I’m hustling to put this feature together as poor Brad tries to finish the last few levels of DOOM II, an exercise one can only imagine will end in tears. Then again, I would have said that about the last Breaking Brad, and he managed to prove me wrong that time.
Watching Brad play DOOM II, though, reminds me about my family’s first PC. After we got one in house, my dad and I went to the CompUSA (that sounds right, anyway) and there just happened to be a giant demon standee for the launch of DOOM II. I’m not sure what I managed to say to convince him that buying DOOM II was a good idea, but we went home with the game and I was obsessed.
I was not, however, obsessed with playing the game correctly. If my memory’s accurate, most of that game was played with godmode on nonstop, noclip cranked to the max--and it was still a total blast. It’s too bad most games have forgotten what it’s like to hand over complete control to the player. Our desire to make sure the player feels or acts a certain way has forced us to lose something in the process. The days of cheat codes, GameSharks, and other hacks fostered a certain exploration we no longer have, and I suspect it's gone forever.
Oh, and by the way, I’ve put my list of Shocktober movies for Halloween 2012 at the bottom. Enjoy!
Hey, You Should Play These
- Demon Decimator by Pixeluslar (Browser, Free) -- www.newgrounds.com
Too many games featured here at Worth Reading fall into two categories: horror and platformers. That’s just where my personal interest have fallen lately, but I realize not everyone is as into those types of games as yours truly. I’m going to make a genuine effort to feature different types of games in the coming weeks, so if you have any suggestions or sources for new, weird games, shoot me a message. For this week, we have Demon Decimator, which is a fun puzzler that won’t cost you a dime on Newgrounds, and feels right in the spirit of hell on earth.
- Skylight by Moment Studio (PC, Mac, Browser / $2.50) -- www.momentstudio.co.nz
...then again, I can’t say I’m going to completely leave platformers behind, either. There isn’t much to Skylight, at least in the demo, but I’m fascinated by developers attempting to solve the problem of platforming making sense in first-person. It’s a testament to Skylight that I was freely jumping from space to space in moments. Mostly, though, it makes me desperately want to replay Mirror’s Edge, which is a game I should really get around to playing again.
And You Should Read This, Too
- "Reality Check: The Truth About 'Perverted' Japanese Games" by Jeremy Parish for 1UP
Giant Bomb is as guilty as any other section of the Western gaming press for painting Japanese game development with a broad brush of ignorance. For the most part, it’s because their games simply do not appeal to many of us anymore, but then stuff like Tokyo Jungle comes around and I’m reminded what attracted me to the Japanese design sensibility in the first place. I’m convinced much of Japan’s AAA development has been wildly distracted by trying to appeal to a worldwide audience, but one attribute that comes up time and time again is the overtly sexual wide of Japanese video games. I can’t claim much familiarity with it, only that I look at it with the same eyeroll as most others do. Thankfully, we have writers like Jeremy Parish around to enlighten us on what’s happening behind the veil.
If You Click It, It Will Play
I Don’t Know About This Kickstarter Thing, But These Projects Seem Pretty Cool
- I'm not much of an RTS guy, but people seem pretty stoked by this Nexus 2 campaign.
- Someday Square Enix will remake Final Fantasy VI, but this remix complication will suffice for now.
- Given the first Presidential debate is next week, a board game about politics seems apt.
Valve Just Launched Greenlight, So Here’s Some Games That Don’t Look Terrible
- Maybe this is why Valve is looking to clamp down on Steam Greenlight submissions.
- I loved the first Octodad, so I'm a firm believer in the sequel, and it's amazing subtitle.
- I'm a sucker for a platformer with a clever gimmick, and Contrast has exactly that.
And This Other Stuff, Too
- If you're looking for a sweet list of great indie games released in 2012, your prayers are answered.
- Speaking of indie games, Indie Royale has revealed its Oktoberfest lineup, and it's spectacular.
- Cable companies heavily investing in cloud gaming would be a huge move against consoles.
- Yeah, Nintendo Power is going away, but not without saying goodbye first.
- The New York Times reviews Papo & Yo, and I'm not talking about those repurposed Kotaku reviews.
- Insomniac Games releases the entire design document for a long-cancelled game.
- There are some recreations of Portal turrets, and then one made by the folks at WETA.
- Looks like Asura's Wrath 2 might be coming our way, and I'm already prepared to burst.
- Even though it didn't hit its Kickstarter goal, Beneath a Steel Sky 2 is still happening. Yes!
- Gaming legend Raph Koster weighs in on the question of wanting to become a game designer.
- Some bots from UT 2004 apparently passed the turing test, which is amazing.
- A Pokemon cartoon inspired the military to develop a gun. No, seriously.
Here's Your Official Lineup for Shocktober 2012
Every year, my wife and I try to cram in roughly 31 movies throughout October. We usually only end up making it through 20 or so, but the goal is 30, and it's fun to aspire in celebration of The Greatest Holiday. I've seen everything, which is why some stuff on here is pretty obscure. I try to strike a balance between oldies that I've either forgotten (The Shining) or somehow missed out on (The Lady in White), while also exploring the best of what other countries have to offer. I've noticed that the UK and Spain have been churning out the best horror the past few years, including Them and [rec]. If you want, here's last year's list, complete with trailers. I'll do something similar for this list soon.
This list is not in any viewing order. Enjoy as you see fit!
- The Children
- Pontypool
- Kill List
- The Loved Ones
- Angel Heart
- Videodrome
- Quarantine 2
- Behind the Mask: The Rise of Lesile Vernon
- The Monster Squad
- The Shining
- Event Horizon
- Cabin in the Woods
- The Squad
- Tokyo Gore Police
- Cemetery Man
- The Killer Condom
- Human Centipede 2
- Pet Sematary
- Woman
- The Lady in White
- Mother's Day
- Who Can Kill a Child?
- Father's Day
- Beyond the Black Rainbow
- Grave Encounters
- Lake Placid
- Frontiers
- Dead Heat
- Pandorum
- Paranormal Activity 4
- Sinister