“It’s a Video Game!” – Some Thoughts on Elden Ring

Well, as Timberland once said, “I shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to.” I’ve been on a bit of a sabbatical from the blog. Heck, I was barely  posting for these last two years already. It’s not that I ran out of things to say. I just went to other platforms to say or see them. I never forgot about ‘ole Blogger though. There’s also the fact that I’m a family man these days. Things with Liz and Andy are good, fun, and sometimes a bit tiresome, but that tiresome part comes when you’re chasing a 19-month old around the house.

Another thing that took a lot of time from here was today’s subject: Elden Ring. Back in August 2022, I thought I’d bite the bullet and see what this Elden Ring game was all about. Well, it’s April of 2023, and I’ve put about 238 hours into this one playthrough… no, I don’t have a problem! When you’re married, have a toddler, have a job and other hobbies, you’d don’t get a lot of time to game. Outside of a couple of other games, Elden Ring has been the main game I’ve been on since that time. There were times where I wanted to give up, but I just wanted to see it through to the final boss, and I’ve made it there. Now, that final boss may stay unbeaten (this game was hard), but at least I can say that I ran the race.

Movie Talk - The Street Fighter Animated Movies

I’ve noticed that I’ve been in game mode here recently. I guess that’s one side effect of the pandemic: more time to play stuff. Today’s post is still in that mode, but I’m including a bit of anime in this time. Animation and Fighting games tend to have a weird record a lot like live action video game adaptations. Sometimes, they ain’t too bad. Other times, you wonder what narcotic the creators were taking when making the anime. While I like the Street Fighter franchise, I’ll admit that it’s not too high on the totem pole these days. I think one reason for that is the fact that I don’t know jack about these characters. You’d think that the numerous movies would help, but nah.

Some time ago, I decided to re-watch the animated Street Fighter movie from the 1990s on Amazon Prime. I actually owned the movie back in college. It was a collection of Street Fighter games for the PS2, and some jackass stole it back in college along with a few more games and some books. Thankfully, I didn’t need the books that much, but I would’ve loved to traded American History and Psych 101 in. I’ve seen the other movies in bits and pieces on TV and online. I didn’t even know about the last movie, The Ties That Bind, until this week. I also noticed something on Hulu (Round 1: Fight), but that was apparently a motion comic.

"It's a Video Game!" - My Time with Mass Effect Legendary Edition: Part 3

Well, it took a while, but I finally finished my time with Mass Effect 3. According to the Playstation 2021 Year-End thing, I put 125 hours into the whole trilogy. It's time well spent, I say! So, with saying all that, what do I think of this upgraded Mass Effect 3?

Like with Mass Effect 2, ME3 just received a bit of a coat of fresh paint. Not a lot has changed here. While there were a couple of noticeable changes (my crazy dance scene got taken out!), things are pretty much the same. I also know that they upgraded Tali's unmasked face, but I never got to see that since I was romancing Liara in this run. Everything from beginning to end was pretty much the same especially the ending. The baby still plays well. We got some of the best gunplay in the franchise with Shepard being a straight-up beast. The only thing I didn't revisit was the Omega DLC. I may do that some other time. 

The Favorites - Ranked Assassin's Creed Protagonists: Favorite to Least Favorite

Well, it’s a new year, and things still feel like they haven’t changed. 2021 wasn’t a great year, but I can’t call it bad either. It had its usual ups and downs. Anyway, one thing I wanted to eventually cover was who my favorite Assassin’s Creed protagonists were. Even though I still haven’t played Liberation (which actually is now on the PS4 on that AC3 remaster), I want to go on and get this done.

So, what’s the criteria in a good protagonist? I think there are many factors, but the main one is that they gotta be likable. You can even find some likability by playing a protagonist who’s off into some dark deeds like Shay Kormac from Rogue or Haytham Kenway from AC3. Development is definitely a plus in my department. Even when some get one game, the story surrounding them is usually pretty dang good. Throw things like fighting ability, personality, and a crapton of other stuff as well. For a bit of a shock, I’m also including other protagonists like the modern day ones, ones from DLC, and ones we play for a little bit. So, let’s start off with easily the best of the bunch:

1. Ezio Auditore da Frienze (the Ezio Trilogy) – Yeah, you know Ezio is going up top. One of the reasons the franchise got such a kick in popularity was because of Ezio. We got to see him grow (literally, we first see him after he’s born!) from a brat into one of the wisest Assassins. He a lover, a fighter, and everything in between. Even though he wasn’t the first Assassin, he was one of the reasons why I became a fan of Assassin’s Creed. I also have to credit Robin Atkins Dowe for providing some great voice acting.

