Tag: Horror

Hellraiser: Revival Playstation 5 Review

So first and foremast, insanely huge thanks to Saber Interactive for granting us access to the game. This particular game was the game I’ve been most excited for all year. As a longtime fan of Clive Barker’s writing, The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser, and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2  I was incredibly pumped to see Barker’s world unfolded of pain and pleasure in game form.

We play as Aiden Lynch, a dude who simply loved a girl. Convict, addict, Aiden never felt whole until he met Sunny, who seemed to share his need for pain and desire as well as her own inner darkness. During a night of BDSM play, she brings out the box, summoning the Cenobites. Sunny is torn apart and whisked away to the mysterious Labyrinth. Now Aiden must not only face a deadly, sadistic cult devoted to the enigmatic Cenobites but face never-ending depravity and torture to save the woman he loved. Can Aiden survive and free Sunny from hell itself or will he give in to the darkness of Levithan?

Ok, much like Terminator: Resistance and Alien: Isolation, the love and attention to detail for the source material is incredible. The labyrinth, the Cenobites, the creatures, Levithan are all captured beautifully. The game uses its IP to the fullest extent, and respects it in ways so few games do. Doug Bradley triumphantly returns to voice the iconic Hell Priest, Pinhead, and is still spine chilling in his line delivery. The game’s strongest feat is making you feel on edge, whether it’s being chased by the gruesome Chatterer through the mazes of the Labyrinth, or roaming through the smoky, vulgar sex clubs fronted by the cult. Seriously, full disclosure, this game holds nothing back in terms of sex and violence- totally understand why this game nearly got the dreaded A rating.

As for gameplay, it’s very akin to Resident evil 7 and Dying Light in terms of melee combat. The box adds a lot in terms of abilities and puzzle solving. The box grants you telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and can summon chains as a ultimate attack. Combat is most fun using the box and strategically wiping out crazed gimp and hell beasts. I appreciate that the game is about creativity and never gives you too much to work with but never fully leaves you dry. I will say, I wish weapons weren’t so flimsy. Melee weapons feel like they’re made of glass so you have to use them sparingly. Aiden himself practically feels like he too is made of glass; god love you if you get set on fire. A few times I was annoyed and wished I had some kind of armor or the weapons lasted longer. Overall, it was still mostly fun to play throughout.

The game had a few clipping issues and a few funny glitches at times but meanwhile played well. During a ten hour hour playthrough, I had just 1 hard crash and only really noticed a couple laughable glitches. My biggest complaint that had nothing to do with skill (because I fully admit I sucked at this game) is the inventory system. I get having to worry about space for weapons and health. I hated having to factor in treasure. The real killer has the oddly huge size of the ammo boxes. I don’t see why a box of ammo should take up nearly as much space as 9MM, SMG, or a damn bear trap. Inventory layout is borrowed from Resident Evil 4 but I can’t lie, I felt it was unneeded enemy in the game.

In the end, I had a lot of fun with Hellraiser: Revival. It’s a good, shorter horror game that doesn’t wear out it’s welcome and it’s a hell of a treat and love letter to an incredible horror writer and his most iconic work. I’d absolutely recommend it with full warning; it’s not for the faint of heart. It is an 8/10. Thanks again to Saber for sharing it with us. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

No More Room in Hell 2 PlayStation 5 Review

No More Room in Hell 2 was sent my way by Green Name Room Publishing, and I truly appreciate it. The game itself looks solid, but there are better ones out there, and admittedly, while the pathfinding could use a bit of work, the sound and weapons are very nice. The reason we all play these games is to kill zombies, and there are plenty to go around for the up to 8 people on each map.

This is the unique part of No More Room in Hell 2: while there is permadeath, you will lose your responder. See, you have two different types of levels: responder and account. The account level unlocks permanent passive perks and loadouts. These never go away and can be used by any responder you recruit. When you lose a responder, however, they are gone forever. This changes depending on the difficulty level. On easy and normal, they are truly only gone if the party gets wiped out, but higher than that, any death sees them killed without a certain item.

The 8 players will all start at different points on the map and simply raid the place for supplies, kill zombies, and do assorted side missions before extracting. Now, you can skip much of it and simply speedrun everything, but the supplies are how you advance most of your experience.

