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KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Resident Evil 2 (Remake) in Video Games

Apr 2, 2020  
Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
2019 | Horror
Pulsating and terrifying narrative. (2 more)
Unbelievable graphics.
A modern classic horror.
Shortness of campaign. (0 more)
Survival horror remaking at it's greatest.
I've always been aware of the impact Resident Evil has had on media, ever since I played the first, without my parents knowledge, back in 2001. I was shook to my core, terrified to the point of never wanting to return to horror video games ever again.

I did however play RE5 and RE6, both focusing more on Co-op play and venturing towards a more action oriented narrative. They were fun, if not slightly convoluted with characters and past stories which I had no knowledge about. So when a remake of RE2 was announced with a gruesome trailer, I was sold. I had no nostalgia towards the game, but this looked incredible.

RE2 Remake is astonishingly good. It's a non stop, adrenaline infusing trip through Racoon City, with pocket moments that range from terrifying, to explosive action, to the absolutely bonkers. It's a campy affair, and it benefits from often corny dialogue, to its characters dress sense during a pandemic.

RE2 shines by having the best visuals I've seen on a console game. The characters, locations and gore pop with flare, especially when you hit a zombie with a bullet to the head. Its gorgeous, and equally terrifying in measured balance. It dawned on me so heavily Capcom focused on the environments when Leon/Claire walked out into the rain. You can visibly see each rain drop hit their clothing, and the wetness begin to soak parts of them skin and hair. Its commendable to Capcom for making this remake look so perfect.

The over the shoulder perspective of the protagonists was the best choice for this remake, as it firmly puts the survival horror up another level. This game, most of the time, its bone chillingly unnerving. I constantly kept my wits about me, expecting numerous jumpscares, but the game worms into your head, laying a constant false sense of security at precise moments. That's where Mr X, AKA, the Tyrant comes in. The constant menace is the key to so much tention and heart pounding chases throughout the eight hour experience. Combine that tension with the fact he's practically indestructible, and you've got cocktail of a near perfect horror experience. My favourite aspect was of the overall experience was how the whole game mixes all elements of its gameplay so well. The combat require pinpoint accuracy, the puzzles require you to use your noggin often enough it doesn't become stale, and the looming threats don't ever become a frustrating summit, rather a learning curve I began to anticipate.

The narrative is excellent, albeit sometimes a little ridiculous. Its provides enough scares and gore to satisfy loving RE fans, and more than enough story for new fans to bite into. In my first playthrough, I knew nothing of Leon's decent into Racoon City's nightmare, and I'm all the more thankful for it. He's just a normal guy, having the worst day of his life, and that, in the strangest way I can possibly think of, make him so likeable and relatable. After just over eight hours, I completed my Leon playthrough, and wanted to see where his story goes next. It made me completely sure RE would be a franchise I will surely check out in the future. Queue my next choice in RE4.

RE2 Remake is now the standard that all remakes will have to contend with. Capcom has truly outdone themselves by creating a classic from the ground up.
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Outlast in Video Games

Nov 7, 2020  
Outlast
Outlast
Action/Adventure
Survivor The Asylum
Outlast- is a excellent survival first person horror game set inside a asylum.

The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado.

Outlast, the player assumes the role of investigative journalist Miles Upshur, as he navigates a dilapidated psychiatric hospital in Leadville, Colorado that is overrun by homicidal patients. The game is played from a first-person perspective and features some stealth gameplay mechanics. The player can walk, run, crouch, jump, climb ladders and vault over objects. Unlike most games, however, the player doesn't have a visible health bar on the screen and is unable to attack enemies. The player must instead rely on stealth tactics such as hiding in lockers, sneaking past enemies, staying in the shadows and hiding behind or under things in order to survive. Alternatively, the player can attempt to outrun their pursuer. If the player dies, the game will reset to the most recent checkpoint.

Most of the hospital is unlit, and the only way for the player to see while in the dark is through the lens of a camcorder equipped with night vision. Using the night vision mode will slowly consume batteries, forcing the player to scavenge for additional batteries found throughout the asylum. Outlast makes heavy use of traditional jump scares and audio cues, which alert the player if an enemy has seen them.