2. Bayek of Siwa (Origins) – This was a tough one because either Bayek or the next pick was going to get this spot. I just had to do a Wesley Snipes and “Always go with black” on this one. In my replay, I was excited to return to Egypt to experience the butt-kicking Medjay. While Bayek did have a bit of a familiar backstory (he wanted a taste of revenge), there was a lot more to him than that. He was already a protector, he was a husband, and he had a son. Seeing him and Aya lose their son, Khemu, and dedicate themselves to a higher calling was interesting. Abubakar Salim did a great job in voicing Bayek.

3. Edward Kenway (Black Flag) – One of the reasons Black Flag was such a success was because it had a cool protagonist in Edward Kenway. He was a scoundrel who interacted in the Assassin/Templar conflict in an interesting way. Heck, he stays a bit of a scoundrel for a majority of the game since he was a pirate. He only wore the Assassin garb for show and took “nothing is true, everything is permitted” a little too literally. It took losing everything he had (his family, his friends, his ship, and almost his life) for him to change his pirate ways and become an Assassin in the end. Matt Ryan (John Constantine!) voiced him and did a wonderful job.

The Favorites - My Top 7 Assassin's Creed Video Games

Since it is the end of the year, I felt like returning to the world of the Assassins. Ubisoft has released some more DLC and even free DLC at that. I don’t know if I’ll play any of it though. I got a couple of posts that I’ve wanted to get up for a while now.

First up is a post I thought would be a struggle. Of out of all of the AC games, which ones do I consider to be the my favorite? It’s a tough question because all of them have a lot of good things and few bad things. It ultimately comes down to a few factors like story, protagonists, gameplay, and just overall fun. Another thing that could make it tougher is the fact that there are 13 mainline games (including Liberation which I never played). It’s tough to make a top 10 of that, which is why I made the corporate decision to make this a Top 7 list. Here are my favorites from the franchise.

"It's a Video Game" - My Time with Mass Effect Legendary Edition: Part 2

The moment when you feel that you've played one of the best games ever.

Yes, it's Christmas Day, and I'm posting this. We got a little break in the day, so I thought I'd come on here and get these out. I actually did plan on doing this last night, but sleep swept upon me. That tends to happen when you're wrapping gifts and watching some Space:1999 while recovering from a crapton of food-eating.

Anyway, on to the point of this post. After my time with ME1, I jumped right into one of my favorite games: Mass Effect 2. Now this felt like home. If Mass Effect 1 made me fall for the series, Mass Effect 2 is what keeps me coming back. Yes, it lacks some of the customizable details like upgradable weapons and armor, but everything else is good. It takes what ME1 built upon and just expands on everything. The lore of this universe is expanded on. The combat is thankfully retooled and done well. The story is really good, and the most important aspect, the characters, are so well done. 

Unlike ME1's revamp, ME2 doesn't get the same unfortunately. Heck, the game was pretty much firing on all cylinders back in 2010, so nothing really needed to be done to it. Things do look a bit fresher, but that's it. I do wish it could've gotten a bit of a graphics upgrade, but this are fine as is. I didn't take too many pics this time though. I think I was having too much fun in the game. Still, here are some good ones.

"It's a Video Game" - My Time with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Part 1

Since I've been pretty busy doing just about everything, I haven't had much time to post here. One reason for that is because I've been knees deep in the Mass Effect universe... again. I've been pretty much on ME since Andy's been born since I've been going through all three games. My replay's gone down well overall. While kicking Collector and Reaper butt is cool, the one place I had to revisit was the first Mass Effect game since it was revamped just a bit. So, I'll just talk about it a bit and show off some pics I made with the new photo mode.

Jumping back in this first game was fun. It felt like coming home, but the home had been refurbished and looked more modern. Things in the game are pretty much the same story-wise. I did skip that one mission that was DLC (Project X57) because I mainly wanted to focus on the missions and characters. Things do change when we get to the character creation. Thankfully, someone knew I'd be playing "Black Shepard" again because I actually have a fresh haircut! I didn't play FemShep, but I heard that she's gotten the same upgrades with looks.

