favorite unsettling ones. The top is from Dead Space, a game with one of the most all encompassing horrific atmosphere’s I’ve ever seen. And the bottom trailer is from Dead Island and shows such genuine emotion that you keep holding your breath waiting for things to get better. Enjoy these Audience!
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All posts for the month October, 2012
If you search for even a moment to find some scary software for your phone or freaky websites you’ll be rewarded. I found a couple of interesting phone apps and a website I want to share with you. They sounded a bit frightening and interesting. So, in the spirit of Halloween, here are a couple apps to check out and a website that looks pretty cool!
First let’s talk about Slice HD. Have you ever seen Saw? I’m guessing most of you have. This is an Android phone game where you play a victim trying to get out of an impossible situation like the Saw characters. Will you escape the trap? Will you first look like a smashed watermelon when you finish? I guess you’ll just have to download the app here to find out!
Another app that I found is called Scare Prank for the Android. It’s a jump scare game where you play a seemingly harmless easy game on your phone. When you’re going to beat it and hit the win button that’s when they hit you with a massive jump scare! I’m not a fan of jump scares. However, I admit I would delight in startling the pants off my friends with this application. (Don’t tell them that though.)
Lastly I bring you a very interesting website. It’s called DarkHaunts.com. This website is dedicated to finding urban ghost stories, haunted houses and seeking out the paranormal. They have an app that will tell you the sites in your city and lead you to them as well. Does this kind of app excite you? Honestly, you should know I want to find a big haunted house in Sacramento.
Do you have any awesome scare stories with your technology? Did you make someone sit through a Youtube video that you knew had a hidden jump scare in it? At your own risk you should let us know! I’m always looking for new ways to prank my friends since they get me all the time. I’m a little gullible.
Have you ever been to 4Chan.org? It’s quite possibly what my title of this post says. Seriously, its kind of like Halloween in its deceptiveness. It’s a place that has a mystique about it and I felt I should explain the base idea of the site. And since this week is going to be all about scary technology I figured I’d start with this internet legend.
4Chan at it’s heart is simply a picture forum. Anyone can go and post picture/gifs in their appropriate category designated by a letter. And because of it’s popularity the website tends to have several new goodies daily. Used politely 4Chan could definitely be a site for great justice. But it’s n0t!
Most of the population living at 4Chan town are racist or pretend racist, often calling one another racial slurs fags. Sometimes it’s all in fun and then again sometimes it’s really not. This has led to multiple threads of trolls replying back and forth for the heck of it. Let’s also not forget to mention the tidal wave of digital porn that hits the site on a consistent basis. Although, I’m sure you’re thinking “that doesn’t seem that bad.”
It’s not that bad, I wasn’t done. 4Chan is such a popular place that it has a huge following by both citizens and governments. I’ve seen hackers meet on the site to plot and attack people digitally. There have been a number of cases where people have been tracked through their internet providers and been arrested. I watched live once when they massively pranked Fox tv by sending them Pizones from Pizza Hut. It can be a scary place.
But is it a scary place you should avoid? No, if you’re just looking for a website where people gather together and find dynamic pictures it’s great. However, it’s still a dangerous site. Be weary of it. If you have any good 4Chan stories or want to leave a comment please do! I would love to see how other people feel about 4Chan!
I’ve been playing downloaded indie game all of last week but none of them were quite as brilliant as Retro City Rampage. This was the title that inspired me to have a video game week in the first place. I’m going to judge it fairly like the others and at the end of this post I’ll tell you why I felt it was so unique. So with that, let’s check out the good, the bad, and the ugly of Retro City Rampage.
What’s good about Retro City Rampage? The very first thing you should know is this game’s a parody. It’s a pixel grand theft auto clone with scenarios revolving around movie plots and missions that mimic other video games. They’re fun and engaging for the most part. Retro City also has a great soundtrack as well as a magnificent screen presence. Even though the city is pixelated, it’s dripping with stylistic detail. The gameplay is also excellent and easy to learn. However, it’s best trait is the comedy by far which didn’t feel rushed or stale.
What’s bad about Retro City Rampage? There are a couple of gripes I have with this game. You will go through some awfully fun missions, unfortunately there are a couple that are incredibly tedious. One in particular is a platformer level that is woefully precise and feels unfairly frustrating. The second problem is you don’t have a way to save your cars. The game feels a bit lengthened simply because it’s a sandbox game with a decent amount of backtracking and you need to grab wheels all the time.
