In just over a week's time, GSC Game World will release STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the long-awaited follow-up in the studio's cult horror FPS series. The last installment we saw was Call of Pripyat way back in 2009, so it's been a while.

In preparation for STALKER 2's release, you may need to clear some space on your hard drive. As noted by PC Gamer (and seen on the game's Steam page), you'll need storage capacity to the tune of 150GB. It also looks like you wil??l definitely need an SSD rather than a much slower HDD, which most people will likely have these days. Still, that's a fair amount of space needed.

To put it into perspective, Black Ops 6 "only" requires 128GB, according to Steam. Call of Duty games are often noteworthy for their hardware requirements, so seeing Heart of Chornobyl asking for about 22GB more than that feels like it's worth mentioning, in case you need to clear some space. While the Xbox site doesn't say, I imagine the console version of STALKER 2 will need the same amount of storage.

The end of a long road

It goes without saying that the game has been in development for a very long time. Perhaps one of the biggest setbacks was GSC getting caught up in the middle of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian ?invasion forced the team to relocate to Prague, where work continued.

Outside the war, the turmoil didn't end. The studio announced in June 2023 that hackers were leaking test footage from the game. Given the delays, fearing for their lives, and cyberattacks, it's by some miracle of determination that STALKER 2 is almost upon us, at last.

In fact, a few days ago, an announcement was made that said it had finally "gone gold." This means the project is now at the point where the developer feels it's ready to launch. And launch it shall. It's been a trying time for the people at GSC, but by God, they've pulled through. Given the blows that have been?? dealt, maybe making room for a 150GB game isn't such a bad thing after all.

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It must be a huge weight off the collective shoulders of everyone at Bloober Team to see the remake of Silent Hill 2 is doing pretty well for itself. Steam shows the game as "Overwhelmingly Positive"? for all reviews, so it definitely proves the wait was worth it in the end.

As a survival horror game, Silent Hill 2 is dripping with mood, atmosphere, anguish, sorrow, and grotesque denizens. What it's not dripping with, however, is a potassium-based snack. This is where Nexus Mods user Stevebg23 comes to the re?scue with a mod that changes the pistol James finds into a large banana.

As if that wasn't enough, you'll also find that the lead pipe �a classic of the original 2001 release, many would say �has als?o been changed. Now, the player will find themselves beating the snot out of monsters with a giant spoon.

Because of reasons, I guess

The reason for the "Banana Gun and Spoon Pipe" mod is simple: the creator "always wanted to have a silly mod," and this is the result. They also reassure us you can reload the skin of the gun, and that the s?poon is "shiny and silvery and nice to handle against the hordes of evil coming your way." Comforting to know.

Despite its seriousness, anyone who's played the original Silent Hill 2 knows the developer was not afraid to get a little silly. The infamous dog ending showed a kind of light-hearted irreverence for this drab horror experience that many o?f us were absolutely not expecting the first time around.

Of course, the game is sti??ll the same, even if you do swap out the pistol for a healthy-looking, half-peeled banana. It's nice to know James is getting his vitamins while battling the inner demons of his guilty conscience.

The post Here’s a Silent Hill 2 mod that turns the weapons into a banana and a large spoon appeared first on Destructoid.

Let's play a game. Let's see how long we can talk about Half-Life without bringing up the elusive third entry yet to emerge. Wait. Damn, we've already lost. How long was that? Anyway, yes, despite continued hopes that Valve may still make a third installment in its iconic FPS series, we're still not there.

So why bother with HL3 when we have Half-Life at home? More specifically, we have mods. And even though Halloween is now over (just), we can still get our spook on with this download from ModDB user ScriptedSnark.

This one may actually spark a bit of nostalgia in some �especially those with an interest in indie horror games �as it reimagines Slender: The Eight Pages in the original Half-Life engine, GoldSrc. From the images alone, it does look to be a faithful take on the cult Slender game, which,? by the way, is more than 12 years old at this point.

What even is time?!

I remember The Eight Pages quite fondly. Though short, it very much le?ft an impression on people who dared to open up the .exe file. If you're not familiar with the game, it came to prominence around the time the whole Slenderman "mythos" started to take off.

The game itself placed you in a wooded area in the ??middle of the night, with naught but a flashlight to help you see your way through. The object was to collect eight pages that have been scattered around the area, stapled onto a tree, for example.

The twist was that each one you ??picked up would ramp up the scares. The creepy Slenderman would begin to emerge, teleporting closer to your locat??ion to try and capture you. The music would thump, your heartbeat would race faster, and, for some of us, collecting just a few pages was enough to close down the application.

It's nice to see Slenderman �despite him no longer being the horror darling of the internet �coming back via Half-Life's engine. However, it remains to be seen whether the mod gives you a crow??bar for you to ??slap the ghoulish creature silly.

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The Outlast series has been a solid entry in the survival horror series, with its terrifying set-pieces, twisted antagonists, and disturbing content. Trials was the most rece??nt outing, which took things in a more online co-op direction, but now Red Barrels is looking to bring its franchise to the big screen.

In a recent post on X, the Outlast studio has said ther?e will be an adaptation of the series, which will be in collaboration with Lionsgate. There's no word on whether it will retell the story of one of the games or whethe?r it will be its own original idea set in or around the antics of the Murkoff Corporation.

As well as teaming up with the studio responsible for the likes of the John Wick, Saw, and Hunger Games films, Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee is said to be attached as producer. If you're not familiar with the name, you'll be familiar with work attached to him, such as The Departed, The Ring, The Strangers, It, and �dare I say �The Lego Movie.

How visceral will it be, I wonder...

It seems Lee is something of an Outlast fan, with a quote from the producer ??that says the games themselves �sinc?e the first one, which released in 2013 �"changed the landscape of horror gaming, setting a new standard for immersion in the genre."

Lee continues:

Its deep, emergent lore has provided a perfect foundation for creating a film that delves into the psychological and physical horrors at the core of the franchise. I’m ??excited to bring this unique world to life for both new viewers and the series�dedicated fans.

It's also good that the games' writer J.T. Petty is attached, so you know it's going to be an authentic Outlast adaptation.

I recently started playing the second game again. Possibly because we're in Halloween right now. In any case, I'm more than aware of how violent, bloody, and deranged each entry in the series is. I still remember the mutilation scene in the Whistleblower?? sta??ndalone DLC the player is all but forced to watch. That moment lives on in the dark recesses of my mind.

I can only imagine what kind of ideas the developer and everyone involved has in-store for when they translate the Outlast universe to the big screen. We don't know when it's likely to be released, but we are promised that it will capture the games' "immersive atmosp??here, chilling sound design, and relentless suspense." Probably not one to watch with your Grandma, then, I suspect.

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Those in the horror scene will be more than aware of Phasmophobia's long-awaited console release. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S ports of the game launched just a day ago. However, as with so many new releases in this modern gaming era, there are a few te??ething problems.

In this case, it's effecting players on the Xbox. A recent post over on Reddit has noted how Phasmophobia cra??shes when played on the Micr??osoft console. While this may only be a problem with the trial version, developer Kinetic Games has issued a brief statement on social media.

Posting to X, the studio has acknowledged ?that there are problems when booting up the trial version on Xbox Series X|S. An additional post says the team has "continued to investigate this issue" and will be sending out a fix as soon as possible. For now, it's best to keep an eye on any updates.

New content for the spoopy season

The console ports have gone hand-in-hand with the game's recent Halloween "Crimson Eye" patch, which features the Blood Moon event, and some tweaks to the game. This includes �according to the patch notes �optimization improvements, the ability to invite people via your Steam friend's list, crossplay with the aforementioned PS5 and Xbox releases, plus plenty of fixe?s.

The console ports of Phasmophobia have felt li?ke a long time coming. The game originally launched for PC back in September 2020 and �perhaps because of the pandemic which saw gaming experience a massive uptick in popularity as billions were confined to their homes �the indie horror game became a massive success.

Kinetic has been promising PlayStation and Xbox versions for some time now, so it feels like a relief to many that they can now get stuck into the ghost hunting phenomenon. So long as the developer keeps an eye ?on any issues that are plaguing console players.

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No one is more relieved to see that the remake of Silent Hill 2 has be?en nothing short of a major triumph. Well, I suppose developer Bloober Team could be classed as being somewhat more ?reassured, especially now the game has sold an impressive amount already.

Maybe it's not too surprising, but it certainly vindicates any doubts people may have had prior to launch to see that Silent Hill 2 has sold more than a million copies worldwide. According to a post on the g?ame's Japane?se X account, it actually exceeds this figure, and the post itself comes with a "thank-you" message to those who've bought and played it so far.

In fact, these numbers are based on research dating October 11. Not only does this mean that SH2 sold a whoppi??ng amount in ??just a few days (it launched on October 8), but given we're now on the 17th, no doubt it's sold even more.

