The final part of my “31 Nights of Halloween” special for 2020 comes to an end. This was a pretty cool year, all things considering. I got to play a few games on PC which I never really play on. I played a few on XBox as well which was also since I’m really a PlayStation guy. All systems had some really good games and some were mediocre. My personal favorites this year was “Left 4 Dead”, “2Dark”, “Zombie Army 4”, “Silent Hill 3” and last but certainly not least “Camp Sunhine”.
Halloween will always be my favorite holiday with Christmas being just slightly second. It was great playing new horror games and revisting old ones. So let’s get this in the bag so we can go to our Halloween parties and sneak in some trick or treating while we end the night with a horror game or film!
Night 20
Title Evil Dead: Regeneration
System Played On – PlayStation 2
Horror Sub Genre – Horror Comedy
Developed by Cranky Pants Games
Published by THQ
Released – 2005
Overall Rating 7 out of 10
Dismemberment Meter 10 out of 10
In a what if situation, Ash is charged with the murders of his friends after the horrifying events in the cabin. His story of fighting for his life against supernatural possessed people is lacking in credibility and he is put in a mental institution. He must break free and stop the evil once and for all.
I really enjoyed “The Evil Dead” films (which includes Army of Darkness” and the TV series “Ash VS Evil Dead” I did my high school film project on “The Evil Dead 2” for my film class and got an A+. “Evil Dead: Hail to the King” on PlayStation was an absolute mess but I did enjoy the “Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick” which was on the PlayStation 2. I picked up this game on release day and enjoyed the campy comedy and loads of gore.
The game takes place in an alternate reality from the original trilogy, depicting what would have happened if Ash did not get sent back in time at the end of the film Evil Dead 2. This time around Ash as a side kick and he’s annoying but that’s the point. Like some hack ‘n slash games the combat can get repetitive, especially facing the same enemies throughout the entire game. If you’re an “Evil Dead” fan this is right up your alley but it might not be enjoyable if you aren’t.
Night 21
Title Five Nights at Freddy’s
System Played On – PC
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Cranky Pants Games
Published by THQ
Released – 2014
Overall Rating 6 out of 10
Animatronics Meter 10 out of 10
You are the night guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a Chuck-E-Cheese styled family restaurant. As the night progresses you are stalked by five animatronic characters looking to kill you.
I played this game years after everyone raved about it. My boy Marlon and his son Julian played this game and told me to try it out since they enjoyed it. With all the hype over and never really watching anyone play it I decided to give it a go. I had no idea how the gameplay was, I just knew that I’m an overnight security guard not trying to get murdered by possessed animatronics.
The gameplay is reminiscent of “Night Trap”, you have to watch monitors to insure that the animatronics are in there proper spot. Every time you turn on a light or close a door you drain the battery. Once you have no batter left your basically dead. This happened to me on night three and I got such a huge jump scare that I actually screamed, farted and fell off my chair. The only issue with the game is that once you know what to do the game becomes mundane. However it’s still a pretty cool concept and a very challenging game.
Night 22
Title Hunter: The Reckoning
System Played On – XBox
Horror Sub Genre – Action Horror
Developed by High Voltage Software
Published by Interplay Entertainment
Released – 2002
Overall Rating 7 out of 10
Vampire Meter 10 out of 10
You have been chosen to join the reckoning, to step into the World of Darkness where humanity is ravaged by vampires and marauding monsters. As a Hunter, you are immune to these beasts’ illusions, but with your power comes a daunting destiny; to destroy these evil beings before mankind is massacred.
Me and my boy Alex were in Toys ‘R Us (remember that place) on central ave as we planned to get some hotdogs and play arcade games at Nathan’s Arcade. We were looking in the video game section and they had so many sales. Alex saw “Hunter: The Reckoning” liked the cover and bought it. We hit up the arcade and then went to his house to try out the new game.
To our surprise it was actually a four player hack ‘n slash. Each character had their own pros and cons and there were creatures everywhere. Pretty much every creature and monster including vampires were in this game. Though not necessarily scary at all there was blood and a few beheadings. The action was pretty intense and challenging and we really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for an action packed horror themed hack ‘n slash then this is for you.
Night 23
Title Devotion
System Played On – PC
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Red Candle Games
Published by Red Candle Games
Released – 2019
Overall Rating 9 out of 10
Cult Religious Meter 10 out of 10
Depicting the life of a family shadowed by religious belief. Explore as a 1980s Taiwan apartment-complex lost in time as it gradually shifts into a hellish nightmare. Delve into the vows each member of the family has made, and witness their devotion.
Before I even get into this review I want to let you guys know that this game is no longer available. The Chinese government has taken away the license for the game so it can no longer be downloaded. I don’t know if it’s possible to emulate or get a bootleg copy but you can try. It was taken down for political reasons which I won’t get into on here but I’m really happy my friend Mike had a copy and I got to play it.
