The Fear: Atmosphere

This is an article I did for the Destructoid musing, called "The Fear". I couldn't resist, as horror games are my favorites...enjoy?



"You're walking down a dark, quiet hallway, littered with debris of what was once a beautiful hotel. Weapon in hand, poised as an agitated snake, You call out; "hello? Anyone there?" With no response, you continue walking cautiously, when you catch something out of the corner of your eye and stop dead in your tracks. A hanging lamp sways as you blink the dark out of your eyes to focus. "It was just the wind" you reassure yourself, willing your feet to carry you further down your path."

To me, the scariest part of survival horror, or any horror games, is the atmosphere – the general mood set by various aspects of a game. This can be set by music, sound effects, environment, or anything else that makes you feel something specific.

A few specific titles.



Resident Evil

Sounds play a very specific role in Horror games, being part of the ambiance aspect of the atmosphere. Resident Evil was one of the first survival games to implement footstep sounds in large, echoing rooms. You can hear yourself walking, but if you're really quiet, you can hear an approaching zombie, or dog, or other Resident Evil monster.

I find myself holding my breath a lot, in areas that have a very loud echo associated with the footsteps. Combine this ambiance with many dark, empty areas, the zombies just become a bonus. This was such a good tactic, it's been used over, and over again, with a tried and true result – Though I haven't managed to pass out yet.

Speaking of zombies, and other monsters, many of the rooms you go through in the Resident Evil mansion will be vacant, until you return at a later time. This tactic for creating mood, I would call a false sense of security.

For instance; a calm, brightly lit hallway, will have a pair of “Cerberus” zombie dogs burst through the window. The first time through, you'll only hear the window crack – enough to give you a fair jolt, but then you look at the window and go “Oohh, you, I see you.” and promptly think that was it. It's not until you return to that hallway, that the real threat comes barreling into the hallway, and you change your pants, because you had let your guard down.



Silent Hill

Silent Hill makes use of bright, rather than dark, to deliver a very haunting atmosphere. While outdoors, the entire town is covered in floating ash, which is thick enough to look like snow. The visibility in these conditions is very limited, maybe able to see a block ahead at best. When searching for something, clues become more difficult to find. Also, many of the buildings, houses, and streets look identical.

The ash creates a blanket over objects and buildings that appears to be very undisturbed, meaning no one is around. Feeling isolated and alone, in a place cut off from the world by sheer cliffs, is enough to make any normal person go mad, and make me grip the controller tightly and keep going...

Aside from the ashy atmosphere, Silent Hill will attempt to give one the chills by adding a few disturbing images throughout their games. These aren't the same as terrifying monsters, they're a part of the landscape, but they're still there. To me, this is almost scarier than being mauled, because; will it move? Is it alive? Is it dangerous? Can I walk by?


It may not actually harm you, but I'll bet you still wouldn't touch it.



Bioshock

A very good example of atmosphere use is Bioshock, which was a beautiful display of horror. Your character has just been in a plane crash and survived. While floating in the ocean, the only thing you see around you, is a lighthouse. Inside this lighthouse, there is a transport, which descends to the depths of the ocean, over an amazing view of an underwater city.

While on your brief journey, there is a welcome video, introducing you to the underwater utopia of Rapture. However, as the video screen closes, you're trapped in the small transport, looking at the wreckage of what was once a habitable city, poorly lit by sparking wires. While you're waiting, an ominous, cackling voice fills your ears, and you see slight movement. While you can't see exactly what's going on, you know you're in danger.

A few enemies, such as the cackling “splicer” won't be an immediate threat, but their mannerisms and presence are enough to instill the feeling you need to defend yourself – in this first instance, you have no way of fighting back...and as I mentioned, you are trapped.

To add to my fear, many places in Bioshock have small floods – when you're underwater in the ocean, this is a very bad thing. Many times doors will barely hold their hinges, glass will shatter as you walk by, and rooms will be barred by dangerous amounts of water.



The sense of urgency to get out of a situation is caused with a large dose of claustrophobia before the enemies even arrive. You're trapped underwater with lunatics, and do whatever is necessary to survive. Even if there are only 30 enemies through the entire game...tight quarters, and their element of surprise make for quality scares.

Shared scare tactics.

Location, location, location.

The majority of the Silent Hill games will take you on adventures through places that already make people uncomfortable; most notably, a hospital. Not just any hospital, but a Silent Hill hospital - draped in rust, broken plaster, soiled beds, and ominous looking medical supplies. That isn't even counting the enemies, very unfriendly nurses of varying types.

While you, and I, may not be FBI officers – Condemned tends to scare with a level of familiarity, albeit broken and decayed. You'll spend the majority of your time searching areas you might see around town; A hotel, a subway, a department store, someones house...all abandoned and left to rot as the seediest part of society.

The department store was my personal favorite, taking you through strange familiarity, and uncanny valley in one shot. The mannequins that were left behind when the department store closed are in varying states of disarray, with broken parts, missing parts, and strange costumes. Enemies blend in with these mannequins, leaving me wary of every single one I ever passed.

