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Showing posts from January, 2025

Silent Hill 2: Touring the Shadows of Human Thought

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Survival horror has never solely relied on blasting groups of zombies with combat weapons. It is far more contained than that, originating from fear, helplessness, and the slow realization, that at times, the right step to take is to flee. Few games manage to implement this idea, but in my opinion, Silent Hill 2 does it best. In its first couple of hours, the game tells you something deeply unsettling: not every encounter is worth winning. Health items and ammo are far more attainable than James Sunderland’s sanity as he shuffles through the foggy streets, making resources rather limited in Silent Hill 2 . The game’s design makes you feel like it is best to run away from battles. Once you meet one of the shambling horrors, which is a grotesque creature that looks like it has risen from a collective nightmare, you do not want to fight them. You want to run. And it is not solely about inadequate resources; the odd clumsy controls mean that at the very least, fighting feels needlessly tax...

Shadow of the Erdtree: An Expansion or Development?

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New content, new bosses, new lore to chew on, but above all – that same Elden Ring magic that has you contemplating whether to throw your controller or give it another shot. Taking a Step Back Into the Lands Between, Does It Still Feel Special? Let’s get the uncomfortable part out of the way first. Shadow of the Erdtree is not drastically different from the base game. If you have already explored the strange lands of Elden Ring and fought through The Troll and other brutal bosses, you may think that you have seen this before. And it’s not wrong. But what’s odd, almost nostalgic, is how much Shadow of the Erdtree feels just right in terms of the weight of discovery. The same landscapes somehow feel so familiar. The same excitement when you encounter a new boss who is powerful enough to crush their enemies. Everyone knows the world of Elden Rings is vast, especially with the new upcoming Shadows of the Erdtree DLC. Opening this game always feels like opening a new chapter of a belove...

Cheeki Breeki and the Heart of Chornobyl: The Story of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl unfolds in a world where developing a game is not an itinerary rather a fight for survival. It feels as though it’s at this point, in the game development cycle that, the team is forcibly sucked into and enchanted by the lore and aesthetic the game offers this resembles the stalker zone quite closely. Despite the meet odds - odds that would make the toughest stalker cower in fright – the GSC Game World team was able to seamlessly integrate a sequel that gives off vibes of nostalgia of the original through its game trilogy whilst also leaving unhindered room for strategizing the sequel game. The Burden of the Past Let’s cut to the chase, the truth is that the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R game emerging out of Eastern Europe holds the record of being a Eurojank classic. Naturally, the functionality and user experience of the game was sheer horror, the bugs alone are enough to make anybody deeply frustrated. The AI was the cherry on top, on some days it co...