Take that, doubters

Bloober seemed very much up against it, particularly with its past reputation of not exactly treating themes of mental illness with great sensitivity. Now, though, any concerns about whether the studio could handle a reimagining of one of the industry's most influential psychological horror games can surely be put to rest.

Currently, the remake of Silent Hill 2 is sitting pretty on Steam, with a review score of "very positive," complete with some pretty glowing reviews from fans. Our own Zoey had some optimistic things to say about the game in her review, calling it "solid" though with some flaws.

Either way, as one user on Steam said: "SILENT HILL IS BACK BABY!" I'm just sad I have to wait until the Xbox version?? comes out before I can join in on all ??this merriment.

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The remake of Silent Hill 2 launched yesterday and judging from the current review scores on Steam, it's going down a mighty treat. Bloober Team seems to have done the original a great service with its reimagining of the iconic 200??1 surviva?l horror game. However, it's not perfect.

For example, the developer has ensured that the cutscenes in Silent Hill 2 are locked to 30 frames per second. In this modern era of gaming, this can be something of a bugbear. Fortunately, as noted by DSO Gaming, someone has already fixed that. At ??least on the PC version.

Nexusmods user RoseTheFlower has created "Cutscene Improvements," a modification for the remake that unlocks the FPS during the cutscen?es on PC. This means they can now be viewed in higher framerates. The mod also removes the "black bars from the cutscenes in anything other than 16:9."

Unlocking Silent Hill's full potential

According to the report from DSO, it does work pretty well, though they've only tried it on a few of the earlier cutscenes, with the writer adding?? that they "did not spot any framepacing or speed issues." This potentially raises the question of why the developer and/or publisher made the decision to lock the scenes to just 30fps.

Such a small detail may not be a huge issue for some gamers. However, those who want more bang for their buck are willing to play something that makes the most ??of their hardware. Bethesda raised similar concerns when it turned out that Starfield would be locked to 30fps on a console. At least the PC version still has it unlocked.

It seems there may not be any one reason why a modern studio would limit frame rates in this day and age, but it is far from me to speculate Bloober or Konami's rationale. In any case, if you are playing Silent Hill 2 on PC and you have a system with decent specs, "Cutscene Improvements" seems to be one mod that's worth trying o?ut.

The post Not happy about Silent Hill 2 cutscenes being lo?cked to 30fps? You need this mod, then appeared first on Destructoid.

Today is officially Silent Hill 2 Launch Day. That's not an actual holiday, admittedly, but it is a day that many of us have been waiting for. As we all wake up on this Tuesday, Bloober Team's long-aw??aited remake finally hits storef??ronts.

Praise for the game has already been doing the rounds, and one person in particular seems pleased with what Bloober has given us. As noted by VGC, Masashi Tsuboyama, the director behind the original Silent Hill 2 from 2001, had a? few things to say about the game, as well as remakes in general.

In particular, Tsuboyama has lauded the remake for changing the perspective. In a series of posts on ??X, the director says the "change in playable camera has a significant impact on many aspects," adding that the new "over-the-shoulder view definitely adds to the sense of realism." They also admit they weren't happy with the camera angle in the original game, saying the "depth and angle were limited by the processing load."

Breaking the silence

In general, Tsuboyama seems very pleased with the way Bloober has handled Silent Hill 2, not to mention stressing the value of i??t as a remake.

I think the value of the remake is that a new generation can play it. As a creator, I'm very happy about it. It's been 23 years! Even if y?ou don't know the original, you can just enjoy the remake as it is. Whether it's good or bad doesn't affect the original.

A quick look on the game's Steam page shows the reception is already pretty stellar. Okay, it's only just come out, but an immediate review score of "overwhelmingly positive" is not to be sniffed at, even in these early stages?.

There were obviously a few concerns about whether Bloober Team could successfully bring one of the most important horror games to life in the modern era. I must admit, even I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the wait. The developer has been subjected to criticism in the past for its somewhat insensitive portrayal of certain topics, such as mental health. Given that Silent Hill 2 is largely abo?ut some rather deep topics, it stood to reason that the remake might not be able to hit the ?subtle marks as well as its predecessor.

Plus, what we've seen of the Silent Hill revival up to this point has not exactly been filling a lot of fans and critics with confidence. However, it definitely seems like we're onto a winner here with the SH2 remake. Masashi Tsuboyam??a and others ?seem to think so, at least.

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Recently, Resident Evil legend and former Capcom employee Shinji Mikami made it pretty clear that there was no room in the modern gaming era for a Dino Crisis renewal. This is despite the fact that it's the most-wanted Capcom revival that fans are after. Given this, it's not surprising that people are d??eciding to forge their own path instead.

As noted by DSO Gaming, fans have been attempting to create unofficial remakes of Dino Crisis, and there's another one in the pipeline. Called Project Crisis, the develo??per has shown off an announcement trailer for the game, which is being built in Unreal Engine (UE4 specifically, according to the report).

The teaser above i?s brief, but gives a little dollop of what?? may come. However, as it's very much a work-in-progress, it's likely that things will change as development moves on. There's no information about when we can expect it to release, but we do know it's "coming soon" to Itch.io.

If it comes out at all

Given that this is a project not officially endorsed by Capcom, we can expect this fan remake to hit quite a few barriers along the way. DSO suggests that, as exciting as it would be to see Dino Crisis make a comeback, it's unlikely to be as polished as something like the Resident Evil 2 remake, and the original developer/publisher may not be pleased with people tinkering with its IP, even if the company it??self isn't doing anything with it.

It would be a shame if the plug did get pulled, but we may get lucky. The video is probably enough to whet the collective whistles of those who remember the original 1999 survival horror game, especially as the last one we got was Dino Crisis 3 way back in 2003. Sadly, this last entry was not exactly well received, with a Metacritic score of just 51%.

Mikami's reasoning behind Dino Crisis probably not being given another shot is basically down to Monster Hunter. The hit Capcom series is evidently filling a hole that seems to re??nder a game about fighting dinosaurs moot at this point. He goes on to say that he was surprised to see fans are eager for a new game in the long-dormant franchis??e, but it definitely looks like it's not going to be happening any time soon.

We can only hope the studio has a change of heart, or we at least get to experience Project Crisis before the lawyers get involved.

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Although Silent Hill is finally back after a lengthy hiatus, the offerings we've had so far have not been wholly well received. The Short Message didn't exactly set the world on fire, and the interactive experience Ascension was a massive disappointment. As such, we're all waiting to see whether Bloober Team's remake of the legendary second game can save the franchise's?? rene??wal.

Given that Silent Hill 2 previews suggest the full game is going to be worth the wait, it's tempting to, once again, get excited about the future of this iconic horror series. In anticipation of the upcoming remake �scheduled to release October 8 �I've put together a list of the best Silent Hill games as noted by their Metacritic scores. You can also check out similar articles I've done for Splinter Cell, Deus Ex, and Quake.

As always, this one will list the mainline Silent Hill entries only. When doing a bit of research, it seemed there was some debate about which games in the series would count as "main" ones. With that in-mind, I'll be using this Wiki page for hel??p, so anything that's classed as a port or spin-off according to the site won't be included. Now that that's out of the?? way, let's crack on.

Silent Hill: Downpour (2012) - 64%

Downpour forms the latter part of Silent Hill's original run. At this point, Konami's IP had been scaring the pants off us for about 13 years, give or take. The survival horror genre had been through peaks and troughs over the years, with the likes of Resident Evil gearing more towards action rather than scares in the later games. However, there was still plenty to enjoy, and the indie scene was making strides thanks in part to Frictional Games' terrifying Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which came out in 2010.

With horror offering so much, it sort of felt like Silent Hill: Downpour would always struggle to make an impact, despite it coming from such highly regarded stock. As a result, it ended with a 64% Metacritic score on PS3 (68% on Xbox 360), which is not exactly terrible, but it perhaps showed that the series wasn't able to keep up with what ?was happen??ing in modern horror.

Silent Hill: Homecoming (2008) - 70%

I have a pretty vivid memory of buying Homecoming when it first came out. Aside from it being a new Silent Hill installment, one of the big draws for me was the bundle pack, which came with the game itself and an Xbox 360 controller. A red one, as well. I absolutely loved that controller. I kept it for years to come, long after I finally gave up on Homecoming.

I don't know what it was about it, but it just didn't resonate with me the way the classics had previously. I couldn't tell you much about it. I think there was a Pyramid Head-esque monster in there. Although, according to Wikipedia, this version was known as the "Bogeyman." If memory serves me well, the game also didn't allow for an inverted control scheme. That's a big no-no for me, but it is probably not the main reason it got just an okay Metacritic score of 70% on the system. Some people probably liked it, but again, it felt like Silent Hill was on a downward trajectory at this point.

Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004) - 76%

Developing a fourth game in a beloved horror franchise is never an easy feat. The three games that had come before it have gone down as classics in the genre, inspiring others since. But The Room is still a solid entry, one that's able to dole out the scares with its twisted and psychologically creepy mood. A score of 76% on Xbox and PS2 means Silent Hill 4 stands firm with its predecessors.

Although I never completed the game, I have fond memories of it. While still capturing some of the elements that made the previous games instant hits, The Room's main bargaining chip was those moments in the apartment itself. The fact that these sections were entirely in first-person was quite the appeal for me back then, especially as it just wasn't something ??horror was doing at the time. I remember looking through the spyho??le, peeping through the hole at the neighbor's place, and seeing the disembodied, ghostly head floating past my window. It definitely had an eeriness to it that was evidently missing from my gaming life.

Silent Hill: Origins (2007) - 78%

Beginning life on the long-defunct PlayStation Portable, Silent Hill: Origins is the first mainline entry in the series that wasn't developed by Team Silent. Instead, the project was helmed by Climax Studios, which would go on to do ports for the likes of Assassin's Creed Chronicles, as well as assist in the development of Returnal. So, not a bad career, overall.

However, because Origins only came to the PSP and eventually the PS2, it would have been easy to miss this one. As the name suggests, it's very much a prequel, beginning before the events of the first game. Everyone loves an origin story and this game is no different, putting us in the shoes of trucker Travis Grady as he comes face-to-face with some familiar characters. Earning a Metacritic score of 78% on PSP �just beating The Room �suggests th?is entry had a lot going for it. I'm sad that I missed out, truth be known.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009) - 79%

Another one from Climax Studios, the developer obviously had something about it that meant it was more than capable of creating a high-quality Silent Hill game. I think I'm also right in saying that this is the first and only installment in the series that was released on the Wii. The hugely successful Nintendo system wasn't really known for boasting a lot of horror games, though it did get a port of Resident Evil 4, which may be what prompted Konami to release Shattered Memories on the console.

This is one of those entries I wasn't sure about, in terms of adding it to the list. You see, Shattered Memories is considered more of a reimagining. It retells the premise of the first Silent Hill entry, but with a twist in the narrative, as well as changing some of the characters. Having said that, the fact that it does change ?the story somewhat means you could also consider it a new game. So, here it shall stay.

Silent Hill 3 (2003) - 85%

Now we're into what I would label the classic Silent Hill era, which means we'll be seeing some big scores. The third game is one that I was very much late to. I only managed to get around to playing it a few years ago, not for any reason other than I didn't have the system to play it at the time of its release. I bought it as part of the much-maligned Silent Hill HD Collection, but that didn't detract from my experience.

With its themes of birth and pregnancy, not to mention the fact that you literally get to fight a god (spoilers!), Silent Hill 3 hit almost as hard as the previous two games. The fact that it came out just two years after what many regard as one of the greatest survival horror releases of all time (more on that soon) means the studio was able to keep that momentum going. Although perhaps overshadowed by the previous installment, the third game was still a remarkable achievement for Team Silent, with a Metacritic score of 85%. Just don't compare it to the PC version.

Silent Hill (1999) - 86%

During the mid-to-late 1990s, there was only really one word when it came to survival horror: Resident Evil. Okay, that's technically two words, but you know what I mean. Capcom's iconic franchise has been a huge part of the gaming world for almost 30 years. Just before the new millennium �with a third entry a?bout to hit s??helves �it seemed nothing could stack up alongside it.

Then Silent Hill arrived, and we haven't felt the same since. Although to an outsider it looks like a Resident Evil clone, it offered so much more. Instead of zombies and biotech conspiracies, we had grotesque monstrosities, a creepy cult, and a foggy locale that, in itself, was part of the antagonism. The first game had its limits, sure, but it used those limits to full effect, such as the aforementioned fog which initially was a cover to make the game run smoother, but eventually became a staple of the series. It just wouldn't be a Silent Hill game without it.

Silent Hill 2 (2001) - 89%

I'm hoping many of you are familiar with Ben "Yahtzee" Crowshaw, the acerbic critic who brought us humorous (though serious) reviews via The Escapist on a weekly basis. I distinctly recall one of his videos in which he envisioned a world without video game sequels, forcing studios to be original every time they started a new project. A nice idea, for sure, but in this utopia of Croshaw's, we would have missed out on such important hits like Thief 2, Half-Life 2, and, of course, Silent Hill 2.

The second entry in the newly arrived Silent Hill series didn't just bring us more horror for the sake of it. Of course, it had plenty of scary moments, but its story was deep with symbolism; enemies that were representations of protagonist James Sunderland's anxieties and fears. It was mature enough to be taken seriously by critics and gamers alike. It's obviously aged at this point, but there's a very good reason it has an 89% score on Metacritic, typically sitting high on lists of the best horror games of all time. Team Silent wasn't just ba??nging rocks together when ?it made this one.

The post Ranking the m??ainline Silent Hill gam?es by Metacritic score appeared first on Destructoid.

With potential to be a very promising indie horror game, Post Trauma intends to keep the classic tropes of the genre alive and well. With twisted visuals not unlike what we know from Silent Hill, this tasty looking title will be grossing o??ut our consoles and PCs this Oct??ober.

October 29, to be precise.?? As?? always when it comes to horror gaming, the Halloween period is typically a busy time for both AAA and more independent studios. This is definitely one to look out for when it releases via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.

Wearing its influences very much on its sleeves, Post Trauma sees you play as Roman, a "middle-aged train conducto??r trapped in a terrifying twisted ??reality." The trailer above is quite the nightmare fuel, combining combat with "unspeakable horrors that lurk in these threatening surroundings."

Pre-trauma

The game's been in development for a few years now. I actually got to play a very early demo a while back, and I?? was wholly impressed with wha??t I saw. Even back then, it was quite the visual feast, which was unfortunately a burden for my poor laptop. That's my laptop's fault, though, not the game's.

It's great that indie horror is still thriving in this increasingly hostile and competitive industry. Of course, there's always going to be some overshadowing from the likes of Resident Evil, not to mention the upcoming remake of Silent Hill 2 (with recent ??previews suggesting ??the game may be worth the wait after all).

The smaller teams who are in it for? the passion and are still making waves in the genre. I mean, you could say that about other genres as well. Independent studios are the ball bearings in the video game jar that's full to the brim with the golf balls of the mainstream industry. God, that was a weird thing to sa??y.

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There have been quite a few doubts about Bloober Team's ability to remake Silent Hill 2 in a way that keeps the spi?rit of the original while breathing new life into the legendary horror game. I've been guilty of perpe??tuating some of this cynicism myself, but there's a chance the game could actually turn out to be good.

A number of journalists have been treated to a preview of the Silent Hill 2 remake lately, and feedback suggests Bloober might actually have nailed it. With the release date? just a few weeks away, early opinions seem to be positive.

Eurogamer's Thomas Morgan says they're excited about what the full game will bring, praising the developer for daring to make a few changes. Jasmine Gould-Wilson, over on GamesRadar, said they went into the preview "cautiously," but was "pleasantly surprised," adding that they're "more than ready to give Silent Hill 2 Remake the chance it deserves," while the Metro re?fers to the game as "fa??r better than we expected."

Silent no longer

From just these three opinions, it seems many of us may be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Bloober Team has often been criticized for its mishandling of delicate subjects in its games, such as mental health. Given that the original Silent Hill 2 is wholly a psychological game, concerns were raised over whether the same studio that made The Medium could do one of the most influential s??urvival hor?ror games any justice.

Alongside these early indications of its potential, we've also been treated to a new story trailer. The teaser gives us a good look at some of the titular foggy town's inhabitants, including Eddie, Laura, Angel??a, and, of course, Maria.

With a modern control scheme not too far removed from the remake of Resident Evil 2, new puzzles, fresh visuals, and, above all, respect for the source material, we could be looking at one hell of a return for Silent Hill 2.

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I would honestly go so far as to say that Alien: Isolation is one of the greatest horror games in recent memory. This terrifying love letter to Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece has shown that it's still possible to do a successful adaptation of the iconic Alien universe.

Ten years on, and people are still getting the shit scared out of them. In fact, according to SteamDB (as reported by PCGamesN), many have flocked to Isolation recently. Over the las?t 24 hours, 1,839 players have been creeping around the Sevastopol station, hiding in lockers. While it doesn't sound like a lot, that's an increase of 328.7% when compared to July.

Given that Alien: Romulus released to cinemas a few days ago, it's not hard to see what's caused this spike in popularity for Isolation. Indeed, it kind of makes me want to go back and p?lay the game. Again.

Not an isolated incident

The film seems to be doing pretty well, which is positive, seeing as the last installment, 2017's Covenant, didn't exactly set the world on fire. Before that, we got Prometheus, a prequel to the original 1979 film, which was received pretty favorably, but still had plenty of criticisms. At the time of writing, Romulus has an IMDb score of 7.5, so it's doing alright so far.