Devotion really was a fantastic game, the atmospheric horror sounding the house was absolutely intense that it remined me of “P.T.”. It definitely had an uneasy feeling especially when talking to your family. The house is the horror show as it comes to life taking you to different events of your life. For example, the hospital scene, even though it’s a hospital it’s cleverly designed as your house. The attention to detail is amazing as every part of the house feels lived in.
The radio in the serves up more chills as it plays various radio broadcasts giving you more insight on the events playing out. I highly recommend playing with headphones as the sound design is simply a haunting experience. Notes, pictures and family items play a part in learning what is happening too. All three family members have a good storyline and in the three hour game a lot of detail and extremely horrific and truly sad events happen that make you want more. Unfortunately, it seems that no one will ever get a chance to play this again.
Night 24
Title Bendy and the Ink Machine
System Played On – Switch
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by The Meatly Games
Published by Rooster Teeth Games
Released – 2018
Overall Rating 9 out of 10
Demon Meter 10 out of 10
Henry Stein, a retired animator, returns to his old animation studio “Joey Drew Studios” from the 1930s after an invitation from his old employer Joey Drew, and discovers a nightmare of cartoon characters seemingly brought to life by the titular Ink Machine.
I’ve always enjoyed the art style from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, especially comic art and pin ups. When I saw the artwork for “Bendy and the Ink Machine” I was immediately drawn to it (see what I did there). It’s was described as a survival horror game so that also sold me on buying the game.
Hidden behind the cute designs are demonic beings trying to kill you. The story line was very interesting and it intrigued me all the way through. I actually enjoyed finding the collectables as they gave even more hints to the story. There were some poor design choices and frustrating areas that could have been scraped altogether. Much like “Alan Wake” the cliffhangers in each episode made me want to jump to the next one ASAP. Though not as scary as I thought it would be I still recommend this one as the mythology of “Bendy” is very interesting especially that ending!
Night 25
Title Cold Fear
System Played On – PlayStation 2
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Darkworks
Published by Ubisoft
Released – 2005
Overall Rating 8 out of 10
Creatures on Ship Meter 10 out of 10
In a ferocious Arctic storm, distress signals are sent from a mysterious Russian whaler. As leading Coast Guard veteran Tom Hansen, you board to investigate and discover unthinkable horrors lurking beneath the ship’s bloodstained decks.
I heard about this game when it was first released but sadly forgotten about it due to “Resident Evil 4”. I can see why people over looked it because at first glance it’s pretty much a “Resident Evil 4” clone just based on a ship. However I find that not really fair as the game is pretty good but I can clearly see the inspiration it took from it. I first played this game back in 2016, a good eleven years later after its release and thought it was pretty good.
The developers did a really good job in creating all the animations to make you feel like you are actually on a ship. This makes the gameplay unique as you have to deal with the tossing of the ship. Its a story driven game with lots to explore but the lack of a mini-map can make back tracking difficult especially since the corridors of the ship all look similar. It has a decent amount of gore and a few slight scares to surprise you. It can be pretty generic but the short length helps push the story and action along. If you haven’t played this I recommend it!
Night 26
Title State of Decay
System Played On – XBox 360
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Undead Labs
Published by Mircosoft Studios
Released – 2013
Overall Rating 8 out of 10
Zombie Management Meter 10 out of 10
Three Trumbull Valley residents find that the world has degenerated into a zombie apocalypse.
“State of Decay” is much more than just another zombie apocalypse game, it’s really an RPG. My friend Alex bought this and hated it and I loved it. I actually borrowed his original XBox when he went on vacation with his family and played it the entire time. He expected an all out action zombie game but got a “boring ass game where people die permanently” those were his exact words.
If you thought getting attacked by zombies was stressful, imagine dealing with A.I. partners who have their own pros and cons and managing how they can help out the community that you are creating! Your partners and even your character can die and once they do its over for that character, doesn’t matter how high their level was, it’s a wrap Jack. You have to build, defend, search, feed and manage personalities and your building structure from hordes of zombies. It’s a very cool concept that isn’t a typical kill all the zombies game. I highly recommend this on and looking forward to the third game in the franchise!
Night 27
Title Dead Space 2
System Played On – PlayStation 3
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Visceral Game
Published by Electronic Arts
Released – 2011
Overall Rating 8 out of 10
Dismemberment Meter 10 out of 10
Set three years after the events of the first game, Isaac Clarke takes on a new necromorph outbreak on the Sprawl, a space station surrounding a shard of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.
After burning my mouth, neck and chest with coffee at the ending of the original game, I was absolutely ready for the second game. The first game had lots of horror and loads of gore and dismembered body parts. Part 2 adds to that but now with a haunted Issac, who is becoming unhinged from events the events of the first game and dealing with the death of his wife, which is a heavy burden for him.