Now you may have noticed I haven’t said much about this game in a negative way, and it is because I don’t have a lot of bad things to say. The big one is that some of the hitboxes on the zombies can seem a bit iffy, most notably while using melee weapons. The worst part, however, is if you don’t have at least a couple of friends to play with; playing with random people is going to be super hit-and-miss. Some people can be very greedy and will simply watch you die when they could easily save you. However, when you find a good group, the game can be magical for a time. Until you find yourself repeating missions /within missions over and over again. The game is still a 7/10 and worth the $30 in my opinion, if you like zombie games. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Exorcist: Martyrs trailer

I have so much respect for what Blatty’s original novel and Friedkin’s iconic movie did for horror. As for what came after-not so much, although I heard Legion was pretty good book and Exorcist 3 was the best the series had to offer since the original. Anyway, it’s Flannigan’s turn after the disaster that was Believer. Already, I see a major improvement just in style and star power alone. I was almost hyped but I gotta be real, the finally moment with Scarlett made me laugh my ass off. I’m convinced The Exorcist is lightning in a bottle. One shot wonder- leave as is. No need for prequels, sequels, reimaginings, se-boots, reboots, legacy sequels, spin offs, or a damn cinematic universe (though seeing Linda Blair fight Michael Myers in the Further woulda been funny as hell). As is, I’m vaguely interested in Martyrs but I’m not hooked. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees

Samantha Strong is one of the many friendly faces you’d see in the cozy little town of Woodbrook. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows each other and it’s ok to leave your door unlocked at night. Well, Everyone thinks they know each other. Samantha has a grisly side; for years she’s been hunting and killing random people in the distant city. Her main rule is never at home. But during the bicentennial parade for the town, someone has broken her rule. Now terror spreads as a killer is on the loose and it’s up to Samantha to stop them before her own careful hidden trail of bodies is discovered.

I love comics outside the standard DC and Marvel fare. This might be my 2nd favorite, only below Nailbiter. The opening is very disarming, very tranquil and the artwork really makes me think of a lot of the children’s shows I grew up with. Once the killing starts, it hits you like a brick. I really loved Sam as a character. Part of it is the mystery around why she feels the need to brutally kill people. There is some really creepy imagery and few good story twists I didn’t see coming. The characters are misplaced mostly which adds to the shock factor of what happens to them. The book feels pretty self contained which is nice. Another installment just came out but the first book doesn’t sequel bait. In the end, I can’t recommend this book enough especially if you grew up with shows like Little Bear or Franklin or you’re a fan of Dexter or Criminal Minds. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Crystal Lake trailer

Jason has never been my go to in the slasher realm (team Michael all the way) but admittedly I’m happy to see a comeback of sorts. I really dig the idea of a prequel going into Pam Voorhees’s descent into grief and eventual madness at the loss of her son as well as hopefully a more human look at Jason before he become the iconic death machine. I liked the trailer more than I thought I would as well as the callbacks to the original movie. I’m actually pretty excited to see how Peacock and A24 pull it off. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Slayground trailer

Halloween is upon us and sometimes, we need something simply fun. A24 presents us with Slayground, which looks likes a cool horror romp at a haunted house. Admittedly, I have a soft spot in my heart anytime I hear Bodies by Drowning Pool. The killer looks pretty cool too. Given the fact A24 has a part in it, I’m sure the movie will have some elevated hook we aren’t seeing. Worst case, it looks like a nice slasher to populate the season. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Fog

Every town has its share of ghost stories. Antonio Bay is no different. The quiet sea side town is gearing up to celebrate it’s founding when a mysterious fog rolls in from the sea. Mysteriously power goes out, windows shatter and knocks can be heard with seemingly no one there. Coincidence or is the the town’s bloody secrets coming back for revenge as the long lost crew of the Elizabeth Dane have come ashore once again…

So John Carpenter had to do something in the couple years between Halloween and The Thing . I remember me and my dad trying to watch the godawful remake on video and my dad, legend he was, snoring halfway through it. The original legitimately feels like a old fashioned campfire tale in the best way. The opening perfectly sets up the movie’s atmosphere as well as some great cinematography accompanied some great music from Carpenter himself. I really liked Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Atkins’s chemistry. I loved Antonio Bay as a setting, it felt like a cozy little vacation town I wouldn’t mind taking a trip to-if not for the ghost pirates. While I can’t say I was scared, I did appreciate the less is more approach to the ghosts and they’re are some badass shots of them towards the end. My only real complaint is the movie is a bit too much of a slow burn, feeling longer than it actually is. It drags a little in the second act mostly though the climax was a nice payoff.

