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GAF Plays...31 Nights of Horror...3

Teknoman

Member
I say D or D2.

Finally beat Splatterhouse 3 (much better combat system than past games, and interesting survival horror map mechanic, but the last few bosses were a little messy pattern wise. I feel like the final half of every Splatterhouse game is about cheesing the hell outta the bosses...but they each are tons of fun to play and look at (aside from some cheaply designed spots here and there). The enemies are always incredibly gruesome, maybe even more so than by today's survival horror standards. I wish the timer system resulted in different bosses instead of just different cutscenes / endings. It would be great if you had to fight beast mode Jennifer (ala Splatterhouse 1) instead of just seeing a cutscene about her.

And even though the story / characters aren't that deep, you cant help but feel bad for Rick. Guy is probably going to end up in an insane asylum at some point... and then have to punch his way out of there when evil comes knocking again.

Dunno if i'm gonna have time to get through all 3 Gargoyle's Quest games, and I still haven't touched Monster Party :p
 

Mzo

Member
My friends and I played through Corpse Party on the PSP and recorded a podcast about it. Let me know what you guys think!

Up next is Fatal Frame on the PS2, followed by Clock Tower on the SNES.
 

truly101

I got grudge sucked!
I'll say one thing about Until Dawn. No matter how much gore you've seen in movies, books, or games, the death scenes will make you cringe. I think its the voice acting that really kicks it over the edge.

I've only seen one so far....and yeah. Not a fun way to go.
 

BTails

Member
So... I've been slacking on my GAF Plays lately... Been busy at work and all free time has been going to Metal Gear Solid V (Such a lust, etc...). However in bed I've been working my way through Corpse Party: Blood Drive on my Vita. My impressions so far:

The new art style looks great, I love the Chibi characters paired with more detailed Anime closeups... BUT damn does this game have performance issues! The thing is ALWAYS "Now Loading"! Start the game? Now loading. Shows company logos, and then "Now Loading". Go to menu in game? Now loading. It's pretty obnoxious. And the framerate dives to about 8-10 fps every time you turn on your flashlight.

I'm still enjoying the heck out of it though! But I'm about 3.5 hours in, and waiting for some gruesome deaths: so far the only one I've had involved a ghost literally flopping on my character before "WRONG END" popped up. I miss the terrifying descriptions/audio of the deaths in the first game.
 

Teknoman

Member
I wonder if Undertale counts, because it feels like it should count.

CCKFoAh.png

Just the situation the kid is in alone, is some "Scary stories to tell in the Dark" type stuff.

I'm surprised no one brought up Okage too.
 
Yeah I really don't like the first person chase genre of horror games.

Yeah, I have given up on OutLast and started playing Resident Evil 4 instead. I picked the game up from the most recent Humble Bundle:


So far I have made my way into the castle, and I believe I am at chapter four part one. The section with the sewers and the invisible roaches.

The game still holds up and looks pretty good at 1080p and 60FPS. The controls and camera system are showing their age though. It took me the entire first chapter to readjust to not having a dual analogue control set up like in any modern third person game. The camera feels wonky at times too. But once I got over it, I started to quickly enjoy replaying through this game again.
 
I've been playing Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder, which is a very entertaining point and click adventure game. It uses gorgeous pre-rendered scenes that the player can freely look around, but they are stuck to one spot at a time as they move through the environment. The story is very heavily inspired by the works of Lovecraft and the game is highly atmospheric. I found myself getting very creeped out a few times when playing alone with my headphones on, despite how static the environments are.

Expect a lot of examining areas and reading notes as the basic gameplay involves hunting down clues that lead you to the next event/objective. It actually has some interesting ideas, for example when reading notes you have to highlight parts of the text in order to make note of the important clues within. Some of the puzzle solutions can be rather obtuse though, easy enough to solve early on, but as I've progressed I've needed to make liberal use of the in-game hint system. I've been enjoying it greatly though and will look forward to playing the sequel as well.

 

BTails

Member
So, I got around to playing a bit more Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, getting very close to the end now. First I had to make my way through the Tower of Science, which included getting through the hardest room in the game:


So, that red streak is a laser bolt fired by those flower looking things. These things kinda act like security cameras, they scan back and forth, and fire at you if the see you. There's about 10 of them in all, and you have to jump between the pillars in order to get to the other room. Now jumping is already kinda difficult in this game, but when you've got projectiles knocking you into the pit below as well, it's nigh impossible!

The boss of this level is a giant crystal, protecting by various turrets. Seemed a bit out of place for a Castlevania game.