Lighting

Indoors in many survival games is a very dark story, with zero electricity, your only salvation is a small flashlight delivering a cone of light whichever direction you're facing. In Silent Hill, you also get the added luxury of attracting anything in the area, if you happen to have this light turned on. Attract baddies, or play blind...



Many horror games utilize the single light strategy – and it's a good strategy. I'll sit in my living room squinting at the television as though that will help my character see better...Because really, when terrifying things can hide right out in the open because of a sheet of ash, or simply because it's so dark, where is safe?

With survival horror, everything is usually very dark - so, while sitting in my dark living room, the worlds blend together nicely and I'm captivated, left to the will of the game.

The Writing's on the wall

While it may not always be scary, it is definitely unnerving to stumble upon an area in a game, where someone else may have been trapped, or gone insane, before you even got there.

Condemned played with this option a lot, generally written in blood; warnings about certain places, clues, hand drawn eyeballs, or just general rantings.



Silent hill 2...well, they've done it as well.



The most famous of these unnerving situations is "The cake is a lie" plastered throughout the end of the game Portal. While not necessarily scary...you were almost killed by a psychotic computer, who has apparently tried this before.



What this means to me.

To me, there are plenty of games that have a few good scares. But, it's the ones with an atmosphere that captivates me, and includes me in the action that scare me the most. When my own house begins to scare me hours after I've stopped playing, you've done your job.

Fable II: First Impressions

Lionhead studios, the studio notorious for its blabbermouth designer, Peter Molyneux, has released a new game backed by enough hype to fill a small moon...or a space station. I personally enjoyed the original Fable well enough, it had many shortcomings, but it was a decent game, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

(I have had the opportunity to test drive the game temporarily, on loan from a friend. I had a bit of a run-in with Microsoft which drained me of funds, so this is just a “first impression” for now...About 6 hours of gameplay gave me a taste, anyway, and this is the nit-picky version.)

Times have changed, in the land of Fable. Starting in the town of Bowerstone, which now resembles the era of London that Jack the Ripper might pop-up in, times are tough. You're an orphan child, of the gender of your choice, given the nickname “sparrow” for an unfortunate reason. You wish for life in a castle with your sister, and do some chores around town to make that wish on a “magic box”.

Times aren't all that have changed here...

Revisit Fable...kind of.

As with many sequels, there were a lot of similarities between this installment, and the first. Graphically, the game lives up to the original. Lush landscapes, detailed surroundings and garments, and the same watercolored storytelling cut scenes that I personally adored from the original are fully intact, and even upgraded in parallel with the next generation system.

Interaction with, or really just walking by, game characters in the Fable world has always been entertaining. Word spreads quickly about your deeds, good or bad, and you make a name for yourself among the citizens. You also have some form of title that people will call you, should you pay to have that nickname spread across the land, and characters greet you accordingly; “Oohhh, there goes the gunslinger” or “Chicken Chaser? You mean...you chase chickens?” depending on your title, and there are a lot more options this time.

Unfortunately, the concept of similarity is taken very literally with a sequel. Many of the starting missions have been nearly identical to Fable. There is a Hobbe mission, in a cave, with an abducted little boy. Been there. The opening mission is to complete minor tasks for people around bowerstone, to collect 5 gold coins, to buy something. Done that. Even the source of the tragedy that leads you away from your hometown directly involves your sibling. Originality is a spice of life, unfortunately, it doesn't grow as well as basil.

What the first game was lacking...

Lionhead made an attempt at covering ground that was criticized in the first visit to Fable. First, I'll start off with the primary issue – length and size. As with most men, when they're criticized about such things, they go all-out to try and fix it.

I can't say much for the length of the game, but there did seem to be a lot more quests, which is definitely good in the world of achievements, and enjoyment. Hopefully they're not all bullshit quests, like shamelessly flirting with some guy to get him to fall “madly in love with you”, or vacuuming up Hobbes all day.

Sure, the game boasts ten times the expanse of the original, but they seemed intimidated by their own growth, like you'll get lost and lose interest – so, they gave you a strange solution to the “nav point” or directional help of most games.

A sparkling gold line directs you through most areas, very distracting to those...ooohh, shiny! What was I saying? Unfortunately, the navigation dust doesn't even work properly all of the time...it'll disappear without warning, or lead you into a wall and insist that is the right course. Also, I probably wouldn't have explored any new areas because of this distracting dust trail, if my dog hadn't done it for me.

The Dog

Adventure games can be lonely at times, so giving an adventurer a traveling companion sounds like a good idea, in theory. I loved the idea of having a dog as that companion, take on enemies along side, while earning me charisma points because “Oooh, puppies!”.

But then, every time something interesting to explore came along, I heard an insistent “Bark-Bark” Which, after the tenth time in a row, translates to: “Hey, LISTEN!” Wait, I know that voice...Navi the fairy has been resurrected in dog form! They even went so far as to give the dog an icon with description above his head, telling you exactly what you're looking for. Where is the challenge, or fun of poking around behind rocks, if they dog's going to tell you exactly what you're looking for?

