Dear Esther, the kind of creepy experiment in interactive art has finally made its way to the Mac.  To celebrate, the game is currently half off through Steam for either platform, Mac or Windows.  Right now you can pick the game up for $4.99.

Back when I reviewed the game, I noted that for what the game was, the price was a bit steep, so half that is a much better deal.

If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, give Dear Esther a whirl.  If anything, it will give you a small taste of how developer thechineseroom handles atmosphere.  That should come in handy for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

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Dear Esther now available on Mac, celebrate with a sale is a post from: Rely on Horror

It’s time to conclude the Spec Ops’ journey through the hell on Earth that is Raccoon City. With the release of Echo Six Expansion Pack 2 you’ll be able to experience the final three missions in Operation Raccoon City’s Spec Ops campaign. And said expansion is available now on Xbox Live for 800 msp and PSN for $9.99.

The final (for now) add-on will take players through a secret Umbrella lab, the hospital, the dead factory, all coming to a head in a “desperate fight for safe extraction from the city via rescue helicopter.”  Oh, and there’s also Super Parasite Tyrants to confront. Yeah, Super…PARASITE Tyrants.

Have you completed these final missions yet? If so, what are your impressions? This coming Friday reHorror will re-turn with my review of the Spec Ops campaign. Stay tuned.

And yeah…there’s a reason why I chose this particular header image!

Final Spec Ops missions now available for Operation Raccoon City is a post from: Rely on Horror

Hey, it’s been two weeks already. It’s time for you all to submit questions for the Whispers’ podcast. You know the one!

As always, feel free to ask the gang whatever you want, whether it be about movies, music, games, or personal stuff (like Whitney’s current chemical addiction).

The semester is almost over and I’m lethargic as ever. Be exciting … for me.

Whispers’ records this weekend, submit those questions is a post from: Rely on Horror

Back when we first heard about the Silent Hill HD Collection, it was everything that longtime fans of the series could have wanted.  Who wouldn’t want to relive survival horror’s glory days in amazing HD?  Sure, it seemed like the entire gaming industry was milking the HD Collection cash cow, but the Silent Hill HD Collection was something that everyone really wanted to turn out great.  But like Silent Hill itself, the game took on an ugly twist that left many angry with the final product.

With Konami pushing out another patch for the HD Collection and working on one for Downpour to address some of the issues that people have been experiencing, it seems like Konami really wants to make it right.  But y’know what would be tops?

Silent Hill HD Collection for the Vita.

The Playstation Vita - not failing as hard as some people would have hoped

At first blush it would seem like a pie-in-the-sky fantasy.  The Silent Hill HD Collection is sitting at a measly 3.2 user score on metacritic and seen as almost broken by many reviewers.   So why would Konami spend more time and resources to port the game to another system?  Why not just cut their losses and move onto their next Silent Hill project, getting Book of Memories released and (most importantly) error free?

I previously stated that the HD Collection could have been so much more.  It seems that a lot of reviewers share this sentiment, yet still gave the title an outstanding score anyway, as if nothing were wrong.  For instance, IGN gave the title a 90, stating in their review that “little of what makes Silent Hill HD Collection excellent has anything to do with its enhancements.  Slight improvements certainly help refresh Silent Hill 3 visually and the new voice recordings sound far more human than the laughable original acting.  Really, the best thing about this re-release is what hasn’t changed.”

Above: still as horrifying now as it was before

In one fell swoop, the reviewer stated that the HD Collection was so worthy not because of what changed, but because of what hadn’t.  So why bother re-releasing it at all?  Perhaps it says something about their reviewer.  Maybe they were only reviewing the game for the 360?  Doesn’t matter – the review gives off the vibe of ‘let’s just forget the audio visual issues and unfaithful changes made to the game  that seem to litter it (you either had glitches/hiccups or you didn’t, and a lot of people reported having them).  We’re giving it a 90 because it’s SILENT HILL!’

To be brutally honest – probably to the chagrin of my RoH colleagues – the original games are classics.  They didn’t deserve that kind of piss-poor handling.  The Silent Hill HD Collection deserves a place in the top echelons of remastered games for the classics that they are and given due care and attention.  Not as a nice try, here’s some pity points because the quality-control department said ‘fuck it, they’ll like it anyway’

Konami has been hard at work remastering one of their other beloved franchises: Metal Gear Solid.  The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which includes MGS2 and MGS3 saw quite a bit of success on the 360 and PS3 when it was released at the end of last year/earlier this year.  Additionally, Snake Eater saw reasonable success and favourable reviews when it released on the Nintendo 3Ds.  So it came as quite a surprise to hear that Konami would be releasing the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the Playstation Vita this coming June.

