Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I've never played a Zombie Game-- On purpose

(Even this picture creeps me out)
As Dead Island's September release date looms and all the fantastic press continues to role out for it, I must confess I have never even considered buying it. In fact I have never considered buying almost any game featuring a zombie, because they terrify me. Even zombie like things put me off in any kind of media (I have oft panicked and died at the hands of the shambling husks in Mass Effect, and it doesn't matter how many times someone tells me that Shawn of the Dead is a parody, it still scares the crap out of me.) Back in high school my friends would play Resident Evil around me just to watch me freak out, and one even got me an action figure from the game, which I kept safely sealed in its package in the bottom of my dresser where it couldn't attack me. I did not have very nice friends in high school. Just kidding. Sort of.
Anyway, the gaming industry is sitting in the midst of zombie mania, with more and more games putting out zombie modes or themes based on crazy pandemics and the undead. For the most part, people who aren't me will tell you that these games are fun, have some creepy elements, but generally they inspire more tension filled moments than fearful ones. These people without phobias of imaginary things are likely right, but today I wanted to share a game with you that is genuinely scary regardless of what personal craziness you have.
And it has zombies.
And I didn't know that when I started playing, or when I was half way though, but rather I began to realize when my character slowly started to degenerate and shamble along and then was killed in combat only to get up with a full health bar and a new sickly grey complexion. I had become what I most feared, and in a terrifying, slowly-succumbing-to-the-zombie-plague-but-in-denial kind of way. It was a psychological moment unmatched by any zombie chase scenario, because at least in most games when you get zombie infected you start over from a check point, and for all intents and purposes your character is immune or has access to a cure. It's not an unavoidable part of the game.
This scenario is brought to you by Gamecube cult hit Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. The premise of this game involves stepping into several different characters throughout history via one central character in present time who is investigating her grandfather's murder and a mysterious book made of skin. Eeeew. While not all characters become zombies, all are subject to a slow decline into madness as they travel through the various creepy levels. You can refill your sanity meter by using finishers on enemies, but the more crazy you become, the harder that becomes as your character begins to randomly cry out in fear and experience shocking hallucinations, which may include your body parts falling off. While the game obviously doesn't have the graphical prowess of the current gen, it doesn't need it to engage you in a visceral experience. The game includes some fun puzzling elements to get through the various labyrinths you face, as well as some nice NPC interaction and some nice though sometimes tedious spell building elements that require you to seek out runes and magic scrolls to increase your range of magical talents. Classification wise I would say this is an action-adventure with a horror plot line, but the truly unique sanity meter is what makes this game really worth seeking out. If you're looking for something to scare yourself this Hallowe'en give this one a try, but don't say I didn't warn you about the zombie.
I wish someone had warned me.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Dragon Age Anime: Dawn of the Seeker

http://www.funimation.com/dragon-age-movie
In case you are like me and missed this when it went up last month, some updates on the Dragon Age anime movie. Also of note (and announced awhile ago) Funimation is also working on a Mass Effect anime, so BioWare junkies such as I have lots to look forward to. Unfortunately the DA movie has been pushed to 2012 (ME anime is slated to hit then as well) , but I'll have Felicia Day's Dragon Age web series Redemption as well as David Gaider's new DA novel due out this Christmas to keep me firmly rooted in Thedas until then.
Here's a shot of Day as Talis in Redemption:
I know, I'm a big nerd. I love Felicia Day.

Five Great Games you May have Missed This Generation

So just thought I'd make a little vid about my top five you might have missed. It's been a slow month on new game acquisition, so I've been rummaging through my old stuff:

Hope you enjoy... and try these out!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Custom Leliana Figure

Being the well rounded nerd-girl that I am, not only do I like games and comics, but I also collect action figures. Last year, Bioware and DC direct put out a set of Dragon Age action figures consisting of a Grenlock, Loghain, Duncan and Morrigan. Due to DCs inability to put figures out on time, Bioware decided that they wouldn't be working with them any longer, which meant no more figures. This was of course sad, since the only companion they had released was Morrigan. I hence took it upon myself to flesh out my collection. After making my Warden and Alistair, I set about making Leliana, and I thought I would share this newly finished product with everyone here.
In case you are unfamiliar, this is Leliana, the saucy Bard from Orlais:
and I decided to put her in the Battledress of the Provocateur that you can gain from the Leliana's song DLC:
I started off with a Super Lois from the DC All Star line that I picked up cheap at 401 games in Toronto:
And here is what I ended up with:
And here she is with my Alistair and DC's Morrigan for scale context:
I'm still tweaking a little bit, but she is basically done.

Hope you enjoy!

Amber

Friday, August 19, 2011

Waiting for the Price Drop



I always face a quandary when buying new games. While I'm sure we all have a list of day-one pick ups, there are many other games that I'll wait a month or two until they knock 20 dollars off the price before I buy. The sad thing is, the games I'm waiting for aren't usually the AAA titles, but the smaller ones that need the day one support if they're going to see sequels, or even see the studio make more games. The problem is I know these games will fall in price quickly, and if I don't wait I'll regret it when I get the flyer from gamestop announcing the great new price (which will still happen no matter what I do, because that is the way of life). Case in point is the image for this post, Shadows of the Damned. Suda 51 makes games I enjoy for their offbeat sense of humor, over the top game-play, and self-aware writing (Check out No More Heroes to see what I mean). I want this game, but when it was released I was warned to wait because it wouldn't be a big seller, and lo it wasn't, in fact it experienced numbers well below what's desirable for something with these production values. This adds up to the fact that if I keep waiting, this game will be a whole lot more affordable and we as gamers will be a lot less likely to see similar titles, a problem that is compounded if I wait to buy it used.
What's a gamer to do when faced with such a situation? Lucky for me Suda just announced his next game at Gamescom this week so I don't have to worry I ruined a dev in this case (cause I can do that on my own), but even as I was following the news from Germany this week I was going on a mini tirade about how there's a lack of great new IPs coming out, and I think that waiting for the price drop is a big reason for that. Why would a business take a risk on selling a few thousand units of a new game when they could just used an established formula, polish it a little, and then sell a few million? Critical acclaim and great review scores don't speak as loudly as sales numbers (just ask Mirror's Edge) but alas I game I've never played doesn't command my dollars in the same way a sequel in a beloved franchise does.
It's a puzzle with no solution, except of course infinite money for all!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Reviews: Catherine and Final Fantasy III

Sorry I've been neglecting you readers of the blog! It's been a busy month, but I have made a couple of review vids that can be found here on youtube:

and here on Gametrailers:

And I got around to loading them here... or at least one due to time constraints. Uploading takes forever:



Hope you enjoy!
Amber