The graphics look beautiful. The graphics for the game initially were good for its time, but Bioware really put their work into making the first outing look good. The gameplay is much more refined. Gunplay is much better here than it was in the original. Another thing that got a giant overall was the Mako. Yes, it still handles poorly at times, but taht's the fun part of the Mako. Aiming on that thing has also been upgraded, and you can actually hit things! As for any negatives, I have none. I could nitpick about maybe something new story-wise being added, but what we got here is awesome. Check it out.

"It's A Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Well, it took over 100 hours a in span of maybe two months, (Baby Andy takes a lot) but I more or less beat the main iteration of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla… yeah, I got one last mission, but that gotta wait. Just guess what’ll go in the “CONS” section. Anyway, this should do it for me in terms of mainline AC games. AC: Liberation is still out there, and can be played on PS4 now. Still, I think I’m petered out on the world of the Assassins for now.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released toward the end of 2020. My initial interest for Valhalla was “whelmed” mainly because it was coming out at the same time Cyberpunk 2077 was being released. Shockingly, the Ubisoft game wasn’t the one that has been lambasted for being broken. I mean, I ran into a fair share of bugs, but something tells me that Cyberpunk 2077 could’ve killed my base PS4. I ended up buying Valhalla back in April for a bit of a discount.

"It's a Video Game!" - Control

Imagine you’re a redhead with telekinetic abilities who has to stop an evil entity from entering our world. No, I’m not talking about Jean Grey, nor am I talking about Liz whenever “Frankie, The Annoying Dog” wants to act like a cat. I’m talking about Jesse Faden, the protagonist of Control, a 2019 game developed by Remedy. This was a game I saw some press for back in 2019 since it looked pretty unique. Of course, I end up waiting until 2021 to check it out. Thanks, Playstation Plus! I knew there was another reason to keep it around. It was also released on the Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The game is about Jesse Faden, a young woman who has telekinetic abilities. In the story, Jesse heads to the Federal Bureau of Control, a government branch that deals with paranormal or supernatural incidents. When she gets to their main headquarters (The Oldest House) in New York, she finds that the building is constantly shifting and morphing. It’s revealed that it is a doorway to another dimension and that something on the other side is causing it to morph. The entity, The Hiss, is also possessing the building’s agents. Jesse gets the shock of her life as she’s made the Director of the FBC, and she’s forced to deal with the coming threat. She also has to find out what the FBC did with her brother, Dylan.

Movie Talk - Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins

After over a decade and a small webseries, we’re finally getting a new Mortal Kombat movie. This is one I’ve been curious about for some time now. I almost forgot it was being released until I started to see promos for it. The trailer for the movie looked pretty cool, but I am noticing the lack of Cage, man. Maybe this Cole Young character will liven things up, I’m not sure. One thing the new movie brought to mind was a previous “gem” from the past. It would be Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, an animated unofficial tie-in to the live-action movie that was also released in 1995. As YouTuber Phelous called it, “It’s the worst of 2D and 3D animation.”

I actually owned this thing back in the day. I talked my mom into getting it. She didn’t mind since I had already played some of the games at the time. You can thank my uncle for that. I vaguely remember seeing the video a few times. I also remember the trailer to the live action movie being included as well as a 20-minute behind-the-scenes look at the movie. Since then, I’ve seen the feature online as well as some hilarious reviews of it. I remember Phelous looked at it, and another reviewer from the old Channel Awesome days (Benzai?) reviewed it.

Favorites - 15 Favorite Black Characters in Sci-Fi

The science fiction genre has given us a crapton of characters to follow and root for. When it comes Black folk, it gets a little tough. You may see one or even two of us running around or being a side piece somewhere. Even when you see one of us playing a character, they’re sometimes playing an alien. Just guess why you won’t see someone like Guinan, Worf, and Tuvok from Star Trek or Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. I could make a case for Teal’C from Stargate: SG-1 since he is technically human, but I’ll leave him off this one. It gives me a chance to look for other characters outside of these big sci-fi franchises.

So, here are my favorite black characters in the genre. One limitation I gave myself was that I wouldn’t include any superheroes on this list, so no Storm or John Stewart. I actually made a list similar to this years ago, and I wanted to look in other places where there are some cool characters. I might break that rule for a couple, but I’ll only go so far. As usual, it’s a bit of a random list, but I’ll put my favorites up top. You only can guess who’ll be first.