The MGS Collection is set to implement touch screen and rear touchpad controls, utilizing the Vita’s capabilities.  Plus, it looks fantastic!  Why can’t this be done for the Silent Hill HD Collection?  Porting the SHHDC to the Vita would give Konami a chance to make it right.  To start over again on a smaller console, to get it right before releasing it so no patches would be required.  I don’t work in the industry, so I’m not fully versed on the subject, but wouldn’t working with a smaller system be, well, easier?

What do you think?  Should Konami port the Silent Hill HD Collection to the Playstation Vita?

Editor’s note: My qualms are with the Playstation 3 version of the game.  Although my picture is of my 360 avatar, I do love my PS3.

Hey Konami! Make us a Silent Hill HD Collection for the Vita please? is a post from: Rely on Horror

In yet another quiet delay without press release, Silent Hill: Book of Memories has been pushed back into the fall with an October release. When Amazon and other retailers listed the game with an October 31st release date, numerous gaming sites, including us, asked Konami whether the game was actually delayed.

Konami got back to Game Informer today and announced that the title will be arriving this October. The title was delayed due to “timing and development” reasons.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m all for delays if it means we’ll get a better game. I’m not fan of patches to fix incomplete games so it’s good that Konami is holding out on rushing this title out of the door as they did with the HD Collection. It’s just frustrating that the game continues to be delayed without so much as one website getting a confirmation email. I’m sure some people walked into stores last March looking to buy a copy of the game, but because no substantial announcement was given, they were left confused.

At least we have the Book of Memories soundtrack to hold us over, right? Right?

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Silent Hill: Book of Memories releasing in October is a post from: Rely on Horror

E3 is right around the corner, with less than a month left before all the craziness commences. With that, there’s bound to be a load of Resident Evil 6 content to digest as we continue to push through towards its release on October 2nd. One of the main focal points for Capcom at E3 relating to this highly anticipated sequel will be Jake and Sherry’s campaign, which will play drastically different than Leon’s more traditional adventure and Chris’s action-packed one.

Described as a “melee fighter” in the latest issue of UK publication, PSM, Jake and Sherry will employ moves that channel their super-human capabilities. They’re near invincible and are able to regenerate as well. So will they be able to even die? I’m sure you’ll still be able to see “you are dead” screens when playing their campaign but the gameplay in general will be much more focused on melee attacks as opposed to pure gunplay. And as we all know, Jake’s blood is the key to putting an end to the C-Virus which has the world in total fear. So Sherry is going to be protecting his globally saturated ass on their quest to China.

Expect a full reveal of this campaign’s gameplay mechanics at E3 next month. I’ll be there and as I’ve told all my friends, they’re going to need a horde of security guards to drag me out of Capcom’s booth!

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Resident Evil 6’s Jake/Sherry campaign is a “melee fighter”, will be revealed at E3 is a post from: Rely on Horror

We brought you news a while back that Capcom Japan would be releasing a special collector’s edition of Resident Evil 6.  As of right now, the Premium Edition is exclusive to Japan and will feature a leather jacket, styled after Leon Kennedy’s jacket in the game and 4 tablet covers.  So far as I’m concerned, Capcom can keep the tablet covers; I’d be cool with just the jacket.  Provided that those 4 tablet covers cost $1000 to include.

GregaMan over at the Capcom Unity blogs suggests that the Capcom store might be interested in bringing a limited number of Premium Edition RE6′s to the United States.  However in order to gauge interest, they’ve set up a poll to see if people would actually buy it if they brought it over.  Either that, or they’re just trying to properly gauge fans reactions to Capcom releasing a luxury item that will set them back almost as much as a their car.

Clicking an answer in a poll is one thing – it’s quite another to actually plunk down the cash and buy it.

Regardless, you can head on over to GregaMan’s blog and answer the poll question.  Click on the link and tell Capcom that some parts of the market shouldn’t be privy to special treatment.  Or, you could also tell them they’re absolutely out of their minds for charging $1300 for a replica jacket.

At least the guns you can mount on your wall.

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Capcom may bring $1300 RE6 Premium Edition Stateside is a post from: Rely on Horror

IGN reports that their secret source has given them details on the upcoming–but yet to be announced–Dead Space 3. The threequel is said to have a bunch of changes that all point to a faster, more action oriented Dead Space. The source has also stated that the game will take place on an icy planet much like the rumored Tau Volantis.