The tower of execution played like a Prince of Persia level:


After a few more stages, and a nice boss fight with my arch-nemesis (Another werewolf who used the power of Dracula to turn into a Chimera?), I made it to the Clock Tower. Getting close to the end now. Some frustrating platforming later, I come across the girl I've been trying to rescue the whole time. Turns out my arch nemesis actually hid her here, and Dracula couldn't find her! I led Death right to the girl:


He traps her in a crystal, Link to the Past style, and runs off. I stopped shortly after this, but can only assumer I only have to make my way through the clock tower, fight Death, then fight Dracula.

All in all, I'm still enjoying the game. It's better, longer, and more varied than Castlevania 64, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's a fan of early 3d platformers. The cutscenes continue to impress for an N64 game too.
 

gabagool

Banned
So far I've beaten Resident Evil Revelaitons 2, Silent Hill, and Re4.

I'm on episode 9 of Siren: Blood Curse.
Halfway into the game, it loses its shit. What the FUCK IS GOING ON?!

After Siren, I'm going to play REmake,Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and maybe PT. I got my PS4 the last day PT was available. I'm so fucking special.
 

BTails

Member
So, I decided to change it up a little bit... Instead of finishing Castlevania tonight, I decided to play something out of left field... But first, a pumpkin beer:

7CulCbO.jpg


The Angry Hessian from Yukon Brewing Company in the far north of Canada. Mmmm, delicious. Ahem, where was I? Oh yeah, something out of left field... Tonight I played through Ghost Sweeper Mikami on the Super Famicom


This game was awesome, even though I didn't understand a lick of it. It plays like a bit of a faster paced Splatterhouse, and is DEFINITELY Halloween themed, with tons of ghosts, haunted objects, and spoooooooky mayhem. Miami runs around in a short dress whipping everything that moves (Except one part where you lose life if you whip an old lady in a rocking chair...). You have 5 hits per life, though the game gives you plenty of pieces of cake to refill your health meter. You can also get power weapons that give your attack some range (Such as lightning or frost), though you lose these once you get hit. Finally you get a screen clearing "bomb" per life, but can collect more.

The game is pretty darn easy, but it's really varied and doesn't overstay it's welcome. They're neat little cutscenes before bosses and between levels, though I didn't understand any of them. My interpretation of the plot is that Mikami and her two sidekicks received a package with a statue that they had to find 7 missing gems to power up (You get a gem at the end of each stage).


Most stages are simple side scrollers, though there are platforms you can pull yourself onto that give the stages some verticality. Stage 3 takes place on the back of a giant cat that runs across rooftops and has some times jumps/ducks. Stage 5 is a side scrolling shmup where you ride on a broomstick. This is where I got my one and only game over: there's a password system, but honestly you won't need it as the game can easily be beat in one setting.

I got a picture of my favourite boss too: At the end of level 6 (The hardest level, involving a haunted construction site), you fight a clown ghost, riding a giant rat, that can sing a song which turns you into an infant, which means you can't attack until this wears off.

After completing the 7th stage, the statue comes to life (SHOCKING TWIST!) and you have to whip it a big bunch until it dies. It's a really easy final boss, but the game as a whole is a whole heck of a lot of fun.

HIGHLY recommended if you have 60-90 minutes to kill and want to play an absolutely charming action platformer.
 

Teknoman

Member
I'm gonna go ahead and say I dislike Fatal Frame. Game play is weak and the story/atmosphere are not enough to make up for it. Actually I find those to be weak as well. I'll play through it only because I have part of the playthrough on YT. The new one seems solid though. Played through a bit of it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YynfnW204nA&list=PLILFHEI5nsU4pIT6FbdEyjeYehw7xEk6U&index=1

I could see that happening. Same happens when people go back and play Resident Evil 1 or Silent Hill 1. Its kind of a take it or leave it experience. I still like it, but I've got a super high tolerance for tank controls and camera angles. Movement is pretty slow though.

So, I decided to change it up a little bit... Instead of finishing Castlevania tonight, I decided to play something out of left field... But first, a pumpkin beer:

7CulCbO.jpg
The Angry Hessian from Yukon Brewing Company in the far north of Canada. Mmmm, delicious. Ahem, where was I? Oh yeah, something out of left field... Tonight I played through Ghost Sweeper Mikami on the Super Famicom


I got a picture of my favourite boss too: At the end of level 6 (The hardest level, involving a haunted construction site), you fight a clown ghost, riding a giant rat, that can sing a song which turns you into an infant, which means you can't attack until this wears off.

I need to play this at some point lol.
 
Fatal Frame, third night, getting my ass kicked fairly early on and running out of supplies. I will try to explore some additional rooms before attempting the puzzle + fight I'm stuck at again, hoping to find some powerful film rolls or healing items.