"It's a Video Game!" - Ghost of Tsushima

Since Cyberpunk 2077 ended up being a bust for the PS4, I almost shelled out some money for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. While perusing PSN, I did come across a game that piqued my interest sometime last year. Some said that it was more like Assassin’s Creed than the current AC games are. Being pretty curious, and seeing that I could get this for 40 bucks, I decided to check out Ghost of Tsushima and test that claim out. It took three weeks to do it, but I think I’m ready to go over my findings.

Ghost of Tsushima was released exclusively for Sony in 2020 by Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch is known for also developing the Infamous series and the Sly Cooper series. I’ve played the first two Infamous games, but I haven’t finished Infamous: Second Son yet… need to get back that one. Anyway, the game was pretty much lauded by folk. I started to play this during my quarantine. Now that I’ve finished, what do I think?

"It's a Video Game! - Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Well, I finally made it. Other than Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and maybe a couple of non-main console AC games, I’m done with the Creed. I started this journey through the games in 2018 and thought it wouldn’t take too long to do it. I was wrong on that front, and it was this game’s fault! While Syndicate wasn’t exactly drawing me in, it’s also possible that I was burnt out on the franchise. Besides, there was other stuff to play. Anyway, I can finally say that I finished this race.

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate was released on October 23^rd, 2015 for the PS4 and Xbox One. Of course, I didn’t get around to getting this game until last year maybe. I’m not sure. I probably got it around the same time I got Unity last year. In the pretty lackluster present day story, you’re back as “Blank: the Helix Player”… yeah, I got no good name for this person. Anyway, you’re tasked by the Assassins to play the memories of two twin Assassins: Jacob and Evie Frye. You also see familiar Assassins like Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings as they search for an Isu artifact called the Shroud of Eden.

In the past (1868), you can play as either Jacob or Evie Frye. Unlike how Odyssey does later, you can switch them out during gameplay and play as either. While both are trying to take down the Templars in London, they have different goals. Jacob wants to chew gum and kick Templar arse while Evie is on the search for hidden Isu artifacts like the Shroud. They aren’t the only ones searching for the Shroud though since Starrick, the Grand Templar in London, has his associates out there running the place and looking for the Shroud. Add in a lotta Cockney accents, child labor, gangs, and overall calamity.

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

Well, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla has been released, and reviews seem promising. That being said, I’ll probably wait for the eventual “This Game Is Buggy” patch to be released before I end up playing it. I wish I could say that I’ve reached the end of the AC retrospective, but I have Syndicate to finish off. I’ll probably do that before I hit Valhalla. I’m just not sure yet. Anyway, on to Ancient Greece!

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey was released on October 5^th, 2018. I don’t think I got it until 2019 though. This continued what Assassin’s Creed: Origins did with the RPG-lite mechanics and went even further. Now, we can choose the sex of our protagonist (Kassandra or Alexios). We can also alter the story of these characters a bit during certain sections of the playthrough. Even the skill tree that was introduced in Origins has been spruced up quite a bit. Also, Naval Battle makes its grand return here. It was only used sparingly in Origins.

"It's A Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Origins

Well, another Assassin’s Creed game is upon us. At first, I thought I would be torn between Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077. Since 2077’s been pushed back to December (seriously, WTH CDPR), I might end up checking that out first. Then again, if it’s anything like how Assassin’s Creed: Unity was when it first shipped, I might wait. Anywho, it’s time to get back on the trail of AssCreed. By the way, if you’re wondering where Syndicate is, keep wondering because I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll touch on that when I actually get around to it. That’ll be a story!

Assassin’s Creed: Origins was released on October 27^th, 2017. After Syndicate, Ubisoft took a much needed year off to craft this new game. My guess is that they knew that the formula was getting stale because Syndicate wasn’t as well-received in 2015. So, they needed to shake it up and add in something new. One look at some of the gameplay and RPG elements can tell you that they were inspired by RPGs like The Witcher 3, a well-received game and great RPG in my opinion. Does Origins come close, or does it fall?

Random Thoughts #54 - "2020, Are You Alright?"

Hospital food isn't bad, but it ain't filling either.

Wow, I actually went a month without blogging… I’m surprised by that myself. Strangely, that wasn’t exactly the plan. February and the beginning of March were kinda weird for me and I’ll go into some detail. I would’ve posted my review of the event Shadowland, on Comics Crossover Central, but I lost my jump drive and don’t feel like writing again about that crappy event right now. Work’s good, though. I’ve taken on some new responsibilities, and while it is taking a some learning, I’m good. So, sit back as I go through some Random Thoughts.

