Outlast

I'd like to do my first PREVIEW on the game Outlast. As you might confer from the word preview, this game actually has no releases yet. However, there is gameplay, for it.



  Outlast is a horror game made by Red Barrels. Now, I'm not sure I can really count this as an indie title, because Red Barrels seems to be pretty big, and on top of that, it is planned to be a multiplatform title, with Red Barells stating that "We’re focusing on the PC for now, but our goal is to make Outlast available to anyone who wants to play it. It’s just a matter of time and resources.(http://redbarrelsgames.com/games.html) So, basically, right now they are an independent company, but I'm not sure how long that will last. So, if Red Barrels stays independent during the making of Outlast, I'll bet they'll be quite some inspiration for other indie designers.

Anyway, on to details. Outlast is an upcoming survival-horror title. You play as protagonist Miles Upshir. As an independent journalist, your job is to wander inside an old, abandoned asylum, where strange events are taking place. Little do you know that what lurks inside is just another scary-as-hell horror monster that has an irresistible urge to rip your guts out, much like any other horror game. But this monster does prove to be a  lot more frightening, as it is constantly pursuing you (unlike some other horror games, where monsters are just set events or triggers that automatically happen when you say walk in to a room)



 There's our little friend!!!!

Whilst exploring said asylum, you soon find out that your only escape is too go deeper in.  (No, I'm not sure how that will be implemented, but I'm sure it will be something reasonable) There you have it. Outlast, which will be released Q3 2013. If you are any more curious, follow the link posted in the middle of the second paragraph. That should take you to their site, where you can view some gameplay trailers. Also, IGN has made an " Is Outlast Scary?" video, which features a bunch of people playing a short version of it.

Pre-Rating: 8/10.

7 Days.

Sorry I haven't posted much recently. I've been pretty busy. But this weekend I got the chance to play a new Indie horror title called 7 days. I'm glad I got to it, because I would absolutely put this on the top ten of scariest. It was a pretty horrifying game.
                                                                                    

  I'll start off with a few details. First off, it is in the style of  Imscared. If you've never played Imscared, then basically, it is a first person game with 8-bit graphics. Please, don't underestimate it because of its graphics, Trust me, this game is almost as bad as SCP-087-b ( which, if you don't know, is the scariest game in the world) Anyway, 7-days has sort of a puzzle element to it. You wake up and wonder around what is supposed to be your house. The thing is, almost every door is locked. So you have to keep solving puzzles and unlocking doors to get through. All the while, the scariest shadow you will ever see is rapidly hunting you. The monster provides plenty of jump-scares, but it also taunts you by dropping a note that says something like "It's not time yet" every time it appears.


If you want an example on how scary this game is, I'll tell you that I haven't beaten it yet. I quit out of fear the third time the monster appeared. Due to not having beaten it, I can't give off too many details, other than the fact that I hate the name sam now. You'll have to play it yourself. Like I said, It isn't as scary as 087-B, but that doesn't mean it didn't make me afraid of my own hallway.

link: gamejolt.com/games/adventure/7days/14592/‎
rating:9/10

Who would win 2

Well, 106 caused a paradox with 173, so they are both out. It is now down to Slenderman and the gatherer. Which one?




                                or






please leave a comment. I think slender would win because gatherers have the memory of a three-month old child. They easily forget where you are even if they see you hide in a closet....Slender drains your sanity and then proceeds to either teleport or fly at your face with lightning fast speed.

No One Has To Die

I've just finished playing a small flash puzzle game, and wow. It is clearly amazing. Clearly.


The game is titled No One Has To Die. It is a game that places you in control of the security protocols of a shadowy company during a fire. Your job is to save four characters that are trapped in the building by locking doors, turning water pumps on, etc. The only problem is that you can only lock one door per level, so every time someone has to die no matter what you do.  That made it a very difficult game for me. I myself am not very good at decision making. I can't say much else without spoiling anything, but I will say do not stop playing after beating it once. It takes multiple play-throughs to get the "real" ending.



