im now working two jobs and just had my birthday holiday SO thus the silence this week!
However I am planning to write a whole tonne of posts in my free time and schedule them appropriately!
Working two jobs means my next day off isn’t til the Thursday after next but I genuinely love this new job so so much, it’s such a relief to go there and I’m learning things I’m really passionate about!
Also have a TBR and birthday book haul coming because um
I may have a problem.
I also have some graphic novel reviews AND I’m playing Arkham Knight and Lego Jurassic World in my free time so it’s more than likely I’ll chat about those.
Anyway now I am half asleep from doing 9-1 at the internship and then 3-9 at my current retail job, so I am gonna lie with my books and sleep.
I hope you’re all doing well – if you have any more book recs or wanna talk about some of these with me then drop me a comment!!!
Fare thee well
(Alternative title; There Are Two Types of People Who’ve Played The Wolf Among Us – People Who Fancy Bigby, And People Who Are Liars.)
The Wolf Among Us is a video game created by the popular Telltale Games company, based on DC and Vertigo comic series Fables.
The Wolf Among Us follows the story of Sheriff Bigby Wolf, formally The Big Bad Wolf, as he desperately tries to amend his old ways in the Fabletown community. However, when a sickening murder takes place against one of their own, and a series of corruptions begin to unfold, certain things just might test his temper.
The game absolutely shines in it’s presentation; the graphics are crisp, clear and vivid, with an art style that is perfectly in line with the other Telltale games. Thick, cartoonish lines and bold shadings make for wonderful looking scenery, and it’s just the most fitting, wonderful style for a Fairy Tale based video game. Telltale so far have yet to disappoint me in the aesthetics department; everything just looks fucking fantastic.
To accompany good looks, you also need really good sound too; The Wolf Among Us provides that full notch. Honestly, play this game with a stereo headset and you will be amazed. The opening credits music just fits the tone incredibly well, as does the closing music – it’s just so wonderful and feels exactly like a mystery/crime soundtrack. The background music also fits with every scene, and the noises of the busy city match up perfectly with the scenery of Fabletown. It’s all so mystical and I don’t know how the fuck it happened, but the sound here does pretty much go exactly how you imagine DisneyMeetsCrimeThriller music would go.
The voice acting is also absolutely on point; every single character has a unique, distinguishable voice and accent, and all of them are so goddamn perfect. The vocal talent that’s gone into these games is honestly astounding, and every line was delivered perfectly and invoking just the kind of reactions the writing should be getting.
The story itself is fantastic; the integration of certain fables and tales was so seamless, and each new character introduction was so exciting and wonderful. All of them were so, so creatively handled and I really loved it. On top of that, it’s not just fairy tale characters strictly; other urban legends appear as formidable and terrifying opponents, looking and sounding absolutely amazing.
The gameplay in this one is also absolutely great; there’s a tonne of intense action scenes that involve multiple quick time inputs, and some honestly really tough choices. A lot of the choices are based on pride and anger, and often making the right one amongst a town of people who already have an assumption and hatred towards you, can be really fucking hard and frustrating. It works insanely well, and if you’re like me – you just want to make the best choices you can for Bigby.
Bigby Wolf is the star of the show, honestly; he’s an amazing main character, with a big heart and a gravelly voice and such an on point sense of humour. I think even if you made some of his more aloof choices, it’s pretty clear he wants to mend his ways and protect his people. He’s an admirable character who, despite what other Fables will say and think, cares and wants to do better. The game does so well here because if you want to make decent choices, you need a character like Bigby – someone flawed, aggressive and a little bit an asshole, but someone who is good at heart – or what’s the point? You’ll end up making the choices to see this guy go down because you won’t want him to win. Telltale tend to knock it out of the park with their very real characters, and Bigby is an absolute shining example of that.
Overall; this game is one of Telltale’s strongest for me. It’s exciting, interesting and fast paced, with gruesome twists and really gritty scenes. All the characters and their origins fit wonderfully and creatively into the story, The whole story is woven together wonderfully, with a satisfying ending that, no spoilers, could easily lead into a Season Two. Which apparently Telltale have been teasing for a release next year, but this is all speculation. (Speculation I need to be true!!!)
