Look, just because we're approaching Christmas (scarily fast, I say) doesn't mean we have to give up the ghost. Literally. The people behind Phasmophobia know? this as much as anyone, as, champing at the bit of the Halloween event, Kinetic Games is a?lready doling out the festive scares.

When you next log into your platform of choice, you'll notice that Phasmophobia has begun updating. This is the Christmas patch �referred to as "Winter's Jest" �which, as with all of these types of updates, comes with some themed content, as well as a promise that "Karmpus ?waits."

In this case, the developer is taking cues from the Blood Moon event we had just a few weeks ago to challenge players. This event will continue until December 31, 2024, and is available on the PC and console ports of Phasmo.

What do we get then?

For a general overview of what the "Winter's Jest" patch comes with, you can check out the changelog here. In a nutshell, along with the Christmas event, there a?re a few bug fixes, includ??ing a few that were causing crashes.

Of course, this isn't about fixing issues. This is about tiding us over until the new year, with scares aplenty. An announcement on the Kinetic Games website goes into more detail a?bout what we can e??xpect. Here, this should explain things:

Continuing on from our Blood Moon event last month, we’ll be tasking Ghost Hunters with working together to achieve a set of shared goals in order to receive rewards. We’ve taken on feedback from the Halloween event and implemented that in to the scoring system, lowering the required scores while increasing the amount earned from completing tasks - and rewarding bonuses for those playing on higher difficulties. This’ll mean progress will?? feel quicker and more satisfying throughout this event.

The T??anglewood Drive, Bleasdale, Maple Lodge Campsite, and Point Hope lighthouse are now covered in snow, replete with festive decorations. There are also community goals, which include hunting down jack-in-the-boxes that will grant points when opened, so that's something to look forward to.

We're also being told these maps are also "host to something incredibly sinister." Given what this recent post on X says, it seems likely that we're in for a frightful ride. Merry C?hristmas, y'all!

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In this modern gaming era, we kind of just accept that new releases need a lot of tinkering post-launch, and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is no different.

Having spent a decade and a half in development, the long-awaited sequel to the cult survival horror FPS series is doing pretty well so far, with a current meta score of 73. But it evidently st??ill need??s work (as most modern games do).

Within the past week, we've already had two patches being sent out for both the console and PC versions of STALKER 2, and now a third one has started rolling out. GSC Game World is evidently keeping a close eye on the game and player feedback, as Patch 1.0.3 comes just four days after 1.0.2.

This update seems to target issues with crashes and memory leaks, specifically fixing multiple "ACCESS_VIOLATION_ERROR" and "LowLevelFatalError" issues. Whatever all those words mean?.

Fixes to missions as well

Additionally, the patch also plugs some issues with the AI, including one in which NPCs would "block the doors during the Back to the Slag Heap mission." Speaking of missions, there have been a few fixes in that region as well,? though the patch notes have blanked some of the specifics, presumably to save from potential spoiler?s.

There wa?s also an issue with saves, in which some people were finding their save files were missing after a hard reset of their Xbox or PC. The new update should fix this for anyone who has ?experienced it.

Look, it's not for me to say whether three patches in less than a week is a good thing or not. On the one hand, it shows that GSC is evidently on the case when it comes to reacting to issues and feedback. On the other, it does go back on the developer's claim that, prior to release, STALKER 2 had gone gold, suggesting it was fit for release. In any case, one ?can't help but suspect Patch 1.0.4 is just around the corner, for good or ill.

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It's been pretty well established in the survival horror community that Dino Crisis is the most-wanted Capcom revival in the company's entire back catalog. However, no matter how hard fans want it, the studio just doesn't seem wi??lling to give us a new entry. For now, we can at least stick with the original game.

As noted by Twitter/X user Jawmuncher (thanks, Eurogamer), the first Dino Crisis game �originally released in 1999 �is now available to purchase on the PlayStation Store. Capcom had launched it for PS Plus Premium subscriber?s, but it's no longer exclusive to subscribed members.

Over on the PS Store itself, I'm seeing the game on sale for £7.99 ($9.99) or free if you have a Premium membership. It should be said that this isn't a remaster as such. However, the description d??oes say you can enjoy enhanced up-rendering, as well as "rewind, quick save, and custom video filters." All that fancy modern stuff.

The lesser-spotted High-res-o-saurus

As if that wasn't enough, the same user also noted that the Director's Cut of the first Resident Evil game is also now available on the storefront. Again, it'll set you back $9.99, but is free if you have a PS Plus Premium subscription. Both games have been converted from their original PlayStation 1 versions, and are playa??ble on PS4 and PS5.

As for the future of Dino Crisis, director Shinji Mikami has said he was surprised to learn so many people wanted to see the franchise make a return. Sadly, with the success of Monster Hunter, Mikami doesn't feel another series about fighting large scaly monsters needs to flood the market, so a new Dino Crisis (or possible remake) doesn't feel like it's on?? the horizon any time soon.

But that won't stop the steely determination of the modding community. When last we checked, fans were already in the process of making their own unofficial Dino Crisis games. However, whether we'll see any of these?? at some point in the future remains to be seen.

