Jon Gracey's

Posts Tagged ‘videogames’

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Games That *SPOOKED* My World – #16: Gregory Horror Show

In PS2 on October 31, 2012 at 11:41 am

Title: Gregory Horror Show

Format: PS2

Released: 15th December, 2003

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You approach a corner. A floorboard creaks. The frenetic blood pump of a heart beating faster. And then, what’s that? The sing-song of a middle-aged lady? You breathe a sigh of relief, and turn to leave. Then a pink crocodile in a nurses’ outfit hurtles round the corner and stabs you in the eye with a syringe.

There were many games I could’ve looked at for this incredibly spooky Hallowe’en edition of Games That Rocked My World. But despite all the Resident Evils, the Silent Hills and the Siren: Blood Curses in this world, there’s one title that really, truly deserves your attention.

Gregory Horror Show (or Gregory Horror Show: Ghoul Collector, as it’s known in Japan), is, despite appearances, genuinely, lastingly scary. And not quite in the way you think. It’s full of a bunch of strange, misshapen characters, sure, but it’s what the game makes of you that scares. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #15: Shenmue II

In Dreamcast, Xbox on October 23, 2012 at 9:55 am

Title: Shenmue 2

Format: Dreamcast, Xbox

Released: 23rd November, 2001

Shenmue_2_boxart

Summer, 2002. I was 16, done with my GCSEs and the summer holidays stretched out in front of me in endless golden swathes. But there was a problem: I was spending them working in a bank, and it was fucking shit. Looking back now, I can’t believe I had the gall to complain: I was young, middle-class (still am) and employed (not so much). I was incredibly lucky. But in 2002 I was an ungrateful, solipsistic little shit, and working sucked fucking tits. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #14: Journey

In PS3, PSN on October 9, 2012 at 10:20 am

Title: Journey

Format: PS3, PSN

Released: 13th March, 2012

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I am a crier. I tell you this in the interests of honesty. Films are my prime trigger (Have you seen “The Princess & The Frog”?? Apology accepted). But videogames? Rarely. They conjure up a wide array of feelings: wonder, excitement, anger, confusion. But emotions? I played through episode three of The Walking Dead: The Game recently, and was staggered to find myself in tears at a particularly gut-wrenching decision I was forced to make. This was interesting and new, at least within the realms of my gaming experience. And I was excited. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #13: Red Dead Redemption

In PS3, Xbox 360 on December 13, 2011 at 11:44 am

Title: Red Dead Redemption

Format: PS3, Xbox 360

Released: 21st May, 2010

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What a difference a song makes. I’ve recently been playing devilishly difficult 2D PlayStation platformer Rayman, and by Christ it is hard. Unfair, at points, but generally, just hard. And yet, such care and attention has been paid not only to the beautiful 2D graphics, with gorgeous sprites and animation that have aged far better than the unbalanced difficulty curve, but also to the music. Every level has a gorgeous riff or fill that conjures up feelings of excitement, derring-do, terror – whatever is required. It really does raise the experience from challenging platformer to absorbing adventure. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #12: Earthworm Jim 2

In GBA, Mega Drive, PC, PlayStation, Saturn, SNES, Virtual Console on December 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm

Title: Earthworm Jim 2

Format: Mega Drive, SNES, Saturn, PlayStation, PC, GBA, Virtual Console

Released: 22nd December, 1995

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As a child, my genre of choice was always the 2D platformer. Prizing reactions, skill and variety above all else, the Sonic The Hedgehogs, and Super Mario Worlds of the early 90s were the games I coveted most. I remember basing a friendship with a kid at school called James Turpin on the fact that he had a copy of Rocket Night Adventures on the Mega Drive. The rest came later. Then there was this really weird kid I met at one of those ballpit-centric adventure playgrounds for about half an hour somewhere up north who wanted my protection from a bully who threatened him with karate (It was like a truly awful 90s sports movie, just waiting to happen). With this chap, I actively attempted to cultivate a long-distance friendship because one of the first things he told me as I coldly turned to leave him to his fate, was that he had a Sega Saturn and a copy of the then-graphically-astounding early 3D platformer Bug!. It really was that simple: I was an opportunistic dick, and games were my currency. Read the rest of this entry »