To add onto that, Alien: Isolation's spike in Steam playerbase may also be down to the fact that the game is currently 80% off on PC, with generous discounts on PS5 and Xbox as well. The promotion is ongoing for the next few hours on Steam and the next few days for console if you haven't chec?ked out the game yet. No doubt these slashed prices are to coincide with the launch of the new film.

It's no surprise to see Alien: Isolation included in a list of the best sci-fi horror games of all time, up there with the likes of Dead Space and System Shock 2. It's a terrifying ordeal? having to outwit the intelligent Xenormorph that stalks the halls with pretty advanced AI. I remember the first time I finished playing it. Steam clocked me in at around 28 hours in total. I'm pretty sure at least 23 of those hours were me cowering in lockers.

It is a shame Creative Assembly hasn't given us Isolation 2 �especially as the first game is nearly a decade old at this point �but we can at least look forward to Alien: Rogue Incursion. Well, if you have a VR headset, that is.

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While we were hoping for a spiritual successor to Dead Space, Striking Distance Studios' The Callisto Protocol didn't leave a huge impact on horror gaming. I di?dn't mind it personally, but according to director Glen Schofield, the team was under pressure to deliver ahead of schedule.

In a recent video from Dan Allen Gaming, the titular host sits down with Schofield to discuss his pretty lengthy career in the industry. One thing that did crop up in conversation was the development problems of The Callisto Protocol. That specific topic begins around the?? 12:32 mar??k in the below video.

Without mincing words, when asked whether more time was needed to complete the?? game, Schofield replies �with slightly tired eyes �"?yes, I did." He goes on to then say he wanted another three and a half months, adding that he was "led to believe" that that was going to be the case for the project. Alas, things didn't turn out that way, with the higher-ups insisting on a December 2022 release date.

"It's going to cost you more."

Schofield then makes a pretty interesting point about how rushing games out isn't an effective way to save money, saying that it actually costs a studio or publisher more. He explains that, as well as struggling to finish developing The Callisto Protocol in the allocated time period, it would necessitate him bringing on a lot more people to get the job done (30-4??0 instead of 20, he says). Hence, costs simply go up. Not to mention the additional expense of having to fix a broken game post-release, but that's just my take.

Add onto that the impact it had on Schofield's health. Dan Allen says how stressful a job in the video game industry must be, particularly in that kind of situation. The director insists that he still enjoys what he does, though he does add that he's not sure how much more of it he could take, given that his career began in the early 1990s. It also seems that health concerns were one of the reasons he eventually left the company.

It's a shame The Callisto Protocol was something of a let-down, especially upon release. As I said, I did quite enjoy it, but I played it after the fact, once it had been patched and fixed up. Sadly, the resultant middling reception (the game has a review score of "mixed" on Steam) meant that Striking Distance had to lay off 32 employees last August. On the plus side, it looks like the studio may be working on a new game.

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We've still a bit to go until the Halloween season is upon us. But now seems like a good opportunity for horror fans to get a wee bit excited. Along with Bloober Team finally getting ready to launch the remake of Silent Hill 2, Saber Interactive has also given us the launch date for A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead.

In the most recent trailer, we're being told th??at the horror adaptation will be coming to us on October 17. That's just a couple of weeks before the Spooky Season, which is always a bit of a cliché, but it does make sense.

The trailer itself is chock-full of the usual teases and snippets of gameplay. I certainly don't want to get ahead of myself given the general reputation of video game movie tie-ins, but The Road Ahead does look like it has a lot of potential.

To quietly go

Taking A Quiet Place's concept o?f remaining silent so as not to be detected by monsters should?? �on paper at least �translate well to the gaming sphere. Anyone who's ever played a survival horror game where the object is to avoid combat and enemy encounters knows all too well how tense things can get.

As for The Road Ahead itself, it's not a straight-up adaptation of the films. It boasts its own storyline inspired by its cinematic counterpart, although a previous trailer shows there may be some story elements that have?? been lifted from the first movie.

In any case, I don't want to immediately get my hopes up, but I can only contain any vague sense of excitement for so long. I am but human, ?after all?.

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After many years of waiting, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl (to give it its full title) is not far from release. Admittedly, the developer did have to delay the game once again, but this final push should hopefully? make t??he long-awaited follow-up even sweeter.

However, we must be coming to the end now, as GSC Game World has announced that STALKER 2 will be at this year's Gamescom. In a recent post on X, the studio a??nnounced that the demo "will await you in the public zone" at the event, which kicks off later this month.

The fact that the post mentions the Xbox booth suggests that it's going to be the Xbox Series?? X|S version of the game. Not much else has been said about the demo, so if you are attending Gamescom 2024, you may be able to get your Exclusion Zone-based survival horror kicks whilst you're ther?e.

No more delays for STALKER 2

Along with GSC Game World, other developers and publishers who will be attending Gamescom 2024 include: Capcom, EA, Blizzard Entertainment, Ubisoft, SEGA, Konami, THQ Nordic, and many, many more. The event is being held?? at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany between August 21 and August 25.

However, not all will be in attendance. Sony recently confirmed that PlayStation won't be at Gamescom this year. Neither will Nintendo, which means there will be n?o announcement for the anticipated follow-up to the Switch (which everyone is just referring to as the Switch 2 until we hear otherwise).

Back to STALKER 2. It's good news that there will be a public demo available at the event, as it also means it's definitely close to finishing development. Although it was also at Gamescom 2023. Having said that, it's been a very long time since there was a new entry in the series, and the likes of Chernobylite can only pick up some much of the slack.

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At the end of last week, The Fun Pimps finally unveiled the long-awaited 1.0 update for its zombie survival game 7 Days to Die. Evidently, releasing the pa?tch ju??st before the weekend was a good move, as people have been getting to grips with the new content over the last couple of days.

So much so that �according to SteamDB �7 Days to Die has experienced its biggest rise in concurrent players on PC. The most recent data shows that 125,419 had been playing wi??thin the last 24 hours. If you click the "max" button to zoom out over several years, you can see how much the 1.0 update has caused interest in the game to spike.

It's also re-entered the Steam charts, where it's currently at the number 15 spot for Most Played. This puts it just a little bit behind the likes of Rust and Stardew Valley, but it's ahead of Team Fortress 2 which ?is number 16 in the list, so that's quite something.

Will it last longer than 7 days?

We all saw this coming. Maybe it's not such a big deal to see a relatively popular game suddenly experience a huge burst in popularity after a major update. But I do think not enough love is given to 7 Days to Die. It's a little bit janky at times, but that's partly what makes i??t so charming.

If you've never pla?yed it before, it is worth picking up. However, now that it's no longer in Early Access, the studio did up the price, so you'll have to pay more for the privilege of scavenging and crafting items while hordes of the undead seek out your fleshiest bits.

At the very least, you should check out the patch notes for version 1.0. It's quite the read, and sort of gives you an idea of why a lot of fans have been waiting for the update to roll out. It's still the same ol' game that's been around for over a decade, just with some extra elbow grease, natch.

This recent spike in concurrent players on Steam also kind of proves that gamers aren't tired of zombies just yet. There was a period a few years ago where it felt the genre had become old hat. But if 7 Days to Die can keep bringing in the pun?ters, anything's possible. Well, not anything. I can't put all ?my money on that claim.

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Of all the open-world, survival, crafting games that feature zombies that are out there, 7 Days to Die is definitely one of them. Actually, it's one of the more fun examples of the genre, and after more than a decad??e, the developer has finally launched version 1.0.

An announcement over on Steam positively beams with joy over the game finally coming out of Early Access. The new version is available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, and comes with a host of changes, though it's still the same ol' 7 Days to Die.

To give a quick overview of what the 1.0 update includes, well, you'll be treated to a new HD character creation system, allowing for a "personalized and engaging gaming experience." There's also some new armor, new animal models, and a new challenge system that takes over the beginner tutorial we all know so well. There's even been improvements to the random world generation, and some new points of interest added. Oh hell, you really need to check out the official patch notes to see ?exactly what's changed. The video above also does a good job of breaking it down.

7 Days to Die discounts available

Developer The Fun Pimps (what a name) has also said that, because of the update, the price has now increased to $44.99 for those who are purchasing the game from scratch. However, if you had a digital copy on Xbox One or PS4 �and you can prove it �you can get 25% off for the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 versions, respec?tively.

I had a quick go at checking version 1.0 out earlier (I already had the game, so the update was free for me because I'm fancy like that). Honestly, one of the things I was concerned about was having all that "jank" removed. You know, the goofy bits of animation and weirdly diamond-shaped bits of dirt when you dig into the ground. I felt for sure 7 Days to Die would become this magnificently polished AAA experience?? and lose that janky appeal.