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To put it mildly, the team at GSC Game World has been through an exceptionally difficult time trying to complete STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Chief among?? these was the s??tudio getting caught up in the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022.

However, they came through it in the end, and it seems to be paying off. STALKER 2 has officially sold a million copies already, according to a post on GSC's X account.?? This is despite the fact it only launched a couple of days ago. But then again, it's one many have been waiting for.

The developer has thanked all players (Stalkers) who have bought and are continuing to play, something that's been diligently worked on these past few years. It's not just hype either, it seems. Over on Steam, Heart of Chornobyl i?s currently sho??wing a review score of Very Positive.

The work never ends

Of course, it's still early days, and although much of the feedback is singing the game's praises, there are some issues that need to be worked out. Fans are expressing concerns about some of the bugs that are present in Stalker 2. No doubt, these will be addressed in ??a future update. Give them time, guys!

It is also worth noting that, according to the most recent data from SteamDB, over 117,000 people have been playing within the last 24 hours. That, and it's currently sitting pretty on the Steam Top Sellers list, where it's beating Star Wars: Outlaws at the time of writing. If you ever needed proof that people have been waiting a long time for this game, this is i??t.

STALKER 2 has been in development for a good while now, with? GSC originally announcing it in 2010. The series has enjoyed success as a cult classic, and looking at the figures so far, it stands to reason that this latest installment could shoot the franchise into the mainstream.

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Horror fans have been waiting a long time for this, but GSC Game World finally released STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl unto the world yesterday. Amidst many setbacks �inc??luding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine �the team has had to push back development, partly to take care of themselves.

Fortunately, it looks like the wait has been worth it. As of right now, STALKER 2 is rocking the Steam charts. It's currently dominating the Top Sellers list, coming in at number two just behind the Steam Deck. Of course, pretty much eve??rything ends up behind the Deck. In terms of video games, GSC's newest release is number one.

That puts it ahead of the likes of Disney Dreamlight Valley (which recently launched its Storybook Vale DLC) and Counter-Strike 2, as well as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which fell a couple of places recently.

The numbers speak for themselves

The developer has expressed delight at STALKER 2 surpassing 100,000 concurrent players on PC. At the time of writing, SteamDB is showing 113,587 people logged into the game within the past 24 hour??s, wi?th over 65,000 currently in a game.

Of course, this is common for new releases, especially ones ??many have been looking forward to. Games that have been ??hyped typically find themselves atop the Steam Top Sellers list, which does take into account pre-orders.

How long Heart of Chornobyl will stay up there is anyone's guess, but we have seen a bunch of launches recently which could knock it down fairly quickly, such as the aforementioned Disney Dreamlight Valley DLC, as well as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

No doubt STALKER 2's biggest fans will stick around, though. In any case, GSC Game World has said it intends to stick around, and is proud of what's been accomplished so far in what the studio is describing as its big??gest project to date.

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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 will 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 sayin?g that the game has been in development for a very long time. Perhaps one of the biggest setbacks was GSC gett??ing 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 d??efinitely 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 also 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 o??f the gun, and that the spoon is "shiny and silvery and nice to handle against t??he 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 of us were absolutely not expecting the first time around.

Of course, the game is still 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 g?ame, 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 mu?ch left 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 Slende?rman?? would begin to emerge, teleporting closer to your location 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 crowbar for you ?to slap the ghoulish creature silly.

The post Remember Slenderman? He’s back. In Half-Life form appeared first on Destructoid.

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 t?he most recent 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 there 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 whether? 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 �since 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 standalone 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 at?mosphere, 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 teething problems.

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

Posting to X, the studio has acknowledged that there are problems when boo??ting 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 fixes.

The console ports of Phasmophobia ??have felt like 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 th?at are plaguing console players.

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No one is more relieved to see that the remake of Silent Hill 2 has been 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 amo?unt 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 game's Japanese X account, it actu?ally 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 whopping amount in just a few days (it launched on Oc?tober 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 al?l 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 Te?am seems to have done the original a great service with its reimagining of the iconic 2001 survival 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 vers??ion.

Nexusmods user RoseTheFlower has created "Cutscene Improvements," a modification for the remake that unlocks the FPS during the cutscenes on PC. This means they can now be viewed in higher framerates. The mod also removes the "black bars from the cutsc?enes in any?thing 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 s?omething 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 I?mprovements" seems to be one mod that's worth ?trying out.

The post Not happy about Silent ??Hill 2 cutscenes being locked to 30fps? You need this m??od, 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 wai??ting for. As we all wake up on this Tuesday, Bloober Team's?? long-awaited remake finally hits storefronts.

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 h??appy 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 stress??ing the value of it 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 bee??n 23 years! Even if you 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 snif??fed 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 about some rather deep topics, it stood to reason that the remake might not be ab?le 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 r??emake. Masashi Tsuboyama 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 su??rprising?? that people are deciding 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 developer 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 is brief, but gives a litt?le 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 itself isn't doi?ng 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 render 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 franchise, 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 w?as 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 renewal.

