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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the PlayStation version of Silent Hill in Video Games

Jun 26, 2020  
Silent Hill
Silent Hill
Action/Adventure
Psychological horror (2 more)
Twisted
Multiple endings
What Dreams Are Made Of
Silent Hill- is one of my all time favorite games of all time. Its also one of my all time favorite psychological horror games. Its twisted, suspenseful, insane and very very foggy. So much fog in this game, you dont even know were your going. Its a plus cause it adds to the atmosphere to the game. The downfall, you probley get lost. Other than that, its a excellent game.

The Game: you play as Harry Mason as he searches for his missing adopted daughter in the eponymous fictional American town of Silent Hill; stumbling upon a cult conducting a ritual to revive a deity it worships, he discovers her true origin. Five game endings are possible, depending on actions taken by the player, including one joke ending.

The objective: The player is to guide main protagonist and player character Harry Mason through a monster-filled town as he searches for his lost daughter, Cheryl. Silent Hill's gameplay consists of combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving.

The Gameplay: The game uses a third-person view, with the camera occasionally switching to other angles for dramatic effect, in pre-scripted areas. This is a change from older survival horror games, which constantly shifted through a variety of camera angles. Because Silent Hill has no heads-up display, the player must consult a separate menu to check Harry's "health".

If you play the PS3 verison, the DualShock controller is used a heart beat rhythm can be felt signifying that the player is at low health.

Visibility is mostly low due to fog and darkness; the latter is prevalent in the "Otherworld".

Navigating through Silent Hill requires the player to find keys and solve puzzles.

Its a excellent game, that pefectly represents the psychological horror genre.
  
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
1971 | Classics, Drama
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It’s probably not cool to admit you don’t quite get a cult movie. But it’s probably better than trying to act cool by pretending you really dig a movie that you don’t fully understand. There are several other films on the Criterion label that I could expound on sincerely and endlessly: Life of Brian, Robocop, Straw Dogs, Hard Boiled, and The Red Shoes, for example. Instead, for the eleventh movie in my top ten, I would like to include a film that has become something of an intangible Magic Eye picture for me: Monte Hellman’s Two-Lane Blacktop. There is no movie that I have watched more often in an attempt to unpeel and unravel it. I have seen the film many times, first on Alex Cox’s BBC2 series Moviedrome, once at the theater, and many times in this very Criterion edition. Hell, I even visited some of the locations on a Route 66 trip. Still, I’ll admit that the movie is an endearing puzzle for me. I may not be the right age or nationality to fully crack the enigma of this movie, but the fact that I haven’t stopped trying in twenty-three years has to stand for something. Ryan O’Neal’s character from The Driver and Kowalski from Vanishing Point I feel I can race alongside, but James Taylor and Dennis Wilson always seem way ahead of me, their Chevy a mirage in a heat haze. But the fact that I’m talking about it now and waxing lyrical over it means that it has got under my skin in a way that other movies haven’t. And I will continue to pursue this film, even if I never quite catch up."

Source
  
Dead as a Duck (Washington Whodunit #7)
Dead as a Duck (Washington Whodunit #7)
Colleen J. Shogan | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kit Marshall seems to have a knack for finding dead bodies and solving their murders.
Kit Marshall seems to have a knack for finding dead bodies and solving their murders. She came into Duck, South Carolina as part of a town hall meeting for her boss, a congresswoman who is considering a run for the senate. She fully intends to take a few much needed days with friends and family in this popular destination beach town. When the town hall gets out of hand, exposing a rift between the town mayor and his constituents and then the mayor shows up dead, her vacation is going to have to wait.

I figured out whodunnit fairly easily, though of course, I didn’t know why. By the time Kit worked her way around to it, I had forgotten that I suspected that person, and I had just gotten caught up in the story. Kit is a great protagonist with a clever inner circle. If more Washington insiders were like her and her boss, the country would be in great hands.

There are plenty of twists and subplots throughout that keep the story fresh and mystery front and center. I love when I can get lost in the minutia of small town living and let the puzzle take a back seat to a really good tale.

