HORROR GAMING. SOME OTHER STUFF.

 Holding Up The Universe - Jennifer Niven I recently had read this book, because I had accidentally bought the wrong book, (I wanted All The Bright Places). I am not going back to buy it.  LIGHT SPOILER WARNING Holding Up The Universe has America's Fattest Teen (and God does she let us know it) Libby Strout go to a public school after spending much of her education homeschooled. Jack Masselin tries to jump on her back for some reason, in an attempt to play "Fat Girl Rodeo" and the rest is history. Oh and Jack can't recognise faces. The start of the book was strong, but it was just so meh in the middle, and I can't even remember the ending, despite finishing it a week ago.  The two protagonists have no personality traits other than 'fat' and 'can't recognise anybody'. Okay I'm exaggerating, but seriously, it's a really bad case with Libby. I know why she would mention it a lot, but like I feel like she has bigger problems to deal with, o

 Games Like Silent Hill 2 In light of Silent Hill 2's Remake coming soon, I decided to compile a whole list of recommendations of games like it, before realising, wow, Silent Hill 2 is a very unique game. I don't give up however, so here's a list of games with similar aspects/ vibes. Similar Focus on Characters: Rule of Rose - This takes place in 1930s England, giving the player control of Jennifer, who becomes trapped in a game of hierarchy. Like Silent Hill 2, Rule of Rose focuses on the trauma of its characters, more specifically Jennifer. It also has very janky combat, and very outdated controls, but the story is definitely worth it. Now, a physical copy of the game costs a lot (PAL version costs around £500 and upwards), but you can emulate it or even watch a playthrough on YouTube. The CGI cutscenes are stunning, and the music is top tier, albeit there not being much of it. Console: PS2 The Suffering - In this game, you take control of Torc, who is on death row for ki

 Silent Hill 2 Remake - Hopes and Fears Now, I don't want to sound like a Negative Nancy, but I both have high hopes, but also very massive doubts on the handling of the cult classic. I don't believe that Konami would let Bloober Team mess the 'official coming back' of the franchise, but Bloober Team's track record isn't exactly the best. Along with the remake, it'd be pretty cool to get a port of the original on modern consoles. Being a massive fan of the series, I have decided to compile a list of what I hope they improve upon in the game, and what I hope they don't change (minimal changes at the most). Hopes - This is a definite change coming to the remake, but apparently there will be improved combat. I didn't mind the combat too much in the original; it kind of added to the survival aspect as James isn't necessarily a battle genius. I would love for some improvement to be made however, because in the original, it was rather difficult to be a

  Video Games Where Gender Matters One thing I really enjoy in games is where the choices you make matter, but only a few have gone so far to make the choice of gender alter the game. Here's a list of games (that I will consistently update) where gender matters. RPGs: Dragon Age Origins Dragon Age Inquisition (Only in Romance Options) Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic II Mount&Blade: Warband Mass Effect 1 - 3 (Mostly in the Romance Options, but some see differences in Shepard's personality) Cyberpunk 2077 (Only in Romance Options) Fallout Fallout 2 Fallout New Vegas (Differing Dialogue) Divinity: Original Sin 2 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Jade Empire Baldur's Gate series Horror: Resident Evil  Resident Evil 2 (You will eventually have to play both genders to complete the whole game) JRPGs: Rune Factory 4 Persona 3 Portable Fire Emblem Awakening (Only in Romance Options, and Classes) Fire Emblem Fates   (Only in Romance Options, and Classes

 Resident Evil Zero - Review The two protagonists: Rebecca and Billy. Serving as a prequel to the beloved classic, Resident Evil Zero was first released on the GameCube as an exclusive, before being ported more modern consoles, such as PS4. Despite being a mainline entry to the most popular horror game franchise, there are an extreme amount of fans whom haven't played it. As someone who is playing through the series, I played Zero right after the first game, and saw that it improved a lot on the original, and is even one of my favourite games of all time. Of course, that doesn't mean it's without its issues. Minor spoilers upcoming, (nothing about the story, only setting changes). Pros The train setting is an extremely unique place to have the characters explore, and it help creates a more claustrophobic atmosphere for the characters. It also allows for more strategic survival, as you have to manage your limited supplies - which has to be shared between two characters at th

The Marketisation Of Horror Gaming: Mascot Horror. Horror as a genre has always been a niche, since like forever. Not everyone likes being scared, which makes it extremely hard for horror games specifically to earn as much money, as their, let's say, action counterparts. But when there is a will, there is a way, thus came the beauty of mascot horror. Personally, the most noticeable start to this subgenre, was the Slenderman game (that came out in 2011 I believe?). However, the biggest Mascot Horror, which in turn, started a strain of copy-cat games, is Five Nights at Freddie's. The first game in the series has an interesting premise, where you are a security guard in a pizzeria, full of animatronics. The game is essentially a jump-scare simulator, but garnered so much attention from YouTubers, it became one of, if not the most, successful indie horror game of all time. Just months later, a sequel came out as well as several copycats trying to ride on its success. So why did it