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 help, ?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 tha??t the series wasn't ?able to keep up with what was happening 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, especia?lly as it just wasn't something horror was doing at the time. I remember looking through the spyhole, peeping through the hole at th?e 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 this 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 y??ou 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 about to hit shelves �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 banging rocks toget?her when it made this one.

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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 t??itle will? be grossing out our consoles and PCs this October.

O?ctober 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 conductor trapped in a terrifying twisted reality." The trailer above is quite the nightmare fuel, combining combat with "unspeaka?ble 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 what I saw. Even back then, it was quite the visual ?feast, which was unfortunatel?y 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 th??at's full to the brim with the golf balls of the mainstream industry. God, that was a weird thing to say.

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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 spirit of the original while breathing new life into the legendary horror game. I've been guilty of perpetuating some o??f 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 refers to t?he game as "far 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 horror games any justice.

Alongside these early indications of its pot??ential, 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, Angela, 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 last 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 m??akes me want to go back and play 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 fo?r console if you haven't checked 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 m?e 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 did?n't leave a h??uge impact on horror gaming. I didn'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 mark 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 hi??gher-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 t?o get the job done (30-40 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 r?ecent trailer, we're being told that 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 o?f 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 of remaining silent so as not to be detected by monsters sh??ould �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 lift??ed 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 the long-awaite??d ??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 announced 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'r??e there.

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 no announcement f?or 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 patch just before the?? we??ekend 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?? b??een playing within 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 it so charming.

If you've never pl?ayed 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 punters, 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 decade, 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 t??o 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 t?he 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, respectively.

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 woul?d become this magnificently polished AAA ??experience and lose that janky appeal.

How??ever, 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 rounded 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 fascinatingly 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 Edition, but is also getting ported to the Xbox and PlayStation. Both the updated version of the game and the c??onsole release will be arriving on August 2. Check out the lov?ely trailer 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 new "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 recent??ly 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 taking possession of you.

T?he 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 the title's two-year re??lease.

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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 magnify 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 neur??al network as being able to control each ghost’s "behavior and tactics," which changes depending 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 ah??ead 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 hu?nting games �there are some tweaks which do make it slightly more advanced.

For example, while you can ascertain where paranormal activity i??s happening based on thermometer readings, this game has a l?ittle more nuance. The temperature might rise, it might lower, or it can even fluctuate. Similarly, 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 ima??gined by this neural network. This may 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 ha??s similar voice-ac??tivated 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 s?o far (it's still in Early Access), but it's siz??able enough to get a decent amount of playtime out of it.

As for t?he 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 numerous 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 on 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 side. Currently, of the few hundred that have reviewed the game on Steam, many are impressed with what they've played so fa?r, with one person admitting they "nearly pissed" themselves about fou?r 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. The?re 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 t?he end of human input in the creative industries.

In this case, h??owever, 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 m?ore 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, calli?ng 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 cra?ck at the universe that helped put it on the indie horror radar.

Maintaining t??he 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 with the blueprint, save for the Trave?ler'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 b??e 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 re?turn to form, but I would say this represented something different 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 the case, but the studio managed to 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. And yes, I guess it does have to do with nostalgia.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010)

I remembe??r being at uni, and a friend of mine described this new horror game he'd been playing 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 insa?ne. 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 en??tirely while being scared into a non-Euclidean 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 ga?mes journalist (I use that term very loosely), I was lucky enough to be given a review copy of the gam?e 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.

The post Ranking all the Amnesia games from worst to best appeared first on Destructoid.

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 wh?at'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 the 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 franc??hise, b??ut will have a new story. You'll be playing as a "young woman who must endure a treacherous 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 o??f 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 f??eelings of iso?lation. 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 fai??rly well known horror franchise into a scary game remains to be seen.

The post Check out the unnerving tr?a??iler for A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead appeared first on Destructoid.

Recently, Capcom announced it was bringing back the original Dead Rising game in the guise of a deluxe remaster. Since then, the studio has run its summer showcase, where it unveiled a release date of September 19. However, there's one thing P??C users should know about the title.

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 this, 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-style of zombie apocalypses, tasking players with remaining inside a shopping mall for three days, surrounded by hordes of the undea?d.

I can't speak for the fan base regarding the use of Denuvo DRM. I just know tw??o ??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.

The post Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will, sadly, be using Denuvo DR?M appeared first on Destructoid.

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 li?ghthouse location is pretty different compared 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 u??se different techniques" w??hile investigating.

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

How big is Point Hope?

One thing that stood out to pretty mu??ch everyone was how many floors 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 i??s 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 t??he 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 said lighthouse (clue's in the name, r??eally). Here's a quick breakdown of what you can find on each one and the rooms they contain:

So, shall I tel?l the current occupiers you want to put in an offer. Wait...what 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 numb??er 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 difficult??ies, things do get tough. I mean, you c?ould 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 create a pretty intense experience.

The post Phasmophobia: Point Hope map layout and details appeared first on Destructoid.

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

The fact that it contains 10 floors i?n total can seem a l??ittle daunting at first. However, on the plus side, this 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 floo?r. 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 conclude whether a ghost can find you there.

Now that that's out the way: her??e are the actual hiding 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.

The post Phasmophobia: All hiding places in Point Hope appeared first on Destructoid.