“Wait, I’m being admitted?”

So, I spent a couple of days in the hospital recently. I don’t put too much personal stuff here, but this is one event I need to let loose about. Only my family, Liz, and co-workers know more about my condition. My resting heart rate had been steadily increasing over February, but I initially thought it was overexertion. When it hit a pretty high number while I was just taking a slow stroll, I knew something was off. I don’t think relationship woes would do that.

So, I went to Centennial and spent a couple of days there. I definitely didn’t want to go since it is a hospital and there are those medical bills to think about. Still, I had to do something. Heck, I wanted to leave while I was there, but they had to watch vitals. Anywho, the problem was my thyroid and it’s getting straightened out. Just know that I’m feeling better and that hospital stays are nice when good nurses are around. Birgen, you were pretty cool.

Tennessee Tornadoes

Now, onto to a pretty recent topic. Tuesday morning, Middle Tennessee got hit with some powerful tornadoes. Nashville especially got hit and I was apparently not too far from one. Germantown, North Nashville, and Donelson got hit bad. Putnam County and a couple of others got it pretty bad too. While my small street was pretty much unaffected, other parts of North Nashville had trees down. I know of this one AutoZone in Germantown that got pretty much destroyed. TSU’s Agricultural Center got effed up too. Today, my area got power back after three days.

I thought I was taking a shortcut for work... WRONG.

It was a pretty chilling experience. I knew something was up when I saw lighting hit a transformer on a light pole. Folk have lost lives, houses, and jobs. We got folk out there doing what they can. I want to get out there and do what I can even if it’s something small. For those who are the praying kind, say some prayers for the one who have lost someone or a home. Also, if you can give, do it.

Video Games

I actually haven’t watched too many movies for a while. I haven’t been in the mood. What I have been doing is playing a few video games. I’ll just mention a few before I sign off for today. I gotta end this post with something light-hearted:

• The Outer Worlds – Obsidian really knocked this one out of the park. Just imagine Fallout: New Vegas in space. The game is like someone mixed Fallout and Firefly into one game. While it may not be as expansive as most RPG’s, it really packs a punch with good characters, some nice gameplay, and some interesting visuals. The characters are also a hoot. Heck, one long mission involved me trying to get Pavarti, the ship’s mechanic, set up with another mechanic. You may think that’s dull, but it was actually pretty fun. It’s definitely a game to check out. 
• Titanfall 2 – I’m not much into FPS, but I may play one or two. Titanfall 2 was pretty good. The main campaign was fun, but I’ve actually had a lot of fun with the online play. I can actually say I’m even getting good. Basically, imagine dudes jumping to big A.I. controlled robots and you get a fun game. 
• Batman: The Enemy Within – I don’t know what came over me with this game. I guess I got bit by that pesky Dark Knight. I’ve been on a little bit of a Batman phase, and this game was just part of the ride. I’m actually planning on talking about this game and it’s predecessor soon. Basically, this was pretty fun. It was what you expect from Telltale Games. They even throw a twist in especially when we see different versions of classic rogues.

……………………………………………………………………

Well, that I got for now. I’m gonna try to get back into writing again. I still got ideas running around in my head (as well as questions about life and love, argh). I think I may start out again with what I was kinda planning: a Batman phase, not month. Maybe this’ll generate traffic around here or something. All I know is that it’s been a while since I’ve really delved into the Stank Knight. Yeah, I went there! Anyway, Peace, God Bless, remember to neuter your pets, and be careful out there. 2020, you’ve been weird, and I worry about ya.

Favorites - 10 Favorite Tekken Characters

When the 2010’s rolled around, I don’t know what happened between me and fighting games. For years, I was more or less an avid fan of fighting games. There was the Street Fighter series, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, and of course, Tekken. I guess I got burnt out on the franchise since I barely played any of Tekken 6. I barely touched the modern MK games. I think the only fighting franchise I gave any attention to was Netherrealm’s Injustice series.

