16-bit Gory Glory!

 

Bitmob posted a fun article last week about some of the more shocking horrors found in games before the advent of the ESRB. They have singled out six games that brought us pre-ratings gore the way only 16-bits can, complete with their favorite screens--just like the one above. Enjoy!

Aliens Infestation? Yeah, I jumped.

Just played my first session of the new Nintendo DS game Aliens Infestation. It looks to be another 2-D masterpiece by WayForward. So far, I can tell you this game comes loaded with what you want as an Alien fan, if you are in the mood for some old school 2-D fun.

WayForward has proven themselves to be something of an expert in the modern 2-D game, and has made some interesting titles in recent years, including a little game they are bringing us in March that you may have heard about, Silent Hill: Book of Memories.

Sure, the chills in Alien films are nothing new (we've all seen the movies, right?), but with some headphones and no distractions, you'll still jump at the orchestrated time. There is definitely some classic panic gameplay here, especially if you stumble into the wrong room at the wrong time like I did. Alien Queen + Pulse Rifle = Quick End.

Its bargain priced at $29.99 MSRP, so there is really no reason not to pick it up if you have access to a Nintendo DS or 3DS. While you're at it, pick up WayForward's 2-D Thor: God of Thunder for DS as well (make sure it is the DS version)--it was the good one.

Train with the B.P.R.D.

In case you missed it, you can now train to be a member of the B.P.R.D. in real life.

As a parent, I have read for years about Summer camps that served up Harry Potter and Percy Jackson themes to facilitate engagement and learning in children, but this is a whole other ball of wax. Targeted at families and groups, for collective learning, you can build your survival skills, tactical problems solving, and solve mysteries in this training camp that is actually sponsored by Dark Horse Comics.

Personally, I don't camp. Never have, never will. Except in Call of Duty (why do they have a sniper gun if they don't want you to camp?). This however, I might be able to get behind.

Plug in your dead

I've been looking for a picture of this thing since the press release hit January 9. Thanks to this fine gentleman, I finally found what seems to be a package mock-up, that was likely featured at CES earlier this month.

Jakks Pacific, home of plastic Smurfs, Hello Kitty toys, Pokemon plushes, and the brilliant thing known as Plug it in & Play TV Games, announced January 9 they would bring us a Plug & Play game featuring The Walking Dead. Announced at CES 2012, Jakks is repurposing their Big Buck Hunter technology to bring us the Teen rated joy of shooting walking corpses, while tethered to your television, just like Rick Grimes does on your favorite TV show.

I have always had a soft spot for Plug & Plays, as they were a gateway device to introduce my kids to video games. I hope they can do the license justice.

EDIT Jan. 24: I Ran across this pic of Shane, actor Jon Bernthal, with what looks to be the model of the gun from the front of the mocked-up package. The "in use" picture of the teen with the plastic shotgun is likely from a Big Buck Hunter photoshoot, just with digitally recolored plastic. Its interesting to note that Jakks has moved this controller away from neon green and hunter orange to a more neutral blue, and has upgraded its form factor to a more realistic design.

I imagine they won't be using too many images of zombies on the packaging. The game's Teen rating should ensure its placement within the toy aisles of Walmart, alongside the latest SpongeBob  Plug & Play.

Lego Hill

GGS Gamer has always done a good job of keeping their finger on the pulse of the survival horror game genre. They are a sister site of Silent Hill Heaven after all.

One of their recent findings is a short little Silent Hill Brickfilm that plays out the opening sequence of the first Silent Hill. Its funny how chilling the first monster encounter can be in Lego, as long as it is accompanied by Yamaoka's effective audio tracks.

Fatal Frame starts taking pictures on the 3DS

You never quite know what Nintendo will do, do you? Nintendo of America abandoned the well pedigreed Fatal Frame game made for the Wii, created by the illustrious Grasshopper Manufacture that debuted in Japan in 2008, leaving most fans hanging. More industrious fans jumped at the fan translation that takes advantage of the Wii's SD card slot.

Rumors still swirl around another Wii release, but I think it is safe to assume it will never hit US shores.

Then, when news broke about an upcoming 3DS Fatal Frame title, I figured this one would be a miss as well. As usual, I am wrong. Nintendo is partnering with Tecmo Koei to release the game under the title Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir in Spring of 2012 here in the States.

Now my only remaining question is, how will Nintendo market this Teen rated game in the US? Let's keep our fingers crossed that they do this right.

Nintendo finally unleashes the demos

Clockwise from top left: Lit, Rage of the Gladiator,
Zombie Panic in Wonderland, World of Goo

Got a Wii? You probably do. Do you use it much? That likely depends on your age and whether or not you use Netflix or the Homebrew Channel. Well, it looks like Nintendo wants you to pick up your Wiimote again, because they finally unleashed all of their WiiWare demos... like all of them. There are some good things in there if you dig around, demos for great games like Lit and Zombie Panic in Wonderland. Even recent stalwarts like World of Goo offer a unique Wii spin by offering a co-op mode not found on other platforms. Go dig around, you might find something worth playing. We can always use fresh meat in Bomberman Blast.