It’s available on all platforms and honestly, do not wait another moment; get this game. Play this game. Love it and talk about it with me.
(And also keep joining the ranks of people who think Bigby Wolf is a dreamboat.)
It feels like it’s been ages since I posted, and that is entirely my fault. In that time, I’ve completed The Wolf Among Us on Playstation 4, and I’ve read one and a half books. Ew.
The only explanation I’ve got is that, I hit a bit of a slump this month – six members of staff left where I work, which is a retail job – which, most people will know is one of the more exhausting and draining jobs. So it’s left all the remaining staff stretching out their hours, and their workloads, to complete the work that could be getting done by the missing staff. So I work and try and do the work of at least two – three people in one shift, I come home, watch Kitchen Nightmares or Friends, and then I go pretty much right to bed.
HOWEVER, there is no excuse for abandoning such lovely readers, and for that I am really sorry!
So here’s a bit of a plan for the next few months for this blog and some honest to God positives;
My Age of Ultron review at this point is pretty much out-dated, but some overall thoughts;
I really really loved it. James Spader was such a fucking incredible Ultron. The usual stars brought their absolute all, the comedy was so fucking on point (“Language.”) and the newcomers to the show, Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson put on amazing performances, fitting beautifully into the well-crafted roles of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.
I have a few gripes – the WidowHulk romance and how poorly constructed it was, the poor way and wording of Natasha’s speech about her infertility and overall, most of my issues lie with Joss Whedon’s egotistical attitude. He seems to want to ignore the rest of the Marvel Universe (seen in quotes where apparently in his movies, Coulson is still dead – well, no he’s not.) and seems to think his views and opinions on the direction these characters are going are the only valid ones – it felt like he wanted Age of Ultron to be a direct sequel to The Avengers and not a film that lines up with the rest of the universe.
However despite these gripes, I had an amazing time watching it, and I’ve already got the Blu-Ray pre-ordered.
I’ll be doing a little overview on my excitement for new releases in the Marvel world, including the new season of Agent Carter, Captain America: Civil War and various other shows and movies.
I will also be doing an unboxing for the Collector Corps June box, which is going to be Ant-Man themed!!! I’m really excited for it and I genuinely can’t wait to get it!
Another post I’m planning is going to be regarding my decision to go entirely Cruelty Free with my cosmetics, and refusal to support brands that aren’t Cruelty Free. I have some really good pieces I’m going to be reviewing, and some not others. It’s a little out of what I usually do, but it is a step I’m taking and enjoying in my life and would like to reach out to others who maybe are, or are considering, doing the same!
I’ll also be doing my usual book reviews and game reviews – I have a review waiting in drafts for The Wolf Among Us and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas! I loved both insane amounts so expect lengthy goodness!!!
I have a huge book haul planned because hell yes it’s my birthday this Tuesday and I have a week off to celebrate, play games and read!!! I’ll also be doing a TBR for July, and a TBP (To Be Played) aswell, where I’ll be doing blogly updates everytime I progress during a game and my thoughts, feelings and theories so far. It’s more than likely I’ll also be doing a lead up to the release of Batman: Arkham Knight (SCREAMS INTO THE ABYSS OH MY LORD) and I’ll be picking up Lego Jurassic World for my birthday – so a play through of that will come also! Also in the range of Jurassic World, there will of course be a post on the movie. Because the Jurassic Park movies were my fucking life as a kid and remain my favourites to this day – so Jurassic World is a heaping scoop of YEEEES.
I am hoping to progress with video making but who knows – it is something I want to do but have yet to muster the strength for! But everyone must start somewhere, and usually, it means actually starting.
So yeah – I have many things planned and lined up for my life, and for this blog. They’re all things I’m very excited about, and genuinely passionate about. I want to make this blog something I’m proud of, and something you all enjoy reading too!!!
This is it from me for tonight, but hopefully I can get my The Wolf Among Us review up tomorrow.
I hope you’re all doing wonderfully and we shall all chat soon.
(Alternative Title: I’m Going to Cry about Silent Hills For A Bit Because I Am Genuinely Heartbroken and THEN I Will Talk About Some Promising Titles I’m Following And You All Should Too)
I’m going to just come out and say it; Silent Hills was the game I was most excited for this year apart from Batman: Arkham Knight.