Though this the latest in a robust series, it is the first of it that I have read. It read well as a stand alone and managed to convince me I wanted, rather than needed, to read the series from the beginning. I am looking forward to that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
  
The Killer Inside (Joe Stark #3)
The Killer Inside (Joe Stark #3)
Matthew Frank | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loved it - proper rollercoaster of a ride that I didn't want to get off!

At first, I didn't realise this was the third in the series starring Joe Stark as I have never read anything by Matthew Frank before but first the title and then the blurb enticed me and had I not read some other reviews first, I wouldn't have known. So, I can safely say that this can be read as a standalone because although I have probably missed a lot of backstory and character development, for me it didn't detract from my enjoyment one little bit.

I absolutely love the character of Joe Stark - yes, he is a bit of a cliché being ex-military with a troubled history now working within the police but, for me, this made him an interesting and complex character. The supporting cast were equally well developed and I think Julian Sinclair was a great "baddie".

At first, you think the plot is going to be pretty simple and straightforward but as the book progresses, it becomes more complex; the police investigation plays this out really well with them struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together with many of their leads ending in dead ends. The politics within the police also provide an interesting side story as does Joe's complicated life.

This is fast paced with plenty of twists and action. It is also a dark read with some scenes that some might find disturbing so if you are easily shocked, I would give this a miss but I would definitely recommend this to others who enjoy this genre and eagerly await the next instalment.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
  
The Perfect Guests
The Perfect Guests
Emma Rous | 2021 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fascinating and atmospheric thriller

In 1988, fourteen-year-old Beth arrives at Raven Hall. An orphan, Beth has been chosen to keep Nina Averell, the teenage daughter who lives with her parents there, company. She becomes part of the family, almost feeling as if she belongs there. But then Nina's parents ask Beth to do something strange, forcing her to question everything, and soon nothing will ever be the same. In 2019, struggling actress Sadie Langton takes a job as part of a murder mystery dinner party. She's amazed when she arrives at the location, a beautiful manor called Raven Hall. But once the pretend party starts, Sadie realizes that something seems off--and that their "host" is toying with everyone, including her.

This was an excellent thriller that draws you in immediately and never lets go. Rous gives us an atmospheric tale, with Raven Hall and the Fens practically appearing before your eyes while reading. It doesn't get much better than a creepy book set in a weird, rambling castle, right?

THE PERFECT GUESTS alternates between Beth's story, set in the past; Sadie's, set in the present; and an unnamed voice. Trying to figure out how everyone is interconnected is part of the book's intrigue. I definitely worked some parts out early on--others were a surprise. Still, the result is a very twisty and compelling read.

Overall, this is a page-turner with a fascinating plot. I'm a fan of Emma Rous and her way of sucking the reader into her books. GUESTS sets an atmospheric scene and offers plenty for mystery fans to puzzle out. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 here.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It is available on 1/12/2021.
  
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I was offered this it was described as being like 50 Shades of Grey and the Crossfire series. Having liked both of these I thought I’d give it a go. In a way it was like them: young girl meets wealthy business man and can’t deny the sexual attraction. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t quite measure up. It didn’t draw me in straight away.

In fact, it took me a while to get into it. That might have been down to Gustav’s attitude and the fact he wasn’t very good at explaining what he wanted. It put me off a bit, I guess, and I couldn’t always understand the attraction. Serena, too, was a bit of a puzzle. The way she reacted sometimes; though that could probably be put down to her age.

After finishing the story I’ve been left with some questions. Why wouldn’t Gustav kiss her until near the end? Why did he with-hold from having sex with her for so long? What sort of lifestyle were Gustav and his wife involved with before? And why were Serena’s “parents” so horrible to her?

I suppose since this is the first in the trilogy that we will get answers to some of these in the following books. If I’m honest, I’m not sure if I’d be interested in continuing the series, though that ending has most definitely whetted my appetite.

Overall it was a god story that kept me wondering where it was heading but for me, having read 50 Shades and the Crossfire series, it just didn’t quite do it for me.

That being said, don’t dismiss a book without at least trying it for yourself first.