However, that isn't the case, and I couldn't be happier. Of course, the new version has plenty of improvements and has been tweaked to make it a much more ro?unded game. I've been getting a kick out it for many years and although I hadn't booted it up for quite some time until today, it was nice to get back to hitting zombies in the head with a club and then eating a can of soup like it's a solid object. Good times!

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In the deep recesses of the indie horror scene lies The Mortuary Assistant, a small game that blends the fa??scinatingly scientific world of being a mortician, with the horrifying sense of dread that comes from cadaver possession.

If that sounds like your thing, you may be pleased to know that the Mortuary Assistant is not only getting a Definitive E??dition, but is also getting ported to the Xbox and PlayStation. Both the updated version of the game and the console release will be arriving on August 2. Check out the lovely tra?iler below.

As for the Definitive Edition, it's coming with some new things to keep us on our toes (tagged or otherwise). For starters, we'll be getting more scares?, more backstory, and some new bodies to embalm.

Mortuary assistants: assisting mortuaries since time immemorial

Speaking of bodies, the update will also come with a ne??w "embalming only" mode, which will allow you to embalm unlimited bodies. If you always wanted an endless stream of cold corpses to poke, prod, sew, and drain of fluid, now's your chance. Or at least it will be soon.

If you haven't played the game, The Mortuary Assistant tasks you with exactly what I just described above: processing the cadavers of recently deceased people. However, things are not as they seem, as it becomes apparent that you've been roped into an ancient ritual designed to stop the demons of hell from taki??ng possession of you.

The game was released on PC and Nintendo Switch in August 2022 and April 2023, respectfully. Therefore, the Definitive Edition, as well as the PlayStation and Xbox versions, are essentially a celebration of t??he title's two-year release.

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Since Phasmophobia took the indie world by storm with its co-op ghost hunting mechanics, there have been a few imitators. Some of them, like Ghost Exile or Demonologist, have kept the basics of developer Kinetic Games' formula, but put their own spin on it. Even things like Lethal Company are going for a somewhat similar vibe. But Mirowin's Bureau of Contacts is trying something a little bit more advanced.

Very much taking cues from the likes of Phasmo, Bureau of Contacts is, on the surface, a ghost hunting horror game for up to four players. However, its biggest sell is that it attempts to m?agnify the scares with spooky goings-on that are intelligent and able to shift at will. According to the website, it does this through the use of "generative AI technologies," with the studio boasting that it has "trained a neural network to kill."

Over on the Steam page, the studio describes this neural network as being able to control each ghost’s "behavior and tactics," which changes depe?nding on the actions of players. It's also said to be able to hear your voice and adjust how it acts based on what you say.

How could I not ??go ahead and install it after a sales pitch like that?

Bureau of Contacts? More like "bureau of crap-pants"

If you're familiar with Phasmophobia, you already know how this is going to go down. Players enter a haunted location and, with a series of tools at their disposal, must locate and identify the kind of ghost that's hanging around. However, with Bureau of Contacts �much like other ?ghost hunting games �there are some tweaks whic??h do make it slightly more advanced.

For example, while you can ascertain where paranormal ac??tivity is happening based on thermometer readings, this game has a little more nuance. The temperature might rise, it might lower, or it can even fluctuate. Simila??rly, with the EMP reader. It's not just a one and done mechanic; you have to actually decide what kind of sound the device is emitting.

It also looks great at the moment, despite it being in the early stages of development. Adequately spooky and atmospheric. However, where the game comes into its own is through the use of horror as imag?ined by this neural network. This ma?y well be the first of its kind in the gaming industry, with Mirowin selling the idea that this is the most "human-like intelligence."

It definitely does increase much of the tension via unpredictability. If ghosts are able to change their behavior on the fly based on what's happening during investigations, then it stands to reason that you can't ever truly know what's around the corner. The video below shows it in action. Phasmophobia has similar voice-activated? scares, but here it's purported to be more state-of-the-art.

Sure enough, our time in Bureau of Contacts may have been short, ??but it was pretty intense. There may be just the one map ??so far (it's still in Early Access), but it's sizable enough to get a decent amount of playtime out of it.

As for the scares themselves, it seems there is something to be said for having a highly advanced algorithm as the director, deciding how and when it attacks players. We noted nu??merous instances of unexplained?? sounds, such as running footsteps, being knocked down by invisible entities, as well as literal traps being laid.

How much of what we experienced was scripted or just ambient sounds is hard to say. It definitely felt like we were never safe so long as we remained in the house. If a neural network is pulling the strings o??n digital ghosts which watch our every move and listen to ??what we say, there's gotta be some potential for a truly horrifying experience.

I will admit that it's perhaps a little too soon to truly appreciate what Bureau of Contacts is trying to achieve. It's still very much in development, but that does mean it's on the cheap s??ide. Currently, of the few hundred that have reviewed the game on Steam, many are impressed with what they've played so far, with one person admitting they "nearly pissed" themselves about four times. Not something I would readily admit to on a public forum, but I'm perhaps more traditional when it comes to embarrassing tidbits.

The game's not been out long, having launched June 20. There was an update recently which did add in a tutorial section. Honestly, if you want to actually get to grips with the ?basics, it's best to learn via these sections, even if you are familiar with other releases in this genre.

This could be one ??to watch out for. One of the backlashes of this is how people feel about games with generative AI. Everyone has their own opinion, of course, with many fearing it could spell the end of human input in the creative industries.

In this case, however, it seems like Mirowin is interested in using AI/neural networks for scare factors only. It's up to you to decide whether this is a slippery slope into generative artificial intelligence dominating video games and other media, or whether? you think it can have its uses. Is scaring players half to death "useful"? Only time will tell.

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For as long as I've been able to hold a controller, I've had a fascination with horror games. From the giant spider in Uncle Fester's Quest on the NES to Still Wakes the Deep's unsettling body monstrosities inspired by The Thing, there's something about being scared while gaming that's been a constant in my life. No more is this true than with Frictional Games' Amnesia series.

There was a time in the early 2000s when horror seemed to be struggling with its identity. Resident Evil had lost its way with more action-based releases and we hadn't really had a notable Silent Hill game since the third one. Honestly, until Dead Space arrived in 2008, we pretty much had to turn to less mainstream games like Fatal Frame. Even the phenomenal BioShock?? felt more like action with a strong narrative than it did pure survival horror.

Then Frictional came along and �at least for me �wrote new rules on how to scare players. As such, I feel it's my duty to rank all the Amnesia games from worst to best. This list is based on my own opinions rather than Metacritic scores or sales figures??. Also, calling any of them the "worst" is a bit of a misnomer. I value all the entries, but I just consider some to be more impactful than others.

Amnesia: Rebirth (2020)

Frictional Games had been away from the Amnesia series for some time, having published, rather than developed, the second game and releasing SOMA in the interim. However, with Rebirth, it felt like the studio wanted to?? have another crack at the universe that helped put it on the indie horror radar.

Maintaining the formula that initially made the team a success, this third entry unraveled more of the overarching story and history that the first game had set ??out years beforehand. It was also the first �and only time, as of this article going live �that Frictional had placed a woman as the main protagonist.

Rebirth was a fine game with some good scares, but it didn't feel like it was doing a lot to really stand out. By this point, the run-and-hide mechanics of the survival horror genre had been improved and �dare I say �perfected by the likes of Outlast and Alien Isolation. Even Resident Evil 7 got in on the act, so it felt like Amnesia wasn't doing a lot wit?h the blueprint, save for the Traveler's Amulet that opened up to alien worlds.

To add one more criticism that's perhaps best saved for another article: Rebirth's decision to have Tasi be pregnant throughout felt like low-hanging fruit, so to speak. There's a whole academic thesis you can realize from male creatives utilizing a "pregnancy=horror" cliché that maybe I'm not qualified to discuss in great detail. I mean, Alien did that one decades ago. Then again, the game is called Rebirth, so maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2013)

I mentioned Still Wakes the Deep earlier, which was helmed by The Chinese Room. Years before that, however, the studio was part of a debate surrounding the whole "walking simulator" genre, thanks to its beautifully written Dear Esther. I'd played that and enjoyed the?? story, even if there's some argument to be had about whether it's classed as a?? "game."

Skip forward a few years and the developer brought us A Machine for Pigs, the second in the Amnesia series. Taking place at the turn of the 19th century, the game is very much about the horrors of industrialization. While it was still able to dole out the scares, there was much more emphasis on the narrative, which, much like Dear Esther, I found to be utterly enthralling.

Many would perhaps not agree with me, and that's fair. I've seen a lot of feedback on the game and fans seem to feel that this is perhaps the weakest Amnesia entry, maybe owing to its more walking simulator philosophy. I can definitely see why some would be more critical about this if they just wanted more of what The Dark Descent gave us.