GameSpot gave the game a positive review as well stating that "Outlast isn't really a game of skill, and as it turns out, that makes sense. You're not a cop or a soldier or a genetically enhanced superhero. You're just a reporter. And as a reporter, you don't possess many skills with which you can fend off the hulking brutes, knife-wielding stalkers, and other homicidal maniacs who lurk in the halls of the dilapidated Mount Massive Asylum. You can't shoot them, or punch them, or rip pipes from the walls to clobber them with. You can only run and hide".

The aslyum setting is creepy, horrorfying, scary and terrorfying.

Its a excellent survival horror game.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Bird Box in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Bird Box
Bird Box
Josh Malerman | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.3 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
I wanted to read Bird Box after hearing so many rave reviews from BookTube and the blogosphere. From what everyone was saying, I was going to be scared shitless and that was what I was hoping for but it didn’t happen. This book for me has to be my most disappointing read of 2017 so far! The writing wasn’t bad but I feel like this has been overhyped and my expectations were set pretty high. I suppose the reason I was disappointed with this book was because you never really get any answers and the thing that is killing people you never get to picture what it is or why it’s happening. There was one small part of this book that had me scared and it was a paragraph and that was all. I thought the writing was great and I liked most of the characters but for me I needed more answers. I would also put this book as survival/post apocalyptic book rather than a horror.
  
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Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated 31 (2016) in Movies

Feb 3, 2018 (Updated Feb 3, 2018)  
31 (2016)
31 (2016)
2016 | Horror
Richard Brake (2 more)
Some interesting dialogue
Cliffhanger ending
Blood, guts and profanity... my 3 favorite things
I am and always will be a horror movie fan. And a Rob Zombie fan as well. While most in the horror community dispose the man, and do their best to ignore his reimagining of John Carpenter's beloved Halloween. I get his vision. I understand his process.
In 31, Zombie goes out of his way to remind us all of why he is here in this genre and why he should be here to stay.
The script penned for this flick is nothing short of dreadful, but in a good horror film That's what you want. His dialogue is full of pull no punches vulgarity that would make anyone blush. And his pattern of killing off his stars is brutal to say the least.
Capped with an amazing performance by Richard Brake, who from the beginnng of movie, let's you know that he "ain't no fucking clown!!!".
His ability to capture the true disgustingness that lives in every single one of us, that fire that burns in your body when someone cuts you off when your driving to work. Or bumps into you while walking by. That feeling that says, "Fuck, I'd love to kill that person,"... well he lets the beast out in this film.
He turns 5 mild mannered hippie carnies into vicious animalistic slashers. Killing at first out of that need for survival. Then killing because they had to do it. And finally killing because they were starting to enjoy it.
Zombie does what he does, sets them up to be knocked down as only he can. Chuck I'm some great one liners and awesome profanity filled dialogue, sprinkle it with some over the top kickass blood filled deaths and an acting performance by Richard Brake that I can't help but praise and you have a recipe for a disturbing good time. As Doomhead suggests in the opening sequence of 31. In hell everyone loves popcorn.
  
Wicked River: a novel
Wicked River: a novel
Jenny Milchman | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A true fight for survival...
My, oh my! What a breathtaking, multifaceted joyride of a novel! Containing elements of the horror, action, mystery, psychological suspense, adventure, coming-of-age, and even romance genres, Jenny Milchman’s latest novel Wicked River is a true genre-blending powerhouse.

The story is told from the point of view of three different individuals: the newlywed Natalie, her ambitious niece Mia, and a primitive outdoorsman named Kurt. Natalie and her husband, Doug, experience a honeymoon from hell when their exciting backcountry trek through the beautiful, vast Adirondack Park in New York morphs into a sinister fight for survival. When her aunt Natalie and new uncle Doug are gone longer than expected, Mia notices right away and suspects something is amiss. She’s young, but she’s got good instincts because her aunt and uncle are indeed in grave danger – they face the triple threat of being lost in the treacherous wilderness, running out of food and water, and being hunted by the madman named Kurt who lives amongst the woods. Blood is shed, allegiances are tested, and the body count is on the rise as multiple missing persons investigations and an epic search and rescue operation are launched.

There is a little something for everyone in Wicked River. I loved everything about it. Jenny Milchman has a knack for using the right metaphor at the right time to create such vivid imagery it feels as if the reader is alongside the characters in the picturesque yet hazardous Adirondack region. This is the first novel I’ve read by her, but she is now on my radar and I will have to catch up on her other works as well as keep a lookout for upcoming projects.