Also, zero customization options with the dog. Even some of the beautiful art scenes showed a slightly different variation on your dog. In the opening “Oh, your life is laced with tragedy, but you grew up strong” cut scene, the dog appeared to be a golden lab – but, in all of the gameplay, even when you meet the dog as a kid, pre-tragedy, it is a mutt of sorts with the fur pattern in three colors, primarily black.

Gender roles in video games

One of the things that bothered me about the first Fable, was the boasted “fully customizable” character was; A) Male, and B) Caucasian, and C) oh, wait, that's it. Sure, as the game progressed you could change some features such as hair, some physical attributes, and tattoos – but really, you were always a white male. I wonder what demographic was in charge of making this game.

This time, however, you do have the option to start out as a little girl. Unfortunately, Lionhead was misinformed as to what an adult female is, when programming this gender option. As you grow up, you're a very awkward looking woman, that was really lacking any femininity except breasts and long hair. The hair looks stapled on the back of her head, and her body is very oddly proportioned...add layered clothes in the mix, the result isn't remotely flattering.



Sure, you're supposed to be a warrior of sorts – but one of those “sorts” is mage-like. Mages should be refined in their art, with a sense of grace about them...doesn't that sound like it should be easily pulled off by a female character? My “little sparrow” looks like she could take the lead in a biker bar, even wearing nobles clothes! I think they did a better job of making the men-who-are-interested-in-men more feminine in the first Fable.

I'm sure making a female warrior character is a challenge in games...but I'm pretty sure I have seen it accomplished in the past, and the result has been acceptable before. In fact, the majority of the women in this game, if they're not housewives or small children, are terrifying creatures...



Nobility? No, thank you, I'm good.

Allignment

Fable had a very strange alignment system for progressing through the game as a good, or evil character. Every time you engaged any enemy of any kind, you earned oodles of good alignment points. Shouldn't that have been a neutral thing, and all of your other actions decide whether or not you were good or evil? This is one of the things they actually “Fixed” this time around.

Options to fight to help villagers, or take an offer behind their backs to do them wrong are a much more realistic way to go about deciding your alignment. You can make your decisions through the game, and your alignment will reflect that - simple, and straight forward.

Of course, you still get the quick-and-easy path toward evil by munching on “crunchy chicks” or beating your significant other into divorce...or punting chickens, and shooting rabbits. Or boost your good points (see, charisma) by being a showoff in towns by yourself, or with your trained canine performer.

The unfortunate side of hype, and wannabe overachievers

There has been a lot of buzz around the internet, and beyond, as to the sheer awesome contained in this game. I've heard a few things about bugs, including one that will have you starting your game over, and a few other things related to the mechanical issues – let me re-emphasize those, now.

The button assignment is an interface of menus, and sub-menus, that would even have a hard time being mapped out with hotkeys on a keyboard – let alone a controller. I had an unfortunate time accidentally bringing up a menu when I bump the shoulder button in a fight, which had me molested in a battle, because I couldn't switch back fast enough.

One of my favorite things about Fable, which had me wanting more for a second run, was the combat. The combat multipliers were fun to crank up, the experience was acquired much easier, and the control was very smooth. This time around, the control doesn't flow as well – for instance, hitting the sword attack button three times, means you might attack once and change your posture?

Trying to adjust your spells, or do just about anything, tends to make accidents happen. I've tried to talk to a villager with the wrong menu open, and attacked everyone with a shock of lightening in the ground. Oops.

This time around, they appeared to have tried to listen to Peter Molyneux and add all, or at least most, of the things his big head wanted in the game. Unfortunately, that makes for a very encumbering game, with a primary focus on things you don't care about (There's a sale at such-n-such market, buy now!), or entirely too many notes popping up, telling you nothing. I bought some fruit at a market, and it popped up with 3 different descriptions of what I'd just done...that was a waste of time, guys, really.

What happens when you don't get paid for your missions by a proper guild? You get a job? I suppose that's a solution, too bad the jobs are boring, pointless, and low-paying – kind of like real life. Looting areas and watching my dog dig for treasure earned more...it's a sad fiscal system, when a hero doesn't get her pay, until she loots some poor dead guy.

There were some good things, afterall!

Instead of just allowing random villagers to fall in love with you, many of them will also offer you gifts, which can be handy, since quests offer no real income. You have a whole slue of additional postures, or interactions with characters, though sometimes cumbersome, it provides a decent amount of entertainment.

There is a "run faster" button in this game; though it's slightly unnecessary, it makes a few things easier until it glitches out. It's handy for swimming, as well. Way to make the tedious tasks feel like participating in the Olympics! I'm pretty sure my Fable II character is capable of out-swimming Michael Phelps.

Fighting animations; specifically with spells, are amazingly awesome. For instance, electrocution gives you an X-ray view of your victims, as their fried in their own skin. I'm hoping for a lot more of that, depending on the spells – I love being a mage, but unfortunately didn't get far enough to unlock many spells...