However, I value A Machine for Pigs for its ability to strip back what made the previous game such a landmark horror release. It removed the sanity meter (which does become a bit tedious in the first game), got rid of the inventory �including the use of tinderboxes and lantern oil �and only tangentially linked it to the previous installment. All this while delivering something that was not only visually dark, but morally as well, while still wrapped up in an Amnesia overcoat.

Amnesia: The Bunker (2023)

You could say that The Bunker was a return to form, but I would say this represented something d??ifferent from Frictional. Different in a good way. Again, gone is the sanity meter. In its stead, the random placement of vital equipment and items, as well as the implementation of a single creature that hunts you Xenomorph style. The result: a classic ??survival horror game that has replay value.

That's not the only reason why I've placed it second. I found it to be almost as unnerving as the other games in the series. It also manages to create ??tension in a relatively small map that requires a lot of trekking back and forth without it becoming tedious.

I was a little unsure about the decision to add in a gun and explosives, curious as to whether Frictional had a surprise up its sleeve. Maybe the gun would jam or there's only be, like, three bullets throughout the whole game. Maybe the grenades exploded confetti everywhere rather than shrapnel. That wasn't th?e case, but the studio managed t??o balance scares with some semblance of protection that gave a bit of agency back to the player. And they did it well.

It still very much feels like an Amnesia game, but it's been modernized to keep the formula fresh. In fact, given how much I really enjoyed The Bunker, I'm actually surprised I didn't put it at the number one spot, but there is sort of a reason for that. An?d yes, I guess it does have to do with nostalgia.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010)

I remember being at uni, and a friend of mine described this new horror game he'd been playi?ng that he was sure I'd be into. I'm paraphrasing here:

Basically, you have no weapons??, so you can't fight the monsters. You have to run and hide from them. Also, if you look at the monsters for too long, your character goes insan??e. It's best to hide in the dark...which also makes you go insane.

He was giving me the SparkNotes on Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and it sounded right up my Straße; something different. The idea of playing a game where you weren't the most powerful being and had to avoid conflict entirely while being scared into a non-Eucli?dean universe sounded like something I would be on board with. And I?? was.

The Dark Descent was not only a terrifying horror game, but it was something of a mold-breaker. If you want your horror games to actually be scary (I know, a radical idea), then taking away any power and requiring cowardice in the face of terrifying atrocities is the way to do it. What Amnesia did was rain down a pants-shittingly horrifying experience that not only set new boundaries for the genre but also helped popularize the YouTube "let's play" phenomenon that's still going to this day.

True that The Dark Descent has aged over the years, and its horror recipe has been tinkered with and improved, but it deserves its top spot for its influence. Frictional Games likely had no idea of the impact the gothic project they were developing would have on the genre. A lot of titles mentioned already owe a debt of gratitude to the first Amnesia, so for that, it goes down as the best of the series, but only just ahead of The Bunker.

Honorable mentions

Thinking about it, there isn't really a Frictional game that I haven't enjoyed, so it's worth a quick chat on some of the studio's other releases. Before Amnesia did its Amnesia thing, there was Penumbra. This was the developer's first series, initially coming out in 2007. But it was 2008's Penumbra: Black Plague that would set things in motion for what was to come. Hiding from enemies, no weapons or ways to fight back: these were the hallmarks that would have a huge effect on survival horror when The Dark Descent would eventually release.

On top of that, I have to give a huge shoutout to SOMA. Back when I was still trying to make a living as a freelance games journalist (I?? use that term very lo??osely), I was lucky enough to be given a review copy of the game before it launched. Let me tell you, it immediately became one of my favorite horror games of all time. It still retains its high position in my brain.

It wasn't so much the scares, though there were more than enough. It was fear as imagined in the most existential way possible. It was Frictional at its writing best, mixing deep sci-fi with the deep ocean, creating dread enough to shake the idea of what it means to be human to its core. It was Amnesia meets René Descartes, and I'm still here for it.

You know what, maybe this should have just been a list of all my favorite Frictional games, not just Amnesia. Oh well.

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When it came out in 2018, A Quiet Place was the surprise horror hit of the year, even earning praise from the likes of Stephen King. Now, with a new film having just released, this seems like a good time for the developers of the upcoming The Road Ahead game to unveil a pretty intense trailer.

If you're like me and you like your horror to come with a dose of "no you cannot defend yourself, please hide instead," then this should be right up your alley. A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead takes the concept from the? films and drops you right into it, facing off against the gangly monsters that hunt by sound alone.

Taking us briefly back to before the events, we get a glimpse of just what's going to face us. Presumably, we'll be spending much of our time crouching and cursing ourselves for every sound we unintentionally make. However, it also looks like we'll be doing a bit of blasting at t?he creatures. So there's that.

A quiet place to sit and play

The Road Ahead will be set in the same universe as the Quiet Place film franchise, but will have a new story. You'll be playing as a "young woman who must endure a treac??herous apocalypse in the midst of interpersonal family conflicts, all while coming to terms with her own inner fears."

It's being developed by Stormind Games and published by Saber Interactive. The studio who's working on the project is perhaps not as well known. Some of you more ardent horror fans may know them for the Remothered series: Tormented Fathers (2018) and Broken Porcelain (2020), the latter? of? which wasn't as well received as the former.

The Road Ahead is also a singleplayer game, which isn't noteworthy in itself except for the fact that a lot of horror releases these days like to lean towards multiplayer. Phasmophobia, Dead by Daylight, and even the latest Outlast are going for that team-based ideology. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I just prefer part of the scares to be down to feelings of isolation. I'm hardcore like that??.

Anyway, A Quiet Place doesn't have a full release date yet. However, it looks like it's aiming for a 2024 launch. It'll be available on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, according to the trailer above. Whether it will be a rousing success in terms of turning a fairly well known horror franchise into a scary game remains to be se?en.

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Recently, Capcom announced it was bringing back the original Dead Rising game in the guise of a deluxe rem?aster. Since then, the studio has run its summer showcase, where it unveiled a release date of September 19. However, there's one thing PC users should know about the t??itle.

According to the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Steam page, the game will be incorporating "3rd-party DRM," in this case the ever-unpopular Denuvo. Fans who are all too familiar with Capcom's work probably won't be surprised to know th??is, but it still may come as a disappointment to some.

If you're not aware, Denuvo is essentially anti-piracy software that often gets shipped with a lot of games. However, it's considered controversial and is often to blame for poor performance and framerate issues, particularly on PC. Some games like Back 4 Blood and Doom Eternal have removed DRM, though not until years after release.

Dead Rising vs. Digital Rights Management

That aside, the new remaster of Dead Rising sure does look tasty. Given that the original came out way back in 2006, it's aged quite a bit in terms of its visuals. For the Deluxe Remaster, Capcom is giving the graphics a much-needed boost through its in-house RE Engine, the same development toolkit used for the modern Resident Evil games.

Dead Rising really hit the spot back in the day. It absolutely nailed the George A Romero-styl?e of zombie apocalypses, tasking players with remaining inside a shopping mall for three days, surrounded by hordes of the undead.

I can't speak for the fan base regarding the use of Denuvo DR??M. I just kn?ow two things:

1. A lot of gamers don't seem to like it.
2. Publishers and developers have been known to take it out after the fact.

We'll see what happens in this case.

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As many of you horror lovers out there will know, Phasmophobia recently launched its Eventide update. Of the many things the patch contains, perhaps the one that caught most people's attention was the new map: Point Hope. This lighthouse location is pretty different co?mpared to other maps, designed to really test your mettle against the ghostly denizens that dwell within.

Unlike pretty much every other level in Phasmo, this one favors verticality over lots of rooms spread out over a vast area, as is typical with the medium and large levels. Developer Kinetic Games even says in the patch notes on Steam that you'll "have to use different ??techniques" ??while investigating.

So this guide will take you through ?some of the details about Point Hope and what you can expect from this unique place.

How big is Point Hope?

One thing that stood out to pretty much everyone was how many floor??s and rooms the new map contains. While the lighthouse has a total of 10 floors, it's only really 12 rooms overall, with most floors having the one room; a bedroom or bathroom, for example.

As such, it's technically classed a small map, but it definitely doesn't feel like that if you have to go up to the very top to lay down some equipment?? or escape a hunt.

This is partly? what makes it such a unique location. That and the fact that the rooms themselves can feel small. Some of the larger ones, such as the games room, feature a central pillar, which makes them seem much more cramped. As you can imagine, this makes dodging a ghost that's giving chase more of a challenge.

In short: Point Hope feels small, especially when there's several of you cramped into a tiny bathroom, but it kind of makes up for it with an interesting view of the ocean from the top. It can be difficult for one or two players, especially on higher difficulties, ?so this map is probably best reserved for three or more given all the flights of stairs one may have to take.