In the end, the fog is definitely worth checking out, especially with spooky season around the corner. It’s definitely a cozy, turn the lights off and curl up on the couch kind of horror movie that looks great 45 years later. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

IT: Welcome t Derry (sn1)

Derry, Maine is a quiet town tat slips right out of your memory once you leave. Every 27 years, children disappear and no one has answers. Every 27 years children see terrible things, hear voices around the drains, and many are never heard or seen again. What happened in Derry 27 years before the Losers Club fought Pennywise, well, come on down and see what surprises lurk in the lovely little town.

I love the IT movies and the miniseries (RIP Tim Curry) so I was expecting a iffy, low effort season that vaguely resembled the remakes. However, I’m ecstatic to say in a lot of ways I enjoyed the show more than the movies. Fans of King’s lore will have a lot of chomp at; I lost my shit a few times with certain Dark Tower references and the Shining connections were great. The acting is fantastic and I gotta say all the characters felt like they belonged in a Stephen King story. Again there’s a few surprise reveals I don’t want to spoil but they are well done. This show is very hard-hitting when it comes to brutality and the imagery- full warning, you’ll see some messed up shit happen to children. I even shivered a few times with how far the show was willing to go. The effects and setting are incredibly done. It has one of my favorite opening title sequences ever. Lastly, I was thrilled this wasn’t the Pennywise show- we don’t see the iconic clown til halfway in but the revelations we get and the shocking moments make him feel more threatening than ever.

Of course, nothing’s ever perfect. In this case, there is a plotline involving the army and Derry that never fully full circle for me. The ending is a bit too heavy handed with the “power of friendship” and the finale did feel drawn out. I also had to wonder why the Hanlon’s chose to stay in Derry after all the crazy crap that happens. I do love the little surprise appearance at the end that connects to IT 2017.

In the end, I adored Welcome to Derry and I’m incredibly hyped we’re getting a second season. I highly recommend it but I’m warning you their is a lot of triggers and tons of disturbing imagery. May the gaming gods let you float down here.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Dying Light was a hell of an experience. It was like Far Cry meets 28 Weeks Later. Like many, I was pumped when the sequel crawled out of development hell only to fade into obscurity. Seriously, it’s one of those games I knew so many people waited for but no one really talked about. Is Dying Light 2 a missed masterpiece or better left forgotten?

We play as Aiden, a pilgrim on a quest in plague ravaged Villedor for his lost sister. Aiden, as well as hs sister and a bunch of other children were part of a cruel series of experiments at the hand of Waltz. Villedor holds the answers Aiden seeks, as well bloodthirsty bandits, peace keepers run amok, people trying to survive and of course hordes of zombies. If all this wasn’t enough, Aiden is changing…can he find his sister and a cure before joing the legion of the undead?

So I’m not going to mice words, Dying Light 2 isn’t a bad game. It’s fun in bursts and I appreciate some of what they were trying to do in terms of scope and feeling like you were in a wider cityscape. Unfortunately I gotta drop into the same category of meh games as Dark Souls 2 Scholars of the First Sin , Resident Evil 3 (2020) and Aliens: Fireteam Elite.

First, I tuned out of the story pretty quick. I never really got invested in the factions involved, the choices never packed a punch, and the missions felt pretty repetitive-especially the side missions. I felt like they took the wrong lessons from Fallout 4. Exploration can be fun but the enemies start to become a pain in the ass instead of scary or menacing. There is more than a fair amount of bullshit deaths, especially when it came to the game’s paraglider. Sometimes it would draw super fast, sometimes it would delay and I’d splat on the concrete. Gameplay overall is fine but there was small subtractions from the first I sorely missed- a mini map, being able to customize and repair my own weapons, easily accessible fast travel, and a faster, more fulfilling progression system. In this game, progression feels more like a slog and I never really felt like a badass as I did in the first. Safe zones are also now a chore.

While I have a lot of complaints and I genuinely believe its inferior to the first, it’s not a bad game. It ran fine, it looked really nice throughout, and the voice acting was solid. I had plenty of fun murdering zombies and bandits and using parkour…but it wasn’t much more than that. I never got the fear or intrigue of the first game. Its a ok game overall. Alright. Nothing too special. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Carrie 2026 trailer

Carrie is one my favorite King stories so I’m always cautious when a new adaptation comes out. I had mixed feelings on the Carrie 2026 teaser but ultimately I know it’s not for my generation. After seeing this, I like what I see of the modern aspects like social media and cyberbullying at play. My only major gripe is I don’t like the plot point that she was homeschooled til her last year of high school in this version. The history between Carrie and her peers, the long years of resentment and stewing rage I always felt was vital part of the story. I’m hoping this version finds a new way to circumvent that. In the end, I think it’ll be a solid adaptation. May the gaming gods bring you glory.