(I'm doing the attach ropes to the buddha's sequence)

Love the atmosphere and setting, hate the combat.

Meanwhile I also got Resident Evil: Revelations 2 on my PC. Really liked the first game on 3DS. I really should try and finish Fatal Frame first though...
 
I could see that happening. Same happens when people go back and play Resident Evil 1 or Silent Hill 1. Its kind of a take it or leave it experience. I still like it, but I've got a super high tolerance for tank controls and camera angles. Movement is pretty slow though.

RE1 and SH1 are two of my favorite games. You don't randomly get stuck for no reason in either of those games and start moving in place. Plus the voice acting in RE1 is laughably bad while FF is just bad. I know Fatal Frame is a cult classic too but I feel it just doesn't compare or hold up today.
 

Mzo

Member
Fatal Frame, third night, getting my ass kicked fairly early on and running out of supplies. I will try to explore some additional rooms before attempting the puzzle + fight I'm stuck at again, hoping to find some powerful film rolls or healing items.

(I'm doing the attach ropes to the buddha's sequence)

Love the atmosphere and setting, hate the combat.

Just went through Fatal Frame with some friends and am editing the podcast we recorded about it. Sorry to say there are very few healing items in night 3. Exploring means you're going to run into the Monk. If you're having trouble with the combat, you might be screwed.

I found it to still be a great game with amazing atmosphere. The voice acting is a bit detached but everything else is top notch. The combat is definitely a step above RE in terms of difficulty and what it demands from you.

First off, every ghost has a pattern of attack and tells. You can definitely get full charge zero shots on most of them easily save some special ghosts like the Master or that fucking Monk. The zero shot isn't always activated by proximity and is more often linked to the animations right before a ghost attacks regardless of distance.

Second, taking good shots helps you upgrade faster. While I recommend leveling up the camera features primarily (especially speed,) I'd also advise one special ability before chapter 3. Paralyze worked well for me, especially since you can paralyze a ghost while it's in its zero animation giving you the chance to fully charge a shot for maximum damage. The Monks are the real bosses of the game. If you've been saving up good ammo and spirit orbs, use them here.

As far as healing items go, spirit mirrors refill your health to full after it's been totally depleted. You can only carry one at a time, there are a lot lying around (some more hidden than others,) and there are new ones every night. You can easily ride these all the way to the 3rd night without using a single healing item. After that, all bets are off.

You also absolutely have to get good at moving in 1st person mode. It's a little hard at first since the sticks are reversed from today's standards, but it makes a huge difference in how well you play the game.
 

gabagool

Banned
You ain't seen nothin yet.
Beat it a day or two ago. The game really reached some weird levels of crazy, fucked up, and awesome. The most standout moment for me was totally missable.
Chapter 10 or 11 while playing as Seiga, I opened a closet and saw a gigantic fucking shibito head staring at me.
 

Mzo

Member
Btw that corpse party podcast was good stuff.
haha, thanks!

Playing through Clock Tower now and, while I really like it, there are some definite negatives. The randomness keeps the game fresh but can also screw you.

Also watching Phenomena/Creepers because of the obvious connections. Clock Tower ripped it off so bad right down to Jennifer Connely's likeness.
 

Teknoman

Member
Why are the ceilings in the sewer of Monster Party...blood vessels? Or are they nerve endings?

Also is it just me, or do you really have to power brute force your way through some of these boss fights?
 

Teknoman

Member
Why does every Poltergeist stage in any game have to be annoying lol. I must have run around that stage 20 times. Stopping for now at that tower. I'm not going to get to beat Monster Party before the clock hits November 1st...but I will at least finish it lol.
 

BTails

Member
Before my Halloween party, I got one more gaming session/pumpkin beer in...



Got through the first couple levels, this is GREAT so far... Can't wait to play more! Also, I figured you guys might like my costume...

T1gdDye.jpg


"Why are we still here? Just to suffer? Every night, I can feel my leg... and my arm... even my fingers. The body I've lost... the comrades I've lost... won't stop hurting... It's like they're all still there. You feel it, too, don't you? I'm gonna make them give back our past."
 

Teknoman

Member
lol damn one of my co-workers was Venom Snake. I was Luigi...should've been Ocelot.

And with that...


castlevania-ending.gif


As the sun prepares to rise, another chapter in the 31 Nights of Horror comes to a close.



Thanks to everyone that participated, and hopefully people found some new favorites, others that they want to try, and of course inspirations for next year. Personally i'll still be wrapping up Monster Party some time tonight or tomorrow night (missed but it'll still count :p ). Wanted to take on the Gargoyle trilogy, but that'll have to wait for another moonlit night...
 
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