The layout itself

As I say, there are ten floors in total, including the actual light of s??aid lighthouse (clue's in the name, really). Here's a quick breakdown of what you can find on each one and the rooms they contain:

So, shall I tell the cur?rent occupiers you want to put in an offer. Wait...wha?t was I doing?

The usual gubbins

As with any other Phasmophobia map, Point Hope has static places where the Cursed Possessions will ??spawn. There are also quite a number of hiding spots from what?? I can see.

Of course, the bone will ??appear on the level in a random location. However, I did find that, because of the number of floors, it can be difficult to spot, especially given the mess that's in some of the rooms.

Additionally, there's a pretty nifty secret that will unlock a special badge after you end the investigation. But I'll be saving that for another article. Oh, I am such a ??tease!

In general, the new map is a pretty interesting one. As I said above, on harder difficulties, things do get tough. I mean, you could say that about most of the levels in the game, but in this one, being chased by a ghost down several flights of stairs, and not a lot of space to kite it around, does c?reate a pretty intense experien?ce.

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By now, many of Phasmophobia "phans" will have been getting to grips with the Eventide update, especially the brand-new map. Bei??ng a literal lighthouse, Point Hope offers something a little different for your ghost hunting experience.

The fact that it contains 10 floors in total can seem a little daunting at first??. However, on the plus side, th??is does suggest that there may be more than a few hiding places whenever that spectral being decides to go on a rampage.

And you'd be right. When the going gets tough, there are a number of spots to keep out of sight of that angry Demon or Revenant, so here's a quick list of all the hiding places in Phasmophobia's Point Hope map.

Where to hide in Point Hope - They'll never see us in here!

Just as a quick aside: I'm still learning the layout of Point Hope, even though it is pretty straightforward (just go up?) so I'm hesitant to include the screen next to the bathtub in the main bathroom on the fifth floor. It feels like it could be a place to hide, but it's quite wide open, and I haven't played the map enough to conc??lude whether a ghost can find you there.

Now that that's out the w??ay: here are the actual hidi??ng places:

As always with Phasmophobia, the harder ??the difficulty you're playing on, the more hiding spots will be blocked off. But you don't need to worry about that. You're a brave ghost hunter after all, aren't you? Still, it's nice to hunker down in the dark to gather your thoughts every so often. Maybe have a little whimper.

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With the Eventide update rolling out for Phasmophobia, a lot of us have been checking out the extra content and changes implemented to our ghost-hunting excursions. In particular, much of my time has been spent exploring Point Hope, the brand-new map that has us investi-mi-gating a lighthouse.

On top of a new place to get our asses handed to us by a spooky specter, Point Hope also has a bit of a secret to uncover. This goes beyond a simple Easter egg, and does actually have a (sort of) end goal. Whether it ?means anything in the long run cannot be said at th?is stage, but it's interesting all the same. Plus, you get a badge/ID card when you complete it.

So without further ado, here's how to solve the "Ferryman of the Drowned" puzzle in the new Phasmophobia update. Quick note: make sure you take a UV light in with you as soon as you start. You will need it furt??her along.

Ferryman of the Drowned, Phasmophobia Eventide's new puzzle

Towards the top of the lighthouse �?on the floor where the gears for the light itself are turning �you'll notice a small cupboard by the spiral staircase. When you approach it, you'll see that you can't interact with it, but there is a locked symbol that appears. This indicates that there's likely a key around somewhere, but how do you get it?

Go down to the games room on floor 4 and you'll see a pool table sitting there all innocent, like. You'll also see several balls on said table. Well, you need to pot some of ??them; just the green, blue, and orange-y/red one. You'll need to do them in that order, I believe. At least, that's how I did it.

You'll then hear what sounds like a key falling from some place. Go round to the end of the pool table �so th??e wall with the cues on is to your left �and look down at the ba?ll release slot. You should see a key in there. Guess what that's for?

Back up to floor 9 and you can now open the locked cupboard b?y the staircase (there are a lot of stairs in Point Hope). You'll see there's not much in there bes??ides what appears to be an empty slot that may or may not be just the right size for a specific cog.

Right, now go down one floor to the workshop. If you've been paying attention while playing, you'll have noticed this room has a few cogs dotted about. Most of them can't be? interacted with, but there is one you'll need to find. Basically, it's leaning against a cupboard somewhere in the workshop. Look for a broom.

Pick up said cog and go back up to floor 9. Now, you can insert it into the empty slot. Once you do, you should start to hear ticking sounds. This is just the light from the lighthouse blinkin??g. It will do this in sequences of three while still rotating. This indicates you've done this part correctly.

Out of breath yet? Tough. Now, head all the way down the stairs and back outside. Just before you enter Point Hope, there's a large bell th??at you can interact with. While we all pressed it endlessly for fu??n, now it has a function. Ding it three times and you should hear a confirmation sound (can't actually recall what it specifically is, but it should be obvious).

I'm sorry to have to say this, but you need to go all the way to the very top of the lighthouse. Right out onto the widow's walk. Look out to the horizon. Admire the view, obviously, but you want to look for a c??ave entrance in the distance. Check in the same direction as where the truck is parked. When you see the light from the cave, you should also see the letters UV spelled out on the beach.

I hope you remembered to bring the UV, 'cos you're going to need it. Now, the last thing to do is "charge" Point Hope's light by shining the item at it. After a few seconds, you should see it glow violet. Once done, go for a nice walk around the perimeter of the top of the lig??hthouse.

Bask in the visually eerie spectacle. As I say, I have no idea if this will have any significance. But it looks nice. Probably looks better if you've set the sk??y to night, though.

When you finish your investigation, you'll b?e given this reward at the game summary screen. ??Hoorah! You did a thing!

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Last week, the team behind the ghost hunting hit Phasmophobia whet appetites with talks of the Eventide update. Well, the patch should be rolling out as we speak, and because it's a pretty significant one this t??ime around, ?there are quite a number of new things being implemented.

I'll go through some of the bigger changes, but suffice it to say that probably the biggest thing in the game is the Point Hope map. We don't often get treated to brand-new locations (the last couple were essentially rebrandings of ones that already exist), so this should at least make anyone who's not ??pla??yed for a while pay a bit of attention.

Sadly, there's still no word on when the console version of Phasmophobia is likel?y to drop. We know that Kinetic ??Games is still working on it, and there'll be some news about it soon enough, but many have been waiting patiently for some time now.

Still, we PC players get all this:

Point Hope lighthouse map heads to Phasmophobia

As I say, the most significant addition to the game is Point Hope. It's essentially a lighthouse, which is described as having 10 floors and 12 rooms. The developer says we'll have to "use different techniques for some of those pesky ghost abilities while playing on lower-evidence game modes." ??The map unlocks at level 15.

At the time of writing, the Eventide patch hasn't been sent out, so I haven't had chance to check Point Ho??pe out. Rest assured, I will be b??ack with a quick guide once I do get to grips with it.

The last new-new map we got, technically, was Maple Lodge Campsite, the first outdoors level of Phasmophobia. This was released with the big Nightmare update that went live at the end of 2021. Besides that, we've had a smaller version of the camp?site and some changes to the Asylum level.

The Eventide update's big equipment changes

As well as Point Hope, Kinetic has adjusted some of the equipment. A quick look at the patch notes on Steam shows that it looks like some of it has been nerfed slightly to make things a bit ??easier. I'll give you some examples:

• Tier 1 D.O.T.S has had its light range increased, while Tier 3 now has the option to pause the rotation.
• Tier 3 Parabolic Microphone can now scan for sounds one floor below or above the player.
• Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 Sanity Medications will increase restoration time to 30 seconds and 20 seconds, respectively.
• Additionally: Tier 3 Sanity Medication will instantly refill your sprint and maintain it for 10 seconds.
• You can mute the Sound Sensors using buttons from the truck's UI.
• Tier 2 and Tier 3 Thermometer will now continuously update the temperature, rather than resetting each time you use it.

Optimizations and bug fixes

Of course, no update would be complete without? the all-important optimizations and big fixes. Eventide definitely has its fair share. In fact, the developer itself says that the former has had some many, they can't all be listed.

?In short: there have been tweaks to the game to make it run smoother on lower-spec systems, with particular attention being paid to things like the UI, shadows, audio, reflections, textures and shaders, and the weather and sky e?ffects.

A lot of glitches have been ironed out as we??ll, such as player movement no longer being effected by held equipment, ghosts no longer interacting with paintings they've already thrown, a lot of tweaks to items, and removed instances in Sunny Meadows w??here the ghost can clip through the world.

Check out the full patch notes above for a complete breakdown on what's new in Phasmophobia. See you in the truck, everyone!

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Still Wakes the Deep is the latest story-driven horror game from The Chinese Room of A Machine for Pigs fame. Basically, if you like Amnesia-style horror, but you want to experience it on a crumbling oil rig in the middle of the North? Sea, this is the one for you.