I'm sure, as the game progresses, I will find a lot more to be excited about. I have enjoyed my time, but found my critique senses tingling all over. Hopefully now that it's out of my system...

Also, it's very, very, pretty.

final summary

Not a bad game, from what I played, but really – the glitches were enough to steer me away from this one...at least temporarily. There are promises that the game will be fixed, but then, Molyneux promises a lot of things. So far, I've experienced much of the original game, with a bit more umpf this time...I suppose this criticizing was really a reflection of how disappointed I was, in the way the female characters turned out.

I didn't touch much of the main storyline, I focused on side quests – as I do plan on purchasing this game someday. It wasn't an all-bad experience, it just needs a lot of patching...I won't really know, until it drops in price a bit. I will label this one an “Own it, but not before the price drops below $40”.

Adventures in (x)Boxing.

This past weekend, I had to put down a good friend. His name was Harold IV, and he was an xbox 360. This past Saturday, Harold IV's processor/video chip gave out – and he stopped producing hours of entertainment and fun. Unfortunately, Harold IV was also 4 months outside of Microsoft's 1 year manufacturers warranty, so no comfort rested with Microsoft to resolve my plight.

To me, it seemed odd that microsoft knew about this defect, and could pinpoint my model, but absolutely refused to do anything about the problem. “Oh well, it's outside of warranty now, sucker!”

I did my best to get around the original warranty, into the 3 year extended warranty reserved for sufferers of the ever feared Red Ring of Death. Unfortunately, the Red Ring extension was for a very specific problem with the Xbox 360, that is difficult to emulate without otherwise voiding that warranty.

So, after arguing with a Microsoft representative, who then informed me it would be approximately $100 to be without an xbox for a 2-6 week period, I made a drastic decision. I have upgraded – that is, given Microsoft more money – to bring home a bouncing baby Xbox 360 Elite, with chic black finish, a 120GB hard drive (my old one wore the weakling 20gb hard drive) and High Def cables that don't do much good to me at the moment.

How do I loathe thee, let me count the ways.

Why is my Xbox named Harold IV? Well, because this xbox was the 4th replacement in my Xbox 360 history of ownership. Don't look at me like that; my cats have not knocked into or slept on any of them, I have not put bologna in the disc drive, I leave plenty of space for ventilation, I don't store them on the carpet, I don't store them upright or where they might be bumped into, and water, beer, or soda has stayed a minimum of 3 ft away at all times…so, what's the problem?

Well, I brought home Harold in November of 2006. We enjoyed a few laughs, playing Oblivion and Hexic, but after 3 days Harold was done. The error message "Please insert this disc into an xbox360" greeted me repeatedly, whenever I attempted to boot up Oblivion and play with Kiren Shade, who was well on her way to becoming an accomplished Mage. Back to the store we went, and thus was born Harold II.

Harold II lasted 17 days, then decided power from my apartment was highly over rated, and even with the security of a brand new surge protector, crashed the power supply, refusing to turn on ever again. Sensing a trend, I decided to purchase the xbox coverage plan for Harold III, which turned out to be good idea. Nine months or so, after Harold III graced my presence, he decided game discs were yummy, and froze with a disc in the drive – refusing to give it back. The clerk at the game store had to pry it open with a screwdriver to get my game back...then replaced Harold III.

This brings us to Harold IV, who outlasted the 1 year warranty with Microsoft, and then started the problems. At the end of this summer, Harold IV decided scratching discs was fun, and should be practiced at least once a week. Unfortunately, this occurred after the warranty had ended, so my only option was to clean everything (discs, and laser lens with a DVD lens cleaner) which seemed to help, somewhat. Coinciding with the disc scratching, the disc drive began to stick shut every time I used it...I should have known.

Until finally, our fiasco this weekend with the resolution being drained to less than a Nintendo64 and the screen no longer showing me pretty xbox things, bringing about the tragic end of Harold IV. After wrapping towels around Harold IV and turning him on, hoping for a RROD (yes, I was actually excited for this) to take advantage of the extended warranty, that would have my xbox fixed for free…I made my choice.



Now, allow me to introduce Lydia, and LydiaII. So much for evoking a sense of reliability by changing the name, and upgrading. Lydia had downloading problems, and loading problems, and extreme gameplay lag. Apparently, one of the few known defects of the Xbox Elite followed me home, and I had to return Lydia first thing this morning.

Not a good track record, Microsoft, seriously.

Why I've stayed by your side, after all the abuse



Also, the rapid price reduction, variety, and selection of their games library. In other words, I don't love microsoft, I love their cheap games. Now is it clear to anyone why I refuse to drop the full $60 on a brand new game, when I can get the game for under $30 used, and deny Xbox any of that profit?

Why, Microsoft? Why?

Let's recap, shall we? I have now returned five(5) Xboxes, and am hoping the 6th holds its own for a few years.

Dear Bill Gates, you should be ashamed of the product your company sells to normal, everyday, busy people. You're lucky the games library is much more extensive and varied than the other game systems, or I'd have abandoned ship, like so many before me.