Let me get back to Tekken, though. I had gotten the latest game, Tekken 7, some time ago. I hadn’t cracked open the case for months until we got to the holiday season. I had more time off for work than I realized, so I popped that baby in. I guess I needed to get some things off my chest, and honestly, it had been too long since I’ve kicked butt as Eddy Gordo. I don’t know what happened, but it felt like going home for the first time. Anyway, I thought I’d just off my favorite characters from the franchise.  This is just me gushing on my  faves. These are the ones who got the coolest moves, got good backstories, and just look pretty cool. It’s also not in order, but the best are up top.

Favorites - 14 Favorite Force-Wielders from Star Wars

Well, we got a couple of weeks to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It seems like I’ve been in a Star Wars frenzy lately. The Mandalorian is on Disney+, and yes, I am enjoying yet another streaming service. I played the retro game Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 – Jedi Outcast and finally beat the dang thing. Seriously, what was up with those Nar Shaadaa levels? That Street level wanted to make me break the TV! Anyway, another game I just finished was the recent Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order. Thankfully, Respawn has finally given EA a pretty cool Star Wars game.

 I think I got a couple more posts about the franchise in me. While there may be more movies left to go, it looks like Episode 9 will be the last for the Skywalkers. One of the coolest things about the franchise was the Force and the Jedi/Sith conflict. You had a lot of cool characters on both sides of the conflict. This list will be about my favorite Force-wielders in the franchise. I didn’t want to split up the whole Jedi/Sith thing since I’m kinda lazy tonight. Besides, some of these Force-wielders have towed that light/dark side line. It’s also not in order, but I will put the favorites up top.

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Rogue

Well, it has officially gotten cold… in more ways than one. Seriously, it was 54 degrees one day and over one night, we got  rain, sleet, and snow! It’s not even winter yet and TN is getting snow. At least this gives me time to catch up on some movies, tv shows, and of course, video games. I finally finished Assassin’s Creed: Rogue during this time, so that’s next on the AC docket.

AC: Rogue was released on the PS3 during November 2014 right at the same time AC: Unity was being released. I guess Ubisoft wanted to make some more money off of the PS3 for one last time. Since Ubisoft was concentrated on making Unity the big one, Rogue was much smaller in scope. It’s pretty short (only six sequences) and takes a lot of assets from AC: Black Flag. Even though it’s small in scope, it touches on a lot in the franchise in an interesting way. Reviews were decent for the game but some felt it was a cash grab at the time. Is it truly that or something more? I’ll elaborate below.

In the Present Day, Rogue pretty much picks up sometime after Black Flag. You’re “Nameless the Game Tester” again. Because of some weird hack at Abstergo Entertainment (kinda made to tie into Unity), you’re pretty much trapped in the building. You’re being ordered around by Osto Berg and his underling to go back into the Animus and live the events of Assassin-turned-Templar named Shay Cormac. Yeah, we get to play on the bad side… sort of.

Favorites - Seven Creepy Moments from Non-Horror Video Games

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of horror games. It’s not that I don’t like them, I’m just not that interested in them. If it has a lot of zombie shooting, there is a chance that I won’t play it since I kinda of want more than that. That doesn’t mean I don’t like horror themed games. I own Vampyr on the PS4, and I think The Wolf Among Us could be considered to be horror. By the way, I finally was able to finish that game. I wish it got a sequel.

 I think I like it more when RPGs include horror elements. Heck, most RPGs tend to mix in a lot of genres together to make something pretty memorable. So, I’m going to go into detail about 7 scary moments from non-horror video games. I was going to go all out and make this a longer list, but I then hit a block when it came to finding scary moments in non-horror games. Besides, this just leaves me to get a little more detailed on these moments and levels. So, let’s start out with what’s probably my first big scare in video games.

1. The Final Level from Spider-Man

“RAWR!!! DIIIIIEEEEE!!” Imagine hearing this for an hour. That’s how long it took me to beat a pretty short final level on the PS1 version of Spider-Man. I hadn’t even ate food for Thanksgiving yet because this thing held me up! In the level, all you gotta do is swing away from the pretty freaky combination of Dr. Octopus and Carnage (Carn-Ock? Doc Carn?). Beating those two separately was hard enough, now I gotta face a merged version of them? While it would’ve been interesting to actually fight them, running from them kinda sounds better.

Anyway, while running like a coward sounds simple, you have to swing, climb, and run your red and blue butt off. You’re jumping over pipes, climbing walls, and running. I think there were a couple of times where I was like “All right, take me!” or something like that. I think I also only got to really beat this once since my PS1 ultimately gave out on me. It’s definitely one memory from I PS1 days I have still held on to.