Rating:10/10

link: http://gamejolt.com/games/other/no-one-has-to-die/14133/

Just for the heck of it. Who would win in this fight?









                                    or




                                    or




                                or





  comment on which one YOU think will win. I personally believe SCP-173 would be the winner because he is lightning fast when you don't look at him and even a diamond drill won't do a scratch of damage.

SCHOOL IN A PERFECT WORLD

Here's another post where only Philomath, Oregon civilians should bother reading. It is based on my idea of what would be a perfect school in a perfect world. I should be done with these soon, so hopefully I can get back to reviews only.


 When I imagine a perfect school, I imagine not sitting in a desk with a text book in front of me. I imagine not listening to boring speeches. I imagine a set due date for all assignments, instead of separate due dates for each. I imagine a school where kids aren't unrealistically punished for overdue work. ( a D at the most. Seriously?) I imagine a school where teachers and staff actually listen to things like this. I imagine that I can write this without overusing the statement "I imagine". I imagine a school where I can learn things that are important to my future career. I imagine a school where I can have freedom to choose which classes I take in importance to my career. I imagine that I can go to a school where 59% of the assignments aren't pointless. I imagine a school where there is freedom during break to play SCP: Containment Breach without getting in trouble. I imagine a school where every teacher cares and listens to every student in his/her every class and makes sure they succeed. I imagine a school without cliques. I imagine a school where the school food is better than jail food.


I imagine that a perfect school means the above paragraph. Even though that is impossible, I believe we can work to achieve some of those things and make this school a better place. I think that teachers should be very considerate of every student. I think that is why some students fail their classes. I think that a school with certain freedoms that we don't have would encourage the students to do better. I also think that schools should not be so biased. For example, "gangster" kids are always looked down upon by staff, while there is also the "popular kids" that get everything handed to them on a silver platter. Trust me, I've been to many schools, and it's always been there. I've even been that kid once. ( It was a very small school) I think that our  school needs to focus more on helping kids achieve their goals.

Total Miner: Forge

Finally, a review that doesn't involve horror!! ( unless you count Unnamed)


  Total Miner: Forge is an indie game on the xbox 360 that can be picked up for a few bucks. It is a voxel game, which means it has the style of Minecraft. But this game is more about mining than contructing. There are way more ores than in MC. So, in ways, this game has its advantages. In others, not so much.



To start off, I'll say that this game is really fun when it comes to multiplayer. The multiplayer is created in public form, which means that you can join other peoples games without them having to be on your friend list. On top of that, it supports up to 24 players in one game. It does have a creative mode, and I myself like to waste time looking at what other people have created. I've seen some really neat maps, and some not so neat maps.


So multiplayer is good, but what about actual gameplay? Well, this game does have some good gameplay mechanics. For example, their are way more tools, which range from spears to markers to even grenade lauchers. The game is also very customizable. While in creative, you can do things like set spawn points, place teleporters, etc. I must say that I really enjoy these features.

Some other awesome features are that skins are added regularly with every update. The skins do have to be unlocked by completing challenges in-game, so it kind of reminds me of Halo 3. Other special things include the ability to use texture packs. There are about twenty or so texture packs to use, and using them only changes it for your game, so other people won't notice if you change the texture. Also, mining is a little different as well. For example, the ground is set in layers. The top layer is the clay layer (I believe, I may be wrong on some of this) And the next one down is sandstone. Below that would be basalt, and so on. You can gather ores like fluorite, cobalt, gold, coal, ect. The main enemies consist of spiders, zombies, and indians. Enemies, like in Minecraft, can get very irritating when you are starting out. But as the game goes on, it gets easier.
                                                               
Another thing I want to talk about is markers. Markers are very useful. You place them around say a house,  like making a box around the house. You don't actually have to make an entire box out of markers. You only need the corners of the metaphorical box to exist. You can then proceed to copy and paste the house wherever you like. You can do this with any object, making it really easy to build cities. I think markers may be the best item in the game.