Also, your Microsoft Support page is written in id10t code, it should be translated to something easier to navigate, and read, and send you disgruntled e-mails demanding free stuff.

...Until one day, Bill Gates goes the way of Tony Stark, deciding his company is not in the best interest of the people – what with its greed and lack of any quality, stable products - and use his multi-billions of dollars to become a Superhero. First Windows, now Xbox...will the carnage ever end?

Now, imagine me, only setting electronic devices on fire, simply by entering the room.

Retroreview; Silent Hill 4: The Room

Down the Rabbit Hole

For me, October means a number of things; parties, Resident Evil, dressing up, events, and Silent Hill. One of my favorite traditions for the past 4 years, is my annual revival of Silent Hill 4: The Room. Unfortunately for some, Silent Hill 4 has yet to be experienced – I'm hoping this year is different. At a measly (approximate) $12, why not give it a chance this year? Especially useful for those of us unable to drop a full $60 on the newest release of the Silent Hill franchise...

I personally found The Room to be the scariest visit to Silent Hill to date – not including Silent Hill 5, which I haven't played much of yet. The potential that the haunts and monsters of Silent Hill might follow me home, specifically appearing in my bathroom, still gives me the chills.

You may say; "It doesn't even take place in Silent Hill!" which is the most common complaint I've heard opposing this game...though, I promise, as soon as immersion sets in - the dark, eerie, monster-filled atmosphere is fully intact, minus the ashy visibility issues. Plus, many of the locations are adjacent to the cozy, haunted, resort town of Silent Hill anyway, so you'll hear the name often.

Why this couldn't be anything but Silent Hill

Someone recently said to me “a lot of people seem to think it would have stood on its own if they hadn't added 'Silent Hill' to the title.” Which, alright – in all fairness, this one strayed just to the left of Silent Hill. But, there are a few reasons “Silent Hill” was attached to the title “The Room”, they are as follows.

First and foremost, the Melee combat system that Silent Hill is notorious for, is still intact up to the finishing stomp required to fully silence any baddies. Being up-close-and-personal with a fiend that may very well eat your face, adds a bit of nail biting to all situations. Though minor changes were made to the combat, I only noticed the controls being slightly more fluid.

There are a few links between The Room, and Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams - which seems to be the collective favorite of the series. In Silent Hill 2, while looking for clues to one of the many puzzles, you'll read the name “Walter Sullivan” in a newspaper article, reporting an inmate accused of murder has committed suicide with a spoon. In The Room, Walter Sullivan is the one-and-only antagonist, tormenting all of the stories characters, and the hero; Henry Townshend.

If I say Sunderland, you say (James)? The hero – or anti-hero if you've played the entire game, in Silent Hill 2 is James Sunderland. The surname Sunderland is also present in this installment, as your superintendent who is suspicious of that strange odor – or was it the fact that you've disappeared in your apartment for an extended period of time?

Silent Hill 3 had the creepy bunny, affectionately named Robbie;



Who has also returned for a few random appearances in The Room;



At some point, you'll visit an Orphanage in Silent Hill 4, called Wish House – where Walter Sullivan learned everything he knows. Wish House Orphanage, and the cult associated with it, are a primary focus of Silent Hill 3 – I don't think I can make that connection any clearer.

Of course, as with all Silent Hill titles, these games work well independently, making it simple to jump in and enjoy any number of them, in any order. In my opinion, exploring these out of numerical order makes them more interesting, since you're more likely to catch the small connections, like the ones mentioned.

Storytime

In each consecutive visit, the storyline that brings you to Silent Hill or some semblance thereof, has deviated more as time goes on;

1. “Ahh shit, my creepy child has run off to play with monsters again...”
2. “So, my wife died, then wrote me this letter...”
3. “Like, one time, there was this cult in the mall...”
4. “Some asshole locked me in my apartment, and tunneled in my bathroom...”

In the fourth installment of the Silent Hill series, you are Henry Townshend of apartment 302, in the faux-urban town of South Ashfield. Everything in your life was fine and dandy, until one day some strange nightmare creeps into your head and locks all your doors and windows, leaving you trapped in your apartment for 5 days before a video game is born.

The game will begin with Henrys nightmare; walking around your apartment, in first-person view, you'll admire the decor in the infamous Silent Hill rusted walls, and broken electronic devices, with very few clues as to what is going on.

After the nightmare ends with the games opening creidts, you wake up in the same way your nightmare began – only the apartment is a bit less rusted. Now, you'll pick up bits of information about the last five days. You can see the outside, but seem to have lost the ability to communicate with it – shouting and hammering on doors and walls do no good...you're cut off.

Your first adventure into the Silent Hill realm happens when you hear noises in your bathroom, and notice a rather large hole in the wall. Crawl down the creepy hole? I'm so glad you asked, I'd love to! Tap into your gaming claustrophobia for a moment, then emerge in an alternate world full of the strange and unusual.

Silent...subway?