Having played Dear Esther and the aforementioned Machine for Pigs, I'd been holding out that the developer's latest release was going to tick my narrative-loving and terror-craving boxes. So far �for I'm still p??laying the game �it's working out pretty well (save for the occasional quick-time?? event, but this isn't about that).

If you are interested in checking the game out, there are two modes you can select depending on how brave you're feeling. With that, here are the differences between Still Wakes the Deep's Story Mode and Standard Mode.

Brave but not stupid

The reason I wanted to talk about this is because it reminded me very much of my first encounter with a "story mode." This was in 2015's SOMA, and at the time, I'd never encountered a gam??e that would allow you to switch off the hazards and enemies so you could just enjoy the narrative pace s??tress-free.

Given this, I absolutely expected Still Wakes the Deep's own Story Mode to offer a similar respite from the stalking monsters. If you select this mode when you play, there will be few?er scares and you won't be in as much danger. However, this ?does not include falling from great heights because you missed a button prompt (did I mention them already?).

Story Mode, however, doesn't remove the enemies. The ?game will still have the scares and tense moments, but there's more leeway when it comes to running from and escaping the horrors that await. I must confess that I did start off on Story Mode, but eventually switched t??o Standard. Because I have a girlfriend to impress.

Standard Mode seems to be more for those who are used to these types of horror games. If you don't mind being a bit more cautious when something's around, such as avoiding the likes of Muir, then this is probably how you'll want to play the game. You can, of course, do w??hat I did and switch partway through the game. Ain't no one going to judge.

Also, if you're still on the fence about trying out Still Wakes the Deep, it's currently on Xbox Game Pass if that's how you typically go about? your ?business these days.

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As one of the most popular survival horror franchises in gaming history, it's not hard to imagine that Resident Evil typically sells quite well. Still, it's impressive to learn that the eighth installment �Village �has now surpassed 10 million units s??ince coming out just over three years ago.

A recent release from Capcom says that not only has RE8 hit this milestone, it's also the fastest to achieve this across the whole Resident Evil series. This also means that, as of March 31, 2024, the ??entire franchise has sold more than 157 million copies worldwide. That's since it all began wa??y back in 1996.

Selling 10 million units is impressive by anyone's?? standards, and it shows that t?he most lucrative horror brand in all of gaming is still going strong after almost 30 years.

Mobile ports are likely the reason

The release from Capcom goes on to say that not only has the Gold Edition of Village been partly responsible for the recent increase in sales, but the iPhone and iPad ports released last October have also likely played a part.

Speaking of which, the developer also announced that Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be coming to Apple products as of July 2. The post from X embedded above says that RE7 will be ??available on iPhone 15 Pro, plus all?? iPads and Macs that sport the M1 chip.

If that wasn't enough, Resident Evil 2 is also coming ??to Appl??e at some point. No release date for that port yet, but it's currently "in development." Also, we can assume Capcom is referring to the remake rather than the original that came out in 1998. You know what, either would be grand.

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The long road to the launch of the anticipated Silent Hill 2 remake is coming to an end, as the official release date was finally revealed last week (with the title, probably predictably, set to come out just weeks before Halloween). But there's a bit of a stink in the air surrounding the game, and it seems like this modern take on one of the most influential horror releases ever is going to have to be?? pretty much perfect.

In the current era of remakes, remasters, and re-imaginings, it can be easy to feel a little bogged down by an industry that's too eager to tick the nostalgia box rather than deliver something fresh. However, a quick look at games like Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, Final Fantasy 7, and the work Nightdive Studios has been doing on classics like Quake 2 shows ??there's still r??oom for it in the market, it seems.

But despite the excitement that should be surrounding Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake, there are a number of?? doubts that are putting the whole project under a lot of pressure to succeed.

Reigniting the influence

There's an argument to be made about not fixing something that isn't broken. As one of the most influential horror games of all time, remaking it is surely a tall order. Silent Hill �especially the second one �has made its mark on the genre, preserved in the annals of gaming history as a staple of how t??o create something atmospheric with lashings of delicious psychological torment to go with it. To some, the second installment is the perfect horror game.

That's not to say it can't be done. You only have to look at Capcom's remake of Resident Evil 4 to see there's scope for revitalizing older games to give them another go in more modern eras. Much like Silent Hill 2, the original RE4 has been hugely influential, which renders ??a potential remake a dangerous line to tread, but we know it can be done. However, there's one thing that's probably crossed people's minds about it.

What's the connection between these remade franchises: Resident Evil, The Last of Us, and Dead Space? They were all done by the developer who created the original. Maybe not the exact same people, but certainly the studio itself. With Silent Hill 2, it's being ma??de by a different team entirely; one that,?? although it has a reputation in the horror sphere �as well as being influenced by Team Silent's work �was not even around when the original was released. Placing a remake of a beloved game into the hands of another is an exercise in trust.

What we've seen so far

The Silent Hill Transmission that took place in 2022 had a lot of people excited. Finally, after years of speculation and dormancy, Kona??mi's horror series was getting new games, a new film, and more attention than ever before. Would this be the triumphant return? many of us had been hoping for?

But the outpouring since then has left much to be desired. The interactive Ascension has not stood as a bastion of achievement in terms of rejuvenating the Silent Hill name. Metacritic is currently showing a user score of 0.8 out of 67 reviews, with the? likes of IGN giving it ju??st 50 out of 100.

Perhaps less tragic �though still not really noteworthy �was this year's A Short Message. Although it's done better than Ascension, with a Metacritic review score of 53 and a user score of 6.3, it leaves the Silent Hill 2 remake with a lot of slack to pick up. SH2 is not a brand-new entry in the series, but it's seemingly going to have to do more t?han coast on no?stalgic reputation alone given what we've seen of the reemergence so far.

Bloober Team's track record

Whatever your thoughts on Bloober Team, the studio has managed to make a name for itself in the horror genre, despite going up against the likes of Naughty Dog, Capcom, and even Frictional Games of Amnesia fame. But this esteem is not withou?t its criticism. Bloober has a knack for visual quality and a disturbing aesthetic that has pricked up a few ears, but there are some proble??matic things about the developer that people can't shake.

This TechRadar article from a couple of years ago laments the studio's inability to represent mental health in any agreeable way. The troubled artist from Layers of Fear, the protagonist in The Medium who was abused as a child; there's a sense that the developer uses these angles as a demonizing tactic, and it's unclear whether Bloober has learned from this. The writer of that article does not appear to be alone in such criticisms.

Given that Silent Hill 2 deals quite heavily with trauma and psychological issues, there's bound to be concern that a remake from the Layers of Fear studio could encounter similar backlash. However, if Bloober is aiming for a faithful recreation of the original, then such issues should not be a problem, right? But therein lies a further question: why remake som??ething like-for-like (only with modern visuals and control schemes) without an injection of new sensibilities, mechanics, techniques, the developer's own flavor, etc.? Answers on a postcard.

It's not P.T.

We all miss it. We all wonder what the final product would have been like, especially with Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro's names attached. Although it's been ten years since P.T. came and went, it still hangs in the air to some extent, and it's likely the Silent Hill 2 remake will get compared to the canceled project. B??ut maybe I'm doing Bloober a bit of a disservice.

A game with such recognition and high praise is going to be the subject of scrutiny when it comes to releasing an official remake of it. Taking a beloved franchise and handing the reigns over to a studio that's not without ?its fair share of detractors is likely going to draw a bit of ire regardless. Everyone's going to be watching Bloober Team on October 8, and I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility that some may be scathing by de??fault.

Personally, I think some of the current negativity surrounding the remake is a little unfair, likely down to a frustrated audience that wants to see this new era of Silent Hill succeed. But I think �judging? by some of the YouTube co?mments posted on the video linked above �things are in danger of bordering on nasty, maybe even verbally aggressive, from a fan base that's hungry for blood.

Maybe there's some legitimate criticism of what we've seen in trailers and teasers so far. This article dives a little deeper into some of the design choices of the remake, with particular reference to how changing the clothes of Maria detracts from her significance as a duplicitous femme fatale who reminds James of his dead wife. How much of this is simply the wailing sound of "dudebros" upset that a female character has been modernized to look less sexua??l, as opposed to this new look missing the point of the original's intent, is not clear.

At any rate, Bloober is under a lot of pressure to make sure Silent Hill 2 is pure and flawless; not one iota less. If it strays too far from the original, it'll displease the older fans. Similarly, if it's a 100% retelling of the 2001 release, it'll feel a little pointless (see also: the 1998 shot-for-shot remake of Psycho). If it doesn't straddle the line between freshness and nostalgia, but with a fair representation of the game's themes, the backlash could be brutal. Honestly, ?it feels lose-lose at this point.

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