First up, co-op has been announced by IGN’s source as a new feature to the series. When playing co-op, Isaac will be accompanied by a strange, scar-faced man with red eyes. The game’s story is said to accommodate the inclusion of a co-op buddy for Isaac; certain hallucination scenes won’t occur while within co-op but will do so when Isaac is alone in a singleplayer game. Co-op partners will work together when using Kinesis and can share inventory as well.

The weapon system of Dead Space 3 is said to be undergoing an overhaul. If the source is correct, workbenches will possibly allow for custom alt-fire modes on weapons. The source spoke of a Plasma Cutter with a Force Gun alt-fire. Issac is said to have a few new moves as well: crouching, rolling, and a more expansive control over Kinesis has been listed.

Lastly, IGN’s source states that new Necromorph types will find their way into the game and so will armed human soldiers.

All of these features sound pretty cool and will most likely make for a more fun experience, but will a lot of the horror be compromised? Co-op and horror is a hard thing to blend well. After reading the description of the rumored co-op, FEAR 3 came to mind. I know I can’t be the only one who thought  that. Let’s just hope that if this game is indeed co-op, it won’t be as bad and as cheesy as FEAR 3′s co-op ended up being.

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Rumor: Dead Space 3 to have co-op, new moves, and a new weapon system is a post from: Rely on Horror

“The Raven” is the title of, perhaps, Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous literary piece.  In the film of the same title, John Cusack takes on the role of the troubled poet, but is cast in a completely different light than the real man himself.  While the movie is named after one of Poe’s works individually, it aims to incorporate the bulk of his famous poems into a plot that has a serial killer executing victims in the same manner as they die in the poems.  Conceptually, it sounds very intriguing -if not a little redundant, as many works of film have done this or something like it, i.e. the television show “Castle” or David Fincher’s “Se7en.”

With more than ample source material, director James McTeigue and screenplay writers Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare could have delved deep into the psyche of one of America’s greatest and most profound writers, but decided to keep a more approachable work of fiction, presumably to get audiences involved a little easier.  John Cusack does a decent job at portraying this Poe, although his character goes from drunk and disturbed to a fully-functional detective without hesitation, which takes away some believability -an issue not so much with his talent as with the writing.  Luke Evans does a decent supporting job as well, playing the determined Detective Fields and Alice Eve is Poe’s forbidden love who becomes the main plot-point as the film progresses.

As the film begins, it noticeably takes influence from “Sherlock Holmes,” starring Robert Downey Junior as an eccentric version of another historic piece of literature, and in so-doing left a feeling that “The Raven” was going to pull greatly from it.  The Edgar Allan Poe portrayed in the film does remind me of Downey’s Holmes in more ways than one; his attitude is cynical and over the top, all while offering humorous one-liners to keep audiences entertained as much as it could, but ultimately doesn’t deliver quite like “Holmes” did as I found only once did I or anyone else laugh out loud.  Perhaps what was most disappointing was the fact that the premise of the film is supposed to have a serial killer reenacting Poe’s works, but it sails over the murders in the first act and surprisingly doesn’t give them a second thought, leaving the rest of the film to focus on simply finding the killer before striking again. This is a shame because the film could have offered a much darker and more involving tale if these details were explored and if Poe’s character was examined better.

Final Opinion

It isn’t all bad.  “The Raven” does keep audiences engaged, but doesn’t deliver as the stylish and inventive film it was marketed to be, rather it was a film that employs a tired premise, includes an underdeveloped story and a style that was so obviously shop-lifted from other works.  John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe was fun and entertaining, but that wasn’t enough to take the focus off of the movie’s other faults and I couldn’t help but compare his acting here to other roles he’s played, leaving this Poe to be more Cusack-y than anything.  Give the movie a rent when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray, but if the lack of audience that was found on opening weekend is any indicator of its merit, you won’t be pining for more.

6/10

Review: The Raven is a post from: Rely on Horror

The popular digital distribution service, Steam, has a special offer this week for their weekly ‘mid-week madness’ sale that is just full of Alan Wake love! Alan Wake and its Collector’s Edition are both on sale 50% off. We keep it no secret that we here at Rely on Horror are rather big fans of the writer ourselves. If a psychological thriller that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but brimming with atmosphere interests you, or if you’ve been waiting for a sale to pick this one up, now’s the time.

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare has also been officially announced for Steam, and is now available for pre-order, even though no proper release date has been given. Pre-ordering it will net you a 10% discount from its $15 price-tag, though if you also own the original Alan Wake on Steam you get an additional 15% off (a total 25% off discount). It’s not a lake, it’s fantastic savings!

Alan Wake is Steam’s mid-week sale; American Nightmare now available for Steam pre-order is a post from: Rely on Horror