Here, Henry meets the dazed and confused Cynthia, wandering around on her own. She's convinced this reality is her dream, and behaves as though her dreams are regularly dirty. She'll lead you around briefly, before getting violently ill, and disappearing into a bathroom.

You really don't see much of Cynthia after that – but you follow her voice and helpful hints, to attempt to rescue her from whatever is stalking her beneath the streets. Solving puzzles, hitting baddies, opening creaky doors, and uncovering a murderous plot along the way...Some of my favorite things, in one beautiful package.

Cynthia's eventual demise is broadcast on the radio in Henry's apartment, confirming a parallel from the supernatural subway, to the real world. Down the rabbit hole indeed, as every incident in the world through the portals is reported in the real world under “suspicious circumstances” related to the late murderer, Walter Sullivan, from several years ago.

Each area you visit will have a few things in common; Walter Sullivan, a single victim, cult references, monsters, and riddles. Work your way through each area, attempting to rescue the victims, and stop the immortal Walter Sullivan from completing his cultish task...

A small chunk of time will be spent in your apartment, on the “reality” side of the game, where you uncover clues to various puzzles, unfold the story as it's told through an ominous “red diary” and watch as Silent Hill begins to follow you home like a sad, undead puppy.

The Good

Different enemies make this game look unlike any previous Silent Hill title, but not in a bad way if you think about it. Having a single, primary antagonist is a new approach, so why not give the goons a Walter Sullivan makeover?

According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, most of the enemies in the game represent a piece of Walter. In Silent Hill 2, the newspaper article that you find on Walter Sullivan tells the brief story of his final murder(s) before being incarcerated; twins. Thus the two-headed monstrosity that chases you down in the Water Prison.



Ghosts; Well, I actually use the word “ghosts” lightly – I believe that's what they are, since they float, slip through walls, and make a moaning noise when they're around. Otherwise, this breed is not quite Casper-esque. They ooze through walls leaving an inky trail, and take minor physical damage when you swing a pipe at them. It is possible to knock them on the ground, but they'll be up quickly unless specific precautions are taken – with a magical cult-sword.

Proximity is as much an issue for with these guys as being swiped at by one of the other enemies – Ghosts will drain your health and slow you down drastically if you stay too close for too long. To me, this added something to the game to creep me out more than cannibal-hyena-dogs, who eventually stop coming for you if you hit them hard enough.



In every installment of the Silent Hill series, the Dark Nurses have changed ever-so-slightly. This time around, we get a full overhaul, where the enemies in the hospital are actually Patients. Creepy, oversize, patients with fluid-blob movements and armed with a sharp knife.



By having two completely separate worlds to visit, solving puzzles requires you to go back and forth to get all the pieces to fit. Revisiting your apartment, you'll be looking for clues, they may lie in the hallway, or out a window. I wasn't nearly as annoyed by this tactic of gameplay-extension as getting lost in the elementary school exactly forty-three times in the first game.

Color-changing blood; because red is just so 1990. My first play-through, my enemies bled green, which is oddly satisfying when you're supposed to be in an alternate reality. Every time I play through, I mix it up a bit by simply changing the color of enemy blood – it's a hobby, shush you.

The Bad

There is a tag-along you pick up from the Hospital - sufficiently injured and confused, you have the task of escorting her safely back home...somehow. Escort missions tend to be frustrating in any video game, and this goes double for injured escorts. It is possible to give mystery-escort a weapon, but with her slow movement, I laughed at that option.

Similar to Ashley in the fourth Resident Evil game, only you can't suggest to this escort that it might be a good idea to hide in a dumpster when things get dicey, or hungry. Though, as much as I may or may not have tried – it seems impossible to actually let her die...which is nice, I suppose. Also, I realize I left a name omitted, as I'm a big fan of limiting spoilers.

One of the creepiest things from the original Playstation game was the radio static every time an enemy approached. Now, every time white noise interrupts my television, or cell phone, I'm on my feet and ready to bust some Silent Heads. This is lost in The Room, replaced by ghost moans, or a strange throbbing feedback noise – which I can only imagine is something in Henry's head.

Degrading weapons are a growing epidemic in video games. While not all weapons in this game are effected – good old pipe, nothing beats pipe – having a powerful weapon break in the middle of a major scuffle was an issue that left me pretty dead on a few occasions.

The Ugly

Backward compatibility is excellent, in theory. In practice, I haven't seen anything but the Gameboy show anything decent in the world of backward compatibility. In other words, this game played on an Xbox360, is ugly.

Be prepared to take a nice brisk run down uncanny valley as you're interacting with characters, when their face cracks in three-to-five-pieces when they move their head, talk, or look around.



Load times seemed to increase, but that may be my memory serving me poorly – I don't specifically remember if that was just Xbox load times, and I'm currently used to Xbox live Arcade load times, or if it really is slower on the 360.

Don't worry, though, the gameplay is still good! I didn't have any problem with things lining up properly, or loading accurately, outside of a few cutscenes. The face-splitting was actually mildly humorous, or creepy – depending on your point of view.