Isaac’s internal struggles is really what makes this game stand out for me. Yes, your killing loads of necromorphs but also witnessing Issac lose his sanity. If I can describe a film to best represents these two games it’s “Alien” and “Aliens”, one is a slow paced intense game of cat and mouse and the other is a gruesome action oriented fright fest. “Dead Space 2” loads up on action as you are fighting for your life as soon as the opening scene begins. It improves upon the first game and builds its own personality as well. This is definitely a game I recommend.
Night 28
Title Zombie Army 4
System Played On – PlayStation 4
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Rebellion Developments
Published by Rebellion Developments
Released – 2018
Overall Rating 8 out of 10
Nazi Zombie Meter 10 out of 10
Set in the year 1946, one year after Adolf Hitler was defeated by the Resistance and banished to hell.
This was the first time playing the “Zombie Army” games, it’s a spin off of the “Sniper Elite” franchise. Normally I would like to start at the beginning but “Zombie Army 4” was on sale for a cool ten dollars so I couldn’t resist. I got my boy Marlon and his son Julian to hop on the train and gun down Nazi zombies!
This was a really fun co-op game, each character had their own pros and cons as did the various weapons in your arsenal. It was awesome seeing the bullet shoot out from your rifle as you followed it through various body parts of the zombies, including the balls! The hoard mode was fun too as with each round it levels up the intensity to see how long you can last. I got the platinum (203) and even completed the season one DLC and even though it was more of the same I still enjoyed it. I highly recommend getting a buddy and enjoying this game.
Night 29
Title 2Dark
System Played On – PlayStation 4
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Gloomywood
Published by Bigben Interactive
Released – 2017
Overall Rating 7 out of 10
Serial Killers Meter 10 out of 10
A former detective named Mr. Smith travels to the town of Gloomywood to solve a mystery involving disappearing children.
This game has some serious subject matter. It involves missing/kidnapped children that can actually die extremely gruesome deaths by the enemies and even by you!
I really didn’t know what to expect when I decided to play this game. I figured it was similar to “Lone Survivor” and “Darkwood” which it was gameplay wise but definitely not subject matter. I remember saving children from Jason Voorhees in “Friday the 13th” on NES. If you didn’t save them they would just disappeared from the map this doesn’t happen in “2Dark” as the children suffer an extreme fate if you don’t save them.
Subject matter aside its a stealth based game but the stealth doesn’t work to well. It also has lots of needless trial and error parts and if you die your back at the beginning of the level so manual save often. The game might be too dark both literally and figuratively but I enjoyed the story, gameplay and art design especially the collectables. I can’t recommend this to everyone one but if you can stand the dark subject matter, give it a try.
Night 30
Title Silent Hill 3
System Played On – PlayStation 2
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Konami
Published by Konami
Released – 2003
Overall Rating 9 out of 10
Cult Meter 10 out of 10
The third installment in the “Silent Hill” series and a direct sequel to the original game, follows Heather, a teenager who becomes entangled in the machinations of the town’s cult, which seeks to revive a malevolent deity.
I loved the original “Silent Hill” and “Silent Hill 2” and while “Silent Hill 3” might not be as good part 2, part 3 is still a phenomenal game. I would even go as far as saying they are on the same level! Heather Mason is a great character with an awesome story especially since it deals with her coming of age into adulthood. There are lots of underlying subplots with Heather that you might over look but pregnancy and abortion are just a few examples.
The characters themselves are all quite memorable and they have finely tuned stories as well. The visuals are down right creepy and the music is one of the best soundtracks of all time. It really sets the mood for the odd and bizarre world thats unfolding in front of us and Heather. Whilr there is a cult presence it seems as though it questions and attacks religion towards the end of the story. One of the scariest moments definitely was the mannequin room as the lights and music really amp it up. “Silent Hill 3” can be talked about for hours but its better if you just play it to understand it. I highly recommend it!
Halloween Night
Title Camp Sunshine
System Played On – PC
Horror Sub Genre – Survival Horror
Developed by Fossil Games
Published by Fossil Games
Released – 2016
Overall Rating 9 out of 10
Horror Ode Meter 10 out of 10
A 16-bit blood soaked horror RPG that pits you as Jez, who is dropped off at Summer Camp. He awakes in the middle of the night to discover blood everywhere, a rampaging killer on the loose dressed in a mascot costume and himself involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse!
I was pleasantly surprised playing this game and I’m very happy that my boy Mike let me play it in his house. It’s definitely an ode to horror games, films and fans. There were so many Easter eggs throughout the game and every time I saw one it brought back memories. The 16-bit style works really well at it looks and plays like “Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” and “Earthbound”.
The “Jason” inspired stalker can literally appear directly behind you which can give you a good scare but for veterans of horror nothing is too scary. The game isn’t long which is good as some horror games tend to go past their welcome but I also wish it was a but longer. Simplistic controls and gameplay actually help this game in my opinion as you feel very comfortable with the controls and gameplay. I definitely recommend this one as there is plenty of horror homages for us horror fans!
This concludes my 2020, “31 Nights of Halloween” Happy Halloween!
The Chronicles of a Gamer 