There are a few things I dislike, though. First off, the motions in the game ( mining, chopping, ect.) are very bland. And the voxel characters have no animations. They are just static figures. Also, the music is kind of lame, but is there a single voxel game where it isn't? Another thing is that, even though this game isn't finished, I think it could use a bigger variety of items and creatures. The only animal that isn't harmful is a duck. That will probably be updated in the future, but for now, we're stuck with it.

rating: 8/10

Hooray!!

I am pretty happy today, because this blog hit three hundred views yesterday!!! So today, I'm going to do a different post. I want you to read through all of the reviews that I've posted. If you want, play some of them, and comment here on what you thought about them. Also, recommending indie titles really helps, so don't forget to post those too. It is great to know that I have been able to contribute to the indie revolution. I shall keep posting reviews, and remember, next time you buy microsoft points, or get on your pc, look for the indie games and explore!!

ANOTHER FREAKING SCP!!!!!!!!

Yes, I may be a little obsessive over SCP.

SHADDAP!!!!

Anyway, what I was going to say, is that this indie title, which I believe is still in alpha, is called SCP-432    (http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-432) You play as an unnamed D-class subject for the shadowy SCP foundation. They have sent you to explore a maze that is hidden inside a cabinet. The goal is to find a box somewhere in the randomly generated maze. What I don't like about it is that the random map generator doesn't work that well. Basically, in order to get the map to generate differently, you have to restart the game. I don't know if they have fixed this yet, but either way, it is still annoying.

not a very clear image, but that is what the game looks like. A little too dark, in my opinion.

Back to the game, as you explore, you are constantly hunted by a predatory monster with glowing red eyes. It does provide the scare it should a lot of the time. Other times, though, it'll kill you even if you don't see it. That can get rather irritating sometimes. What also bugs me is that your character bobs too much while moving. It's like your on a sail ship or something!! It's ridiculous. 

Moving more towards the good stuff about this game, I'll say that it has a pretty scary atmosphere. Not nearly as bad as 087-b, but still enough to give me the chills. Also, the ending is very memorable. It's pretty obvious how it is going to end from the start, because there is only one ending in one SCP game where you live. (Containment Breach) And the monster, while not the scariest thing I've ever seen, is still quite discomforting.

The monster. It's model has probably changed, or probably will change soon, because it's not that scary.


UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This game has now been upgraded to version 2.0!!! There is now a new goal (Find a number of artifacts and escape. Yes, it sounds like slender, but it is not.) and the death sequence is a lot scarier. Also, the main menu has changed. I'm going to up the rating a little bit.



Link: www.indiedb.com/games/scp-432/downloads/scp-432-20‎

rating: 7.25/10

Sorry

I have heard some complaints that there are pictures missing in the top ten scary post. Sorry about that, I'll fix it as soon as possible.

Unnamed

Yes, I have played the game that has given this website its name. Yes, I am reviewing it today.


What is the game? That is for you to decide. Although it makes an extremely good point that all the popular games are the same. Seriously, what has majorly changed in between  Cod: Modern Warfare Two and Black Ops Two? The answer is very little. The gameplay never changes. That is why I really like this game.

Unnamed is the sequel to [Insert Title Here]. It is an extremely short indie title (game?) that I would classify as experimental. Some people might classify it as horror, but I really didn't find it as discomforting as its previous title. It is made by Anothink, who I look up to, not only because he (she?) realizes that different is awesome, but from what I can see is that, like me, is against major label games.


Back to the game, you are someone that travels through a bunch of rooms. Each room has its own special properties. For example, in one room, you sit in a chair. The chair activates a weird display on the wall, and a very loud voice tells you to press a button that is on the chair when you get bored.