Horror games were how I got introduced to the genre as a kid; I used to spend a tonne of change in arcades, playing House of the Dead games and anything else that involved shooting zombies. While on holiday in Spain, my dad used our leftover euros and I completed the House of the Dead III with the help of another dude. I was eight. It was awesome.
Ever since then my love for the scary genre has grown; Resident Evil 4 is one of my favourite games of all time, and F.E.A.R and F.E.A.R 2 has made my appreciation skyrocket. If a video game can make me shriek and panic, to me, that’s the sign of good storytelling and fantastic atmosphere. If I can also shoot things while doing it, but then be faced with the grim reminder that perhaps weapons don’t solve everything (coughAlma), then that is just absolutely glorious.
On top of that, scary games are just really fun. They don’t seem like it when you’re pausing, then unpausing, and shaking in your seat at the thought of a Necromorph breaking through the walls and tearing your head off with helmet and all as you walk through the lone corridors of Dead Space, but the thrill of everything and the screaming that often follows these tense, well played atmospheres, is absolutely hilarious. I tend to laugh hysterically at myself during the entire of these challenges, because I know my fear is ridiculous; but it’s very real, and so well done that when I’m out of that terror later, I can genuinely appreciate the construction.
So when I heard Silent Hills was coming, with Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro (director of Pans Labyrinth and PACIFIC FUCKING RIM O MY GOD.) on the team, I was absolutely thrilled. Thrilled, doesn’t even really cover how ecstatic I was for this. Throw in the fact that Norman Reedus was coming in for the role of the main character, and that was it; the next few months were spent mostly online, trying to find out more and more about this game. I wanted concepts, I wanted plot, I wanted all kinds of things.
Then P.T. came to the Playstation store.
P.T. was the playable teaser for Silent Hills, featuring one of the most wonderful, original concepts for horror I’ve seen in such a long time. It’s first person. Already horrifying.
You wake up in a cold, basement, and pull yourself up to face a door. You exit the door, and in the most gorgeous HD graphic’s I’ve possibly seen up to that point, you face a long, well lit corridor in what looks like a pleasant little house. You walk along, turn left, walk down another hall and then down some steps through another door- which takes you back through where you started. And you loop.
Again and again.
Each time something more horrific comes at you, or something changes, and in short, shit gets so beyond fucked up and awful that it took me a really long time to get through it.
The tension building was fucking art; you never knew what was coming next, with the crescendo of sounds from a crackling radio telling a devastating story of a man shooting his entire family and a crying child coming from the lone bathroom door beside you, it was pretty obvious what was going on and too chilling to face it. Eventually it got to a point I was convinced the tiniest things had changed, from lights going out and things moving even if they hadn’t. I was absolutely terrified, and that is half the reason I struggled to get through it – genuinely being scared of moving forward, not knowing what this awful hallway had for me in the next cycle.
The other reason it took so long to get through, was that the puzzle is genuinely difficult to solve. I didn’t even realise what I was doing 99.9% of the time, I just kept walking hoping eventually the horror would just end on it’s own. It’s really, really difficult and you are given little to no guidance what-so-ever. It did reflect the styling’s of Silent Hill 2 though – walking around the middle of wherever you were, working out the puzzles predominantly of your own thinking and problem solving skills. So P.T. really hit the nail on the head with the difficult task it set, with no help provided – only terror.
After playing P.T. (and lying in bed with all the lights on trying to read happy stories, and not use my bathroom.), I knew Silent Hills was going to be truly amazing. It was going to be everything Silent Hill fans and fans of horror games had been waiting for – something challenging, psychological and downright terrifying, in beautiful HD graphics.
And then Kojima left Konami, and the game died before it was even breathing.
Heartbroken doesn’t even cover it – it’s been some time since the news broke, and yet I still keep hoping I’ll google Silent Hills and see “SILENT HILLS BACK ON” – but I know I never will, or if I do, it won’t be with the original crew and that just guts me big time.
It also really doesn’t help how badly Konami have tried to utterly destroy P.T. – in a sort of, if we can’t have it, neither can you way. Anyone who didn’t download P.T., or did but chose to delete it, can never ever do so again – it’s just gone and dead, with no way of bringing it back at all. It’s completely terrifying in it’s own way, and a really great shame to every anticipating fan.