What’s ugly about Retro City Rampage? I’m nitpicking a little by saying this but everything is a parody in this game for the most part. Remember you signed up for that or it will get overwhelming quite quickly! Regardless of that, I also think they could have done a slightly better job on the pixel faces. Most of them are spot on but a few were a visually confusing. Lastly, while I love pixel graphics it may not be for everyone. If you don’t enjoy it you wont enjoy this.
Though it may not be for everyone this game is very unique. It’s hilarious and pokes fun at the entertainment industry at large. Even getting a little satirically preachy at points. However, what I found utterly unique is that I feel the developers took many risks that paid off. It’s difficult to capture that old retro feel, stay humorous, and make a fun compelling game all at once. And that’s what this game is. Retro City Rampage is a 9 out of 10 for sure and deserves a spot in your digital collection!
Every now and then I like to break down video game trends in my head to remind me why we play certain games. Have you ever played Legend of Zelda, God of War, or Uncharted? If you have then you know all about the idea of the impossible quest. It’s that adventure where you travel to multiple places, find ancient treasure, and defeat all sorts of intense obstacles on the way. There is usually loot involved as well. Let’s think on the ideas of the impossible quest.
First, it requires a hero and said person is usually chosen by someone. The gods, a group of people in need, or perhaps a legend is usually where starts it. And that idea that you are now in the shoes of someone very special is a deep high. That feeling fills you with the sense of adventure and really makes you wanna play the game. It might mean tons of traveling on the game map but you signed up for it!
Traveling is a large part of the impossible quest. In the real world if some creature came to you and said “I need you to go across the country to this specific church and find a sword”, you’d probably laugh at all of the problems that would cause. You’d need money to travel, the free time it would take, and maybe some gear depending on the things you were meant to accomplish. In games, you are already fully equipped enough somehow to achieve your goals. Things just fall into place like magic. It’s beautiful.
And the most elegant thing about the quest in the game is that it is possible. If you told me there was a dragon attacking the city and I was the only person who could stop it in the real world, I’d say “well good luck with that, Im uh.,.taking care of my two headed rabbit today….all day.” And I’m quite afraid of rabbits so take that into account! Yet, something in your head while playing the game tells you quite clearly “this dragon is about to get wrecked!” It might take a couple tries but you have that inner voice telling you that you can do this!
Conclusively speaking, the idea of the impossible quest is a great motivator because even though it shouldn’t be something anyone can achieve, you have the talent to pull it off. Your character is special and has all the skills you’ll need to claim victory. You get to see wonderful places and fight dangerous monsters. And in the end, these are some of the most rewarding games to beat!
Have you ever wanted to play a game about ninjas where you actually had to move around like one? There are games like Tenchu that dangle the idea in front of you. Then there are others like Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden which basically make ninjas these ultimate magical warriors of the night who destroy demons in trivial ways. Mark of the Ninja, developed by Klei, provides the best stealth experience I’ve ever had in a ninja game period. Let’s check out the good, bad, and ugly of this game.
What’s good about Mark of the Ninja? This game has so much to offer players. It’s built on an amazing stealth concept. Gameplay is fluid, fun, and often a little frantic. The animations are top-notch. Even the character and level design have a beautiful aesthetic. You’re going to feel like a ninja and love it.
What’s bad about Mark of the Ninja? Games lately have been doing this and I’m not sure why. Mark of the Ninja has a serviceable plot. It starts out fairly interesting but slowly is forgotten. Then it ramps up at the end with a long lead in giving you tons of hope for this last boss fight. Only then does it dash all those hopes with one of the worst anticlimactic endings I’ve ever seen. There isn’t even a last boss fight between ninja. Seriously, the plot needed a little more umph!
What’s ugly about Mark of the Ninja? This is a stealth game. You are locked into that mode from the very beginning so if hiding and sneaking isn’t you’re thing, do not play this game. You are not a straight up fighter and the game doesn’t reward you for that in the least. And while I’m thinking of the stealth aspect, there is also a whole lot of black used in this game. When in the dark a character will turn black with perhaps another color to accent their specific look. It’s really cool if you like black. If not, you’re going to miss other more colorful games.
Mark of the Ninja is an excellent game that redefines the stealth genre and even creates it on a 2d plane. The game has a definite replay value since you can get other ninja outfits that change the play style and it’s generally interesting trying to figure out how you will get through the game without silently killing opponents. You can find Mark of the Ninja on Steam. Now go out and become the new Foot Clan!
