I originally played (and reviewed) Oxenfree back in 2016, it seems. Hard to believe it was four years ago, it is still quite fresh in my mind and indeed I remember it with some fondness. I am surprised, then, on re-reading my original review to find I had been less enthusiastic than I remember. My […]
Strange Days
I suppose if there is one silver glimmer to be seen for me in the dark clouds roiling our planet right now, it is that I have the time to look at the site again. I will try to build the habit to update at least semi-regularly.
Life is Strange…also unfair? [Spoilers]
In a very simplistic assessment, Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange has a similar set of design points to one of its most obvious (and indeed acknowledged) influences, the classic 90s TV show Twin Peaks. With Life is Strange, it starts with a disappearance rather than a murder, but it is the investigation into the missing […]
Reviews – an update
I’ve been lax about updating the site here for a terrible length of time. I also dropped off in terms of reviewing horror games. I see that the last game review I posted here was Kraven Manor. This reminds me I should find out if the college-created developer Demon Wagon is doing anything else. I […]
Phew….quite a year
My main career as a forensic investigator still exists. As anyone who reads the news can conclude, it’s a rather volatile world right now. More time spent on the road, living in hotel rooms, on planes. I would say the one thing I’ve gained from this period is understanding how important it is to keep […]
Kraven Manor – game review
Kraven Manor started out life as a graduate project assigned to 13 students at Southern Methodist University in the US. It was of sufficient quality it built up momentum, winning two Intel University awards, is in the top 100 games over at Indie DB, and finally, following much polishing, was released on Steam by newly-formed Demon Wagon Studios. Having played through twice, I can say this attention and kudos is well-deserved, as this is a well-executed and highly atmospheric title, if perhaps inevitably a little brief […]
Short and shorter: new technology reviving old traditions
I must confess I was more than a little skeptical about Twitter. I’m one of those people that, when sending an SMS, insists on writing each word in full and punctuating the darned thing. I didn’t think I would be able to communicate much of interest in 140 characters or less, I think there must […]
The Evil Within – Review
For those of you who don’t know, the director of The Evil Within is Shinji Mikami, who created the original Biohazard/Resident Evil. This has been at the core of a lot of preview articles in the media, as he not only created the series but revived its fortunes when he assumed directorial duties on Biohazard/Resident Evil 4, regarded by many as the pinnacle of the series. These credentials are touted with the greatest of expectations that with The Evil Within he would reinvent ‘Survival Horror’ for the new generation of games consoles […]
Lifeless Planet Review
Hey you. Yes, you, at the back. I see you there, hopping from foot-to-foot, so full of your own humour you’re about to burst. Go on, get it out of your system.
“Walking Simulator 3000! Hurr hurr hurr!”
OK, good, now we’ve got that out of the way, perhaps the adults can continue. […]
Horror Gaming: Murdered Soul Suspect
There is a certain type of person who is going to see Murdered Soul Suspect as an enjoyable and above-average cat simulator with an unnecessary murder-mystery attached to it. There are a number of parts of the game which require taking control of fearless and athletic felines, and these play rather well. I also suspect that one or more of the developers have kitties at home due to the attention which has gone into these sections, including the addition of a “meow” button. I can honestly say I was enormously entertained by this, meowing like a maniac as I zoomed through church air conditioning vents, annoyed repair men, and jumped all over old ladies trying to give their daughters marital advice.[…]