However, there is light (or fog, or dead people, I guess?) on the horizon; because P.T. sparked a real desire for psychological horror again. Simple concepts and chilling characters, here to take you on a ride that you’re kind of not sure you want to be on and you spend the whole thing being in awe but also being like FUCK THIS I WANT TO GET OFF.
So with the help of the internet, I have found two games I am genuinely now excited for, and cannot wait to see put into action and life, and a small list of other games coming to the PS4 that I’m really thrilled for.
Allison Road is currently in development by Christian Kessler, who has been documenting his creation of a psychological horror game on the Facebook Page. So far, the premise behind Allison Road does look strikingly similar to P.T. – a gorgeous, detailed game taking place in a strange choice of atmosphere – a fancy little British townhouse (That looks scarily similar to my friends house, so I can never go there again.) where shit gets increasingly awful and tense. I can’t say too much for the plot itself, however Games Radar did a lovely article which explains everything – all I know is there’s a fucked up dark haired little girl called Lily who is sending me signals that make my heart say “YES” and my brain say “God fucking damnit, Fran, no, nonono.”
Honestly, just looking at these WIP shots is making me excited, I mean just look at this; this is so impressive, so beautiful looking and it’s obvious there’s a huge amount of effort being put in by the small team who are hoping to bring this game to life.
Honestly, it looks great, the art work and shots released so far have sent actual chills down my spine, and I am stoked as fuck. A demo of some sort should hopefully be out before the years up, but I will wait patiently. Ish.
Ashen Falls so far is only in concept art stages as far as the public goes, but the concept art is unbelievably striking.
Under the development of Gilles Ketting, Ashen Falls will follow a young woman named Lucy who is struggling with the death of her girlfriend. In this story, she struggles to escape the Not So Abandoned town of Ashen Falls, whilst facing her inner turmoil in devastating and terrifying ways.
I am beyond excited for this; some of the concept art is pure Silent Hill 2 gold, with the fog and the creepy monsters descending from it. There’s also some great artwork for our protagonist, and for some of the creatures you”ll face. Creepy Fireman creatures, hell fucking yes.
What also makes this game sound ultra promising, is the fact the artist gives a fuck what you think; posting these gorgeous, and insanely creepy and creative monsters for you to face on the Facebook page, and asking genuinely “Guys, what do you think?” and taking feedback into account.
As of last news, the game development is being helped along by David Wilson, a senior programmer for Ubisort and Curve, and it’s hopeful a demo can be released before the end of the year.
Right now, both games are aiming for PC release but with high hopes for console ones; and holy fucking shit I am excited as hell for them both.
Some titles definately coming to PS4 (and maybe Xbox One for some!) are the following;
Until Dawn – due for release on August 28th, 2015. PS4 Exclusive.
I spoke in more detail about Until Dawn in this post here, but know that it is a multiple choice horror game where a serial killer has come to fuck a lot of shit up for a group of friends in the mountains.
The Forest – release date TBC. PS4 Exclusive
Think open world. Think crafting. Think beautiful forest. Then add terrifying as fucking shit mutant things that want to eat you and that is this game.
Among the Sleep – release date TBC. Already on PC and coming to multiple platforms!
This game looks incredibly interesting; you play as a two year old child, in this big scary world of monsters in closets and under the bed. You run to find your mum, with your teddy as your only companion, and find the world between rooms is a very scary place.
SOMA – release date TBC. Coming to PC and PS4
1) It’s made by the same people behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent 2) It is set in a lone enviroment at the bottom of the sea
3) Fran where are you going why can’t you even watch the trailer how can you say you want this when you’re crying.
So, yeah. Ashen Falls and Allison Road are here to bring something new and terrifying to the table, reflecting the old and incredibly loved, and the never even born yet. The other titles I’ve mentioned here, some already known about, some only just announced, are also exciting additions to the genre, each bringing something exciting and throat-clutchingly grand to consoles as the year goes on.
What games are you looking forward to in the horror genre? Or even just in general to come over the next year or so?
Let me know, meanwhile I’ll be sleeping with all lights on, crying to myself that I love games and I play them for fun.
Fran's Mind Fell Over 