I've been out and about doing things that don't involve GameSpot for some time now, eh?

Well, let's see, there's a few things to set in order. Since last October I've completed Dead Space, so there'll be a review for that showing up sooner or later. I've played a number of Xbox Arcade games, including Castle Crashers, Catan, Doom, N+, and a few others, I think. I've bought and acquired several new games, including many PS1 titles. I've completed the original Devil May Cry, Fallout 3 + DLCs, Resident Evil 5, Condemned 1, and more.

I've more to say about each of these things, so there will be reviews and more posts in the coming days.

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So yesterday I bought this game called Dead Space. I've been watching it since the beginning of the year and was pumped for its release on Tuesday. I had been hoping the Redwood Shores branch of EA would pull off something really scary and awesome.

Wish granted.

I have played Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Condemned, BioShock (although I don't consider it scary), and FEAR. None of these had the effect that Dead Space had on me. I was barely able to sleep last night. I thought for brief moments that I would be ill if I couldn't get my mind off of the game. It really is that scary.

Of course, I also played 4 hours straight after buying it, took a nap, and then played another couple of hours before trying to go to sleep. Bad mixture with a game like this. With no real fatigue to put me to sleep, my mind went to work recapping all of the atmosphere and monsters in Dead Space, keeping me wired and nervous.

I could compare to the feeling to an extremely mild form of PTSD, where I had a constant dread and fearfulness that I couldn't shake. Like a switch turned on that won't flip back off.

The game is excellent. EA succeeded in making a truly frightening game with some great gameplay. I just wish I wasn't so hesitant to return to it! For my own sake, I'll be taking a break from Dead Space until the weekend.

By the by, I'm in Chapter 5 of the game, which is a little over 1/3 of the whole journey.

I'll leave you with a question, "Have you ever played a game or watched a movie that scared you so bad you thought you might not keep it?"

Games sure have gotten impressive.

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CLIVE BARKER'S UNDYING

Last week I ordered Undying from a seller on amazon.com after debating with myself for an hour over which of the 200+ games sitting on my wish list should be looked into first. Clive Barker won out, thanks to my bias towards horror-based titles. It arrived today and I've just finished up a good 2 1/2 hours of straight gameplay, which leads me to my

Initial Thoughts

I had mixed feelings when I started up Undying for the first time. Part of me was aware of the high praise Mr. Barker's game had received when it was released in 2001, but another part was trying to keep me unbiased and neutral, as I tend to be disappointed whenever I start expecting very much from a game.

The narrative is one of the most impressive that I've ever heard. As I'd been thinking more about gameplay than story initially the rich story leaves me pleasantly surprised. It's clever and intriguing, the characters curious and multi-sided. I do like the main character, whose name escapes me at the moment (I've only played two hours...) for his interesting mannerisms and ideas. A skeptic with a reputation for being highly knowledgeable on the occult? Blessed with supernatural abilities and magics yet still approaching anything new with a pinch of salt? He's one of the most human characters I've seen in a video game, and I feel connected to his plight of trying to solve the curse upon his dying friend's mansion. Also, he isn't an invincible superhero, although he is at times superhuman, which brings me to the gameplay.

Undying is a tough game. The learning curve starts out easy enough but around the time you leave Earth's dimension for the first time (about an hour or so in) things heat up quick. I especially despise the acid-spitting slug/worm/octopus things that follow you from the alternate dimension back to Earth. They begin burrowing randomly out of the floors in infinite hordes, often barring passage to another room with their bodies. My deaths thus far have been more numerous at their hands (claws?) than anything else. Not that there is much else yet. There are the howlers, purple, vaguely humanoid monsters that roar and claw at you like none other. Since you are very fragile in Undying, health packs quickly become scarce as beasts sink their fangs into your juicy calves. One must invent strategies quickly to adapt to different enemies and situations. At the moment I've made a breakthrough against the spitters by using a one-two combo with the War Cannon (name? It's a mini bazooka looking gold dragon that fires ice shots) and Ectoplasmic blasts from my opposite hand at the same time.

So far my only complaint is that the game isn't very scary yet, although a horrific atmosphere fills every room and hallway of the Covenant Mansion. As a final note, I will say that I really enjoy being able to (mostly) freely explore the mansion, fighting demons and whatnot as I go.

More later

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