There's not a whole lot to say about this game without spoiling any of it. You'll just have to play it for yourself.

link: www.indiedb.com/games/unnamedgame/downloads/unnamed-v10‎


Rating: 6/10

I Believe

Ok. Here's a three paragraph post on stuff that only Philomath School people should care about unless you want some random inspiration that only has a 23% chance of working anyway.

I believe that I can persevere through anything that gets in my way. I believe that I can become the best at what I do. I believe that I will be able to achieve my hearts desire. I believe that I will give a huge boost to the indie revolution. I believe that I can patch the holes that tear my life apart. I believe that this paragraph should end with this sentence.

  No matter what life throws at me, I will find a way around, through, under, or over it. I try my best to never give up, because that would be a waste of work. Giving up is like saying "Let's do all of this work, and then let's just throw it all in the fire." It's not ok. Giving up should only be used in the case of an impossible situation, such as trying to tie two elephants together with nothing but three inches of string.

  I believe that giving up is not for the weak, or the strong, or the lazy, or the old. I believe that giving up is for those who have no other choice. And there are always choices, so why give up? Giving up just means failure. When you give up, you let everyone involved down. You let yourself down. You disappoint the audience that has sacrificed their precious time to watch you complete your task. My point is, never, ever, ever give up. Persevere through everything. No matter what. Life is a challenge, and giving up on a task that life throws at you means you have failed the challenge. Instead, challenge life itself, go out and do what you say is right. Do what is needed to complete that challenge. Do absolutely whatever you can to overthrow the obstacles that try to rule your life.

You wanna know my challenge? My challenge is to give the indie revolution the boost it needs to overthrow the major labels that mark gaming. That is my challenge that I shall never give up on. Ever. I will play indie games possibly until the day I die. And I will promote them is any way possible. That is my challenge. And I shall persevere through it until the challenge is complete.

Note

Hey bloggers. Sorry that I've been reviewing a ton of horror indies lately. I'm just really addicted to horror games. I will find the time to play some other non-horror indie titles, and I will review them. But expect more horror reviews, because they are fun and they take up a lot of the indie game culture.

SCP: Containment Breach............. Here comes a very long review

Well, you may have seen the review on SCP-087-B, but this game is completely different. While still based on the SCP foundation tales, it is way more diverse, way longer, and possibly the best horror game I've played.

  SCP:Containment Breach puts you in the shoes of D-9341, a D-class test subject doomed for Euclid and Keter level testing. D-class are basically guinea pigs of the Foundation. It's either that or the death row. Anyway, you are put up for testing on SCP-173. 173 is  a statue that only moves while not within a direct line of sight. It is very fast, and extremely hostile. It  basically hates all life. To counter it's inability to move while in sight, there's a blink meter. Your character has to blink every now and then, and when he does, 173 will move.


an image of 173

  I'll let you know that 173 isn't the only enemy. The other main enemy in the game is SCP-106. 106 isn't as deadly as 173, but he does constantly hunt you. 106 is an old, decomposed humanoid (nicknamed the old man) that can phase through walls. He can move within a direct line of sight, but he is much slower than 173. That doesn't make him any less scarier though. 106 attacks by dragging victims into the pocket dimension, which is a tripped out, very creepy place. It is possible to get out of it, but it is very dangerous.


SCP-106. The models aren't all that amazing, but they don't need to be.

So, basically what happens is that there's a power failure. This results in many SCPs escaping from containment and going on a rampage. In the case of a containment breach, all D-class personnel are to be terminated. This places you in even more danger. Guards and Mobile Task Force agents will try and shoot you on sight if there are no SCPs in the proximity.

With a Breach in progress, you have no choice but to try and escape. There are gates that you can get through, but they are heavily guarded. Plus, finding the exits aren't all that easy. The maps are randomly generated, much like a voxel game, but not a voxel game. On top of that, there are keycards that must be acquired to escape. Those are also spread through out the map.

