Games of Halloween: Goosebumps Escape From Horrorland
Games of Halloween is a retrospective highlighting the most frightening video games that we’ve ever played. In this particular look back, Chris Gampat reflects on DreamWorks Interactive’s Goosebumps: Escape From Horrorland.
For those of us that are late 80’s and 90’s kids, you may remember that novel series that everyone went crazy for: Goosebumps. It was scary, it was entertaining, the marketing was genius, and the writing was pretty damned good. Now how many of you remember the PC game, Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland? Not many perhaps. If you played it, you’d understand why that game scared the crap out of players back then. The entire game was basically a greenscreen with actors popping out at you. Despite this, the game gave me nightmares when I was eleven.
Games of Halloween: Out of This World
Games of Halloween is a retrospective highlighting the most frightening video games that we’ve ever played. In this particular look back, Tim Torres reflects on Eric Chahi’s pioneering game, Out of This World.
Out of This World, also known as Another World, gets cited by Fumito Ueda (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus), Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid, Zone of Enders) and Goichi Suda (Killer7, No More Heroes) as major inspirations, so that probably makes it one of the most important games ever made.
It has some atmosphere for a game from 1991. “Ahead of its time” doesn’t even begin to describe its lonely, bleak world. There’s barely any music. Just sound effects of rocks falling or beasts breathing and the occasional ambient tone pulsing in the background. Er, from what I know of the first few screens of gameplay anyway.
Yeah, I barely got past the first area. I was a real scaredy cat when I was younger, but what an introduction this game has. You’re blasted into another world, underwater, where tentacles creep up at you, and when you get on dry ground awful black slugs crawl after you. Get too close to a slug and a quick little scene plays where a single retractable tooth juts out of and kills you. Scared the hell out of me when I first played the game. And I never outran that beast.
Playing it now the sluggish controls make me impatient and the try-and-fail style of gameplay can only entertain me for so long, but yeah, it inspired Ico, so I’ll have to play through it sometime in my life. I just hope I get past those slugs.
Review: Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo)
As a writer, I really value the art of crafting a description that accurately conveys an idea that I’m expressing to the reader. It doesn’t necessarily have to be witty, just clear and concise. So when it came time to describe Baseball Stars 2 visuals to an associate who’d never seen SNK’s classic in action I struggled, struggled, and struggled some more. But then it hit me while reflecting back on the grand time I had at the 2008 Consumer Electronic Show: Baseballs Stars 2 looks like what would happen if the Vegas Strip made nasty time with a candy cane.
Virtual Vox Pop: Do You Miss The Days Of Importing?
Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s video game imports.
Human beings are a fickle bunch. In our never-ending pursuit of good times and warm fuzzies, we often overlook just how good we’ve got it. Allow me to explain by offering a timely personal tale.
With Aksys’ announcement that its bringing Cho Aniki Zero to the PSP as a digital download, my first thoughts turned to my early days in the wild west we know as the Web. It was Fall 1998 when I was surfing the ‘net on my WebTV (yup, a WebTV–I didn’t own a PC at the time) one night when I discovered a small fan site devoted to the original PC Engine Super CD Cho Aniki game. As someone whose videogame edginess extended to Sonic impatiently tapping his foot when you didn’t move him about the screen in a certain amount of time, seeing musclebound men frolic in space with strangely phallic-shaped missile was bizarre – - and totally awesome.
Cho Aniki was my gateway drug to the import scene. I quickly began to discover the major and minor tweaks to some of my favorite titles, and knew that if I wanted the purity of the original Japanese concepts, I had to pay $80 to $100 to a grumpy store clerk in Chinatown. Despite empty pockets, it was so worth it to play Castlevania: Rondo of Blood as originally conceived, not the hacked to death SNES version. Besides, it was cool to be the kid on the block with a cool, foreign game with squiggly letters.
Do you miss the days of importing, or do you like the easy access we have to games (for the most part) today?
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Gets Box Art
Here it is, kids. Remember, this Wii exclusive (that’s still a head-scratcher) will be released on January 26th, 2010.
Metallica And Tapulous Team Up For Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica
When Harmonix released Rock Band for iPhone earlier this month, many pundits deemed that Tapulous and its successful Tap Tap Revenge series was doomed to be crushed by the face of virtual music games. Even if that knee-jerk response happens to prove correct, Tapulous ain’t going out without tossing roundhouses; the company announced that Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica has just crashed the iPhone and iPhone touch.
Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica features the fun music-tapping gameplay you’ve come to expect from other series’ entries (Arcade Mode, Career Mode), but also a new Bluetooth-based Battle Mode where players challenge friends to a point-by-point battle where they can deploy bombs and other special items to shake up foes and claim victory. The game employs a live action theme that incorporates a Metallica news feed, challenge updates, and a public battle board.
Of course, it’s all about the music; Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica includes the following songs:
- Enter Sandman
- Sad But True
- King Nothing
- All Nightmare Long
- Some Kind of Monster
- Master of Puppets
- Seek & Destroy
- Fuel
- One
- For Whom The Bell Tolls
The game’s available now for a solid $5 (half the price of Rock Band for iPhone), and judging by Tapulous’ past creations, will most likely be worth the Lincoln. Expect hands-on impressions shortly.
