The Headlines in Horror

Written by Adam Dodd

Friday, 06 February 2009 04:27

Are you prepared for your weekly dose of chills and thrills? Good, because this has been a big week for survival horror fans; there's been a long anticipated Left 4 Dead announcement, some news for Resident Evil 5, and even some unexpected news for Dead Space. So without further ado, let's dive in.

Wii + Strategic Dismemberment = Family Fun!

During EA's Q3 09 Earnings call, John Riccitello announced a Wii port of last year's amazing survival horror game, Dead Space. I'm really not sure whether this will be a good thing for the quality of the game, because the best part of Dead Space were the terrifying environments and amazing sound design, both of which won't transfer well on the Wii. However, using the Wiimote to strategically dismember the necoromorphs does sound fun...

Left 4 Dead DLC and Boomer Valentines!

The long anticipated DLC has finally been officially announced, the Survival Pack will include a new multiplayer mode entitled Survival Mode, two campaigns for Versus mode, and PC users will be able to get their hands on the SDK that will allow them to create their very own campaigns. The Survival Pack will be available this spring, and if you're up at 1am on Friday morning then it seems that Gametrailers TV has a more in-depth look at the upcoming DLC.

In related news, you can now get Left 4 Dead Valentines Day cards thanks to Alexandria "Beavotron" Neonakis'! Watch the face of your beloved change from happiness to disgust as they see the vomiting Boomer card you've just given them.

Resident Evil 5 News

Other than our first and second impressions of the demo, and our debate on whether RE5 (and Left 4 Dead) is a zombie game, there isn't much to discuss. PS3 users are finally able to get their hands on the demo for Resident Evil 5, Official PlayStation Magazine has given RE5 its first review (a 5/5, and hopefully the first of many great scores to come), and Best Buy is having a special midnight opening party to celebrate the game's release. So if you live in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, you should definitely go and check it out.

Would you like to play a game?

If you are one of the three people who care, Konami is looking to expand its survival horror portfolio (after the epic fails that were the last two Silent Hill games) by taking the Saw game based on the movie out of it's limbo. The game will supposedly be shipping alongside the sixth movie. In other news, there will be a sixth Saw movie. Seriously? People still pay to watch this crap?

Dead Rising: Chop till you Drop coming soon

Maybe this year is the year of the zombie? In the first three months we'll have had Resident Evil 5 and the Dead Rising Wii port. I'm a big fan of survival horror games, especially horror games with zombies in them, but the original Dead Rising just didn't do it for me. I love the idea of dozens of zombies being on the screen at once (something the Wii won't have), as well as the ability to kill them using a variety of fun weapons, but the save system, small text, annoying radio, combat, and a multitude of other things kept me from really enjoying the game. Dead Rising was the first game I ever bought for my 360, so it will always have a special place in my heart. And on the 27th you'll be able to get your dose of zombie kickassery when the Chop till You Drop comes out.

Some more BRAAAAAAIIIIIIINNNNSSS for your iPhone

iPhone and iPod Touch owners can get some mobile zombie kickassery with the newly released "horror" game Trapped: Undead Infection. The game is long for a mobile game, with several hours of gameplay, and it's only $1.99. There's a good chance I'll get this at one point or another, and when I do I'll be sure to give you my thoughts.

New Activison horror game in the works?

There has been a strange, conspiracy-filled viral marketing campaign going on for a mysterious Activision game that may or may not be a horror game. Supposedly, a group called MIR-12 wants us to know the truth about some conspiracy the Russians covered up. They have videos and more on their site if you want to uncover the truth. I'm hoping it's another zombie game.

Comments (4) Add Comment

...
written by Mark Peachey, February 06, 2009

"the original Dead Rising just didn’t do it for me"

FINALLY! He speaks the truth! Everytime I hear someone gushing over Dead Rising I feel like I'm some sort of freak because, like you, the game just didn't click with me. I thought it was a neat concept but simply underwhelming in most other respects.

...
written by Gecko, February 07, 2009

*OMG (runs around and trips) * LEFT 4 DEAD DLC!!!!!!!

...
written by Dan Zuccarelli, February 07, 2009

^ I lol'd Gecko, nice.

...
written by Mr Butterscotch, February 14, 2009

Yeah, Dead Rising didn't hit the right spots for me either. It was fun - for five minutes. After that, I was left wondering why the human bosses were far more tough than their undead counterparts who regularly roamed about. Overrated? Most definitely. A horror game? Definitely not.