 Now don't get me wrong, 106 and 173 aren't the only enemies. There are over ten others. Some are threatening, and some will help you. Such as SCP-500 is a pill that heals you no matter what. This can be very helpful if you get wounded by guards or 106. There are also SCPs that don't kill you on first sight, but will if provoked, such as SCP-096. 096 only comes after you if you look at its face.


SCP-096.

This game is my all-time favorite when it comes to horror. It isn't the scariest, (SCP-087-B) but it is the most fun. I really encourage you to try it, even if you aren't trying to get scared. I will post a link  for the game here, and I really hope you try it out.

rating: 9.75/10 (-.25 because of difficulty)

link: http://www.scpcbgame.com/

Pesadelo O Inicio

You know what  I love? Brazilian games. And those are a little rare nowadays. Actually, those have always been rare. Scratch that, this is the only Brazilian game I've ever played. Yes, it is horror, and yes it is in my top ten scariest for horror. So you can imagine it's pretty scary. But it is pretty original, and fun, and the information in the top ten list didn't give much information, so I'm doing a review for it.



Pesadelo O Inicio ( which means The Nightmare Home) Is a free horror game found in the link below. The game, made by Skyjaz, takes place in two locations. The first of these is a train station. You play as a guy who is haunted and gets stuck in a nightmare that he can't wake up from. His workplace ( The train station) seems to be the only place to go. As soon as he enters, he is stuck and must find a way out of the train station.

  What I like is that it starts out without an enemy. At first you are to explore the train station and find a missing valve needed to activate the power. As soon as you do that, the first main enemy, which is a tall zombie like thing that appears randomly, starts to chase you. But before all of that happens, there's a build-up in tension as you face a creepy atmosphere and a few jump scares. Anyway, as soon as the power is on, you need to find a bunch of keys to escape. That is it for the first level.

  Yes, this game has more than one level, which is rare for a horror game. (The only other one I've heard of is Slender: The Arrival)  Right now there are only two levels. I really want them to add more, so please support them.

Back to the game. The second level is way scarier than the first. In the second level, you find yourself in a school. That automatically makes it scarier than the first level. To add on top of that, way more jump scares, and this time, you are chased by a little demon girl!! This level is also way harder than the first. The map is narrower, and sometimes the only way to avoid the girl is to jump on something. Also, the goal is ten times harder to achieve. You actually have to kill the little demon girl. The upside is that you can save.


Overall rating: 8/10

The ten scariest games I've ever played

Ok, I know this is kind of a cliche thing to post, but of all the other scary games lists I've looked at, only few of them actually scary games. In this I will post the games that have truly scared me, and later I will review them (unless I've already reviewed hem). I won't post links to them yet, but I encourage you to try these games, because after all, indie is for the win!!

10. Slender: T8P

I really didn't want to post this one, because it is not scary. But I don't want hate, so here it is.





   

9. Haunt: the real slender game

This game is another slender, but at least slender looks scary in this one. I have to say, it is pretty intense.


  


8. SCP-087
This is the original SCP game. It is short, terrifying, and sometimes boring. But it is scary.
 

7.SCP-432
Yes. The only thing that scares me about this game is that freaking thing!
  

6.Pesadelo O Incio
Pesadelo may be one of my favorites, but it is not the scariest game I've played. It is very unique and difficult.
  

5.Amnesia: The Dark Descent
This game is is pretty awesome. Scary, yes. Challenging, yes. Jump scare full, yes.

  

4.Insert title here
While it may not be considered a horror game, it gave me a really uncomfortable feeling throughout.
 

3. The Corridor
This game had a very memorable ending. That's all I'm going to say.
  

2.SCP: Containment Breach
My absolute favorite horror game, but only one game is scarier than this.




And number one is..........







1.SCP-087-B
No. Just no. I hate this game so much that I love it. It is clearly the scariest game I've ever played, and it will probably stay like that forever.













There it is, people. The scariest games in my opinion. I might have rearranged them on second thought, but I need to post this. I'll just say that they're in no exact order, but number 1 is defiantly the scariest.