There are so many games that I decided to break them down at one point to attempt to answer one question. Why do we play video games? You could name several reasons, general interest, relaxation, entertainment, working on your hand-eye coordination, and so on. However, once you ask the question “why do we play games in certain genres” then you need to dive a little deeper. Here is my philosophy on loot.
Loot is an evolution of the power-up. They aren’t the same thing though they feel very much alike. A power-up gives you an advantage for a limited amount of time while loot or equipment stays with you even after death. And while a power-up usually changes your entire character for a moment, items change a small part of you as long as you have them. Why is that so important?
Look at World of Warcraft! The entire game is based on loot. Kill a boss? Get some loot! Bring an item to a quest giver? Here’s some loot! Destroy some mobs casually enjoying a misty plain? Feel the rewards of loot! It’s a great motivator to get you out in the world to quest! Now lets me honest with one another.
You truly love loot too. Treasure and equipment are something you get to see on your character right away when you get it. So the instant gratification levels are through the roof. Plus, you constantly want to make yourself a better and more dynamic looking killing machine in game. You’re probably even having some loot awareness and realizing how awesome it would be to receive these exciting new treasures every day in real life.
To conclude I want to say that most games nowadays have loot. Call of Duty which isn’t a role playing game has loot. You gain experience to use a certain character classes and can pick different soldiers who carry unique layouts to fit that classes’ play style. Those new classes utilize new loot! It feels good to get stuff, which is what the loot philosophy comes down too. And it feels especially good to acquire said stuff when you earned it! Now, what say you about loot Audience?
Hello and welcome to my computer/video game themed week for ChrisDemas.com. I’ve prepared some recent game reviews and a couple of video game philosophies. Today I bring you Hell Yeah! I briefly mentioned it a couple weeks ago but now it’s time to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly of this game.
What’s good about Hell Yeah!? This game is full of color, beauty, and humor. You will enjoy the gameplay because i’ts simple and easy to learn. Another great part of the game is the enemy placement. Each monster is a puzzle you need to overcome. Sometimes that means finding the right path to the monster or unloading clip upon clip into it. Other times it’s more about moving things within the level that lead to a monster’s demise. Lastly for what’s good, the music is dangerously catchy. I love it!
What’s bad about Hell Yeah!? This game is advertised as an action game with a metroid-vania style map. In honesty though it’s more like a puzzle game. You do travel around the map killing 100 monsters, but killing each one is more of its own little riddle with very few minor creatures to fight. Second, the plot itself is obviously just to get you into the game. The dialogue is good, but the plot is fairly nonexistent. Besides that, the metroid-vania aspect is artificial. You don’t really find items to get past obstacles in the game. You’re just held to a certain area until you kill enough major baddies to proceed.
What’s ugly about Hell Yeah!? There is another couple of gameplay sections in the game. One is a extreme pro-skater element where you do tricks with your buzzsaw jetpack. And the other is this background game called “The Island” where you manage the monsters you’ve already destroyed which gives you bonuses back in the main content. Both sections of the game aren’t explained as well as they could be so I didn’t play them much. Maybe you’ll get more enjoyment out of them. Unfortunately, I did not.
On a whole how do I feel about Hell Yeah!? This is a great game. I loved it. In fact, I bought it on a whim because I heard about it in passing and I played it non-stop all day after purchasing. There are about 8 to 10 hours of gameplay here that shouldn’t be missed. My favorite part of the game is killing the monsters because the death animations are completely over-the-top fantastic! It feels SO good to gain a victory over the beasts that you vanquish. Every kill is overkill. If you’re looking for a fun game check this out on steam.
Here’s the shop music!
Hey Audience.
This weekend I’ll be taking my girly out to the zoo because she wants to feed the giraffes. I’ve been working on my schedule for next week. I’m going to review a few indie games that just came out and give some of my video game philosophies. Next week should be a pretty entertaining time. If you have any games you’d like me to look at or have a piece of technology you think I should check out, comment and let me know! I enjoy posting things you wanna read. See you Monday Audience!
Ps – If you’re enjoying the site remember to reblog, comment, like, and follow it! It helps me out a ton.
I’m currently preparing for next week. All week long I’ll be writing video game themed pieces. It’s basically where my roots lie even though this blog is based more on technology. Hopefully it will be something entertaining for you to check out. So today I’m just scheduling what I may write about. If you have something in the same vein you’d like me to cover, let me know.