Aksys Games Brings Forth Cho Aniki Zero (aka The Greatest Press Release Ever)
As a member of the media, I wade through a near-insurmountable number of press releases per day, many of which attempt to hype a game by simply scattering the word “new” or, even worse, a “!!!” throughout the text. It’s pretty ho-hum stuff overall, but Aksys Games has restored my faith in the press release by crafting the single greatest one ever created. Read on for unbridled hilarity.
Behold! Drink Your Protein Shake And Witness The Birth Of The Manliest Shooter EVER!
Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, proudly brings you this announcement, in exaltation of all that is manly: in spring 2010, Cho Aniki Zero will be oiled up and ready to thrust its way onto your PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system! Sold exclusively as a digital download through the PlayStation®Store, Cho Aniki Zero gives players the chance to take part in an epic struggle alongside heroes Idaten and Benten as they blast through the muscle-bounded forces of Emperor Balzac II.
Cho Aniki Zero brings manliness back to the old-school shoot-em-up genre and, warps it to another dimension of sights and sounds. In Cho Aniki Zero, players will be introduced to brand-new characters and newly heightened experiences of rhythmic action, intertwined with the famous BGM of Kouji Hayama. Battle through five man-rageous levels of brotherly love and muscle-on-muscle madness!
Vempire Takes A Bite Out Of The Puzzle and Strategy Genres
Vampires rule this country and there’s nothing to be done that can stop their reign.
A casual stroll through Barnes & Noble this past weekend opened my eyes to this fact as I watched teenagers, young adults, and a few people who looked to be beyond the target demographic flock to the True Blood and Twilight novels that peppered romance and fantasy sections. Whether you think that sparkly, emo bloodsuckers are the epitome of fiction, or further proof f the softening of America, you can’t deny the recent impact of the vampire.
Impressionware is looking to appeal to vampire-lovers with Vempire, a casual puzzle game for Sony’s handhelds that asks players to collect artifacts, summon minions, and collect powers to be used during the levels. Strategic thinking will be required to tackle the various different levels and the monsters the player will challenge to become king of the monster empire. Vempire is available now from the PSN.
The Greatest 2D Sports Video Game Athletes: San Francisco 49ers Edition
To be perfectly honest, before the age of 10, I really disliked football. I hated the concept of “downs”; it just seemed to bring the otherwise kick ass action to a sudden and screeching halt. I hated the flags; seemed too prissy for a sport in which 300-pound men knee one another in the groin for a living. I also hated those very same sloppy-assed 300-pound linemen with double guts who didn’t fool me into believing that they were true athletes. I hated the human Nyquil that was Pat Sommerall (well, I think everyone did).
The extent of my football love was watching Sweetness perform the Super Bowl Shuffle in the single greatest music video ever made, owning The Fridge’s G.I. Joe action figure (any athlete good enough to become a Joe was alright with me, even pseudo-athletes like Sgt. Slaughter), and rooting for the San Francisco 49ers, the greatest team that the NFL ever had the pleasure of presenting to the American public.
Earthworm Jim Crawls Onto The iPhone and iPod touch
Fifteen years ago, David Perry, Tommy Tallarico, and Doug TenNapel created video game gold when they melded their magic to produce Shiny Entertainment’s Earthworm Jim, an instant classic of the 16-bit era that featured tight action, remarkable character designs, absurd humor, and an incredible soundtrack. Although the sequels didn’t quite live up to the original’s lofty standards, Earthworm Jim is still beloved by many.
Those looking for a fresh series entry will have to make due with Gameloft’s recently released Earthworm Jim remake for the iPhone and iPod touch ($5), which retains all of the original’s charms, plus a nice new coat of paint that brings the visuals into the 21st century. I had a chance to get hands-on with the game before its release, and I have to say that I was quite impressed with how the 2D animation, music (you can now add tunes own from your music collection), and sound were just as how I remembered them as a kid. The only potential negative? Working with a virtual D-pad on the Apple platform has historically produced some control issues (see Alive 4 Ever and Magical Drop Touch). Still, the game looks extremely promising, so check back for a full review in coming days.
-
Categories
-
Circle of the Joystick
By Business Card Designs
Get your 2D-X gear!
-
Most Popular
- TimeWasters: Infector: World Domination
- How To: Beat the Turtle (and other bosses) in Civilization Wars
- Interview: Herb Yang, Managing Producer for Dungeon Fighter Online
- 4chan Features The Most Epic Pokemon Artwork Ever
- Epic 4chan Pokemon artwork: Take 2
- Interview: Ray Murakawa, Producer, Tecmo NBA Unrivaled
- Project Needlemouse becomes Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
- Interview: Robby Zinchak, Associate Producer, Final Fight: Double Impact
- CES 2010: Hands-On with Super Street Fighter IV
- CES 2010: Hands-On With Dark Void Zero
-
Recent Posts
- Interview: Jimmy Soga, product manager, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
- Is PlayStation Move the Nintendo Wii killer?
- Review: The Battle of Olympus (NES)
- Interview: Mike Fahrny, producer, Tecmo Bowl Throwback
- Gameworks, Las Vegas: SEGA’s gaming oasis in the desert
- Virtual Vox Pop: What’s the hardest 2D game you’ve ever played?
- Microvision’s Show WX pico projector pimps your portable playing
- Shank pre-GDC gameplay trailer is bad ass
- Free Twin Blades DLC revealed in new trailer
- Grab your stylus: Scribblenauts sequel coming this fall
