While plenty of indie developers have captured the essence of survival horror as it was on the original PlayStation, far fewer have managed to do so with the PlayStation 2 era of the sub-genre. This was arguably the peak of it at the time. Those few precious years, before the impact of Resident Evil 4 […]
Author: Neil Bolt
[Review] ‘Quake’ Remains a Stellar Dark Fantasy Shooter, 25 Years On
As with the rerelease of any game celebrating more than a decade’s worth of birthdays, I went into this remastered version of Quake; the iconic, important evolution of the first-person shooter, fearing it may have been dulled by the cruel swing of time. Thankfully, I feel foolish for ever doubting it. Quake still rules 25 […]
[Review] A Bewitching Atmosphere Can’t Save ‘Yuoni’ From Tired ‘Run and Hide’ Gameplay
Given the wealth of folklore, mythology, and the like there is to choose from, it’s starting to get a little underwhelming when yet another horror game selects cursed ghost kid/woman as its vessel. More so when the game itself ends up being another dose of ‘hide while defenseless’. Tricore Inc’s Yuoni is both of those […]
[Exclusive] Classic Hardcore Action-Adventure PC Game ‘Blade of Darkness’ Returns This October
More than 20 years on from its original release, the bloody, brutal action-adventure game Blade of Darkness is making a return to PC with an updated version. Blade of Darkness‘ legacy can be seen in a wide variety of modern games, from Darksiders to Dark Souls, with its Dark Fantasy setting and challenging gameplay helping […]
The ‘Back 4 Blood’ Open Beta Shows Brief Gimpses of the Magic of ‘Left 4 Dead’
Done well, mowing down hordes of undead with friends has a good shot at replicating a high many have been chasing since Left 4 Dead 2. Still, to actually get something even remotely close to that magical concoction has proven to be elusive. In a way, the Back 4 Blood Open Beta (read our previous […]
[‘Dead Rising’ at 15] Why Capcom Needs to Give its Goofy Zombie Series Another Shot
A successful series usually occurs when a creator knows what its best qualities are, and builds on them or twists them into new and exciting ways. Capcom in particular has shown that in recent years with the revitalization of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, but it’s important to note that before that, both series […]
[Review] ‘Jupiter Hell’ Makes Ripping and Tearing a Tactical Turn-Based Affair
When I first started playing PC games, DOOM II and X-COM were among the first things I got into, shaping my gaming tastes for years after. Now more than two decades on, I’m only just playing a game that combines aspects of the two? ChaosForge’s Jupiter Hell hopes to be better late than never as […]
[Review] ‘Chernobylite’ Brings the Haunting Exclusion Zone to Life, But Supernatural Flavoring Leaves a Sour Taste
The fascination with nuclear apocalypse as a form of horror is understandable given how the threat of it lingers in the background of our own lives as silent and menacing as radiation itself. The harrowing impact of a radioactive disaster can be seen in gut-punching films such as When the Wind Blows, where the terror […]
[Preview] ‘Tormented Souls’ Brings Authentic PS2-era Survival Horror to Modern Consoles and PC
The PlayStation 2 era of survival horror was arguably the peak of the sub-genre as it was. Those few precious years, before the impact of Resident Evil 4 shifted the goalposts, housed memorable cult favorites such as ObScure, Rule of Rose, and Haunting Ground, as well as the more noted classics of the generation such […]