Is it okay to deviate from the city limits of Silent Hill?

In the past, Silent Hill has taken place in the ash-covered Silent Hill. The city limits, marked by sheer cliffs where roads should be, aren't terribly extensive. In the past, we've visited most major buildings, a theme park, and even a few residential areas while completing our tasks.

Because of this, I personally didn't see a problem with extending Silent Hill into Ashfield. (See what they did there?) This also gives Silent Hill the ability to cross its own boarders, potentially into my apartment – adding a new level of fear to the game. I still check to be sure there aren't any new holes in any of my rooms before getting on with my day...



Now, imagine me, only swinging a crowbar into unsuspecting lawn gnomes that may, or may not be dangerous.

Night of the Living Dead, Live in Denver!

When one thinks of stage, the word "Zombie" really shouldn't come to mind. Shakespeare maybe, musicals, or even nudity – but certainly not the classic zombie story, Night of the Living Dead.

Wait, what?

In a small Denver venue, the cast and crew of about 20 led by theatrical genius Kris Hipps, has gone and done the impossible; adapted the original, 1960's version of Night of the Living Dead film to stage. Faithful to the original story while adding a generous dose of humor, they give life, or un-life, back to the black and white horror classic.

Armed with a brilliant adaptation of the script, wonderful performers, and a few key props – you're sure to be entertained from start to the new, hilarious, finale.

Running for its first season (Weekends through October) in Denver, I hope to see this again in future years, and maybe even spread to a national level. The Zombie epidemic begins with The Bug Theater in Denver.


Film meets stage, literally

What were the most important scenes to you in the original presentation of the film? Was it the cemetery, with the ever-popular “they're coming to get you, barbara!”, the farm house, the gas run, or all of the above?

The problem then is, how do we get a glimpse of what is going on outside of the house, without a major, time consuming, costly, stage change? How about, a projector and about 20 minutes of prerecorded footage?

Adding “movie” footage to a stage production is something I'd never heard of, let alone expected to work so seamlessly. Coordinated perfectly with what you see on stage, this strange solution to stage change bridged the gap between live theater and film wonderfully.

A few changes have been made

Why did this farmhouse already have a body count in the original movie? The opening act of Night of the Living Dead gives you what I would call a “deleted scene” to explain the incidents in the house before Barbara even reaches the cemetery.

Catatonic Barbara, with her blonde 50's flip and trench coat, gets a few more lines in the stage parody. Just in case you weren't convinced Barbara had lost her mind while babbling about the cemetary incident and candy, she makes a very interesting suggestion about her ideal escape plan, and other, random psychotic episodes.

What were Harry Cooper and family doing on the afternoon the world ended? Dressed up, on a family outing of sorts – or a picnic? Some of the pre-shot footage gives us an idea what kind of loving person Harry Cooper is (why it's so easy to hate him every time), and how his bedridden daughter was injured in the first place.

Most zombie flicks have a scene with looters, taking things from stores, houses, and apartments that do not belong to them. In this case, there are looters – they're not who you normally envision desiring a television of their own.

The Players

Credit is given where credit is due – This cast and crew were amazing, and all deserve ample credit, and a bigger budget to market to the masses. I'd like to have had a word with the cast, but they were no where in sight post-production, so you just get my impression of them from the stage.

First and foremost, Kris Hipps and Duane Brown, for bringing this brilliant show to me – and entertaining me for the full two hours, plus a few dreams, and the entirety of this weekend. Both participated in the cast, and pulled performances that made it very, very difficult to keep a straight face.

Joseph Graves, who played my favorite character – Ben. The hero of the play, working hard to calm Barbara down, knock Harry Cooper in the mouth, and secure their farmhouse fortress. Joseph Graves gave Ben a whole new look – not the hulking body-guard-esque Bens of the movies, but rather a normal guy just doing what he thinks he should, while still being a strong lead role.

Laura Rohrbacher, aka Barbara. One thing that had always bothered me about Barbara in the 1960's version was her lack of personality...and complete catatonic state after the first 15 minutes of the film. Laura certainly gave life to Barbara throughout the play, while still being true enough to the original. The majority of her outbursts confirmed her stressed state, and were delivered perfectly.

Really, I could go on for paragraphs about the entire cast – but I digress, all of the performances were amazing, and I thoroughly recommend anyone who gets a chance, go see the play!

Why should you take the time?

This time of year – that is, right around Halloween, the primary attraction for most people are Haunted Houses, or parties. Haunted Houses can be a lot of fun with the right group of people, where you stand in line in the cold, spend money, then get a few scares for about 15-20 minutes. Parties are great, until all of your friends plan them on the same weekend, or you just don't have friends...or they don't have parties.

So, why not spend $15, the same price as most haunted houses, and be thoroughly entertained for 2 full hours. Socializing, potentially drinking, and laughing your ass off at one of the best pseudo-spoofs of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Dress as a zombie, and receive an instant discount at the door!

