Indie LAAAMES

     So this previous week I finally purchased Edmund McMillen's Basement Collection, which came out about half a year ago. He's the guy who got real famous a couple years back with Super Meat Boy selling a million copies/ being an indie game, and then went on to release The Binding of Isaac. Which also did really well, of course. So the Basement Collection is pretty much every game he did before Super Meat Boy, complete with his concept art, some behind the scenes stuff, soundtracks and Q&A's. Also, a couple of the games are actually playable, so that's nice. I've also been checking out the Thief series which was the inspiration for stuff like Dishonored and Assassin's Creed. Now I can begin my descent into terrible proto PC game controls. Next time- PS4 stuff. Exciting whoooooo~~~~~~~. Watch Dogs is an impressive game and Beyond: Two Souls starring Ellen Page is coming out on the next generation of consoles as well, which is pretty hip.

Shatners of the Durned

    So in a few hours the Playstation 4 details are gonna be fully released to the world in a big, dramatic, fancy reveal. There's a new controller that kinda looks like a shittier PS2 controller and that's all we really know. That and all the horrifying no used games rumors. Three days ago Microsoft tried to undermine it with their big Destiny announcement, which I guess is their new, next gen Halo (basically). Mostly because it's a timed exclusive trilogy for the next Microsoft console that has spacemen and guns/ is being developed by Bungie. I don't know. The next console generation is a spooky deal. The Wii-U isn't, I guess, but as a poor urchin I have no means to purchase these things at launch anyways. And I don't think I'd want to, all things considered. I'm still playing Shadows of the Damned. Like 800 years after it came out.

2many 2hu

     So Dead Space 3 came out and I don't think people hate it. I... have no idea. Like a scorned lover, I find myself crawling back to modern survival horror, even after being burned so many times, hoping to recapture that special feeling I got when I first popped  in Silent Hill 2. However, I've been met with mostly explosive shooters with a vague facade of terror kept up for the first 5 minutes before detonating in my face. Dead Space 3 looked like Uncharted, like Indiana Jones. I dunno. Dead Space 2 is one of the better games of the last 8 years, and that really counts, considering how many games come out nowadays. So I'll try it. I guess. Hoping for something, and that I can still have fun with it like I (sometimes) did with Resident Evil 6. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance comes out like right now, too, and I just... want that. Platinum, I have said many times before, have never burned me, and they never will. They have my complete and utter confidence in all of their future endeavors. But for now my broke self is gonna play some more bullet hell Touhou-y Jamestown stuff. Money.

Hey Kids, Disco!

     So I haven't played too much vidya lately, but there's been some kooky stuff in terms of rumor lately. With the next generation of consoles finally being ushered in, there are some spooky rumors of Microsoft's next shot at gaming. Supposedly used games are going to be a no-go, and a constant online connection is going to be required. These rumors are kinda drastic, but from what I read they come packaged with a "Guaranteed Super True" sticker, but I'll hold out for the official announcement. Also, new Assassin's Creed coming out in the next fiscal year (of course). So maybe Ass Cred 3'd be worth writing about while it's still relevant. That, or Far Cry 3. Or Anarchy Reigns. Those are all video games. Yup.

Review- Lone Survivor

     Video Games- You play them, you accomplish a goal, and you watch the credits. Survival Horror- They try to get in your head, silently marking down all your actions as you play. Indie Games- In this case, the unrestricted creativity of one Jasper Byrne delivering one of the finest 2D experiences a single guy can deliver. Lone Survivor isn't just a 2D survival horror game, it's a beautiful spiral of soft, lush sprites, incredible music, and a hopeless desire to keep playing that'll draw your eyes in for hours on end.

     Lone Survivor tells the story of "You", a nameless protagonist who has survived an apocalypse by unknown means in an apartment that isn't his. No other information is given, and the game sends you off on your own, to discover the twisted halls of the apartment complex you've found yourself trapped in. Before you venture outside of your room, you can take a tour of the kitchen, complete with a gas-less stove and a fridge full of rotten meat, or the bathroom, with a sink full of strange pills, Red, Blue and Green, which you can take, of course. This is the kind of ambiguity that makes LS special. You find a scrap of paper that tell you the controls, and the game decides never to explain anything again. It's a game of experimentation, and unlucky players will find that their choices have brought "You" to the depths of madness. You're expected to eat, rest and find ways to take your mind off of the apocalypse as your situation gets bleaker and bleaker. Saying too much would spoil the game's 4 hour story, but suffice to say that it goes to incredibly weird places, while still staying on a relatively small scale.

          Even though zombies(?) are most of what you're going to see in Lone Survivor, there are still a handful of strange characters you'll meet along the way. About half of them are seen in the strong hallucinations and dreams you have over the course of the game. The game makes you really wonder whether or not the people you meet are actually real, or if they ever even were, and I'm itching to go through the game again to see if I can pick anything up on some of the more prominent characters. The player character isn't always the most interesting, but he makes all of his thoughts known to you, and a little bit of backstory is one of the main drives to playing the game. He'll sometimes say things that'll make you stop for a second and question his mental well being, but that's the point. Being attacked by monsters, not sleeping and generally taking poor care of him lowers his sanity for some subtle effects. There are 3 endings to LS which are determined both by your sanity and actions throughout the game. Actions that may seem unimportant are being out on an invisible checklist as you play, which is revealed to you after the credits. It's a good incentive to keep playing and it encourages you to mix up what you do on subsequent playthroughs, instead of just going through the motions. There are tons of paths and items to take during your exploration of the apartments and (eventually) the city streets, and the strange nature of what you might find in any number of side paths'll make you scratch your head.

     The gameplay is a mix of shooting and stealth, with plenty of opportunities to creep past the enemies unnoticed. Ammo is shockingly scare in LS, more so than in almost any other game I've played to date, and considering the resilient nature of your foes, alternate routes in search of supplies or another way out are highly suggested. Jasper Byrne, the man who made the game, also composed the entire OST. It's a mix of the usual survival horror ambiance with some smooth tracks that might have you tapping your feet. Byrne recently scored a few tracks for the Hotline Miami soundtrack as well, and the LS soundtrack can be heard here. Like the game itself, some of the tracks bring back misty eyed memories of Akira Yamoaka's work on the Silent Hill franchise, which goes great with the game's mysterious vibe.

     Lone Survivor really is the perfect "Indie" experience. Like listening to an album only you and your friends know about on a Saturday night, you feel an attachment to it, both in its simplicity and yet, how it can make you feel real emotion in a small amount of time. This game has to be played to be understood, but everyone is going to understand it in their own way. That's the beauty of the mystery of Lone Survivor.

                                                                         9/10

Camel Clutch

     I'd like to take this time to say that Demon's Souls is fantastic. I, like a lot of other people played Dark Souls first, and expected a very similar game. And it is, in a lot of ways, with the sort of heavy, weighty combat that the games are known for and the same graphical style and whatnot. The game really has its own distinct feel from the spiritual sequel. The entire game is literally shrouded in fog and the areas are split into smaller chunks instead of Dark Soul's giant, interconnected areas. I'd actually say Demon's Souls is more challenging than the notorious sequel, it does a stellar job of making you pay for every small trinket on your person. Wearing basically any armor greatly impedes your movement, yet you've gotta do it to stay alive. And of course the same incredible, melancholy soundtrack you'd expect from a game about dead knights kicking the shit out of each other. Or something. I don't think it's actually about that. Next time- Platinum Games (Ooooooh, exciting!)