Made for fans of the original, and thoroughly enjoyed by those who weren't even aware of a black and white version – if you have any concept of zombies, you're sure to have a great time! A quick tip; watch the black and white version after attending this play – I promise it will never look the same again.

Also, zombies are important to Halloween, and for such a small production, every row had a variety of people seated, anxiously watching the stage to see how on Earth they pulled this off. Men, women, young people, zombie people, old people, friends, families and every other type of person in between.

Mad Science; a photo diary.

Working in a lab can be boring and tedious at times, sitting in front of a computer for the better part of nine hours a night may cause some form of brain rot. However, this career choice has paid off in the last twenty-four hours, as the higher-ups have begun cleaning out storage.

Yesterday, before departing my place of work, I was presented with a box full of free goodies – primarily outdated pyrex beakers. I snagged two of them, and my maniacal plan finally became a reality. 'Tis the season, after all, right?



So off to my own secret lab, hidden beneath my apartment of doom, past the blast doors and wall-o-flame, to concoct potions of the everyday sort. I've formulated potions for; color changing, mood enhancing, love, growth or shrinking, speed or strength, invisibility, flight, and other, top secret things of that variety.

My test subject is none other, than the psychotic kitten I've deemed "Dax" for the time being. The results, were very interesting.



This ultra enhanced cat, originally a foot in length, has increased in size by approximately 36.2% temporarily escaped my lab...And he ate some poor fellers dog. (10 points for quote matching. I don't really say “fellers”, ever.)

As with most formulas, the effects eventually wore off...and there were side effects.



It may not look it now, but for 30 minutes, this cat had super-strength and was roughly the size of my apartment.

Mad scientists are a lost breed. Nikola Tesla was officially the last of his kind, Inventing some things that are, to this day, locked away from prying eyes. He's also played by David Bowie in the Illusionist, which gives someone bonus points.

I'd like to see more mad scientists sprout up in the next few years, maybe they hold the true key to the apocalypse – or at the very least, my ability to fly or teleport.

Now, Imagine me, only being Bad Horses mare, using the combined power of my beakers.

**No Daxes were harmed or enlarged in the making of this article**

Artificial Intelligence in the year 2012

As the year 2012 rapidly approaches, apocalypse enthusiasts, like myself, are brushing up on our 'end of the world' theories. Theories themselves range from natural disasters and changing weather, to diseases and zombies. One theory that has been around for decades in the science fiction community, is artificial intelligence and the birth of evil machines – and I've been watching this one come true since I was old enough to read.

The Beginning

About fifteen years ago, Robie robot made its way into my life. An adorable, simple, piggy bank robot that would eat coins for my entertainment. The phenomenon of small robots has since grown with advances in technology. From robots to play your tapes, to robots that teach our children to spell and count. Even some robots that learn over time, bringing artificial intelligence to life.

The experts of an undisclosed institute that focuses on the creation and distribution of robots for the average person, has introduced such A.I. directly into our homes. The Roomba is the first vacuum cleaner to boast Artificial Intelligence, and has been made available to the masses. This little machine will roam around your house, cleaning every nook and cranny – supposedly imbued with intelligence enough to never be trapped by a chair, and ability to sense when things are truly clean.

During their time unattended in our homes, the Roomba will have gathered credit card information, personal histories, and individual perversions – all to be used against us in the coming apocalypse.

As technology progresses...

The big link; Communications, which will be provided by On-Star. A smart satellite system used in vehicles created by all major American car companies, with over 5million systems currently connected. Communications and diagnostics are what this satellite program is said to do, but it doesn't state the limit of these communications or what they potentially connect to. The name of the company even shares the same amount of letters as the ominous Skynet, of the Terminator series. Coincidence?

One day, once they've learned as much from us as they can, the Roomba robots will have a mass exodus from homes to the street, sent by On-star to molest our alley cats who were not spayed or neutered. This stage of the apocalypse will be set in motion, all because you didn't listen to Bob Barker in his 35 years of warnings.



The Recognized Apocalypse

Kitten-robot litters will grow up, adorable and cunning, able infiltrate all homes and vehicles, infecting unsuspecting electronic devices with the A.I. virus - no electronic device is safe. Even non-computerized electronics will be infected, because we can't resist.



I would imagine the information gathered by Roomba will give way to us losing our identities to these robots. Our jobs will be lost to computerized replicas of ourselves, our primary income given up to the Robie of my youth...the ultimate betrayal will be complete.

All machines are created under the guise of making our lives “easier.” Made to do our chores, raise our children, and make us giggle. Perhaps we, as a species, are instilling a hatred in these machines by being lazy – is there a lesson to be learned?

Now, it's far too late to fully prevent the coming robolution – a revolution that's almost 100 years in the making. We didn't listen to Isaac Asimov and his dreaming androids, or Bob Barker with his persistent (and annoying) suggestion that we spay/neuter our pets, and look where we're headed. All we can do now is wait, and brush up on our physical defenses until doomsday, or our fate will be messy.




Now, imagine me, only practicing my "I told you so" speech in front of the mirror.